BtVS Ficlet: Something To Be Proud Of
Title: Something To Be Proud Of
Fandom: BtVS
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Buffy, Willow, Giles.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 752
Spoilers: Early Season 3, up to and including Lover’s Walk.
Summary: No matter how hard she tries, academically speaking, Buffy doubts she’ll ever be a success.
Written For: Weekend Challenge Prompt: Overheard Randomness at 1_million_words.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BtVS, or the characters.
If History was Buffy’s worst subject, Geography wasn’t far behind. Who needed to know all that stuff anyway? Especially since half the countries seemed to change their names more often than she changed her hairstyle. It was confusing, and pointless. Buffy preferred subjects that were more… pointy.
Still, Geography, like History, was a required subject, and she was trying, honestly she was, although mostly she thought she was probably trying Willow’s patience.
“So, North Pole is at the top of the world, right?” Without waiting for Willow to answer, Buffy continued, “Are people from the North Pole Polish?”
Willow sighed, torn somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “No, that would be people from Poland. I don’t think the polar bears and penguins have nationalities, and there aren’t any people living at the poles, not permanently. Maybe an occasional scientific expedition to the Arctic or Antarctica, but that’s it. They’re too cold, too remote, and getting there is too difficult.” At Buffy’s confused expression, she added, “No airports. It’s all ice.”
“Oh. How did I not know that?”
“You can’t know everything,” Willow assured her friend. “Nobody can. Our brains wouldn’t be big enough. We just remember as much as we can.”
“I think my brain’s got a leak.” Buffy gave a frustrated little growl. “It’s no good, I’ll never pass my exams! No matter how hard I try, nothing seems to stick. My head’s just this hollow, empty space, full of echoes. If anyone looked in my ear, they’d probably be able to see right out the other one, because there’s nothing in there!”
“Don’t talk like that, Buffy!” Willow chided. “You can do this. If you try hard enough, something’s bound to stick.”
“I don’t know about that. I think maybe I need brain glue. Any idea where I can get some?”
OoOoO
Several months later, Buffy sat in the Sunnydale High library, staring at her SAT results, still clutched in her hand. 1430. She had to keep re-reading that to believe it, still halfway convinced she must be dreaming, or hallucinating, but every time she checked it said the same four numbers, in the same order.
“Buffy? Are you alright?”
“What?” She looked up at Giles, surprised to see him there. She hadn’t heard him approach. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be? I mean…” She waved the sheet of paper at him.
“Well, ah, you’re crying, so I thought…” Giles trailed off, still giving Buffy that oh-so-British look of repressed concern.
“No I’m not.” Buffy wiped at her tears with her fingertips. Giles offered her his handkerchief. “Thanks. This isn’t crying, this is me being happy.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Happy tears. You know, tears of… of… They’re tears of redemption!”
“Redemption?” Now Giles was looking at her like he suspected she’d swallowed his dictionary.
“Yes, redemption, ‘cause all this time I thought I was… not very smart.” She offered up a watery smile. “You have to admit, some of my exam results have been a bit… lacking.” She winced. “I kept expecting to flunk out, or have to re-take a grade or something, but now…” She shook her head, smiling. “Look at this! Turns out I DO have a brain. Who knew?”
“Yes, you do.” Giles perched on the edge of the table. “A very fine brain, if perhaps a little underused.”
“Giles!”
“Now you see what you can achieve when you apply yourself. Imagine what you could do if you were studying something that held your interest.”
“You mean like, in college?”
“Exactly.”
“Not so long ago, I wasn’t sure I’d even graduate high school. Now, suddenly, college is an option.”
“It always was, Buffy. You just needed a reason to believe in yourself, and now you have it, right there on that piece of paper.”
“Yeah. I’m smart. Maybe even college smart!”
“I’d say that’s without question. I’m proud of you, Buffy.”
“Thanks. I’m proud of me too. Yay me!”
Giles chuckled. “Indeed. Now, isn’t it about time you went home and showed that to your mother?”
“You’re right. She is going to be so psyched!” Jumping to her feet, Buffy snatched up her bag and headed for the door. “Thanks for the pep talk, Giles,” she threw back over her shoulder, and then she was gone, leaving Giles smiling.
“She is remarkable,” he said quietly as he made his way to his small office behind the desk to brew a celebratory cup of tea. “Quite remarkable.” He could only pray she’d live long enough to realize her full potential.
