Chapter 3
Today's lesson may have not scraped much of the barrel in terms of important or impertinent information, but Regina could already tell exactly how Dr. Swan was going to evaluate them on each future assignment and test.
Through her incorporation of the class's answering of questions, and their much desired participation, Dr. Emma Swan did not seem like the type of instructor who wanted her pupils to memorize each word they wrote during the lectures and regurgitate it.
It was different, because prior to that year of study, most of their professors didn't focus on the application of principles, only the general knowledge of them.
"This isn't some basic biology course everyone, and I bet that's shocking you all pretty harshly right now." Dr. Swan said assumingly from the podium. "You will have to really know what you are talking about to answer any of the questions on my tests. Not just restate the text book."
From behind her, Regina could hear some students shuffling uncomfortably in their seats and whispering amongst each other. Having shared most of her classes with those same classmates, she could tell they were expecting just to have to memorize the course material the night before the evaluation.
"How exactly is that going to benefit any of you with the real world just right around the corner?" Dr. Swan said, using hand air quotations just like Regina's roommate Kathryn to emphasize the real world in her speech.
It made her giggle, and so did the rest of the class.
I don't think the real world has hit any of us yet Dr. Swan…
"I bet you all think it's a long ways away that you'll ever need to get a job, am I right?" She asked, pausing to look around the class from her place. Quickly, Regina peered over her shoulder to see some guilty faces not daring to look their professor in the eye.
Right again Professor Swan.
"Of course I'm right!" Dr. Swan said, laughing, and Regina felt her shoulders lose a bit of tension in the blade and relax.
"I'm not here to call everyone in this class out, or single out a student for trying to take the easy way out." Dr. Swan said. "I was just like all of you once, I know how scary life after this will be, but guess what? It doesn't have to be."
Coming off the podium, she walked around the class and pointed at the white board.
"You all know the basics, now it is time you learn how to apply them properly." Capping the felt marker, she now stood in front of the first row facing the class and directly facing Regina who sat in the seat where she stood. Dr. Swan took a peek at the clock hanging on the wall.
The class went by at a much faster pace than anyone could have anticipated, for a knock outside the lecture hall's heavy door said that Dr. Swan was going overtime. It was nice, no one noticing the time ticking away, or reaching for his or her cell phones every few minutes to check the time. Dr. Swan had an ability to engage everyone in the room, and all fifty-something students hung on every word she said, which was strange for a class on their first day back.
"It seems I have kept you guys here long enough on the first day, so grab some coffee everyone and see you Wednesday morning!" She finished, letting everyone pack his or her bags and begin to file out. After the hour and twenty minute lecture, and just as she had predicted, Regina could already tell she was going to enjoy the class.
When she finally got the chance to look at her phone, Regina saw that Kathryn had texted her about five minutes ago.
Meet me at the Café in the engineering building – Rick's buying.
Regina would not normally take the extra five-minute walk to that building, but a free coffee was always welcome in the morning.
Especially with Kathryn's boyfriend Frederick footing the bill.
Regina texted back: Ok – be there in a few.
She put her notebook back into her bag and then slung it around her left shoulder. Her phone vibrated against the desk before she could even pick it up.
Man this line is crazy, hurry up! We are behind like twenty people.
The university did not seem to understand that they needed to put more than one coffee shop on either end of the campus. With thousands of students filing in and out of its doors, the amount of caffeine being required by each exhausted body exponentially increased through the semester.
Regina knew this could be demonstrated by the amount of empty coffee cups and paper mugs that flooded recycling bins and garbage cans around the library during midterms and finals.
The fact that the line for a warm, caffeinated beverage on the science end of campus was already as long as Kathryn had warned her only made her laugh irritatingly. Perhaps she and Kathryn would be only brewing from home this year.
As predicted, the line at the coffee shop on that end of campus was virtually out the door by the time Regina had finally arrived. She walked as fast as she could, but apparently so had everyone else.
Including Dr. Swan who stood to her left outside the building, staring blankly at the lengthy line.
Emma shut off her laptop once she was done her lecture and watched all of her students file out of the lecture hall. She was pleased with herself, and thought the first class had gone relatively well.
Although she knew she presented herself as being a fair bit more approachable than most professors, she also knew that she had scared the living shit out of most of the students into dropping the class the minute they could get a hold of registration. Emma hated how so many of her fellow colleagues only concentrated on the factual knowledge and memorizing concepts. It's great having the students know exactly what all basic twenty amino acids look like structure-wise, but did they know any else about how they are used and applied?
Unfortunately, that was never the case.
This summer not only proved that the students were not only well under-equipped but actually very unaware and uncertain when it came to knowing the application of all their data being collected.
Scanning the room during her lecture, Emma could already tell that some of the young adults would be well-adjusted enough to work in the Molecular Labs over the summer, and possibly even sooner than that.
Only time would truly be able to tell.
As fast as her laptop case would allow her, Emma took her mug and brought it with her for a walk to the engineering building that was close by. The brew that morning for her and Tink's coffee had used up the last of her beans, and unfortunately Emma knew that a long morning and afternoon in the lab would require more than just some water to keep her awake.
