fic: Sleepovers and Pretzels Chapter 3: Cordelia's Death
Title: Sleepovers and Pretzels
Rating: PG 13
Pairings: Spuffy, Willow/Tara, Faith/Oz, Anya/Xander, Riley/Harmony, Angel/Cordelia
Spoilers: up to at least season 6, but it's AU, so it's not required
Chapter Three: Cordelia's Death
A couple of hours later, it was lunchtime. Buffy cautiously approached Spike's table. Riley and Xander were the only ones sitting there; no one else had finished getting lunch yet. She asked, ''Is it OK if I sit here? Spike told me it would be OK.''
Riley smiled at her. ''Sure, Buffy. Go right ahead. He'll be here in a couple of minutes. He's still getting lunch. But enough about Spike. How are you today?''
Buffy sat down across from him and smiled back. ''I'm great. I had a great weekend, and my day's already been pretty good. How are you?'' She asked, spooning some noodles to her mouth.
Riley shrugged. ''Can't complain. I had physics early this morning, though, and if you were on the phone late with a girl the night before, you're really not prepared for it.'' He laughed.
Xander said, ''I was in your class, and I did a lot more last night than talk, and I was fine. You just can't handle it, Riles.'' He turned to Buffy. ''Are you taking physics?''
Buffy shook her head. ''No, I have that next semester. English is more my thing. I wanted to take it after my friend Willow, so that way she can help me with the work. She's supersmart.''
Xander nodded. ''Yeah, that's right. You're friends with Rosenburg. Do you think she'd do me a favor? Well, it's really my girl Anya who needs it. Do you think that she'd help An with her biology homework? If she wants to be paid, that can be arranged, too.'' He took a bite of his burger.
As Buffy was answering, Spike, Angel, and Faith arrived. ''Maybe. I'll ask her. It never hurts to ask.'' She looked up at her best friend. ''Hey, Faith. Who're you meeting?'' Spike sat down next to Buffy, Angel next to Xander, and Faith next to Riley.
Faith replied, ''Oz. He and I are kind of dating.'' She blushed. ''He's a really nice guy. He doesn't talk much, but it's OK. He kisses well.'' She smiled.
Angel looked at his sister. ''You're dating Oz?'' He asked. ''When did this happen?'' He looked enraged at this.
Faith looked at her brother with contempt. ''Excuse me? I can date whomever I want. If I want to date Oz, that's my business.'' She spat.
Riley quickly changed the subject. ''OK, guys. Who wants to come to a big party at my brother's frat at UC Sunnydale? He told me to invite anyone I want. Just tell them you know Jason Finn when you get there.''
Spike turned to Buffy. ''Want to go? It could be lots of fun. Riles' brother's a really cool bloke, I bet it'll be totally awesome.''
Buffy shrugged. ''Sure, that sounds awesome.'' She played it cool, but inside she was jumping up and down with excitement.
Harmony and Anya joined them, Oz and Devon right behind. The only one not there was Cordelia. She wouldn't be joining them, either. The rest of the gang wasn't going to say anything about Spike wanting to hang with Buffy, because he was so cool whatever he wanted to do wasn't ridiculed. Cordelia, however, wasn't going to stand for it, so she had decided to find her own group of friends. There were other cool groups of kids at the school, it just wouldn't be the it group. If you were in Spike Giles' group, you were automatically considered cool.
Anya sat down on Xander's other side, looking happy. ''Guess what? Since you, Spike, seem to want to hang out with you, Buffy, Cordelia will no longer be hanging out with us. Besides, everyone's still talking about how you dumped punch over her head, and she's quite embarrassed, not to mention angry.''
Angel said, ''I can see why you'd be happy about that, An. Cordy is so totally without.'' He was still smarting from their breakup.
Spike agreed with Angel. ''I don't care. Cordelia could be a good person if she could just care about something other than what is in and hip. I for one am not going to miss her.''
Buffy looked to Oz. ''Are the Dingoes playing the Bronze tonight?'' She asked him, sipping her Coke and playing footsie with Spike under the table.
