Author's Note: This is a modern-day AU set in a high school art class (well, mostly). I went ahead and wrote out both of the first two chapters at once to give each side of the first encounters you're about to follow. As this is an AU, expect the boys and girls to be a bit out of character at times... I'll try not to butcher too many of them. As the description says, this story will feature the White Rose pairing, albeit not for a while.

Disclaimers: I don't own RWBY in any way. The school grading structure presented here is based on the American system in which high school is four years long and is made up of grades 9-12. Also students start the freshman year at the age of 14-ish. I guarantee no expertise in a lot of subjects, but Ruby's hobby and passion in this story just happens to be one I know a lot about.

...

Oum High School was no different from the other four high schools in the county. It was large enough to accommodate the required number of students, it offered the same classes as the other schools, and it was close to the edge of town. Probably the only thing that set it apart was the fact that it was named after the man who started the town itself, and in his honor it featured a very tall lighthouse. It wasn't a proper working structure, but it did have a light at the top that glowed at night, giving the local residents a good landmark for traveling. Most of the students simply took to calling it The Beacon.

Ruby Rose was 14 years old, one year younger than the average sophomore (10th grader). This was mainly due to the fact that she had been skipped ahead just last year and had missed her freshman year entirely. This wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that she also had to change schools at the last minute. All of her friends were going to Shawcross High on the other side of town, leaving her to enter the upper grades on her own. There would be no help from her older sister Yang either, since the blonde was in a ...rather different situation than her own. Unlike Ruby, Yang had actually been held back a year after 3rd grade (it had something to do with a long-term suspension following a big fight, which resulted in suffering grades). This meant that now, with an age difference of two years between them, Ruby and Yang were both in the 10th grade at the same school at the same time. Joy.

This is how Ruby now found herself staring up at The Beacon from the school's front gate, wishing she were anywhere else. Also, it was really freaking early in the morning. She yawned loudly, her jaw popping from the effort.

Suddenly Yang's need for a morning coffee isn't so weird after all... she thought with a groan.

She wore a solid black t-shirt and knee-length jean shorts, since it was still muggy from the late summer heat. She had on her usual black hiking boots and a cheap red department store backpack slung over one shoulder. Her short, dark red hair was styled into a spiky look, with longer portions hanging over the right side of her face. Her unusual silver-colored eyes, which were normally bright and full of life, were rather droopy in these early morning hours. She took a moment to stretch her arms over her head with a grunt before heading inside.

...

She took maybe ten minutes in line to get her new school schedule, and she was riddled with different emotions upon learning which classes would become her hour-long prison sessions.

Algebra-1 didn't sound so bad, since Ruby happened to be good with math.

Why in the hell did she end up in 'Advanced' English?!

There was a sinking feeling when she noticed Biology-1 midway through the list. Science stuff was her weakness.

And I just KNOW I'm going to have a metric TON of homework by the time I get home. Yang probably will too... The redhead grimaced at the thought of the two of them getting home with equally overstuffed backpacks and sore backs.

The final class on her list brought a sparkle to Ruby's eye: Art-1. The only class she had been anticipating all summer. The fact that it was at the end of the day did little to dampen her spirits on the matter.

...

Ruby had only seen Yang two times today: before getting to school was the first one, and then she found herself taking the same Biology class during second period. This turned out to be both good and bad in that Ruby had someone to talk to and ask questions, but it also meant that their step-sister relationship would likely be found out - and if Ruby had learned anything from her previous school, it's that teenagers loved to spread rumors and gossip. Yang didn't seem to mind that happening as much, but after a bit of prodding from Ruby she agreed to simply not bring it up. There was less chance of it getting out that way.

And it was pretty complex. Ruby and her mother (who had died five years ago) were mostly of a French descent (hence the family name Rose). Yang and her father were actually of Chinese descent (although you'd never tell from looking), and Yang's father had married Ruby's mother just a few years before she died. This meant that Ruby was basically an orphan and adopted at the same time. Needless to say this was rather difficult to explain to new people.

Anyway, on with the day.

World History was more fun than Ruby expected, but that was mainly due to the class' rather ...unusual teacher. Ruby knew it would take her at least a week to get his name right, but he certainly stood out with his hyperactive nature and his green hair (which he swore was his 5-year-old daughter's fault). The redhead found herself enthralled by the man's various stories, probably due to the fact that none of them lasted more than two minutes regardless of length.

