13 years later
Friday night meant party night. It meant, salt, lime and tequila whilst dancing at a bar with Cristina, they were still underage but isn't that what college is all about? Meredith was studying at Columbia University, a medical student of course and whilst that wasn't always the path she planned, she fell onto it pretty last minute. Ellis had moved Meredith and herself to Boston after she was discharged from the hospital when she was 6 years old and since then, she had never been back to Seattle.
The move was tough for her as a little girl, she didn't know anyone in Boston and the kids in her new school weren't so friendly to the new girl nor was the teacher, who was nothing like her old teacher. She never forgot Mrs Adams, and all throughout school she wanted to become a teacher because she was so heavily influenced by the woman until her mother made her change her mind by threatening to take away her college funding.
"You're wearing that?" Cristina said raising her eyebrow.
"It's a black cami and jeans?" Meredith asked.
"I know, I'm not blind."
Meredith rolled her eyes at her friend who's filter had not once appeared in the year that she'd known her but it's what she was so drew to in Cristina. They were so different yet so alike.
"How was Jake?" Meredith asked her.
"Meh."
"Really? I expected more." Meredith laughed.
"You and me both." Cristina shrugged fussing with the strap on her bag.
This was their thing - more so Cristina but Meredith had dipped her foot in the water a couple of times. They slept with guys and then rated them to fill the entertainment in their lives. College was draining so they definitely needed an unattached way of release.
"Anyway, you ready?" She asked.
"Yeah, let me just grab some gloss." Meredith reached over to the makeup bag on her desk. "Gum?" She offered the packet.
Cristina took one and then they were out the door. They were going to the on campus bar since it was the start of the semester they decided it would be a great place to meet people, and by people, they meant 'conquests'. Meredith had spent the summer in California with Cristina and her family to avoid going home to her sick mother but she didn't seem to care or know what was happening so Meredith took it as a win win, she couldn't say she enjoyed spending the summer with the Yangs but she could definitely say she loved watching Cristina be treated like a doll by her mother. They had opposite families, Cristina would definitely have been a fit for Ellis.
Arriving at the bar, they looked at one another upon the emptiness before bursting out laughing and walking straight back out.
"That was pathetic." Cristina laughed.
"I know, what the hell! I thought that was supposed to be a good place to hang out." Meredith giggled.
"Looks it. If you're dead." She joked as a text came through her phone. "Jake text, he said there's an event at the bar over the other side of campus."
"We just walked from that way." Meredith whined.
"You want to party or not?"
Meredith rolled her eyes and they began walking back the way they came. "So. How is Jake texting you anyway? I thought you were all no numbers."
"Guess he got the wrong idea." Cristina said.
Meredith wasn't sure how that made sense, he had her number which meant she obviously gave it to him but she didn't question her anymore.
"You gonna see him again?" She asked.
"Don't know. What about you?" Cristina turned to her.
"What about me?"
"When was the last time you got laid? You should focus on that."
"Jeez." Meredith punched her arm.
"Is that short skirt you're wearing for him?" Meredith teased.
"I hate you." Cristina muttered as they entered the much busier bar.
"You love me." Meredith laughed.
"You can buy me a drink... actually you can buy me 2." Cristina smirked.
"Coming right up." Meredith said before leaning over the bar to the bartender and saying their order.
"ID?" He asked.
She gave him her id and waited for their drinks. The first shot of tequila was put in front of her and she couldn't help but shot it, when the other three arrived she asked him for a top up, he laughed but filled the glass.
"Here's two on the house. That's impressive." He laughed making her smile.
"You new here?" A voice to the right of her.
"What?" She turned.
"I said are you new here?"
The voice belonged to a boy who looked around her age, maybe a little older. The dark hair and blue eyes weren't normally Meredith's type but she was definitely attracted to him.
"No." She stated simply.
"Oh. I haven't seen you here before."
Meredith nodded as she waited for their drinks attempting to block out the handsome stranger who was showing interest in her.
"You're ignoring me."
Meredith scoffed, "trying to."
"You shouldn't ignore me." He smirked.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm someone you need to get to know to love."
She smiled before turning to him, "really?"
"Oh yes." He smiled back.
"So if I know you I'll love you?" She nodded.
"Oh yes." His head tilted. She had to admit, he looked pretty picture perfect right now with what she assumed to be scotch in his hand.
"You really like yourself, huh?"
"I guess I do." He sipped his drink, "so, why the ignorance? Got a boyfriend hanging around here?"
"Wouldn't you like to know." She teased as the shots of tequila were placed in front of her, she grabbed them and turned to walk away.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"That's for me to know and for you to..." she made three dots with her finger making him smile, shaking his head as he watched her move to the other end of the bar and meet her friend.
They knocked back the 6 tequila shots and began dancing. He watched her dance so carelessly with her friend laughing off all the guys that made a move on her. He remembered his own friends at the booth and went back.
"Hey, where'd you go man?" Mark asked, his arm wrapped over Addisons shoulder.
Derek tilted his drink.
"Meet any girls?" He smirked before Addison hit his chest. "Not for me babe, for him."
"Maybe." Derek teased him.
"Oh you so did. Which one?"
Derek turned around and a couple of seconds later nodded towards the blonde he met at the bar.
"The blonde?" He asked.
"Yeah. The little one." Derek smiled.
Mark high fived him making Addison roll her eyes and sip the glass of rosé she had.
"What's her name Der?" She asked.
"She wouldn't tell me." He laughed.
"So you didn't even really meet her?" Mark laughed.
"I did, just didn't meet a name."
"Where's she from?" He asked.
"She didn't tell me but the accent definitely gave it away. Boston through and through."
"Red Sox? Booooo." Mark echoed making the table laugh.
They carried on with their nights, neither meeting one another again. Derek took glances her way every so often and could see her getting drunker and drunker, she seemed to always have a shot of tequila in her hand. He hadn't noticed but Meredith was also keeping secret tabs on him, she knew he was watching her so she put on a show with her dancing as the night went on, especially around the boys around her, something about him just made her want to make him jealous. And she knew he would be.
It was coming upto 2am and Derek was leaving with his friends to go back to their apartment. He was in his fourth year so attending his classes the next day were essential, by the looks of the bar, the blonde had left at some point too. They finished their drinks before making their move.
"I need to use the bathroom before we go." Mark said.
"I'll go with you." Derek replied, leaving Addison with two of her friends.
Walking into the bathroom he walked straight back out.
"Never mind, we're leaving." He turned Mark around.
"What? Why?"
"We just are."
"No I need the bathroom." Mark pushed past him, whistling as he walked through, "I can see why you wanted to go Shep." He laughed.
In the corridor to the bathroom he saw Meredith kissing another guy, and although he didn't know her, he didn't want to see that. He prayed she wasn't one of those girls.
Marks statement had obviously interrupted them because shortly after Meredith walked out with the guy, she saw him and seconds after they made eye contact she put her head down, walking out of the bar with the guy.