Oz sipped his own soda and said, ''Yeah, we're playing.''
Faith looked at everyone. ''So we Bronzin' it tonight?'' She stole some of Oz's fries.
This seemed to be the consent of everyone else. Xander said, ''Might as well catch some Dingoes action. Dev, man, did you finish the new song?''
Devon shrugged. He was sitting next to Harmony, who was stealing all his fries. ''It's halfway done. Oz and I just can't get the lyrics right. The music itself is awesome. We just can't get the words to flow. We're going to work on it after school, before the gig.''
The rest of the lunch, everyone just talked about what Friends had been about, and then everybody split up for their next class. Faith and Buffy walked out with Harm and Anya; all four of them were in the same writing class. Willow and Tara were going to meet Buffy and Faith there.
Harmony said, ''So, what did you guys write your stories about? Mine was about a girl who gets asked to the prom by the most perfect guy, and she has a perfect time.''
Faith shrugged. ''I was busy with Oz a lot, so I just whipped off some ghost story. It was fastest. It turned out OK.''
Buffy said, ''I wrote mine earlier last week, and it's about one girl trying to get elected class president. She doesn't win, though. She decided to drop out because she didn't like the way that the school's politics were run.''
Anya said, ''I'm going to get a zero, because I was with Xander all weekend, and I just didn't feel like writing it. It's cool, though, I can miss one assignment. I've got an A in the class.''
When they reached the door, Willow and Tara were standing there, waiting for Buffy and Faith. Buffy stopped to introduce Harm and Anya to them. She didn't know if the girls knew them. ''Guys, this is Willow Rosenburg and Tara Maclay. They're friends of ours.''
Anya said, ''I'm Anya, and this is Harmony Kendall. Have you guys always gone to school here in Sunnydale?'' She had never paid attention to them before, but she knew their names. Everyone talked about them.
Willow nodded. ''Yeah, lived here all my life. I went to Sunnydale Elementary, and Sunnydale Junior High, now I'm here. I'll probably go to UC Sunnydale.''
Harmony said, ''Oh, our friend Riley Finn's brother goes there, and his frat's having a party. Just tell them you know Jason Finn if you want to go. See you there.'' She and Anya went in, and when Buffy and Faith didn't join them, Harm turned back. ''You guys coming?'' She asked.
Buffy nodded. ''We'll be there in a minute.'' She turned back to Willow and Tara. ''We're sorry that we didn't join you for lunch. Spike and Oz asked us to join them. Tomorrow, we'll have Spike and Oz eat with us, or maybe we can get you guys in at our table.''
Willow said, ''It's cool, Buffy. You and Faith have new guys, so you've got new friends. We'll still find time to hang. You guys go on and join Anya and Harmony. It's cool. We'll probably see you at the Bronze. One of our new friends is a big Dingoes fan.''
Buffy and Faith told Willow and Tara they'd see them later, and went in to get seats behind Harm and Anya, who'd chosen seats next to each other. Buffy sat behind Harm, and Faith behind Anya. Buffy asked, ''I wonder if she'll make us read our stories out loud?''
Anya said, ''I hope not, I didn't write mine.''
While the girls were settling down in writing class, Spike and Riley had gone to the library so Spike could have a quick word with his dad before he and Riles skipped drama. They were being forced to take it, and rarely went to class. Spike didn't care if he passed it or not. It was supposed to be for his art credit, but he could always take an art class if he failed drama.
Giles was putting books away in the stacks when they entered. He heard his name being called and came out to stand on the landing. ''Hullo, William.'' He said, pushing his glasses up onto his nose.
Spike called up, ''After school, before we go to the Bronze, some of us are going to the pizza place, so don't expect me at home.''
Giles said, ''Just don't stay out too late, tonight's a school evening.'' He was disappointed his son wouldn't be home, he wanted to speak to him about his school marks.
