I've never been to Yale, and I'm not sure if they have any fraternities/sororities. If not, let's pretend for the sake of this fic.

...

"Can anybody tell me what Johannes Gutenberg is famous for?" Bob asked his class.

Immediately, Lisa's hand shot up in the air. She heard other hands go up behind her, but didn't bother to see how many. If I can manage eye contact with him, he might pick me, the young girl thought.

"Mr. Parkfield?"

D'oh! Lisa turned in her seat to see a young man with light brown hair three rows behind her.

"He was the inventor of the movable printing press," he answered.

"Correct."

Lisa held back the urge to growl under her breath. This was the third class with her infamous professor. After her agreement to keep Bob's past a secret, an unsaid agreement was made that Lisa would treat him just like she would any other teacher at this school. It seemed to her that Bob was taking it a step further, acting as if she wasn't there. Every question he asked the class, Lisa knew the answer to and he hadn't called on her yet. More often than not, he was answering questions from Hugh Parkfield rather than her. That annoyed her the most.

Bob continued, writing on his chalkboard once more. "Gutenberg's invention was an important event of the modern period, and paved the way for the Renaissance, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Scientific revolution, making learning available for the masses. If you could read and write, that is." He turned to face his students. "If it weren't for this man, we wouldn't have many of the books that exist today. From the masterpieces of William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe to the inadequate taste of today's young adult novels." The last few words were said with a bitter tone.

Lisa would've argued that not all young adult novels were in terrible taste, but that would be "interrupting class time". So she kept quiet.

"As I walk around the room, I want you to pick a name out of this hat," he grabbed a fedora filled with tiny slips of paper and began to walk to each individual desk. "The name you pick will be the subject of your first research paper of the year. I remind you that sources such as Wikipedia will not be accepted, and including it as such will be a letter grade off of your assignment."

Once he got to Lisa's desk, the girl didn't make eye contact as she pulled a paper slip out of the hat and he moved on. After a moment, she unfolded it and was relieved by the choice she got. Once the professor had all the slips passed out, he dismissed the class and everyone began to leave.

"So who did you get?" Meghan asked once the girls were out of the classroom.

"Walt Whitman. You?"

"Jane Austen," she said with a shrug. "She's really good, but I was kind of hoping for someone else."

"I don't think Professor Terwilliger would put Stephenie Meyer as an essay topic," said another voice. Both girls turned to see Hugh walking behind them.

"It's none of your business, but I was hoping to get C.S. Lewis," Meghan sneered.

"Who told you it was okay to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation?" asked Lisa.

The man replied smartly, "It's not considered eavesdropping if you're speaking loud enough for everyone to hear."

"Still doesn't mean anyone asked for your opinion," was her retort.

"Unless it's Terwilliger," he grinned evilly and walked on without hearing Lisa's reply.

Lisa finally let out the growl she had been holding in all morning. "Ugh! What is his problem?"

"Just ignore him," Meghan advised as they walked on. "Hugh just thinks he's better than everybody because he has an English accent."

"It's not just him," she said. "I'm tired of being overlooked in… Terwilliger's class." Sometimes Lisa had to pause before saying his name because of the old habit to calling him Sideshow Bob. "I'm just as smart as the other students. If he doesn't call on me, I could lose points in class participation."

"I don't think the grade works that way," her roommate thought aloud. "But he's probably being like that because of your outburst a few days ago. I'd give it a couple of weeks to blow over."

"Maybe," Lisa wasn't so sure. Even though Bob had told her he didn't have any plans to torment her or her family, she couldn't help but feel this was his way of getting back at her all those years ago. She was pretty much the mastermind when it came to foiling his schemes after all.

"And all he's doing is not picking you when you raise your hand," Meghan added. "It's not like he's going to give you bad marks on assignments."

Lisa paused in the middle of the building's doorway. Oh crap...

...

Later that day, Lisa took Meghan up on an offer to go hang out with some friends. She usually did her homework on Friday nights so she would be free for a whole weekend, but her roommate insisted on putting it off so she could have a little fun. She eventually caved in and set her alarm early so she could work on it Saturday morning.

"Which earrings do you think?" asked Meghan, holding up a pair of gold hoops and green dangling emeralds.

"I'd go with the emeralds," Lisa suggested. "They'll look good with your hair."

The red head nodded in agreement, putting in her earrings in front of the mirror. "What are you going to wear?"

Lisa looked down at her blue jeans and V-neck orange blouse she had been wearing all day. "I'm okay in this."

