Chapter Ten
Emma smiled to herself when she saw the studio C's door open, and watched Regina slip inside quickly and quietly. She still had fifteen minutes of her last class before they broke for lunch, and she was in the middle of demonstrating an intricate turn combo - the very one she'd watched Lily fall out of four times that class.
She shot Regina a small smirk as she finished the combo and stepped to the side with the other dancers, to let Lily go again, secretly hoping she'd fall again this time, for Regina's entertainment. To her dismay, Lily finally nailed the combo and paused to give Regina a deliberately cocky sneer before rejoining the rest of the dancers.
What the hell was that?
Emma knew there had to be more to what was going on between Regina and Lily than Regina had let on previously, but now Emma was more intrigued than ever to know - what she assumed would be - very juicy details. She wondered if maybe she could figure out a way to bring it up at lunch.
"Emma," Neal called, drawing her attention back to the class. "Do you want to demo that other combo? The one we worked on last week?"
Emma nodded and stepped back out on the floor. The new combo had nothing to do with this class, but it was a difficult one that really showed off her abilities, and the wink Neal gave her told her he was doing this on purpose to let her show off her moves in front of Regina.
This was the first time Regina had ever really watched Emma dance, since the audition, and she knew she'd have to thank him later for giving her this chance to redeem herself.
Or punch him, if she blew it.
But she didn't blow it. She nailed it, and she caught Regina's smile at the end, as she rejoined the rest of the dancers, who all looked utterly confused as to why Neal had just had Emma perform that combo. Lucky for her, no one but Neal or Ruby paid enough attention to her to notice the crush she had on Regina that she was fairly sure she was terrible at hiding.
Neal dismissed the class five minutes early, and stepped over to talk to Regina as Emma ran into the change room to get ready for her lunch date. She wasn't sure if Regina considered it a date - in fact, she was almost positive that she didn't - but in Emma's head it was a date, and she was going to act as such.
She slipped into her skinny jeans and a silky red sleeveless shirt that she'd borrowed from Ruby ages ago and never gotten around to giving back. She stepped into a pair of black flats and stood in front of the full length mirror in the dressing room, scrutinizing her appearance.
She knew Regina was wearing black pants and a teal coloured top, with heels. Regina's outfit looked more professional and Emma's looked more casual, but Emma supposed she cleaned up alright, nonetheless. She opted to leave the tight bun in her hair, so she wouldn't have to worry about re-doing it later.
"What's with you? You got a date or something?" Lily asked, mockingly, as she stepped up behind Emma.
Emma glanced momentarily at Lily's reflection in the mirror. "None of your business. Leave me alone."
Lily snorted. "Oh, my God! Why are you so immature?"
Emma spun around. "Immature? Really? Because starting rumours about me is just so classy. Why don't you run along and tell everyone I'm hooking up with Neal over lunch? You know you want to."
Lily shrugged. "Maybe if he would stop giving you special treatment, then people would stop believing it."
"Jealousy doesn't become you, Lily," Emma retorted, "but what I can't figure out, is exactly what you're envious of? Is it the attention Neal gives me? Do you wish he'd look at you the way he looks at me? Or are you jealous of Neal? Or - and this is the one my money's on - does it just burn your ass that I'm a better dancer than you?"
Emma was completely oblivious to the group of girls who had stopped what they were doing to watch what was going on between herself and Lily. All her attention was on the rage boiling in Lily's dark eyes.
"Take that back! You just think you're hot shit because you got Swan Lake. That role was mine! If you only knew the real reason they cast you, you would shut your stupid mouth," Lily spat back at her.
Emma faltered for a moment, before regaining her confidence. "Oh yeah? Well, if you're so well-informed, why don't you enlighten me?"
Lily smirked. "Sworn to secrecy, sorry. Why don't you go ask your new BFF out there? You two are a match made in heaven, you know? Because you're both fucking pathetic."
"Take that back!"
Lily smirked again, before turning to walk away from Emma. Emma stopped her by grabbing her arm, forcing Lily to turn and face her again.
