The Reason I Hate High School
Chapter Two
When the bell rang, the whole class groaned aloud. No one wanted to leave homeroom and go back to real classes, to the other students. They had a great thing going here. All of them, mostly, had been a great big group of friends since middle school. The newcomers fit in well. Killian had a little trouble with the few he already knew. He hadn't made the best impression in middle school. Apparently word spread fast. They warned him of a popular brat named Zelena, saying she would try to either be friends with him or ruin his life. By the end of the week his high school fate would be chosen: popular it unpopular.
Emma doubted him. She could see the arrogance in his eyes. He knew how attractive he was, and he loved hearing others say it too. She knew what he was like. He was.. he was just like Walsh. She would avoid him at all costs.
Before she could walk out the door with Belle, her mom called her back. "Emma? Come here please."
She turned around, saying bye to all her friends, "See you in gym Ruby." She waved, stepping over to the desk.
"What's up, mom?" She asked.
Mary Margret hesitated. She was beginning to remember this boy. David knew him well, but she'd only heard talk from other teachers. He was an apparent trouble maker, a guy that knew how much girls loved his act. She wasn't sure she wanted Emma around him.
But she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Mrs. Nolan chose to she the best in people, and right now he needed it. She could trust Emma. "I need you to show him around." She said, flickering her eyes to the dark haired boy sitting impatiently at a desk.
Emma's eyes grew wide. "What?" She asked angrily.
"Don't give me that tone. It's been decided. I'll write you a note incase your late to a class. Just show him all the places he needs to know." She handed her daughter a note and Killian's schedule. "Be nice." She warned lastly.
Emma groaned internally and rolled her eyes, taking the papers from her mom. She turned and stared down Killian. He smirked at her obvious displeasure and stood, clearing his throat. "Well love, I'm Killian Jones." He leaned closer and she got a look at those deep blue eyes, swirling with amusement. "I was hoping it'd be you." He said quieter.
She scoffed off his attempt at flirting, but couldn't say it didn't affect her. Emma Swan, do not give this guy the attention he wants.
"You have gym with me next, lets go." She left the classroom into the crowded halls with him trailing behind. He squeezed through the crowd to get beside her before she could lose him.
Emma slowed when she saw the queen. "That's her." She said quietly staring straight ahead.
"What?" He asked glancing around the hall. "Who?" He said loudly.
"Shhh! Her!" She nodded her head towards the redhead. "Zelena. Don't talk to her." Emma said sharply.
"But what if I-" he began to argue.
"Don't." Emma interrupted.
"Well, I can understand you don't want me talking to other girls, but this.." He trailed off, smiling a challenge at her.
"Shut up," she said laughing. That was a good sign. She didn't just brush him off this time. He was beginning to understand her.
"She's the queen of school. Terrible person really, but she'll either be your bestfriend or you worst nightmare." Emma warned.
"Ah, I think I can handle one lass." He responded. Emma didn't say anything, but continued down the hall until she stopped at a locker.
"This ones yours. 318." She said as she opened it and threw his books in it. "You don't need anything for gym. They give tshirts and shorts the first day." She explained.
He took in all the information, listening to her voice as they continued down the long hall to a set of double door. "Here's the gym."
They stepped in an Emma couldn't help but smile. This felt like the only safe place in the whole school. The large gym had white with the red and black "Storybrook Pirates" symbol on one wall. There was a basketball court in the middle with two extra hoops on the long sides, totaling six in all, but it also split into two volleyball quarts when the nets were up. The track ran around the edge in a four lane circle, and bleachers at on both the long side walls. The far side also had a climbing wall an rope, and a gymnastics mat along it. All together it was the size of nearly a football field. It was a completely different atmosphere then one would think. With the doors closed, the big room was quieter then the halls, but everyone was having a conversation with many people, the large room just consumed all the sound. You could often hear the beat of a basketball falling rhythmically to the runner's shoes.
Emma took a deep relaxing breath in as an unknown weight lifted off her shoulders. In here, her dad was the authority, not some bonkers teacher, or a crazed popular kid, but her own father, the man that raised her to the girl she was now.
"My dad is the coach, but I think you remember that." She said as they walked towards the bleachers.