Spike said, ''Well, that's it, then, see you later, then, Rupert.'' He turned and left, Riles following, after he had said a ''See you later, Mr. Giles.'' Spike asked as they hit the hall, ''Why give him that bit of respect? Just call him Rupert or Giles. Everyone does. It's not just me.''
Riley said, ''He's your dad, though, Spike. And he has never called you that. How did you get that nickname, anyway?''
Spike had forgotten that he had never told Riley how he had gotten his nickname. He had gone to school in Sunnydale since he was six and in the first grade, and when he had gotten the name in the fifth grade, he had assumed it would come out, and never did. Then when he and Riley had become best friends in the seventh grade, he had forgotten to tell him. The only person he thought most likely still knew was Buffy. He looked at Riley and stopped walking. ''I got it in the fifth grade. I was very depressed that year, and I started going down to the railroad tracks, and tried to kill myself with railroad spikes. Kids at school found out and started calling me Spike. It started out negative, and once I wasn't so depressed, I was used to it and just kept it. Rupert refused to call me Spike because he feels I'm just making up names to call myself because I'm still not over my mum's death.''
Riley said, ''I never knew that you did that. I'm glad that you've managed to make it your own. Mr. Giles really thinks that? That you're not over your mom's death?''
Spike was resigned to talking about it, not something that he usually cherished doing. ''Yes, he really does think that. That's why we're so estranged. I miss my mum, but I understand that it was her time to go, and I seem to be fine. I wasn't over it in the fifth grade, and that's part of the reason I was so depressed. When I got better, I wanted to keep the nickname as a reminder that I was human, and couldn't cheat death like that. Rupert doesn't understand, and I don't think he ever will. I think he's the one not over my mum's death.''
When they reached the courtyard, Angel was also sitting there. He looked pretty upset, and Spike asked, ''What?''
Angel said, ''Something's happened to Cordy. She was in driver's ed, and when she was driving, she lost control of the car and drove it through the fence onto the road. She crashed into another car and was killed instantly.'' He managed to say all of this without losing it.
Spike and Riley were at a loss for words. They knew how much Angel had loved Cordy. He had truly been devastated when he and Cordy had broken up, even though they had only dated for a short time, because he had been in love with her since their eighth grade year. Spike sat down next to his friend. He and Angel had been so close at one time. Before he and Riley had formed their bond, he and Angel had been best friends from first grade and on. They had grown a bit apart in seventh, just because Spike had had Riley too, to tell everything to. They had remained friends, though, they just didn't tell everything to each other anymore, because Angel had also had Xander. Spike said, ''I'm sorry, mate. I know how much you must be hurting.''
Angel tried not to cry, he was too macho. ''I just, I never got the chance to try to fix things. She was fine this morning, and now, she's gone. She was gone just before lunch, and we all talked and laughed about her not sitting with us anymore.''
They sat the rest of the period, just in silence, trying to be there for Angel. The next period was Spanish class for all three of them, and they knew they needed to go, but Spike told Angel that he would make excuses for him if need be. Angel shook his head. ''No, I skipped the last seven classes. I need to go today.'' So they all got up and went.
Buffy was waiting for Spike outside his classroom. Angel and Riley both said hello to her on their way inside. Spike of course stopped to talk to her. ''Hi, I can't stay long, Anya and Harm are waiting for me so we can go skip drama class.''
Spike said, ''Um, Buffy, I have some bad news. Cordelia passed away today. She was in a wreck while she was in driver's ed earlier.''
Buffy gasped. ''I'm so sorry. I know how much you guys must be hurting. Cordelia was your friend.'' She wouldn't have said so out loud, and she felt guilty for it, but apart of her was glad.
Spike said, ''Angel's more torn up about than Riles and I are, and I don't know how many of the group know about it. But I just wanted to tell you, because Angel might need me to hang with him instead of going to the Bronze and the pizza joint this afternoon.''
Buffy understood. She would have wanted him to if it was one of her friends. ''Sure, that's fine. Just let me know after last class.'' She kissed his cheek before going to meet Anya and Harmony in the courtyard.