"Get your hand off of me," Lily demanded, shaking her arm free from Emma's grip.
"I wasn't done talking to you!"
"Yeah, well, I'm done with you, Emma. Don't you get it? You think you're so much better than me, but what you don't get is, you're just a white trash wannabe, just like your mother."
That was about all Emma could take, and before she even realized what she was doing, she felt her fist connect with Lily's jaw bone.
The room was silent enough that everyone heard the punch, and aside from a few gasps, no one spoke or breathed, including Emma, waiting to see what Lily's reaction was going to be.
And Lily just smiled and shook her head, as her hand went to her face. "Of every stupid thing you've ever done, Emma, this takes the cake. I hope you enjoyed your dance career while it lasted, because you're going to be out of this company before the end of the day, I guarantee it."
Emma just started at Lily, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst right out of her chest, as the realization that she was right hit her. There was a zero tolerance rule against fighting in the company, and Emma was already far from being in Cora Mills' good books. As soon as Lily ratted her out, she'd be done, and she knew it.
She couldn't force herself to speak, so she just grabbed her dance bag and ran out of the change room. She ran back through the studio, not even thinking about her street shoes on the expensive dance floor, as she tried to avoid Neal and Regina's questioning looks. She just wanted to get out, and get as far away from this place as possible.
"Emma?" Neal called after her. "Emma!" When she didn't answer, he ran behind her and grabbed her by the arm.
"Let go of me," she said, in a pained whisper, her voice cracking as she tried to choke back tears.
She was going to be out of the production. She'd be out of the company. Her mother would literally murder her. She'd probably never see Regina again.
How was she on top of the world yesterday, and today it was all over?
"Emma, what the hell just happened?" Neal said, stepping between her and the door.
Emma shifted nervously, looking at the floor as the rest of the girls made their way out of the change room and out the door. Lily, of course, was the last one out, and she made a point of stopping right before the door, and turning to Emma.
"Have a good lunch, Emma. See you at production tonight… maybe," she laughed, before letting the door slam behind her.
Emma swallowed hard, still looking at the floor, as she heard Regina's heels clicking as she walked up behind her. She wished Ruby was in this class, and at least she could have had someone in that change room to stop her. She guessed Lily wouldn't have approached her if she hadn't have been completely alone, though.
"Alright, talk," Neal said, firmly. Emma knew there was no way she was getting out of this confession, and considering that she was pretty sure Lily and her entourage were on their way to talk to Mrs. Mills right now, it was only a matter of time before everyone knew… including Neal and Regina.
Maybe it was best if they heard it from her, first.
She glanced quickly at Regina who was beside her now, looking concerned, and back at Neal, before the tears started. She was not a crier, she never had been, and it was enough to make Neal realize something was very, very wrong.
"Come on, come into the office," Neal said, ushering her in the direction of the small office inside the studio. Emma glanced behind her as she turning, locking eyes with Regina for a moment, and Regina quickly followed behind.
Emma sat down as soon as she stepped inside, and Regina pulled up a chair beside her, as Neal shut the door. He headed over and sat down on top of the desk.
"Alright, Blondie, spill it," Neal said, trying to ease the tension with his laidback attitude.
Emma took a deep breath and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I punched Lily."
Regina actually snorted beside her, and Emma shot her a confused look, which was only met with an overly amused look from Regina. She turned to Neal, then, who looked more concerned than happy, at least.
"You punched Lily," he repeated. "Why?"
Emma let out an exasperated sigh. "Because you know how bad she gets to me! She knows all the right buttons to push. I just… I overreacted and now I'm fucked because she's going to get me kicked out of the production and kicked out of the company and my mother's going to kill me!"
Regina spoke up before Neal had a chance to respond. "Oh, don't worry. You are not going to get kicked out of this company because of Lily Page. Trust me," she said, still smiling, her voice exuding quite a bit of confidence in the matter.
"How can you know that?" Emma cried. "She's going to go to your mother right now! Everyone saw it."
