Chapter 7
Emma sat angrily staring at the two brunettes, sure Regina threw an occasional smile her way, but Emma had never seen her so happy in the two years they had been in the same honors classes together. Regina Mills never did anything more than scowl at everyone with the exception for her. Now some random rich new girl was making the woman of her dreams happy.
Emma knew she should never have gotten her hopes up. She would never ever be good enough for Regina Mills. Cora had told her as much the day she threw her out. After that, Emma was frightened to even talk to Regina, which was weird because nothing scared the determined young blonde. Yet here she was watching the girl of her dreams taking and smiling at someone else.
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2 years later
Oh god no, she cannot be in this class. Emma thought to herself as she watched Regina Mills strut into her chemistry class with Ruby Lucas. Emma sat in Ms. French's honors biology class praying to a god she did not believe in, that she would not have to be lab partners with Regina Mills. She had managed a whole year avoiding the cheerleader. Ever since Ruby Lucas came to school, the girl she was in love with did a whole 180. She went from a quite reserved bookworm to a total preppie snob.
Ms. French went over what they would do during the class and how the labs would work. Then at the end of class, she gave out who would be lab partners, and where the lab stations would be. Then for the rest of the semester, that would be where they sat for both the class studies and then the lab experiments. Emma got more and more nervous as Ms. French read out the names. Then she got to the last two names and Emma did not have to hear what Ms. French said, she and Regina were the only names left. When she did call their names, Emma glanced over at Regina and she saw Regina give her a smile. Oh god, I am so screwed! Emma thought to herself, as she gave Regina a quick smile back. The bell rang and Emma watched as Regina and Ruby rushed out of the room. Gathering her books and shaking her head. This is going to be a very long semester. Apparently, god had been ignoring her prayers.
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"What did you do?" Regina demanded. Ruby just shrugged and kept walking to class. "Answer me; this has you written all over it."
"I have no idea what you are taking about." Ruby giggled and averted her eyes. Regina walked in front of Ruby crossing her arms over her chest and blocking the grey-eyed girl from moving any further.
"Why?"
"I told you. It was not me."
"Really all the kids in class and I end up with Emma by chance."
"God works in mysterious ways." Ruby said with cocky smile, "So Ms. French is pretty hot huh. You think she would mess around with a student?" Ruby smiled and then licked her lips.
"You are disgusting, quit changing the subject."
"A normal person would just be happy and not question it." Ruby said patting Regina on the shoulder then moving around her and walking to class.
"I am not a person, and you never do anything unless it is to make my life miserable," Regina yelled.
"Do you have any idea how many people wish they had your life. You have everything; you are the most popular girl in school, head cheerleader and sticking rich. All I have ever done is enrich your experiences here on earth." Ruby said not even bothering to turn around a look at the angry brown-eyed girl. Regina rushed to catch up to walk side by side with Ruby.
Regina whispered, "I never asked for any of this and I never asked you to interfere with…"
"With your nonexistent sex life." Ruby said poking Regina in the ribs.
"I hate you," Regina growled.
"Someday you might thank me."
Regina fumed the rest if the day. It was bad enough; Ruby had forced her way into her Regina's life. Now she was forcing her to spend time with Emma. Not that spending time with Emma sounded bad to her, but she knew Ruby. Anything she enjoyed, the other brunette would find a way to destroy it. The first week she met Ruby was the worst week of her whole life. The happiness she felt when she saw Ruby quickly died after hearing all of her plans and finding out about Ruby's raging hormones. Regina lost herself in the memory of her and Ruby's first conversation after school.
"Frist thing no more weird counting it is way too OCD and really at this point your just making shit up and doing math. Second, you need to get out of the house and met people. Third, you have to be nice to people you met, you made the last boy cry. I am not saying you have to date anyone that will come later but... "
"I was nice to him." Regina cut Ruby off mid lecture.
"Nice, that's funny." Ruby laughed and shook her head.
"I don't see the humor in it at all."
"You told him that he smelled like rotten fish that had taken a bath in too much axe body spray, and to shave the fungus that was growing on his mouth."
"He did smell bad, I was being helpful. He obviously has no clue about basic body maintenance."
"It's called taking a bath and shaving. Could you please try to be normal? You need a filter."
"Filter?" Regina looked at the grey-eyed brunette confused.
