Tino's alarm clock serenaded me with the all-too-harmonious sound of Finnish metal at seven-thirty in the morning. It was a Friday, and I only had Russian and anthropology that day, but I was still exhausted.

"Ara, shut up," I groaned to the singing contraption, ducking my head underneath the covers. My roommate laughed.

"Sorry, man. I forgot that you don't have a morning class today- I'll use my cell phone as an alarm next time."

"Don't worry about it- I have Russian at nine-thirty, and it wouldn't hurt for me to study anyway. Wanna get breakfast with me?"

"I'd like to, but I have to rush over to Mudd for physics. Hey- Eil told me you're hanging out with Sadik and Serpil tonight."

I blushed. "Yeah, I thought it might be fun to hang with them."

He smiled knowingly. People seemed to have been doing that a lot lately. "Okay, then. See ya soon- let's get lunch together. You get out of anthro at two, right?"

"Yeah, and you get out of physics lab at noon?" He nodded. "Yikes. Four hours of physics sounds like torture."

"Nah, physics isn't so bad. I would like to know how you got an A in organic chem, though- I wish I had." Tino smiled, and I dipped my head in modest embarrassment.

"Thanks- I like chemistry. Anyway, you need to get going!"

He stepped into his shoes quickly and threw his notebook into a backpack. "I do. See you soon, Alex!"

I smiled and waved. "Bye-bye." I reminded myself that I was lucky to have Tino as a friend- he hadn't even mentioned the awkward meeting with Ivan from the other day, and he didn't judge me for dating someone that he didn't care for.

I still liked Ivan, though. How could I have such an effortless chemistry with him if it wasn't meant to be? I just had to wait. Good things would come in due time…

…

Sadik had always loved history. There was something so entertaining about recounting the stories of the past; in interpreting, analyzing, and discussing them. Especially discussing them; in hearing others' views and stating his own. That was all part of discovery, after all.

Of course, it bothered Sadik when people spoke in absolutes- when they claimed there was only one way to interpret something. He was respectful of other's views and never tried to challenge their tenants…unless they attacked his own.

He took his place at the seminar table next to Elizaveta and chatted idly with her while the other seats filled up. His friend, a shy junior named Gupta, sat beside him. Ivan was the last to come to class (save for the professor, Dr. Romano Vargas), and as luck would have it, the blond man sat directly across from Sadik. Lovely.

Sadik liked most people he met, but Ivan was definitely an exception. From the way he spoke and debated others, Ivan seemed cocky and closed-minded. He couldn't simply agree to disagree- he was rude to others that didn't share his opinion. Sadik realized that he might have been judging Ivan harshly, but he didn't care much. When the arrogant man sat across from him, Sadik opted to look away rather than flash a forced smile.

Well, at least Ivan had a few friends. He got along well with Francis, who Sadik found to be perverted but benign, and Gilbert. He actually didn't mind Gilbert; the red-eyed man was cocky, to be sure, but too much of a space cadet to mean any harm by it. But Ivan was smart- very smart- and something about that frightened Sadik.

Not that he'd admit it.

Professor Vargas entered the classroom and announced that he had essays to pass back, and Sadik's rumination ceased.

"I expected better of this class on the last essay," he began, passing the typed papers back to the students. "However, there were a few that broke the mold. Sadik, especially, wrote an excellent piece. In fact, his essay actually made me think; that's truly a sign of a great paper, when I have to re-evaluate my beliefs because of it. His current event was the head-covering ban instated in France, and it challenged that the ban is both Islamophobic and sexist. Sexist, in that it denies women the choice of whether or not to cover their heads; in that the ban claims it 'liberates' women when the ladies affected by the ban are having their rights taken away. I had never considered it that way, but after reading Sadik's paper, I have to agree with him. Sadik, do I have your permission to put your essay on the overhead?"

He blushed with the praise but nodded nonetheless, surprised that the normally-crabby instructor was actually complimenting his work. Elizaveta congratulated Sadik with a smile and a pat on the back, and the other students whispered among themselves. All except for Ivan, of course, who merely stared at the screen and popped his tense jaw.

