Realistic or Modern back to school • closed onexone

[flood]

when darcy left home for college, she barely left. campus was a half an hour’s drive from her parents. it wasn’t where she wanted to be. yes, she loved her parents to death, but she also loved science, and the cheap community college next door barely had a functioning biology lab. meanwhile, across the country in washington, her dream school had her dream lab, with more than enough programs to get her through her four years in college and a scholarship to nursing school. so she packed up her tiny dorm room, said goodbye to her parents, and booked the next flight out to seattle. even though it was the mid point of the first semester. thankfully her highschool transcript was enough to prove to the dean that placing her in their advanced biology program was worth it.

just about a week after her acceptance letter from the dean landed in her hand, darcy was unpacking and organizing her apartment on the outskirts of campus. the small one bedroom wasn’t too expensive, but it was just enough for her. she’d never needed anything flashy or expensive to be comfortable. hell, she still drove the jeep she’d had since sophomore year. it sat in the nice parking lot of her building, underneath a few trees and right beside the closest entrance. scoring a first floor apartment was a godsend for her, and she decorated the small space with green and gray and made it into a home she could keep for the next four years.

that next monday, she scrambled around said apartment, making sure her bag was packed and ready to go for her first day of classes. even though she checked multiple times, it was always reassuring to know her supplies were ready to go. maybe darcy was a little paranoid, but it had always helped her be prepared. swinging her keys around her fingers, she fixed up her hair before slipping out the door and into her car. the leather interior was warm on her legs, the sun streaming harshly through the windows while it sat there that morning. however, it was one of the things least on her mind as she backed out of her spot and onto the street, heading towards campus.

her meeting with the dean and another professor or mentor of some sorts was at 9 o’clock, and it was already 8:50 by the time she even made it to the administration building. quickly shouldering her back and slamming her door shut, she climbed the steps and entered the building. she knew the university was prestigious and fairly rich, but she didn’t expect the large marble columns and beautiful accents across all of the halls and foyer of the admin building. a kind receptionist pointed her in the direction of the dean’s office, and a nervous thrumming of her heart accompanied her down the hallway.

at 9 o’clock on the dot, she gently knocked once on the door, turning the handle when a voice rumbled from inside. the headmaster stood behind his mahogany desk, and the professor he mentioned stood off to the side. “good morning, dean allister,” she greeted with a warm smile, shaking the older gentleman’s hand. she turned to the professor. “and you as well, sir,” she murmured, shaking his outstretched hand. the dean motioned for her to take a seat, and she obliged, frettingly running a hand through her hair as she settled her bag on her lap.

 

[fangirl_of_something]

Since his sophomore year of high school, Ian knew he wanted to go into science for a career. Having a wonderful science teacher junior year just furthered that dream. He was skilled in math as well, so the letters of recommendation were beyond praise. Currently, Ian stood at the top of his class. Straight A's with a small B+ in English. He wasn't the strongest in that subject, compared to his best friend, who he sadly had to say goodbye to when he got accepted into the school he's in now. She stood there as she watched her friend go through the gate in the airport with tear-filled eyes. It was hard, but during these first couple months in his new school, he made a few friends. But he still texted her every day to keep in touch.

Ian's grandparents were fairly wealthy, so there was no problem in sending him to this school. He tried his hardest not to let it show, though. But they were able to afford an apartment on the top floor in a well-kept building. And the landlord was actually a friend of his mom's back when she was in college. He was able to paint the walls red and black, and with the budget his grandparents gave him, he got a tv, a long sofa, and a queen sized bed. He brought the dresser he had at his grandparents', but took it apart and repainted it to look like the walls.

Today wasn't going to be like most days. It started somewhat normal as he packed all the binders and folders he needed for the day. He then got into his red Jeep Wrangler and threw his bag onto the passenger seat before he plugged his phone in and played some music as he started the car and drove out of the complex. Today he was meeting with the dean and some new student that he was going to mentor. He got to the school at around 8am, as he likes to be early, and walked into the dean's office at 8:10. He sat down, putting his bag down on the floor next to him before he made small talk with the dean. He looked up at the clock to see that it was 9am now, and just a second later came the knock. Ian stood up as the girl walked in, a smile on his face as he stretched out his hand. He gave her hand a light shake before he sat down again and let the dean explain the situation.

