Cordelia walked into the Bronze with all the poise and composure that was expected of someone of her station. That is, her rightful spot as head of the pack – the Most Popular Girl in Sunnydale High. She walked gracefully through the crowd, smiling at the socially acceptable, ignoring those that weren’t. Just like the good old days. BX, as she had told Buffy once. Before Xander. And this was the way it was gonna be from now on. She had a reputation to protect.

No more moping over him. He had committed the grievous crime of cheating on her. She was in the clear. There were other boys, funnier and richer and cuter, and God knows, more popular than Xander Harris ever was and ever would be. So there was no cause for distress. He was just a fling. Temporary insanity, like Harmony had said. That was all. Just a fling.

Just to prove it to herself and anyone who doubted her intentions, she made sure to smile seductively at all the men she passed. The magic of the mega-watt Chase smile was apparently still there. She got many a lustful look from guys who clearly appreciated her charm.

She saw Harmony and the rest of the sheep in the distance and waved. She was still sort of on a probation status, as far as they were concerned. She hated being beta wolf to Harmony, but it was only temporary. Once they saw that she was truly over him (and she was!) then they would fully accept her into the circle again. She was Cordelia Chase. They had to.

“Harmony, hi!” she cooed as she approached the table, hating herself for the saccharine tone in her voice. “The Bronze is almost as packed as it was the night of my birthday party, isn’t it?” She laughed airily. “It just goes to show that with the proper motivation . . .”

“Yeah, it was a great party, of course. I threw it.” Harmony interrupted. She smiled briefly at Cordelia then leaned in closer, her eyes wide with the promise of juicy gossip. Cordelia hid a scowl and pasted an interested expression on her face. The sheep seemed similarly enthralled. thought Cordelia sourly.

Harmony did not seem to notice her annoyance. “Anyway, guess who showed up here with that loser? Lara Svenson!”

There were appropriate gasps of shock from the sheep, but Cordelia was confused. “What loser?”

“Lara Svenson?” squealed Aura, her eyes wide with glee. “Why would she want to go out with him?”

Cordelia frowned and tried again. “Who’s him?”

“She’s totally losing her place because of this you know. I’m not going to invite her to . . .”

“WHO’S HIM?” repeated Cordelia loudly, earning the startled gazes of her companions.

“Oh,” smirked Harmony, exchanging glances with Aura. “I forgot. You didn’t know. Look over by the edge of the dance floor, Cordy. Lara’s wearing a totally blech outfit. It so clashes with her hair, but surprisingly enough, it matches with his icky clothes!”

Cordelia ignored Harmony’s bleating and craned her neck to see the girl in question. There was Lara, in what was clearly a copy of a Versace dress . . . and she was dancing with a tall . . . who was it? She couldn’t see his face. Wait . . . he was turning around . . . he was smiling goofily . . . he was . . . he was . . . he was Xander.

Her face drained of all color, but she hid her horror underneath a studiously disinterested expression. “Oh, him.” She turned her back to the couple and shrugged her shoulders daintily. “You can say his name, you know. I so don’t care.”

Harmony nodded musingly at her words. “So you are over Xander Harris,” she said in satisfaction, taking in Cordelia’s dismissive attitude.

“I was never into him,” lied Cordelia, laughing, but to her own ears, the laugh was hollow. She casually picked off a nonexistent piece of lint on her dress and looked around at the smiling bunch of girls. She smiled back at them, betraying none of the pain she felt inside.

Conversation quickly fell to other things. Cordelia began to suspect that it had all been a test to see her reaction. Apparently, she passed, because the slightly frosty air around her had dissipated with her flippant comment.

Cordelia stood up and grabbed her purse. “Well, I have to get a drink. All this talk is drying out my vocals! Can’t have that happen.” She left without waiting for a response.

He looked suspiciously at her, trying to determine her age, but it was late, and he was tired. He nodded without bothering to check her nonexistent ID, and turned around to prepare the drink.

Cordelia drummed on the counter impatiently, eager to down the caffeine and the alcohol. Maybe it would calm her nerves a little. It couldn’t hurt, anyway. Alcohol would cloud her mind, maybe ease the hurt a little . . .He was still dancing with her, she noticed. He was out there performing his stupid non-rhythmic Xander-motions that she had grown so fond of. Except he wasn’t there with her. He was there with Lara Svenson.

she thought unrepentantly. She ignored the fact that she had repeatedly refused to answer his calls and would not even acknowledge him in school. It was all a defense mechanism, but he wasn’t supposed to fall for it! He was supposed to keep trying! He was supposed to love her forever!

She drank down the rum and Coke quickly, relishing the burn in her throat. She waved her hand for another glass of the same and stared gloomily at the countertop. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say she was about to get very, very drunk.