Me again, back with a multi-chapter summer story that begins with the word "the" because it's become my favourite thing. A massive thank you to my lovely beta, cheerleader, friend May for looking over this.

Let's take a summer journey, shall we?

The Book of You and I

Chapter 1 - The First Rule of Being Family Friends

Flopping down on the lounge chair she flips open her book and takes a sip of the lemonade Marcus brought her.

She and Marcus were spending their Friday afternoon as they usually did, poolside. Growing up, she always begged her parents for a pool, so when her mother started working with Lily Specter at the college and their families started to spend time together, she always wanted to spend the day in the Specters backyard. She may have only been seven or eight years old when they were introduced, but she and Marcus Specter became fast friends when they realized they would be going to the same highschool, and every summer since that first summer when they met they spent the majority of their time lounging in Marcus' backyard.

Donna and her parents moved to California three weeks before her eighth birthday, and Marcus was her first friend on the West coast. Once Clara and Lily had become friends, the Paulsen's spent nearly every weekend of the summer doing things with the Specter family, and she loved every moment of it. Marcus was adventurous like she was and they both enjoyed the same movies and TV shows. His older brother, Harvey was much more into sports but being only a year older than Marcus, he spent a lot of time with them as kids. With their families spending so much time together, she began to view Gordon as her second father and to this day she would call him if she ever needed a hand with something.

Her friendship with Marcus only grew stronger as they got older and soon they were known as inseparable best friends by everyone in their class. Harvey still spent time with them on occasion but he avoided them in the school hallways, preferring to spend his time with his teammates, whereas Donna and Marcus preferred to hang out with the music kids.

This sunny afternoon was just like every other afternoon this summer, she was poolside reading one of her favourite Shakespeare plays while her best friend did a few laps in the pool.

Pulling her sunglasses down out of her red bun and over her eyes, she rolls onto her stomach and flips the page, enjoying the feel of the sun on her back. As a kid she never enjoyed the sun, but now she couldn't get enough of it. She smiles at Marcus as he climbs into the chair beside her, quiet enough to not disturb her reading and she feels a wave of nostalgia hit her.

This was going to be their last summer together. Next week, they were both off to seperate colleges and while she was excited to start the next chapter of her life, she wasn't excited to be 6,000 miles away from her best friend.

They grew up spending summers by this pool. Celebrating Marcus' birthday and watching the 4th of July fireworks that were shot off down by the pier. She had her first kiss in this backyard at one of the Specter boys pool parties with a boy named Mark Meadows that was in their class. She learned to love jazz music because Gordon's band always played at the Specter's end of summer barbecue. This yard held a lot of memories and she was going to miss everything about it.

This was where she watched Harvey toss Marcus in the pool after he caught him borrowing his car so he and Donna could join their friends at the drive in. It was where they spent the entire summer of 10th grade trying to learn a dance for the following year's talent show. And it was where Harvey punched Travis Tanner in the face for hitting on another girl at one of their party's while he was supposedly dating Donna.

Back then, she spent weeks wondering why he'd done it - stood up for her. Did he have feelings for her or was he just playing the protective older brother role he'd taken up ever since they were kids. She never voiced her thoughts to Marcus, worried he might get the wrong idea and in the end she decided he only stood up for her like an older brother would.

Though she and Marcus never talked about Harvey much that way, she knew he would find it weird if she started talking about how attractive she found his brother, so she kept those thoughts to herself. Besides, it was simply a childhood crush. It wasn't like she still had a crush on Harvey. She wasn't blind, he was attractive but she was focused on her school career and Harvey was just her best friend's older brother.

This yard was her safe haven. From the concrete patio surrounding the pool to the tiki bar and the barbeque near the lawn that was separated by the pond, this was her happy place.

"Haven't you read that book a thousand times?" Marcus groans from his place beside her.

"So I'll read it a thousand and one times, sue me," she quips back, playfully rolling her eyes at him.

"No silly that's the other brother, I could make you a pie though. You know, if you ask nicely enough."

"Gosh you're going to make such a great chef. Just remember that when you open up your first restaurant in Paris that I'm coming with you."

