b. Believe it or not, yesterday we met some new friends and when we asked how they met, it turned out that they met when one was in high school and the other was teaching. Can you believe that? Wild huh… Ok, comments and then an update.
Romy - Coming up next. Actually I just wrote the next part because I realized I needed some more direct W/T to balance out somewhat. So… the readers asked for it and they got it.
Sammi - Thanks. I so glad that people are liking the Faith & Tara interactions.
Puff - You got that right: neither Faith nor Tara know she’s the slayer. Tara’s specialty is actually masking and protection spells like that. She has a little healing power but not a whole lot other than that. She can set a vamp on fire but isn’t what you’d consider a big gun.
Insanity - Yep, you got it. I think that Faith and Tara have helped each other to become more of who they are. If that makes sense. Glad you liked the teasing.
Michelle - Glad to surprise and glad you find it interesting. Everyone likes Faith and Tara which is fulfilling to me. Thanks for the thoughts.
Wimpy - Yes, a bit of clarification. You’ll find out on the neck rupture in the next two, no make that three, updates.
TheRose24 - Some more in the next update.
Tempest Duer - Hey there. Yes, more cuteness and miscues in the next update.
Grimmy - I kind of wondered where you were but thought maybe you only read the serious stuff, not this playful stuff. Yeah, it is definitely an advantage in this story which I wrote and posted with the intention of being misleading and tricky. For late arrivals, you get the answers a few minutes after the questions.
I think you are right that it’s a good thing this Willow went to MIT. On the other hand, you can go to a subpar school and still have an amazing life. Yes, Tara & Faith definitely influenced each other for the better. Faith definitely helps Tara be less shy and be more assertive and Tara helps Faith with fighting vampires and with understanding how to relate with people.
What went wrong is basically Tara got the wind knocked out of her and couldn’t cast. She relys on her voice to cast so with that weapon, gone, she’s screwed. More on that definitely. Thanks for joining us.
Natti - Well, welcome home? It’s cold in Germany? It was like 95 degrees Farenheit here yesterday. Glad you’re still liking.
Mollyig - There won’t be a lot on Faith’s past but some…
Title – School Days
Part 10 – Lunchtime
Author – JustSkipit - Debra
Rating – Part 11 – PG-13
Disclaimer – Guess what… I don’t own W&T, Buffy or the rest of the BtVS crew. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental and fortunate.
Thanks - To Rachel who is now helping me storyboard the story.
Thoughts in italics
“Willow! Willow!” Buffy waved her hand in front of the redhead’s face.
Willow finally broke her view of the computer screen as she realized that Buffy was talking to her. “Buffy? What are you doing here?” she asked. Her face turned bright red as she waited for the slayer’s answer. No wonder the blonde had to repeat herself and apparently wave her hand in front of Willow’s face. She had been thinking about arriving at school this morning:
”You’re doing well, Dawnie,” Willow complimented the teenager as they pulled into the student parking lot again.
“Thanks,” Dawn smiled, “I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
“Sure you are,” Willow agreed. “Maybe you could try pulling into the teacher’s lot next time.”
“Yeah,” Dawn agreed, “I was hoping for being the most uncool student in this school.”
Willow took the keys from the younger girl as she teased, “And having a teacher ride to school with you every day is such a big status booster.”
“t-ever,” Dawn smirked as she walked away from the teacher and toward the school.
Willow meanwhile stopped walking as what she saw took her breath away. Tara was pulling up to the bike rack and dismounting her bicycle. The girl unclasped her helmet and hooked it to her bike and lock before slinging her book bag off her back and onto one shoulder. Then she ran her fingers through her hair, obviously smoothing it after the ride. Willow couldn’t imagine why she would want to change anything about her hair. At that moment she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman the redhead had ever seen. Willow couldn’t even make herself pretend to tear her eyes away, instead watching the blonde as she walked all the way across the grass and into the school.
“Trance much?” Buffy teased, wondering what the redhead was thinking. She pulled up a chair and asked, “So… computers, magic, or girls?”
“What?” Willow asked.
“I said, ‘computers, magic, or girls?’” Buffy repeated. “I was talking to you for five minutes. Any time it takes you that long to answer it’s got to be one of the three.”
“Uh computer…,” Willow settled on lamely. “Yep, computer because that’s me: computer girl and math girl and that’s what I think about computers and math and nothing else. Yep that’s me.”
“So girl,” Buffy teased.
“No girl,” Willow argued, exasperated that her best friend had decided to tease her and more importantly that she was right. “Why are you here, Buffy?”
Buffy stood up as if realizing that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with her teasing. “Dawn forgot this,” she explained as she held out a signed permission slip. “Can you give it to her?”
“Why can’t you?” Willow asked.
