\u201cDon\u2019t worry about Faith,\u201d urged Buffy as she responded to Willow\u2019s concerns over the other slayer\u2019s predictably rowdy behavior. She pushed her tray down the line and grabbed a carton of milk from the ice-filled bin. \u201cI\u2019ll deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow was not sure how. It seemed that Faith was out to cause trouble just for the fun of it. Poor Mr. Giles had his hands full trying to keep the new girl in line. Buffy and Faith were constantly at each other\u2019s throats over everything, especially if it had to do with slaying.<\/p>\n
Taking a chocolate milk of her own, Willow set it down on her tray as she followed behind Buffy in the line. \u201cSpeaking of dealing\u2026I actually talked to Cordelia during our last class together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019d that go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t bite my head off,\u201d Willow\u2019s smile showed her relief. That was progress as far as she was concerned. \u201cI noticed that she was kinda lost in thought when Mr. Whitaker explained the lesson, so I brought her up to speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, Jack\u2019s trial,\u201d Buffy nodded having already heard what to expect from another student. She had Mr. Whitaker\u2019s government class during fifth period instead of second like Cordelia and Willow.<\/p>\n
\u201cPoor Jack. He got twenty to life,\u201d Willow told her. \u201cNobody gives the good guys any credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy muttered sourly, \u201cTell me about it,\u201d as she stared at the two main entr\u00e9e choices. Pointing to option number one, she told the serving lady, \u201cI\u2019ll take the mystery meat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opting for the cheese enchiladas, Willow added her request for the Spanish rice and some green veggies. After putting the plate down on her tray, she asked Buffy, \u201cDoes Cordelia seem different after her accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. She\u2019s just as loud-mouthed and pushy as ever.\u201d Buffy added truthfully, \u201cWith all of the squabbling between her and Xander, you\u2019d think they were still together. It\u2019s hard to tell the difference sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just kinda strange. Did you know that she quit the cheerleading squad?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy obviously had not, her eyes widening in surprise. \u201cReally? That\u2019s a shocker. Being head cheerleader kept Cor in control of all the pretty people.\u00a0\u201cMaybe she\u2019s still hurting. I told her it was too soon to get back into the physical stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a shrug, Willow had to admit that she did not know for sure, but revealed a rumor that suggested Cordelia might simply have other interests.<\/p>\n
Slaying never gave her time to get any juicy gossip. \u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve noticed that she\u2019s been late coming in to research,\u201d Willow reminded. In fact, Cordelia seemed to show up ten to fifteen minutes late almost every night. They scheduled their meetings right after dinnertime and usually gathered for a couple hours of research before heading out on patrol.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d Ten minutes without Cordelia was not exactly a hardship in Buffy\u2019s line of thinking.<\/p>\n
Willow glanced behind her to make sure there was not anyone listening. \u201cI heard it from Brittany who got it from her brother Brandon who\u2019s dating Meg. Y\u2019see, Meg overheard Harmony telling Aura that Cordelia is dating some college guy at Sunnydale University and that\u2019s why she decided to quit the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman at the register returned Buffy her meal card after deducting the price of her lunch. Willow handed hers over, waited to get it back, and then picked up the cafeteria tray to follow Buffy toward their usual table.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what do you think?\u201d she prompted Buffy who had not said a word about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should just ask Cordelia,\u201d she answered, spotting her standing with her own lunch tray in hand. \u201cShe\u2019s over there, talking to Oz.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow\u2019s eyes darted over to her boyfriend who was casually speaking to Cordelia, both of them with smiles on their faces. She felt her stomach churn nervously. It wasn\u2019t that Willow really thought Cordelia would try to put a wedge between her and Oz, especially since she\u2019d managed to do that all on her own. It was just that her own imagination made it easy to think Cordelia might do it just to get her revenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking of having lunch with us today, Cor?\u201d Willow asked rather chirpily, giving herself major kudos for making the offer. Even though Cordelia had resumed her place in the Scooby Gang for their research project, she had not bothered to join them at their table in the cafeteria.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not,\u201d Cordelia shrugged, setting her tray down next to Oz. \u201cThere\u2019s no one interesting around at the moment, so I might as well sit with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
No sooner were they all seated than Buffy got straight to the point. Willow had to admire her friend for not beating around the bush. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard rumors about your latest after-school activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia stopped sipping from her Capri Sun, the blood rushing out of her face for a moment before she recovered. \u201cWhat I do is none of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cC\u2019mon, give a little,\u201d Buffy prompted. \u201cXander isn\u2019t here to hear about it, so it\u2019s just us girls. Oh, and Oz, but he won\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s Xander got to do with it?\u201d Cordelia looked over her shoulders first one side and then the other glancing around the cafeteria as if she expected everyone to be listening in.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuh! You dumped him.\u201d Next to Buffy, Willow squirmed in reaction to the words. Any reminders that the break-up was her fault suddenly made her lose her appetite. \u201cWho\u2019s the rebound guy? Do we know him? I hear he goes to Sunnydale-U.\u201d<\/p>\n
After gaping at Buffy, Cordelia quickly recovered and simply confirmed everything they had heard by saying, \u201cI guess there\u2019s no such thing as a secret around this place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t there enough guys around here to pick from?\u201d asked Willow curiously. It was not like there had ever been a shortage of jocks, geeks, or nerds eager to gain Cordelia\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
Cordelia sipped at her drink again before answering, \u201cThere\u2019s a huge difference when it comes to dating a man instead of a boy. Don\u2019t you think so, Buffy? No offence, Oz.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being the only male at the table, Oz kept his opinions to himself, but Willow knew he was just as curious as they were to know more. She was not surprised when he decided to ask Cordelia for the pertinent details.<\/p>\n
Occasionally playing gigs for some of the frat parties at the university, Oz knew quite a few of the students. He asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s his name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh look, there\u2019s Harmony.\u201d Cordelia suddenly pushed back her chair, picked up her tray and left without a backward glance. \u201cGotta run. See you tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow mulled over Cordelia\u2019s disappearing act. It was not like her to back off a simple question, especially when she would normally be rubbing it in their faces. \u201cI think she\u2019s hiding something. Maybe he\u2019s someone famous and she\u2019s protecting his identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
A glance at Oz revealed that he had gone back to eating his lunch having already lost interest in the subject. Buffy dug into her own lunch with gusto as if their simple confrontation with Cordelia had worked up an appetite.<\/p>\n
Swallowing down her third bite of mystery meat, Buffy paused to say, \u201cCordelia can date anyone she wants as long as it\u2019s not anyone I know. Boy slayer or not, she really hurt Xander when she kicked him out of the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n