You're Like Coming Home

5.

Derek entered the large lecture hall in the science building the next morning, fully ready to sit through his first college class. Abnormal psychology was a class that was usually reserved for upper-class pre-med students, but AP credits had allowed him to bypass the usual introductory courses that future medical students usually had to take. Mark was beyond pissed that Derek had been aware of what he wanted to do when he was in high school that he was able to bypass the first year classes, since he had to sit through both bio and chemistry 101.

As Derek settled himself in a seat in the middle of the auditorium, the scent of a familiar flowery perfume swept over him, and he snapped his head forward to see the honey blonde hair of Meredith Grey a few rows ahead of him. With a sly smile, he grabbed his backpack and stood, moving to slide into the seat beside her.

"Well, it looks like we're of similar breeds, Meredith Grey," he said, smiling as he felt her body tense before she turned to look at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Wow, I'm glad I know how you feel about me," Derek nodded.

"Seriously, Derek, freshman aren't supposed to be in this class," Meredith argued with wide eyes.

"Ah, yes, but it seems that yours truly did well enough in his AP classes that he could skip those boring classes to move into things that really matter," Derek said as he placed his feet on the chair in front of him and folded his hands behind his head.

"And what really matters?" Meredith asked.

"Psychobio," Derek replied, a gleam appearing in his eyes. "I'm going to be a neurosurgeon."

Meredith stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" she asked. "You're just playing some mean joke because you've been stalking me and you don't really want to be a neurosurgeon, do you?"

Derek frowned. "Okay, first of all, I am not stalking you," he said. "It's not my fault that we live across the hall from each other. And second...I'm a neurosurgeon. Or I will be one in about ten years."

"Seriously?" Meredith asked.

"Okay, I'm missing the problem here," Derek frowned. "My dad's a neurosurgeon, and I've wanted to be one ever since I learned the meaning of the word. The brain...it's amazing."

"I know it's amazing," Meredith snapped. "That's why I'm going to be a neurosurgeon."

"You're..." a small smile played over Derek's lips as the words sank in. "You're psychobio too?" He couldn't help the excitement he felt at the thought that he and Meredith would be on the same track for their entire four years at college.

Before Meredith could answer, the professor began to speak, causing them to fall into a concentrated silence. Derek smiled to himself as he took notes on the professor's lecture, feeling strangely comforted by the feeling of Meredith sitting beside him.

When the class was let out, Meredith shot out of her seat, bolting towards the door so fast that Derek practically had to run to keep up with her. She rolled her eyes as she noticed him walking next to her and asked, "Are you ever going to leave me alone? Because I should know now if I'm going to have to transfer over winter break."

"Hey," Derek said, grabbing her arm. "What's wrong with you? I thought we were connecting."

"That's what's wrong with me," Meredith rolled her eyes. "We can't connect. Because I'm here for school. And you want things, things that I can't give you and I don't have the energy to keep turning you down. So it would be great if you could just stop annoying me all the time."

She turned and stormed away, leaving Derek standing stunned in the middle of the science center lobby.

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