A/N: Uhm yeah hei. So this is the first chapter of the story, like where the actual story begins. Thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows, I'm so grateful for it! I've never really written like this before (like, this kind of story anyway), so go easy puh-leaseee :D Uhm. I think that's all! I hope you like itt :p

I own nothing. Except the trees, I still own those.


"I honestly don't know why you can't leave me alone about this, Rubes!"

The blonde's cry can be heard throughout the diner, along with all the agitation that was in the tone. Luckily, the woman and her friend were the only ones there this morning.

"I'm just saying! It's gonna be great!"

Emma Swan shakes her head at her friend, "I don't have time to go to the party tonight, Ruby. I'm probably gonna have an assignment anyway."

"Whatever." Ruby scoffs, "It's the first day of your senior year, who would give you homework?"

"Well, thanks to the Dean being a douchebag, I've landed myself in Philosophy 101 with Mills."

Ruby's mouth formed an 'o', "Yeah…" she drawls, "That's gonna suck."

"At least I have you for encouragement." Emma mutters, smirking up from her coffee.

"Uh huh, you do. And that is why you're going tonight!" Ruby flashes another smile.

"I'm out." Emma laughs, setting down her empty cup and throwing Ruby's tip on the table, "I don't want to be late to her class, anyway."

"You know I'm just messin' with you, right? If you don't wanna go, you don't have to." Ruby comments, handing her blonde friend the red jacket that occupied her seat.

"I know, Rubes." Emma smiles, hugging her friend, "Catch ya later?"

Ruby nods her head as she waves her friend out the door, "Yes! Now go! Don't be late, she'll like, eat you alive!"

The blonde woman laughs once more at her friend as she closes the door behind her, tightening her jacket as the relatively cool morning air seeps into her body. Emma adjusted the bag on her shoulder as she checked her phone. It was just now a quarter past eight.

Shit. Her class started at eight-thirty. Philosophy was in the east wing.

Which, normally wouldn't have mattered, except for the fact that she had fifteen minutes to not have her ass be grass and the east wing was at least a twenty minute walk. Letting out a deep breath, Emma slid the other backpack strap over her shoulder and began jogging. It wouldn't do well to make a bad impression, especially with someone like Regina Mills. According to Ruby, she had the hardest class on campus. No student had a strategy for dealing with the woman because no one knew anything about her. She was also said to be one of the most private professors in the campus, it took four years for anyone to figure out her first name, and even then it was only because someone overheard the Dean slip up.

In short, the woman was an enigma. And not one that Emma wanted to have a beef with on day one of her senior year.

One last year in the damn school and she'd be free to go. That is, if she could survive this class and earn the damn credit. Easier said than done, it would seem. Emma turned the last corner to the east wing and ran through the glass doors. Pulling out her schedule, she caught the room number -113- and began sprinting to the end of the hall. According to the clock at the end of said hallway, she was late by two minutes. Skidding to a halt outside the door, Emma stopped briefly to fix her state of dress before quietly opening the door to the lecture hall.

She was met with around sixty pairs of eyes; plus one more from the front of the room that seemed to be staring into her soul.

"Uhm…" Emma stuttered, scuffing her boot lightly on the marble floor, a habit of hers that she'd yet to kick.

"You must be Emma Swan, I presume?"

The professor's voice floated through the room and into Emma's ears and she couldn't quite decide if it was lethalness or curiosity that carried along with it.

"Yeah, uh, sorry about being late." Emma began to apologize, "I lost track of time and I had to jog here and I just-"

"Save it, Miss Swan." the next words came out very clearly and very icy.

Emma opened her mouth to speak and then decided against it, instead nodding her head to the woman.

"Please, have a seat."

Emma did, choosing the chair in the last row and closest to the door. She set her bag on the floor after taking out her books and began to try and focus on what the professor was saying.

She heard bits and pieces of the rules but honest to god she really wasn't paying much attention to anything the woman was saying, rather, Emma focused solely on the details of the brunette. She actually didn't look much older than Emma herself, and the blonde suspected that if you swapped the blazer and dress pants for some jeans and a sweatshirt, Professor Mills would fit right in with the student body.

As the hour went on, Emma began to see why everyone thought the professor was so mysterious. She hardly showed any emotion, that one was for sure, but her face was rather unreadable as well. She gave no details about herself, no little funny story to lighten up the mood of the class, it was straightforward and precise; all delivered in a voice and expression that matched. Emma hadn't actually noticed that she'd zoned out, focusing only on how the brunette walked back and forth, and how extremely well the outfit fit her, until she heard the assignment being announced.

A three page paper Murphy's Law. There it is, she thinks.

"Isn't this supposed to be Philosophy, not Science." a boy's voice rang out from somewhere in the middle of the hall.

Emma gulped as the brunette's eyes hardened.

"An astute observation, Mr. Lindt. If you aren't familiar with Murphy's law, I recall from last year that your powers of Google are very adept. Perhaps you should start there."

The woman's tone sent chills down Emma's spine, and the kid who had spoken was left with a beet red face.

This would prove to be an interesting year.

All things aside, when the bell signals the end of class, Emma still isn't convinced that the woman moving back to her desk is such a cold person. Nor does she believe that the Professor is any kind of hardass who should be feared above all else. Truthfully speaking, from what Ruby had said, the blonde was expecting someone evil, and as far as evilness goes; Mrs. Teterman over in the Sophomore Chemistry department takes the cake. Emma looked once more up at Regina Mills and smiled softly. Professor Mills piqued an interest in Emma Swan, because Emma suspected, and she was usually right, that there was more to the brunette than her stoic speeches let on. The woman wasn't any scarier than any other teacher in the building, at least, she didn't appear that way to Emma; she actually looked like she could be one of the nicer ones, if you could peel back the layers. And Emma would peel them back, if it was the last thing she did, because she knew that the brunette instructor with the hard demeanor definitely had an interesting story.

She just had yet to find out.

"So, how was your first day with the Dragon Lady?"

Emma looked up from her phone to find Ruby plopping down next to her in the library.

"It was okay. I mean, we have an essay due tomorrow, but I really don't think she's all that bad."

Ruby giggled, "Are you sure you were in the right classroom? Like, the right Ms. Mills?"

"Positive, Rubes. Maybe you just had her on a bad day."

Ruby scoffed, "Yeah, if all year is a bad day."

Emma smirked at her friend, "Ookay." she sighs, " Anyway, wanna write an essay for me?"

"Hmm mm. What's it over?"

"Murphy's Law." Emma sighed, "Luckily Mrs. Teterman drilled that shit into my head second year."

"Is that the one that says like, anything bad that can happen will happen?"

"Basically." Emma muttered, pulling out her laptop to begin writing the damn thing.

"Well, I'll take that as my cue. See ya later, Em?" Ruby says to the blonde, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah, Rubes. Have fun at the party!" Emma called out after her, smirking as the librarian shushed her.

Emma trained her eyes back on the computer screen, reading over her topic once more. However, she found it quite difficult to focus; her thoughts constantly moving back to her brunette professor.

Not only would it be interesting, but it seemed that this year would prove to be long as well.