Hello and welcome to my first modern-day AU. I have 3.5 chapters done and I'm hoping to update every few days. Thanks to my amazing betas Emma and Kat for all the input into the story. Here we go on another adventure!

I do not own Emma, Killian, or any other Once characters.

Mr. Spencer was known for being the toughest math teacher at Storybrooke High School. Although he was fair, he took no prisoners when it came to his Algebra 2 class.

And, unfortunately, Emma was a prisoner.

She had never been good at math. Her social workers always believed it was because she was moving around from foster family to foster family, and the different schools had different math curriculum. Her teachers assumed she just wasn't applying herself. Emma really didn't know the true meaning behind her dislike for the course, but each day brought more and more stress, confusion, and fear.

Senior year Algebra has definitely put up a fight for Emma, and today was the breaking point. Each test she took seemed to be worse than the rest, and Mr. Spencer had told her last week that this was the final straw.

This was the reason Emma's heart began to race as Mr. Spencer started passing back their most recent algebra test. Emma had studied really hard – even skipped Ruby's party last Friday and stayed in instead – and if she didn't get a B- or better, she was going to have to go to remedial math.

Mr. Spencer was pacing the rows, giving back papers with red marks on it. Emma watched as he turned around to look at her, licking his thumb to help take off the top piece of paper. She started breathing heavily as he slowly stepped towards her, but it wasn't until she saw him fold the paper and hold it upside down until her stomach officially dropped.

Folding the test paper always meant one thing: the teacher wanted to keep her exam private.

And Emma knew that he wasn't folding it to hide that she aced it.

Mr. Spencer placed the folded math test in front of her and continued on to the next student as Emma leaned forward, every part of her body dreading turning the paper over to find out exactly how badly she actually did.

Everything faded away as Emma turned over the pink packet and looked up in the top corner to find a big D circled in red ink with a little note written underneath. "See me after class!" was underlined three times in Mr. Spencer's scratchy handwriting. Emma immediately stuffed the test into her backpack and rested her head on her arms, leaning forward on her desk.

Emma felt a finger poke her back. "Emma…" the voice hissed, but Emma pretended not to notice. "EMMA!" she said a little louder, poking her back a little harder the second time.

Emma turned in her desk quickly, her hair whipping around as she turned to her best friend. "What?" Emma's voice was harsher than it should be, but she really was not in the mood.

"How'd you do?" Ruby asked, not backing down. Emma shook her head and glared at her friend, as if it were her fault, before turning back towards her own desk just as the bell rang signaling the end of the school day.

Everyone shuffled out of the room as Emma pretended to take more time packing up her things. Slowly, she walked up to the old man after everyone else left the room, taking more time than it usually would to get up there. "Mr. Spencer? You said you wanted to see me?" Emma asked quietly as the teacher looked up.

"Oh, yes!" Mr. Spencer presented a shocked tone, and Emma internally cringed at how he was acting like he forgot he wrote that note on her test. "Yes, Emma, we need to talk about your options in this math class."

"I promise I'll do better next time! I know I can!" Emma interrupted before Mr. Spencer could say any more.

Mr. Spencer was clearly not hearing any of it as he held up a hand to stop her. "Emma, I've given you many chances and I have no other option. If I don't move you to the other math class, you won't graduate with the rest of your class."

"But, Mr. Spencer—"

"This isn't a punishment. It's to help you succeed. Believe it or not, teachers try to help their students, not put them to shame."

"There has to be something I can do!" she whispered, almost to herself than to her teacher as she blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Mr. Spencer shook his head. "I'll make you a deal, Emma. You're going to have to take this alternate math class without negotiation, but if you can get three A's in a row, in addition to passing the final exam, you can come back to this math class next trimester."

"That… Shouldn't be too hard. Three A's and the final?" Emma thought about the deal and made a personal vow that she would be back to this class within three tests.

"In. A. Row. No A-'s, no B's in between. Three A's and passing the final, and you'll be back here with the majority of your classmates." Mr. Spencer held out his hand as if he was making some sort of business transaction. Emma looked between him and his hand before finally taking and shaking it. "I'll also be calling your parents tonight to let them know of the change in your schedule."

Emma took her hand out of his as her head turned down. "Thank you," she said as she turned towards the door.

"And Emma?" Mr. Spencer called as she was about to leave the classroom. "I think it might be a good idea if we set up a tutor for you. I need to work out the details a little bit, but come here tomorrow and I'll have one set up for you."

The sides of Emma's lips turned up in a fake smile as she left the room as if she was thankful for his generosity, but ended up bumping into Ruby as soon as she turned the corner.

Ruby pouted as she took in Emma's sad look, reaching over and embracing Emma in the most awkward hug that had ever been given. "I take it you didn't get the B-?" She was quiet and nurturing – the tone Ruby only saved for Emma in moments that she felt bad for her.

"Not by a long shot." Emma huffed as she slid to her locker, banging her head on the blue door until she was sure there was a dent in the metal. "I have to go to Mr. Jefferson's class now."

"Noooo!" Ruby said, much more dramatically than it needed to be. "That's going to be so embarrassing!"

Emma nodded her head in agreement. "Mr. Spencer said I'm not going to graduate in May if I don't go to remedial math." She twisted the lock three numbers until she could open the locker. "He said if I can get three A's and pass the final, I can come back next trimester."

