"You have Hopper for algebra first."
Unsure of what she was supposed to say in response, Emma decided to cover all her bases and went with "Yes?"
"He's nice. A bit soft really. I imagine you'll like him."
Emma didn't have time to question whether she'd just been insulted or given some 'don't worry, it'll be okay' advice before Regina started off again. Emma, having learned her lesson kept to her side, skipping once every few steps in order to keep up while pondering what sort of superhuman (or alien) Regina had to be in order to walk so fast in shoes as high as those.
Emma eyed Regina's outfit again as they walked. The other girl dressed more like a teacher than a student. Not that any of Emma's previous teachers had ever dressed as well. Looking down at her own clothes she felt underdressed and wondered if everyone else would be dressed as smartly.
They stopped outside a door where the name 'Dr Hopper' was stamped across a silver plaque and screwed into the wood at eye level. Regina peaked through the long rectangular window before turning back to face Emma.
"This is your first period Monday class. I skipped registration because it doesn't matter for today and I have my own classes to get to. I can show you where it is tomorrow if you need me to."
Emma just stood and nodded dumbly as Regina spouted sentences out at her like a machine gun, not even checking to see if she was listening, much less keeping up.
"I'll be back at the end of the period, if I'm not please just wait outside. I don't want to have to waste time looking for you because you wandered off."
Any response Emma attempted to make was cut off when at lightening speed Regina rapped twice on the door, swung it open and unceremoniously jabbed Emma in the back, forcing her into the room. Her timetable was pressed into her hands, wrinkling it further before the sound of the door closing echoed around the almost empty space and Emma found herself unable to say anything as she locked eyes with the kind looking, red haired man wearing glasses who stood opposite her and tried to communicate through a series of awkward shrugs and hand movements what had just happened.
The man she presumed was Dr Hopper broke into a smile and gestured towards one of the desks, "It's the first day of class, so take a seat anywhere. I haven't had a chance to look over the class register yet but I imagine you're Emma Swan?." Emma selected a desk towards the back third of the room and nodded as she sat down. By way of explanation Hopper added, "It's a small town and you're the first student to transfer here in three years - we don't see a lot of new faces. Even if we've never taught a student personally, all the teachers know them by sight, if not by name." He glanced at the clock, "Don't worry though," he chuckled, "I won't have you stand at the front of the class and introduce yourself. I always hated it when teachers made me do that and I refuse to inflict it on anybody else. People should be arriving soon anyway"
Emma let out a breath and felt a little tension leave her. That was always a part of the day she dreaded when she joined a new school, well that and the rest of it, the standing up and being forced to address a room full of people she didn't know and being able to see them concocting stories about her in their heads in their heads, to be discussed with their friends in the hallways at lunch while their eyes raked over her old hand-me-down clothes as she tried fruitlessly to come up with a reason for her transferring that didn't sound as pathetic or embarrassing as the real one. She supposed that it could've been worse though, at least this time Mary Margaret had helped her blend in with everyone else a little more with her new clothes, for that she was thankful.
The sound of the school bell yanked her out of her thoughts and she pulled her pencil case out of her bag as the sound of students filled the corridors and the first of her classmates filed in.
xxx
Before long the bell signalling the end of class rang and Emma found that for the first time in a long time she'd enjoyed a lesson and understood the work they were doing. Joining a school at the very beginning of the year along with everyone else was definitely an improvement over joining mid-semester and playing catch up. She figured she might even be able to get a decent grade for the year, if MM keeps me around for long enough that is she reminded herself.
Emma let most of her classmates trickle out before she placed her newly acquired textbook into her satchel and made her way to the door to wait for Regina. It was barely ten seconds before she could hear the sharp noise of Regina's heels clicking up the corridor over the general din that the other students were making. Regina's face was severe as she approached, a look that made Emma want to push away from the door frame she was leaning on just incase she was snapped at for slouching.
"Sorry I'm late, I was on the other side of the building. Where are you going next?" Not expecting the brusqueness of her tone and her obvious impatience Emma let out a totally unhelpful "uhmm…" and fumbled around inside her bag looking for the timetable she'd neatly folded and put away earlier, steadily becoming more frantic as she watched Regina roll her eyes and tap her foot louder and louder the longer she took. When she did find it, squashed under and half tucked inside the heavy algebra book, Regina snatched it away from her.
"You have art with Jefferson next, people say he's mad but really he just likes to think of himself as 'alternative'. I say he just thinks of himself too much. Come with me." Regina started off down the hallway again, in the opposite direction they'd come from Gold's office. Emma was too busy trying to keep up with Regina's rapid footsteps and not bristle at the girl's obvious disdain for her and general bad attitude to realise that she was being spoken to.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Regina's eyes rolled again. Emma wondered if one day they might roll so hard they just fall out and roll away altogether.
"Pardon."
"I asked you what you said."
"I know you did, I was correcting you. If you would like someone to repeat themselves you say 'pardon,' not 'what?'
Emma's steps faltered at that, she knew the girl didn't want to be saddled with her all day, but she didn't have to be rude. "Hey!…" Regina continued on and asked her question again.