"Obviously. We'll be together in Paris in no time."

"New York first," she adds before dipping her nose back into her book.

"Guess what?" he smirks, propping himself up on his elbows and turning towards her.

"Marcus, some of us are trying to read…"

"Oh common. I listened to you ramble on about Mason's new hair cut and how dreamy it was for at least twenty minutes."

"Okay, first, I was not rambling, and second, you have thirty seconds, make it quick."

"Donna did you just hear me!? Twenty entire minutes on how attractive captain surfer dude is," he whines, sitting up in his chair and staring her down.

"Captain surfer dude?" she laughs, closing her book and turning towards him. "Get to the point."

"Shelley texted and asked if I was going to the pier tonight," he smirks, his boyish grin making his brown eyes sparkle.

Both Specter boys had magnetic smiles and deep chocolate brown eyes beneath sandy blonde hair that only got lighter with the sun and on occasion both Marcus and Harvey developed light sun freckles across their cheeks.

"Ouuuu," she smiles, "and?"

"Well I told her I was and that maybe I'd see her there," he beams.

"I thought she was always mean to you?"

"She was never mean to me, she just didn't know I existed," he points out.

"And how does she know you exist now?"

"Last week she came into the theatre and I was working the counter and we got to talking and I asked for her number."

"And that worked?!"

"Why wouldn't it work? I'm charming."

"You're a horrible flirt," she laughs, finishing the last of her lemonade.

"How would you know?" he fires back.

"Are you forgetting that we've been friends for a decade? Or that I was there for that time you tried to hit on Emily Waters at the beach when you tripped over that kids sandcastle and-"

"Alright alright I get it. But I've learned from my mistakes. I've grown."

"You let her into the movie for free didn't you?"

"Absolutely," he smirks, "But it worked because now she wants to see me tonight."

"Hmmm suddenly I don't feel like going tonight," she teases as she picks up her book again.

"Donna Paulsen as my best friend and wing woman you have to come with me."

"Fine, but you have to buy me cotton candy," she bargains.

"You've got yourself a deal," Marcus grins before getting up off the chair and launching himself into the pool.

.

.

Wrapping a towel around her waist, she heads into the house in pursuit of a snack. She props her sunglasses on her head as she weaves her way through the house on an all too familiar route to the kitchen. She pauses to adjust the strap of her bikini top and waves to Lily who was plopped down in front of the TV reading.

"Shouldn't you be reading by the pool? You know, avoiding getting wet?" Harvey remarks as she steps around him and reaches for the fridge door where she grabs an apple and immediately takes a bite. He's leaning on the island in the kitchen in nothing but his swim trunks and she can't help but notice he's become a lot more muscular since last summer; but it wasn't like she noticed. Marcus was the one who told her Harvey had been working out, she was simply observing so she could agree.

"Shouldn't you be with some blonde who's name you'll have forgotten by tomorrow?" she fires back, slamming the fridge door closed.

She goes to brush past him and back into the backyard but he steps into her path and blocks her route. With a smug grin, he looks down at her before stealing the apple out of her hand and taking a bite.

"Hey! You couldn't get your own?" she whines, reaching for the apple back but it's no use, even on her toes he towers over her. It never used to be this way, growing up she, Marcus and Harvey had all roughly been the same height, but once highschool hit her height was no match for the Specter boys. It wasn't as if she was abnormally short, she was practically 5'7, but Harvey was over 6 feet and there was no way she was getting her apple back simply by reaching for it.

"This is mine. I live here."

"Thanks, I don't need a reminder," she smirks, ducking beneath his outstretched arm and making her way back outside towards the pool again.

"You're going to miss me when I go off to school," he points out, trailing after her through the living room towards the yard.

"Please, I hardly even noticed you were gone when you left for school last fall."

"That's not what you told Marcus," he replies, smirk growing even wider.

"He told you!?"

"No," Harvey cocks his head, "But now I know."

"You're such an ass," she pouts as she opens the sliding door and steps back onto the deck surrounding the Specter family pool.

"And you're such a princess," he says, still trailing behind her.

"I am not!"