"Aye, best teacher in the school." She stopped and stared at him. When he met her eyes he smiled lightly as if he hadn't meant to say that.
She kept walking, pondering the thought. Maybe this Killian Jones was more then he seemed.
They reach the bleachers and sat by Ruby, Robin, Ariel, Eric, Anna, and Kristoff. Emma was pleased to see many of her friends in here, but she couldn't help but notice a large pack of populars including Jefferson and Hans.
Her dad came over, clipboard in hand and welcomed the new class. "Welcome to gym! This class will either be your favorite, or the worst thing to happen in your highschool life." He says with a bright smile and hearty laugh. "My class is simple. Dress out everyday, work as hard as you can, and push yourself. We will run everyday. By Christmas you are expected to run a mile under ten minutes." He explains. Some of the kids groan. Emma notice Jefferson rolling his eyes. He probably expects her dad to go easy on the football guys. She laughed internally, knowing her father couldn't be more annoyed with Jefferson.
"Locker rooms are those two door there," he points across the room by the climbing wall. "Ten minutes, get changed and back here."
The large group gets up, headed to change. Emma and her friends stop by David. "Way to really inspire them dad." She says with a laugh, while giving him a hug.
"Too much? I think maybe I scared some of them." He chuckled.
"You were great. I really missed your class." She admits as she turns toward the locker rooms.
"Me too Em." He said sincerely, "you still have to run though!" He calls after her.
"That's your dad?" Anna asked.
"Yeah." Emma smiled. "You'll love this class."
"I was glad to see I had it, but I'm a little worried for Elsa. We only have one class together, and she's always been shyer then me." Anna expresses her nervousness as they near the door. Right before she enters, Emma notices Rob talking to Killian as they entered the boys locker room. She knew they'd welcomed him, but she was worried he'd get sucked into a popular whirlwind by Jefferson. She pushed aside her thoughts and focused on Anna.
"What class does she have now?" She asked.
Anna racked her brain, trying to remember but not quite grasping the right name, "heart science..?"
Emma nodded, "Must be Cardiovascular science. Belle has that too, she'll be great friends with Elsa. I know so." Emma said confidently, hoping to cheer up Anna.
"Yeah, maybe it will help her branch out." She thought. "Thanks for the being so nice. This seems like a really great school." She commented as they found their shorts and tshirts in their gym lockers.
"It's a good town, but some people aren't as good as they look. You really have to watch out for them." Emma warned.
"Really? You all seem so nice!" She exclaimed.
"Did you see the dark haired guy sitting by the blonde girl?" Emma asked.
"I think so."
"That's Jefferson. He's practically mad for popularity. He'll do anything." Emma spoke with her full hatred of him, hoping Anna wouldn't be fool enough to trust people like him. "The girl is Tink. Her bestfriend, Zelena, is dating him."
"Maybe I'll stick with this group of friends then." Anna said with a small laugh.
They changed into the gym wear and walked out with Ariel and Ruby. "How's it feel to be back here Em?" Ruby asked, "Remeber all the laps your dad made us run when we skipped class?" She asked with a smirk.
Emma groaned at the thought, "Ugh, I think I barfed up a kidney that day."
Rob caught the conversation and sat down with Killian, "I remember that day! Your mom took the whole group to granny's and bought us dinner while you two ran your legs off." He chuckled, still in disbelief that Emma had been so dumb.
"We were Freshmen! Plus it was Mother Superior, Mrs. Ruel Ghorm." Emma shot back using the group's old nickname for their least favorite teacher.
"Uh, I hated her class!" Ruby raved. "What's wrong with skipping one day?" She asked.
Rob laughed, looking at them with wide eyes. Killian was lost in the tale. "Seriously?" Rob asked, "It was exam day!"
"Can we drop this?" Emma groaned, remembering how dumb they had been.
"Well well swan, had a rebellious streak did you?" Killian asked with one eyebrow raised high.
"Shut up." She warned half heartedly.
"Can't blame you, sounds like a dull class, but if your going to skip, you have to be believably sick." He added with a chuckle.
Emma and Ruby both shot him glares, but he was saved by coach David.
"Partner up." He called. Emma knew what he was doing. He had everyone partner up then he split them up into two groups by separating partners.
