When the school bus stopped outside the gates of Storybrooke High School, Zelena was the first one to step off. Stepping through the school gates, she carried an air of confidence with her as her schoolbag hung loosely from one shoulder. Zelena vaguely remembered the first time she entered Storybrooke High, and how frightened she was. Up until high school, she had been home-schooled by her dad, so the idea of spending all day away from home with other teenagers she didn't know was a terrifying prospect. However, as time went by, Zelena made acquaintances and managed to comfortably fit in with a group of girls. Now, she was in tenth grade, and going to high school brought very little anxiety to her now, mainly because there was nothing to fear. Socially, she was comfortable. Academically, she was sky-rocketing, to the point where it was practically guaranteed that she would get in a spot in the Gold classes this year.

For Grades 10 to 12, there was a system at Storybrooke High. There were Gold classes, reserved for the best of the best. Secondly, there were Silver classes, which were for people who were smart but not as smart as the Gold students. Finally, there were the general classes. Nobody who attended general classes were special. As far as the high school hierarchy went, the generals were considered dregs of society.
After achieving good grades in Grade 9, Zelena had been all but promised by the school that a special spot waited for her in Gold this year.

Zelena made her way across the Grade 10 area - a courtyard lined with benches, with each section of the courtyard naturally reserved for each respective social group. Her friends were sitting on a bench next to one of the gardens. Zelena walked over to her friends, who eventually noticed her.
"Hey Z!" exclaimed Glinda.
"Hi Zelena," said Regina cheerfully.
"Hey girls," Zelena waved back as she approached, before taking a seat next to Regina. Out of all of her friends, Regina Mills was her favourite. Regina and Zelena had a close connection, almost like sisters. Aside from Zelena and Regina, there was also Glinda, Ursula and Cecilia, who Zelena spoke to but wasn't really close to.
After twenty minutes of catching up with what had been going on, the siren blared, and they made their way to the assembly hall. When they arrived, the hall was packed, and finding available seats while navigating their way through the bustling and chatty crowd was a frustratingly difficult task. However, Zelena and Regina managed to find chairs next to each other. The other girls found seats behind them. When everyone was sitting down, the principal walked onto the platform at the front of the hall, and the crowd of students went silent.
"Good morning everyone," Mrs. Mills leaned into the microphone, "Welcome to another year of high school. I see some new faces up the front, and near the back, I see students in their final year before graduation..."
Mrs. Mills wasn't just the principal: she was also Regina's mom, and - according to Regina - a heartless bitch.
"When she found out I was dating Daniel, she freaked out," Regina once said, "She took my phone and sent him a break-up text, pretending to be me." If what Regina said was true, then Principal Cora Mills was a force to be reckoned with.

As the assembly went on, Zelena nearly found herself falling asleep, and stifled several yawns throughout the announcements. That was, until, they came to the announcement regarding the Gold classes. The vice principal handed Mrs. Mills a sheet of paper, which she read.
"If I call out your names, you will be attending the Gold classes this year..." she then proceeded to read out a list of students, "...Anastasia, Ariel, Aurora..."
"Oh great," muttered Zelena quietly, "Alphabetical order."
That meant she'd have to wait until the very end. Eventually, Mrs. Mills reached the latter half of the list.
"...Regina, Tiana, Ursula..."
She was getting closer.
"...Wendy, Will and William."
Zelena waited to hear her name.

But she didn't.

"Let's all give a round of applause to these newest additions to the Gold classes," Mrs. Mills said in conclusion. As the assembly hall erupted in applause, Zelena looked around, panic in her wide blue eyes.
"There's got to be a mistake," Zelena said to Regina, but her friend didn't hear her. Regina was occupied by people sitting in front of them, who were congratulating her. There's been an error, Zelena thought, That's all it is. An error. This sort of thing happened, and more often that the school would care to admit.
"Now," said Mrs. Mills, moving on, "If you hear your name called out, you're in Silver classes: Anton, Arthur, Ashley..."
Zelena tensed. Suddenly, a thought ate away at her attempts to regain confidence that she was right and they had blundered.
No. It can't be. They wouldn't.
"...Sean, Tamara, Tod..."
Doubt began to grow deep inside her.
"...Vanessa, Victor, Zelena."
"No," whispered Zelena aloud.
"Wait a minute," Ursula's voice came from behind her, "I thought Zelena said she was in Gold."
Zelena turned around sharply.
"I am," she snapped, defensively.
"Well, apparently you're not," shrugged Cecilia.
"Don't worry, Z..." Glinda smiled, "...I'm sure they made some mistake. You should go to the front office later and find out what's going on."
Zelena nodded,
"Oh, don't worry, I will."

When the assembly concluded, Zelena separated from her group and walked to the front office. When she arrived, a lady behind a desk saw her.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
"I'd like to speak to the principal," said Zelena.
"She's not available right now."
"The vice principal, then," Zelena replied curtly. The lady examined her for a moment.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No," answered Zelena.