The me starting this chapter isn't done revamping my other stories, but the me publishing it is so, yay! Welcome back. How have you been? I've been great so let's get on with this story!

Year One: Icebreakers

[19:31 PM]

Group Chat - SA Babes
Members: Daniel, Merida, James, Angela, Xavier

Xavier: Who the hell named this?

Angela: I the hell did.

Xavier: Of course, you the hell did.

Angela: So, how are you guys doing?

Merida: I'm great.

Angela: I know you are. You're less than ten feet away from me. What about you sci-tech boys?

[no response]

Angela: Are you kidding me?

Xavier: Kinda early for the Academy to eat them alive, don't you think?

Merida: thank god James is gone.

Xavier: ikr.

Angela: wow, rude, okay. Who wants to tell Emily that her fiancé's gone?

[no response]

-o-

Concrete Beach - 20:40 PM

The layout of SHIELD Academy was a triangle where each program was at a corner. In their respective sections were the residences and related classrooms, faculty buildings, and specialty buildings and laboratories. The common areas where all programs are often seen combined such as the main cafeteria, general libraries, small shopping kiosks, and general workout rooms were located in the centre. If one were to look along the lines of the triangle, a bit further out from the centre, there were party areas. Despite the line location implying that it could be shared by the two programs it's between, that's not true.

It's an unspoken rule that each program has its designated social area. It's mostly for hanging out but doubles as a party zone. That doesn't mean that someone from Communications can't hang out at Operations' hot-spot, it only means that you'll stick out. (Again, only if people know. There's a high chance they won't.)

Concrete Beach is the party zone for Operations students. It's an outdoor open space with bars at one end and lots of room to dance on the concrete flat (hence the name). There's a mechanical bull as the main attraction that has a daily contest on who can hold on the longest. There are cushioned seats with small tables throughout the border of the lot. Lights hang on building sides, beaming different colours of neon lights in various directions.

Angela walks in with Merida by her side. After their small freshman recruitment that followed their parents' departure, their RA informed them about a party happening at Concrete Beach. So the girls went back to their dorm and changed.

This was their first college party and they didn't know what to wear. What threw them off for a curve was that Concrete Beach wasn't an actual beach. There was no sand or ocean in sight. The name confused them but that was the least of their problems. Even their dorm neighbours were thrown off.

"Thank god we didn't wear our bikinis," Angela whispers to Merida. Or says in a normal tone because of the music blasting through the speakers above their heads.

"I didn't even pack one," Merida responds, adjusting her grey bralette and a leather jacket.

Angela had to force Merida to wear the jacket on top or else it'd look like she was coming to the club in lingerie. They weren't even on campus for a day and she was already being a mom. At least her royal blue romper covered everything (except her long toned legs but that's trivial. She has a boyfriend who she's waiting to show off to).

Angela glances down at her phone, scrolling through the unread messages on her lock screen. There was still no word from James or Daniel. Did Sci-Tech eat them up already? They haven't even been here for a day! To think that she sprayed perfume in her hair to fill the room and make it easier for James to find her. And if James was there, Daniel would be nearby. That's just how things worked.

"Where's your roommate?" Angela asks her twin as he approaches them.

Xavier looks to the side about to start the introductions, but nobody's there. He's not even remotely nearby. Instead, he slides his hands into his pocket and smiles.

"I already lost him," Xavier says. "But what are your schedules like?"

Xavier takes out his phone as Merida and Angela do the same. They tap on their screens a few times before turning their phones around.

They only got their schedules when they arrived, unlike any other university where you'd get it over the summer because that's when it'd be created. But that didn't matter when your schedule was basically made for you. The same rule applies for all programs: there are certain classes you have to take in specific years and, within those classes, there are levels based on prerequisite knowledge, placement tests or transfer credits from previous institutions.

"Oh god…" Xavier and Angela mutter in sync.

"What?" Merida asks, taking a glance at their schedules.

They look at each other.

"We're together all day for three days of the week," Angela says.

Merida laughs a little. "Just like senior year. But don't fret, I may be too weak for your weight class but we have introduction to weaponry and aviation together."