Meghan shrugged at the mirror. "That looks fine. Didn't figure you were the type to get overdressed for a party."

Lisa arched an eyebrow. "You didn't say we were going to a party."

"Really?" she turned away from the mirror and walked to her dresser.

"Yes. You said we were going to hang out with some friends."

"Going to a party and hanging out with friends is sometimes the same thing," Meghan defended. "Didn't you go to any parties in high school?"

"Not really," Lisa frowned. "My brother threw a few parties when my parents were out of town. I was mostly there to make sure nothing got broken and to block all the bedrooms."

"It'll be fine," she assured. "For once, you'll be the one getting to have fun."

"I don't know," the blonde shook her head. "My dad made me watch Animal House a few times."

Meghan snorted. "Hollywood over-exaggerates everything. Just stick with me, and everything will be great."

Lisa just nodded, still unsure. "I'll take your word for it."

After Meghan finished getting dressed, wearing a green short-sleeved sweater with a brown skirt, the girls made their way to Greek row. It was only six in the evening yet Lisa saw a bunch of other students walking about the streets. I thought it was cool to be late to a party, she thought.

The house they stopped at was a fraternity called Kappa Pi. By the time the girls got to the door, they could already hear the music blaring. Once inside, they saw quite a lot of people. The house had plenty of space with fraternity banners and posters on the walls. The living room had dozens of chairs and couches with a fireplace, and most of the seats were taken by students either talking or kissing. The girls headed straight for the kitchen where the refreshments were.

"Hey Anthony!" Meghan called out.

"Hey there," said a buff guy in a Kappa Pi sweater as he walked over to the girls. He had short blonde hair and a small nose. He reminded Lisa of her ex-boyfriend Nelson, except his teeth were straighter.

Meghan gave the guy a hug before introducing him. "Lisa, this is Anthony. He's a friend of my brother's and president of this fraternity house."

"Nice to meet you Lisa," Anthony smiled, holding out his hand.

"You too," she replied shaking it.

"You want a beer?" he asked, holding up his can of Duff.

Lisa politely shook her head. "I'm fine, but thank you." Lisa could never stand the taste of beer. Nelson had her try one once in high school, and one can almost made her throw up. She wondered why Homer liked it so much.

He then offered it to Meghan, who just wanted a sip. She didn't seem grossed out by the taste. "Is this your first time at a frat party?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lisa admitted with a laugh.

"Don't worry," Anthony said. "The fraternities here are more controlled and supervised than most. Everyone is only allowed two beers, and the rest of the night you have to drink the juice from the punch bowl."

"That's not what happened at Omega last year," Meghan joked.

"Yeah, well Omega was the reason we enforced these rules."

Lisa laughed along with them. This is nice, she thought. The three of them then talked about school. Anthony was a 5th year senior with a major in Chemistry. He wanted to work with genetically modified foods. She thought that was terrific and mentioned the times she volunteered at the medical and science departments in Capital City.

"And what's your major?" he asked her.

"Environmental science," said Lisa. "My goal is to stop pollution and enforce safety regulations of our nuclear facilities."

"Oh? What got you interested in that?"

"Well, my father worked as a safety inspector at a Nuclear Power Plant-"

Before Lisa could continue, another guy in a frat sweater came up and whispered something in Anthony's ear. When he left, Anthony gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry to leave you girls, but I have some pledge duties to attend to."

The girls gave their farewells as he walked away.

"So what do you think of him?" Meghan asked once he was out of earshot.

"He seems very nice," she replied. "How long have you known him?"

"He and James were pledges together." She then pulled out her cellphone and asked devilishly, "Do you want his number?"

Lisa blushed. "What?"

"I could totally tell you were into him."

"No I wasn't," she argued.

"Oh, come on," her roommate insisted. "You two look cute together."

Lisa bit her lip. She thought he was handsome, but she didn't think Anthony would be interested in her. "I'm gonna go get some punch," she changed the subject. "You want any?"

"Nah, I'm cool."

Lisa quickly walked to the counter where the punch bowl and cups were located. She poured herself a cup and looked over at the snack counter. Most of it was pigs in a blanket and meat slices with toothpicks in them. She opted for the carrot bowl and celery sticks.

The next two hours she spent with Meghan talking with people from her classes. The music was fairly loud so she had to strain her ears to hear everyone. At one point, the Kappa Pi pledges gathered together and sang a Lady Gaga song a cappella while wearing girl's one-piece bathing suits. It was a fairly entertaining ritual, and aside from that, the party was uneventful.

