A/N: Hello! Since you guys are still interested in this story, here is the next chapter. I really do apologize for leaving you guys hanging BUT I do want to say that I appreciate your patience and continued support! Please review! Even if it's one word, I would REALLY appreciate it. I read every single one and they keep me inspired to write!
Regina's eye's flew open in an instant. It happened again. She had dreamt about Leopold and his rough cold hands inching up her thighs. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the image out of her head. This had been going on all night. As soon as she'd dose off to sleep, she'd be ripped right back out of it and woken up with the same nightmare. The cycle kept repeating itself over and over again. Regina was exhausted and she just wanted to go to sleep.
What she really needed was to talk to someone but there was only one person she could talk to about this particular situation, and that was Robin. The only problem was that it was 3am. He had said that he would come check on her this morning but he never came. She got up, slipped on her robe and went down the hall to Robin's room.
She gave a light knock on the door and waited but there was no repose. He was probably asleep. Sighing she knocked again but a little louder. This time she heard voices. When no one came she decided to give up and went back to her room. Slipping back into her bed, Regina laid there feeling disappointed. Someone was most definitely inside. Was he ignoring her? Was he with someone? Maybe she was just paranoid? She didn't know what to think anymore. She let her mind roam until she finally fell asleep, again.
Robin woke to the sound of soft knocks on his door. He checked his phone for the time and groaned. He wasn't on duty so he figured that only Regina would be knocking on his door at this time. He lifted the covers off of himself and got out of bed to head towards the door. Before he could get there however, he was stopped in his tracks by a grouchy voice.
"Don't answer that door, Robin." Marian said with a scowl, sitting up in his bed, using the sheet to cover her chest.
"Why, Marian?" Robin groaned, turning to face her. This was a mistake. She had come over to apologize for her behavior at the party and like always, he had fallen for it. Then she had kissed him and one thing led to another. Now he had gotten himself into his usual mess with her. The truth was, the only thing they had going for them was meaningless sex and he was tired of it.
"I'm tired of this little fascination you have with her." Marian said, her tone icy.
"She's not a fascination, Marian. That's more along the lines of what you are, or what you used to be anyway." Marian fumed and Robin swore that if it were possible, steam would be coming out of her ears.
"It's me or her." Marian said, crossing her arms.
"Seriously?" Robin chuckled. "What are we, five?
"Choose." Marian pushed.
"I'd chose her in a heartbeat." Robin deadpanned. "So, since we've gotten that over with, why don't you get your things and leave."
"No." Marian raised her voice.
"No?" Robin questioned. She was pushing it now. "Marian-"
"No, you listen to me, Robin. You chose wrong, so I'll give you another chance. Choose wrong again and I'll have my father pull your scholarship." Threatening him was clearly the only way she was going to get what she wanted.
"You wouldn't." Robin looked at her in disbelief. She had to have lost her mind. What kind of person messes with someone's scholarship over some crap like this? "How would you even do that?"
"How would I? I'll just call up my daddy and tell him that one of his scholars took advantage of me... and my virginity." She said in an innocent voice.
"You know good and well you lost your virginity years before I met you." Robin snarled. She was playing with fire here but he was't sure if he could extinguish it.
"He doesn't know that." Marian shrugged. "It'd be a shame for all your hard work for the past three years to go down the drain just because you couldn't get your priorities straight. Wouldn't it?" Marian smirked. "So, choose again and stop trying my patience!"
"Fine." Robin huffed. "You win."
"I want to hear you say it." Marian stared Robin down with her eyebrow raised. Oh she was testing him all right.
"I choose you, Marian." Robin said, lacing her name with nothing but bitterness.
"Good boy." She praised. "Now, get back in this bed before you piss me off more than you already have." She spat. Robin was beginning to realize that he had no choice but to comply. So this was what it felt like to be blackmailed. It was even shittier in real life than what it looked like in the movies.
Marian on the other hand was giddy as ever. Now, she had the upper hand and he was never going to make a fool out of her again. In fact, she was going to make him into the best boyfriend she'd ever have.
"See? All you need is a little guidance." She smirked, looking at the handsome face that was laced with anger. "Now, the next time I see that Regina girl she better not have any feelings for you whatsoever. So, whatever feelings she has for you now, crush them. Got it?" Robin only nodded, to angry to even speak.
Monday. It was arguably the worst day of the week. Regina's eyes flew open in an instant. Something didn't feel right. She looked over at her clock and shot up so fast she almost fell off her bed. It was 9:22am and she was going to be late.
"Dammit!" She was just realizing that she didn't remember to set the alarm on her phone. Now, she was paying for it.
