Worth the Fight (BTVS fanfic, Book Three)

chapter 10 - Amends

Buffy, Xander, Willow and I were at school, walking out of class, toward our lockers. 

Buffy was talking about what happened with Angel last night. "And then he just bailed. He didn't say anything. He just took off. It was so weird." 

Willow, Buffy and I worked our locker combinations.

"Angel?" I asked sarcastically. "Weird? What are the odds?" 

Buffy gave me a look. 

 "Do you think something's wrong?" Willow asked. "Maybe you should tell Giles." 

We opened our lockers, getting what we needed for the next class. 

"No," Buffy told us. "I don't wanna bug Giles. He's still kinda twitchy when it comes to the subject of Angel." 

I took off my jacket, hanging it in my locker, closing the door. 

 "Well, it must be that whole Angel-killed-his-girlfriend-and-tortured-him-thing," Xander told us. "Hey, Giles is pretty petty when it comes to stuff like that." 

Buffy took a paper bag from her locker, closing the door. "Xander, enough, okay?" 

 Willow zipped up her book bag, closing her locker. 

We walked down the hall.

"Maybe Angel just has the holiday blues," Willow told us. "Everybody gets them. Especially when they're alone." 

 "It's just so frustrating," Buffy told us. "I'm trying to do the right thing and stay away from him and get over it, and then, boom, there he is. I just want a nice, quiet Christmas vacation." 

We walked into the student lounge. There was a big Christmas tree set up. 

"So, you doing anything special?" I asked. 

"Tree," I told them. "Nog. Roast beast. Just me and Mom and hopefully an excess of gifts from Dad while he's out on the road. What are you doing for Christmas?" 

"Being Jewish," Willow told us. "Remember, people? Not everybody worships Santa." 

I smiled. "I just meant for vacation." 

"Mm," Willow hummed. "Nothing fun." 

 We walked toward the couches.

Cordelia was sitting on one of them with a friend.

Xander was instantly nervous.

Buffy took her bag over to the Holiday Food Drive collection box behind the couches, starting pulling cans of food out of her bag, putting them in the box. 

Willow, Xander and I sat on the couch opposite Cordelia and her friend. 

 "Well, I'll be enjoying my annual Christmas Eve camp-out," Xander told us. "See, I take my sleeping bag outside and I go to sleep on the grass." 

Cordelia and her friend stood up, her friend walking over to the stairs, waiting for Cordelia.

"Sounds fun," I told him. 

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "I like to look at the stars, you know? Feel the whole nature vibe." 

 Cordelia smiled smugly. "I thought you slept outside to avoid your family's drunken Christmas fights."

Xander gave her a look, as if he expected no less from her. "Yes. And that was a confidence I was hoping you would share with everyone." 

Xander smiled sarcastically. 

 Buffy walked closer. 

"Well, I'll be in Aspen," Cordelia told us. "Skiing. With actual snow."