 

[flood]

there was no denying the situation was a little awkward, but the dean had already stressed multiple times that he was more than happy to have darcy in his programs. by the time he was finished with his explanation and exited the room alongside another professor, she was pretty red in the face. she knew she probably looked embarrassed, but it was just nerves at starting her first days on the new campus.

as the dean shut the door behind him darcy stood up from her chair and gently pushed it back towards the desk, shouldering her bag. “it’s nice to meet you, again,” she said to ian, tucking her phone in the pocket of her khaki colored pants and turning to face him.

“you’re a freshman, right?” she asked lightly, dusting off her pants as she made sure she had everything she needed before leaving. “allister said a either a sophomore or a freshman would be helping me out. it’s much appreciated, by the way.” she smiled gently as she walked towards the door, holding it for a moment as the pair made their way out of the dean’s office.

“and this is where you can do your thing,” she said jokingly. “i’ve not got classes on mondays so the dean said taking me around campus and finding the buildings would suffice. hopefully i’m not being too needy.” she chuckled as if her words meant nothing, but the flush of heat across her cheeks gave away the sincerity her words held.

 

[fangirl_of_something]

"It's nice to meet you as well," Ian said happily as he picked his bag back up and slung it over his shoulder. He walked out of the office with her and looked around the halls to see if anyone was coming. Once she spoke, Ian looked down at her and chuckled a little, finding it cute that this girl was blushing already. "So, Darcy, was it? You're here as a biology major, right? So am I, actually. Here, I'll show you to the labs first." He smiled and motioned her to follow.

It was no secret that most of the girls in school fawned over Ian. A small group of girls walked by the pair, sweetly saying, "Hi Ian~" and giggling afterwards. But he just nodded with a small smile as he continued to walk with Darcy. He showed her to the labs, as well as a few classrooms, before he stopped at the cafeteria. Just then, a boy around their age walked by and bumped Ian in the shoulder. "Hey, dude. You coming to practice?" he asked. Ian looked over and nodded. "Yeah, I just have some things I need to do first." The boy looked at Darcy and smirked before he looked back at Ian. "I'll see you later." Ian nodded, then looked back at Darcy. "You hungry? I can buy you something to eat."

 

[flood]

darcy smiled proudly, nodding her head as her eyes roamed the campus around them. “mhm! i transferred into the advanced biology program from a tiny community college back east. this is so much better already.” when he offered to show her the labs, she suppressed an emphatic grin, simply nodding slowly and glancing to him. “that would be great, actually. i’ve heard they’re top notch around here.”

after the tour they continued their walk through campus, and darcy couldn’t help but notice the people who stopped to watch ian walk past or said something or other to him. she flushed any time someone spoke, feeling like she wasn’t meant to be a part of the small conversations. she only looked up when a tall boy around her age walked alongside them for a moment. he wasn’t bad looking, and when he smirked down at her darcy found herself smiling softly and blinking. once he sauntered away, she turned back to ian with a chuckle.

“someone’s pretty popular,” she commented with a grin. her honey colored eyes followed after the boy who had just left for a few heartbeats, silently wondering who he was. blinking, she turned back to her companion. “what kind of practice was he talking about?” she knew the question sounded a little redundant, but for all she knew it could be a chess practice. she watched intently for a moment before continuing her walk along the paths.

“if you want to stop that’s fine with me,” she shrugged with a smile. “i could use a place to eat every now and then. i’ll just pay you back later.”

 

[fangirl_of_something]

Every time someone would walk by them and say something, he would look down at Darcy to see her still blushing. But again, it was kind of cute. After the boy had walked by them and down the hall, Ian looked down at the girl beside him. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck at her comment. "Kind of, I guess." He laughed nervously, then gained his composure again. "I've got football after school. I haven't been to the last couple practices because of labs, which is probably why he asked." He gave her a soft smile. "If you want, I can get you a snack and we can go down to the field for a few minutes. Don't stress about paying me back." A few seconds later, he felt something vibrate in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his phone to see that it was a text from his friend. He quickly texted her back, then looked at Darcy again. "Oh, and do you want to exchange numbers? In case you've got a question or need help with something."

