Breathless

Chapter 2

Buffy had absolutely no idea how Lorne had managed to manipulate her and actually get her into his office to meet the band. She had dodged his questions as long as possible, declining every time. Over and over she reiterated the fact that she was perfectly happy at her current job as a high school counselor and that being in a band would not be good for that aspect of her life. Yet here she was sitting on a very sleek black leather couch, clutching her purse. It was amazing that she was early to the meeting. She had spent hours alternating between pacing a line in her carpet and deciding what to wear. Finally deciding on a simple black pencil skirt and scoop neck pink top, she pulled her blonde locks into a low ponytail and slipped into her favorite pair of black heels. After a quick swipe of lip gloss and mascara, she was out the door and on her way. When her nerves almost got the best of her, she briefly thought about fleeing. Luckily, a very attractive male assistant finally motioned for her to follow him down a very long hallway to Lorne’s office. Opening the door for her, he ushered her in and shut the door. She was trapped.
“Sugarplum! You look stunning!” Lorne gushed, pulling her into his arms for a hug, “I am so tickled that you agreed to come in today! There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you are a perfect fit for this.” Buffy finally let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, when she looked around and noticed no one else in the room. Hugging Lorne tightly, she replied “Um, thanks. I just hope I don’t let you down.”
“Nonsense! I know a star when I see one, and Snickerdoodle, you are going to be the brightest star. I just know it! Now,” he said, ushering her toward another door, “let’s go meet your band mates!”
Lorne went in first, thankfully, and Buffy gingerly poked her head around his broad shoulder to glance at the other people in the room. There was a very striking brunette female perched on top of a table and two attractive males sitting across from her on another leather couch. The guys immediately stood up when they noticed Buffy behind their manager, however the female smirked and stayed rooted on the desk. Based on her appearance, Buffy imagined that the girl had plenty of experience on top of all sorts of furniture. Her lean legs were encased in very tight black leather pants that covered a scuffed pair of motorcycle boots, completing the ensemble was a downright skimpy thing that apparently was suppose to be a shirt. Her dark locks reminded Buffy of “sex hair” and her makeup was dark around the eyes with garnet lipstick on her pouty lips. Lorne introduced the guys first, she found that the shorter of the two was Oz, who was the guitarist for the band Dingoes Ate My Baby until they disbanded last year due to artistic conflicts. The taller dark headed guy was Xander, who played the drums and was also previously in a band called Nighthawk with Faith, the girl on the desk, who played the bass guitar. Realizing that she was the only one that hadn’t previously been in a band, Buffy felt really inexperienced which added to her nervousness. Finally, she was properly introduced to Faith, who immediately looked at Lorne with a look of disbelief and announced, “She’s the new lead singer?! What the hell is Miss Golden Girl gonna sing? The Good Ship Lollipop? This is ridiculous, Lorne, she looks like a cheerleader!”

“Cheerleaders are good.” Xander quipped, “Very good, in fact.” Xander’s comment was followed by vigorous smiling and nodding from Oz’s direction. “ZanMan tells no lies.” Oz added with shrug. They were quickly shut up by the glare being given to them by Faith. Faith’s obvious dislike for Buffy had her seething. Who the hell did that tramp think she was? Buffy thought to herself before crossing her arms and announcing to Lorne that she was more than prepared to prove she was very capable. She shot a very determined look in Faith’s direction and belted out several lines from one of her favorite songs, hitting each note beautifully. Afterwards, she got the impression that she had in fact quelled any doubts from the peanut gallery.


Two Months Later...

Buffy had fallen into a very rigorous schedule since joining the band, which had recently proclaimed the name Serenity. Since she was still working as a counselor at local Hemery High School, she quickly made her way from the office to the studio every day of the week. By the time she returned home, showered and fell into bed it was nearing midnight. She was exhausted, but was enjoying herself more now than she had in a long time. Being around Faith was starting to open Buffy up more and she was finally crawling out of her shell.
She hummed along to the radio as she patiently waited in traffic on her way to the studio. It was Friday afternoon and the band had decided on a short practice, followed by a night on the town. Traffic finally opened up and she made her way the final couple of blocks to her destination. Groaning when she noticed that everyone else was there waiting on her, she jumped out of her Jeep and sprinted up the stairs. When she entered the studio, Buffy was greeted with a scattering of hellos and a hug from Lorne, as per usual. He ushered her to take a seat on the couch by Xander and announced that he had some fantastic news.
Lorne took a moment, pausing to build up the anticipation, then went on to inform them they had been booked to play at the Bronze the following weekend. After the group had calmed down, he went on to explain that there was a cancellation of the opening band, which was usually a local up and coming group. When that had occurred, the manager had called Lorne for any suggestions to fill the gap. Luckily for the band, Lorne told his friend he had a group in mind.
They ended up practicing longer than planned, but had managed to put together a play list for the following weekend. Opening bands were allowed only a couple of songs, so they had to be very selective of which songs to perform. Oz and Faith were their creative team, churning out song after song until the early hours of the morning. Buffy had been secretly trying her hand at writing and had several tucked away in her diary, hoping that one day she might be brave enough to show them to her new friends.
Since time had gotten away from them, Buffy had backed out of their plans to go out because of other plans the next day. At least one Saturday a month Buffy had set aside for other friends, Willow and Tara. Her two best girlfriends were,in fact girlfriends themselves. They had been together since freshman year in college and now owned a bookshop near Venice Beach that specialized in the occult. Tomorrow they planned a full day of shopping, eating and full treatment at their favorite nail salon for pedicures and manicures. Buffy was excited, looking forward to seeing her friends in the morning. The past couple of weeks had caused her to be unavailable for her other friends, since work and band practice took up most of her time.
The next morning, Buffy was up early for a quick run before getting ready to meet Tara and Willow. As always, they were at Buffy’s house a good bit before she was actually ready to leave. It’s not that they were always early, but Buffy was never known for being on time for anything.She quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail, slid into a worn pair of jeans, her favorite green tank top, flip flops and she was ready to go.