Math and English proved a bit boring. It wasn't the subject, dear gods no, it was the teachers. Ruby had no idea a woman as good looking as Ms. Glynda Goodwitch could make one of her favorite topics so ...tedious. The man called Ozpin did almost no teaching at all, preferring instead to have the students read out loud. For the entire class. 'Advanced' English my ass, Ruby thought crossly.

Finally it was time for the last class of the day. Ruby stood just outside of the door to the Art Room, which was perfectly identical to all the other doors in the hallway, and took a deep breath. This was what she had been looking forward to all day. This was possibly the one subject she'd take with her for the rest of her life... if life didn't throw her too many curve balls, that is.

She grabbed the door handle, released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and went inside.

...

The first thing she noticed was that there were actually two art rooms that were separated by a small office with two doors, allowing full access between them. The room she was in, room 217, was the room for drawing, painting, and charcoal work. This was the Flat room, she'd later learn it was called. Peering through the large windows on either side of the small office, Ruby found that the other art room, 216, held taller desks and had numerous workstations around the edges. There were no projects in sight, but she noticed a few small tools that could be used to form a shape ...sculpting tools, maybe? That room was apparently called the Clay room. Three guesses what they did in there.

They had no teacher in their room at first, so Ruby and the few other students simply settled themselves into the seats of their choice, while she noticed that the 20-odd desks were arranged in a U-shape around an open central area. Within that area sat a circular, solid-looking box, almost like a stage, where Ruby imagined they'd see different subjects for their assignments waiting. Possibly a live model? She could only hope.

The redhead gazed around the room and took in the sights - two large cabinet units each on three of the four walls (a large desk for the teacher on the other one), a set of shelves with a large number of brightly colored paint bottles and various other artsy supplies, and a utility room sink in the corner. Ruby knew just enough about painting to know it was for rinsing the brushes off when you're done with them. She smirked as she thought of her beloved colored pencils. No need to rinse THEM off after a good coloring, now is there? Buncha' suckers...

Once she sat down, Ruby resigned herself to quietly waiting for their mystery teacher. She fought the urge to tap her fingernails on the smooth surface of the desk as she looked around, examining the faces of her new classmates. This was mainly a defense mechanism as the girl who had suddenly sat herself next to Ruby caused the girl to go into a mild panic attack... because damn was she good-looking.

Anyway, there were eighteen students, twelve girls and six boys. Counting herself, there were four redheads, six blondes, and eight brunettes of varying shades (mostly dark brown). One of said brunettes had a really cool hairstyle - she had one large section of hair curled into a single bang that faded from dark brown to a lighter shade as it reached the tip. Ruby made a mental note to try and draw that into her next doodle. And there was one pony-tailed hairstyle that shone a brilliant platinum blonde just to her left, but Ruby was really trying to not look at it... lest she become unable to look away.

Okay, focus. The eye colors were quite random, with lots of blues and greens mixed in with a few browns. She counted eight pairs of eyeglasses on various faces, a few large and bulky and others slim and lightweight. Most likely there were a few contact lens wearers, but there was no way for her to tell that. Of course, there was also a pair of gorgeous ice-blue eyes just to her le- Goddammit! I'm not here to stare, I'm here to draw!

...

Ruby had wanted to be a graphic designer (of some kind) for most of her life by this point. Whether it be in the fashion industry or in web design, she knew she wanted a major career in art... but her pursuit of this hobby led to the unintentional discovery of her ...unpopular sexual orientation. In shorter words, she found out that she might actually be gay by... drawing lots of girls. Good-looking girls. She was really enjoying drawing lots of girls, some in sexy and kinky ways. Needless to say, she took really freaking good care to keep those drawings from ever seeing the light of day. As such, Ruby was confident that her ...preferences were safely tucked away in the closet (to be honest, she actually didn't like drawing guys, which gave her theory some credence). Her only daily struggle was to keep herself from staring at real girls like she did her drawings. Whenever she did stare, she always told herself it was for gathering reference material. Yeah, that's it. Just references.

