Deadly Class

Class Three: On and On it Goes

Mary ended up taking Emma to breakfast at the end of the first month of school to check up on how her daughter was doing. That included inviting the roommate, who looked like she'd much rather shoot herself than sit there and listen to Mary complain about Emma's clothing style.

"You wear too much flannel. You'll never attract a man this way," Mary said spearing an egg onto her fork.

"I'm here to learn, not to get a man," Emma said flatly, while Ruby stabbed onto her fry violently.

"And how is learning going?"

"It's going well." Emma failed to mention how she had failed her first essay in the class everyone warned her not to take. She had gone to professor Mills office to get help on her second essay and she felt more confident about her next grade.

"And what about your social life? You make any friends yet Emma? You know how important that is. To have friends. It's the best four years of your life. Make the most of it."

Emma nodded her head and 'mhmed' to what her mother said, annoyed that she was nagging in front of Ruby. This was private stuff. When Mary left to the bathroom, Emma let out a deep sigh and rubbed her brow.

"Your mom is something else," Ruby commented.

"Tell me about it," Emma said in exasperation.

"She's not even my mom but she's forcing me to drink," Ruby added on.

"It doesn't take a lot for you to drink," Emma pointed out, because after living with Ruby even after this short of a time period, she could see her roommate had an issue.

Ruby chuckled. "Heh, I'll drink to that," and she pulled out her ever present and well hidden flask from the inside her pleather jacket.

"We're in a cafe!" Emma whisper hissed, warily glancing over to see if anyone noticed. "Put that away!"

"Even more reason to drink. It's like ten in the morning and you're mother pulled me out of bed this early for breakfast," Ruby said, taking a swig and hiding it.

Just in time. Mary came back, though thankfully she paid for the meals and left, saying she had a class to teach in ten minutes. This left Ruby and Emma downtown with time to kill.

They would walk back to campus. Naturally, conversation turned to class.

"How's Mills?" Ruby asked, because they were all curious as to how Emma was dealing with the class.

"It's okay. She is kinda of bitchy," Emma commented and Ruby smiled.

"But let me guess, you still have a massive crush on her," she teased and Emma rolled her eyes. She had long given up on denying anything. It was too obvious, and she wasn't the only one walking around campus with a massive crush. She had caught August, former acclaimed Regina recovery addict, accidentally going to the same cafe at the same time each time that the professor went.

Emma had called him out on it, because she just so happened to be going to the cafe at the same times. For none stalking related reasons. She had only been going there in hopes of observing her professor out of an out of class setting. Lately she'd been meeting up with some boy who looked young enough to be a student. Who was he? And why was she dedicating time for him?

Emma felt unreasonably jealous.

"Relapsing?" Emma had asked when she spotted August the third day in a row there.

He scowled and then went to join her at her table where she was working on a paper. "I am not relapsing. And you shouldn't be joking about such a thing, not when you're head over heels for her."

Emma rolled her eyes, in denial about how strongly she felt for this professor. "I am not. I am getting over it. Her looks may be a ten but her personality is a five."

"Hey, don't diss her!" August shrilled out, pointing angrily at her before he remembered himself. "Shit, sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He ran a hand over his face. He sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm falling back. I need to reschedule with my therapist."

"Yea, you do that," she said, sipping on her tea. There was no way she'd flip like August did. It was just a stupid infatuation. She'd get over it eventually, and though she knew it wasn't healthy and that she let it guide her decisions, she was in no rush to get over it. She had never felt this deeply for anyone before, and due to recent knowledge on psycho analysis, she was using that on herself and trying to figure herself and her feelings out.

Back in the present with Ruby, Emma didn't deny anything. "Yea, I still like her. She's hot."

"I agree," Ruby nodded her head. She pulled out her flask. "Wanna drink to hot people?"

Emma rolled her eyes. Alcoholics. Honestly.

This couldn't be right. A D? How was that possible? How could her score be so low even with Mills helping her? Something couldn't be right. She had to confront her professor about this after class. If her grades kept going like this, she would fail in her first semester. And because of all the concentration she was putting on this class she wasn't getting such great grades from other classes there either.

Fuming in anger for the duration of class, she clenched and unclenched her hand under the table. Anger still sung in her veins after her class ended and her feet steadily carried her to the office, where the door was closed.

Emma would have just strode in, had she not recognized her mother's voice behind it.

"I hope you aren't acting biased towards Emma, Regina."

It seemed like they knew each other. Emma hadn't known that. She pressed closer to the door.

"Why? Does she feel that way? I give her no special treatment. I told her from the start that just because her parents are influential and run this school, that it won't mean I will over look her shortcomings." Professor Mills' voice is stern and cold.

