Real

William and Faith made the walk home from the mall in silence. Once they reached William’s driveway, Faith turned to William and gave him a warm hug and a kiss on his cheek. She pulled away from him and smiled.

“Love you.”

“Luv, you to Ducks.” He laughed waiting for the response to the hated nickname.

“Don’t call me that!” she growled playfully. “ I swear, a girl wears duckie undies under her skirt in the first grade and you won’t let her live it down.” William smiled innocently.

“Well, I seem to remember someone warning some stubborn chit that hanging upside down on the monkey bars while wearing a dress wasn’t a particularly bright idea but…”

“Oh! Put a sock in it Blondie.” She smiled. She was glad that the earlier tension was temporarily forgotten. “I’ll give you a call once I put these away.” She held up her shopping bags and shook them for emphasis.

“Yeah. Alright.” he started up his driveway and turned back to his friend. “Hey, Faith.” She turned back eyes raised in question.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for… you know.” He ducked his head shyly.

“Anytime Blondie.” She continued on her way to the smaller house, next-door.

William entered his home through the side door leading to the kitchen. He found his parents sitting at the table having a discussion. When they noticed his presence, their conversation came to an abrupt end.

Bloody great. “Hey all.” He began with false cheer. He made his way to the refrigerator. “Feeling the love in this room.” He began rummaging his way through plastic bottles looking for something to drink. He knew that his parents had been discussing him. As if I don’t have enough shit to deal with.

“Son.” Rupert Giles started. “Can you please come sit down for a moment?”

With a sigh, William sat down at the table. He put on a bored expression and waited for his father to continue.

“It’s come to my attention that you weren’t exactly where you said that you were going to be earlier this week.”

William rolled his eyes in frustration. “Can you be a bit more specific. I need a Mon or a Fri.”

He knew that he was behaving like an ass, but at this point the could have cared less. Why in the hell can’t he just leave me the bloody hell alone!

“William, Dear please.” Olivia Giles tried to intervene. Lately her stepson had been so moody. She missed the little boy who used to wrap himself around her leg clinging to her wherever they went. William never seemed to want to talk to them anymore. He either kept to himself or was out with Faith or that quiet Osborne boy.

“No, Olivia,” Giles interjected. “The boy wants me to be more specific, well then fine.” Professor Giles removed his glasses and began to rub them with his handkerchief. “Very well. Perhaps you can enlighten us as to why you were seen by Professor Walsh, daydreaming on a park bench when you specifically told me that you would be at the library all day doing research for an article that you were writing.” He put his glasses back on and stared impatiently at his son.

Fucking brilliant! That bloody bitch had no right! William stood and exploded in anger. “Please tell Professor Walsh that I she needn’t concern herself with my affairs! She can mind her own bloody business.” He went to exit the room, only to be stopped in his tracks by his father’s own booming voice.

“William Ashley Giles! You will return to this table this bloody instant!” His father was beyond angry. “I have had just about enough of this ridiculous behavior that you insist upon exhibiting.” He paced back and forth fuming at his son. “First of all you will not speak of my colleague in that manner ever again. Am I making myself clear?”

“Oh please!” William looked at his father in disgust. “You’ve said it yourself enough times that the woman is a harpy who thinks she knows every bleeding thing there is to know about anything. Yet, you have the audacity to tell me that I shouldn’t call her out for being the nosey bint that she is.”

“Sit down in that chair young man and shut the bloody hell up!” Rupert slammed his hand down on the kitchen counter. Olivia jumped in her chair.

“Rupert, please calm down. He doesn’t understand that..”

“He doesn’t understand what exactly hmm?” Professor Giles returned to his place at the table. “He doesn’t understand that as his father I worry about him? That I have the right as a parent, to know the truth about his whereabouts because I care about his well-being?”

William had never seen his father so upset. The older Giles was always so uptight, tweed jackets and starched shirts. To be honest, the man ranting at the kitchen table, scared him a bit.

“Look. I went to the library but I couldn’t relax, so I went to the park to get a bit f inspiration. No big deal”

“No big deal he says.” His father threw back his head and laughed mockingly. “No big deal you think?” I’ll have you know that there are all sorts of deviants out there preying on ignorant lads such as yourself.”

“Deviants! And did you call me ignorant? Bloody hell! I don’t need this today.” He stood again to leave he room.

“Where do you think you are going?”

“I’m going to my room!” He marched off irate with his parents for confronting him with such utter nonsense. He had just left the room when he felt overwhelming guilt settle in his chest. Fine! Fine! Fine!

You’re such a bloody wuss! William turned back around and reentered the kitchen. His stepmother stood over his father rubbing his shoulders in a soothing manner. William felt like a heel.

“Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have raised my voice and I apologize Sir. The next time I change my plans, I will call, alright?” He stood nervously before his fathwaitwaiting his response>
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“Son,” his father sighed. “I honestly have your best interests at heart. Sometimes I believe that you view the world through rose tinted spectacles. I worry for you.”

“I know da’. I’m sorry I disappoint you.”

“William,” Professor Giles began in exasperation. “Never mind. You may go to your room.” William nodded. Tomorrow had to be a better day he thought misably.

The next day at school, Oz cornered William by his locker.

“Hey, I need a favor.”

“What’s the favor?” Oz never asked for anything, so William was a bit thrown back.

“Listen, do you think that your uncle would let you get some camera equipment?”

“For what? Wait are you trying to impress Willow? Oh, please!” William tried to walk past his friend impatiently.

“What bug crawled up your ass?” William shrugged and continued to walk on with his friend, almost jogging in order to keep up.

“Nothing’s wrong with me. I just don’t want to get indebted to my uncle just so you can impress some girl.” Oz knew something was wrong. He looked William over inspecting him for signs of distress.

