A/N: For those of you not familiar with the American high school system, "AP" stands for "Advanced Placement". Those and "honors" classes are alternate classes you can take in lieu of the regular ones if you need harder material.

Again, my betas Emma and Kat are spectacular!

"Emma! Could you come here?" A soft voice called through the door. Emma hung her head as she followed the sound into the living room, where her foster parents had clearly been discussing things in hushed tones.

"Oh, hi," Emma didn't meet either of their eyes. She had somehow found the perfect foster parents – ones that had kept her for the past four years, her whole high school career – and she felt worse about letting them down than she did about most other things. "Did Mr. Spencer call?" she asked, finding her way to the lone chair opposite the loveseat Robin and Marian were sitting at.

"He did," Robin nodded, and Emma noticed her foster father grab his wife's hand. "We heard about the math test."

"I tried really hard, I promise!" Emma cut in before Robin could say anything else. "I studied more for that test than I have for all my other classes combined. I didn't just blow it off…"

Marian smiled sweetly, even if her warm, comforting face was the last thing Emma deserved. "Math is difficult, and we should have realized that it wasn't a strong subject for you before you insisted on going into Mr. Spencer's class. We think he's right. Mr. Jefferson's class might be more suited to your strengths."

Emma's heartbeat slowed. "You're not… mad?"

"Well, I can't say we're pleased about that D or that you're switching math classes in the middle of the trimester," Robin started, "And, for that, you are grounded for a week, but I wouldn't say we're mad…"

"Including this weekend?" Emma whined as she thought of David's birthday party and her anniversary dinner with Walsh, and that was just next weekend.

"I'm sorry, Emma. But school is much more important for your future than going out with friends. You're only going to be allowed to go to school, work, and the tutor Mr. Spencer is setting up for you." Emma slouched in the chair, but nodded in understanding.

"Go on up to your room and try to get some homework done. I'll call you down when it's time for dinner," Marian ordered, and Emma stood up to hug each of her foster parents before climbing the stairs to her room.

"Mr. Spencer?" Killian knocked on the math classroom door and waited until the teacher nodded and welcomed him in with his hand before entering the room. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"

Mr. Spencer looked up from the papers he was shuffling through at to find a timid looking Killian standing in front of him. "Welcome, Killian. Is there something I can do to help you this morning?" He looked down at his watch just to make sure Killian really was standing in his classroom well before school started.

"Um, yes. Do you remember a few months ago when I asked you to write me that recommendation for Harvard?" Killian asked and waited until Mr. Spencer nodded before continuing. "Well, I just got my acceptance letter last night."

"Congratulations, Killian. If I thought any of my students could get into that University, it would be you." Mr. Spencer gave him a big grin. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Killian replied, not missing Mr. Spencer's compliment and wishing his own father could have had the same sentiment. "Well, you see, I realize I'm going to have to start saving up, and I was hoping your offer to be a school tutor still stands?" Killian shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly very self-conscious of his question.

"You do know that the open positions filled in October when I originally asked you," Mr. Spencer lectured, and Killian's heart sank. He looked down at his shoes, and just before he was about to thank him for his time and leave, Mr. Spencer started talking again. "But, you're in luck. I have a student that needs a tutor, and I think you'll be perfect for the task."

A smile on Killian's face spread instantly. "Really?" He could hardly contain his excitement.

Mr. Spencer chuckled – something that the students at Storybrooke High only rumored about. "Yes, but it's not going to be easy. This student is having a lot of trouble in math." Killian nodded in understanding. "I'll set up your first meeting after school today. Come back to my room at 2:45 and we can get you both acquainted."

"Thank you!" Killian nearly shouted as the bell signaling for the school day to start in five minutes rang. "I have to go, but thank you!"

Killian ran out of Mr. Spencer's room just as he heard the words "No running!" shouted from the classroom, but he didn't care about the teacher's warnings. All he cared about was that this was his first step towards going to Harvard.

