Congratulations, you've stumbled upon my latest Degrassi writing extravaganza. So here's the deal: this story is Darcy/Spencer… eventually. Things might be a little bumpy for a while, because this is my first time writing a chapter fic with Darcy and this is my first time writing Spencer ever, so I'm just kind of feeling my way around with the characters, especially Darcy who's obviously made a huge personality change since season six of Degrassi. If you haven't seen "Standing in the Dark," which I'm hoping all of you have by now, I suggest that you try to get on that because there are most definitely references to it. Originally, I had this written so that Darcy was her usual perky, God-loving self, but I decided that was entirely unrealistic, and it's better for the story if she and God are at odds with each other right now.
Also, I hate writing in first person, and I know I'm going to regret starting the story out like this forever, but unfortunately I believe that it was necessary. So, now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, I'm going to bore you even further with the technical crap, such as:
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, South of Nowhere, or any characters, scenes, ideas, names, whatever from those shows. I am in no way affiliated with the University of Toronto or New York University, and have no experience of true college life. Please excuse any inconsistencies. TexasWatermelon is not responsible for any headaches, stomachaches, illnesses, or mental disturbances caused by reading the content of this story. This fic is not for profit. If you sue me, I'll kill you. That is not a threat.
Story title taken from Fall Out Boy's CD "Infinity on High." Chapter title from Fall Out Boy's xxxxx. Listening suggested.
Sigh. Okay, now for the good part.
Chapter One: Long Live the Car Crash Hearts
University of Toronto is pretty cool, I have to admit; an amazing change from the idiocy of Degrassi, especially post-Lakehurst. I know I've only been here for a day, but as I'm walking down the hall to my dorm room, I can't help but think that I'm going to like it here. Good classes, respectable Spirit Squad, beautiful scenery, some guy I haven't even met yet puking on my shoes… Ew, that's really gross. It smells like he's been drinking since he got here. I bend down to help him sit up against the wall (he slumps right back over again) before rushing off to the bathroom to wash off. As I'm walking in, some big jock wearing nothing but a towel bumps into me. I mutter some apologies and try not to look down at the place where his towel slipped down a little, but still manage to notice that he's really well built. As much as I appreciate a good looking male body every now and again, I still wish the bathrooms weren't coed.
After managing to wash most of the throw up out of my sneakers (they will have to be disposed of), I finally get back to my dorm and shut the door, blocking out most of the noise from the hall. Classes start tomorrow, and my floor-mates are ringing in the start of term with a bang and more alcohol than is sanitary. I, however, am much too preoccupied with unpacking to partake in the festivities. My OCD kicks in almost immediately and I'm so caught up in making sure that everything is in its proper place that I don't even notice my roommate come in.
"Hey Darcy," she says cheerfully, dropping a paper bag on the desk. I jump and just barely refrain from chucking my Bible at her. I haven't opened it since winter break last year, but I felt bad leaving it at home. It's the last item that I have to put away and I set it gently in the first drawer of the nightstand.
"Kate, you scared the crud out of me," I tell her, though not angrily. Kate is cute; short and small with what I'm guessing is shoulder length blonde hair (I have yet to see it out of a ponytail) and bright blue eyes. She's here on a soccer scholarship and I'm fairly certain that she doesn't own anything other than soccer shorts (no matter how cold it is), jerseys, and team tees and sweatshirts. She's very nice though, and not at all annoying, so I consider myself fairly lucky considering what I could have gotten as a roommate.
"Sorry," she says, offering me an apologetic smile. "I was just down at the coffee shop with some of the girls from the team. I brought you back a triple something-or-other brownie. I'm not sure that the level of chocolate in it is actually legal, but there were M&Ms." She says this as though it could be used as justification for setting off an atomic bomb and tosses the bag at me.
"Thanks," I say, catching it with a grin. Kate nods and scans my side of the room.
"Jesus, why couldn't you have organized my stuff like that too?" she asks. I scowl at her and she sends me another sheepish grin. "Right, sorry, don't take the Lord's name in vain. Forgot. That might take some getting used to."
"It's okay," I assure her. "I don't mind it that much. At least you're trying, I guess." Truthfully, I don't much care what she says, it's just that a frown is permanently engrained into my face every time someone says God or Jesus in vain. I'm not quite strong enough to overcome seventeen years of brainwashing.
