A Perfectly Willowy Revenge
By Sam James
TIMELINE: Middle of Willow's senior year
RATING: PG (no violence but evil is punished)
DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Harmony belong to
JossWhedon, Mutant Enemy, and 20th Century Fox. WB just rents them.
Characters not on the show are mine
"Why look, it's Sunnydale's own walking fashion warning," Cordelia sniped as she saw Willow making her way down the hall. "Did your Mummy buy those clothes or just give you leftovers from the attic?"
Willow couldn't help herself, she looked down at her skirt.
"Must have dressed her too," Harmony added. "She didn't know what she was wearing."
"That girl's probably never looked at a Cosmo in her life." Amelia said.
Willow blushed. She had occasionally leafed through one of Buffy's magazines but found them so boring compared to The Economist, PC Magazine, or even Newsweek.
"I hear her picture is in the dictionary under geek," Harmony put in.
"I thought it was under loser," Cordelia said.
Willow's nose quivered. "Stop saying that!" she demanded.
"Aw, what are you going to do, Miss Goody-good?" Harmony laughed at her.
"Gonna tattle on us to your little loser friends?" Amelia laughed, although Cordelia was silent, no doubt picturing what Buffy could do if Willow told.
Willow started running, crying as she ran.
That day, after school, Willow was working at the computer lab when she heard two teachers mention her name. Curious, she stopped typing and moved closer to the wall near the door.
"I heard those Cordelias were picking on Willow again," Mrs. Bartleby said.
"Why do they always pick on the smart ones?" Mrs. Whittle sighed.
"I've seen it time and time again," Bartleby continued. "But then they come back for their tenth reunion and the popular cheerleaders have all gone fat and covered with mascara while those who were the quiet ones turn out to be the real beauties."
"True," said Whittle remembering her own youth. "But it's hard on them. These cliques are so caught up in appearance and money that they miss character and brains."
Willow turned back to the computer, quickly canceling her on-line shopping order for leather miniskirts, full-body suits, and designer make-up. She was Willow and she'd fight them the Willow way, with her own weapons. She began smiling as she typed away.
A week later the word was all over school. The IRS had found out somehow that Cordelia's father had cheated on all his taxes. The bank holding the mortgage on Harmony's family's house had been informed that the family had overdrawn all their credit cards and foreclosed the mortgage. This forced them to live in a one-bedroom apartment and Harmony's mother had to get a job. And Amelia's father had been fired from his job when someone had emailed his law firm evidence that he had lied on his resume.
"No, really?" Willow acted surprised when she heard the news. "Karmic justice," she told Buffy.
"And no one happened along to give to give the wheel of fortune a little extra spin?" asked Xander, who had known Willow all his life.
Willow feigned shock. "You know I'm not allowed to use magic like that," Willow said, perfectly honestly. "Evil magic recoils in threes." This satisfied her friends, but Willow had a secret smile the rest of the day. The Wiccan rule said nothing against using computer hacking. After all, it was just revealing the truth and bringing lawbreakers to justice. It was using her abilities to do good. It was what she should be doing.
It was a perfectly Willowy revenge.
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