Lisa was having an okay time and having great conversations with people, but then she started to get an ache in the pit of her stomach. Her vision felt a little off as well. Was she getting sick? She left Meghan really quickly to go find a glass of water. She rinsed out her plastic cup before filling it up. She looked over by the punch bowl and spotted something odd.

One of the guys from the party was standing a little too close to the punch bowl. She noted that he was wearing a blue fraternity sweatshirt, unlike Anthony's maroon one. When he walked away, Lisa saw the punch looked a little more see-through than before. The lightbulb went off fairly quickly.

Someone was spiking the punch bowl!

All Lisa had was three cups of that punch. The reason she was feeling bad was because she was drunk. Oh God, she thought distressed. She took a quick gulp of her water and went off to find Meghan or Anthony. Meghan wasn't where she last left her, and Lisa was feeling a little too dizzy to differentiate all the guys in the maroon sweaters. She decided just to tell the first maroon sweater she saw. It wasn't Anthony though. This guy had black hair and paler skin.

"Excuse me, I think someone spiked the punch bowl," she told him.

The guy looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the guy had a blue sweater on." The words felt weird coming out of her mouth. What kind of alcohol was in that punch?

The guy glared momentarily. "I bet it's those Omega guys." He looked back at Lisa and noticed she must've had some of the punch. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need me to find one of the pledges to walk you to your dorm?"

She closed her eyes a moment. She didn't want to ruin anyone else's fun so they could 'walk the drunk girl home'. She opened her eyes again, and saw the room was a little clearer. She still felt dizzy, but she could see where the door was. "It's okay," she told him. "I can get back from here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she assured, "My dorm isn't that far away. Just tell Meghan Thompkins I went home." She gave him a small salute before heading towards the door. A salute? She scolded herself. How dorky can you be?

...

The sky was beginning to darken. It took on a cerulean color before it would eventually go black. It was the time of day Bob loved the most. He had just gotten out of a late meeting with other members of the English department and decided to enjoy the fresh air. The weather was just beginning to cool, and he was happy that autumn was on its way. He wasn't fond of the summer months. His thick hair would make his scalp sweaty and itchy very often. He had it cut a few times in his childhood, but it would grow back just as quickly as it was snipped. Not to mention he looked more like a red-headed version of his brother Cecil. He also loved scarves, sweaters, and the smell of pumpkin and hot chocolate. His mother used to make the best hot cocoa for him and Cecil when they were younger.

Maybe I should go to London and see them for Christmas, he thought to himself. It had been years since he made contact with his parents. He hadn't spoken to his brother since he was released from prison the last time. He figured it was for the best. His parents probably wouldn't want to speak with him for getting Cecil in jail anyways.

He was only one street away from his apartment when he walked by Greek row. He saw lots of students walking the streets and some traveling from house to house. It reminded him of his old college days. He never pledged a fraternity, but he did go to many of the parties they held. He was about to walk on when he heard a groan.

He saw, a few feet away, someone sitting on a bench and clutching their head. Taking on the role of concerned adult, he went to see what was wrong. "Are you alright?" he asked the person on the bench.

The women looked up at him, and Bob instantly recognized Lisa Simpson. "Hey, it's Sideshow Bob!" she said with a goofy smile.

Bob's eyes widened. He quickly looked around to make sure no one heard her. Lucky for them, everyone was too far away to hear or care. He then took notice of the way her eyes were half open. "Miss Simpson, are you drunk?"

She laughed a little. "Not a whole bunch," she assured. "I'm just what my dad would call 'buzzed.'"

He crossed his arms and scolded, "Aren't you a minor?"

"It wasn't on purpose," she defended. "Someone spiked the-" she paused and quickly turned in her seat to vomit in the bush behind the bench.

Bob turned his head away from the smell. The part of him who spent years hating the Simpsons told him he should walk away and leave the girl to face her own mistakes, but the gentleman side would not allow it. There was no telling who she could run into out here. Gingerly, Bob knelt over to rub Lisa's shoulder as she coughed.

"Come on," he said once she was done. "Let's get you some coffee."

Lisa wasn't sure if she should let him help her, but there was no one else around and Bob seemed sincere enough. She pulled away from the bench, letting him hold her hand as she stood up. "Your hand feels warm," Lisa accidentally slurred.