"I find it insane how we're essentially in class from 5 in the morning to 10 at night," Angela says. "With a few small breaks in between."

"You don't have to go to that early morning training. That's optional."

"And I'm choosing to sleep," Xavier says.

-o-

The Boiler Room - 23:22 PM

Daniel sits in the corner of The Boiler Room. He holds his phone to his ear and leans back. As it rings, he leans back and absorbs the environment of Sci-Tech's party aura. A blue light fills the room, making the party a calm atmosphere. It was more of a social meet-and-greet rather than the stereotypical college party he was expecting. There are pool tables in the centre where some students play and discuss the perfect equations to sink their shots (for pool and drinks). The bar has students in front and behind the counter, mixing drinks and texting different proportions.

He was so distracted by everything to look at that he almost forgot he was on the phone.

Emily: Are you drunk-dialling me?

Daniel straightens his posture a little. A smile crawls on his lips without him knowing because he's hearing his fiancée's voice. He still can't believe that he can call her that. Everything about his life now seems too real to be true.

"No," Daniel responds, shifting his position in his chair. He bites down on his lips when he hears her laugh.

Emily: Well, I'm drunk answering.

"I'm not surprised."

Emily: I am! I didn't even drink. I'm just drunk.

"As impossible as that is, I still believe it."

And they take a few minutes to catch up, her doing most of the talking. He wishes that he was listening to her talk and watching her express her words in the empty seat across from him. Instead, he can only imagine her presence there: how she lights up with everything she says, using hand gestures and being sidetracked by her engagement ring. Daniel wishes that she came to the Academy but he couldn't picture her here. He felt that she was exploring her real self and he's the happiest when she's at hers. Sure, she was far away, but she always felt close by. Not counting her voice in his ear.

Emily: So how's the Academy?

Daniel exhales. "I like it here so far even if it's not what I imagined."

Emily: And how was that?

He holds back a grin, surveying the room to see if anyone's watching him. Nobody is. "I'll tell you when you visit."

Emily: Look at you being a tease already. I like it. Well, I'll tell you something else…

Daniel's immersed in his phone call as Emily's words travel through the phone and into his ear. He wants nothing more than to get out of here. He doesn't even like partying anyways. He only came here for the sake of being a freshman and because James can't be trusted alone. Hell, if he didn't have James here, he would've spent the night in his room.

"Oh god…" James mutters as he sits across from his friend. "I know that face."

Daniel looks at him and his face reddens. "I'm on the phone."

James nods excitedly. "I know." He stretches himself across the table. "Emily, I miss you!"

Emily: James! Oh my god, you're still alive! Oh shit, I have to start getting on my plane. I miss you, I love you, I'll visit when I can. Bye!

As Emily hangs up, James slides Daniel over a plastic cup. He gestures to the bar where the crash-course in mixology is happening, meaning that his drink is one of their experiments. Daniel's hesitant on taking the drink because he doesn't know what's in there and the people making them look crazy. But James had some samples so it couldn't be that bad. Should he do it? He's at a university party. Emily would've done it. Hell, Emily would've made the drink and chugged it straight from the shaker.

"Let's call it a night here and check out Concrete Beach," James says. "I finally got service again and we have lots of missed texts."

Daniel nods, pushing the cup to the side. "Lead the way."

"What time is it where Emily is?"

"She doesn't even know where she is."

-o-

Concrete Beach - 23:28

This place wasn't even remotely close to The Boiler Room. Aside from the walk across campus to get here, Concrete Beach could've been on a different planet. Lights flashing everywhere, music blasting everywhere, people dancing and screaming everywhere - someone just flew off a mechanical bull, hit their head and walked it off. James and Daniel stand where they are: right at the entrance because they're scared to admit, ironically, that they're scared to move.

This was the side of college their mothers warned them about.

"Look at all the babes," James says, scoping the scene. "Single me would've lost his mind."

"And his virginity," Merida says.