The rest of the day passed in a blur for Spike. He was numb, but trying to be strong for Angel. Their group didn't have a lot of practice dealing with stuff like this, where they actually talked about this together, with more than their best friend. Usually, Spike and Riley talked about things, Angel and Xander, and so on. Spike knew that he was going to be the only one Angel would be able to talk to, because Xander didn't understand how deep the Cordelia love ran for Angel, and there was no making him.
At their lockers, Spike asked Angel, ''Are you up to getting pizza and Bronzin' it?'' He was hoping that his friend would tell him to go on without him. Spike really wanted to see Buffy.
Angel said just this. ''I'm going home to be alone, but you go ahead and go. I know you want to see Buffy, and I don't blame you. If I had a new girl, I'd want to see her every minute of every day.''
Spike smiled wearily at Angel and said, ''OK, but I'm still your mate, and if you need me, call me on my cell, and I can be there in a jiff.'' He touched Angel's arm, and then walked down the hall, to find Buffy.
She was with Faith and Anya, and they were at Buffy's locker. She grinned as Spike came up. ''Hey, Spike.'' She said.
Anya asked, ''How's Angel?'' This was out of character for her; she was usually so wrapped up in Xander, she barely noticed anything else.
Spike shrugged. ''He's dealing, I guess. You guys don't know how deep his feelings went for Cordelia. He and I used to be best mates in grade school, and he always had a crush on her, and eventually it developed into love. Buffy's the only one who has any clue, because she used to be best mates with us, too.''
Faith said, ''Angel's my brother, and even I have no comprehension of what he's going through. We did used to be closer when we were younger. Buffy, remember the day he came home talking about how much he hated her? We were giggling because we didn't believe him?''
Buffy laughed. ''Yeah, and he chased us all over the house, threatening to tickle us until we peed our pants.''
Both girls giggled for a minute. Spike said when they'd finished, ''Well, we're ready to go out. Angel told me to go on without him, he'd be fine. He wants to be alone. So, happier talk, people!'' He knew this would be easy for him, because he and Cordelia had grown apart in the last few months, and she really wasn't someone he had considered a friend anymore.
Rating: PG 13
Pairings: Spuffy, Willow/Tara, Faith/Oz, Anya/Xander, Riley/Harmony, Angel/Cordelia
Spoilers: up to at least season 6, but it's AU, so it's not required
Chapter Three: Cordelia's Death
A couple of hours later, it was lunchtime. Buffy cautiously approached Spike's table. Riley and Xander were the only ones sitting there; no one else had finished getting lunch yet. She asked, ''Is it OK if I sit here? Spike told me it would be OK.''
Riley smiled at her. ''Sure, Buffy. Go right ahead. He'll be here in a couple of minutes. He's still getting lunch. But enough about Spike. How are you today?''
Buffy sat down across from him and smiled back. ''I'm great. I had a great weekend, and my day's already been pretty good. How are you?'' She asked, spooning some noodles to her mouth.
Riley shrugged. ''Can't complain. I had physics early this morning, though, and if you were on the phone late with a girl the night before, you're really not prepared for it.'' He laughed.
Xander said, ''I was in your class, and I did a lot more last night than talk, and I was fine. You just can't handle it, Riles.'' He turned to Buffy. ''Are you taking physics?''
Buffy shook her head. ''No, I have that next semester. English is more my thing. I wanted to take it after my friend Willow, so that way she can help me with the work. She's supersmart.''
Xander nodded. ''Yeah, that's right. You're friends with Rosenburg. Do you think she'd do me a favor? Well, it's really my girl Anya who needs it. Do you think that she'd help An with her biology homework? If she wants to be paid, that can be arranged, too.'' He took a bite of his burger.
As Buffy was answering, Spike, Angel, and Faith arrived. ''Maybe. I'll ask her. It never hurts to ask.'' She looked up at her best friend. ''Hey, Faith. Who're you meeting?'' Spike sat down next to Buffy, Angel next to Xander, and Faith next to Riley.
