AN: Hey guys! I finally got some writing done lol. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. See ya!
I don't own the characters or OUAT.
All mistakes are mine.

Thursday morning, Regina woke up before her alarm and thought, 'Today is not going to be any different. Dad isn't here; mother is still on top of me about my schooling. Can the days stop being so monotonous?' Regina's alarm clock went off at 6:15 am like it always does every morning. She dragged herself out of bed, took her clothes out of the dresser and walked to the bathroom. When she got there, she looked in the mirror. 'I'm fifteen years old. I shouldn't be so unaffected by what I've gone through. Life shouldn't feel so... blah.'

"Regina! Hurry up and take your shower! You need to eat breakfast before you go to school!" Regina's mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, mother! I'll be out as quick as I can!" Regina yelled to make sure she was heard.

As Regina walked into school, everyone stared at her. 'This is nothing new. Everyone has been staring at me for as long as I could remember. I'm the mayor's daughter, being taught by the mayor to become the next mayor. But most people aren't staring at me the same way. Oh, that's right. Dad died three weeks ago. Do people still feel sorry for me?'

Regina was brought out of her thoughts by her boyfriend.

"Hey, babe. Are you feeling okay?" he asked her quietly.

"Yes, Daniel. I am feeling fine. You know that you shouldn't call me that in public. My mother might find out and have another reason to hate you," she scolded.

"Why would your mother hate me?" he questioned. "I'm a gentleman, I'm courteous, I love you, I-"

"Daniel, enough. I know all that, but my mother doesn't. And to answer your question," she replied, "my mother hates you because she thinks you are a distraction. She doesn't approve."

"And you crave her approval," Daniel sarcastically remarked.

Annoyed by his statement, she snapped at him, "You are such a courteous gentleman."

She walked toward her locker, away from Daniel, only to be stopped by him a second later.

"What's your problem, Regina?" he asked. "You know that was a joke!"

"No, Daniel. I did not know that was a joke. If you want to make a joke, laugh at the end. Don't sound so serious. I also don't believe you meant that as a joke. I know her dislike isn't one-sided," she finished just as the bell rang. "I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but I have to get to class. Goodbye, Daniel. I'll see you at lunch."

The day was passing at such a snail's pace, but it was what Regina was used to. She barely paid attention in class, but that didn't matter. She had the readings read, three classes in advance. She knew what the teachers were going to say before they even said it.

Lunch came all too slowly, and Regina was exhausted. She didn't mind, though. She could regain some of her energy by eating and spending time with her friends. As she sat at her table and waited for her friends, she got lost in her thoughts again.

'I know Mother doesn't approve of Daniel. Should I tell her that we're in a relationship? It's not like she'll rip his heart out. My grades aren't dropping. But they might if we actually go out. I shouldn't be thinking like this. He said we can get through anything together. But we haven't been doing things together lately. We haven't hung out since Dad died. Why is he treating me differently?'

At the end of this mental rant, Regina's friends had started showing up at the table.

"Hey, Zelena and Jefferson. How is school going for you today?" Regina asked her two best friends.

Jefferson replied to her, "It's going ok, I guess. I'm just bored out of my mind."

"It feels like everything is going by way too slow," Zelena agreed. "But I heard from one of my teachers that Gold is going to make an announcement that a new kid is showing up next Wednesday. I wonder who it'll be. And what grade they'll be in."

'A new kid... in March?' thought Regina. 'If he or she is in our grade, I'm going to be the person who greets them and shows them around the school. That's going to take some of my already little free time. Sometimes, I hate being class president.'

"Regina! Earth to Regina!" Jefferson said as he waved his hand in front of her face and chuckled.

"Stop, Jefferson!" Regina replied as she laughed along. "I'm paying attention."

"Then, what did we -"

"Hey buddies and my darling Regina!" Daniel yelled across the cafeteria.

"Daniel. How many times do I have to tell you, you cannot say that in public," Regina harshly replied when he finally sat down next to her.

"Sorry, babe. I keep forgetting."

"Well, start remembering. I don't want to get in trouble with my mother."

"Yes, sweetie," Daniel replied dryly as their two friends laughed lightly.

"Good afternoon, students," Mr. Gold, the school's principal, said over the school's PA system. "I have some wonderful news for the sophomore class. There will be a new child enrolling next Wednesday, and I expect all of you to be as open and kind as possible. That is all. Have a good rest of your day, students."

Regina and the rest of her class groaned. 'I don't want to babysit the new kid next Wednesday. School is boring enough as it is. I don't want to have to walk this person all around the school, trying to make them memorize everything. Can't they just do it themselves?' Regina mused to herself. 'Wednesday is going to be a long day...'