*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

The incessant alarm has aroused a man in his mid-twenties. He rolls over and hits the wall several times, shouting for his room mate to get her ass out of bed.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

He swears and scrambles out of bed, crossing the hall and kicking her door. "Rian Delmar, I swear," he glances at the clock and then the calender and back to the clock. "You're late for your first class."

He steps back from the door and slowly counts to three. Hearing something move on the other side of the door. It flies open and a girl with shoulder length dark brown hair races past him.

She sprints out the door, leaving it half open behind her. She presses the elevator button and when it doesn't arrive within 10 seconds, she takes off for the stairs. Four flights and she's on the ground level.

"Should have taken the fire escape." She mumbles as she runs through the lobby, glancing at the clock.

"Hey, Rian!"

She stops and looks back up at the open window to her apartment, "You forgot your sketchbook."

Her heart sinks. She doesn't have time to go back for it, but what if the professor asks for them?

"Rian Delmar?" the professor looks over his glasses and around the room, "I swear I met her at open house. Miss Delmar?"

She throws the door open and collapses to the cold ground, panting, "I'm here."

"I suggest you refrain from making a scene the next class period."

She bites her cheek and takes a seat in the back row.

He continues on with the roll call.

Five miles away, a three-year old girl is sneaking into her parent's room. "Daddy." She grabs the edge of the blanket, "Mommy says it's time to get up."

"Alright Madalyn." He yawns and sits up. The girl has her mother's hazel eyes and his black hair, with her own curls. He picks her up and sets her on the edge of the bed. "You are getting big."

She nods, "I eat all my vegetamlbes."

"That's good." He ruffles her hair, "Ready for our day?"

Madalyn grins, "Yeah! Play in the park!"

"Good girl." He grabs a shirt and glances in the mirror before pulling his shirt on. At one point, he had a six-pack of abs, that was before Madalyn was born.

She races out of the room in front of him, making airplane sounds. Marlene is at the stove, humming to herself. "Morning Skipper."

"Morning beautiful. What's on the agenda today?"

She puts a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Madalyn, "I've got three articles to finish and I planned on trying to photograph the park today."

"So we are on our own for dinner?"

She forces a sympathetic smile. "Is that alright?"

Skipper nods quickly, "Yeah, we'll go out to dinner and maybe the museum."

Madalyn scrunches up her nose, "Museums smell."

Skipper presses his finger to his lips, silencing the girl.

Marlene rolls her eyes, "Just promise that you'll be careful."

"Will do." He kisses her on the cheek and watches her bounce out the door, camera in tow.

He waits until he hears her car start in the driveway before looking at Madalyn, "Gummy bears for breakfast?"

"Yep." She pushes the plate away and marches to the living room. "Netflix, daddy."

He laughs and picks a show with baby animals for her before sitting back with his coffee. Madalyn DiMaggio is his whole world. The little dark haired girl with her love of animals and her bright smile.

28. 29. 30. He pauses. Rico can feel the muscles in his arms burning. They shake under him but he has to get at least five more than yesterday. 31. 32. 3-3. He sinks to the floor, exhausted.

"Rico, are you coming?" Private shouts from the edge of the room. "8 am classes."

He sighs and rolls onto his back to stare at the ceiling. The light above is blinding, but he forces himself to look at it. Pushing himself up, he rolls both his shoulders around and spreads his hands out. They hurt. Hell. Everything hurts.

"Is that a no?" The blonde at the door asks, "Because I can't take your classes for you. Our majors are different."

"I'm coming." He finally builds the strength to stand and cross the room to grab his bag and scribble down the notes for today's workout. A continuous 2 mile jog to school, 5 pull-ups, and 3 sets of 30 push-ups and a final attempt ending with 33.

"You know, I read about this one guy who worked out so much that his heart exploded."

Rico gives him a concerned look, the most convincing one he can muster, "Nu-uh."

"Yes- huh." The blonde nods, "He worked out every day, all day and died of a heart attack at like 25."

"I'm not working out that much." He grabs a towel and wipes his face off, "Just once a day. Twice if I've had a bad day."

"Heart attack." Private sing-songs.

Rico rolls his eyes and changes shirts, "Better than drugs."

Private mocks him and starts for the door, "I don't want to be late for our first day."

"It's everyone's first day." Rico glances at his watch, "We won't be the only ones that are late."

Kowalski Lane has paced the floor between the computers and the doors, left to the dean's office, around the corner to the bathrooms and back to the computers. He was smart enough to know not to take 8 am classes, but at 7:45 he had arrived on campus. An hour had passed fast enough, but he still had 45 minutes before his next class. Finally, he settles down and picks up a magazine filled with careers.

He flips it open and searches through for his majors. Business, accounting, there were hundreds of careers within that bracket. One catches his eye. Private Investigator. He could do it. But what did business really have to do with that?

A voice catches his attention, a British accent and the blond boy attached to it. "Private?"

"Oh sweet balls." The kid following him tilts his head, black hair sliding across his head. "Kowalski?"

"Hey guys. Wow." He laughs kind of nervously, "What's it been, four years?"

"Five." Rico corrects, coldly. "I thought you went off to Yale or Harvard."

"Princeton. Actually." Kowalski closes the careers book and replaces it on the table. "I see you didn't?"

Rico shrugs, "Some of us weren't blessed with brains or brawn."

Rico leads Private past him and tries to leave Kowalski behind.

He glances around before following, "You don't want to catch up? You know, grab a cold one and kick it?"

Rico raises an eyebrow, "Does anyone say 'kick it' anymore?"

"I'd love to." Private grins, he elbows Rico, attempting to encourage him to agree.

He runs his fingers through his hair and drops a few strands to the ground, "I'd like to, but I distinctly remember you saying you 'didn't need this redneck town or this washed up football team'."

"Right." Kowalski looks down sheepishly, "Well, I-"

"Wasn't there also something about football scholarships not counting towards actual school?"

Kowalski sighs, "I'm sorry. Alright?"

Rico smiles, "Aww, I'm sorry too." The smile drops, "But I don't want to catch up." He turns and jogs down the stairs.

Private opens his mouth to apologize, shuts it and holds up his finger, "One minute please." He races after Rico and the distant arguing between the two can be heard echoing down the hall. Kowalski makes it halfway down the stairs before Private returns, "We'd like to catch up Kowalski."

"Great." He smiles, "Just tell me when and where."

"There's a party at one of the houses tonight." Rico adjusts his backpack on his shoulder, "If you decide to wimp out on us, at least there'll be free alcohol."

"Thanks. I know it's ha-"

Rico ignores him and continues on his way, heading for his first class.

"Right." Kowalski looks down. He hadn't planned on Rico and Private being here, but at least he had a friend some where on campus.

Rian glances over at the clock. Almost time to leave, she spots someone pass by the door window and has to do a double take. The tall kid with brown hair is so familiar it makes her heart ache. She turns her attention back to the board, where the professor is wrapping up what they will learn this semester. A name crosses her mind and she has to bite her tongue to keep from shouting it. 'Kowalski Lane.'