Faith replied, ''Oz. He and I are kind of dating.'' She blushed. ''He's a really nice guy. He doesn't talk much, but it's OK. He kisses well.'' She smiled.
Angel looked at his sister. ''You're dating Oz?'' He asked. ''When did this happen?'' He looked enraged at this.
Faith looked at her brother with contempt. ''Excuse me? I can date whomever I want. If I want to date Oz, that's my business.'' She spat.
Riley quickly changed the subject. ''OK, guys. Who wants to come to a big party at my brother's frat at UC Sunnydale? He told me to invite anyone I want. Just tell them you know Jason Finn when you get there.''
Spike turned to Buffy. ''Want to go? It could be lots of fun. Riles' brother's a really cool bloke, I bet it'll be totally awesome.''
Buffy shrugged. ''Sure, that sounds awesome.'' She played it cool, but inside she was jumping up and down with excitement.
Harmony and Anya joined them, Oz and Devon right behind. The only one not there was Cordelia. She wouldn't be joining them, either. The rest of the gang wasn't going to say anything about Spike wanting to hang with Buffy, because he was so cool whatever he wanted to do wasn't ridiculed. Cordelia, however, wasn't going to stand for it, so she had decided to find her own group of friends. There were other cool groups of kids at the school, it just wouldn't be the it group. If you were in Spike Giles' group, you were automatically considered cool.
Anya sat down on Xander's other side, looking happy. ''Guess what? Since you, Spike, seem to want to hang out with you, Buffy, Cordelia will no longer be hanging out with us. Besides, everyone's still talking about how you dumped punch over her head, and she's quite embarrassed, not to mention angry.''
Angel said, ''I can see why you'd be happy about that, An. Cordy is so totally without.'' He was still smarting from their breakup.
Spike agreed with Angel. ''I don't care. Cordelia could be a good person if she could just care about something other than what is in and hip. I for one am not going to miss her.''
Buffy looked to Oz. ''Are the Dingoes playing the Bronze tonight?'' She asked him, sipping her Coke and playing footsie with Spike under the table.
Oz sipped his own soda and said, ''Yeah, we're playing.''
Faith looked at everyone. ''So we Bronzin' it tonight?'' She stole some of Oz's fries.
This seemed to be the consent of everyone else. Xander said, ''Might as well catch some Dingoes action. Dev, man, did you finish the new song?''
Devon shrugged. He was sitting next to Harmony, who was stealing all his fries. ''It's halfway done. Oz and I just can't get the lyrics right. The music itself is awesome. We just can't get the words to flow. We're going to work on it after school, before the gig.''
The rest of the lunch, everyone just talked about what Friends had been about, and then everybody split up for their next class. Faith and Buffy walked out with Harm and Anya; all four of them were in the same writing class. Willow and Tara were going to meet Buffy and Faith there.
Harmony said, ''So, what did you guys write your stories about? Mine was about a girl who gets asked to the prom by the most perfect guy, and she has a perfect time.''
Faith shrugged. ''I was busy with Oz a lot, so I just whipped off some ghost story. It was fastest. It turned out OK.''
Buffy said, ''I wrote mine earlier last week, and it's about one girl trying to get elected class president. She doesn't win, though. She decided to drop out because she didn't like the way that the school's politics were run.''
Anya said, ''I'm going to get a zero, because I was with Xander all weekend, and I just didn't feel like writing it. It's cool, though, I can miss one assignment. I've got an A in the class.''
When they reached the door, Willow and Tara were standing there, waiting for Buffy and Faith. Buffy stopped to introduce Harm and Anya to them. She didn't know if the girls knew them. ''Guys, this is Willow Rosenburg and Tara Maclay. They're friends of ours.''
Anya said, ''I'm Anya, and this is Harmony Kendall. Have you guys always gone to school here in Sunnydale?'' She had never paid attention to them before, but she knew their names. Everyone talked about them.
Willow nodded. ''Yeah, lived here all my life. I went to Sunnydale Elementary, and Sunnydale Junior High, now I'm here. I'll probably go to UC Sunnydale.''