Having only about fifteen minutes until she was expected to meet her teaching assistants and lab technicians, Emma stalked quickly and turned the usual five-minute walk to about three minutes. Unfortunately, even with her speed and determination, the line up for the Café was unsurprisingly out of the main door.
Ah Fuck.
Great.
Emma was about to go in line when she recognized one of the students to her right.
Oh yeah, wasn't she the one that was late?
The small brunette shyly smiled at her and Emma shot a grin back at the girl.
"Oh it's you again sleepy head!" Emma teased endearingly, not meaning to be cruel. "I'm guessing you didn't have time for coffee this morning?" Emma asked the blushing young woman, knowing the girl must have really slept in by her reaction.
She shook her head gently, smiling still. "None at all."
"Well it doesn't look like you'll be getting your fix any time soon." Emma told her, sighing in annoyance.
"They really should just invest in another shop to avoid all this nonsense." The brunette murmured, and Emma could not help but agree and make a suggestion.
"Or what they could do is make a staff only line. " Emma said, still staring at the growing line beside her student. "That would work too."
The young woman shot her a look behind her thinly framed glasses, with two very dark eyes flashing amusement at the suggestion. "How exactly would that help me and my coffee situation exactly Dr. Swan?"
Emma shrugged. "It wouldn't. But it would help me a lot."
They both stared at each other and then laughed. Suddenly, at the packed door, a young woman with pink streaks in her blonde hair appeared in the crowded doorway, waving to the brunette beside Emma it seemed.
"Regina!" She shouted, her hands ushering her inside. "Come on! Rick's almost at the front of the line!"
Oh right, she told me her name was Regina already, Emma thought to herself, now imprinting her student's name in her brain for future reference. Regina Miller, or something. I'll check my list tonight.
The girl began to rush towards her friend at the front of the line before turning back in Emma's direction.
"Professor Swan, I know you must be in a rush –" She began, obviously a little shy still. " – But you could join us in line if you wanted to get your coffee quick?"
Emma was grateful. "Oh that would be great, thanks for asking." She replied, following the two students inside.
Before heading inside she turned to face the brunette. "By the way, call me Emma from now on. Dammit, I totally forgot to tell everyone in class that."
Regina laughed at her cursing. "Alright, Emma."
Regina and Emma followed the other woman with really cool pinkish hair into the building and all the way to the front of the line where she assumed one of their boyfriend's was waiting.
Just as expected, the young lanky guy put his arm around the blonde girl and Regina turned back to Emma.
"Go ahead of us Dr. Swan, er - Emma." She suggested politely, and then turned back to chat amicably with her friend.
"Oh, uh, thanks a lot." Emma smiled curtly. After ordering her coffee, she thanked her student once again before rushing out of the building. Before leaving, she turned back and saw the young girl named Regina staring at her in the doorway, then turn around blushing, knowing she had been seen staring.
Emma chuckled. She knows that being so shy is not always a bad thing, right?
At least this girl wasn't like the majority of people in Emma's Molecular Biology class. Most of them had their heads so far up their own asses they think they are better than everyone else.
Regina watched Dr. Swan leave the building, her light brown hair in its bun almost falling out of place with each quick stride.
"Which class does she teach Regina?" Frederick asked, breaking Regina's stare from the lineup through the entrance. "She's a cutie."
"Dr. Swan teaches Molecular Biology now." Regina exclaimed a little too excitedly, ignoring Rick's further comment and this did not go unnoticed by either Rick or Kathryn.
The barista interrupted their conversation, waiting for an order. Frederick ordered coffee for all three of them, leaving Kathryn and Regina to got and find an available table. By the window, a table for three had been left untouched, and Regina and Kathryn ran quickly to grab it.
"Well isn't that a good start to your first day?" Kathryn mused, setting her bag down on the ground in the same motion as Regina before taking a seat. "No more old Dr. Banks."
"Trust me, I could not be more thrilled." Regina replied exhaustively.
"At least she looks kind of young, you know?" Kathryn said. "This way she can relate to you guys."
"Her outline does not look easy though." Regina said. "She practically scared away half the class today when she said the tests and exams would be based on methods used, not memorization."
"Oh right, because all you biology majors do is read and regurgitate." Kathryn teased.
"Fine Kathryn, I suppose you can use that as an accurate stereotype for biology majors." Regina replied, rolling her eyes. "But I guess all you chemistry majors do is draw hexagons and play with Lego."
"Those are molecular models used to build molecules and you know it!"
"Just like Lego in theory –" Regina mocked.
"Har-har Regina." Kathryn sarcastically replied.
"I'm only joking."
"Regina Mills, joking?" Kathryn said provokingly. "That would be the day."
"Well I can only torment you about Chemistry because I barely understood the majority of second year Organic Chemistry,"
"It was a bitch for all of us."
"I'd say." Regina mused, taking the cup Frederick handed her once he reached the table.
He handed Kathryn her coffee and then took a seat beside his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her. "What are you two ladies gossiping about?"
"School, what else?" Kathryn informed him, laughing when he wrinkle his nose in disgust.
"Gross." He retorted, miming vomiting into his coffee, which his girlfriend Kathryn found hilarious.
