Chapter 2
Emma had to force herself not to run from Mary-Margaret’s car, already paranoid that the slamming of the door would catch too much attention. Only once the woman had driven out of the parking lot did Emma finally begin to relax. Her pace was slow, calm, albeit more reserved than usual. The school building towered before her and Emma could feel the static-like anxiety pin-pricking her skin. She hated being the new kid. There was nothing worse than turning up to a new school as a senior. Everyone would already have well established friendship groups. The rumour mill would be so deep that she would never fully understand why certain groups hated others. She would have teachers who would know nothing about her – though she supposed this was really a blessing – and classmates who wouldn’t want to know anything about her. She’d be labelled a loner before lunch.
Needing to find a way to ease her anxiety before her first class, Emma rooted around in her jacket pocket, skipping over the Nolans’ spare keys, a half empty packet of gum, until her fingers locked around her vape. She was glad the Nolans were new to fostering. Glad they didn’t even think to search her or her belonging when she first arrived at their house a few days ago. So far, she had been able to hide her vapes, her cigarettes, her weed, and her last bottle of vodka that she had stolen right before being removed from her last foster placement. Maybe getting through her last year of high school wouldn’t be complete hell. Not when she had her vices so readily available.
Emma grinned to herself as she took a puff from her vape. She could feel her lungs expanding with the stuff. A cloud of blue raspberry lemonade left her lips as she sighed out the smoke. Already she could feel her anxiety fading.
The doors to the school were locked open, student stragglers making their way inside. Emma could hear the first bell ring. She knew that she should at least attempt to turn up to the office at a reasonable time to collect her timetable, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care. It was the first day after all, she could just say she got lost.
“Oi, Lucas!” Emma turned at the shouting of a young man. He wore a thick black leather jacket on top of a dark shirt that he had laced across the chest. His legs were clad in tight black denim with more pockets than Emma cared to count. As he got closer, she could see the heavy black eye liner that ringed her blue eyes. He looked like trouble. Emma wanted to find out more about him.
“Jones.” A girl, Lucas Emma guessed, with long brown hair practically jumped on the guy’s back. She wore a short, pleated skirt that accentuated her long pale legs and a deep red top that hugged her in all the right places.
The pair seemed to squabble like siblings – her messing up his thickly gelled hair, him pulling on hers. In the midst of their bickering and Emma’s observations, the two ended up bumping straight into her. Emma stumbled, vape dropping from her hand and smacking off the concrete. It was the sound more so than the bump that had the two teens looking over at Emma.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry. Killian here can be a real ass sometimes.” The girl said as she stooped to pick up the vape.
“You smoke?” Killian said, gesturing pathetically.
Emma shrugged, unsure how to approach the situation. Could she make friends with these people?
“Nice. You might not wanna do it round here though.” He said.
“Why not?” Emma took her vape from the girl, smiling tightly.
“The Evil Queen might catch you.” The brunette shrugged as if this were obvious. “I’m Ruby, by the way.”
“Emma. Emma Swan.”
“Oh, you’re the new kid with the Nolan’s right?” Ruby asked.
“Yea, how’d you know?”
“I work at the diner in town. You overhear everything there.”
“As much as I find this conversation to be riveting, we should go before the next bell.” Killian grabbed at Ruby, attempting to pull her to the side of the building. Emma followed, unsure what else to do. “I do not want to be caught by Mills on day one.”
Emma followed the two teens down the side of the school building and out onto the field. She looked back over her shoulder, feeling too exposed in this new area. “If you don’t want to get caught, why are we out in the open?”
“Won’t be for long love,” Killian said as they approached the bleachers that ringed the field, “under here.”
“How original.” Emma said, rolling her eyes so hard she thought they might get stuck. Ruby laughed heartily at this, flashing pearly whites at Emma as she did.
“I like you, Swan. You’re funny.” Killian didn’t look amused as he rolled his eyes back at her. Together, the three walked beneath the bleachers until they came to a dark, cramped corner. Already seated on the hard-packed earth were two other guys. Ruby squatted down, patting beside her for Emma to sit. Killian sauntered over to the two guys, introducing Emma.
“Swan, this is August and Graham. They’re cool.” Emma nodded; certain she’d ascertain for herself just how cool they were. She took a slow drag from her vape, sizing up her new companions.
