College Love 101

Summary: A fic based on the multiple viewpoints of three different students in three different colleges. The main character Lea has the most interaction with other characters. She and her boyfriend Mark Jones end up at different universities and must learn to grow separately if they can ever make it back together.

Rating: PG-13

Chapter 1: Lea’s Reminiscence

Lea Thompson (aptly named after the film actress of the same name because her parents went to see “Back to the Future” on their first date) gazed at her reflection in the mirror as the long locks of her wavy auburn hair fell to the floor around her chair. Margarita, the hairstylist at Salon Express, finished cutting Lea’s hair and then set down her scissors.

“You like it?” she asked in thick Hispanic accent, smiling at Lea hopefully.

“I do,” Lea answered sincerely, running her fingers through her freshly trimmed hair. Her hair, which had formerly fallen down past her waist, now just barely grazed her shoulders in a layered style. It certainly was a different look for her but she did like it. Different was good; change is good, she told herself. That had been her mantra for weeks now.

“Bueno,” Margarita said, quickly rubbing a comb through Lea’s thick hair. “You’re done, hija.”

Lea took thirty-five dollars from her wallet and dropped it on the table. It was enough to cover the haircut and a generous tip. “Thank you. Gracias,” she said. Turning on her heel, she walked out of the salon and towards the parking lot.

The sky seemed to stretch out before her in eons. It was a bright blue, perfectly clear and cloudless. Autumn in Southern California was beautiful. Residents still enjoyed the warmth of the past summer while at the same time being able to appreciate the beauty of watching crisp leaves brown before falling from the trees.

Lea was excited about going away to college (even though the university was just a short ride up the Pacific Coast Highway from her hometown of Cedar Cove). She was going to meet new people, do exciting new things, and have a blast.

Just then a little voice inside her mind chose right then to put a damper on her mood. Remember, Lea, Mark won’t be joining you. That was the one major blight on an otherwise perfect day.

Mark Jones, her longtime boyfriend and first love, would not be joining her at California University, where she was going on a full scholarship to pursue a career in medicine. He would be thousands of miles away in Pennsylvania at Wallace-Rice University. Mark had lived in the Keystone State for the first 15 years of his life and had longed to go back there and get reacquainted with his father’s side of the family. She could hardly begrudge him a reunion with the family he had grown up around before his father’s untimely death from a heart attack and yet she still she felt sad and missed him already.

He had been her first everything – first kiss, first love, and first time. They had been together for almost 3 years and she was worried what would become of them once they were apart. Now they would be long-distance lovers – their only contact through phone calls, letters, IMs, and emails until they returned home for the holidays. Lea had been warned by many people that long-distance relationships were always tricky but she was determined to make it through.

College will be awesome, she told herself. You’ll be so busy you won’t have any time to spend mooning over Mark. The months you will be apart will just fly by. And what about what Mom is always saying (jokingly) – “abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Lea could only hope that what she told herself ended up being true.

XoXoXo

Lea looked around the table at all of her friends gathered around their special table that evening at D’s Pizza. This had been “the gang’s” hangout practically since they were in diapers. This was the last night for all of them to be together before they went in their separate directions and they wanted to spend it together.

“Earth to Lea,” her cousin Carrie Marshall said, bringing Lea out of her thoughts. She had been quietly remembering all the good times they had all shared here together.

“I’m sorry. I was just reminiscing,” Lea said, feeling tears prick her eyes. “We had such awesome times – all of us here together.”

“Now don’t go getting all sentimental on me, cuz, or you’re going to make me cry and my makeup looks dynamite.” Carrie was not only Lea’s favorite cousin but also her best friend. They were completely opposite in every way but had managed to find common ground initially in their parents insistence that they look out for each other on the preschool playground. Their friendship had been cemented once Lea offered Carrie half of her tuna sandwich at lunchtime one day.

“I’ll try not to make you cry but I’m going to miss you,” Lea said, hugging Carrie tightly. “Tell me again why you decided to go across country and leave me behind.”