Regina shook her head. "She's not going to go to my mother. If she does, she's stupider than I thought," Regina said, vaguely.
Emma noted the confused look that Neal gave Regina, and she guessed he didn't have any more idea of what she was talking about than she did.
"Look, Emma," Neal said. "My father and Regina's mother own this company, you know that. We're not going to let you get kicked out. Have I ever let you get kicked out before?"
"No," Emma admitted. "But I've never punched anyone before."
"True," Neal agreed, "but don't worry about it. It's gonna be fine, Em. Regina and I, we've got your back, right Regina?"
Regina nodded. She hadn't stopped smiling the whole time, and Emma was starting to wonder if the girl was just nuts.
What if this had all been a game to her, all along? What if she was enjoying this?
She didn't want to think like that, but Regina's reaction was making it very, very hard not to.
"Come on, Emma," Regina said, standing. "We have a lunch to get to, remember?"
Emma chewed on her bottom lip. "I kind of lost my appetite."
Regina frowned, and put her hands on her hips. "Fine. Let's go someplace and talk, then. I have something to tell you. I think it will help you put all of this into perspective."
Emma shot Neal a questioning look, and for his part, he just shrugged. She sighed, and looked back at Regina as she stood up. "Okay, but I don't know what you could possibly tell me that will make me feel better."
"Oh ye of little faith," Regina scoffed, as she headed toward the door. Emma grabbed her dance bag from the floor where she'd dropped it, but Neal stopped her.
"Just leave it here," he offered. "You're here again after lunch, and I guarantee you will still be in the company then," he promised. Emma sighed and handed him the bag, as she followed Regina back out of the office, and out of the studio.
Emma could feel all eyes on her as they made their way down the busy hallway, and she knew that news of the punch had already spread like wildfire. She kept her eyes trained in front of her as she and Regina walked in silence. Emma didn't even know where they were headed until Regina stopped at a door and pulled out her keys, unlocking one of the nicer offices in the building.
This office was large and had a soft leather couch on one side of the room. She took a seat while Regina locked the door behind them, before joining Emma on the couch.
"There's something else, isn't there?" Regina asked, the moment she sat down.
"What?"
"Something else happened. What was it?"
Emma narrowed her eyes, wondering how on earth Regina had picked up on that. "Yeah, actually. Lily made a comment about 'if I only knew the real reason you cast me'," Emma explained.
"Is that why you punched her?" Regina asked, her eyes growing wide.
"No! She was making fun of me… and you… and she said I was white trash like my mother, and I just… punched her," Emma shrugged.
Regina smiled again, and Emma was baffled. How could she possibly be enjoying this?
"Did it feel good at least?" Regina asked, looking at Emma, hopefully.
"What?" Emma gasped, as that was the last thing she expected to hear from Regina's mouth.
"Nevermind. You want to know the real reason why we picked you?" Regina asked, her face growing more serious.
"Um… I don't know? I mean, I did, but now… I'm scared to," Emma admitted.
Regina shook her head. "You can't tell anyone this," she said, looking down as if she were about to make some huge confession, and she couldn't bear to look Emma in the eye anymore.
And then it hit her. That was exactly what she was about to do.
"I won't. I swear," Emma vowed.
Regina nodded, but kept her eyes fixated on her hands for a moment, before looking up to meet Emma's gaze again.
"The reason that my mother and I argued about who to cast, was not because I picked you, but because she questioned the reason why I picked you," Regina started. Emma just blinked at her, as the realization that it had been Regina who picked her from the start sank in. "Despite the fact that you fell, she never actually questioned your ability dance the part, and she never said you gave the worst audition of the day. I'm sorry I said that."
"It's okay," Emma said, almost a knee-jerk reaction. At this point, she couldn't care less what Cora thought of her dancing abilities, she only cared what Regina thought. And why.