 

[flood]

the boy’s offer caused a small smile to lift her lips, and she nodded. “gotcha,” she said. she chuckled softly, watching him for a moment before turning her head away and focusing on the rest of the campus, or at least what she could see of it. “that’s fine with me. i’m not one for athletics but i’ll come watch for a bit. i have my laptop too, i can work on some of my intros while you play, if that’s alright.”

the rest of the walk across campus towards one of the small cafes and the athletic fields was peaceful, only interrupted by the occasion tone of one of their cellphones. his question echoed in her ear for a moment before she slipped her phone out of her pocket, reciting her number to him and entering his. she sent a little smiley face to show she had his number and then slid her phone back in her pocket. “i’ll probably be bothering you constantly since i’ve got no idea what i’m doing. so i’ll apologize in advance.”

once they finished their exchange, darcy led ian into one of the stores near the athletic fields, this one being a dollar tree. holding up a finger to tell him to wait, she disappeared into the aisles. returning moments later with a water bottle and some pretzels, she smiled to him and paused by the registers to wait for him. “like i said, i’ll pay you back at some point. my wallet’s at my apartment.”

 

[fangirl_of_something]

He nodded at her plans for while he would be at practice, and some part of him wanted her to watch and focus on him. But he didn't say anything. He smiled a bit at her little text and then put his phone away. "I don't think any of your texts could annoy me. I've got the guys constantly bugging me about practice and then my best friend from back home always on top of me." He laughed a little as they walked to the dollar tree. When she came back with her items, he smiled and took them from her to get them scanned. "And like I said, don't stress about it. $5 won't put a huge hole in my bank account." He laughed again and payed the cashier before handing the items back to Darcy. They walked out of the store and back towards the field. "I gotta go get changed. So you can just go onto the bleachers." He gave her a soft smile and waved as he jogged into the boys' locker room. There were a few other boys in there, and they all made small talk as they changed, then walked out and down onto the football field to start practice. Ian looked up for a few seconds to check on the new girl before he focused on the practice.

 

[flood]

the smile darcy sent ian was warm as he jogged off to the locker rooms. she waved before he turned away and made her way towards the bleachers, pulling out her laptop and starting work on some of the assignments that were due in her classes. even though she hadn’t been here, her professors had given the dean her assignments for the first weeks, and she had to finish them all by midterms. which hopefully wouldn’t be too difficult.

when she had small breaks in her work or was lost in thought she found herself glancing down on the field, trying to find ian and that one other boy among the large team of college age kids. it was a little difficult, but eventually she found him and watched him for a moment every now and then. she tried to focus on her work, but she kept wondering what he minored in, where he was from, and a heap of other questions that flooded through her mind.

as she finished up her assignments for the night, she tucked her laptop away in her bag and took out a small book that she had brought from home with her; one her brother had gotten for her years earlier. she was lost in the pages as she waited for their practice to end, cuddled up in her thick windbreaker.

 

[fangirl_of_something]

When Ian looked up into the bleachers, he saw a group of girls on the far left side, then Darcy close to the middle. And anytime he looked, he would see her looking down at her laptop. He felt a small amount of sadness when he wouldn’t meet her gaze, but he didn’t let that get to him. The boy from earlier nudged him again and pointed up to the stands. “So, who’s that girl, anyway?” he asked with a smirk. “Jackson, you’re not getting with her. I won’t let her get mixed up in your dirty business,” Ian replied with a slight growl. “Oh-ho, defending her, are you? Didn’t you two just meet?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Yes, but she’s new here. She knows no one. And if she’s gonna ask a question about you, the first thing I’ll say is don’t get mixed up with him.” Ian took a drink, closed it, then threw it back down onto the ground. “Come on, get into position.”

After about an hour and a half, practice had ended. All the boys ran up to the locker room to be the first into the shower. Ian was luckily second to get in, and once he dried off, he put his regular clothes back on and picked up his backpack. As he walked out and onto the bleachers, he was drying his hair with a small towel he always hand in his bag. He sat down next to Darcy and wrapped the towel around his neck. “Whatcha readin’?” he asked playfully.

 

[flood]

“oh, this old thing?” she replied with a smile, glancing over at him. “darwin’s origin of the species. just some evolution stuff.” she closed the book after showing him the cover, tucking it away in her bag. “apparently one of the professors was assigning readings, so i figured i’d get ahead.” she turned her body on the stands so she was facing him, her legs crossed on the cold metal.

“how was practice?” she asked with a chuckle, reaching out to flick one of his damp locks of hair. “i was watching every now and then. i think i knew which one you were...” her statement ended in a chuckle as she grabbed her bag and threw it on her shoulder. “and i tried to find that one guy that stopped by earlier. is he any good?” she knew she shouldn’t really be asking, but she didn’t stop herself as she stood on the bleachers and motioned for ian to follow her down the steps.

