The Story Begins Here: NYU School Campus

"..Go away, Seth."Alexis smirked weakly, and looked towards the dorm building entrance.

Seth reached out and ruffled up her hair very thoroughly, and with practiced swiftness kudos to his practice with Lola. And Lucifer. But Lola tended to bite back. "Fine, fine, ungrateful brat."

"Uh huh."Alexis smirked and waved at him. "Seeya later, Seth."She said, before heading over to the building entrance and on in.

Seth turned and headed back to the subway stop. He boarded a northbound train, headed toward Midtown West.

[[Seth to SoM and oblivion]]

Alexis was sat at a table outside of the cafe, her feet propped up on the table and her seat leaning back some as she stared down at her phone, texting Connor. She had been talking to him about her current living situation and not sure what to do about it. Honestly, she didn't even realize that he was going here.

Cousin or not, they didn't talk about things like that much. He was more of a friend and someone she could learn on for support if it was needed. She told him bye and dropped her phone down on the table, letting her head drop back and she closed her eyes.

The sun was beating down nicely, but it wasn't to warm thanks to the breeze that drafted through. She counted through all the possibilities she had to fix her living problems.

Ashlee- but she had a roommate and to be closer to her, and start nick picking what Ashlee was better at then herself, wasn't going to help herself emotionally at all.

Go back to her old dorm- but that would consist of moving everything back in, and living in an awkward situation with her ex?-friend.

Continue to sleep on Lola's couch- That had high possibilities of her needing a back brace if that continued. It wasn't a good place to sleep but for the time being it helped, if she could continue to run on three hours of sleep.

"Yo...Alexis?" She heard from behind her, swearing she knew the voice as she sat up, opening her eyes and turned around to see the cousin she was just talking too on the phone.

"..Connor?"

"Uhm- Heh, hi." Connor smirked slightly going over. "When you said kicked out of your dorm I didn't know you meant kicked out of your NYU dorm..."

Seth was fiddling with his phone as he walked across campus. He'd left Lucifer at his penthouse apartment, where the cat had more room to destroy things and not people.

He glanced around as he neared the cafe, knowing Lucifer's least favourite person - after Jake - was probably going to be here somewhere. Connor had said he was free.

He spotted him a few tables away and turned, making hsi way past people and around furniture to thumb Connor's shoulder. "Hey, loser." He glanced past Connor and smirked instinctively when he saw who Connor was looking at. "Hey, Issues."

Alexis looked up at him and nodded slightly before looking to the side and at the campus. "Hey."She mumbled.

"Ah- Hi Cheez-Itz. Why you calling my cuz', "Issues"?"Connor asked, shrugging his arm off and eying him.

Seth shrugged. "Yeah. She has major issues. As her cousin, you should know that."

He walked around Connor and sat down opposite Alexis. "What're you doing out here though?"

"Giving Lola her space."Alexis said, leaning her head back again, eyes closed and soaking up the sun.

"She does not- She just can't tolerate people like you, my good sir with cheesed pants." Connor grinned, pulling another seat from a table over and sitting down in it.

Seth rolled his eyes at Connor. "Let it go, guy. I'm sure they'll allow us back there at some point in the next year or so."

He glanced at Alexis. "Why not just stay in yoru own room? I mean, you don't really have to see Red at all; just leave real quick before she does?"

"Already moved my stuff back out."Alexis said, obviously tired from the tone of her voice.

Connor grumbled to himself, checking his phone and trying to remember when he was suppose to meet Luke.

[[ Ashlee and Luke from Luke and James' apartment]]


Ashlee and Lucas came onto campus, they had been quiet for the most part, and she wondered how he was doing it had been awhile since they talked to each other.

"Lucas I felt like I haven't talked to you in quiet some time. Fill me in on your life, your adventures. Minus the James brawl, how's the wife and kids?" She asked him smiling.

Luke pulled a face. "What and the who?" he asked, and then shrugged as they entered the campus grounds. "My parents are fine and Lila's starting middle school now. So she's in that annoying age where she reads teen magazines and listens to crappy pop music."

***

Seth raised an eyebrow. "Hm, true. But they're giving you your money back, right?"

"I guess so."Alexis shrugged, leaning her head back up and opening her eyes to look at Seth. "Doesn't really matter- I just want a bed to sleep in."

"Ha I remember being that age, I grew out of it... well I still listen to crappy pop music but you know what I mean." Ashlee laughed thinking back, on her teenage days, although she was still a teenager.

