A/N: Well, here we go again! I cannot give enough thanks for feedback, and any constructive criticism would be great! I appreciate you guys and your love for SwanQueen, as well as liking this story, which I'm not sure I'm proud of yet haha. Once more, I do not own Once Upon a Time (sadly!) or the characters, but I do own this story. Points for title reference, as always, and let me know what you think!

XX

Emma awoke groggily to the blaring of her alarm. She jumped out of bed, not realizing that her legs were still quite tangled up in her blankets, and smacked her forehead on the corner of her end table.

"Auugh DAMNIT!" The words rushed out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them, and none too quietly, either. Sure enough, they were quickly followed by a shouted "Language, Emma!" from her mother downstairs. Scowling, she slammed the off button of her alarm, rubbing her forehead, where she just knew a bruise would be later that day. Emma exhaled softly, making her way to the bathroom for her pre-school routine. Thankfully, with graduation only two weeks away, her need to get up early would be greatly diminished.

That's right, Emma thought. Today I have to see Miss Mills for my punishment. Emma tried not to let her mind wander, unsuccessfully, to the beautiful teacher with the perfect olive skin as she stripped out of her short shorts and tank top for a quick shower. As she lathered her hair with the citrus shampoo that she so loved, she couldn't help but to wonder what exactly the day had in store for her. Paying no attention to the thoughts of Regina Mills that pried at the back of her mind, drying off her skin and hair before pulling it up in a ponytail and brushing her teeth. Emma slipped on her usual school outfit, a light, long sleeved t-shirt and dark skinny jeans and slipped into her favorite pair of Converse before heading downstairs. She smiled softly at Mary Margaret, who gave her a kiss on the forehead and a pair of heated up Pop-Tarts, and set out the door, making her way to school. Thankfully the day was mild; not too hot, not too cold, and as Emma passed through clouds of scent, courtesy of freshly mowed grass, she allowed the impending sense of dread she had felt since getting caught yesterday to ease away. Emma slipped into the seat beside one of her best friends, Belle French, just before the bell rang. English was her last class of the day, so she allowed her mind to be free of all stress as she and her friend playfully bantered back and forth, waiting for the Art teacher to tell them to get started on their assignments. Emma pulled out a fresh sheet of watercolor paper and began dowsing it in water, before setting up her table and beginning to paint. Class flew by in a flurry of paint droplets and laughter, as she confided in her friend Belle about getting caught by the English teacher. At first, Belle furrowed her brow; her disdain for Killian 'Jackass' Jones was definitely not hidden, and she could not believe that he would be so sneaky as to get Emma into trouble on purpose.

"Emma, I told you to stay away from that moron, why don't you ever listen to me?"

Emma sighed before flicking her brush bristles at her friend, giggling when water droplets peppered her face. Truthfully, she knew she'd probably get caught, but that did not stop her, and she was unsure why. She knew that Belle and Ruby both suspected that she had a crush on Miss Mills, if it could even be called a crush. What Emma did know, however, was that the woman was seemingly perfect in every way, and Emma yearned to be the one to break down those walls and learn her every secret, admire her every imperfection. Emma pinched the bridge of her nose as Belle gave her a strange look.

"You haven't heard a thing I've said, have you, Emma?"

Emma shook her head sheepishly. It wasn't as if she'd meant to ignore Belle, her mind was just so preoccupied at the moment that she didn't realize the girl was talking again.

"Honestly? Nope. Sorry, Belle."

Belle gave her a small smile, reaching over to pat her shoulder..

"I said, what do you think Miss Mills is going to make you do?"

"Honestly, Belle," Emma replied quietly, "I really have no idea."

At that, the bell rang, and the duo quickly packed up their art supplies, cleaning brushes and setting their paintings out to dry before making their way to mathematics. The pair had been lucky to have mostly identical schedules, and they definitely weren't complaining as they slid into seats by one another near the back of the class. Belle shot a sidelong glance at her friend, before shaking her head and opening up her math book. She realized that Emma had it bad for the English teacher, and she only hoped her friend would realize it before it drove her slowly crazy. She opted to leave the blonde to her thoughts, though, instead working quietly throughout the class, occasionally grabbing Emma's attention whenever she was called on to answer a question. Emma smiled gratefully at her and the pair left school, headed to Granny's diner for lunch. Ruby rushed over as soon as she saw her best friend and girlfriend walk through the door, leading them to a booth and giving Belle a quick peck on the forehead.

"What'll it be, love, Emma?"

Emma smiled at the adorable display as a light blush dusted Belle's face and cleared her throat.

"The usual, Rubes, please." Belle nodded and watched as Ruby disappeared to bring them lunch. The girls sat quietly as Emma's mind wandered, once more, to the olive skinned teacher, and she sucked a breath in sharply, shaking her head to clear it. Belle gave her an inquisitive look but she ignored it, and Ruby's infamous perfect timing set into play as she quickly reappeared with two grilled cheese sandwiches, an order of fries, a cinnamon hot cocoa, and an iced tea. Emma nonchalantly tore into her food, missing the knowing glance that Ruby gave Belle, and the way that Belle mouthed the word 'Regina' back to her girlfriend, for she, too, knew how bad Emma had it for the teacher. The girls nodded at one another morosely, deciding to let their secret be for the moment; Ruby turning back to her work, Belle trying to gleam Emma's attention away from her thoughts with meaningless chatter.

XX

Emma and Belle made it back to school just before the bell signaling next class rang, groaning as their civics teacher, Mr. Glass, waltzed in scowling. Sidney Glass was never a good teacher, despite his moods; however, the students quickly realized that his worst days were those that he spent angrily muttering to himself. The class immediately busied themselves, wincing every now and again when Mr. Glass would slam something or raise his voice hysterically. Emma wasn't entirely sure, but she swore she could hear him saying something about Miss Mills. She paid it no mind, though, and hurried out of the class as the bell rang to impending doom.