Chapter 11: Christmas part one
Buffy’s POV:
That must have been the strangest christmas break yet.
If someone went: ‘Hey, Buffy, how was your christmas break?’, I wouldn’t know what to say. Not a clue. Or maybe…
Strange.
It was a strange Christmas break.
I mean, it began pretty ominously anyways.
Everything was sort of calm before it happened. The thing with Cordelia. It was about a week after that night I got my leg hurt. Winter break just started and we all knew something was going on with Cordelia and Faith.
Something not so good.
Xander and me walked into the school library, only to find some highly emotional drama.
“So then I realized that maybe I was being just a little paranoid.” Xander was saying. “I mean, gerbils aren’t organized enough to plan world domination, are they?”
I raise an eyebrow at him, worried.
“Right.” He smiles sheepishly and twirls his hand around in the ‘crazy’-motion.
Right. I nod.
He holds open the door to the library for me and I step in only to find Cordelia storming down the steps and Giles hurrying out from his office.
“Good god, Faith! Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about!” Cordelia shouts heatedly.
Faith appears from behind the rows of books and she hesitates before going down the steps as she sees Xander and me.
“Cordy-..”
Faith begins but Cordelia interrupts.
“You’d have to be blind and stupid not to see it for christ’s sake!” Cordy continues, the anger on her face the only thing stopping the tears from falling down.
Oh my god, what is going on? I turn to look at Xander, who might not be dealing well with this.
He doesn’t seem so much bothered with the fact that his ex-girlfriend is having some sort of lover’s quarrel with Faith but more with the fact that we walked into something he feels he has no business with anymore.
And then the strangest thing happens.
He looks at me, worried, as though he expects me to have some sort problem with what’s going on between Faith and Cordelia.
“Cordy, would you calm down? Jeez, I mean…” Faith looks pointedly at Giles. “You’ll give the guy a heart-attack.” She attempts a joke.
Giles looks startled at how the attention is now focused on him and he takes a step back, glasses in hand, shaking his head. Reassuring us that in fact, no, his heart was just fine thanks.
Cordelia however, seems less than amused. She turns around, looks at me and Xander and sighs.
“Well...” She smiles ruefully. “I knew it.”
She checks her purse, shaking her head. Then she looks up at Xander, the regret surprisingly plain on her face.
“Xander,…” She begins but falters.
“Hey, I know, still friends, right?” He smiles sympathetically and she sighs in relief, but I notice she’s shaking.
Whatever happened has really gotten to her.
She’s about to turn around to look at Faith but changes her mind, looks at me briefly and then walks away. As she passes by Xander and me, I see her eyes filled up and jaw clenched tightly.
I frown, realizing she’d probably rather die than cry in front of all of us. But then who is she going to cry to?
The double doors swing sadly shut as Cordelia leaves.
I look over to Faith and she looks from the doors to me, catching my gaze. She looks away, pained and I frown. Whatever this is, it’s hurting them both and it sucks. Although I may not like them being…’romantically involved’ or whatever, they’re still my friends, right? At least I still consider them to be.
I look at the doors again as they swing one last time.
Who will Cordy go to?
Harmony?
“Cordelia!”
I call out as I run down the hallway. She hesitates but only for a second, and she keeps walking.
“Cordelia, wait!” I call out again and run after her.
This time, she stops and quickly wipes her eyes before she turns.
“What, Buffy? What?!” She seems so stressed out.
Okay…What to say? This is Cordelia.
“Um. I just… I needed your advice on something. On clothes.” I attempt.
“What?!” She says in a shrill tone.
I’m starting to think this is a bad idea. Have to go for it though.
“Yeah, because…Well you know me.” I roll my eyes and pose lamely in my outfit.
It’s a lemon yellow skirt with a white top and flip-flops. I like it, I wouldn’t be wearing it if I didn’t. But she probably has five fashion no-no’s written in her mental fashion police notebook already.
She looks at me suspiciously and briefly turns away to brush away a stray tear.
“I was thinking we could go to the mall?” I continue carefully.
She still seems hesitant.
“You know with Christmas coming up, it’s totally an emergency.”
She frowns.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, Summers, but I don’t like it.” She narrows her eyes.
I roll my eyes. God, will she ever stop the hostility? I decide to change tactics and simply link my arm with hers, dragging her along the hallway.
“Buffy!” She yelps. “What are you doing?”
“C’mon, Cordy, we’re going shopping.” I announce excitedly. “I need your help.”
God, I hope she didn’t hear me grind my teeth when I said that.
She finally stops struggling and I release her from the torture that is my arm around hers.
“Right, it’ll be great.” She agrees, the sarcasm dripping off every word. “We can bond.”
“Hah!” I laugh but then bite my lip.
That was sorta the plan.
…
Hey, I’m not exactly known as ‘Buffy, The Rational Slayer’, you know?
“I don’t get why I have to do this, I actually have other, more significant, things to do.” She complains as we walk over the parking lot.
“Because I’ve saved your life several times now and you owe me, give me your keys.” I hold my hand out and she looks at me like I’m crazy.
You see what I’m saying?
“Um. Why?” She asks incredulously.
“Um. Because I’m driving.”
“Hah!” She laughs. “I don’t think so.”
“Then how do we get to the mall?”
She rolls her eyes and unlocks her car with two quick beeps.
“I’m upset, Buffy, not suicidal. Get in.” She opens the door and takes out her sunglasses, putting them on. “But after this, no more saving my life unless I ask you to, okay?”
She sniffs and then quickly steps in the car, checking herself in the mirror.
Cordelia Chase. Not exactly known as ‘Cordelia, The Rational Cheerleader’ either.
At the mall she helps me pick out a couple of tops and a cute skirt. I decide to hold off on any serious talking and instead try and coax her into an après-shopping ice cream chat. Usually works with Willow, it’s worth a shot.
I gotta tell you though, Cordelia’s a drill sergeant when it comes to shopping! And like a sniper too.
Because when we enter a store, she kind of looks around for a target and then zooms in, and then, one by one, she points them out.
Bam, bam, bam! Jacket, top, sweater. Changing room, now, soldier!
All business when it comes to clothes. I prefer to mozy around and hover.
We manage to go through five or six stores and pick out some clothes for me before I have to admit my budget stops me from buying anything else. So then we decide to grab something to eat and I realize it’s my chance to finally have a serious conversation with her.
At the ice cream parlor she orders strawberry and I order vanilla. Cordelia pays the girl at the counter and rolls her eyes at me.
“What?” I ask as we make our way to a free table by the window.
“Vanilla?” She raises an eyebrow at me as we sit down.
I look down at my cold yummy vanilla treat.
“Yeah, it’s my favorite.”
She shrugs and takes a small nip of her strawberry ice cream.
“Faith said you were the vanilla kind of girl...” She shrugs.
My head snaps up unintentionally at the mention of Faith and my ears perk up at the mention of Faith mentioning me.
“She did?”
She said I was the vanilla kind of girl? … What does that mean?
“Yup.” She continues eating, yet watching me carefully.
“Um… About Faith,” I frown at my ice cream. “What was that about in the library?”
I put a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth as I let Cordelia mull over how to answer that question.
Hah, she thought I’d go for the vanilla comment! She knew this was coming! But I am not so easily fooled with Faith babble! … Well not right now anyway, we’ll have to get back on that comment later.
“You know what happened last week with Faith and me, right?” She finally asks.
“Yeah.” I nod.
I know painfully well.
“Well that was bullshit and it was stupid of me.” She shrugs and stabs at her ice cream a little.
…Okay.
“I mean, let’s be honest here, Buffy.” She looks up and looks me straight in the eye. “She’s yours.”
I lean back in shock. What is she talking about? What is she saying?
“Not a lot of people have been nice to Faith and not wanted something in return. I didn’t ask her for anything but… I think she knew what I wanted. And she just tried to give it to me. But she doesn’t understand. I don’t want her. Like that. Let’s just say… I was never good at being number two anyway.”
“She may not like it, and she may try and fight it, but she can’t help it.” She sighs and takes another bite of ice cream. “Anyway, it’s not like you can either, right?”
…Okay.
What do I say, what do I say? What did she just say?
“What do you mean?” I manage to stumble out.
“Oh please, don’t make me say it even plainer. I might have to gag.” She rolls her eyes. “She’s yours, you’re hers.” She says matter-of-factly, pointing at me with her white plastic spoon.”
I shake my head and lean forward, about to interrupt, but she shoves the plastic spoon in my face and shakes her head sternly.
“No, listen.” She says.
I make a face at the spoon barely an inch from my eye and lean back again.
“You stare at her, she stares at you, you both pretend not to do it. And the rest of us just watch you. Acting like idiots.” She laughs ruefully. “You know it was fun for Xander to watch at first but even he sees this isn’t healthy anymore.”
“And god, you should tape your training sessions once. You’ll see, it’s dripping off both of you!” She groans, frustrated. “I don’t know what I was thinking, it was stupid.”
She leans back in her chair and sighs. I still don’t know quite what to say, everything she just said still processing in my mind.
We sit in silence as I sit and she finishes her ice cream. I look up and frown.
“You know she’s the one who keeps staring.” I blurt out.
Oops. Was that a bad thing to say? But Cordelia just laughs.
“Sure. Whatever you say, Buffy.” She takes out a small mirror from her purse and clicks it open. “And those big browns just kinda pulled you in, huh?”
I smile as I think about Faith’s eyes. But since Faith’s always looking away when I look at her, it’s always something else I notice.
“Actually it’s the ears.” I admit. “Did you know when she blushes she actually-..”
“Goes pink behind the ears?” Cordelia finishes as she touches up her lipstick.
I nod.
“She thinks she gets away with it too.” She adds and scoffs.
I laugh but then stop. Is it okay to be doing this?
“Um…yeah.” I agree. “But Faith’s lame, really, in the end. Lame. Lame Faith.”
Okay, that didn’t go too smooth.
Cordelia puts all her stuff back in her purse and looks at me seriously.
“Sure, Buffy.” She humors me. “Listen, thanks for the talk.”
She says the last part quickly and doesn’t look me in the eye but I know she means it.
“Send me a card from Spain?” I ask and get up with her.
“I dunno. Might be a little busy, if you know what I mean.” And she winks.
“Oh, right. Hot guys.” I nod. “Or…girls I guess.”
Cordelia rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
“Oh, no, I’ll stick with guys for now I think. Girls eventually are a little more complex and maybe it’s best to keep this winter fling simple.” She takes out her cell phone as she begins to slowly walk away.
“Right. Well I’ll see you in two weeks then, Cordy, thanks for the help.” I pick up my shopping bags and smile.
“No problem.” She nods. “And just remember: tapered pants are our enemy.”
I laugh to myself as she walks away.
“Ma’am, yes, ma’am.”
