stanford } { the life and times of a college girl

[braveandstupid]

Most of the time, Elena has to pinch herself to believe that she's actually here.

She still doesn't know how she got in. Her grades for her junior and senior year weren't exactly stellar, but she's trying not to question it too much. Questioning things in the past two years has never gotten her anything but trouble, and she wants Stanford to be a fresh start. A clean slate where she wouldn't have to worry about Klaus, vampires, werewolves or witches. She would just get to be Elena.

She really missed being Elena.

(However, even if she just wants to be Elena, that doesn't mean she forgets everything. She still gets an apartment off campus in her name, just in case.)

Right now, however, she's wandering the campus and getting used to her surroundings. Everything about this is amazing and larger than life. It's not Mystic Falls, and there's a part of that that's completely terrifying, but also exhilarating. She's not little Elena Gilbert, the girl who lost her parents and nearly everyone else she's ever loved. She's just Elena Gilbert, freshman English major at Stanford University.

This could actually be fun.

Provided she doesn't kill someone by colliding with them on her first day. That's what she gets for looking up.

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[saved]

Sam Winchester has missed being Sam.

Or rather, he'd missed finding out who that even is. He has missed being acquainted with the concept of normal. This is something he wanted and needed to do for himself, and he knew he would never be able to as long as he remained under his father's thumb like Dean seemed so willing to do. He had a mind of his own, wants of his own, and it had nothing to do with the hunting.

It consumes his father and Sam knew he needed the distance. He needed to put space between himself and how it's consumed him, or there wouldn't be anything of him left, even if he couldn't find a way to tell them until that last night.

He's pushed it out of his mind, and he's something like a fish out of water as he acquaints himself with the campus. It's nothing like he could've dreamed it would be and everything he could need.

Some things never change, however.

Case in point: Sam Winchester, pre-law at Stanford University, possesses awkwardness which knows no bounds. He stumbles on a step and collides with one Elena Gilbert. He winces as his books scatter across the floor, reaching instinctively toward her to break the fall.

Or he hopes it will. "Sorry. Sorry. I, uh. Should watch where I'm going."

[braveandstupid]

When awkwardness which knows no bounds meets the eternal klutz, there's bound to be damage of some kind, but not majorly. Mostly a few bruises, and those heal. She does, however, catch herself on his arms, and laughs a bit as she starts to straighten.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't exactly looking either."

She then immediately drops down to start to help him gather his books. "This place has a way of ... really drawing your attention."

[saved]

Sam glances up at her again after having caught the sight of her face, throat locking up. Or maybe that's his tongue. He is really rusty at this whole talking-to-a-really-pretty-girl thing. Okay, who's kidding? He was never all that great to start with, and he's woefully unprepared.

For a lot of things.

He ducks his head and chuckles. "You too, huh? It's good to know I'm not the only one. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

[braveandstupid]

She glances up with a smile and shakes her head. "Nothing but my dignity. And frankly, I've done enough damage to that lately that I think it can take it."

She gathers the books together and extends them to him. "I'm Elena."

[saved]

"Your dignity's intact where I'm concerned," Sam assures her, and he smiles up at her as she extends the books to him. He shoves them under his arm and unfurls to his full height. It's quite impressive, to those that are just meeting him, and he sticks out his hand.

"I'm Sam. It's nice meeting you. Circumstances... aside."

Hopefully, she knows what he means.

[braveandstupid]

She does, and she shifts her bag so that she can extend her hand as well. "Elena. It's nice to meet you as well."

He's the first person she's really met on campus. It's starting to make it feel real, in more ways than one.

[saved]

Elena's the first person Sam's meeting, too. He'd been all bluster and bravado, confronting his father the day before he left, knowing it's what he needed to do. Sam's always been seeking what shred of normalcy he could find, but more over, he wants somewhere he feels he belongs. Now that he's here, he's not sure where to start.

Maybe that's the point.

"Ah -- is this your first year, too?" he asks sheepishly, a hand still at the back of his head.

[braveandstupid]

"Yeah," she nods. "I have no idea what I'm studying yet. Right now, I'm still kind of in shock that I'm here."

Alive and human are the caveats to that statement, but Sam doesn't have to know that. Even so, she never thought she'd get out of Mystic Falls, but still -- here she is. The whole moment is still a little surreal.

[saved]

"You and me both," Sam says, though he turns to her curiously. The sentiment obviously doesn't apply in the same way, Sam, despite your little propensity to overindentify. And obviously, there are some things Elena doesn't have to know about, either, but...

He's finally on his own. Countless of miles in between himself and Dean and his father.

[braveandstupid]

"But that's what our freshman year is supposed to be about, right? Figuring out what we want to do with the rest of our lives."

[saved]

"I hope so," Sam says, clearing his throat when he realizes how much weight he has put into those three words alone. He tries for another smile, somewhat awkwardly. He doesn't want to be off-putting when he's genuinely liking Elena, he's just... Sam. And he's awkward.

"Do you by any chance want to get a cup of coffee or something?"

[braveandstupid]

Elena Gilbert never says no to coffee. She glances over at him with a smile, before nodding. "Yeah. I'd like that."