Both boys jump at her sudden presence beside them. They don't know when exactly she got there. On any other day, they would've heard Merida's boots stomping over but they can't even hear their thoughts over the loud noise. Even seeing her hair from a distance would've been a possibility but the lights are rendering them blind. Or maybe the Academy made her a master spy already?

"You're not doing it in my dorm," Merida tells James.

Daniel realizes what she's talking about. "Or mine!"

James is still processing everything that happened ever since he walked in. He's too distracted by all the screaming and flashing lights. Instead of helping him, Merida takes Daniel's phone and starts breezing through his timetable to see his classes. Then, she lowers the phone in disappointment before handing it back to him.

"What?" Daniel asks her.

"Daniel Banner, we went from being locker neighbours to not sharing one single class," Merida tells him. "Not even that mandatory SHIELD history course. That's a cardinal sin."

"No offence but I don't plan on being on that side of campus at all."

"I don't expect you to." She steps closer to him to try and whisper in this loud room. "I wouldn't be caught dead in a lab coat. But didn't you hear? Our programs hate each other."

Daniel nods and that's when James comes back to reality. He's bunking in Sci-Tech and considers himself mostly in that program even though classes haven't started. But he's technically in both Sci-Tech and Operations. Oh no…

"I'm a Romeo and Juliet double-agent love child and I will die here," James says. He grabs Merida's cup and downs the rest.

Merida accepts the empty cup back in her hands and has a wicked smile. She thrived on watching him get frazzled because he's an idiot. "What's your weight class?"

"My what?"

"It was nice knowing you."

Across the beach, Xavier finally locates his roommate. Were they supposed to keep tabs on each other? Not really, but it was nice to know that somebody has your back, especially when it's the roommate you met a couple of hours ago. If you start on the wrong foot, you won't make it to the end of the year. That's one of the reasons why Xavier walks over to him. Also, it's to introduce his sister to him and she's a few steps behind.

"Dude, there you are!" Ashton exclaims, bro-hugging as if they haven't seen each other in weeks. "I was at the bar and saw all the girls that I matched with."

"Must've been awkward," Xavier responds.

Ashton shrugs as they part. "Nah, I was buzzed so it wasn't bad."

"Right, so, this is my sister," Xavier says, gesturing to Angela. "Angela, this is Ashton. Ashton, Angela."

They shake hands, exchange names again, and do all the rudimentary icebreakers that they can in a club environment.

"So, you're the mom of the group," Ashton states.

Angela exhales. Out of all the things. "It's tiring."

Before their conversation could continue, they hear a familiar voice that draws their attention.

"My girlfriend!"

Angela opens her mouth to say something but James leaps into her arms. As she catches him, she tries to talk some sense into what the hell just happened. Ashton looks at Xavier and Xavier nods while mouthing the words the boyfriend to him. Ashton gives him a really look and Xavier nods with the same perplexed expression followed by an Operations mouthing as well.

"What program are you?" Ashton asks James. Although he knows that he's in Operations, he's curious about what specific branch if he already has one.

James looks at him and has the blankest face. There were branches? Since when was The Academy a tree?

"Romeo and Juliet," James answers.

Ashton nods even though he doesn't understand that. He looks at Xavier and Angela for some sort of explanation but they're just as lost as him.

Angela laughs nervously. "James, babe, you're drunk."

James pouts at her. "I'm not drunk, you're drunk!"

He straightens out of her arms but he falls right back into them. Xavier facepalms as Ashton still tries to figure out what Romeo and Juliet meant.

"How am I attracted to him?" Angela asks.

"I've been asking that for the longest time," Xavier says.

"Nevermind, I just am."

As Angela lies to talk some sense into him, Daniel approaches them with Merida. They do a handoff so now both Angela and Daniel hold James up by an arm each. Merida and Daniel don't even know what happened to James that he ended up like this. Maybe it was something in that Boiler Room drink…

"I left him alone for five minutes," Daniel says.

And everyone looks at Daniel as if he's made the biggest mistake because they thought he was smarter than that.

Alright, there was the first glimpse into the social part of college. The next chapter will be the first day of classes.