"Luke why are you so down? Do you need a hug?" She said looking up at him and she wrapped her arm around him giving him a small squeeze.

Seth tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, honestly, why not try looking for an apartment? Because you want to hurry before all the ones near campus are gone. You might have to look in Midtown though. Greenwich is pricey for a college kid."

***

Luke sighed and tried not to trip as he kept walking with Ashlee clinging to him like an oversized leech. The thought brought a funny image to mind and he held back a grin.

"I'm not down," he replied honestly, smiling down at her. And he wasn't. Maybe a little annoyed. Maybe confused and somewhat wounded. But not down. He didn't do that, at least, he liked to think he didn't.

"And you still listen to shitty pop music and read angsty magazines, so technically, you're still a bratty tween," he informed her.

"Yeah- I probably will... I'd be happy to stay in a hotel at this point though." Alexis said with a slight bitter tone, as she rubbed at her aching eyes, glad she had skipped out on any make up that day.

Ashlee punched him playfully, "Hey its why everyone loves me, I hold on to my inner child. Mr. I play video games and my guitar look at my depth." She said sticking her tongue out at Luke imtating him.

Seth frowned at Alexis, just a bit unsettled by her depressed mood. And then he caught sight of a familiar face over her shoulder. The blond was kind of far off though, and Seth was terrible with remembering faces. "Isn't that whatsisface, Luke?" A petite, dark-haired girl was clinging to him around the waist and he seemed to be having trouble walking as he smiled down at her.

Seth raised an eyebrow. Huh, thought he was with someone else. Whatever. It wasn't like it was his business so he shrugged and kicked Connor's leg. "Sit down, Allergies."

***

Luke grinned because Ashlee was completely right.. "Well, I like to keep my mind young, you know? There's a difference between that and between being a total kid."

Alexis opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at Luke and... Ashlee clinging around his waist. She felt a breath catch in her throat and she turned around, staring at her phone intently. Was that the reason he was acting so weird? Because he was "running away" like Evelyn said and liked someone better? Or.. well, liked her again.

Connor flinched and sat down, flipping Seth off before pausing at the look at Alexis face and nudged Seth.

"Oh so I'm a kid huh?" Ashlee started making faces at Luke and poking him in the side.

Seth shot Alexis a studying glance and then flicked his gaze to the blond approaching behind her.

Ah shit. Why am I always put into this shoulder-to-cry-on position? I don't do this shit. He gritted his teeth, wondering what exactly was wrong with that blond kid. He hadn't struck Seth as a player-type.

Seth sighed to himself and leaned forwards, tapping the table in front of Alexis to make her look up. "So I have a question. When a girl tells you she has a "guy friend", what the hell does that mean?" he asked her arbitrarily. "I just want to know so I can calculate the odds of my getting my face punched in for every five girls i hit on."

***

Luke jerked aside and swatted Ashlee's poking fingers away. "Hey, hey! I'm ticklish there! And I hit that side on the fridge handle the other day too, so it hurts now." He glanced up as he reached out and ruffled Ashlee's hair up to make it flop on her face. "Oh, there's Connor."

And Connor was sitting with Seth and some other girl. Perfect, Luke fumed. More reason to hang out with Seth.

"She's probably hiding a boyfriend from you..." Alexis said, mentally flinching at this and grabbed her phone, shoving it in her pocket.

Connor bit at his bottom lip in worry for his cousin before waving over at Luke as he headed over.

Ashlee elbowed Luke in the stomach and saw the others and she waved at Alexis and Connor, "Hey!"

Luke flashed a smile at Connor and nodded briefly at Seth, trying not to let his dismay show. "'Sup?"

"Who's the hottie, Lucas?" Seth asked wolfishly, giving Ashlee a very slow once-over. He smiled and Luke resisted the urge to grind his teeth. He had no idea how James put up with this douche.

"Ashlee," he said, forcing politeness into his tone. I'm the nice guy, remember that and just keep it cool, he reminded himself. He glanced at her and dropped his fake tone. "Ash, that's the devil's advocate."

Seth shot him an amused, tolerant smile. "You flatter me; Seth will do just fine." He leaned over and held out his hand across the table for Ashlee's.

Luke looked away and his gaze landed on...Alexis?

FML, ran through his mind, but all he said aloud was a calm, "Hey, Le - Alexis."