Once Upon a Time in Band Camp
It's hot, everyone is buzzing with excitement, and there is the magical noise of sounding off in count. Emma took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of dewy grass, and earth. She loves this time of summer because of one thing she's waited so long for: band camp. Everyone she knows LOVES band camp!
"Emma! Get in your section!" she was told loudly by the band director. She nodded in acknowledgment and ran over to the trumpet section, quickly getting embraced by her best friend Ruby. The two laughed and then were called to attention, they stopped their talking and snapped their hands to attention; they didn't have their trumpets.
"Now, I'm one of your two section leaders. I'm Neal. Your other section leader is James," a charming young man spoke domineeringly to the section of returners and freshman. Another charming young man came closer and smiled.
"Hey, I'm James," he quipped. The leaders kept talking, and they were still at attention. Emma's muscles started to quiver and ache. She bit her lip to keep from giving into the pain. She cut her eyes over to Ruby, whose shoulder muscles were also shaking but she was obviously paying it no mind because she was too busy ogling James. Emma closed her eyes and rolled them.
"Shake it out everyone," James said and everyone groaned, letting loose. Emma rubbed her shoulders and stretched them out for a while. She looked up and saw the Colour Guard doing their drills. Emma nudged Ruby and nodded over to the girls twirling flags. Ruby cut her eyes over to Emma before wolf-whistling at them. They all looked over to the two trumpet players and started giggling. One stood out though; a tan girl with long black hair and dark eyes. She and Emma locked eyes for what seemed like forever before turning away. The tan young woman went to the front of the girls and gave a demonstration with her flag.
"Wow… she's gorgeous," Emma said in awe. Ruby nudged the awestruck blonde, shaking her from Cloud 9.
"She's too old for you honey. Besides, she's called the Evil Queen by everyone. I wouldn't associate myself with that particular Guardie. She's rude, but her name's Regina anyway," a small dark-headed girl said while passing her. "I'm Mary Margaret," she smiled as she put her hand out. Emma looked at this frail looking young woman before shaking her hand.
"I'm Emma, nice to meet you. What is it you play?"
"I don't play anything per se. I'm a drum major for this year. I used to play flute though!" Mary Margaret added cheerily before walking away to where she needed to be.
Regina, huh? Well, Regina will meet me and know me quite well soon enough. Emma thought with a grin that rivaled that of Ruby's.
Each drill was mundane to Emma, but one thing stuck in her mind the whole time: Why hadn't I seen Regina before?
Every year Emma and Ruby made it a ritual to look at the guard girls and pick out the hotties or the cute newbies. The blonde trumpet had never seen someone so tan BEFORE band camp. After was a whole different story. Everyone had multiple tan lines. Ruby was an exception: she's always pale.
Maybe Regina hasn't been around when I looked at them? Oh well, I'm going to meet her! It's my sophomore year and I want to meet someone nice for me. Everyone who was close to Emma knew she was gay, but she was selective of who knew. Those who were close to the band director were out even if they were her best friend because something like that will get you kicked out. She's been known as the heartbreaker around school but in band, she's the saviour. Whenever someone is troubled or gets hurt, she's there right when it happens. Some say she's psychic but if you ask her she'll say that she's just in the right place at the right time.
Regina on the other hand, is Emma's opposite. She hurts people, and is known as the Evil Queen. She's a senior and single. Sure, she messes around but never engages in a relationship. Regina has seen the cute blonde in the trumpet section before, but never did anything, but when she whistled at her, her heart jumped. She had a small crush on the girl since last year, since she first saw her. When she turned away, she made a secret plan to eat lunch with her. A grin crossed her lips at the thought of how flustered she will make her. This is rather exciting, she said to herself, feeling that she was getting rather "excited" at this.
As lunch rolled around, everyone was in the hallway eating and chattering excitedly about what's to come; when the tall brunette walked in, silence fell instantly and all eyes were on her. She scanned the hall for the blonde and found her alone. Smirking, she finally spoke.
"As you were everyone," she said clearly and everything resumed. Emma sat still at the silken voice she heard. Her breaths were slightly shallower as the footsteps approached her.
"Is… this seat taken?" Regina asked kindly, gesturing to the spot next to Emma. The blonde shook her head and the guard girl sat next to her.
"Hi, I'm Regina Mills. What's your name?" Emma turned and looked into the dark eyes and saw how beautiful they were. She sat for a bit opening and closing her mouth in a good imitation of a fish before answering.
"I-I-I'm Emma. I-It's nice to meet you, Regina. What do you do?" Emma stuttered out, trying to make smooth conversation. A side smile was given to the sophomore.
"I'm in Colour Guard, and I see you are a trumpet," she said gesturing to the red ring around her lips. Emma's eyes went wide as she realized that Regina was looking at her lips.
"Uhh yeah, I'm a trumpet player. Second year," Emma exclaimed excitedly, slowly relaxing around the brunette. Regina chuckled at the young girl as she saw the blonde warming up to her.