"Yep we are going to have to work on your social skills."
"My social skills are just fine."
"If you're a robot or an emotionless god, but you aren't. You're here on earth, and it is time to embrace your humanity. You have emotions now and I am going to help you figure them out."
"I would rather embrace my immortality and lack of emotions, thank you."
"Frist you have to embrace humanity."
"I hate mortals."
"Keep talking like that and you never get back to heaven. I love coming to earth it's so much fun. I haven't been to earth since I spent a summer in Egypt. Ramesses, was the pharaoh at the time. You may have heard about him .He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of all time. Supposedly he chased Hebrew salves into the desert." Ruby said with a raised eyebrow trying to determine how much ancient knowledge was allowed to remain in Regina's mortal mind.
"Yeah I heard of him, Ramesses II right."
"Yeah,"
"Did you have a point to your story?"
"The point is that was the greatest summer of my whole existence, and this is your chance to have an amazing life."
"Ok fine, I play, why it was so great." Regina rolled her eyes.
"Have you ever heard of Qetesh?"
"You let them think you were the goddess of sex, what the hell is wrong with you."
"It more than just sex, I have you know. I was there for a fertility ritual, I gave them HOPE. Sex is not a bad thing you know. Humans actually require a lot of hope in their relationships. Hope they will fall in love, hope they will stay in love. Hope they will have children, and that they will be healthy and happy. In fact every positive emotion humans have require a little of my involvement. In my option, even the negative emotions have their place. If people never experience hate, they would never know how truly sweet love is. Sure sex can be negative and corrupted, like Lust did."
"Yeah that's why Lust isn't in heaven right now."
"What I do is different than him, he turns sex into a something dirty, what I do is pure."
"You are right; a drunken orgy in the dessert screams purity."
"It was more than a drunken orgy in the desert. Hey, that was sarcasm I like it. Maybe there is hope for you after all."
"Ok if it wasn't just a drunken orgy then pray tell what was it like."
"You know, I can't really remember, there was quite a bit of wine. I think you are missing the point."
"Of all the gods in heaven they had to give me the one with the least amount of morals."
"Morality is an abstract idea, don't you think."
"No I created it." Regina rolled her eyes.
"You created a system that forgot one important thing. The human condition includes feelings. Sometimes our human heart," Ruby pointed to Regina chest, "Tells us to do things even when our human brain tells us it is wrong." Then Ruby pointed to Regina head.
"Why didn't I kick you out of Heaven when I had the chance?"
"I must have stayed under your radar, unlike a certain god who made the unfeeling god of Justice feel." Regina just rolled her eyes and changed the subject.
"Ruby, what where you doing in Egypt in the first place?" Ruby just shrugged.
"I may have parted the red sea."
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The next day Emma sat nervously tapping her fingers on her desk waiting for chemistry to begin. This was the first time Regina sat next to her in class. Emma told herself that she hated the stuck up rich girl, hoping the more she said it the more she would start to believe it. Regina and Ruby came rushing into the room right before the bell rang. Regina took her set next to Emma. There was an awkward silent for a few minutes, before Regina whispered, "Hi, looks like we're going to be partners, I don't know if you remember me, Regina Mills." Regina said with a soft smile. Why did she have to smile like that? I am totally screwed Emma thought.
"Yeah how could I have forgotten?" I am such an idiot. "I mean… the whole school knows who you are. So of course I would." Emma rambled on as her face flushed red. Emma wanted to slap herself for her lame reply and she tried to think of something else to say but then Ms. French started class and the chance was gone. Then before she knew it, the class was over with and Regina left in a hurry, with Ruby in tow, saying, "See you tomorrow." Emma stay seating for a second then finally took a deep breath. This was going to be harder than she thought.
The whole week went by with very little conversation between Emma and Regina. Tuesday arrived and that was the first lab experiment of the class. Ms. French went around the class handing out the assignment and giving them their materials. This lab, they had to identify the material by the color it gave out when burned.
"This is an easy one, do you mind doing it? I have to talk to Ruby about something very important." "Whatever," Emma told her as she hid her anger and disappointment in Regina. Emma was not going to let the rich brat take advantage of her. Emma stated working on the lab alone, and tuned out what Regina and Ruby were discussing. She worked through the experiment and took the notes on the paper that Ms. French had given them. Regina only turned around when she saw Ms. French checking on them, and then she would go back to talking to Ruby.