"Yes, well," Regina said, with a sigh, "there's a reason I wouldn't tell you when you asked why we cast you. The reason my mother questioned me is because she thought I was choosing you intentionally because I didn't want Daniel dancing with Lily. And the reason she would think I didn't want Daniel dancing with Lily is… she's the one he left me for."
Regina's eyes dropped back to her hands again, and the information hit Emma like a ton of bricks.
"Shit," Emma mumbled, unsure what else she could really say at the moment. "I'm sorry."
"Yes, well, it is what it is, right? Nothing I can do about it now. He picked her," Regina said, shaking her head and straightening her shoulders, while keeping her eyes down.
Suddenly, everything made perfect sense… except one thing.
"Why is she my understudy, then?" Emma asked, quietly.
Regina looked up again, almost surprised. "When it all came out, she had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, in order to stay in the company. She and Daniel both did. They are not allowed to go public with their relationship until this season is over. She threatened not to sign unless my mother guaranteed her the lead role. Obviously, my mother wasn't about to go for that, and Lily didn't want to lose her place here, so she accepted a guarantee for understudy. Of course, at that time, she didn't know you'd get the part," Regina added, with a wink.
Emma nodded slowly, digesting that information. "So… you told me before you picked me because Daniel doesn't like blondes? Was that… why did you pick me?"
Regina smiled again, and Emma could tell whatever she was about to say, was actually going to be the truth this time. "Because you're the best. I've seen you dance a million times, one fall in one audition didn't change anything for me. Daniel not liking blondes was just icing on the cake."
Emma supposed that was true, that Regina had seen her dance a million times. She'd had no idea that Regina had actually been watching, though.
"It did feel good," Emma said, a small smiling creeping up at the corner of her lips. "I mean, not when I did it, but now… that bitch had it coming."
Regina laughed out loud, and leaned back against the back of the couch, looking more relaxed than Emma had ever seen her. "I wish I could have seen it. I mean, I know Daniel's the one who cheated, but she is just being so obnoxious about it. She already won, what else does she want?"
"She didn't win," Emma said, shaking her head. "He cheated on you. He's no prize, Regina. I'm sorry, I know you loved him and all, but he's… an ass."
For a moment, the smile on Regina's face fell, and Emma wondered if she'd gone too far. Maybe it wasn't loved, past-tense. Maybe she still did?
But the smile slowly came back after a moment, and Emma realized Regina wasn't upset with her, she was working through the emotions inside her head. "He is an ass," she said, finally. Who wants to get married at eighteen anyway, right?"
"Right," Emma agreed. "You've got your whole life to meet the right person, you know."
Regina turned and looked at Emma intently, like she was studying her for a moment, before speaking again. "What about you, Emma? I know those rumours about Neal aren't true, and your mother keeps you on a short leash… no offense. Where does true love lay for Emma Swan?"
Emma laughed and shook her head, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to find her courage. "You just told me a really important secret," Emma sighed. "Do you want to hear mine?"
"Yes," Regina replied, without a moment's hesitation, making Emma laugh.
"Okay. The only person I've ever told this to is Ruby. I suspect Neal figured it out, but no one else knows. Not even my parents," Emma said, smirking at how Regina's eyes went wide. She wondered if no one had ever told this girl a secret before.
"I won't tell anyone," Regina promised.
"Emma Swan's true love is a woman," Emma said, biting her lip as she waited to see how Regina would take that.
"Who?" Regina asked.
"What?"
"Who? Who is she?" Regina pressed.
"Uh… I don't know? I'm trying to tell you I'm gay," Emma said, shaking her head. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry.
"Right, well, that much is obvious," Regina grinned.
"What? Really?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes at Regina suspiciously. She thought she hid it well.
"Sorry, dear, but yes," Regina laughed.
Emma felt her face flush, and she wasn't sure why. She should be relieved, not embarrassed, but now a whole new wave of fears was washing over, not the least of which was whether or not Regina had figured out she had a crush on her.
"Well, then, I guess I'm out of secrets," Emma shrugged, trying to sound unfazed. "My life isn't as interesting as yours."