…

"Ooh, they have stir-fry for lunch today!" Tino noted excitedly, reaching for a meal-laden plate. He inhaled deeply- the food at Claremont was always delicious. "The stars must be aligned."

I smiled. "You must have some good karma. Maybe if I do enough good deeds, they'll serve us lobster."

"Maybe if you become a priest and it's Christmas."

"Ha! Maybe."

Tino found us a place to sit: a rectangular balsa-wood table by a window. We were in Scripps' dining hall, and so about seventy percent of the students we saw were female. Most of the guys didn't flock for the women's schools' dining hall until dinner, where they could try to find a good-looking companion to eat with. However, Eileen, Serpil and Elizaveta often took their lunches here, so we were more than likely to see at least one of them.

"So, how was Russian?" Tino dug in, scooping up rice and sauce-drenched vegetables with his fork.

"It was nice. We went over the lesson and then just chatted in Russian for two hours. How was physics?"

"Well, I made an error in one of my initial calculations, so I had to do-over a major portion of my lab. That wasn't so fun, but there's a really nice guy in class that helped me out. Do you know Eduard von Bock?"

Come to think of it, I'd heard Elizaveta mention him. "Eli's friend?"

"Yeah! He's a nice guy. I owe him for his help."

"I'm sure you'll help him out at some point or another."

"I hope. So, I'm going camping this weekend, apparently."

"Really? With Eileen?"

He nodded. "Her family likes to camp in Carpintaria every October, so they're coming to pick us up, since it's too expensive to rent a Zip-car."

"When are you leaving?"

"At four." Tino smiled. "I'm excited- I hope her family will like me."

"Of course they will! You guys will have an amazing time. How long has it been?"

"Thanks. Since we've gotten together? Almost eight months." He grinned. "But hey, it sounds like you've got a date tonight, as well."

"Ah," I blushed, "Not a date. Just a friend outing."

"You keep telling yourself that, Alex. I don't know Sadik, but Serpil is nice, so he probably is as well."

"Sadik seems nice, but I'm not sure…I heard from someone that he's a bit of a know-it-all."

"Really? Who told you that?"

I lowered my head, realizing that Ivan's authority wouldn't hold much clout. Tino understood.

"Alex, I'm not trying to be judgmental, but I wouldn't trust Ivan's opinion of Sadik."

"Yeah…I don't think it's fair to judge before I get to know him."

My friend smiled. "What am I even talking about? You're one of the most open-minded people I've met. Anyway…"

Tino and I continued to chat, and something besides the sweet-and-sour sauce shifted the contents of my stomach. It wasn't excitement. I couldn't have been that excited to meet up with a friend and her brother.

Could I?

…

Serpil, Sadik, and I met at the Coop Fountain for shakes and fries. Once we'd picked up our (unhealthy) meals, we found a table by the glass wall and a few retro seats to rest in.

"I'm starving!" Serpil lamented, gulping down her chocolate shake.

"Did you just get out of practice?" I asked, leaning forward. My friend nodded.

"Coach had me do four 400's, four 800's, and a 1600. With a core workout in the middle. I'm beat."

"You put me to shame, Serpil!" I laughed. "I did track my freshman year of high school, but I was in distance and always tried to do an 'LSD' run whenever possible."

"LSD?" Sadik's eyes widened. Serpil and I laughed.

"Long Slow Distance," I explained, tossing a few crisp fries into my mouth. He smiled.

"Just checking. You did track in high school? Why'd you quit?"

"My asthma got pretty bad after my freshman year, so I just decided to give it a rest. I was in band, anyway, so I didn't have much time for it."

"That's understandable," Serpil consoled. "Sadik and I were choir kids, and I know how it's hard to juggle music, studies, and a sport."

"How do you sleep?"

"I don't!" She chuckled. "Poor Eileen has to wear a sleep mask, because I keep my lamp on at all hours. Though Sadik is much the same way- he doesn't stop studying."

