A/N: Heyy, so I'm starting from freshman year and working my way up so the part where they run away is coming. Keep reading and you'll see. And as always, review!!!

First day of high school, the most important day of every freshman's social status; it was all about first impressions. If you didn't impress your teachers, they would load you with homework. If you didn't impress your piers, you would be a loser the rest of your life. So on that day, September 3rd, Derek Shepherd did everything humanly possible to look up to par with his rank as a senator's son. It wasn't too hard considering he had just gotten his braces off and had no issue with acne (thank God!) Plus, he thought he was a good looking kid. No, he had never had a girlfriend, and no, girls didn't jump on him 24/7. But every now and then there would be a girl who would give him the "look" or send a warm smile across the cafeteria. He could have definitely had a girlfriend if he wouldn't to, but he was 15, he wanted to wait. Plus, when your father was Brian Theodore Andrew Shepherd the third, you had no time for girlfriends. Between the press meetings and the luncheons with different senators all vying for that presidential nomination, there was no time to do anything. Derek led no ordinary teenage life. Sure, most kids would kill to be in his position. It did have its perks. After all, he always got the best clothes, the best video games, got into the best schools, and all around, had the best life. Maybe he was ungrateful, maybe he was fed up with the five star hotels and twelve-course brunches. Or maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see what it was like to be normal.

"Ready son? Big day today," his father smiled proudly as he clutched his steamy cup of coffee.

"Yep," Derek replied, fixing his tie. "I'm excited."

"You should be. Just wait till you get into law school. That first day is hell."

He nodded, unsure of what to say. Derek didn't want to be a lawyer; he didn't want to be a politician. But under these circumstances he had to be. It was his "destiny." He would never tell a soul this, but deep down inside, he really wanted to be a doctor. It was just something about it that intrigued him so much, moved him so deeply. Something his father would never understand.

"Alright, I'm ready to go now," he announced, pulling on his new suede jacket.

"Aw, you look so adorable Derek!" his mother laughed, reaching for her camera. "Just one picture darling, please?"

"Have him take a picture with Cristina, I think he has a little crush on her," his father winked, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"What?!" Derek yelled, practically throwing up in his mouth. "Cristina?! Ew, no way."

"I think she is a very nice girl, very bright," his father observed, oblivious to her evil ways.

"She's a total freak. You know she's taking 7 AP honors courses?" Derek asked, trying to sway his parents off of Cristina Yang.

"Why you don't say? Wow, Paul really raised her well."

"Can we just stop talking about Cristina and get to school," he mumbled, grabbing his back pack. "I just ate."

"Okay," his father clapped, placing his mug down. "I have a conference at 9, so Lewis is going to take you. Here's some money…" He pulled a crisp 20 dollar bill from his wallet and threw it at him. "If you have any problems, you know how to reach me. Good luck kiddo." He placed a reassuring hand on his son's broad shoulders and smiled. "I'm proud of you son."

"Thanks….dad," he replied, grinning. Dad. His father had never been known as just "dad." He was Senator Shepherd or SS for short. He was Brian, he was Brian the third, but he was never just dad.

"Oh man, I'm running late." He took a look at his watch and gasped. "Good luck Derek!" Then he was off, again.


"Hey," Cristina yelled, not so much as a friendly hey, but more of a 'hey, you better slow down before I take you out' hey.

"Oh, hi," he murmured. "Ready for the first day?"

"Yep, I already got a few books out from the library. And since I'm taking 12th grade calculus, I also got a brand new calculator. You should see it; it's gray and has the best digit coordinator I have ever seen! And get this, you can actually find the…"

"Hi," a tiny voice interrupted her.

They instantly turned around and noticed the tiny voice came from the girl they met a few weeks ago at orientation. "Oh, hi," Cristina mumbled, more than annoyed that she cut her off.

"Hi," he smiled, trying to be polite. She was new, and she actually worked to get here, they had to cut her a little slack, right?

"I don't think I introduced myself at the orientation, my name's Meredith Grey." She extended her hand and he firmly shook it…if only Cristina would participate.

"Cristina..." he coughed.

"Oh right, hi, uhm excuse us we have to get to class." She pulled his hand towards the building and literally dragged him into the huge French doors.

"Hey!" he yelled, pulling his swollen arm away. "That hurt, and that was mean. She was just trying to be friendly."

"You seriously want to be friends with her?! She's total class C!" she declared like the evil dictator she was.

"We should still be nice," he suggested, rubbing his arm. "And if this is broken I'm billing you for it."

"Like your daddy couldn't afford it!" she snapped back.

"Are you always this mean and hostile?" It was a total worthless question since he already knew the answer.

"Just to you," she smiled before taking off the opposite direction.

Suddenly, the bell began to roar through the school. Students and teachers hurried to their classes, but Derek stood still. He forgot his schedule at home and it was more than easy to get lost in this gigantic school. "Oh crap," he panicked, his head reeling around the many students. And just like that, they were gone. The halls were empty, and everyone, anyone, was gone…except him. Perfect.

"You know, if you are going to cut class, it's much easier to do in 5th period. The teachers are so burned out they don't even notice," a deep voice called out to him.

Turning around he saw a tall boy with shaggy brown hair, no older than him. "Hey, I'm Mark Sloan," the boy introduced himself. "And you must be Derek Shepherd, the famous son of Brian SS."

"How did you know?" Derek shot at the stranger.

He shrugged. "I know things."

Obviously…

"So cutting class this early in the game?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear. "I never pegged you as that kind of guy."

"I'm not skipping," he defended himself. "I just don't know where I am supposed to go."

"You can ask someone," he stated. "I bet you're scared."

"Scared!?" Derek repeated. "Of what?"

"Of…high school in general. After all, you are at Catherine Prep." It was true, any normal kid would be terrified of going to a school like Catherine Prep, but Derek was not a normal kid, and this was definitely no normal situation.

"Why aren't you in class then?" he asked, feeling slightly offended by this very tall Mark person.

"Because…I'm that guy." He winked. "I'm just here for the hot preppy babes."

Derek couldn't help but laugh at this one. Whoever came to a school for "babes" was seriously in need of some help. "I haven't seen any."

"Oh I have," Mark insisted. "There is this blonde who is totally gorgeous and totally into me!"

"Meredith?" Derek inquired, moving closer to Mark.

"You know her?"

"Uh, not really…she introduced herself, but no, not really."

"Ah man! You are so lucky!" Mark whined, throwing his back pack across the hall. "I would kill to have her come up to me."

"Well…maybe I could help with that," Derek suggested. Mark seemed like a friend, and Derek was in some desperate need for friends.

"Really?!" Mark lit up.

"Sure," he shrugged, looking anxiously around the hallway. He had never cut class before, never…if he caught got, oh man…

"Sweet! Thanks dude," Mark relished, feeling powerful and dignified.

"No problem."

Yet, in the back of his mind, something was telling him this was stupid. Setting a girl up on a date with a guy he barely knew. Plus, he liked this girl, she seemed sweet. What if this 'Mark' was a scam artist, or an axe murderer! It was completely stupid, but he needed a friend. It's okay he thought to himself Maybe by doing this I can become friends with Meredith too.

….boy was he in for the ride of his life.