"I asked whether you were any good at art - I mean you'd have to be, otherwise you're wasting six hours a week on something that's never going to be of any benefit to you in the future, merely making conversation" Emma wondered not only why trying to have a simple conversation with the girl was making her grind her teeth, but why the girl thought snidely questioning her academic and life choices was a suitable first day activity.
"If you're unable to do so without being rude then maybe just don't."
It was Regina's turn to stop and look at Emma.
"I wasn't aware I was being rude."
"Well you're certainly not being pleasant."
Regina turned away from her again, "Miss Swan, I have my own classes to get to. Do hurry up."
Emma just barely refrained from stomping her feet as she trailed after the moody brunette again. Already completely over her hoity-toity ass.
The two girls didn't speak another word to each other until they were standing outside of Emma's art classroom and Regina was looking over the timetable again. Before the could say anything else about the classes Emma was taking, she snatched back the sheet of paper and blurted angrily, "You know what, if this is so trying for you then don't bother coming back for me. I'm sure I can find my own way around."
Regina visibly blanched, clearly not used to being talked back to.
'Good,' thought Emma, 'maybe it's about time someone did.'
"I was given a task by the principle Miss Swan, that might mean nothing to you, but it means something to me."
"I won't tell if you won't." she challenged, anger over taking her initial shyness around the brunette.
"You know what, whatever. I don't care. We have break next, you can use that time to find third period on your own." Regina turned on her heel and stalked off down the hallway.
Emma caught herself muttering "Ass-hat" under her breath as she watched the other girl retreat.
Her second period class went just as smoothly as, if not even better than her first. Yes, the teacher was a bit weird and self-absorbed like Regina had said he would be but Ruby, the girl from the front office had been there and offered Emma the seat next to her and her friend Belle and the still life scene Jefferson had set up for them to sketch as a 'let's get back into things' project was dull enough to be soothing but interesting enough to avoid being mind numbing. Emma let her pencil glide over the paper in front of her as she listened to Ruby and Belle joke and tease each other about how their respective drawings were turning out. Their pleasant chatter and genuine interest when Emma had said her she was from 'all over' was a welcome relief from the attempt at conversation Regina had grudgingly spat at her before.
She learned that Belle was the last student to have transferred to the school and that Ruby had been the student Gold asked to show her around. Emma couldn't help but feel a little bitter about it - Belle being assigned a future best friend while Emma was ordered to follow around the devil incarnate.
xxx
"Kathryn, stop it. It's not funny." Reprimanded Regina, standing with her arms folded across her chest, watching the netball as it bounced past her, ignoring the shouts of protest that came from her 'team mates'. The belief in the ridiculousness of P.E as a prescribed class and as a total waste of time was one of the few things that Regina shared with her mother.
"I can only imagine what that poor girl is thinking, having to deal with your bad attitude on her first day." Said Kathryn from where she was doubled-over with laughter under the netball hoop. All Regina had done throughout their first two classes together was complain about this 'Swan girl', and Kathryn was finding the thought of Regina having managed to exasperate someone into snapping at her already all too hilarious. "She's probably already making plans to move school".
"Good." Regina huffed.
xxx
When Regina didn't come to collect her after class, the two girls invited Emma to spend break with them and by the time break was over she had an invite to lunch. Sitting in her third period English class (the one Belle went out of her way to walk her to) Emma considered that she wasn't actually having a horrible time - she was almost beginning to feel comfortable by the end of class, they
were supposed to be studying a play she'd read before, after one of the older kids handed it down to her when they were ageing out of the system. Sure it had been as awkward as all of her other first days, but nothing outright bad had happened so far - obviously not including the bullshit with Prissy-Pants that she was actively blocking out. That's why when she was shuffling her way along the corridor trying to read the key on the map she found stuffed into her welcome packet and walk at the same time hearing that familiar click-clack of ludicrously high and, in Emma's book - way too fancy for school heels, it was all she could do to contain the groan that threatened to escape her.
"Miss Swan."
Emma whipped around to find Regina about a foot from her face, the shoes Emma was growing to hate giving the girl just enough extra height to tower over her slightly.
"I thought I told you to wait inside the classroom?"
"I thought I told you not to bother?"
Regina let out a huff of air. "I'm not bothering, I'm doing as I was asked."
"You seem a little bothered." Emma smirked to herself and waited for the eye roll. It came.
"Miss Swan, would you please just let me do as I was asked."
"No, and stop calling me 'Miss Swan,' what are you, forty? It's weird."
"Very well." Regina stormed away. Well, she stormed as much as her shoes and tight skirt would let her and left Emma to return to squinting at the poorly drawn map and fighting her way through the moving sea of students.
Emma was ten minutes late to her History and then the two classes she had after lunch, but she felt that it was an acceptable trade off for less time spent with Regina. She was surprised then when she left the biology labs shortly after the end of day bell rang she heard someone shouting her name. She expected it to be Belle or Ruby so was surprised when her eyes recognised the figure of a tall slim blonde waving her over. As if sensing her confusion the blonde girl chuckled and dodged past some of the students between them, coming to a stop in front of Emma.