Emma Nolan and Regina Mills had never been friends. They grew up in the same neighborhood, elementary school, high school, and now they went to the same college. Their parents couldn't stand each other. Mary Margaret and David Nolan were kind to everyone including their next door neighbors, Henry and Cora Mills. Cora was not a kindly woman. She couldn't stand the Nolan's.
Neal Cassidy and Robin Hood had been best friends since they met in kindergarten. They were in the same apartment building, baseball team, football team, elementary school and high school. Richard Gold and his ex wife Michele Cassidy got divorced before Neal was born. He took her name and went to his dad. Richard had remarried the local librarian, Belle French. Robin's mother died during his brother's birth and his father, Derek Hood, worked at the nypd.
Emma and Regina both went to Harvard for college. Emma majored in criminal justice while Regina majored in politics. Emma wanted to be a cop, like her father. Regina wanted to be mayor of the small town they lived in, called Storybrooke.
Robin went to Harvard as well and majored in criminal justice. He had a second major of physiology. Neal got into Harvard as well. He majored in criminal justice and law. Robin wanted to be a physiologist for the local police department. Neal wanted to be a detective for the NYPD. he and Robin lived in Manhattan, New York.
Robin and Neal checked in at their assigned location and found out they were roommates. They said goodbye to Neal's parents, who had brought them out there and went up to their room. They boys unpacked and relaxed until they heard a knock at the door. Neal put down his superman comic and answered the door. He smiled. A black haired woman stood in front of him with a scowl on her face.
"Would you mind switching rooms with me? I can't stand my roommate." She said.
"I'm afraid I can't switch with you. Guys with guys and girls with girls. Besides, my roommate is a jock. He's annoying as hell." Neal said jokingly as Robin joined him at the door.
"Shut up. At least I don't read superman comic when I'm eighteen." Robin said.
"You're a nerd? My roommate and you would get along great. She's annoying and she'll talk your ear off. You can read all you want and ignore her." Regina said and put her hands on her hips.
"Neal Cassidy. And I already have that. Robin here never shuts up about sports or anything. Sports or physiology."
"Regina Mills. Yeah, I'll just stick with the cops then."
Robin walks back to lay on his bed and stare at the newest issue of play boy magazine. Neal looked at Regina.
"How about you and I go check out campus and you can tell me all about this roommate of yours?" Neal asked and Regina nodded.
"Alright. I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes." With that she left to go back to her room. She opened the door to find Emma reading a book of fairy tales her father gave her.
"Good news. There's another nerd across the hall. You two will get along great." Regina said sarcastically.
"At least my mother didn't have to buy my way in."
"Because a softball scholarship is such a big achievement." Regina said even more sarcastically.
Emma rolled her eyes and put her book down. "Look, we're stuck with each other until one of us can switch. We might as well try to be nice to each other for the time being." Emma said and went back to her book.
Regina grabbed her phone and purse before leaving the room. She went down the stairs and saw Neal leaning against the wall smiling at her. She smiled back and they started walking around campus. Neal acted as though he knew this place like the back of his hand. She looked at him and smiled wider.
"Have you been here before?" She asked.
He laughed slightly and shook his head. "As a student, no. My papa and I used to come out here often when he was dating my step-mother. She was a student here then."
"Oh. Where are you from?"
"Manhattan. Born in a small town called Storybrooke though. My mother still lives there,"
"That's where I was born and raised. My parents run Mill's pawn."
He nodded. "I know. My papa owns a small pawn shop back home. Gold's. He does a lot of deals with your parents."
She laughed slightly. "That's quite ironic. You're Richard's son?"
He nodded again. "Yes, ma'am. I'm nothing like him though. I can't stand pawn shops, honestly. I'd rather be out doing something all day then just standing there."
"Me as well. What are you majoring in?"
"Criminal justice and law. I wanna be a detective for the NYPD."
She smiled and nodded. "I'm majoring in politics. I want to be mayor in Storybrooke."
"Why Storybrooke? You would have my vote in New York, that's for sure."
She laughed. "I've never been a big city girl. I mean New York is amazing, but still."
"Here's an advantage to New York, I'm there."
She laughed again and shook her head. "So tell me about your family."
"I've got two brothers. Ricky, he's fourteen and and Michael is three. My step-mom is pregnant again, three months. We all believe that family is everything and without it no matter how much money you have, you aren't rich. What about you?"
"I've got a brother who is thirteen. His name is Henry junior. We are the complete opposite of your family. Money and fame is everything. I hate it, to be honest."
He took and squeezed her hand gently. "Yeah, well we can't all have good families, I guess."
"Yeah that's for sure." She smiled and squeezed his hand back.
They walked around campus for a couple hours and went back to their dorms when it was dark out. He walked her to his room and she gave him his jacket back as he had given it to her when it got cold. She asked for his phone and he gave it to her. She put her number in and handed it back.
"Call me sometime, Neal. Maybe we can meet for lunch for something."
"Yeah, I would like that. Goodnight, Regina."
"Goodnight, Neal." She went into her dorm room and Emma looked at her from her laptop.
"How was the date?"
"It wasn't a date and that's none of your business." She said.
"His roommate came over. He's really cool. He's gonna be on the football team here. Gonna take us to finals too.." She was going to continue talking before regions cut her off.
"I honestly don't care, Nolan. I just want to go to sleep so I can get up on time tomorrow and go tinny classes." Regina got her pajamas and went to the bathroom to change.
Neal walked back to his apartment and saw robin still looking at play boy.
"Close your mouth before you choke on a fly." Neal said as he got his clothes to change. Robin looked at him.
"You're just jealous you would never be able to land a girl like her." Robin pointed to a picture and Neal looked at it.
He knew that woman. It was Michele, his mother.
Neal and Regina laid down while their roommates stared at magazines and fell asleep. Both wasted nothing more then to pass college. Both had dreams about each other that they would probably never admit.
Robin and Emma both went to bed at one am after having stared at the opposite sex in magazines. Neither really focused on what to do this year or later. They only knew they liked one another.