August had deep brown hair that coiled lightly at the ends. He wore leather too but managed to pull it off much better than Killian did. He had a soft face, one that seemed only to smile kindly at her. Graham had lighter brown hair that seemed blonde in part when the sun glanced off it. He had slight stubble, the affect of forgetting to shave every now and then. He seemed quiet, as if he too was taking the time to size her up. She couldn’t blame him. His friends had just suddenly brought a stranger to a place they all clearly came to for an escape. He had every right to be wary. If anything, his wariness made Emma trust him more.
“So, Emma, what brings you to a place like this?” August asked. She watched as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from a hidden pocket in his jacket. A lighter quickly followed. She eyed the pack enviously, cursing herself internally for not bringing her own. A vape was good, but sometimes not good enough. As if sensing her thoughts, August held the pack out to her, smiling gently when she took one. She waited as he lit his tab, then took the lighter from him. Inhaling the heavy smoke, she sighed into it. Relief washing through her quickly.
“The system. I’m a foster kid, staying with the Nolans for now.”
“For now?” Ruby perked up, looking at her sideways.
Emma shrugged, taking another drag and flicking the ash lightly. “Yeah. Don’t often stay in one place for long. Bounce around a lot.” She shrugged again at the falling smiles around her. “I reckon I’ll be gone the second they get sick of me.”
“Oh I doubt that.” Graham laughed.
Emma glare at him, suddenly unsure that she would like him now. “Why?”
“Please, Mary-Margaret is like, intense. She has this stupid belief that hope and love and fairytales make the world spin round.” He kicked at a stone by his feet, laughing at the childishness of it all.
“Fairytales?” Emma asked, looking at Ruby for confirmation.
“Ok, well, maybe not necessarily fairytales, but the woman is irrefutable. Once she sets her mind to something, she won’t give up on it. Especially not if her mind is set on someone. She’s never given up on a person before.”
“Shit.” Emma sighed.
“Yea.” Ruby laughed, knocking her shoulder gently into Emma’s. Emma smiled; the loud brunette was already growing on her. Maybe being stuck in Storybrooke wouldn’t be too bad if she let herself have friends. Especially friends who seemed to be on a similar wavelength.
“So, since you’re sticking around, what’s your schedule looking like?” Killian asked, his hand held out as if waiting for something. Emma slung her backpack off, dropping it heavily on the dusty ground, Graham coughed as the dirt was kicked up in his direction. Emma smirked, pleased with herself. She rooted around in the bottom of her bag, drowning out the conversations around her as she looked for the folded piece of paper Mary-Margaret had shoved into her hand earlier that morning.
“Here, see for yourself.” She said as she passed the crumpled paper round.
Killian took a moment to scan the sheet, whistling when he did.
“What?” Emma asked.
“You have Mills after lunch. She’s a bitch.”
“After lunch?” Ruby asked. Killian nodded, handing the paper to her next. “Oh hey, we have most of the same classes.” Emma smiled at her, asking which ones. “Maths with Mr Gold – we have that next. Then art with Mrs Fischer. She’s cool but a bit weird at times. Lunch, obviously. Then English with Miss Mills, the one and only Evil Queen, then you have history with Mr Glass. He has the hots for Mills. It’s so awkward.”
Emma took in this information, storing it all away in the back of her mind. She didn’t mind art class, enjoyed it sometimes, but maths and history were definitely not her strong sets. She could normally scrape a pass in English if she turned up every now and then, but this Miss Mills seemed like she might make doing so just that much harder.
“Why do you keep calling her The Evil Queen?”
“Because that woman takes no prisoners. Last year, she made a sophomore cry because they turned up like five minutes late. She yelled at him in front of an entire corridor of people, dragging him through the dirt. It was brutal to watch.” Graham said.
“And her marking is so harsh. No one, not even Belle, has managed to get an A in one of her classes.” August added.
Ruby nodded. “Yea and Belle is one of the smartest people in our school. You’ll get to meet her when we go to Maths, she’s great, you’ll love her.” Emma couldn’t help but see how Ruby’s face seemed to light up when she mentioned the girl. There was a softness in her eyes that hadn’t been present before.
“Cool.” Was all Emma could bring herself to say. She took once last drag of her cigarette, crushing the end on the bottom of her shoe before flicking it away and under the bleachers. August finished soon after her, mimicking what she’d done. “Thanks.” He nodded, smiling at her.
From a distance, Emma could hear the school bell ring faintly. Homeroom must be over. The group all began to stand, grabbing their bags and popping their backs. Emma stood too, grabbing her bag and taking her schedule back from Ruby.
“Ready for maths?” She asked.
“Ready as anyone can be I guess.” Emma and Ruby laughed as they lead the way out from under the bleachers.