Informing her mother of her grades was like slowly descending into battle. Very viscous battle.

Firstly, it would be simply walking into her house. That felt like marching onto the battleground.

Next would come the evil eyes, where her mother was perched on her usual pedestal at the kitchen, glasses glinting and cup of tea at the ready.

Then, she would stop at her mother and hold out the paper with the information of her grades, nervously awaiting the inevitable.

Finally, her mother would explode.

"I mean, really, Regina! This is ridiculous! You got a B minus for English? Really?!"

Wait till she saw maths.

"C minus?! Regina, did you not revise? Was all that time spent in your room revising or painting your nails?" her mother snapped.

One thing Regina disliked was how her mother was either too stereotypical or too traditional. If her daughters weren't studying, they were surely being young misfits by painting their nails, doing their hair or secretly meeting boys.

Honestly, mother.

Regina had indeed been revising. So much so that her brain felt like it had been battered several times by a golf club. It was the ridiculous amount that the teachers expected them to remember which was her problem. Plus, the fact that they seemed insistent on planting exams in the sweltering heat of summer, with ice-cream and cool drinks in their minds rather than the hot and bothering equation of an algebraic sum.

"You're grounded, Regina. For a month."

Whipping around irritably, Regina huffed and stormed to her room. No matter how hard she tried, nothing would be good enough for her mother.

On the way, Regina didn't miss her older, irritating sister Zelena loitering at the shadowy corner of the hall. Especially as Zelena was unmistakably snickering.

"Shut up." Regina mumbled, as her sister's snickers grew louder.

Another thing she disliked was how Zelena was considered the 'perfect girl' in their family. Regina's older sister always maintained top grades, was boasted about by many teachers, somehow was an amazing athlete along the way and everybody loved her.

Regina, on the other hand, was what you could describe as the complete opposite. It didn't particularly bother her. But for some reason, it bothered her mother. And because of this, Regina had to cope with her mother constantly shoving it in her face that she was not as 'perfect' as Zelena.

Once the door of her bedroom was slammed with the desired effect, Regina dropped her school bag by the door and slumped onto her bed, which was situated by her bedroom window.

Her bedroom was as simple as you could get; a bed, a wardrobe, a desk with the shittiest laptop on top and a neatly arranged row of bookshelves. Nothing special, although that didn't stop Regina from planning. Many bedroom ideas she had come across, but the Las Vegas one was the type she fell in love with.

When she had plucked up the courage to show her mother the pictures she'd come across on the internet (about a year ago), all Regina's mother did was let out a simpering chuckle.

"Keep dreaming, sweetheart."

That's exactly what she did. And she was going to do more.

When the heat of the sun that shone through her window became unbearable, Regina opened it slightly. Her attempt at cooling down her room was unsuccessful. Turned out that outside was just as boiling as her room. Great.

A sudden squeal of joy caught her attention, stopping her from returning to her bed.

Peering out her window, Regina saw from an angle her next door neighbours all in the sunshine, enjoying undoubtedly the beautiful weather and the end of school term.

Even if she would never admit it, Regina could say that she envied her neighbours. Their life seemed literally like a perfect fairy tale. Honestly, the next thing she knew, the whole street would be as perfect as freshly made gingerbread houses.

The parents— Mr and Mrs Nolan, as she recited— were laying on deck chairs, bathing in the sweet syrup sun. Hand in hand, just like a cliché couple. Their three kids were playing around the garden, laughing and just genuinely messing around.

Regina knew the eldest child, the only girl, was called Emma. Simply because Emma was her lab partner, which was an embarrassing fact in itself; where Emma thrived in Science, Regina struggled. Too much so that she longed to drop the damned subject.

The eldest boy she knew was called Henry— Regina remembered this because her own father was called Henry— so when her family moved here and met the neighbours, it was quite a coincidence.

The youngest boy, Regina wasn't sure the name to, however.

After a while of sadly watching this happy little family, Regina sighed and returned to her bed. She sure as hell didn't have a perfect family. Her sister was an irritating brat, her mother was too strict for words and her father was constantly shying away from the rest of his family.

Worst of all, she now had a whole summer break with nothing to do. Except remain obediently in her bedroom until her mother was satisfied.

Reading a book was a way to pass the time. Not particularly her favourite thing to do, but oh well.

It was when the sun dimmed that she began to grow tired. She glanced out of the window, expecting to see the curtains that blocked the window of her neighbour's house that was directly opposite her. Instead she saw Emma, grinning right at her.

"Have you watching me this whole time, you creep?" Regina hissed, snapping the book shut and opening her window wider as she realised that Emma also had her own window open.

"Not much better than you, considering how you were watching us earlier."

Regina's stomach plummeted and her cheeks burned scarlet. Sometimes she did things in an absent minded way which resulted with the most embarrassing things.

"Sorry, but I'm stuck here and I was hot and you were quite frankly being very conspicuous."

She was not pleased when Emma chuckled.

"Very full of yourself, aren't you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Regina frowned.

"You said you were 'hot'."

Oh wow. Seriously.

"You don't think I am?" Regina questioned, feeling like she was sauntering into some sort of game.

"Hmm, I don't know," Emma tilted he head in mock thoughtfulness, sticking her tongue out the cutest way. "I'm still pondering."

This time, Regina found that Emma wasn't the only one who chuckled. She didn't miss the way Emma gazed at her throughout the silence that ensued.

"So, I feel like you wanted to start a conversation with me."

Emma grinned again at Regina's statement.

"Yeah. I was playing on the Xbox, but then my annoying brothers stole it off me." She huffed. "So I came up here, 'cause mom and dad were being all sloppy again. Really, I just wanted to chat."

Regina smiled. It would be nice to chat.

"REGINA!"

She was in deep shit when her mother yelled at her like that.

Grimacing at Emma, Regina braced herself before swinging off her bed.

"Aw, come on. Wanna chat tomorrow, then?" She faintly heard Emma call.

In reply, Regina turned and nodded, returning the smirk of the blonde. However random this was, considering how Emma had never said a word to her the whole two years Regina had been at Storybrooke High (except for when they were leading out a Science experiment of some sort), Regina was glad that at least she wouldn't spend her grounded month in her bedroom isolated with a book.