merder university

several minor inconveniences

The following morning, Derek woke up to an empty apartment.

Thank God.

He stumbled into the kitchen, dragging his feet along the cool tile floor.  A blue post it note was stuck to the fridge door.

Grocery shopping in town, be back in 3 hours.
-M.G, 5:07AM

Derek scoffed as he read. 5:07AM? This woman was insane. He decided to use this free time to get ready for classes, which started tomorrow.

On the island counter lay an abandoned stack of textbooks that had been delivered yesterday.  Derek paged through, observing the titles. Integrated Design, Oceanography, Linear Algebra, Seminar.

An exciting first term line-up. Derek groaned and began to read the syllabi provided by each teacher.

—-

Meredith stood in line at the coffee shop, clutching a tote bag and yawning.

"Hi, I'm Joe! What can I get for you today?" Asked a cheery barista, pulling Meredith from her thoughts.

"Two quad shots, splash of almond milk, over ice." She stated, rehearsed. This had been her coffee order all though high school, and it never failed to make people raise an eyebrow.

"You're gonna be sorry tonight." The barista joked. He was referring to the very large amount of caffeine that would very soon overwhelm the small person in front of him.

"I'm always sorry at night. But, I start my first semester at Dartmouth tomorrow, so keep it coming." The barista nodded as he began assembling her order.

"Have a nice day Meredith." The man said, handing Meredith her coffee.

"You too, Joe."

Meredith sipped and stepped out onto the dewy streets. The sun was rising over a courtyard, which boasted a sleepy looking farmers market. She smiled at the sign that read "fresh strawberries" and began walking towards it.

—-

As Derek signed his last syllabus, a pair of keys chimed in the door. Meredith entered the loft, along with smells of strawberry, lavender, sunshine, and strong coffee.

"Hey!" Meredith said cheerfully, setting down her grocery bags on the island counter. Derek craned his neck, curious to see what she had gotten.

"How are you?" Derek asked, smiling as Meredith bounced excitedly on her heels.

"Caffeinated." Meredith responded. She placed fresh stalks of lavender in a large mason jar, filling it with water and setting it on the window sill.

"I went to the farmers market. This is bok chou, and here's a ginger sauce. I also got some buckwheat noodles." Meredith listed off as she unpacked her groceries.

"I don't know what that means." Derek interrupted, laughing slightly.

"It's Chinese food! Last night you were all mad when I ordered sushi instead of Chinese, so I'm cooking for you tonight!"

Derek shook his head, amused at her antics. Meredith found herself momentarily absorbed in his smile, but she quickly rebounded with another sip of coffee.

Now it was Derek's turn to be absorbed in her sparkling eyes. The eye contact only ended when Meredith's started ringing.

"Ah, damn. I have to take this." She muttered, shuffling to her room and shutting the door.

Derek sighed, dropping his head between his hands. He could not be falling for his roommate.

—-

Meredith sat down on her bed, dreading the phone call that was about to commence. With a sigh, she clicked answer and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey mom-"

"Meredith. I'm between surgeries, I don't have a lot of time." Ellis Grey's cold voice echoed through the speaker.

"Have you landed an internship yet?" She demanded.

"Not yet, I-"

"Research? Clinical volunteering? Shadowing? Anything?"

"Mom, I just got here yesterday. I'm barely unpacked." Meredith defended meekly.

"Damn it, Meredith. People don't get accepted into Medical School by wasting time in undergrad. Do you want to be a surgeon, or do you want to be ordinary?"

"I want to be a surgeon." Meredith responded, rehearsed.

"Then start acting like it. Right now, it seems like you don't have what it takes. I'm calling you again tomorrow, and you better have at least an interview set up." With that, the line clicked and the room went silent.

Meredith fell back into her pillows, sighing exhaustedly. The tears began to flow, and she made no attempt to stop them. She had been looking forward to a fresh start in college.

Still, Ellis Grey's dark shadow and harsh expectations had managed to follow Meredith halfway across the country.

—-

Derek stood outside Meredith's door, deeply saddened by the conversation he had just overheard. How could a mom be so harsh, cold, and un-motherlike.

"Mer?" He tried, cautiously knocking on her wooden door. She answered a few moments later, tears wiped away and eyes rimmed red.

"You.. you didn't hear any of that did you?" She asked, eyes widening.

"Hear what? I was just coming to tell you, uh, that I'm hungry! Wouldn't be such a bad idea to start on that Chinese food. " Derek lied quickly. Meredith sighed in relief, and forced a smile.

"You got it!" She chimed, making her way to the kitchen.

—-

Derek lounged on the couch as Meredith cooked. He tried to help, but she insisted that she could do it herself.

"I'm a grown ass woman, Derek."

Suddenly, an awful smile reached Derek's nostrils. He sat up quickly, peering into the kitchen. His eyes raised in alarm at the sight of Meredith frantically blowing on a growing fire.

Derek sprang into action, rushing to the kitchen and dousing the flaming pan with water.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, amused at the blush spreading on Meredith's cheeks.

"I don't cook much." She muttered, embarrassed. Derek shook his head, laughing.

"I am so ordering chinese food." He stated as Meredith rolled her eyes.

look who finally updated! hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! i have so many ideas for this story- and i'm so excited!

please remember to comment and vote! hope you all are having a good week! <3