This is my attempt of the first chapter. I’m kinda iffy towards it myself. If you all agree that it’s blah, my feelings won’t be hurt if we go to the cowboy story (because I know at least one girlie who would like that, right?)
Next to write is
eternaletoile (if she still wants to)
Chapter 1
***
“Don’t look so excited,” William grumbled, resisting before giving his mother his hand. They were sitting at the kitchen table. He sighed once the damp cotton ball was rubbed on his fingernail.
“Oh, hush, love, it’s not so bad,” Anne gave a little laugh as she wiped off the black polish. “Are you going to dye your hair back to brown too? I could give it a nice trim…”
“What the hell is wrong with my hair,” William exclaimed, offended. “You said you liked it!”
“Language William,” she scolded as she concentrated on getting the little black spots out of the corner of his nails. “I’ve grown to like your hair…just…promise me you wouldn’t spike it.” When his left hand was finished she reached for the other.
William looked at his naked hand and he could barely recognize it without it’s usual rings and the rubber bands he wore around his wrist. “There’s no way that I’m changing my hair. I like it bleached. I’ll do all the other; I’ll change my clothing and that, but my hair? No. I need to grasp onto some bit of my identity. I’m not going to sell my bloody soul for a measly nine dollars an hour.”
Anne snorted, “William, I doubt your soul is measured in makeup and ratty t-shirts--.”
“Don’t start,” he groaned.
“-You’re almost twenty, you shouldn’t be dressing as if everyday is Halloween. This new job of yours, it’s a blessing.”
“Mum, I know…”
“Then stop your complaining.” Anne put his other hand on the tabletop. “All done, now hurry so you wouldn’t be late.”
***
“William, the bus will be here in three minutes!” Anne banged on his bedroom door and remained him of the time again. “You can’t be late, not on your first day!”
William opened the door, a scowl on his face.
“Awww! Look at you!” She held a hand to her mouth and her eyes started to water. “There’s the boy I thought I lost when you started at the university.”
“Mum, the time…” He shifted and ran a hand over his slicked down hair, uncomfortable after seeing his mother cry.
“Oh, I just wish I had film in the camera,” Anne spread her arms and went to her son for a hug. “You look wonderful, love. I’m so very proud of you.”
He swallowed and returned his mother’s embrace, “I need to go.”
“I know,” she pulled away, wiping her eyes.
“Ah, I’ll see you later.” After giving Anne a pat on the shoulder, William ran out the door.
***
The bus was crowded and William sat at the first seat that he could find. He took a deep breath and looked ahead, staring at the large digital clock that was above the driver. William was starting to get nervous. When he wasn’t checking the time, he played with his clothing. He adjusted his collar, re-buttoned buttons, and straightened his tie.
“God, you look really uncomfortable.”
“What?” William turned, taken by surprise when the woman he was sitting to had spoke to him.
“You look uncomfortable,” she spoke the words a little louder.
“Well…I guess I am…”
The woman laughed, “Maybe you should try not doing that, showing all your emotions through your face, that has to be a curse.”
“I don’t…show everything.”
“You do. Right now I can tell that you’re ready to jump out of your skin. If you didn’t have somewhere to go, you would’ve jumped out at the last bus stop just to avoid me. I scare you.” The woman smiled, satisfied, as if she had him pegged.
William looked at her; he didn’t know what to say.
“I know, I can tell that you’re so freaked out that you’re secretly hoping that I’ll stop talking the rest of the ride.”
“Good call,” William frowned. He looked at the clock again and he shifted an inch away from the woman.
“Maybe if I keep on talking you’ll fall off the seat,” she spoke under her breath but not quiet enough; William heard her.
He ignored the woman.
***
William stood before the bus had come to a complete stop and he was the first one off.
“Fucking batty woman,” he whispered as he made his way down the street and to the building where his job was located.
He took a deep breath before walking through the large glass doors.
***
“You must be William Giles! Hi, I’m Willow!” A red headed girl met him once he walked into the office. “I’m another intern, I’m going to train you today.” She smiled and shook his hand. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
***
William tried to remember everything the bubbly girl was telling him: where the paper clips were, how to use the copy machine, who worked where.
“You’ve been assigned to Buffy Summers,” Willow pointed at the empty office. “She’ll be in soon…she’s usually late,” Willow whispered. “I usually help Cordelia. She was the one who hired you wasn’t she?”
“Yeah.” William peeked in into the other office, seeing the dark haired woman on the phone.
“Sometimes you’ll work for Cordelia too, it’ll just depend on what needs to be done.” Willow led him across the office to a collection of empty cubicles. “This is my desk,” she smiled proudly. William blinked, taking in the brightly colored accessories and fuzzy sweater that rested on the back of her chair. “You can pick any of the other desks. Cordelia doesn’t know if we’ll be hiring any more interns but for now it’ll just be the two of us.”
William nodded and he scanned the other cubicles. He wanted to be in a spot where he could see most of the office from his desk. He opened his mouth about to tell Willow which desk he wanted but he stopped once the woman he’d sat next to on the bus walked into the office.
“I was going to get bagels but I walked past the doughnut shop and I couldn’t resist.” She chuckled dropping the large white box of pastries next to the coffee pots.