Harmony said, ''Oh, our friend Riley Finn's brother goes there, and his frat's having a party. Just tell them you know Jason Finn if you want to go. See you there.'' She and Anya went in, and when Buffy and Faith didn't join them, Harm turned back. ''You guys coming?'' She asked.
Buffy nodded. ''We'll be there in a minute.'' She turned back to Willow and Tara. ''We're sorry that we didn't join you for lunch. Spike and Oz asked us to join them. Tomorrow, we'll have Spike and Oz eat with us, or maybe we can get you guys in at our table.''
Willow said, ''It's cool, Buffy. You and Faith have new guys, so you've got new friends. We'll still find time to hang. You guys go on and join Anya and Harmony. It's cool. We'll probably see you at the Bronze. One of our new friends is a big Dingoes fan.''
Buffy and Faith told Willow and Tara they'd see them later, and went in to get seats behind Harm and Anya, who'd chosen seats next to each other. Buffy sat behind Harm, and Faith behind Anya. Buffy asked, ''I wonder if she'll make us read our stories out loud?''
Anya said, ''I hope not, I didn't write mine.''
While the girls were settling down in writing class, Spike and Riley had gone to the library so Spike could have a quick word with his dad before he and Riles skipped drama. They were being forced to take it, and rarely went to class. Spike didn't care if he passed it or not. It was supposed to be for his art credit, but he could always take an art class if he failed drama.
Giles was putting books away in the stacks when they entered. He heard his name being called and came out to stand on the landing. ''Hullo, William.'' He said, pushing his glasses up onto his nose.
Spike called up, ''After school, before we go to the Bronze, some of us are going to the pizza place, so don't expect me at home.''
Giles said, ''Just don't stay out too late, tonight's a school evening.'' He was disappointed his son wouldn't be home, he wanted to speak to him about his school marks.
Spike said, ''Well, that's it, then, see you later, then, Rupert.'' He turned and left, Riles following, after he had said a ''See you later, Mr. Giles.'' Spike asked as they hit the hall, ''Why give him that bit of respect? Just call him Rupert or Giles. Everyone does. It's not just me.''
Riley said, ''He's your dad, though, Spike. And he has never called you that. How did you get that nickname, anyway?''
Spike had forgotten that he had never told Riley how he had gotten his nickname. He had gone to school in Sunnydale since he was six and in the first grade, and when he had gotten the name in the fifth grade, he had assumed it would come out, and never did. Then when he and Riley had become best friends in the seventh grade, he had forgotten to tell him. The only person he thought most likely still knew was Buffy. He looked at Riley and stopped walking. ''I got it in the fifth grade. I was very depressed that year, and I started going down to the railroad tracks, and tried to kill myself with railroad spikes. Kids at school found out and started calling me Spike. It started out negative, and once I wasn't so depressed, I was used to it and just kept it. Rupert refused to call me Spike because he feels I'm just making up names to call myself because I'm still not over my mum's death.''
Riley said, ''I never knew that you did that. I'm glad that you've managed to make it your own. Mr. Giles really thinks that? That you're not over your mom's death?''
Spike was resigned to talking about it, not something that he usually cherished doing. ''Yes, he really does think that. That's why we're so estranged. I miss my mum, but I understand that it was her time to go, and I seem to be fine. I wasn't over it in the fifth grade, and that's part of the reason I was so depressed. When I got better, I wanted to keep the nickname as a reminder that I was human, and couldn't cheat death like that. Rupert doesn't understand, and I don't think he ever will. I think he's the one not over my mum's death.''
When they reached the courtyard, Angel was also sitting there. He looked pretty upset, and Spike asked, ''What?''
Angel said, ''Something's happened to Cordy. She was in driver's ed, and when she was driving, she lost control of the car and drove it through the fence onto the road. She crashed into another car and was killed instantly.'' He managed to say all of this without losing it.