But then Ruby had to find herself sitting next to the single most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. On top of that, she had no doubt that this girl was at least a few years older. That would put her more in line with Yang's age group. By comparison, Ruby was still ...basically a kid. The phrase 'out of her league' came to mind just then.

With her panic finally fading, she thought The best I can hope for is that we can just be friends. That's all. Don't expect anything more than that!

"Okay, this is officially ridiculous. Are we just going to sit here all class?" The mystery girl sounded a bit upset, her ponytail swaying as her head spun. Ruby looked at the clock and groaned... if they did have a teacher coming, he or she was already fifteen minutes late. As she realized this, another thought occurred to her - the girl to her left sounded like she came from a very high-class, ...prissy background. Likely a rich girl. But if that was the case, why was she in a public school...?

The girl with the cool brown hair from across the room spoke up next, answering the question, "I guess we just do study hall for now." Nearly all of the kids in the room wordlessly pulled out a book or magazine and quietly started reading.

Ruby was a bit downtrodden. Maybe she'd just gotten her hopes up? She was tempted to pull out her own sketch book and draw something, but resisted in the hope that maybe someone would show up and give them something to do. After almost five minutes, however, that hope seemed in vain. Even the girl next to her had pulled a book out for some reading, although her brow was furrowed in annoyance... and Ruby really, really didn't want to start staring now of all times

Finally ready to admit defeat, she pulled up her bag, opened the zipper, reached in... and then the door opened. Ruby gave an angry grunt.

"Sorry I'm late," a gravely male voice said, "they called me in a bit ...last minute." The man almost spat the last words, indicating that there was no appreciation behind them. "Your real teacher, Ms. Fall, had to run to the hospital for a family emergency. So you're stuck with me for now."

Ruby took a moment to look over the new arrival. He stood rather tall and his black hair was mostly slicked back on his head save for a few large strands that hung over his brow. His face was a few days without a shave and his eyes were a dark shade of red. He wore a gray button-up shirt that was probably pulled out of his clothes hamper, along with a descent pair of black slacks.

"My name's Qrow, spelled with a 'Q'. I'll be your substitute for the next ...eh, little while." There was a collective murmuring from the room, which the man took as some kind of greeting. He then looked around in a sort of ...confused state before walking to the corner of the room and grabbing a potted (fake) plant and setting it on the stage in the center. "This is an art class, right?" He pointed to the plant, "So, uh... draw that." He began walking back to the desk saying, "I don't care if it's just a scribble... draw something, put your name on it, and put it on the desk before the day's out. That's all they need from me, anyway," he shrugged.

The man named Qrow sat down and promptly leaned back in the chair with his eyes shut. The students in the room looked around in stunned silence, unsure of what to do. Nobody seemed to want to move. Any form of energy that had been present before the man arrived was now gone.

Ruby was the first to stand up, not saying a word, and walk over to the supply shelf. She grabbed a sheet of paper from the large ream at waist level, grabbed a pencil from the nearby cup, and sat back down at her desk. The other kids slowly followed her example, grabbing their own paper and pencil and sitting down to work. Soon the light whooshing sound of graphite over parchment filled the room with it's whispers, punctuated by the occasional mutter of an eraser. Ruby smiled. She loved these sounds.

After several minutes the students began talking to each other in low tones, giving Ruby the sense that they thought of the classroom in the same sense as a library. She didn't listen to any of it. She continued drawing until the bell rang.

By the end of the class, the desk was newly decorated with simple pencil drawings of a sort-of potted plant. At least, most of them were simple. Some were the scribbles Qrow was expecting, but others... well, he seemed to have at least one overachiever in the class. Even though he only ended up giving them about 40 minutes to work, the girl called Ruby had done an impressive job by including a fair amount of shading. No one else had gone that far. Hell, she even went out of her way to erase the smudges left by her hand as she worked.

Even though 'art' was not his strong suit, Qrow sensed that this class might be kind of fun. Since he'd be stuck with them for a week or so, that would certainly help.

Ruby, however, could only head home thinking I hope that class doesn't SUCK tomorrow.

...

A/N: So that happened. This one might take a bit longer since I'm writing with a bit of my own experiences peppered into the mix. Just a bit, don't worry.

I'm putting up the next chapter right away, so it should be ready to read for ya.