9:30 AM, August 25th

You are the future of law.

Only you can keep you down.

"You're still writing in that thing? I mean, even beyond the fact that you've had it since freshman orientation- April, you need to go digital," Jackson says, sliding in the seat next to hers. April quickly slams her red notebook shut, because even though she and Jackson are friends, are close, she'd probably die- just absolutely, without a doubt, expire on the spot if anyone read it, including him. Jackson is wearing a tie that is perfectly tied, and his sleeves are rolled up casually, showing his strong forearms corded with muscle. April could calculate the amount of time other guys would have to spend to look oh so carefully, only slightly disheveled, but Jackson? He didn't have to try. It just came naturally to him. Jackson is just so utterly born for this environment it kind of makes April sick.

They were waiting for the opening remarks from the Dean of Seattle Grace University's School of Law. Richard Webber was due to speak for their first day of orientation, and April? Well, April for one could not be more nervous. She fidgets with the side of her messenger bag. What if she gets cold-called on the first day? What if the professors hate her? What if she fails her classes? What if-

"April, stop. Calm down, I can hear your gears cranking," Jackson says, slouching in his seat.

"How can I stop? This is our first day of law school, Jackson. Our very first day of law school. Today sets the tone for our first semester, then 1L, and you know how hard first year is, and that affects which internships or clerkships we get, which will undoubtedly shape our careers-"

A woman with curly black hair had just sat in the seat in front of them, next to a tall blonde and a shorter, dark-haired guy, but now she turns around with a sneer. "Are you going to be like this all day? Because I'll move."

"Nah, she usually loses steam eventually," Jackson says conversationally, shrugging. April narrows her eyes at him. "I'm Jackson, by the way," he says, reaching his hand out. April knows him well enough by now to know that he purposefully didn't include his last name. The other woman examines his hand, pursing her lips.

"Cristina. Yang." She finally says, turning to face forward once again, without shaking his hand.

"Ignore Cristina. She's… well, she's usually like this, so I don't know what I was going to say. I'm Izzie Stevens," the blonde says, reaching back to shake Jackson's hand. "And this is George O'Malley." The dark haired guy gives a slight wave before turning to his friends.

"I'm April. April Kepner!" April says brightly, smiling at them. There's a moment of silence before Izzie faces Cristina.

"Where's Mer?"

"Mer will be here. She's running late, but she will be here," Cristina says tersely. The group continues talking in low tones, and so April turns back to Jackson.

"You know, people are going to find out eventually what your last name is, who your family is," April whispers to Jackson, and he nudges her.

"Be quiet. And even when they do find out my last name, Avery isn't that uncommon of a surname."

"Whatever you say…" April says while Jackson rolls his eyes.

A slim blonde woman quickly scurried down the aisle, joining the group in front of them. "I'm late, ok, I know," she says, sitting in her seat while blowing a puff of air to move her bangs out of her face.

"Was it that guy from last night?" Cristina asks Meredith in an aside, but Meredith brushes her off.

"And where's Alex?" Izzie asks, looking back towards the doors, a concerned look on her pretty face.

A distinguished older black man takes the stage in front of them. Everyone murmurs in anticipation before quieting down.

"Good morning. My name is Richard Webber, and I am the Dean of Seattle Grace Law. Look around you. The peers on either side of you will be your competition. You will spend more time with them than with your friends, your family. You will be pushed to the breaking point. The three years you spend here at Seattle Grace Law will be among the best and worst years of your life. Some of you will not be able to handle the curriculum, some of you will not be able to handle the pressure, and some of you will drop out of the program. For the rest of you," Webber pauses for a moment, looking around the auditorium. "Expect challenges, both in the classroom and outside of it. You are some of the nation's best and brightest. Expect to be confronted with thoughts and viewpoints different than your own. But most of all… expect greatness." April bursts out in applause immediately, and while there are a few laughs, the excitement is contagious, and soon everyone is applauding as well. April rarely is the one to set a trend, so she figures she should enjoy it while it lasts.