"That shouldn't be too hard, especially if it's Mr. Jefferson's class." Ruby replied as Emma stuffed her bag with the rest of her class materials. "That class is supposed to be really easy and for the dum—" Ruby stopped when Emma shot her a look. "I'm sure you'll be back to our class in no time."

"He also said I need a tutor."

Ruby put her finger to her chin in mock thinking. "How do you even get a tutor?" Ruby asked.

"Hell if I know." Emma slammed the locker shut. "He said stop by his room tomorrow to figure out the details. Come on, I just want to get out of here and forget this entire day."

"Yesss!" Killian yelled as he pulled out a big white envelope from his mailbox with crimson letters spelling "Congratulations!" on the front. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" He shoved the rest of the mail back into the small box and ran across the street back to his house, almost tripping twice because he was reading his acceptance letter. "Liam? Dad!" Killian called throughout the house until he stumbled upon his father, typing ferociously on his laptop.

"Dad! Guess what?" Killian asked, hiding the envelope behind his back.

His father looked up from his work, clearly annoyed with the interruption. "What, Killian?" he asked. Yep, his tone was definitely annoyed, Killian thought, but in that moment he really didn't care what had his father in such a bad mood.

Killian whipped the envelope from its hiding spot and showed him. "I got in to Harvard!" he nearly shouted. "I'm going to Harvard!" Killian beamed with pride and said the sentence over and over again in his head. He had worked hard for four years for this – to go to the most prestigious University in Massachusetts, if not the United States.

"Congratulations, boy," his father said, not meeting Killian's enthusiasm by a long shot.

Killian's face dropped immediately. "What?" he asked, looking down at the letter that had only moments ago made him jump with glee.

Killian's father took off his glasses and set them on the table as he began rubbing his temples. When he looked up at Killian's pleading eyes, he finally began speaking. "Killian… I can't afford to send you there."

"But—"

"Even with scholarships and your savings account… It won't cover even a third of it, and I cannot simply spend all my saved-up money just to send you there."

"But—"

"No buts, Killian. Money doesn't grow on trees, and you'll have to just go to one of the backup colleges you applied to. I thought you liked the University of Maine."

"I didn't want to actually go there, Dad. It was exactly what you said: a backup college," Killian said weakly, more to himself than his father. "It was my dream college… I worked so hard…"

His father stood up and walked over to his son, patting Killian's shoulder as he passed to find the bottle of rum he kept locked up in his office. "I'm sorry, boy." Killian watched as his father poured a very generous amount of the amber liquid into a cup and drank the entire thing. "I just have to put my foot down on this one."

Killian dropped his head as he turned out of the study, walking briskly to his room and taking the stairs two at a time. He plopped down on his bed and threw the Harvard packet that he didn't even get to read across the room, anger flooding through his veins as he thought of the goal he reached, but had to decline.

Minutes, hours… Killian didn't know, but suddenly he heard the creak of his door opening. Killian quickly sat up as his brother stepped through the door. "What has you so troubled, little brother?" Liam pushed Killian's backpack off his desk chair and turned it to sit by Killian's bed.

"Hey! I have expensive stuff in there!" Killian yelled as he reached down and made sure all his electronics were still intact. "You better not have broken my calculator!"

Liam just rolled his eyes. "Why have you been in here brooding instead of eating dinner with us?"

"I got into Harvard…" Killian mumbled, and Liam's face lit up at the news.

"Congratulations, Killian! And here I only thought only one of the Jones boys was smart!" he joked, but his laughing manner stopped immediately as Killian didn't even try to joke back.

"Dad said I can't go."

"Why?" Liam asked, his body completely changing at Killian's words.

Killian shifted to his back. "Dad said we don't have the money to send me there, even with scholarships and my savings account."

"And…" Liam paused, waiting for Killian to continue.

"And so I'd be in thousands of dollars of debt just after buying my books!"

"And…"

"And what?"

"Well, there's gotta be a real reason you can't go." Liam said as if it was a fact. "Because money? That is weaker than your left hook!" Killian ignored the bad attempt at a wrestling joke. Liam had won the state title for wrestling twice before he joined the Navy, while Killian had absolutely no interest in the sport at all. He was a swimmer, and when his father originally tried to have him follow in his and his brother's footsteps, he had gone to his mother for help.

But that was a long time ago. He didn't have her to fight his battles anymore.

"Money is a big reason when it comes to college." Killian pointed out. "It's the reason a lot of people do or do not choose to go somewhere."

"Then get a job! There has to be something you are good enough at to make minimum wage as an after-school job." Liam replied. "Take out loans, get lots of scholarships, find a job, and work your damn butt off so that you can go be the greatest student Harvard has ever seen."

"You really think this might be a possibility for me?" Killian asked, suddenly unsure if this was some sort of ill-mannered joke.

Liam stood up. "If there is one man in this world that I know who could do this, it would be you, brother." With that, he walked towards the door before turning around. "I'll tell you what: whatever you can make this year and over the summer, I'll match."

"What?" Killian asked in shock.

But Liam just ended up shrugging. "What are big brothers for, if they can't help their little brother out when they get accepted to their dream college?" Without even waiting for a response or the protest from Killian, he left the room.