Regina ran to her closet and threw on some jeans and the first shirt she could find. She ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and threw her hair up into a sloppy pony tail. She rushed back to her room, grabbed her book bag and out the door she went. As she rushed down the hall, she glanced at her phone for the time. She only had two minutes until class started and it was at least an eight minute walk to get there.
Regina ran so fast you would have sworn she was on the track team. Approaching the door to her classroom, she could hear the professor already giving his lecture. She held her breath and turned the door nob. As Regina walked in, every head turned towards her. So this is what it was like to be on the other side of the stare. The dreaded stare that every late student has to go through when they walk into class late. She'd never been late to class a day in her life. Absent, a few times but late? Her mother would never allow it.
Being late is the first step to being an embarrassment to society. Her mother would always say that. Regina hurried to one of the few empty seats which were all near the back, another thing she wasn't use to. If her mother could see her right now she'd yank her out of this school and bring her home. She realized that her professor hadn't said anything since she had walked in. He only stood there with an ugly scowl on his face, pacing back and forth giving different students looks. If Regina didn't have so much on her mind, she might actually be intimidated. His eyes finally connected with hers when he began to speak.
"Class is like a relationship." He began. "It's a two way street. If you don't show any interest in my class, I won't show any interest in you. Which is already a hard thing to achieve in my class as it is." He moved over to the large desk at the front of the room and picked up the text book, flipping through the pages. "There's one thing I believe is pertinent for you to know. I don't care who passes my class but the students who chose to take my class seriously are the ones who are most likely to do so." As if it wasn't bad enough that he had indirectly made that comment to her in front of the entire class, Regina heard a couple of students whispering about it behind her.
"Wow, professor Gold is harsh." A girl in a green dress and blond hair said.
"Yeah, I'll never walk into class and interrupt his lecture like she just did. How embarrassing." It took everything Regina had not to turn around and give the pair a piece of her mind. Who has he to define what was embarrassing? He was the one wearing an obnoxious top hat. Who even wore top hats anymore? Ugh! She was so irritated. This day had only just begun and it was already a shit show. She didn't know how she was going to get through the day but she know was that just had to get through forty-two minutes and she'd be done with this class.
And so she did it. She sat through forty-two minutes of agony. She was so irritated that she couldn't even take notes! Gathering her things, she reminded herself that this was only mythology and that this class was an easy A anyways. If anything, Belle was taking this class on Tuesdays and Thursdays so if she needed them, she could always get the notes from her. Eager to leave, Regina was the first one out the door. Though she was going so fast, she didn't even see what happened before she wound up on the floor.
"Woah, bloody hell! I'm sorry." Great. There was nothing like a guy with a British accent to remind you of another guy with a British accent. Students filing out of the classroom only passed by them and stepped over the things they had dropped.
"Geez, you look terrible." She didn't know what it was but that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Regina was never one to cry in front of other's but her body betrayed her as her lip began to tremble and her eyes began to water.
"Shit! My apologies! I didn't mean to offend you." The brit said, scrambling to pick up her bag and phone that had fallen on the floor when she did.
"How was that comment not offensive?" She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice but it wasn't exactly working.
"You're right." He admitted. "Wrong choice of words." He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag.
"What I should have asked was if you'd like a little pick me up because you look like you could use one." He smiled.
"Is that...?" Regina's eyes widened as she realized what it was.
"Yep, want a hit?" He asked.
"Are you crazy!" She half whispered. "There are people around..." Regina turned around to see that they were alone.
"Well, damn. Some might call me reckless but I'm not stupid. I wouldn't pull this out in front of a crowd. I'm Will by the way." He said, standing up. "Lighten up, love." He stretched his hand out to help her up. Not taking his offer, she stood up by herself.
"Regina and I don't need to lighten up." She said, dusting off her jeans.
"Okay, then show me." He smirked.
"Show you what?" What was it with this dude? And why was he smiling?
"You're an amateur aren't you, love? Well, that will only make it all the more fun!" Regina's eyes widened a bit as she caught on.
"Oh, no. Absolutely not!" She protested, taking back her belongings from him.
"Oh, come on! You can't possibly have anything more enjoyable to do with that face on. Let me show you a good time!" Regina shook her head at her thoughts. She couldn't believe she was actually considering this. There was no way this could possibly be fun. She had heard about kids her age getting high but she had never even come in contact with the substance in her entire life. What if this opportunity never came up again? She was having a crappy day... No. She still had classes.
"You promise it'll be fun?" Regina questioned. She didn't know if it was a stupid question or not but she wanted to know.