"I know you will certainly give her no favors. I am worried about you scoring her lower because of who her parents are."

Emma's brow furrowed. Why would Regina grade her lower because of that?

Regina scoffed. "I would worry less about my scoring process and more on you sending your daughter to tutoring. She has huge gaps in learning and needs all the extra help she can get."

There was a beat of silence before Mary spoke in a tense voice, a dark voice, unlike Emma had ever heard before.

"If I find out you're biased against her and that you are giving her any sort of trouble, I will take action against you."

"Do not threaten me in my own office!" Regina hissed out and there was a loud slam, startling Emma from the door.

"We own this office," was the reply and then footsteps were approaching the door. Emma turned on her heel and ran, nearly stumbling over her feet before she made it safely.

She didn't bother to go back to the office.

Her head was spinning with what she had found out and she went back to her room, heavy hearted. Was Regina indeed scoring her lower than her peers because of her parents? But why? What was the truth behind it?

"Ruby, I need some advice." Asking Ruby might not be a good idea. The girl didn't always have solid ideas but Emma had no one else she was close to.

"On what," Ruby asked, pausing from the game she had been playing. It was some shooter.

"Well...let's say you found out that someone might be potentially doing something against you just because of who your parents are."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. But what would you do about it?"

"I would confront them about it. Figure the truth out. Ask them to respect you."

Actually good advice if Emma had the courage needed to accost her professor about it. But she could ask her mom. But she didn't want to reveal that she had overheard. "Thanks," she threw out before rushing out the door and calling her mom.

"Hello sweetie. How are you?" she answered in a sing song voice, so unlike what it had sounded like in the office mere minutes ago.

"I, um, I'm good. I just wanted to ask you a question." She shoved her free hand into her jeans pocket, hunching her shoulders up as she took an uncomfortable position. One that mimicked how she felt about this conversation.

"Sure. Anything."

"I wanted to know...uh, why were you so reluctant on letting me join Professor Mills class?" Emma's parents had been so distraught when Emma hadn't dropped it, but they had found out after the dead line passed and she refused to change her mind even as David promised he could make things work for her.

That he would make an exception for her.

She had felt dirty at that.

She didn't want to bend the rules just because. It was an abuse of power.

"Well, she's a harsh grader," Mary let out, not expecting this conversational topic.

"No. The real reason." Silence on the other end.

A low sigh. "Listen sweetie, you don't need to know-"

"I do."

"Why? Is she doing something to you-"

"No, she's not," Emma cut in. "I just want to know."

Another low sigh. "Well, a long time ago...I got Regina in trouble with some important people and she was quite mad at me for a long time. I was just worried that she could take it out on you because you were in her class." An uncertain pause. "Is she?"

"No, everything's fine," Emma said too quickly. "Thanks." And then she hung up.

So. This was interesting. Was Regina really lowering her grades or did Emma deserve these grades?

She wanted to believe that Regina wasn't really doing this for some old grudge. But there was only one way to find out. By working even more closely with Mills. To check in everything with her. Every last detail. She would be annoying about it as well.

If not, than she would hatch another plan. In fact, she'd make her plan work in tandem to checking over every last detail with her professor.

Professor Mills had a tendency to allow students to leave their essays in her mail box. This would allow Emma to make the swap. What she was going to do was take another student's essay and switch their essay with hers, only doctoring the names. This would be an indicator enough if Regina was lowering her scores because of some sort of grudge.

The only question was, what would Emma do then if it was true? If Regina was really lowering her grade based on her name? Emma's stomach curdled in on the thought. She hoped it wasn't true. Either way, the wait would be a week's time and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep properly until her results came back.

So until the week was over she went about her classes like normal, this time her gaze on Regina pondering and not just full of longing and want. She even went to some club events with Ruby. She found her roommate only went to those for the free food offered there and Emma wasn't mad in the least because the food they had was certainly better than the dining hall food, despite David's attempts to make it better.

Emma did manage to befriend a guy named Neal along the way. He was a scruffy looking artist major who held their same principles in attending club meetings not for introductions or getting friends but in getting free food.

"I haven't even finished school but I'm already a starving artist," he said jokingly as he bit into his fifth free burrito. He also never seemed to be a full artist either.

He took an instant shining to Emma for reasons she didn't know and was afraid to ask about lest it drive him away. But he was cool to hang around with and he taught her a lot about art and the different theories behind it even if none of it settled in her head.

The graded essays were slowly handed back and Emma was handed back Mulan's essay instead. The C on it was bright red and depressing. For Mulan of course.

The Asian woman next to her was looking over her paper with some confusion, no doubt wondering why the essay sounded different. Quickly Emma erased her name from the top of the paper. "Sorry, there must have been a mistake," she said, grabbing the paper out of Mulan's hands and giving her the one she'd had.