“You know why. NYMLU has an amazing theatre program and this thespian needs to practice her craft in a supportive environment,” Carrie said dramatically in her finest British accent. “First the lead in a university play; then next soap operas, Broadway, and film.”

“Well I wish you luck.”

Carrie swatted her arm. “Saying that is bad luck, Lea! You’re supposed to say break a leg.”

Lea chuckled. “Oops sorry.”

“You’d better be!” Carrie smiled.

“Are you actually going to take time out of your busy schedule to send me an email now and again?”

“I promise you to write you at least twice a week,” Carrie assured her.

“I am holding you to that,” Lea said, ruffling her hair.

“Hey watch the ‘do. I spent an hour teasing it until it looked this good,” Carrie said, ducking away with a laugh. “So are you excited about going to CU?”

Lea nodded, taking a sip of her lukewarm Coke. “Of course,” she said, not quite convincingly.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re too excited,” Carrie observed.

“I am just going to miss everyone – you and Mark especially, you know that.”

“Yeah I know. I am unforgettable and you and Mark are the greatest super couple since Bo and Hope. But if they could survive Stefano DiMera, you and Mark can definitely survive being a few miles apart.”

Lea laughed. “You and your silly soap operas.”

“I can’t live without them,” Carrie smiled. “I can’t wait to get to New York. I’m going to live it up!”

“I just bet you are.” Lea wished she could join in the excitement completely but was still holding back as she gazed across the table at Mark’s handsome mocha face. He caught her eye and smiled.

It had been Lea’s dream to attend California University for as long as she could remember. Her parents had met there and her paternal cousin Joshua Thompson was a junior there now so they would see each other a lot. Still, she would miss her old, comfortable, familiar life. She would miss going to school dances with Mark, hanging out at D’s with her group of friends, and spending time with Carrie when she dragged Lea all over the town shopping mall (which Lea had always claimed to hate but actually secretly loved).

Lea looked over at Mark and felt her chest tighten. He was sitting next to Dougie Brunson and they were involved in a deep conversation about the San Diego Chargers’ chances of making it to the Superbowl. (Cedar Cove was in a small suburb of San Diego.)

This was their last night together for awhile and suddenly Thanksgiving seemed years away, rather than just mere months. She was worried by then they would have drifted completely apart. Mark could find someone new in Pennsylvania. Perish the thought.

Tears sprung to her eyes and her mind suddenly drifted back to the first time they had met. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. She had been in tenth grade then, sitting in her first period AP European history class, trying to stay awake while Mrs. Hornet (pronounced Hor-nay although everyone called her Mrs. Horny behind her back) droned on about the French Revolution. All of a sudden, as if the invisible hands of fate made her, she had looked up into the eyes of a gorgeous black guy who had just walked into the classroom. He was clearly a new student – she certainly would have noticed him before if he wasn’t. He head was cleanly shaven and he had a perfectly chiseled face with large almond-shaped eyes under thick black eyelashes. He had smiled at her then and she found herself goofily smiling back as she flushed bright red to match her hair color.

Fortunately for Lea, Mrs., Hornet had assigned Mark the seat right beside her. She had shared her text book with him and they struck up a conversation when the teacher turned her back to write on the board. He had teased her about how bored she had looked when he walked in.

Lea had practically skipped out to her friends after class and when prompted by them to explain the reason for her apparent joy, she admitted that she had met the guy of her dreams.

And a little while after that first meeting, Mark had asked her out.

They were happy together although of course they had their issues (what normal red-blooded teenage couple didn’t?) but they weathered them together. Even though at first some of the students at Cedar Cove High did not approve of Lea, a white girl, and Mark, a black guy, dating they were eventually accepted into the school’s higher social rung. Mark played football and became very popular. After awhile the cruel “jungle fever” taunts died down. Lea and Mark had been through a lot together; surely they could endure a short-term separation …

Lea had never thought about another guy after she met Mark. She believed they were meant to be. She was going to miss him a lot but she had to believe that they would endure four years of short interactions and come out stronger in the end.