"We're going to do this… me and you," Jackson says, glancing over at April. April smiles in return.

"Yeah, me and you." She had been relieved when she heard that Jackson had also decided to attend Seattle Grace Law, and even more relieved when she discovered they were going to be in the same section. April knew that each section in the same year would share all of their 1L classes together, and, well, it was going to be nice having a familiar face in them, and not just a familiar face, but a friend.

She had first met Jackson on freshman move-in day back when they were undergraduates. April was carrying a heavy box into her dorm, and Jackson had been standing near the door. A pretty older woman was hovering near him, kissing his cheeks as he tried to escape her grip. "Mom, I'm fine. Seriously, please, just go. Ok?"

"No, not ok! My baby's going off to college, this is a big deal!" the woman had continued. Jackson had shifted awkwardly before he lit up at the sight of April walking towards the door.

"Mom, I gotta help this girl move in. I mean, you did raise me to be a gentleman, right? Carry stuff, open doors?" Jackson had said with a cheeky smile, before he turned to April, trying to take her box out of her hands.

"Let go!" April said fiercely, her fingers clenched tightly around her stuff.

"Let. Me. Help. You!" Jackson said with a pained smile. They continue their tug of war for a minute before April gives up.

"Oh, fine."

Triumphant, Jackson turned with the box and gestured to his mother. "See? I'm a gentleman."

"Oh, alright," Catherine says indulgently. "Meet me back at my hotel, okay dear?"

"Of course, Mom," he says, looking around surreptitiously, before uttering in a low voice. "Love you."

"Love you too." And with that, Jackson and April were alone.

"So! Thanks for that. Do you want me to carry this to your room?" April blushes slightly, and she really hopes it's not noticeable. She doesn't often have gorgeous guys offering to carry her stuff for her… or well, she doesn't have any guys offering to carry her stuff.

"Sure…" April says, hesitantly, walking forward. "I'm in 220."

Jackson had turned to her, smiling. "I'm in 226, just down the hall."

"Oh! That's cool, hopefully our floor won't be too loud, because I really want to keep my GPA up, because I'm thinking about going to law school, or maybe med school, but I haven't decided yet." Also, she needed to make sure she kept her scholarship money, but April wasn't going to mention that. Jackson nods, looking slightly like he regretted engaging in conversation at all. As they had turned their corner, they saw their respective roommates chatting.

Even though April and Jackson had met first, Reed and Charles were the ones who became friends (at first). Reed was vivacious, and April was perky and awkward, but eventually, somehow, they became friends as well. Reed had found a core group that included Jackson, Charles, and a few others, but April was not included in that. She had spent the first two months of college studying fervently, both in the library and at her dorm. One night, near Halloween, Reed had come late home after going bar hopping with Charles, Jackson, and the others. April had taken care of her once she returned. She had held Reed's long hair back as she vomited in a trash can, shifting Reed on her side so she wouldn't choke, and April checked her breathing throughout the night.

While Reed ultimately only had vague memories of that night, in the morning, she made two decisions. She had declared, in the midst of her hangover that 1. she was going to get a pixie cut (it was just practical) and 2. she was going to be April Kepner's friend. It turned out, vomit could be quite a bonding experience. It was with that they became friends, and April was slowly but surely integrated with the rest of the group. While Reed and April had randomly been assigned as roommates, after graduation, they chose to remain as such, and Charles and Jackson did as well. April did Teach for America for two years, before finding a job as a paralegal at the Mercy West law firm. Reed jumped straight into med school, and Charles decided to try and pursue a career in architecture. Jackson, meanwhile, accepted employment as a research analyst for a prestigious thinktank. And now… here they are, about to start their first year of law school.

And as April had no way of knowing then, at that moment in time, of the tumult and chaos that would occur in the years to come, or of the heartbreak and tragedy, she just sat in her chair next to Jackson, brimming with excitement.