FIC: June 27 '95 - The First Meeting

[Patrick Kelly <bandits@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: June 27 '95 - The First Meeting
Rating: PG-13
Author: Pat Kelly
Summary: This is a teaser for you all. An entry out of a young Buffy's diary, and the
first part of the "Summer Friendship Series - Boston". Faith and Buffy, well, look at the
title. Don't expect more of this for awhile. :-)
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: All hail Joss and his army of Mutant Enemies. I don't own BTVS. I make no
money.

June 27, 1995

You know one thing I learned today? Seafood and I really don't get along. But we're in
Massachusetts now, and if you don't like seafood, they stare at you funny. I think they
do, anyway. And sure, they seem friendly enough, but people with accents give me the
heebie jeebies. Well, not *all* people with accents.

I'm not making sense, am I? The purpose of a diary is to record daily events in an orderly
fashion, and I'm...not. Okay, starting over, and turning down Ace of Base now. I haven't
been writing in here a lot lately, so I'll backtrack a little.

My Aunt Sarah lives outside of Boston, right? I've said that before. Last week she invited
us, me, mom and dad, to stay at her house for the summer. Two days after she called, my
parents had their biggest fight...like ever. About mortgage payments, or bills, or
something. It started out there, and then it ended up with Mom saying that she didn't
think Dad loved her anymore.

She's been trying really hard to find a job, you know? She likes working, and just because
she isn't right now, Dad blames her cause he's the only one making money now, and he can't
support us by himself. (They don't know I hear all this stuff, but I do.) So, after she
said that, they were both quiet for awhile. I was scared. Really scared. I can't get used
to the fighting, no matter how often they do it. And I have no one to talk to about it.

I don't like crying, but what else am I gonna do? I can't make everything better.
No. I won't do this again. I won't keep writing the same things over and over. How sad I
am, how much I hate having to hear them argue...no. I've done it too many times, and it
doesn't help. Damn it, the page is getting wet ~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then Dad broke the silence, and said that maybe it would do them good to get away and
relax...we packed, and we've been here for two days. I already see them getting along
better, and that makes me feel good, but I was bored today. I read all the pamphlets and
booklets on Boston during the flight over, and it looked really cool.

Using my only weapon - Aunt Sarah - I got my parents to totally cave, and I took a bus
there. My aunt's awesome. She bought me a Pink Power Ranger Halloween costume for when I
go trick-or-treating this year. Anyway, I feel so adult-like now that I've gone to a city
by bus. Once I got used to the smell, it wasn't so bad.

It was really safe. Cops on every corner. Literally. I walked around, just looking at
stuff. I saw Cheers. But guess what? It's not really called Cheers, and inside doesn't
look anything like it does on TV. How lame is that? After walking for a long time, I
needed to sit, so I went to the Commons. That's like a really big park.

I found a bench next to a pond. With ducks in it and everything. I looked over, and saw a
bag full of pieces of bread. Somebody must've forgot it. Well, I got down on the grass,
close to the water, and the ducks knew what I had. They all swam close to the edge. Just
when I was about to throw a piece in, I felt something tap me on the shoulder.

I jumped and turned my head. It was a girl. She had brown hair and brown eyes, was wearing
beat up jeans and a dirty white T-shirt, and this little grin on her face. I don't really
know why, but I grinned back. She looked like she was my age.

That's when she spoke to me.

"I'd be careful if I were you." She told me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Last time I tried to feed one of these things, it took my pinky right off."

She showed me her right hand, and I couldn't see her pinky. I was thinking, 'Oh my God...a
duck really bit her pinky off!'. And I also thought she was really pretty too. But I think
lots of people are pretty. So where was I?

Oh, so she brings her hand, the one with four fingers, real close to my face. I thought it
was gross, and I really didn't want her hand next to my face, but I didn't want to be rude
either.

"See?" She asked me next.

Then she made her pinky appear. Well, not appear, it had been there the whole time,
but...I felt like an idiot. It had just been bent. And I didn't notice.

"Gotcha." She teased.

"That was mean." I said, but wasn't really upset.

"Name's Faith. What's yours?" She kneeled down by me.

"Buffy." I said, smiling.

Then she held out her hand. "Nice to meet ya."

We shook, and sat there for like an hour feeding the ducks. We didn't really talk, just
sat there. I kind of found it all weird. I told a strange girl my name, and we fed ducks
together. But it was nice. In a weird way. After we ran out of bread, Faith sat down under
the big tree that was next to the bench I had sat on.

I went under there with her, and we were next to each other, our backs up against the
trunk of the tree. I'm not sure how much time passed, but at some point, she turned to me
and asked if I was hungry. I was, and she said she knew this great seafood place.

I don't wanna get detailed, but let's just say that my clothes have been in the washer for
hours and still aren't clean. Bummer. But Faith said that she wanted to make it up to me,
so I think we're gonna do something tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to it.


--
"I wanna set the record straight. I thought the cop was a prostitute." (Homer J. Simpson)

"You think you know? What's to come? What you are? You haven't even begun."
(Tara to Buffy, BTVS)


"Since when is there a cowboy in 'Death of a Salesman' anyway?" (Willow, BTVS)