"Yep, I'm a regular diplomat," Kate says, flopping down on her already messy bed. Before I can reply, my cell phone beeps. I look down at it to see that I have a text message from Manny telling me how much she loves NYU, and that she already found a hot guy to show her around. I text her back to tell her that she owes me five bucks, and she quickly informs me that tour guides don't count.
The first prayer group meeting is that night (Sunday), and even though I'm less than thrilled to be going, I promised my parents I'd attend at least one meeting. They seem to be convinced that sitting in a room full of religious freaks will get me back in touch with God. I wanted to tell them that as soon as God figures out a way to turn back time and smite down the asshole that raped me, then I'll fall down on my knees for him. Kate looks up from her soccer magazine to tell me to behave myself and tell God she says hi. I roll my eyes at her and close the door behind me. The room that we meet in is pretty crowded and there are about twenty fliers shoved into my hands before I even make it through the door.
"Please consider Jesus Christ as your savior," some guy tells me as I go to sit down. I show him the cross around my neck (another thing I couldn't really get rid of; my grandfather gave it to me before he died and it just feels wrong without it on) and he smiles. "Wise choice, sister." I resist the urge to tell him that this is a prayer group, not a cult meeting.
The rest of the night is spent listening to people talk about our goals for the year, and how we'll be doing fundraisers to collect money for a church that recently burnt down. It all reminds me of the kind of stuff we did in the Friendship Club at Degrassi. The meeting ends with a prayer and I get up to leave. I'm halfway down the hall when cult guy catches up to me.
"Hey, wait up!" he calls. I stop and turn around, thinking maybe I've left something behind. Wait, that can't be right. I didn't take anything. "Hey, sorry for the weirdo introduction I gave you back there. First night, we get a lot of haters in who like to screw up the meetings. I've learned that if you act like you're crazy, it helps to scare them off." I nod in understanding.
"Well it's pretty effective. Almost scares off the rest of us," I tell him. He laughs and I notice that he has the nicest smile ever. Cult guy is pretty hot.
"Yeah, well it needs a little work. Next time I'll wear a black robe and ask them to make a blood sacrifice," he jokes.
"All you need is a kegger and we'll have the average frat party going," I say dryly.
"I'm Josh," he says, offering me his hand. I shake it.
"Darcy," I tell him. "And I should be getting back to my room."
"Well it was nice to meet you, Darcy. You'll be here next week?" Josh checks. I want to shake my head, to tell him that it's really not my thing and that I'm just doing it to appease my parents. Instead, I nod.
"Count on it."
I walk away wondering what the hell's gotten into me.
Kate is heavy into watching a game on the small TV in our room, but stops to say hi during a commercial. I don't hear a word out of her that doesn't have to do with bad calls and offsides until the game's over. I guess her team won, because she seems to be in a pretty good mood when she asks me how group went. I tell her that it was boring, but that I met a guy named Josh. She points out the fact that I'm super lucky to have found a cute guy who's interested in the same stuff that I am already. I kind of agree, and we decide that it's time for bed. I have my first class (Religion in Society, another compromise with my parents since I'm actually majoring in Biology) at nine, and Kate has practice tomorrow. My nightly ritual consists of changing into flannel pants and a tank top, brushing my teeth, and going over my schedule for the next day. This last part takes a little longer than usual because I'm a little nervous and far too anal for my own good. Just before I fall asleep, I think that (besides losing a pair of shoes already) things seem to be going pretty okay.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The alarm clock goes off far earlier than I'm ready for it to, and I groan loudly, rolling over so that I can slam my palm against the snooze button. I open my eyes a fraction of a centimeter so that I can see what time it is, and somehow manage to notice through my sleepy blur that Kate's bed is already empty, though completely unmade. Great, I'm rooming with Little Miss Sunshine.
I decide to brave the showers, hoping that I can take one without every pervert guy trying to get a peak or steal my towel. Luckily, I manage to get through it incident free and head back to my room to put some clothes on. It's fairly warm out this time of year (for Toronto, anyway), so I opt for jeans and a few layered tees. I've still got a good forty-five minutes before class by the time this is all said and done, but I can just imagine myself getting lost, and I hate being late. Halfway out the door of my hall, I run right into Josh.
"Hey, Darcy," he says as though he didn't actually expect to see me on campus.
"Cult Guy," I say, and immediately wince. Oops. I didn't really mean to call him that to his face. He laughs though, and I'm glad he doesn't find it offensive.
"Well it's good to know I've got a nickname from you already," he grins. I shrug sheepishly.