 

[fangirl_of_something]

He smiled a bit when she flicked his hair, more so because she actually did watch. "Number 20, hun," he said with a bright smile. He stood once she did, but sighed as she asked about Jackson. "He's our captain, actually. His name's Jackson Spini. But please, don't get involved with him." He stopped on the steps and lowered his head so his wet bangs fell over his eyes. "He may seem like a nice guy, but he's a player. And not just in football." Even though that seemed like a joke, he didn't crack a smile. "He's a sophomore, and he's already been with 12 girls in his grade, and a few in ours. I don't want to see you fall for the same trick, so please, just avoi--"

"Heyyy Ian!" came a loud shout as a girl with strawberry blonde hair jumped onto the boy's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "H-Hey, Lucy," he said with a stutter as he tried to balance himself on the stairs. He gave Darcy a weak and nervous smile before he looked over as the girl moved around to his side. "I came to say hi as Colson's practice just finished." The girl's aqua eyes then moved onto the girl a few steps lower. "Who's this?" Lucy skipped down a couple steps to get closer to Darcy, Ian slowly following behind. "This is Darcy. She's new here, and I'm showing her around." The small girl smiled brightly and grabbed one of Darcy's hands, shaking it a bit. "It's nice to meet you, Darcy!" she exclaimed. A boy with brown hair appeared at the top of the bleachers, and Lucy kept smiling. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you around!" She made her way up the stairs, then left with the boy.

 

[flood]

the girl smiled gently at his words, nodding her head. “gotcha. i’ll remember that, i promise,” she joked with a chuckle. her laugh cut off gently when he frowned and began explaining jackson to her. she knew she shouldn’t have, but she giggled softly at the harsh tone of his words. “well, after that i’m sure i’ll be more careful,” she said. “i’ll leave him alone.”

the next minute or two went by very fast, with a strawberry blonde girl grabbing her hands for a moment and darting off with her boyfriend the next. she hadn’t even had time to greet her. but she had noticed ian’s stutter, and she laughed lowly, sidling down to stand behind ian before making her way down the stairs. “someone’s got a little something something with lucy...” she said playfully, her voice a singsong tone. she didn’t really have any idea what was going on, so the little song was something she used to deflect her confusion.

she was a little glad though, because instead of blushing any time someone looked at her, she smiled and gave them a nod of greeting. even though it had only been a couple hours, she definitely felt more confident walking across campuses. when she hit the path at the bottom of the bleachers, she turned to wait for ian, smirking the while. she was pretty tired, but she still had work to do, and she was sure ian still had things to show her. she took a sip of the water he’d bought her earlier.

 

[fangirl_of_something]

Ian was happy to hear that she agreed to what he said about Jackson. But what she said after Lucy left caught him off guard. "Wh-what? No, that's not it. We've just been friends since first grade, along with Colson. They started dating right when we got here, so I don't spend that much time with them now..." He had a slightly sad tone to his voice as his sentence trailed off. As he walked down the stairs, he started to think about what life would've been like if his friend back home had came to the same school. But once he stepped next to Darcy, the thought went away, and he smiled again. "Well, I think all there's left to see is the gym and the second floor," he said cheerfully. "Shall we?"

 

[flood]

the girl chuckled softly, patting his shoulder gently in a reassuring matter like a mother consoling her child. “it’s alright, i’m sure they miss you as much as you miss them.” in reality, she wasn’t sure. she’d never had a relationship with someone spanning such long periods of time, but she was sure that her words made some sense at leastz.

when he smiled again and motioned for her to follow him again, she smiled. “lead the way,” she murmured, following close beside him as they walked along the paths. “this campus is massive. i’m beyond glad i got a scholarship, i don’t even want to know how much it is here a year.”

 

[fangirl_of_something]

As the two walked along the path in the spacious courtyard, he chuckled a bit at her statement. "It's a pretty hefty price, I'll tell you that much." He looked around along with her, not really realizing how big the campus actually was until just now. But it was nice. Since it was so wide, they only needed two floors for every class. And there was a wing for each subject. One huge wing for science, since it was what the school was known for, then one for math, English, social studies, and lastly, foreign languages. The gym, on the other hand, could be about 3 stories high, but that was expected.

"Wow, I spend so much time inside that I don't really notice how nice this campus looks." He smiled softly as he continued to look at the pure white buildings. He peered into a window for a second to see what appeared to be a history class. "So, Darcy, I never got to ask you. What other classes are you taking?" he asked, moving over to lean against the white stone wall of the building. This was his chance to learn a few things about her.