Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT and A Walk to Remember is by Nicholas Sparks. I borrowed some of their ideas for my personal enjoyment and hopefully, others' as well. I changed/added some plots to make this story my own.

Chapter 1

It was not a typical Monday afternoon in Maine High. Emma Nolan felt it in the air. The day was fine until she passed by Tink talking to THE group of popular girls in the hallway. Their voices were low but she caught the words 'tonight' and 'old dump site.' It almost made her grab Tink's hand to pull her away from the other girls. It's not that they were friends—she barely had any friends—but the popular girls were not Tink's friends either, though the latter obviously wanted to be part of the group.

The group, composed of Regina Mills, Maleficent Drake, Cella De Ville, and Ula Waters had been friends for as long as everyone in their school can remember. Old money and power bound their families together. Tink was a new student during freshmen year, and since then she had tried to be part of the group by doing errands for the It girls and became a source of amusement for them, among other things. It had been going on for three years now and Emma thought that maybe the four young women were finally giving in to Tink's wish But whatever it was they were planning to do at the old dump site will not be good.

When Emma rounded the corner, she stopped and decided to wait for Tink and talk to her. With her mind made up, she turned back and almost bumped into none other than Regina. Regina simply raised her eyebrow as if wondering why Emma was blocking their way. Emma took a moment to look around and noticed that Tink was not with them. She must have gone the other way. Emma murmured an 'excuse me' and went in search of Tink.

Emma felt eyes following her.

#

"Dad, you're on the night shift tonight, right?" Emma asked her father over the phone. She had not been able to find Tink. She even waited by the school gate.

"I am, Em. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm quite good tonight actually." Emma paused, thinking of what to tell her father. Her father, David, was a deputy and part of his job was to make rounds in their community. It will be a perfect opportunity for her to help Tink just in case her feeling of dread was justified. "When you drive around tonight, can you pass by the old dump site?"

David knew that Emma will not ask him that unless it was important so he did not ask why. "What should I watch out for?"

"Just some girls at school."

"Okay, sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Daddy."

#

The school was abuzz the next day. David was still asleep when Emma left for school so she was not able to ask him if anything happened. But apparently, a student was brought in at the hospital last night and was still in critical condition. Emma received a note from her teacher that she was to go to the principal's office after lunch. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes and she heard murmurs from inside. The door opened and Principal Gold told her to come inside. She was surprised to come face to face with Regina Mills.

Principal Gold sat back on his chair and motioned for her to do the same on the chair opposite Regina. Emma turned slightly towards him so that she was not facing the other girl.

"Miss Mills, this is Emma Nolan. She will be your partner for the next six months. Whatever extracurricular activity she does, you will also do. That includes tutorial sessions every Wednesday after school at Maine Elementary School, joining the school play, and volunteering at the Soup Kitchen. Did I miss any of your activities, Miss Nolan?"

"No, sir, but can I ask what this is about?" Emma asked. She dared to look at Regina but the latter was looking straight ahead as if she wasn't there.

Principal Gold turned to Regina. "If you have no further questions, Miss Mills, that would be all."

Regina simply took her bag and left.

The principal waited for her to close the door before addressing Emma. "Miss Nolan, I am sure you have heard the gossip about one of our students. I would leave you to connect the dots. Let us just say that Miss Mills needs to make up for something but jail is not a place for minors. Mayor Mills had a talk with the Sheriff and they agreed that community service will probably help teach her daughter to be more considerate of other people. It just so happened that your connection to the police force and the kind of activities you are involved in makes you the perfect candidate to monitor Regina's progress."

"Okay…" Emma said after a pause. "What do I need to do?"

Gold stood up and walked towards the door. Emma took it as a cue to leave. She stood up and walked towards him. "I just need you to make sure that Regina takes an active part in these activities. If she fails to attend these things, you must let me know."

#

Regina sat down beside her on the bus taking them to Maine Elementary School. They have not spoken to each other since yesterday. Emma tried to catch her after school just to give her the details about the tutorial session the next day but Regina seemed not to notice her when she sped past a waving Emma.

"You came." Emma smiled, relieved that her first report to the principal was not about Regina's absence. For some reason, she really wanted Regina to pass her community service. "Do you have an idea what we do in these sessions?"

Silence. Emma tried again. "We each get one student and" Emma watched as Regina pulled out her iPhone and plugged in her earphones. She clearly heard what song Regina was listening to. She let out a sigh and sat back in her chair. It was going to be a very long six months.

To be continued.