"Please, you two have been lounging around by the pool all summer and you haven't gotten your hair wet once." Not that he noticed what she did. He hardly paid attention to her these days, she was just his kid brothers friend after all. In fact, he'd hardly noticed the freckles the sun brought out that now littered her cheeks and exposed chest and the way her red hair shone in the sun did not catch his attention.

"That's not true! Marcus, tell him!" Donna calls her best friend for back up but instead of agreeing with her like she hoped Marcus shrugs and looks between her and Harvey. It wasn't unusual that Harvey and Donna bickered, they'd been doing it their entire childhood and by now, Marcus was used to it. Even though Harvey was a year older, sometimes he wondered if Donna always wanted to spend time at his house because Harvey would be there. It wasn't that he minded, and he knew that she would deny it if questioned, but he was certain his red headed friend had a crush on his older brother at one point or another.

"He does have a point Donna," Marcus remarks from his place in the shallow end of the pool.

"I have no problem getting my hair wet," Donna huffs, dropping back down into her lounge chair and tossing her towel to the side.

"Oh really," Harvey smirks, placing down his apple and stepping towards her.

"Don't you dare!" she yells, jumping up from her seat and scrambling to the other side.

"What do you think Marcus? Should princess here take a swim?" Harvey calls to his brother as he begins to round the chair.

"Don't drag me into this!" Marcus calls, rolling his eyes at the antics of his older brother. Harvey didn't always hang around with him and Donna, often preoccupied with his older group of friends, but when he did he was often glued to Donna's side and it didn't take a genius to see why.

"You wouldn't," she pleads as he catches hold of her wrist and pulls her towards him, launching her over his shoulder and marching towards the pool.

"Oh, but I would," he replies before tossing her into the pool and jumping in after her.

"Specter you are so dead!" she yells once she pops up from beneath the water, immediately reaching for his head to dunk him under the water.

She clutches onto his bare shoulders and forces him beneath the water, draping herself over his back to help keep him beneath the surface. When he finally resurfaces he flips his shaggy blonde hair back and shakes it, playfully smirking in her direction.

"Look at that, she swims," he teases and is met with a face full of water.

"So now that you're in the pool, volleyball?" Marcus proposes.

He's met with a dramatic eye roll as Donna swims towards the ladder and pulls herself out of the pool, marching back over to her chair and grabbing her book with an overly dramatic groan.

"Guess we're playing one-on-one," Harvey remarks, tossing the ball towards his brother.

.

.

"Donna, I see you went in the pool today," Gordon remarks as he reaches for the salad bowl.

"Not by choice," she mutters under her breath.

"What was that dear?"

"Yes, I did Mr. Specter. Figured I should before the summer's over," she answers with a faked enthusiasm.

"Are you all ready to move to school?" Lily asks.

"Almost. I still have a few things to pack up and buy but my mom and I are going shopping tomorrow."

"Right, mom I meant to ask you if I could go with them?" Marcus asks.

"I thought we were going to get a coffee maker for your dorm?"

"We are, I was hoping we could go after."

"You two really are going to schools on opposite sides of the country, huh? What are you going to do without each other?" Gordon interjects, knowing that Lily and Marcus arguing over his need to help Donna pick out the perfect comforter was not something that needed to happen at the dinner table.

"We're going to FaceTime all the time," Marcus explains, shovelling his food into his mouth between words.

"And I'm obviously going to come and watch Donna's fall production."

"I don't even have a part yet," Donna blushes.

"We have no doubt that you'll get one," Gordon smiles at her, "Besides, Yale wouldn't have accepted you if they didn't think you were the best of the best."

"Plus, Harvey's always there to hangout with her in my place. I know I'm leaving some big shoes to fill but he can always try," Marcus adds and all heads swivel in Harvey's direction.

"Right," Harvey smirks down at the burger on his plate.

"Harvey, maybe you can show Donna around when she gets there?" Lily asks, missing the glare exchanged between Donna, who's hair was still dripping wet, and Harvey, who was enjoying her discomfort far too much.

"That's alright Mrs. Specter, I actually arranged for a tour of campus already," Donna pipes up with a cheery smile.

The rest of the meal is rather uneventful with Donna asking Gordon about the new restaurant his band had begun playing at and Lily unsuccessfully trying to convince Harvey to stay for dessert when he attempts to excuse himself to go out with his friends for the night. After helping to clear the table, Donna and Marcus get ready to head down to the pier to enjoy one of the last free nights of the summer.

.

.

"I'm really going to miss it here," Donna sighs as she drops her head to Marcus' shoulder as the pair march up the pier towards the carnival lights.

"California?"

"Yeah. And here specifically. I'm going to miss coming down here after a rough day and watching you waste your money on games you'll never win."

"I'm going to miss this too," he replies, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her in for a side hug.

"Do you realize this is going to be the first time in a decade we won't be seeing each other at school almost every day."

"Nope, we're not going to do the emotional thing tonight, tonight is about fun."

"Well, in the name of fun what do you say we go waste some more money on those games I never win."

"Deal. But don't think I haven't forgotten about that cotton candy you owe me."

"I wouldn't dare," he laughs, leading her down the pier towards the game tents.

The warm evening air begins to settle in as the sun sets over the water and the lights from the carnival begin to reflect across the surface of the water crashing against the shore. She and Marcus had played their usual round of carnival games; skee ball, ring toss and darts, and were now seated at a picnic table next to the ferris wheel, cotton candy and a corn dog in hand. They'd been joined by their friends Abigail, Micheal and Anthony and were all happily teasing Marcus about his crush on Shelley.

Shelley and her girl gang were seated across the way and every so often Donna watched as she flipped her curly blonde ponytail over her shoulder and stole a glance of Marcus.

"Are you sure you want to start something with less than a week left of the summer?" Micheal asks.

"Who said anything about starting something?" Marcus smirks and Donna smacks him in the arm. Sometimes she forgot how blunt boys could be, even though she knew Marcus wasn't the kind of guy to love and leave girls. That was more Harvey's style.

"Ew, don't be gross," Donna whines.

"Speaking of gross," Abigail chimes in as she jerks her head in the direction of the bumper cars where Harvey had some blonde girl pressed up against the fence.

"You're brother is my idol," Anthony says to Marcus who just rolls his eyes. He and Harvey had a lot in common but they differed greatly when it came to girls. Marcus had only kissed a handful of girls and had one serious girlfriend in the eleventh grade, whereas Harvey had a new girl on his arm every other week.

"Please, he'll never settle down with anyone, how can he be your idol?" Abigail remarks.

"He hooks up with the hottest girls!" Anthony cries.

Donna steals a glance of Harvey over Marcus' shoulder and rolls her eyes. The blonde he was sucking face with was a girl she'd gone to school with, the typical cheerleading type that annoyed her to no end, but who was she to judge who Harvey hooked up with, they were hardly friends.

In her mind, the Harvey she knew and the one the world knew were completely different people. The Harvey Specter she knew was kind, cared about his family and did well in school. The Harvey that her friends knew was a womanizing jerk who cared more about how his hair looked than about his grades. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that Harvey was a ladies man, but she knew there was so much more to him than that.

"Hey Marcus, look who's coming over," Michael grins as they all turn towards the group of blondes approaching them.

"Be cool guys," Marcus warns.

"Hey Donna I really like your top," Shelley compliments as she approaches their table, "Marcus," she adds with a slight nod.

"Thanks Shelley. Do you guys want to join us? We were going to go down by the water and have a few beers," Donna explains to the three blondes. Marcus mouths a soft "thank you" to Donna, ever grateful for her being a great wingwoman.

Shelley turns towards the blonde on her left and whispers into her ear before turning back to the group and agreeing to join them.

The night passes in a blur of laughs and stories she's certain will be memories one day as the group enjoys a few drinks by a beach bonfire. To her surprise, Marcus and Shelley really hit it off and disappeared for a while to "take a walk" on the beach while she, Abigail and Anthony enjoyed a few more drinks. As the night begins to wind down, Shelley and Marcus return to the group and they all find themselves sitting around the fire.

"You're drunk," he whispers to Donna who is seated beside him.

"I am not!" she protests like she does every time she'd drunk.

"You are, I should get you home, common," he says, standing and extending a hand to help her up.

She obliges, stumbling to her feet and wrapping her sweater over her shoulders.

"Just one sec, okay?" he says, using his hands to steady her on her wobbling feet before marching over to Shelley to explain that he was leaving. She watches as he places a kiss on Shelley's cheek and the next thing she knows she's in the passenger seat of his car on their way back home.

"You like her," she coos from the passenger seat, reaching across the console to poke his cheek.

"Hey hey you know the rules! No poking the driver!"

"You dooooo," she sing-songs.

"I do," he blushes, "But it's dumb."

"It's not dumb."

"It is. We're both leaving for school, now's not the right time to start a new relationship."

"Do you think we'll ever find the right ones?" she asks, staring out the window.

"I have no doubt we will," he smiles, focusing on the road back to the house.

.

.

She tosses her hair into a messy bun before stumbling into the bathroom in her oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, a classic pair of Marcus' clothes she'd stolen as pajamas years ago for nights she spent at the Specter's. Even though she lived up the street, it was something she did a lot on summer nights, especially when she'd had a little too much to drink like last night. Sometimes her friends at school would question her, asking if it was weird to spend the night with her closest friend but her answer was always the same; it wasn't awkward at all. Over the years, Marcus had become like a brother to Donna. Standing up for her when someone picked on her at school, getting her missed school work when she was sick, and even bringing her ice cream when a boy broke her heart. For Donna, spending the night on the Specter's couch was nothing abnormal, it was just a typical summer night.

She opens up the window in the bathroom, allowing the sun to stream in before flicking on the radio and pulling out the toothbrush she kept in the top right drawer. She's reaching for the toothpaste when Harvey struts in without knocking and steps in front of her to use the mirror.

"You know, you can still see into the mirror perfectly fine without hogging the entire thing," she teases as she brushes her teeth, watching as he spends far too long on his hair.

"Do you ever go home?"

Ignoring him, she continues to brush her teeth, her eyes wandering down to the plaid boxer shorts he was wearing beneath his Yale t-shirt before she inwardly curses at herself for staring and refocuses all of her energy on brushing her teeth.

"Oh, I love this song!" she cries as she reaches over him and turns up the volume on the radio, the sounds of Bryan Adams filling the bathroom.

"Really?"

"You can not seriously tell me you don't like this song."

"I seriously can," he replies, focusing his attention back on his hair as Donna dances around, toothbrush still in her hand.

She's just about finished brushing her teeth when she catches him mumbling the lyrics beneath his breath and she can't help the wide grin that settles over her face.

"I knew it!"

"You knew what?"

"You're singing," she sing-songs, her smug grin causing him to roll her eyes.

"You can't prove that."

"God, only in his second year and such a lawyer already," she laughs,as she turns towards the door.

"I'll leave the radio on for you. You know, since you love this song," she smirks before disappearing from the doorway and leaving him to mumble along with Summer of 69.

.

.

Moving day comes faster than either of them hoped and the day is filled with tears. After spending every possible free moment together, it's finally time to say goodbye. Standing in the Specter's driveway, she watches as Gordon puts the final box in the trunk of the car from her seat on the porch steps. Gordon was driving Marcus to school while Lily stayed behind to drop Harvey off the following day, so she watched as Marcus said goodbye to his mom and older brother. Harvey joins her on the step as Marcus talks to his mom and leans back on his elbows.

"He was right, you know," he says.

"Huh?"

"Marcus, he said that if you ever needed a familiar face on campus you could come to me. You can," he replies in practically a whisper.

"Thanks, Harvey. I guess I'll see you around campus sometime?"

"Sure thing Red," he smirks knowing she hated the nickname, before patting her on the shoulder and returning to the house.

Once Marcus is done saying goodbye to his mom, she rejoins Harvey in the house, stopping briefly to hug Donna and wish her luck at school. Donna then gets up and moves to say goodbye to Gordon, who pulls her into a hug and whispers that he knows she'll do great things at school. She gives him an extra squeeze as the tears begin to well in her eyes and thanks him for everything he'd done for her over the years.

"Your parents are driving you tomorrow morning?" Gordon asks.

"They are," she smiles.

"You guys have a safe drive alright?"

"Yes sir. You too."

"I got this when we dropped Harvey off last year but I think it'll be useful for you," he grins as he hands her a campus map.

"Thank you Mr. Specter."

"Go get em dear."

Gordon climbs into the driver's seat, leaving an already teary-eyed Donna and Marcus to say goodbye. She offers him a sad smile as he rounds the truck and pulls her into a tight hug and she drops her head to his shoulder. They stay like that for a moment, enjoying each other's company one last time before they set out to move across the country. When Marcus finally releases his hold on her, she peers up at him through her tears and chokes back a soft sob.

"This isn't goodbye," she says, wagging a finger up at him.

"Absolutely not," he nods, his own tears starting to blur his vision. "I'll see you at Thanksgiving," he adds.

"And not a second later."

"I'm going to miss you. Don't you dare replace me with some theatre geek."

"Same goes for you, but you know, the cooking kind."

"As if I could replace you, you've been my best friend for how long."

The sound of the horn blaring catches their attention and she knows this is goodbye. Stealing one more quick hug she walks with him to the car where he climbs into the passenger seat and rolls down the window.

"Here, I wrote this for you," he smiles as he passes her a note, "You're going to change the world out there at Yale."

"We both are," she says, reaching through the window and squeezing his palm.

She waves as Gordon pulls out of the driveway, wiping the remaining falling tears on the back of her sleeve. Once the car is out of site she begins to walk down the driveway, preparing to head home and she feels a tap on her shoulder.

"Want a ride home," Harvey offers, smiling as he holds up his car keys.

"Sure," she nods, silently following him to the car. She knows it's only a block but the tears clouding her vision are making it difficult to see and she isn't about to turn down a free ride.

The ride to her house is quiet, Donna mostly lost in her own head, her puffy tear-stained cheeks now red. She knew saying goodbye was going to be hard but she hadn't imagined it would hurt this much. She was so glad that Marcus was the first to move because if her moving day was first she's certain she wouldn't have been able to get in the car.

"Thanks," she smiles as he pulls into her driveway and unbuckles her seatbelt.

"Don't mention it," he replies, watching as she waves and sees herself into the house.

.

.

Later that night after a long hot bath, she finds herself wrapped in a towel on her bed, holding Marcus' note. After packing up the last of her boxes with her mom and enjoying a family dinner, she took the night to enjoy some time to herself. It had been a long, emotional day and she was grateful to have some time to relax. Everything was changing and she hated change. She could no longer spend time at the Specter's after school because everyone was gone and it had been less than a day and she already missed gossiping with Marcus.

At least Harvey had been nice to her today. Between his offer to drive her home and telling her he would see her around campus, she was slightly less nervous about her first day. Leaning back against her headboard she draws in a deep breath and opens his letter.

Donna,

Yale drama doesn't even realize they have a star among them but I already know that you're going to kick ass - Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Can't wait to come down and visit for Thanksgiving. You'll have to come up here sometime before Christmas. As promised, I won't go turning into one of those culinary students that forgets about their friends back home, I could never do that to you. I know we're going to talk on the phone and all that jazz but just know, it won't be the same not hanging out with you every day. I know Harvey isn't much of a substitute for this awesome best friend you've got, but he is a familiar face and I know if you needed a friend, he'd be your guy. Don't forget us little people when you're a big star. Use that campus map my dad got you, we both know you're horrible with directions and for the love of god, please don't do something stupid like fall in love with my brother. (Haha, that even made me laugh)

Love, Marcus

She knows he's only joking about the last line, but reading it over she can't ignore the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. Fall in love with his brother? Please, like she would ever allow for that to happen.

She places the note into her agenda on her side table and turns off her light after crawling beneath the covers. Tomorrow was the first day of the rest of her life, she didn't have time to worry about fruitle things like her former childhood crush. Tomorrow she was setting off to change the world.

.

.

Donna Paulsen, Freshman.

That's what the sign outside the door read.

Her room was a lovely shade of pale blue and had a massive window with a little cut out bench facing the front lawn that she knew she would spend time reading in.

The room was equipped with two twin beds and two large white desks, one for her and one for her roommate, Rachel Zane, who had yet to arrive. She covers her bed with her navy blue comforter and begins to hang her clothes in the closet when her phone beeps. She turns it over to find a text from Marcus telling her he hopes moving day went well and she smiles, responding that she hopes his did too.

Once her clothes are put away, she moves to her desk where she places a potted succulent and a container of pens in the top covers and a few of her favourite plays against a book end. She pulls out a framed photo of her, Harvey and Marcus by the pool from Marcus' 11th birthday party and places that on the desk as a finishing touch.

"You must be Donna," a voice startles her from the doorway.

"And you must be Rachel," she replies, moving to greet her new roommate.

"Nice to finally meet you, I hope it's alright I took this bed."

"Absolutely, I like the colours," Rachel grins as she crosses the room and places a box down on the vacant bed.

"Do you need a hand? My parents just went down to move the car but we aren't going for dinner for a while."

"My parents are going to help, but thanks," the brunette smiles.

"Are you going to that meeting thing tonight?" Rachel adds. She and Donna had been paired up as roommates because they both planned on joining the same sorority.

"I was planning on it. What about you?"

"Me too," Donna replies.

"Shakespeare, huh?" Rachel remarks as she eyes the books on Donna's desk. "Theatre major?"

"I am. What about you?"

"Law. My boyfriend is actually in second year already," she practically squeals and Donna isn't sure how she feels about that. She's pretty sure that she would hate being in the same classes as her boyfriend, not that she had one, but to each his own she guessed.

"Oh that's so sweet. How did you guys meet?"

"We actually went to high school together but we were never really friends. Last spring when I came up for a campus tour we ran into each other and the rest is just history!"

Rachel flips down onto Donna's bed next to her and Donna relaxes. She'd never really had many close female friends growing up, but something about Rachel and the weird energy she gave off made her believe they were going to become fast friends.

"So, you're into theatre. You'll have to take me to a show sometime. I've always really wanted to see a musical!" Rachel beams, "my god I am so sorry, we just met and here I am acting like we've been friends for years…"

The brunette blushes when she realizes she's been rambling and Donna can't help but chuckle.

"It's alright Rachel, seriously."

"No god, you must think I'm a total weirdo! I was just so nervous about meeting you and now I've gone and —,"

"Rachel, you're weird, we'll be friends," Donna smiles over at her reassuringly.

"And yes, I would love to take you to go and see a show sometime."

"Who knows, maybe we can do it as a double date," Rachel suggests and Donna blushes.

"Oh I'm actually not seeing anyone," she mumbles.

"Well that's an easy fix! I don't know if you've noticed but this campus is crawling with hot guys! A pretty girl like you will snatch one up in no time!"

"I'm not sure—"

"Unless," Rachel smirks, "unless there's already someone back home?!"

"Oh god, no there's no one at home," she replies, her mind temporarily wandering back to the last line in Marcus' letter.

Please, for the love of god, please don't do something stupid like fall in love with my brother.

"Perfect, then we will just have to find you a lovely college boy!"

"I'm not really—," she's about to say looking for a boyfriend when her parents return and ask if she's ready to grab some food before they head home. Rachel tells her that she'll see her before the meeting and waves as she heads out with her parents.

Dinner is quiet and uneventful. Her mom makes a fuss about her being all grown up and her dad lectures her about the importance of never walking anywhere alone at night.

Eventually, she finds herself alone in her room, laying on her new bed and waiting for 9pm to roll around. She's not sure where Rachel had gotten off to, but she assumes she'll be back before their introduction meeting at the sorority house so she takes a few minutes to take it all in. She was on her own for the first time, and though that thought terrified her, she was ready.

Rachel comes running in at quarter too, explaining that her parents wanted a campus tour and she's gotten lost but eventually the pair find themselves sitting on a couch in the living room of Alpha Phi surrounded by about ten other girls.

The blonde on their left introduces herself as Katrina and her roommate smiles and tells them her name is Dana but she would prefer it if they call her Scottie. The room is alive with chatter until another blonde stands at the front of the room and introduces herself as the president of the sorority, Samantha.

Samantha welcomes everyone and explains a few of the house rules and how pledging was going to work. Nothing unusual but Donna still listens intently. When the meeting ends, a few of the girls ask Donna and Rachel if they wanted to join them for hot chocolate so they tag along, hoping to bond with some of their potential future housemates.

It's after midnight when they finally get back to their dorm and she finally tucks herself into bed and pulls out her phone. She quickly types out a message for Marcus, detailing how she and her roommate got along great and that the girls in the house were really nice. Before she shuts her phone off she notices she has another unread message, from Harvey.

She clicks on the notification and can't help but laugh at the bluntness of his message; like something your mom would make you send to your uncle for sending you a birthday gift.

Welcome to Yale.

That was it. Laughing to herself knowing that Lily had likely told him to send it to make Donna feel more comfortable, she places her phone down on the side table and heads to sleep.

.

.

She's seated in the front row of the auditorium, eager for their first meeting as a theatre club. Her first day of classes had gone well. She discovered that Katrina was in one of her introduction classes and in the theatre club so the pair spent the day navigating the confusing campus together.

She'd opted for a simple but elegant outfit for her first day. A denim skirt paired with a black silk tank and a pair of white sandals. She even woke up a little bit earlier than needed to add a few curls to her hair. If she'd learned anything over the years it was that first impressions mattered.

The head of the theatre club was going over the rules of the theatre and explaining how auditions would run. As first year students, they were given the chance to audition but getting a major role was almost unheard of. This year, the school was putting on a musical production, Anastasia.

She was thrilled when she first heard they would be putting on a musical, because though she had a soft spot for Shakespeare, she adored musical theatre. She planned on auditioning for the show in hopes of getting something in the chorus line so she could learn the ins and outs of the theatre club and hopefully eventually star in a school production.

Once Ethan, the man who was in charge finished going over the basics, wrapped up his speech, a few of the older students decided to do a little improv skit before the new students joined them on stage and introduced themselves. They went around in a circle sharing their names and where they came from plus one interesting fact about themselves. Katrina shared that she was from Long Island and that growing up she always wanted to be a dancer but when it came to Donna, she had no idea what to use as an interesting fact. Wracking her brain, she finally comes up with something that at least she found interesting, though she doubts anyone else will. She tells the group she was from California and that she'd never seen a single Star Wars movie, a fact that is met with a few shocked gasps and a "you need to watch them" from a blonde kid named Jake.

An hour after introductions and a few simple exercises, Samuel, a senior student dismisses everyone for the day. Katrina excuses herself to go meet a friend for dinner while Donna packs up her bag and prepares to head to her night class.

She walks up the aisle towards the back of the auditorium when she spots a familiar figure sitting in the back row.

"Harvey? What on earth are you doing here?" She asks when she spots him in the back row with a few other older students dressed in crisp white shirts with ties.

"We're doing a case study on the theatre club. We get to watch rehearsal once a week and assess whether or not more funds should be allocated to the department. Term project," he explains.

"Guess I'll be seeing you around then. It was nice to meet you," she smiles over at his two friends though he hadn't introduced them, "but I've got a class to get to so I better run."

"Don't get lost!" He calls after her as she begins to walk away.

"No promises! You know me and my sense of direction," she laughs before tossing a slight wave in his direction.

When he turns his attention back to Mike and Louis both of them are staring at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Who the hell was that babe?"

"Ew. Don't talk about her like that, we've been friends since we were kids."

"And?"

"And what? She's my little brother's best friend so she hangs around the house a lot."

"Right," Mike scoffs, "you do have eyes, don't you Harv-?"

"Of course I do. It's just not like that. She's… well she's Donna."

"Yeah she is," Mike smirks and Harvey playfully smacks his arm.

"Gross, she's like my little sister. Please cut it out so we can go grab a burger before that stupid meeting for ethics class."

Climbing out of the auditorium seats he trails after Mike and Louis out into the courtyard. The pair are laughing about some stupid video they'd seen online but he suddenly finds himself lost in his own set of thoughts.

Was Donna a babe, as Mike had so eloquently put it?