“Dude. What are you doing Saturday?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“We haven’t hung out in a while. Why don’t we check out a movie or something.”

William sighed. “Sure. Why not?”

“Way to sound enthusiastic.” Oz said. Not that he felt offended. It took a lot to offend Oz.

“What do you want the equipment for?”

“Well I joined the school paper see..”

“Wait. You joined the paper?” William let out a indecent grunt and smirked knowingly at his friend.

“Well you know that Willow’s the editor. I wanted to spend some time with her and get to know her a little better.”

“You men you wanted to impress her.”

“Whatever. Semantics. Anyway, she wants to do a story on the Sunnydale swim team and she wants pictures. So I thought of you.”

William stopped walking. Isn’t that Xander guy on the swim team?

“Fine. I’ll get the equipment.”

“Ry?”

“Really. No problem.”

“Cool.”

That afternoon William rode his bike to his uncle’s photography studio. He locked his bike in front of the shop and made his way to the back room to find his Uncle.

“Hello Uncle Ethan. How are you today?”

“What do you need William?” His Uncle knew him well and could easily pastpast the false cheer.

“Fine. I need to borrow some equipment.:”

“For what?”

“The school paper.”

“Oh really.” He was shocked at his usually shy nephew’s attempt to take part in a group activity such as the school paper. “That’s a great outlet for you. I think you’ll do well working on the paper.”

“Thanks.” But…?

“But I’m going to need a favor in return.”

Bingo! “Yeah. So I figured. What do ya need?”

“I need your help on a wedding a week from Saturday.”

“Oh! Uncle Ethan really?” He said in disgust. “Not a wedding. Anything but that please.

His uncle laughed at his distress.

“Not a chance mate. Take it or leave it.”

“Fine. I’ll do it. Happy?”

“Oh, I’m ecstatic.”

Just then the bell in the front of the shop rang signaling that someone had walked in.

“Come on to the back!” His uncle called out. “I’m doing a portrait. Stay if you’d like.” He said to William as he went to set up his equipment. Just then a familiar face walked through the curtain leading to the backroom.

“Lindsey?” William breathed out startled to see him there. Lindsey looked up in shocked confusion. He stepped over to William and pulled him to the side. His uncle seemed to take no notice of the two men talking.

“What are you doing here William?”

“I could ask the very same of you.” William said smiling. “And just what was the idea of standing me up hmm?” At that moment the bell rang again.

“Lindsey, Sweetie,” a female voice called out. William looked at Lindsey with a hurt confused expression on his face. “Come help me with the diaper bag?”

“Coming Hon. Just a second.” He turned to the fallen faced teen and said, “Look it was just a bit of fun right. No one got hurt OK? It was good but it’s over.” He left the room to assist his wife. William was heartbroken.

I should have known better. He needed to talk to Faith. He left the shop and made his way home to pour out his heart to his best friend.

After listening to William cry through his recital of the whole unexpected meeting at his uncle’s studio, Faith felt overwhelming sympathy for her friend.

“How could I have been so bloody stupid?” William cried. “He’s bloody married.”

“I know hon.” Faith answered.

“And he has a kid. Did I mention that? The bastard has a kid!”

“I know hon.”

“Is that all you are going to say? No, I told you so? You were right you know?”

Faith looked up at her friend from her spot on her bed. “Is that what you want me to say?”

“No! Of course not. It’s just that..”

“It’s just that it hurts. I get that. I don’t have to rub salt in the wound on top of that.”

“Faith,” William sighed falling face first onto her bed beside he. “I just want to find someone special who will love me for me. Is that so much to ask?” He raised a tear streaked face to his friend.

“No William. Of course it isn’t” She sighed. “We all want that. It’s just going to take you some time to meet that special someone.”

“Yeah whatever. I got to get going>“

“Are you going to be alright?”

“I’ll be fine.” In truth, he wasn’t so sure.

The next day at school, he joined the paper for Oz. He promised to take some shots of the swim team the following week. He was surprised to find that Willow would not be doing a story on the swim team as previously indicated. Her story would focus around one member of the swim team only. Xander Harris to be exact.

“Hey William are you going to The Bronze tonight?” Oz asked on their way to their lockers.

“Why the heck not? We’re not playing after all.”

“Cool. See You there.”

“See you there.”

William made his way to the boys locker room where he was to meet Xander Harris. When he entered Xander sat with a towel wrapped around his waste.

“So?”

“So?”

“Um, M-my n-ames W-w-William.” He stuck out his hand in a standard greeting. Shit! Can I sound any more lame!

Xander looked at William and smiled. “So do you want to take some shot of me in the pool?”

“Y-yeah. That’ll b-be great.”

“Come on then.” They entered the pool area and Xander discarded the towel. William nearly swallowed his tongue. Christ! He’s Bloody perfect For the next half hour William snapped pictures as Xander went about his usual routine. When they were done, Xander surprised him by asking if he could come over once he’d cleaned up. As they walked into his front door Xander looked around nervously.

“Your folks aren’t in?”

?No they aren’t in right …uumph!” William was thrown for a loop when the other boy kissed him unrepentantly. He drew back in shock. Xander stood shaking before him.

“Shit! Say something will you?” William was at a loss of words.

“W-would you l-l-like some tea?” Xander groaned in frustration.

“I don’t like tea!” William approached him in an attempt to call him down. He placed his hand on Xander’s arm and moved closer to the boy who had haunted his thought. Xander looked at William and step into the other teen’s body space. Once it was clear that a kiss was forthcoming Xander snapped out of his daze and shoved William from him. William hit the floor with a thud. Xander took off running down stairs.

`”Xander! Wait!” William exclaimed, trying to pull himself up. “Shit!” He ran to hit window and saw Xander running top speed across his lawn and down the street. Not once did he look back.