Most mornings Emma's parents dropped her off at school on the way to their office. She usually made her way home on her own, or with Neal or Regina. She wanted her own car, but she still didn't have her licence.

She'd tried twice and failed, but she was determined that she'd pass third time.

She just kept putting it off, because she wasn't sure she could do it, and the longer she left the test, the more practice she had. If she didn't do the test she was fine. She hadn't failed. But if she did the test and failed, then she was really rubbish.

Emma loved avoiding difficult issues.

So she got a lift with her parents, feeling like one of the only seniors in the whole school to do so, and tried to tell herself she was embarrassed enough to go for the test.

In reality she liked the chance to spend some time with her parents. It didn't happen all that much. They were very busy. Sweet people, but they ran their own company and they had to put in a lot of hours. Sometimes Emma liked to say she was an orphan, a business orphan. She didn't say it in front of her parents though, they seemed to get upset. But she was independent, and she was proud of that.

Spending time with her parents eased some of their guilt, and so it was just another reason for her to put off doing her driving test. She was such a lovely daughter, so giving!

"So not going to make it a booty call hey?" Regina teased, walking up behind Emma as they headed into school.

"Shut up!" Emma shoved her best friend, even as she laughed. Then she sighed. "I can't help it. I was frisky."

Regina rolled her eyes.

"Remind me to buy you a vibrator!" she said a bit too loudly, and then stumbled as she crashed into a firm body.

"Regina, Emma, might help to watch where you're going."

"Oh fuck, sorry Mr Locksley!" Then Regina grabbed Emma and dragged her into the hall towards their lockers.

Emma couldn't speak, she was laughing too damned much. Regina was glaring at her, her face so red.

"STOP FUCKING LAUGHING!" Regina growled, pulling things out of her locker and throwing other things in. But Emma was literally speechless. She was doubled over, tears streaming down her face, laughing so much there was no noise.

"What's so funny?" Neal was chuckling just from the way Emma was laughing and Regina was cursing.

"Nothing." Regina grumbled as she slammed her locker closed. Emma still couldn't speak, as she grabbed her things out of her locker and started to walk behind Regina.

Neal asked again, but when they got to their home room and there were still no answers he gave up.

At the end of home room it was time to head off to their first class of the day, and Emma and Neal gathered up their things. But Regina just sat there, looking horrified, not moving from her desk.

"Reggie?"

Emma waited, and Regina finally looked up.

"I can't go to English." her voice was a whisper. Neal frowned, but Emma just waved him away and sat back beside her best friend.

"Yes you can." She put her arm around Regina's shoulders.

"No I can't Emma! I can't look him in the eyes again!" Emma groaned.

"Yes you can. I'm the one that should be embarrassed."

Regina's eyes narrowed and she considered Emma's statement.

"Hmm, that's true. You're the horny one; I'm just the good friend!"

"Exactly!" Emma nodded, and Regina stood up.

"You're the one that can't keep your pants up!" Regina started to walk out of the classroom.

"Ok, that's enough." Emma grumbled, but Regina was on a roll.

"You're the one that is so desperate that…"

"Ok, shutting up now!" Emma hit her arm and shoved her into the English classroom. Regina just cackled at her, and they slide into their seats, while Neal just watched them, an eyebrow raised, from his seat at the back of the classroom.

Mr Locksley blushed when he saw the girls walk in, but he decided he wasn't about to embarrass them anymore, and went on with the lesson, revisiting the topic of poetry before handing out the poetry anthologies they would be looking at over the next few weeks.

Their second lesson of the day was History, with the wonderful Mr Booth.

We need a code name for this one

Regina glanced at the note Emma had written, and nodded, glancing up at the teacher.

Scruffy?

Emma rolled her eyes

Sexy?

This time Regina rolled her eyes. Emma giggled.

Is he a queen or swan target? Emma wrote, trying to look like she didn't care. Regina gave her a withering glare.

Swan. Obviously.

Emma sighed.

I can't bloody do everybody.

Regina stifled a giggle as she flipped the page over, out of room. Then she scribbled her reply.

Give it a week you will have done everyone, what are you bitching about?

"Good question Miss Swan, what ARE you bitching about?"

Emma shot back so fast in her seat she flew off her chair, and this time it was Regina that was laughing so hard she could hardly speak. Mr Booth was damned quiet, how the hell had he come up behind them?

"Um, hi Mr Booth!" Emma was bright red. "Didn't see you there."

"Obviously."

He had this way of looking at you like he knew your entire story and there was nothing you could hide from him. He would watch you, like he knew every lie you wanted to tell and all he had to do was wait for the truth to tumble out.

Frankly it was terrifying!

She was about to confess to absolutely everything, including the plan for the staff, the fact she had sex with Neal, and even the shoplifting she did when she was 13, when Regina proved her worth as her best friend and interrupted.

"Hey Mr Booth, Emma and I are doing an assignment for English, we have to write a poem based on our favourite fairy tales, but we can't choose. What is your favourite fairy tale?"

The teacher kept looking at Emma with that look and Emma felt like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"Pinocchio." He replied, and then looked at Regina. "I liked the idea of a liar being redeemed. Now, you're not in English anymore, so I suggest you go back to reading about the Celts, since this IS History." Then he walked back to the front of the class.

Emma's breath was erratic, and Regina was snickering as she flicked through the textbook to find what they were meant to be looking at. They managed to work for a while, and then Regina slid their note back to Emma, tapping her latest comment.

WoodenSwan

Emma glanced at it, frowned, and then her eyes went wide and she started to giggle. Then, looking up at her teacher, she quickly grabbed the piece of paper, amazed that he hadn't taken it when he'd been loitering, and stuffed it in her pocket.

After recess the pair split up, Emma had music and Regina had a double Legal Studies with Mr Gold. Emma was fairly confident with the progress she was making on CaptainSwan, and GoldenSwan was something for a long time down the road. So she decided they needed to focus on Regina.

"You're really going to have to lift your game you know Regina, how are you going to seduce Mr Humbert?"

"Maybe I don't want to!" Regina was pouting around her cigarette as they kept to their spot at the back of the school. Emma groaned, but Regina waved her hand to shut her up. "I'm not saying I won't do it, I'm just saying that maybe I'd prefer he seduced me. A girl likes to be wooed."

Emma chuckled.

"Ok, so how are you going to get the Soldier to seduce you?"

Regina peered at her for giggling, and then she shrugged.

"I have no idea." She groaned.