“Buffy!” Willow squealed and she pulled William to meet the blonde, fashionably dressed woman. “Buffy, meet William, your new intern.”
“William,” Buffy looked him up and down. “We’ve met.”
“Really?” Willow looked from Buffy to William.
“On the bus this morning,” William spoke up, not sure if he should try to shake his boss’s hand. “Nice to formally meet you, Ms. Summers.”
“It’s Buffy. Willow, have you showed William around the office?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. William, why don’t you follow me into my office and I’ll give you some work to do.”
***
Buffy gave her new intern a box overflowing with paperwork. “All this needs to be sorted by date and then filed. That should take you about a week to do. If you have any questions you can ask me or Willow.”
“Where do I file them when everything’s sorted?”
“There,” Buffy pointed to a metal cabinet in her office.
William nodded and he lifted the box.
“And William.”
“Yes?” He spun halfway to the door.
“I don’t know if Cordelia went over the dress code with you or not, but you don’t always have to wear a tie if you don’t want to, a nice shirt will be just fine.”
William felt himself blush, “Er, Thank you, Buffy.”
***
“So, what’s your major?”
“English.” William responded to Willow’s question while thumbing through papers at his desk.
“Really?”
He nodded, “Writing is easy for me and I like to read.”
“Oh, that’s so cool!”
“I guess…how about you?”
Willow began talking and William let his eyes wander around the office.
Nice desk, nice pay, okay people…
William looked up and he noticed that he could see directly into Buffy’s office.
Buffy, eh? Weird name but for an equally weird woman, I guess the name makes sense.
William studied his boss as she typed in her office. She pushed her hair behind her ear and William held his breath, noticing how attractive she was.
Beautiful lady…bet she’d be a bitch and a half if I get on her bad side. Can’t let that happen...
“William? Hey, you still in there?” Willow giggled from her desk when he failed to respond to her questions. “Wiiiliam?”
“Uh…” William tried to think of something to say, his eyes still on Buffy. Her skin and golden hair seemed to shine under the sunlight that came through the window in her office. He couldn’t tare his eyes away. “I’m-ah…”
He froze; Buffy was looking at him, a smirk on her face. William blushed again and looked down when Buffy began waving at him.
Shit.
***
“How long are you working today, William,” Buffy asked after coming up behind him while he was using the copy machine.
“Until six o’clock.”
“Are you working that long every night?”
“As far as I know…”
“Will you be taking the bus everyday to work?”
“Ah, yes, my car was totaled and--.”
“Cordelia and Willow leave at five and I don’t like walking to the bus stop by myself at night. There’s only so much protection a can of mace can provide, you know? Anyway, I would appreciate it if we could walk to the stop together after six. You don’t have to talk to me, I just don’t like being in the dark by myself.”
William felt his heart beat faster under her stare. “Sure.”
Buffy smiled, “Thank you. Once you’re done copying, see Willow, she’s going to teach you all about mailing.”
***
William had picked up all his work and turned off all the machines as Willow had shown him. It was ten minutes after six and Buffy was on the phone.
What’s she up to? Practically telling me I have to walk her home and then making me stay late…on my first day…bloody hell… She’s using me already; just think of all the abuse I get to look forward to…
William walked to Buffy’s office and he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed.
“He’s a doll but kinda young I think. I can’t just corner the guy and smother him with--” Buffy leaned back in her chair and she twirled the cord of the telephone between her fingers. She gasped after seeing William, “Anya let me call you back.” She hung up the phone and spoke to William with her back to him, “It’s not very polite to eavesdrop, William.”
“I need to get home, Buffy, my mum--.”
“You live with your mother?”
“Yes,” he scrunched his eyebrows, not sure if he should be offended by her questions.
“That’s sweet.” Buffy gathered her purse and she stood up abruptly. “Let’s go.”
***
“Do you like it?”
“What? Working? Sure, it’s alright.” William shoved his hands in his pockets. He and Buffy walked side-by-side on the sidewalk. “I don’t mind the work right now. Always fancied a bit of grunt work.”
Buffy laughed at his choice of words.
“Oh, bloody hell…oh sorry, I don’t want to offend…” William grimaced when Buffy started to laugh harder.
“God, you’re amusing but William,” she swallowed and touched his arm. “Seriously, I don’t want to be the boss all the time so when we’re out of the office, you have my permission to swear, hell, you even have my permission to treat me like a human if you want.”
“So you’ll just teeter totter back and forth from the boss to the strange woman I met on the bus? That sounds like it could get messy.”
“Only if things get out of hand but that’s not going to happen.”
Once they reached the bus stop, Buffy sat on the bench and William remained standing next to her. They waited in silence until the bus arrived.
***
“When I ask you questions or if you ever decide to ask me something, since we have the whole working relationship, I want you to know that you can lie if you’d like. I may lie myself,” Buffy shrugged and she looked out the window.
“Are you always this strange?”
“Why do you think Willow works for Cordy?” Buffy grinned mischievously. “Why do you think Cordelia interviews the interns?”
“Because you’re terrifying.”
Buffy laughed and nodded, “Among other things. Well, William it was nice meeting you and I can’t wait to boss you around tomorrow.” Buffy stood and William let her out of the seat.
“Have a nice night.”
“You too.”
***