Spike and Riley were at a loss for words. They knew how much Angel had loved Cordy. He had truly been devastated when he and Cordy had broken up, even though they had only dated for a short time, because he had been in love with her since their eighth grade year. Spike sat down next to his friend. He and Angel had been so close at one time. Before he and Riley had formed their bond, he and Angel had been best friends from first grade and on. They had grown a bit apart in seventh, just because Spike had had Riley too, to tell everything to. They had remained friends, though, they just didn't tell everything to each other anymore, because Angel had also had Xander. Spike said, ''I'm sorry, mate. I know how much you must be hurting.''
Angel tried not to cry, he was too macho. ''I just, I never got the chance to try to fix things. She was fine this morning, and now, she's gone. She was gone just before lunch, and we all talked and laughed about her not sitting with us anymore.''
They sat the rest of the period, just in silence, trying to be there for Angel. The next period was Spanish class for all three of them, and they knew they needed to go, but Spike told Angel that he would make excuses for him if need be. Angel shook his head. ''No, I skipped the last seven classes. I need to go today.'' So they all got up and went.
Buffy was waiting for Spike outside his classroom. Angel and Riley both said hello to her on their way inside. Spike of course stopped to talk to her. ''Hi, I can't stay long, Anya and Harm are waiting for me so we can go skip drama class.''
Spike said, ''Um, Buffy, I have some bad news. Cordelia passed away today. She was in a wreck while she was in driver's ed earlier.''
Buffy gasped. ''I'm so sorry. I know how much you guys must be hurting. Cordelia was your friend.'' She wouldn't have said so out loud, and she felt guilty for it, but apart of her was glad.
Spike said, ''Angel's more torn up about than Riles and I are, and I don't know how many of the group know about it. But I just wanted to tell you, because Angel might need me to hang with him instead of going to the Bronze and the pizza joint this afternoon.''
Buffy understood. She would have wanted him to if it was one of her friends. ''Sure, that's fine. Just let me know after last class.'' She kissed his cheek before going to meet Anya and Harmony in the courtyard.
The rest of the day passed in a blur for Spike. He was numb, but trying to be strong for Angel. Their group didn't have a lot of practice dealing with stuff like this, where they actually talked about this together, with more than their best friend. Usually, Spike and Riley talked about things, Angel and Xander, and so on. Spike knew that he was going to be the only one Angel would be able to talk to, because Xander didn't understand how deep the Cordelia love ran for Angel, and there was no making him.
At their lockers, Spike asked Angel, ''Are you up to getting pizza and Bronzin' it?'' He was hoping that his friend would tell him to go on without him. Spike really wanted to see Buffy.
Angel said just this. ''I'm going home to be alone, but you go ahead and go. I know you want to see Buffy, and I don't blame you. If I had a new girl, I'd want to see her every minute of every day.''
Spike smiled wearily at Angel and said, ''OK, but I'm still your mate, and if you need me, call me on my cell, and I can be there in a jiff.'' He touched Angel's arm, and then walked down the hall, to find Buffy.
She was with Faith and Anya, and they were at Buffy's locker. She grinned as Spike came up. ''Hey, Spike.'' She said.
Anya asked, ''How's Angel?'' This was out of character for her; she was usually so wrapped up in Xander, she barely noticed anything else.
Spike shrugged. ''He's dealing, I guess. You guys don't know how deep his feelings went for Cordelia. He and I used to be best mates in grade school, and he always had a crush on her, and eventually it developed into love. Buffy's the only one who has any clue, because she used to be best mates with us, too.''
Faith said, ''Angel's my brother, and even I have no comprehension of what he's going through. We did used to be closer when we were younger. Buffy, remember the day he came home talking about how much he hated her? We were giggling because we didn't believe him?''
Buffy laughed. ''Yeah, and he chased us all over the house, threatening to tickle us until we peed our pants.''
Both girls giggled for a minute. Spike said when they'd finished, ''Well, we're ready to go out. Angel told me to go on without him, he'd be fine. He wants to be alone. So, happier talk, people!'' He knew this would be easy for him, because he and Cordelia had grown apart in the last few months, and she really wasn't someone he had considered a friend anymore.