"Can l borrow your paper so that I can fill out mine?" Regina asked as the class was about to end.
"No, you didn't do anything to help so why should I give you my notes." Emma told her. "Maybe next time you will do your part."
"But you said it was okay that I talked to Ruby while you did the experiment for us." Regina said in a surprised voice.
"No I didn't. I said and I quote, "Whatever". You never asked if I would let you copy my notes when I was done. Get your notes from one of your friends but you're not getting them from me." Emma told her.
"You are kidding, right."
'No, I didn't work hard just so some…" Emma paused and reconsidered calling Regina a spoiled brat even tough that was how she was acting. "Figure it out yourself, alright." Ruby slid her paper over and smiled at Regina. Emma just shook her head and smiled. The teacher had mixed up the experiments so they could not cheat. Regina turned her paper in and rushed out of the room with Ruby.
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"What the hell was that all about, you made me talk to about cheerleading for an hour? I hate cheerleading, that had nothing to do with my redemption at all."
"I thought it was important, so sue me."
"No you didn't, and now Emma hates me, thanks a lot."
"Oh she doesn't hate you."
"She basically just to told me to fuck off and it's all your fault."
"You know you are quite possibly the most dramatic person I have ever met."
"I am not a person." Regina growled.
"Why do you even care if Emma hates you?" Regina got very quiet unable to explain why she wanted to blonde to like her so bad.
The next day Ms. French returned Regina and Ruby's papers with a SEE ME AFTER CLASS in bold red letters. Regina dropped her head on the desk, this was all Ruby's fault, Cora was going to kill her. She never cheated in her life and the first time she ever did she was caught. This had to be some part of her great cosmic lesson but all she learned was that Ruby was an ass who obviously got her kicks by making her life miserable.
After class, Ms. French chewed Ruby and Regina out. Regina begged for a second chance and Ms. French agree only if she could get her lab partner to agree to staying after school and doing it together. Regina thanked Ms. French but then realized Emma hated her.
"See everything worked out." Ruby grinned at Regina. "And I think Ms. French has a thing for me."
"No it didn't, how am I ever going to get Emma to help me." Regina said completely ignoring the Ruby's resent obsession.
"Guess you could apologize for being a Jerk."
"It was your fault. It' always your fault every single time I get in any trouble. I have never had to see a teacher after class and Emma hates me because you tricked me into talking to you for an hour."
"I don't think Emma will care that I tricked you. I think she is at the bus stop right now if you hurry you can catch her."
"I really, really hate you." Regina said running off.
"You will thank me when you will be with Emma alone for an hour, oh and tell her I am your cousin." Ruby yelled.
"Cause anything you have ever told me has helped this far."
"Just trust me ok, cousin."
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"Emma," Regina said running up to Emma. Regina bent over gasping for air. "I am glad I caught up with."
"What do you want?"
"Look, I am really sorry about the whole lab thing."
"Ok, you ran here to tell me that." Emma said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, and to beg you for help."
"No, go away."
"I was a wrong and it was bad to make you do everything yourself, I am truly sorry I upset you."
"Lame," Emma said crossing her arms over her chest.
"My apology was honest and sincere."
"So you got caught, and now you want a favor. Sorry I am not one of your little cronies."
"I never said you were…hey I don't have any cronies."
"I need to catch the bus, later." Emma said turning her back and waking a way. Regina grabbed her arm and dropped to her knees.
"Please you have no idea what Co… my Mother will do."
"I am well aware of how big a bitch your Mom is." Emma said looking down at Regina who looked up with pleading eyes and Emma tried to hold her resolve but failed.
"Fine," Emma whispered, "only if we do all our lab experiments together. I am not going to do anything for you. Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're entitled to everything."
"I never thought I was."
"Really, you thought it would be ok to copy off my paper."
Regina wanted to blame everything on Ruby, but for once her annoying grey-eyed guide was right. Regina just needed to suck it up. "Your right, maybe I do act like I am entitled to some things and I shouldn't." Regina did not believe the worlds she was saying, but she hoped Emma would. Emma held out her hand and Regina shook it "Partner."
"Partner," Regina smiled noticing that Emma eyes changed color when the sun hit her just right and right now, they were a beautiful turquoise.
"I should go the bus is here."