"Could you point me to Carver hall, by chance?" I ask and he nods, giving me quick directions. When he's done, I thank him and go to leave.
"You know, we should meet up some time. For coffee or something," Josh suggests. I smile.
"I don't really like coffee." With that, I leave him standing there, looking kind of bewildered.
It's not as hard to get to Carver Hall as I anticipated, and the classroom end up being almost completely empty by the time I get there, besides three other students, none of whom I'm very interested to meet at the moment. I decide to take a seat in the back of the room, close to the door. Honestly, I should have brought a pillow. This class is such a waste.
Slowly but surely the class fills up, and people seem to take my joyless expression as a cue not to sit by me, which is just fine in my book. By 8:59, there are only three seats left: one in the front left corner of the room, next to a girl that looks like she carries every communicable disease on the planet, another by a kid that looks like he might be an escaped convict, and the seat to my left. Just as our professor starts to shut the door, another body darts past him. He raises an eyebrow at the arrival, but says nothing. By this time, I'm done paying attention because Professor No Name is writing something on the board, introducing the class, and I really don't care.
"Um, hi," someone whispers beside me, but it takes a minute for me to realize that they're talking to me. When I finally do snap out of it and look up, it's to see a girl about the same age as me with long, dirty blonde hair and polite green eyes. "Do you mind if I sit here?" She's pointing to the seat beside me. I want to hate her for interrupting my success at ignoring everything around me, but she's looking at me like she really is sorry for bothering me and I can't really blame her for not wanting to sit in either of the other available seats, so I shake my head. She smiles and sits down quickly, putting her bag on the floor and pulling out a notebook. After she's all situated, she decides to introduce herself. "I'm Spencer Carlin." I think that Spencer is a pretty odd name for a girl, but then I remember that my best friend's nickname is Manny and Darcy isn't really all that run of the mill either.
"Darcy Edwards," I reply. Spencer smiles again, but doesn't say anything else. Instead she turns her attention to the front of the classroom and listens intently as Professor No Name spouts off about class requirements. Out of the corner of my eye I can see her taking what appear to be some very in-depth notes and roll my eyes. I'm surrounded by goody-goods. And since I was one for so long, I'm allowed to be annoyed by them. Some might call that hypocrisy, but I like to think of it as clarity.
The rest of the hour creeps by like it's got nowhere else to be and I'm in such a state of boredom that when No Name finally lets us go, I can barely move. Spencer's gathering up her stuff pretty quickly, and I consider asking for a hand, but think better of it.
"This seems like it's going to be a good class," she comments happily.
"I'm sure," I say dully and Spencer grins.
"Yeah, you didn't really seem too into it," she states. I shrug.
"My parents are making me take it."
"Hm, well if you have to be here, might as well make the best of it," Spencer suggests. I know she's right, but I'm not in the mood to validate her optimism. "You can borrow my notes if you want." She hands me her notebook and I can't seem to bring myself to refuse them.
"Thanks," I say, placing them in my bag carefully because she spent all class taking them and it would be extremely rude to crinkle or bend them.
"So I guess I'll see you next class," Spencer says, and I nod. She takes her bag and leaves. A minute later, I'm on my way out the door, but No Name puts a hand on my arm to stop me. I look at him in confusion, resisting the urge to comment on his super villain moustache.
"I noticed that you weren't very interested in my lecture today," he says, and now I'm looking at him like he's a complete ass. "I can tell when a person's only taking a class because they have no other choice. Don't waste my time." This leaves me pretty put off, and pretty pissed off, because this guy has no right to attack me like this on the first day of class. But getting too snarky with him will only lead to being kicked out of his class, and that will only lead to problems with my parents that I really don't need. So I decide to tell it to him straight.
"Don't give me a reason to," I tell him, not rudely, but in a way that lets him know that I'm not planning on being pushed around by him. I can't tell if he's angry or not, but he's not blocking my way anymore so I assume that I can go. As I'm walking back to my hall, I run through a checklist in my head.
Getting moved in- check.
Get along with roommate- check.
Meet some new people- check.
Get on my professor's bad side- check, check, and check.
Great way to start out the school year.
Yes, I kind of have a Best Years thing going on here with the whole coed bathrooms and rude professor. What can I say? I'm an N whore. Those of you that aren't already aware of this will be soon. I don't know if this is a hit or miss, so I'll let you guys decide. Review if it will give you a low down tingle.
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