"You're going to be a tutor?" Kathryn asked at lunch. "I thought you were annoyed when Mr. Spencer asked you in October!"

Killian shrugged. "I guess a spot opened up and I need to start saving if I want to go to Harvard. He said the student is going to need a lot of help."

"But you've always hated tutoring. You said it's a waste of time because the student rarely does better and is only there because their parents make them." Victor said as he put a big bite of his peanut butter sandwich in his mouth.

"Yeah, well this time I'm going to get paid for it."

"Why don't you just teach swim lessons?" Phillip suggested while his hand was draped over his girlfriend, Aurora's, chair. "Wouldn't you enjoy that more?"

"I've already talked to the Storybrooke Community Pool and I'm going to teach swimming at night to preschool and elementary kids, and I'm going to lifeguard on the weekends."

"Wow," Victor said through his big bite, causing Killian to cringe at the sandwich in his mouth. "You're going to be really crabby."

"What does that even mean?" Killian was slightly offended by his friend's statement. "And don't answer until you swallow."

Victor made a dramatic show of chewing the food and swallowing before telling him. "You're going to be tutoring, teaching kids to swim, and being a lifeguard in addition to going to school and swimming and all those other extracurriculars you do to build your resume?"

Killian hadn't really thought of that when he suddenly took all the jobs, but his determination and cockiness took over any hesitation he had. He smiled his half smile. "Who needs sleep, anyway?"

"Grounded?" Ruby almost yelled.

"Shhh!" Emma hissed, telling her best friend to be quiet. "I don't want people to know!"

"But you're going to miss David's party!"

"Don't you think I know that? And it's my second anniversary with Walsh! God, this could not have come at a worse time." Emma said as she and Ruby walked into their sixth period study hall. Like always, David, Mary Margaret, Walsh, and August reserved the back table, waving them over. "And tonight I'm meeting my new tutor."

Ruby looked interested. "Do you know who it is?"

"No clue."

Emma sat down next to Walsh, letting him kiss her cheek while Ruby sat down next to her. "Emma's grounded!" Ruby let out before Emma got a chance to say anything.

Emma threw her an angry look, but it was an empty one since she could never be truly mad at her. "I'm sorry, David. I have to miss your birthday party."

David popped his eyebrow. "You never get grounded. What did you do?"

"I didn't get the B- on my last math test. Marian and Robin grounded me for a week." Emma let out a big breath. "And I have to go to Mr. Jefferson's math class starting next period."

"Wow… That's rough," August said as he opened up his history textbook, seemingly bored with the conversation. "I would be mortified if that was me."

"Hey now!" Mary Margaret lectured August from across the table. She turned towards Emma. "Well, I think it might be good for you. You're always so stressed out about getting a good grade in Mr. Spencer's math class. Maybe an easy class like Mr. Jefferson's is just what you need."

Emma shrugged at her friend's encouragement. "Or, it could be the death of my reputation."

As if on cue, the bell for sixth period rang, and the entire room quieted as Ms. Superior sat down at the desk. Everyone got out their respective study materials and began working at their own pace.

"What does that mean about Friday night?" Walsh dared to whisper. Ms. Superior was known to be uptight about talking during study hall. She only allowed quiet whispering during the last five minutes of class.

"What do you think it means?" Emma asked back, hoping that since her spot was so far away from her teacher, she wouldn't notice. "We're just going to have to celebrate in a few weeks instead."

"But that's not our anniversary!" Walsh pouted, and Emma couldn't help but think of how sweet it was that her boyfriend wanted to celebrate such a momentous event on the actual day.

"Well, there's nothing I can really do, bud. We'll hang out during school instead."

"Emma! Walsh! Get to work!" Ms. Superior called from her desk. Walsh sighed as he took out his AP Algebra homework. Emma watched as he started working on his math problem, wishing nothing more than to have his brain at that moment.

Emma pulled out her English homework and started writing the outline for the paper she had to write on Romeo and Juliet due next week.