Chapter 3

High School teacher Emma Swan had been running late. It seemed she couldn't catch a break. Her beloved car had broken down and forced her to call her roommate Ruby to pick her up and give her a ride once again.

She had been racing against time and it was a race she couldn't possibly win. She'd lost miserably. After this last breakdown, it was inevitable that she would be told to retire her beloved yellow bug. Maybe it was a deathtrap waiting to happen.

She had been so lost in thought she didn't see the anyone coming around the corner until she collided with a very solid body. That had been the best wake-up call she had ever received. Maybe the day was not as bad as she initially thought. The same nice firm body that had brought her back to reality possessed deep blue piercing eyes that met hers, dark hair, luscious lips, and an apologetic, and accented voice.

He was sweet. He had been a gentleman as he helped her. Had they hired a new teacher? She really hoped he was not a student because that was trouble she didn't need. She had felt connected to him in a sense that was unexpected but fulfilling.

They both excused themselves and went on their way.

Emma finally reached her class and soon it was business as usual. In between each class she waited outside her classroom to see her students arrive. She waved across the hall to her fellow teacher, Miss Blanchard. Sometimes they would talk about their favorite shows other times they shared juicy gossip.

To the kids, she was only Miss Blanchard; Home Economics teacher extraordinaire. She could be a chef at a 5 Star Michelin Restaurant if she wanted to, but she preferred to be an educator. She loved the kids; even the rowdy ones.

Emma smiled as her students tumbled inside the classroom. The warning bell alerted her it was time to go inside.

In a classroom not too far away, Killian arrived just before the final warning bell. He anxiously looked for a desk. He found one and rushed to it only to be stopped by another student. "This is my seat, try another." Each time he found a spot one of the kids would say it was not available.

Killian sheepishly nodded and searched the room for another and then a friendly smile greeted him. "Hey, you can sit here." The brown-haired boy gestured to the seat next to him. "We can share," he offered, pointing to the book.

"Hello class, my name is Miss Frost and I will be your Spanish teacher for the semester." She smiled at the class. "I know that you are all here expecting an easy grade. Don't let the blonde hair fool you. I'm fluent in five languages and learning number six; so please don't expect me to be easy on you. Learning a new language can be a wonderful experience if you allow it. You will learn not only how to communicate, but about the culture as well."

There were scattered murmurs and hisses heard throughout the room. She smiled as she gave them their lesson for the day. S

"Hi, my name is Killian. Thanks for the help." He smiled at the young boy, eternally grateful to have found someone willing to at least acknowledge his presence as a human being.

"I'm Henry." They made small talk as they finished their assignment.

Killian smiled as he nodded towards Miss Frost's direction. "I never thought learning Spanish would be so difficult."

"Miss Frost is really nice, don't let the name fool you. She just wants her class to be taken seriously. There are some that just want an easy A without working for it."

Henry told him the other kids' names. Soon he got to the group that seemed focused on making this high school experience as horrible as the previous one.

"The tall one with the shaggy brown hair is Peter, and the girl sitting in front of him, with the dark hair is his off and on again girlfriend, Fiona. On the other side of Peter is Felix with the short black hair, and that is his girlfriend Wendy, the blonde sitting in front of him. The other guys in front of Wendy are her brothers Johnny and Mikey. My advice is to simply stay out of their way and you will be fine."

Killian had a feeling he should follow Henry's advice.

Lunch was an experience in itself. Walking in line to get his food, he placed his tray down for the cafeteria lady to serve him.

Bloody hell! His lunch consisted of a bologna sandwich, chips, and green Jell-O. This cannot be proper. He knew as the adult he truly was, there was no nutritional value in this lunch.

He would pitch his story idea, What Are They Feeding Our Kids in Schools Today? to Sidney as soon as he could make a call, because for the love of God the school needed to be stopped. He walked around the cafeteria with what passed as food at this school. Finally spotting an empty chair, he headed towards it, and then he was falling.

Peter and his gang laughed raucously as he landed flat on his ass. The sandwich flopped to the floor and the lovely Jell-O next to it. The milk was the only healthy option he truly had, and it now it covered the floor and was being absorbed by the sandwich.