"This is my last year. I'm a senior and I wanna go out with a bang, you know?" Regina said, smiling gently at her young blonde, who chuckled softly.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." The pair talked all lunch and slowly got closer to each other. At first nothing touched, now their hips were touching. The blonde realized this and started blushing brightly and the senior remained unfazed for she knew how close they were. She just needed evidence that she liked her as well.
"I think lunch is over Regina," Emma whispered before rising from her spot. She offered her hand to the brunette to help her up. Regina smiled and took her hand and rose, but didn't release the hand.
"We should have lunch together every day, Emma," she said before kissing her cheek and walking away, leaving a dazed blonde behind her. Regina smiled triumphantly as she reentered the bandroom, causing everyone to look at her in wonder. Not long after her arrival, came the young trumpet player, still dazed and red-cheeked.
"Well, well, well I see my little Emma found herself a lady, eh?" Ruby teased as the said girl approached her section. Emma shot her friend a glare that told her to bugger off but then smiled because she was right. Emma looked over and saw her guard girl looking at her. She threw over a wink to the brunette which elicited a light blush. Nothing that the sun won't cover up, Emma thought with a smirk.
"I think I could get used to having someone like her Rubes," the blonde told her friend, still slightly dazed. The dark-haired trumpet smiled and nudged her friend.
"If so, then sit with her all the time. Sit with her on the bus for football games. No one ever sits with her, I think she'd like you sitting with her," Ruby said with a wink. Emma looked at her confusedly. Her friends since they were young have been inseparable since they first met.
"What? What about you Ruby? I always have sat with you. What changed?" Ruby looked over to a cute clarinet girl: Lacey. Emma smirked at her, understanding. Ruby's sexuality is very fluid and she is indiscriminate. She'll have boy-toys, girl-toys, and even tran-toys sometimes. With a roll of the eyes, the two agreed to sit with their crushes on the band bus.
Seat signup day has arrived. Emma rushed to the door to sign for her spot next to Regina to find her at the door then. The senior looked back and saw her young trumpet and smiled.
"Do you… want to sit together, Emma?" she asked innocently, already knowing the answer. Emma smiled and nodded.
"I would love to. Which bus are you sitting on? The first eats first," to Emma, the food was more important than anything else. As long as she has Regina and food, she's happy.
"Always thinking with your stomach, eh Swan?" Regina said with a chuckle. "Alright, first bus and you pick where. Sound good?" A broad smile crossed Emma's lips as she agreed. She chose the front part of the bus on the left because she's been in a habit of choosing the left first, also because the left side went first for food and to go to the stands/get their instruments. Emma signed her name for the inside seat and looked to Regina.
"Is this seat okay for you?" she asked tentatively, fearing she didn't like it. Regina took the pencil from Emma's hand, grazing their fingertips together. She signed her name next to hers, tying her R to the A of Emma's name.
"Wherever you choose, is fine with me," she whispered in the blonde's ear, causing her to shudder at the warmth on her neck. "As long as I can have a bit of fun with you, I'm perfectly content."
School has just started and ever since band camp, there wasn't a day where they didn't talk or hang out together. Regina wanted to do more with her, but she didn't want to scare the little one off. She wasn't even sure if Emma was like her. No one else knew about her, not even her closest friends knew. She guards herself carefully and with strong conviction, so how did this sophomore manage to get past her walls? Regina didn't mind this; it kind of startled her though. No one has ever made it through her walls before; no one since Daniel. He was where she went wrong in life, relationship-wise that is. She swore that she won't ever commit again to someone she didn't feel anything for. She is adhering to what she vowed, because she felt something for Emma but she wasn't sure of what it was she was feeling.
"So Regina, which lunch do you have; I want to hang out with you if we have the same lunch, if that's alright with you that is," the young blonde asked in a small voice as they were walking away. Regina smiled and took her hand, lacing together their fingers. This wasn't an uncommon gesture between the two because they've held hands before so it wasn't weird.
"First, which do you have? I wouldn't mind at all if we hung out at lunch, I think it could be fun for us both," the brunette said truthfully. Emma smiled not only because she has the same lunch at the brown-eyed beauty, but because of how honest she is with only her. She had told her before that no one else has gotten farther than she has in her life and gotten past her thick walls with such ease.
"It's a date. Today at lunch I will meet you in the bandroom and we will go wherever you want," Emma said with her grin still in place. Before Regina could answer Emma had darted off, only for her to return again. "Before I leave again," she said softly to her and pulled the senior close. Regina's eyes widened and her heart fluttered in delight. The first brush of their lips was very curious but sure before they fully met. Emma Swan is kissing me… was the only thought Regina could form before kissing her back. Emma pulled away and smiled at her guard girl still dazed.
"More is for later my dear," she whispered slyly before taking off again, not to return until lunch. Regina was left surprised and kind of wanting.