Regina rolled her eyes. "Really? Feigning nausea this early Frederick?"
"Hey, I had a late night last night." He replied, downing his coffee at record speed and causing Kathryn to grab the mug out of his hands before he could drown himself in the boiling beverage.
"Stop it!" She scolded, putting the paper mug down on the table in front of them. "I bought you that shirt, and I don't plan on being the one to scrub the coffee stains out of it!"
Regina could not help but laugh as she watched Rick use his puppy dog eyes on Kathryn, and her best friend shove the hot drink back in his direction on the table.
"Try and drink it slowly this time, why don't you?" Kathryn proposed with warning.
He agreed without further comment.
"So wait." Regina interrupted. "I forgot to ask how the engineering frosh week went. How did it go Frederick?"
Every year, the frosh week, or freshman introduction week as properly penned, for engineers always caused the most hassle with the university. The week before classes start, all the new students piled into their dorms and met all their fellow classmates and others who lived with them in their dorm building. The week basically consisted of intense challenges and excessive amounts of alcohol. It went pretty much that way for all faculties during frosh week, but the engineers took it the most seriously. Regina remembered Cora's eyes practically bulging out of their sockets yesterday when she saw a group of them run by her apartment complex in their underpants, with their skin dyed green.
Regina guessed that seeing Kathryn's odd choice of hair colour might have just added to the horror.
It all truly lightened Regina's mood overall.
"Amazing, as per usual." Rick replied proudly. "So messy though."
"I expected nothing less to be honest." Regina muttered.
"The faculty has asked us to refrain from using colour dye in the future though."
"Do I even want to know why?" Regina asked.
"Apparently one kid was allergic and ended up having to drop out of this semester." Kathryn answered, shooting a harsh look at her boyfriend.
"Speaking of this semester, Regina do you happen to have any plans for this Friday evening?" Frederick turned to her, questioning her with oddly inquisitive eyes.
"Not that I know of, why?"
"Well I have this friend –"
"Absolutely not Frederick." Regina finished for him. "Nice try though."
"Regina, it would be a good double date!"
"No."
"He's really smart and has taken quite a shine to you –"
" – And what do you not understand about no?" Regina asked, growing irritated.
"Are you seriously trying to set my best friend up asshole?" Kathryn gritted through her teeth, smacking her boyfriend on the arm.
"Hey!" He yelped reflexively, and Regina knew how hard Kathryn could punch. "I just wanted to introduce her to this guy I just met in Pre-Med. It would be a nice double date I thought."
"Pre-Med?" Kathryn asked. "So he's basically a pretentious prick?"
"Not all guys in that program are jerks Kat."
"Most of them are." Regina alleged to Rick. "But my mother would be ever so thrilled to hear that I went on a date with a potential doctor the first week I got back here."
"Is that a yes then Gina?" Frederick asked her, clearly hoping she would agree.
"Seriously Regina, just because you're single doesn't mean you need to feel obligated to go." Kathryn voiced, but the whole "single" dig hurt Regina a lot more than she expected.
It wasn't that Regina wanted to be alone at this point in her life, because that certainly was not the reason for her being presently single at all. After many years of living a very privileged, but extremely sheltered life, Regina just never considered herself open to meeting someone she would wish to have an intimate relationship with. She really wanted to go with her only friend in school, Rachel, to prom (not that she would have ever dared ask a woman in Cora's presence), but much to her luck, mother had set Regina up with one of her wealthy friend's sons. The entire night went epically horrible. Her prom date had forced a few drunken kisses onto her unwilling lips and practically tried to rip her dress off. She went home early and tried not to show her father how much she had been crying. Luckily, the drunken idiot boy had not succeeded in harming her further, but the evening left a bad taste in her mouth. Regina stayed as far away as she could from men and their lustful outlook on dating.
She turned down many offers as they came first and second year, wanting to only focus on her studies and furthering her potential in her field. Now, being one of the top students in her year, and relatively stable as per focus, she took this proposal Frederick presented with a grain of salt.
She really hated the idea, but did not want to be the single friend anymore.
"What have I told you about calling me Gina, Frederick?" Regina groaned. "You know how much I hate that name."
"Kathryn calls you that all the time!" He retaliated with. "I can never win with either of you, can I?"
"Get used to it Rick." Kathryn mused.
"By the way." Regina articulated. "Yes."
"Really?" Rick responded ecstatically. "He is going to be so stoked! He's had his eye on you since first year Regina!"
"Oh, well now this date just sounds all the more fun." Regina declared sarcastically.
Kathryn gave her a small smile; she was evidently thrilled to see her friend taking such a chance.
Little did she know how much Regina was already deeply dreading Friday night.
Wow, I am so excited to keep writing this after reading what everyone thought. Thank you all so much. I love reading reviews and hearing what everyone thinks, so keep them coming.
To the inquisitive Guest: Thank you for your review in particular. I am not comfortable with writing about an AU in High School, as I personally find it very triggering, so I am sorry. Besides, high school was no fun the first time, so I can't imagine reliving it through my writing. I only wanted to take a very different route with this story, between two consenting adults.