He got up slowly and suddenly he felt like the gangly, awkward kid he used to be.

"Killian, hey, come on." Henry clapped his shoulder and snapped him out of his trip down memory lane. "Here let me help you pick that up and we can go get something to eat at Granny's Diner, it's not far from here."

They quickly picked up the mess and left. Peter and his minions laughed hysterically as Killian almost slipped again on the wet floor.

Killian and Henry walked to Granny's Diner. It had a classic vibe to it. They made their way to a corner booth and placed their food order.

Killian excused himself to make a quick call. He stepped into the little hall heading to the loo. "Sidney, hey, I have the perfect story for you."

Sidney stopped him before he could make his pitch. "If you are going to say something about the horrible cafeteria food I don't want to hear it, unless the story consists of the school mascot being caught having sex with the lunch lady in full costume."

Killian rolled his eyes. "Sidney they tried to feed me a bologna sandwich and green Jell-O, there has to be a law against that somewhere."

Sidney sighed at the over dramatization. "Killian, call me when you really have something."

Defeated. Killian slowly walked back to his seat. He was upset that Sidney didn't like the story idea.

Rejoining Henry, they ate their deliciously cheesy, grilled cheese sandwiches and onion rings. The sign claimed that the sandwich was famous and after tasting it, Killian agreed.

He resumed his conversation with Henry. "Henry, have you given thought to Universities, majors, career choices?"

"I have and I want to be a writer. I have been meaning to speak to Miss Swan about that."

"Is she your guidance counselor?"

"Nope, she's an English teacher. She is awesome and my favorite teacher." Henry smiled excitedly. "Let me see your schedule."

Killian took out his schedule from his jeans pocket and handed it over.

Henry's eyes quickly scanned the paper and found what he had searched for.

"Oh good, you have her last period too. You are going to love her."

Killian knew beyond a doubt that being Henry's friend would make his new high school experience much easier. Finishing their lunch, they hurried back to school to continue with their classes.

Emma entered the teachers' lounge to eat her lunch. She quickly made some coffee, then looked around the lounge and spotted Elsa. She joined her at the table. Emma glanced at the door each time it opened.

"Emma, are you expecting someone?"

"Oh, no why do you ask?"

"You keep stealing glances at the door." Elsa pointed toward the door.

"I do not."

"Just tell me what is going on."

She couldn't stop herself and looked in the direction of the door once more, to see if the cute had guy arrived.

"So you refuse to answer my question. If Mary Margaret was here you would answer."

"That is not true, and besides Mary Margaret would hound me until I answered. I would only answer to get her to leave me alone. To quench your curiosity it's nothing serious. I had just hoped that..."

Elsa waited for her to finish her sentence and then the bell rang to warn them it was time to return to their classes. "Saved by the bell; I guess we will talk about this later."

"Elsa there isn't anything to talk about."

"Uh-uh, I'm not buying that. Emma, the look on your face is not nothing. This is definitely something we need to talk about."

Emma's lips pursed together as she agreed. "Fine, we can talk later, but there isn't anything to talk about. Not really."

"Emma, por favor no me mientas."

"Elsa I'm not one of your students. English please."

"Sure, Emma please don't lie to me. It can wait for now. Come on, let's go and teach."

The day was finally winding down. Killian had forgotten how exhausting high school was.

He walked into his final class, English. He looked at his schedule. He hoped Miss Swan's class was not as draining as the other classes had proven to be.

He spotted Henry at the back of the class, who quickly raised his hand to summon him to the rear of the room.

"Good afternoon class, please, take your seats." She smiled warmly at her students.

Killian stared at his English teacher. It was the same woman he'd bumped into earlier. She was utterly beautiful, just as he remembered her. Her wavy blonde hair sat just above her shoulders and her smile was kind. Her eyes shined brightly like green emeralds. He was captivated. He had endured a difficult day but she had been the moment of calmness in the chaos the rest of his day had turned into.

Their eyes met and the recognition was instantaneous. Killian had hoped to see her again and his wish was granted. He smiled briefly at both his good fortune and her. Sadly, Emma was not feeling as fortunate. She felt her heart drop; he really was a student, and not just any student, one of hers, just her luck.