"Oh, it will make you feel loads better! Like you're floating on clouds." Regina eyed him up and down and finally caved.
"I guess I'll try it but after I finish with my classes for the day." She said seriously. One thing she wouldn't do was let her grades drop, no matter how upset she was.
"Deal." He said excited that he had gained an apprentice.
But you'll have to teach me. I... I don't actually know what I'm doing." She admitted, a little embarrassed.
"Never held one before either? I'm glad I met you!" He said slinging an arm over her shoulder and leading her out the building. "When you're finished with me, you're gonna be the most laid back person on this campus." He paused quickly flashing her a nervous smile. "Or you'll resent me for the rest our college years but let's just focus on the first!"
Regina rode the elevator up to her floor, happy to be done with her three classes for the day. After having some time to think, she had no idea what had come over her earlier. She had actually agreed to smoke weed with a guy she had just met. She didn't even know him for god sakes. Thank god she had time in between to think it over or she might have done something she would have regretted. No matter how hard things seemed, drugs weren't the answer.
As she elevator opened Regina stiffened as she saw Robin. He was taping some flyers up on the hall. She didn't exactly know what to do. Should she talk to him? She hadn't talked to him since two nights ago and now that seemed like a distant memory. When the elevator doors began to close she realized that she was going to have to face him. It was either that or ride the elevator all day until he was gone. She clutched the strap of her bag and stepped off the elevator, making the doors reverse in direction.
Robin looked over when he heard the noise by the elevator and frowned when he saw that it was Regina. He kicked himself inside for what he was about to do but he didn't have a choice. Maybe she wouldn't talk to him. Then all of this would be avoided. No, he saw it in her eyes that she was eager to say something as she walked his way.
"Hi, Robin." Regina said a little nervously. She was still unsure about this entire situation with him.
"Hi, Regina." He said, looking her over. She looked a bit off today but he figured the incident that happened over the weekend was to blame.
"You didn't come by like you said you would the other day." She looked down. She didn't know why he always made her feel less confident than usual but he did. "I guess you were just busy or something?" Robin looked at her and rubbed his eyes in frustration. He was in between a rock and a hard place.
Just rip off the band aid. He though to himself. Better to get this over with than to drag it out. Oh, how he hated Marian right now.
"Look, Regina. I don't want to give you the wrong idea." He started. "Just because of what happened this past weekend, it doesn't change anything. The whole situation happened because of me so it's better for both of us if we just keep at a distance." Good. That was good. No, it wasn't good. She was frowning.
"What do you mean? I don't understand." Regina could feel her heart fall into the pit of her stomach.
"Regina, you're a great person and I'm sure you'll find someone your age but I'm not it." If he thought she was frowning before she was really frowning now. Or was she scowling?
"So, all of that crap you said the other night was a lie?" She was angry now. That much was clear.
"Regina-"
"I'm just some naive little girl to you?" She asked before letting him answer her first question. He could see that he wasn't going to succeed with being gentle. As much as it killed him, he was going to have to be harsher. The only way to get her to leave him alone was going to be to get her to hate him.
"You see, that's your problem. You don't know when to quit. You want to know the truth? This stupid cat and mouse game we're playing is juvenile and I'm tired of it. You're a freshman and I'm a senior. It's not going to happen between us so let it go. You're my resident and you're making my job a lot harder than it has to be." The look on her face said it all. She was definitely going to hate him by the end of this conversation.
"Oh, so I'm inconveniencing you?" She asked, her voice cracking.
"Well, if that's how you want to see it." He said.
"You know, I really don't get you. You're always giving me mixed signals." She said, trying to hold back her tears.
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you're making things into what they aren't."
"Excuse me?" How dare he. She wasn't that naive. Was she?
"Think about it. You want to be with me so badly that you're interpreting everything that I do into what you want it to be. I don't give you mixed signals, Regina. You're making things up in your head."
"I'm not making things up." She took a step back.
"Stop embarrassing yourself. I don't like you." This was it, the final blow. "I could never like a snobby princess like you."
"I hate you." She said in almost a whisper. She bumped past him and rushed to her room. She would not let him see her cry. How could she be so stupid to fall for such an ass? Everyone told her that college would be such a great experience. Well, college sucked from where she was sitting! She wanted to go home and that was something she never thought she'd say.
Robin felt horrible. He'd never felt like such a failure in his life. He wanted to stand up to Marian but she was holding all the cards and had him backed into a corner. He couldn't loose his scholarship. Without it he'd be kicked out of school because he wouldn't be able to afford it.
"Oh, Regina." He said to himself. "If only you knew."