“Oh you were never 16?” Buffy asked. “How uncool is it to have your sister visit you at high school?”
“Right,” Willow laughed, “you big nerd.” She walked Buffy to the door and told her, “Don’t worry though. She doesn’t want to park in the teacher’s lot because that would be so uncool.” Buffy left and then Willow checked her watch. If she was right about Dawn’s lunch period, she had just enough time to take her the slip. She pulled the door closed behind her and headed out to the quad.
As soon as she was out of the school she spotted Dawn and her friends sitting on the lawn. Willow hoped that she wouldn’t damage the teenager’s image too badly.
--
Tara glanced up from her position under the tree to see Willow approaching her friend. The dark-haired girl was sitting on a blanket with friends, having lunch and Tara wasn’t surprised to see Willow joining them. Tara was enjoying the beautiful weather by having a quick bite under a tree. It would probably be more professional to have lunch in the teachers’ lounge but she enjoyed the energy of the tree and the nice weather. Moving to Sunnydale from Cleveland certainly made her appreciate the sun. And if she was honest, she had decided to sit under the tree a few days ago hoping to see Willow again.
This was the first time she had seen the redhead at lunchtime. Willow stayed a few minutes visiting with her friend before handing her a piece of paper, probably homework or something, and then turned back toward the school. She did a double-take as she saw Tara sitting under the tree, then smiled and slowly walked over to the blonde.
As she watched Willow’s approach, Tara wondered about the glamour she had cast on her neck to hide the bite marks. She was pretty badly bruised but thought that it was mostly covered. Worst case scenario, it might just looks like she had hickeys. Sure that’d be great: if Willow thought someone had given me hickeys. What difference would that make, Tara? Why do you care if she thinks you have hickeys? Well I’m a teacher and it’s not very professional. Yeah that’s it!
“Did-did you get home on time?” Willow’s voice cut into Tara’s thoughts. The blonde tried to form words but all she could think was that Willow’s hair looked like fire in the sun or the ocean with the sun glinting off it. She wondered what it would feel like to slowly run her fingers through it, savoring the curls.
“W-what?” Tara stuttered.
Willow smiled before looking down. Perhaps she was interrupting the blonde. She didn’t have any books with her. “How was your presentation? On To Kill a Mockingbird? That you were studying yesterday … at the library… when I saw you.”
Tara smiled back as she listened to the redhead’s babbling. As if she could forget the redhead’s visit at the library. “It went very well. I think the students enjoyed it and the teacher said I did very well.”
“That’s great, Tara,” Willow effused. She quirked her eyebrow as she felt a magical energy around the tree. It felt as if someone had cast a spell but nothing big.
“She says I’ll be a very good t-teacher,” Tara explained, excited about her successful presentations this morning. She would teach the same section one more time today and then three times tomorrow before waiting until the next week for another assignment.
“You’re going to be a teacher?” Willow asked excited at the prospect. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she felt that she and the blonde student had much in common.
“That’s always been my d-dream,” Tara explained. “As soon as I finish college and my student teaching, I’ll be c-c-certified.”
“That’s so great,” Willow again gushed. “I always wanted to teach too.” Tara nodded and Willow looked at her watch noting the time. “Oh,” she suddenly said, “I just realized I have to get to class.”
“Sure,” Tara agreed as she started to gather up her lunch wrappers.
“I’m sure we’ll meet another day,” Willow assured the blonde as she started to walk away. She was surprised to feel Tara’s hand on her arm and the familiar spark she had felt the first time they met.
“Thanks for saying hi, Willow,” Tara told her genuinely. She waited a second as if unsure whether to say anything before adding, “I eat under this tree e-every day.”
Willow smiled, “I usually eat at my computer but I may have visit this tree regularly.” Stop flirting! Visit this tree? Student! She waved at the blonde and walked into the school cursing her bad judgment.
They were so close!!! OH THE TORTURE!!! 
for dragging this out for so long...you need a good long 
hehehe
more
Not one to the best well said sentences in the world, but it got her point across. Very good story.
)
and 
get each other's true identities soon.........Then we can have serious flirting......then dating......and then smoochies! 
I can't wait for more.
(< ---I just love that emoticon) Shouldn't they be eating in the teacher's lounge listening to the cynical, older teachers talk about the crappy pay and the crappier state of today's educational system and feigning interest in their much more experienced peers? It’s all about office politics, baby – even in school… 
Yeah, neither is being that smart in the conversation. 
Just sittin' here....*Twiddling thumbs*...okay...so I'll just have to stalk your updates later (Wait...that sounded wrong...hehehe 
) What I meant to say was....I'll casually check back later.... you know...whatever.... 
The anticipation is killing me. Great job!