Lea wanted everyone to leave now so that she would have adequate time to say goodbye to Mark, and wish him luck before they had to go to their separate homes and finish packing (Lea only really had to put her disks with her laptop because she had been packed and ready to go for over a week now). She didn’t want to say goodbye in front of everyone else. They deserved their time alone.

She decided if she didn’t do something soon, her friends would be there all night. And as much as she loved them all, she needed some time with her “boo” (as Carrie was known to refer to Mark).

“Ahem,” she cleared her throat. “Shouldn’t everyone be heading home?” She hoped they would take the hint and leave so that she and Mark could hold each other one last time in the booth where they had shared their first kiss. It seemed appropriate for them to say their “goodbyes” to each other here.

“Oh yeah we probably should,” Carrie said, getting to her feet and sliding her coat on. Everyone immediately surrounded her wishing her luck at her university (to which she replied “don’t any of you know how to say ‘break a leg’?”). Then they all streamed around the others, hugging and wishing each other well.

Dougie Brunson walked over to Lea. “Lea, I’ll only be fifty miles away while Mark will be miles and miles away. If you get lonely, you know who to call.”

Lea smiled. “Thanks.” Dougie, though close friends with Mark, had never made it a secret that he wanted to pursue a romantic – or at least, sexual – relationship with Lea.

“Take care, cutie,” he said, kissing her cheek. Then he shook Mark’s hand and walked out with the rest of the group.

Lea and Mark were finally alone. Mark came around the table to her and slid into the booth beside her. He took her hand and smiled. Lea snuggled up to him, savoring the moment in his arms. She never wanted it to end.

“God, babe, you feel so perfect in my arms,” he said, resting his chin on top of her head.

“You do too.”

Mark kissed her forehead. “Well I guess this is it,” he said. “The moment I’ve been dreading since we first met.”

“Yeah I guess it is.” Lea felt her eyes burning with unshed tears and knew she would not be able to hold them back for very long.

Mark pulled away from her and fished around in his pocket for something. He retrieved an envelope and a little box. He reached for her hand and laid them gently on her palm and then folded her fingers around them.

“What’s this for?” she asked.

“Something to remember me by,” Mark replied.

“You honestly think I can just forget you and all you’ve meant to me?” She asked, caressing his clean-shaven face.

“No but I just want to always be in your heart,” he said. “Don’t open them now though. Open them tomorrow, after you’ve gotten all settled in at your new dorm.”

“Okay but I don’t have anything for you,” she said. Mark had always been so romantic so she should have expected he would do something wonderful for her to say goodbye and she should have planned to reciprocate.

“That’s okay,” he said. “I don’t need anything from you. As cheesy as this may sound, you’ve already given me everything I want.”

“That’s sweet,” she said. “But I do have something for you.” She reached behind her neck and unclasped the backing on her necklace. It was a real Topaz birthstone she had received from her grandmother Edie on her fourteenth birthday. She never took it off but now it seemed appropriate for Mark to have it.

Mark shook his head as she held it out to him. “I’m not taking that. You love it.”

“Take it or I won’t take your gifts either,” she said stubbornly.

“You drive a hard bargain,” he said with a smile, slipping the necklace into his pocket. “I don’t want to leave you, Red.” He pressed his lips to hers softly. Lea returned the kiss, slipping her tongue inside his mouth until the kiss grew in urgency and they were tightly holding onto each other, gasping for breath.

They heard someone shout “get a room!” behind them so they reluctantly wrenched apart. Lea wiped tears off her face and smiled. “We can still cause a stir after all this time, huh?”

“You know it.”

“I love you, Mark. I know the next few months will be hard but I’m willing to ride it out if you are.”

“Of course I am. I love you so much and we’re in it for real, Red. We will be together again soon and better than ever,” he said, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.

“I hope you are right …”

“I know I am,” he said, kissing her on the lips again until someone hissed “they are sex-crazed animals!”