"Your life is so much more interesting than mine is," Regina sighed, shaking her head. "You're an interesting person, Emma. That's why I like you."
Emma's heart skipped a beat. Of anything Regina could have said, now or ever, she hadn't expected to hear that.
"Will you still be my friend if I do get kicked out of the company?" Emma asked, only half-joking.
"You punched Lily. You're more likely to receive a medal of honour from my mother than any sort of discipline. She doesn't care for Lily, for obvious reasons. She likes you," Regina informed her.
Emma wasn't sure how many more revelations she could take today. Cora liked her? Of everything she had learned today, that one was the most shocking.
"Don't look so surprised, Emma. You're a good dancer, and my mother thinks you are a definite credit to this company. You have the potential to go far, and my mother's got stars in her eyes. There was a time when she liked Lily, too. I wasn't lying when I said she thinks Lily looks like me."
"She doesn't," Emma said, almost immediately.
"I'm glad you don't think so," Regina smiled, before glancing at the clock. "It's almost time for you to go back to class. Shall we do lunch tomorrow?"
Emma grinned. "Yeah, for sure."
"Good. I think I like this friendship thing."
Emma laughed out loud. "Well, I'm glad I pestered you into it, then."
"Me too. Shall I walk you back to class, or would you prefer to run the gauntlet alone?"
"Oh, please, walk with me. I don't want to have to throw any more punches this afternoon."
"God, I hope that bitch's face bruises," Regina said, hopefully, as she got up to lead the way out of the room.
Emma couldn't help but wish it did, too, only because it would make Regina happy.
Halfway through her class, long after Regina had left and Emma was changed and trying to focus on the lesson and not the purple-ish mark on Lily's jaw, Cora Mills came in and quickly stepped across the floor, making a beeline for Emma.
Emma stopped and glanced at Ruby, nervously. She had learned from Ruby that the whole company knew about the punch fifteen minutes into the lunch break, so it wasn't a stretch to guess why Cora was here now.
Maybe Regina was wrong. Maybe she was getting kicked out.
Emma's stomach was in knots as Cora approached her. "Miss Swan, a word in the hallway, please," she said, before turning.
Emma followed behind her quickly, trying to avoid the smug smirk on Lily's face.
"Miss Swan," Cora said, as soon as the door shut behind them, "you must be aware that news of your little altercation with Miss Page has reached me by now."
Emma simply nodded, unable to force her mouth to form any words.
"As you are aware, this company maintains a zero tolerance policy," Cora continued, and Emma could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes again. "However, my daughter informs me that Miss Page was antagonizing you quite a bit prior to the incident. Is that true?"
"Yes, Mrs. Mills," Emma said, her voice barely a whisper.
"Well, you should know, Miss Swan, that I consider you to be an asset to this company, and your mother contributes a fair bit of money and her time to this company as well. I would be a shame to lose you both, and as such, I've decided to let you off with a warning."
Emma breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mrs. Mills!"
"Do not let anything like this happen again. Do I make myself clear?"
Emma nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Mrs. Mills. It will never happen again. You have my word."
"Good. Back to class you go, and don't be late for production tonight."
Emma nodded and scurried back into the studio, amidst several shocked faces and dropped jaws. She tried to avoid most of them, but couldn't help sneaking a peek at Lily, whose teeth clench as she stared at the wall ahead of her.
Emma smiled as Neal gave her a little wink.
"Everything good?" Ruby asked, looking at her friend expectantly.
"She let me off with a warning," Emma shrugged, glancing over at Lily, who was clearly eavesdropping and doing a terrible job at hiding it. "She considers me an asset to this company. Who knew?"
Ruby smirked and shook her head, quite aware of why Emma was making a point of saying that out loud. "Diva," she whispered.
"You know it," Emma laughed. She supposed the right thing to do would be to apologize to Lily, but Cora had never told her she had to, and Emma knew she wouldn't even consider it, if it were the other way around.
Emma decided that maybe - for once - it was her turn to have the upper hand.
She just wasn't sure how long it would last.