"Oh, okay." Mulan looked even more confused by this exchange but didn't comment further on it.

Emma looked at her paper. Hm. Her brow furrowed. In big bold text it said, See me after class.

Oh no. This could not be good.

Dread coalesced in her stomach the whole class period and she tried to look over at her professor for any hints as to why this might be. But her professor was too wrapped up in her lesson and she didn't even once look at Emma.

Maybe Emma could run out of the class before her professor noticed when it ended? This way she could just pretend she forgot and miss this entire mess?

That was Emma's hope because she really did not want to speak with her professor. She had a feeling it would not be good. As the hands on the clock crept closer, Emma began to discreetly pack up her belongings. Regina, of course, took this time to notice this.

"Miss Swan are you in a hurry somewhere?" she paused the class, forcing everyone to look at Emma and not the lesson on the powerpoint slide.

"Uh," Emma's throat felt dry and her hands sticky. "No?"

"Then why are you all packed up?" she was referring to Emma only having her notebook out and her pen, and her ass half hanging off the seat, looking like she would bolt up any second and run.

Because Emma didn't have anything else to say to this, she just shrugged and slid back into her seat, cheeks burning red.

Regina arched a perfect brow, like she had won over Emma, before turning back to the board. Emma stewed in embarrassment for a good while until class was truly over. Now, she didn't even have the option of ducking out unnoticed because Mills clicked her tongue and gestured for Emma to come over to her desk.

She gulped and thumbed the strap of her book bag nervously. "Yes?" she tried to ask in as none wavering a voice as she could.

"Emma, we have a lot to discuss today in my office." Her eyes were hard and her demeanor even harder.

All Emma could do was dumbly nod her head, wait for her professor to finish packing up, and then follow her out the room.

When she got there, Regina closed the door behind them with a resounding click that sounded like a prison cell door closing. The professor took her time sitting down in her seat, folding her hands regally as she indicated for Emma to sit in front of her.

"Emma, you did a very, very, dumb thing. There's no other way to put it."

Emma's heart was pounding hard and she could hear the beat in her ear drums. She swallowed. Her throat was dry.

Regina continued on, noting that Emma had not said anything. "You switched out your paper with Mulan's. Did you think I wouldn't be able to tell from the style of writing which was hers and which was yours?"

Oh god.

There is a roaring in Emma's ears now.

Regina had seen right through it.

"I don't know what your goal had been in doing that. And I must say I am very disappointed in you. I'll have to report you to the dean because impersonating another's work counts as plagiarism, and they'll have to kick you out."

"No, please don't kick me out," Emma gaped, horrified and feeling useless. Feeling like she had fucked up big time. She could only imagine the disappointment in her parents' faces when they found out about this. "I didn't mean any harm by it. It was just- I just- I just wanted to see!"

"See what?" Regina is the picture of calm while Emma is the poster child for stress and anxiety attacks.

"My grades. If you were grading me fairly."

Regina's lips twist up at this in distaste. She sighs out heavily. She seems to know where Emma could have gotten this idea from. "I suppose I won't report you then, since I know your situation and where you are coming from. But this doesn't mean you get off without a punishment. This type of behavior is unacceptable and I won't have you continuing to do it just because of something vapid your mother might have said to you." She sat back, raked her eyes over Emma's shaking and pale form from head to toe. "You'll work for me," she decreed at last.

"Work for you?" Emma nearly choked on the relief going through her. She wouldn't get called to the dean. She wouldn't get kicked out. And her parents wouldn't know about this.

"Yes. Like an assistant. But unpaid. You'll be cleaning my office, organizing files for the psychology department, which is grossly needed as of now, and going out for coffee if I need any. All this until I decide that you've been punished enough and have learned your lesson in attempting something like that again."

Emma nods her head frantically, close to tears. Anything. She'll take anything over having to be reported. "Thank you, you won't regret this," Emma says, grabbing her bookbag and fleeing the room before the tears of relief slid down her face. The last thing she wants to do is cry in front of her professor.

"I already do," Regina sighs out tiredly but Emma doesn't hear her and the woman goes back to her papers from other classes.

Now that the terror had disappeared, Emma lay in bed thinking about Regina's punishment. She shivered as she thought of another inappropriate punishment her professor could give her. Bending her over on her office desk, kissing Emma hard and disrobing her before having her.

Emma squeezed her thighs tight. This wouldn't be the first time she thought of her professor sexually and it wouldn't be the last. She let out an unhappy groan as she realized she wouldn't be able to go to sleep with this in her system. So she grabbed a towel and went into the shower, intent on wringing out every last enjoyment of the idea of Regina's body on her as she pinned Emma to her desk and fucked her long and hard.