"What name is given to the process by which water crosses a selectively permeable membrane?" Meredith asked as she read directly from the page in front of her.
"osmosis" Mark muttered from across the table.
"Mark! Shut up!" Meredith glared "I'm trying to study and this is really important"
"I know...my medical physiology exam is too, not only that but I then have to go and grade all the exams from what I'm assuming are your very incompetent peers" Mark said as he kept reading his textbook.
"Hey...Meredith, maybe you should take a break….you've been studying for over 6 hours" I said concerned as I locked eyes with her and shut her notebook. Meredith and Derek had been hanging around for about a month and a half and Meredith had grown very comfortable at Derek's apartment.
"I have not been here that long" meredith laughed before looking at the clock on the oven "oh my god It's 3am! I've been studying for almost 7 hours!"
"College" Mark nodded.
"Meredith...I know finals are coming up but you're gonna kill yourself before you even have time to take the test" I ran my thumb over the back of her hand as she sighed.
"I know...this sucks! I can't wait to be done forwinter break" Meredith muttered.
"Yeah well...it's not that great, I'm here all break so I can be off early? It's not feeling very special" I sighed, I didn't really have a choice in the matter but it was worse than I'd thought.
"Aw, everyone's busy and stressed and you just have to watch" Meredith smirked and wrapped her hand around mine and pulled it towards her.
"I dunno…I just wish we were out of school at the same time" I sighed.
"We can still have fun" She smiled hopping up.
"Yeah? How?" I asked excitedly.
"Sex, man...idiot" Mark rolled his eyes.
"Not sex. Well...that's not what I meant at least." Meredith laughed as she pulled down bottles from the cabinet that housed our liquor.
"We're drinking?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Defiantly, Mark you too" She said as she walked towards Addison's closed bedroom door and began banging on the door.
"Addie! We're drinking! Get out here!" She yelled.
"Meredith! It's 3am!" Addison groaned as she whipped open her door. She had her hair down and her glasses resting on her nose.
"Come on...we need a break" Meredith continued to feather around as she popped off the top of a bottle of tequila.
"Come on, Baby" she grinned at me as she shoved a shot glass towards my side of the table, "you too" Meredith grabbed me another glass,filled with clear liquid.
"What are we drinking to?" I asked.
"We're drinking to...distract from finals" she nodded confidently.
"To a distraction!" Addison nodded.
"To all nighters" Meredith giggled.
—
The night had taken a turn as I felt the alcohol flowing quicker and faster, me and Addison were dancing and jumping around the the music Mark had turned on awhile ago as we attempted to sing along. The song ended smoothly as the next song began I hooped excitedly as I jumped up onto the couch and began to sing loudly, pulling Addison up with me.
"Mer….be careful" Derek laughed from where him and Mark were currently watching us at the counter.
"We're having fun, pretty boys! Ever heard of it?" Addison snorted.
"I have, but you...you are past drunk" Mark laughed.
"Come on" Derek said as he held out his hand and helped me down.
"Thank you...you should be drunker" I nodded.
"I'm not a frat boy anymore. I don't need to drink like crazy" he shook his head.
"Then Do it for me" I grinned as I poured him a shot and handed it over graciously.
"That's cheating but whatever you say" he smirked as he downed the burning liquid.
"There ya go" I nodded as I pulled the thick Christmas sweater over my head as my body heated up. I could feel Derek's eyes on me along with marks.
"Dude!" Derek spat as I straightened the tank top I was wearing.
"Sorry sorry" he nodded as he took a swig of beer. I sighed as I glanced at my phone, izzie had sent a picture of a bunch of people passed out in our room.
"Why the long face?" Mark asked.
"I dunno….I like it here but I also feel like I'm missing out on college whatever...everyone is studying together and I'm here" I shrugged sadly.
"Well if you wanna leave...it won't hurt my feelings" Derek said with a half hearted smile.
"No! I just...i dunno maybe I should have joined a sorority, to have those connections to college students or something" I said more as a question.
"Mer! You have to rush next year! That'd be so fun" Addison chimes in.
"I dunno, there's some really nice Greek members, like George's frat...they're sweethearts." I sighed.
"George?" Derek asked jealously.
"Yeah, this dork who lives across the hall, he's a Pi sig" I nodded.
"Underdog frat" Mark nodded, "there's some nice guys in there" he agreed.
"Yeah, I know that that guy Henry who's with an aphi? I don't know….it's honestly such a cult I can't keep up" I shook my head.
"Well...I'll never tell you what to do but Greek life is an experience, it's how we met Owen and Addie" Derek smiled pointing over to Addison.
"Really?" I smiled.
"Oh yeah, my sister is in one...you'd get to see her crazy" he continued.
"I've heard, she's with my sister" I giggled as I twirled the shot glass around on the counter.
"This was a terrible idea" Addison groaned.
"Was not!" I argued.
"Now I'm just sad and hot and tired" She rambled.
"That means you're not drunk enough" i claimed as I hopped up and poured her a shot.
—-
I woke up first the next morning, subconsciously I wrapped my arms around the sleeping body next to me and smiled.
"Hey" she mumbled sleepily as she turned around to face me.
"Hey" I smiled as I kissed her cheek quickly as I pulled her closer
"I should get up" she sighed as she placed her hand along my face.
"Okay" he smiled and I kissed her again. I relaxed in his kiss as he pulled me gently back on top of him. I rested my hands on the sides of his face before pulling away.
"I'm getting up now" I smiled as I pulled away. I threw my legs off the side of the bed and began looking for my shirt around the room.
"Where are you going again?" He laughed towards me.
"I have to go home, Me and George and Maggie are volunteering at a animal shelter and then I'm studying with Cris and Izzie...where is my shirt?" I said frustratedly.
"You could just leave some stuff here" he shrugged, my head flipped over my shoulder.
"What?" My eyes widened.
"I dunno...for stuff to wear in the morning and stuff" he smiled charmingly. I remained silent for a moment.
"There it is" I sighed as I grabbed my long sleeved teal shirt off the chair in the corner of the room.
"Meredith.." he sighed.
"I'm good. It's just…I dunno...is this..what is this? I'm cool and all but I...What is this?" I asked as I slid it over my head.
"Meredith...this is, well at least not for me...this isn't some fling" my stomach flipped as he talked.
"Oh...okay" I nodded, letting my smile creep through.
"So it's not a fling for you either?" He smiled as he grabbed my hands and pulled me towards him once again.
"I um...no? I don't think so. I-I mean I've never...done this before but I-I don't think so"
"Good" he grinned up at me.
—-
"Hey Mer! How was studying?" I asked as she approached her room.
"Hey Maggie. It was fine, look I need to shower and change and we'll go" She said quickly.
"Oh..okay" I nodded quickly as she unlocked her door.
"Great. Tell George" she said before she disappeared. We weren't what you'd call "close" but things were getting better and we were getting closer than before.
—-
"So how's the Greek life stuff going?" I asked.
I was sat out front, monitoring a pin full of small corgis that hopped and jumped around.
"Oh great! We're Having our first formal soon and it's gonna be so great! It's a masquerade" she grinned
"Yeah, I've been getting to know a lot of realllu great people. We actually have a brother sister event in about a month with Kappa" he smiled.
"Really? How did I not know about that? I'm so excited!" Maggie jumped excitedly.
"That's great, guys" I nodded.
"Mer, you should rush! It's so fun and it's not what you'd expect...well… not all of them are" Maggie said as she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah maybe" I said doubtfully.
"You should think about it. Seriously" George smiled awkwardly as he went to talk to a family.