"You make me sound like such a nerd!" He teased before turning to me. "I don't study excessively. It's hard to on my floor, anyhow- I live with some pretty social Mudd students."

"Isn't that an oxymoron?" I smiled dryly. He laughed again. I liked the way it sounded; deep and comfortable and good-natured.

"At times, it can be. So, you're at Pomona, then? What do you study?"

"I haven't chosen my major yet, but I'm considering Russian language. I might want to be a translator. I'm taking a course in Russian and another in Slavic literature. However, I'm also taking music, anthropology, and botany right now."

"You have a pretty full load, then. Right now I have biology, vector calc, ethics of science, Turkish, and history. Next semester I'll get to take both bio and physics again."

"Biology and vector calculus? That's harsh!"

"It's not too bad, but then again, biology is fun for me. It's vector calc that's a bit of a pain."

I nodded sympathetically. "I finished the basic calculus course last year, and I'm so glad I'm done. What about you, Serpil?"

She perked up and set down her shake. "Well, I have biochemistry, German*, track, and anthropology as well. I'm a little sad that we aren't in the same anthro class, Alex."

"Me too- it would have been fun. Weren't you taking Greek last year, though."

"I was, but lately I've been really interested in Germany, especially Bavaria. I may do an abroad study there."

"Cool. You're in Glee Club as well, right?"

"I am, though I'm not the most active member. Once spring rolls around, I'm really into my races."

"I couldn't imagine competing on top of my courses. Does it exhaust you?"

"Sometimes, and I think I'll quit after this year. I got a two-year scholarship for track, and at first I thought that was what I really wanted; to be an athlete; but after taking all the science courses at Scripps, I found a new love."

"It makes sense that you'd be interested in science, since you and Sadik are twins. Are your parents scientists, too?" I glanced at Sadik.

"Yep! Our mom is a chemist and our dad is a pharmacist. I was actually considering pharmacy for a while, but biophysics seems to be more my calling."

"Mm, you're acing your history class, though," Serpil mused in between sips of her shake. "God, this stuff is good…"

Sadik chuckled. "I'm glad Professor Vargas liked my essay."

I sat up. Was this the class that Ivan was talking about? "I think one of my friends is in your class."

"Really? What's their name?"

"Do you know Ivan Braginsky?"

His nose wrinkled at the mention, as though he'd just walked past a sewer drain. However, he just as quickly composed himself. "I do. He's a strong debater…very opinionated."

Well, that was interesting. The both of them considered the other to be opinionated! Sadik seemed not to be fond of Ivan, either, though he was polite in his response. I wondered why they clashed.

"Wait, Ivan? The guy that-" Serpil quickly remembered my relationship with Ivan and blinked slowly. "Huh. So, that's the Ivan you know, Alex."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled facetiously. "It seems like there's something I should know about him."

She shook her head profusely, embarrassed. "There isn't; I'd just never drawn that parallel before. Carry on."

"All right, then. So, you got an A on one of Professor Vargas' essays? Congratulations- I hear that's really tough to do. What was it on?"

"Thank you." Sadik grinned. "It was about the head-covering ban in France, Islamophobia, and sexism. I argued that the bad was inherently Islamophobic and sexist, as it denied Muslim men- and especially women- the choice of whether or not to wear a head-covering."

"Oh yeah- I heard about that! It's sad that the French government would do something like that."

"I agree. Governments do a lot of weird things, and usually at the will of misinformed groups…" He trailed off, deep in thought. I felt that his statement was referring to something else- in fact, I was almost certain- but neither of us continued that train of thought. There were some things too unpleasant to talk about in a casual conversation.

Serpil, Sadik, and I chatted for another hour and a half. The three of us were actively engaged in the conversation- we talked about our hometowns ( I had become an expert on Chicago after listening to them rave about it), our dorms, our professors, and our meal plans. By the end of our snack meeting, I didn't want to leave, and the twins seemed equally hesitant to go. However, realizing that it was getting late, the three of us parted and left for our respective dorms. After walking for about fifty meters, I turned around. Sadik whispered something to Serpil as they headed in the opposite direction, and the both of them smiled- white teeth against tan skin. It made me happy to see two siblings be such good friends.

My heart ached, and I realized that I hadn't called my dad or grandparents in a week. I rushed to my room, resolved to amend this as soon as I settled in.

…

"Alo?"

"Hi, dad." I smiled to myself; I found it amusing that my dad answered the phone in Armenian. "Vonts es?"

"Alex!" He cheered; I could almost see his wide smile. "I'm fine; how are you?"

"I'm doing good. Sorry I haven't called in a while-I've been pretty busy."

"It's okay- it's important that you keep up your studies. How are your friends?"

I spun around in my swivel chair, propping my feet up on my white IKEA desk. "They're good. Tino is going on a camping trip with Eileen's family. Elizaveta…I don't know what she's up to this weekend. I'll have to check up on her. I just hung out with this girl named Serpil from my ski club and her twin brother. They're really nice. How are grandma and grandpa?"

If my dad recognized that Serpil is a Turkish name, he thankfully wasn't bothered by it. I didn't expect my dad to be upset by my having Turkish friends (he was pretty open-minded), but then again, it was a topic that we'd never really discussed. "They're doing well- they miss you. You should call them after we're done talking. Good for you for making some new friends! College has made you more outgoing."

"I will," I promised, smiling at my dad's praise. "Thanks, hayer. How have you been? How is Baklavan?"

"Baklavan" was the name of my dad's bakery. He'd combined the words "Baklava" and "Yerevan" (the capital of Armenia) into one, thinking that the title was clever. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it sounded more like the name of a lunch truck.

"It's been very busy lately! But busy is good- busy pays the bills. I have some exciting news- the business is making enough money that, in a few months, I think I'm going to relocate it to Brand Street!"

"Wow!" This was big. The Americana was on Brand Street. If Baklavan relocated there, it had the potential of getting tenfold the amount of customers. However, rent was expensive. "Congratulations! Things must be going really well, then."

"They are!" He paused for a moment, letting the possibility wash over him. "Anyhow, I'm proud of you. I was a pretty average student, but you've done so well in school. I may not like Alysa, but I'll always love her half in you. Keep up the good work with your studies."

"Thank you, dad." Alysa was my mother, though only in legal name. My dad and she had dated in high school, and she was pregnant with me at age nineteen. However, she didn't see a future with my dad; she was covertly dating someone else at the same time. In fact, my dad had to order a paternity test to know whether or not I was his, though once the results came back that I was a Kirzigian, he asked for shared custody of me. Alysa, not wanting to bother with a child anyhow, granted him full. My mother was never involved in my life, and my dad rarely talked about her. One of the few things I did know about her was that she was brilliant- she'd graduated at the top of her class and had attended UCLA.

My dad went to community college and then CSUN, earning a bachelor's in business while raising me (with plenty of help from my grandparents, who spoke very little English). My grandparents expected a lot from me from the time I could walk. By the time I was three, they had already taught me how to read in Armenian- by the time I was three-and-a-half, my dad had shown me how to read in English as well. That could be the reason that I had studied so much in high school- when your family encourages you to work to your full potential without acting like slavedrivers, you don't want to let them- or yourself- down.

"Love you, Alexianos."

"I love you, too, dad. Take care."

…

A/N: Whoo hoo! I've started to piece together what will happen in this story, and I'm excited for it. I love writing anything with Armenia in it, and Turkey is so much fun. Speaking of which, my friend is taking calculus at UCLA this summer, and he's staying on campus for it. I might get to visit him and his roommate (from Turkey! :D) tomorrow. So I'm hyped for that, haha- I hope it all works out.

Aaaanyway, you're all wondering why I put that little "*" next to the word German, right? Well, Germany has a huge Turkish population outside of Turkey, so I thought it might fit that she likes Germany. :D I'm also considering changing the GiriXFem!Turk pairing to GerXFem!Turk- any thoughts on this?

Thanks for reading. Please comment, as well! :)