Bob ignored it and led her up the street. She was following him pretty well. He was grateful he didn't have to prop her up with his arm under her's or anything like that. It was bad enough he was holding her hand. Any students or teachers walking by would get the wrong idea. They stopped at the closest coffee house just off of campus. Bob let Lisa go to the bathroom to clean off and he ordered the drinks. He also bought some danishes so she could get some food in her stomach. By the time she got back, Bob and the drinks were sitting at a small table by the bookshelf in the corner.

The two didn't talk for a few minutes as they drank. Lisa waited until the room stopped spinning enough to say something. "Thank you for your help, Professor Terwilliger."

"Lisa, the two of us have known each other for years," he assured. "Outside of class, you can call me Bob."

"Okay then," she said. "Thank you, Bob."

"You're very welcome," he replied. "I hope the danish is okay. I figured you wouldn't want one of those meat sandwiches."

"You remembered I was a vegetarian?" she asked amazed.

"Well, I did spend a week living in your home," he corrected. "Sometimes you remember the most random things."

"I guess so," she shrugged. They went silent once more as Lisa ate some of her danish and Bob drank some of his coffee. Then, Lisa decided to ask the question that had been nagging her brain all day. "Are you going to lower my grade?"

Bob was taken aback that he almost choked on his coffee. He put his drink down and cleared his throat before responding. "I beg your pardon?"

"Are you going to give me bad grades on purpose?" she asked again.

He was disbelieved. "What on Earth gave you that idea?"

She looked away as she spoke. "Well, you never call on me in class even though my hand is raised. And I figured with everything that happened..."

He felt instant regret at her words. "Lisa," he said seriously, "I would never use what happened in Springfield as a reason to fail you. I take my job very seriously, and I treat you the same way I do my other students."

"Then how come you don't call on me in class?"

Bob had to chuckle at that. "I was giving the others a chance to answer the questions. I know you know all of the answers."

"I don't want to answer every question," she admitted. "Just call on me once or twice is all I ask."

"Fair enough. I apologize for not doing so before." he took another sip of his coffee. "Speaking of class, who did you get for your research project?"

"Walt Whitman."

"Terrific," he complimented, then recited the first quote he could think of. "This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise-"

"-riches," Lisa finished for him. "Give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy."

"Why, Lisa Simpson," Bob said impressed. "I had no idea you were an aficionado of Walt Whitman."

The young girl blushed. "I wouldn't say that. I just read a lot of books. I also like J.R.R. Tolkien, William Shakespeare..."

"Ah, Shakespeare was a favorite among my household," he added. "Not to brag, but my mother was in many of those productions on the London stage."

"Do I know her?"

"Does the name 'Judith Underdunk' ring a bell?"

Lisa gasped. "The Dame Judith Underdunk is your mother?! We watched some of her stage DVDs in high school! Her performance as Lady Macbeth was my favorite!"

He smiled at that. "Well, I'll be sure to tell her that the next time I see her."

The two continued their conversation as the evening went on. They discussed all the writers they liked and disliked, and some of their favorite books. Bob never knew he and Lisa had so much in common, but realized he shouldn't have been surprised that they had similar interests. As he's told himself before, she was the only Springfield resident he respected.

They had to be kicked out of the coffee house because they were about to close. Lisa felt better than earlier, but Bob still insisted on walking her back to the dorm. Most of the walk was in comfortable silence, but every now and then Lisa would look at the stars and name the many constellations she had memorized when she gained an interest in astronomy. Bob was impressed by her vast knowledge. Not even he took the time to study all the stars in the known universe. They made it to Lisa's dorm building safely.

"Thanks again for everything," Lisa said.

"You're welcome again," he replied. "I suggest you head to bed first thing when you get to your room."

She agreed. The extra caffeine from the coffee was about to give her a headache. Before Bob could walk off, she called back to him. "Bob?"

He turned to face her. "Yes?"

"It was nice talking with you this evening," she said timidly.

He nodded. "Likewise on my part."

"Do you think if things were different, all those years ago I mean, we maybe could've been friends?"

"It's possible," he shrugged. "Although, I don't see why we can't start now."

She smiled. "Neither do I."

They both said goodnight to each other and Lisa walked into the building while Bob walked toward his apartment. Once Lisa made it to her room, she noticed it was empty. She quickly grabbed her phone and sent a text to Meghan letting her know she made it home safe. Hopefully she's not too worried about me. She changed into a pair of pajamas before collapsing onto her bed. She slept soundly that night, knowing everything was going to be just fine.

...

I'm not sure if Bob was born in England or not, but I figured his parents would live there since his mother's a dame and a Shakespearean actress. And the quote is from "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman.