Basically, this is Addison/Derek/Mark's last summer before med school starts, and the events that occur with it, including Addison's obsession with trying to hook her two boys up on dates with girls.
Med school era Addison/Derek/Mark has always intrigued me, so that's where this is coming from… But you'll see early on that it's a bit of a different setting and different circumstances than how people usually write them in med school.
As part of my "Get the hell out of graduate school by next year" plan, I am taking an independent study on Jane Austen. I got inspired, and you'll see some elements of Emma if you've read it. If not, perhaps you'll recognize some themes from Clueless, which is based on Emma. If you've neither read Emma, nor seen Clueless, get off the site and do so. Only kidding. :)
I know you guys want to know if it's Addek or Maddison, but at this point, I honestly have no clue what it is. It will become one or the other. These guys write themselves sometimes. They'll tell me what it should be. ;)
As always, I don't own anything. Woe is me. :( Please don't sue. Now I will shut up and let them talk.
Addison Forbes Montgomery, beautiful, charming, and wealthy, had lived nearly twenty-two years in the world with very little to distress her – except for Mark Sloan, who enjoyed being a pain in her ass.
Though they hadn't figured it out until many years later, Mark and Addison's families had been friends for years – their fathers had even been tennis partners at one point in time. Mark and Addison had crossed paths several times as children at various dinner parties and social functions, but had never made any long-term friendship efforts, since they attended private schools on opposite sides of town.
But in college, that changed. Addison and Mark were the president and vice-president (respectively) of the Columbia's Red Cross Club. Both had chosen the extra-curricular activity two years before because they thought it would look good on medical school applications. It did.
The two quickly became friends. Addison trusted very few women – she'd been backstabbed too much in high school. The female friends that she did have were very close ones, but she always had more fun with "the guys."
One Friday in May of 1992, the duo burst out the door of the science building and into the sunshine, which was only around at the beginning of the fall semester and the end of the spring semester, replaced by harsh New York winters. Addison quickly pushed a pair of tortoiseshell Prada shades onto her face to keep from squinting as they walked across campus.
"So, that was our last final." Mark said, looping an arm around Addison's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "How does it feel to be done with undergrad?"
"Feels like we still have four years of college left." Addison replied honestly.
Mark dropped his arm from around her and scowled. "You could ruin a wet dream, Addie. You do know that, right?"
"I do what I can." Addison shrugged.
Mark ignored her surliness. "It's going to be an awesome summer, though. You'll finally get to meet Derek." Mark declared, happy at the thought of his two best friends meeting. "And we'll all be here together for med school. Of course, you could have met him last summer, but…"
Addison rolled her eyes. "Oh, pardon me! I'm sorry that I studied abroad in France instead of meeting your friend from Stanford, Mark."
"Best friend from Stanford." Mark emphasized. "You're going to love him."
"Is he anything like you?" Addison asked.
"Hmm… Not really." Mark said.
"Then I probably will." Addison said with a sly smile that earned her a jab in the ribs from Mark. "So, I've been meaning to tell you about this girl named Laura…"
"Oh no, no, no!" Mark protested. "No more setting me up on dates. Not gonna happen."
"Aw, come on Mark…" Addison whined. "Please?"
Mark couldn't help but notice Addison's lips. She expressed more emotion with them than any other girl he'd ever known – at that moment, they were curved down into a little pout. It made him want to grab her and kiss her, hard – best friend or not, she was gorgeous, and he was male.
But he shook that out of his head, remembering the last time that she had set him up on a date.
"No." Mark said again, more firmly. "Remember last week? When you set me up with Juanita from your women's studies class? She turned out to be 35 and she had two kids, whom she brought with her, by the way…"
"Two kids?! I didn't know she had t—" Addison lips formed a small "o." "Um… What's the Spanish word for 'kid,' Mark?"
Mark gritted his teeth. "'Hijo'."
Addison's cheeks turned to match her hair. "Oh… Oh no… I thought she said, 'Tengo dos ojos.' I wondered why she was telling me that she had two eyes…"
Mark glared at her and she backed away slowly. "Come on, Mark! You know I'm not any good at Spanish! I dropped it freshman year and switched back to French!"
"I will never let you set me up on a date again." Mark reiterated.
"What about Caitlin and Rick?" Addison challenged. "I hooked them up, and they're getting married this July." She tipped her sunglasses down to look him in the eye and gave him a smug grin.
"Yes, but they're… Ugly." Mark said. "They couldn't have found anyone but each other."
Addison swatted his arm. "That's shallow!"
Mark shrugged. "I'm just being honest. She needs a nose job. And they both need liposuction."
"You're an ass. I'm just tired of you making me hang out with these stupid Barbie dolls that you insist on dating." Addison grumbled. "I'd like to see you meet a woman of actual substance."
"Hey, I date girls with substance, thanks very much. Remember Lily? She had substance." Mark smirked, remembering the model's body more than any substance she might have had.
"No, Lily had tits and ass." Addison corrected.
"What can I say? I'm a tits and ass man. Look, I'm handsome and charming and I can find my own women, Ads." Mark said.
"I hope you're not telling them how handsome and charming that you think you are… But that would explain the quality issue that you're having." Addison sniffed.
"Why do I even hang out with you?" Mark threw up his hands. "All you do is criticize me!"
"Because I'm the only girl you know who will play Super Nintendo with you?" Addison suggested. Mark rolled his eyes.
"Hey, wait up!" a female voice behind them called.
A curvy, dark-haired junior literature major bounded toward them. Addison had met Hallie Smith in a British literature class that she took as an elective as a sophomore. After calling each other and whining about their assignments a few times, and a few nights out drinking, they had become close friends.
Hallie was at Columbia by the grace of scholarships, financial aid, and possibly because she was from Appalachia, which was treated by the university as an area it would like to have included in its heir "quota."
Hallie frequently whined that she had no idea why she was at Columbia with rich, spoiled trust fund babies (always forgetting that Addison was one of the silver-spoon born "brats" that she complained about, because Addison never acted the part). She often felt out of place and lost in New York City; so Addison, a native, had taken her under her wing, helping her figure out city life. Even so, Hallie was frequently homesick, missing the friendlier people and slower-paced lifestyle of her home state. Once, Hallie had spent an entire semester trying to convince Addison that a hot dog with beanless chili, mustard, coleslaw, and raw onions was far better than any doused in cheese. Addison had finally tried it to get her to shut up (though slaw on a hot dog was still really weird to her), and she had to admit that it was good.
"Hey, Hallie." Addison greeted her.
"Hey, Hal." Mark added.
Mark liked Hallie more than any of Addison's other friends. She had gained his respect when he learned through a drunken revelation that she had once had sex with a teaching assistant in one of the university's classrooms.
"I'm going to try to catch Dr. Conner and ask about my chem grade. But Sunday… You'll go with me to the airport to pick up Derek?" Mark asked.
Addison nodded. "I'll be there."
Mark flashed her a grin. "Later, babe. See ya, Hal." He turned and took off down another sidewalk.
"He totally wants you." Hallie observed in her soft southern drawl. "You should go out with him."
Addison rolled her eyes. They'd had that conversation many times before, and Addison always had the same response. "You think I want to be another Mark Sloan conquest? Please."
Hallie watched Mark's retreating figure, her eyes pausing for a moment to admire his ass (which she had once declared the finest she'd ever seen). "I don't think it'd be that way with you, Addie."
"It would." Addison insisted. "It's always the same with Mark. Lunch?"
Hallie shook her head in defeat. "Whatever you say, dear."
So, what do you think:)
In the next chapter, Derek will arrive (duh).
Kudos to you if you can figure out what state Hallie is from based on how she likes her hot dogs (and by the way, that IS the best way to have them). :)