The End
Fandom: BtVS
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Buffy, Willow, Giles.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 752
Spoilers: Early Season 3, up to and including Lover’s Walk.
Summary: No matter how hard she tries, academically speaking, Buffy doubts she’ll ever be a success.
Written For: Weekend Challenge Prompt: Overheard Randomness at 1_million_words.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BtVS, or the characters.
If History was Buffy’s worst subject, Geography wasn’t far behind. Who needed to know all that stuff anyway? Especially since half the countries seemed to change their names more often than she changed her hairstyle. It was confusing, and pointless. Buffy preferred subjects that were more… pointy.
Still, Geography, like History, was a required subject, and she was trying, honestly she was, although mostly she thought she was probably trying Willow’s patience.
“So, North Pole is at the top of the world, right?” Without waiting for Willow to answer, Buffy continued, “Are people from the North Pole Polish?”
Willow sighed, torn somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “No, that would be people from Poland. I don’t think the polar bears and penguins have nationalities, and there aren’t any people living at the poles, not permanently. Maybe an occasional scientific expedition to the Arctic or Antarctica, but that’s it. They’re too cold, too remote, and getting there is too difficult.” At Buffy’s confused expression, she added, “No airports. It’s all ice.”
“Oh. How did I not know that?”
“You can’t know everything,” Willow assured her friend. “Nobody can. Our brains wouldn’t be big enough. We just remember as much as we can.”
“I think my brain’s got a leak.” Buffy gave a frustrated little growl. “It’s no good, I’ll never pass my exams! No matter how hard I try, nothing seems to stick. My head’s just this hollow, empty space, full of echoes. If anyone looked in my ear, they’d probably be able to see right out the other one, because there’s nothing in there!”
“Don’t talk like that, Buffy!” Willow chided. “You can do this. If you try hard enough, something’s bound to stick.”
“I don’t know about that. I think maybe I need brain glue. Any idea where I can get some?”
OoOoO
Several months later, Buffy sat in the Sunnydale High library, staring at her SAT results, still clutched in her hand. 1430. She had to keep re-reading that to believe it, still halfway convinced she must be dreaming, or hallucinating, but every time she checked it said the same four numbers, in the same order.
“Buffy? Are you alright?”
“What?” She looked up at Giles, surprised to see him there. She hadn’t heard him approach. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be? I mean…” She waved the sheet of paper at him.
“Well, ah, you’re crying, so I thought…” Giles trailed off, still giving Buffy that oh-so-British look of repressed concern.
“No I’m not.” Buffy wiped at her tears with her fingertips. Giles offered her his handkerchief. “Thanks. This isn’t crying, this is me being happy.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Happy tears. You know, tears of… of… They’re tears of redemption!”
“Redemption?” Now Giles was looking at her like he suspected she’d swallowed his dictionary.
“Yes, redemption, ‘cause all this time I thought I was… not very smart.” She offered up a watery smile. “You have to admit, some of my exam results have been a bit… lacking.” She winced. “I kept expecting to flunk out, or have to re-take a grade or something, but now…” She shook her head, smiling. “Look at this! Turns out I DO have a brain. Who knew?”
“Yes, you do.” Giles perched on the edge of the table. “A very fine brain, if perhaps a little underused.”
“Giles!”
“Now you see what you can achieve when you apply yourself. Imagine what you could do if you were studying something that held your interest.”
“You mean like, in college?”
“Exactly.”
“Not so long ago, I wasn’t sure I’d even graduate high school. Now, suddenly, college is an option.”
“It always was, Buffy. You just needed a reason to believe in yourself, and now you have it, right there on that piece of paper.”
“Yeah. I’m smart. Maybe even college smart!”
“I’d say that’s without question. I’m proud of you, Buffy.”
“Thanks. I’m proud of me too. Yay me!”
Giles chuckled. “Indeed. Now, isn’t it about time you went home and showed that to your mother?”
“You’re right. She is going to be so psyched!” Jumping to her feet, Buffy snatched up her bag and headed for the door. “Thanks for the pep talk, Giles,” she threw back over her shoulder, and then she was gone, leaving Giles smiling.
“She is remarkable,” he said quietly as he made his way to his small office behind the desk to brew a celebratory cup of tea. “Quite remarkable.” He could only pray she’d live long enough to realize her full potential.
The End