Ariel and Ruby grouped up, so Emma asked Anna if she wanted too. Of course she accepted graciously, and they all stood on the line. "One partner in the track, one on the court."
Anna took the court as did Ariel Rob, and Krist. Annoyingly, Jefferson was in her group, but Killian, Eric, and Ruby were too. They stood at the front of the group and waited for instructions.
"Those on the track will start with a lap then twenty push ups. Opposite for the ones on the court. Six laps a person. You can pass your partner and you will be scored based on individual speed." David explained.
Emma prepared herself to run. She stared at the track and took deep breaths.
"I'll play music while you run. Come to the bleachers when your done and I'll give you your time." He took the whistle inbetween his teeth and gave a harsh blow. The group took off. Emma paced herself, starting with a jog. She fell back to the middle of the group and laughed slightly at the guys and girls in the front, trying to show off. They would be winded by the second lap.
Suprisingly, Killian jogged at a steady pace jut in front of her. He focuses on the sound of the music and jogged to the speed of the sound. Emma pushed herself to match his pace, but he was taller then her. His steps were longer, each stride got him farther.
She was well versed in running however. She had always love a challenge. Emma closed her eyes and sprinted for just a few seconds, coming up beside him then matching each step to his. He glanced to the side at her, smirking lightly, but not saying a word. Neither did she, if she spoke she would loose her breath, but his eyes communicated enough. He sped up as they reached the end of the lap, and went right to push ups, moving faster then almost everyone.
Emma held her own however, and soon they were on the last lap well before anyone, only Jefferson was in front of them, but he had probably skipped half the exercises. She jumped up from her push-ups a split second before Killian, closed her eyes, and took off around the track, sprinting even as her lungs screamed for air.
Killian was shocked and slightly impressed, but he had to beat her. He sped after her, catching up just as they passed the jogging Jefferson. His eyes grew wide, clearly he was used to being the best in gym.
But as he struggled to gain speed, Emma and Killian finished the lap side by side. Coach David clicked the timer. "8:19, Emma it seems you found some worthy competition." He commented with an impressed look at Killian.
The two nodded, catching their breath as they sat down and left David to his job. Emma grabbed her water bottle, taking a long sip before finally speaking to him. "Slow poke." She couched subtly.
His eyes grew wide, "Excuse me, are you talking to me?" He asked, mock shock on his face. "The guy who tied with you?"
She rolled her eyes, "Well it took you long enough to catch up." She commented, tossing him an extra water bottle.
"Thanks, Swan." He commented with a spark in his eyes. Emma did not know how he knew her nickname. The confusion showed on her face.
"It's on the back of you jersey, middle name?" He asked, taking a sip of the water.
She shook her head, "Nickname, long story." She said with a laugh at the memories.
"Perhaps one day you'll have time to tell me?" He asked with a genuine smile.
"Of course," she responded as others fled to the benches. Eric and Rob were close after Jeff with a few seconds slower. Krist finished with Ariel, Hans, and Sean, then Anna and Ruby finished with just a few winded kids behind them.
A few minutes later David pulled out the chalkboard with five names. "These are the highest ranks. If your name stays up here, you could be recommended for honors gym, sports teams, or even scholarships." He began, "each day affects it, but based on today's: Emma an Killian are tied for first, Jeff is second, then Rob, Eric, and Hans.
"Great work today, Rob grab that bag please, and we'll all head outside." He announced. Emma glanced at Ruby, a smile on her face. They hadn't played soccer in three years, but now, the time has finally come. Rob grabbed the bag of sports gear and the whole class headed out through the back doors which led straight to the football field.
The green grass glimmered with dew, the field just waiting for a team to play. The guys immediately dove for the football out of the bag. Eric got it first and they started a game, with him and Jeff as Captains. The girls didn't watch long before they grabbed the soccer ball and started a pass circle in the extra grass. A few popular girls sat at the bleachers to watch football, but Emma's dad quickly made them all run a lap and find something to do.
"How'd the team do when we were gone?" Emma asked as she passed to Ruby.
"Last year they only made it to Regionals in the tournament." Ruby said, juggling the ball on her knee a few times then volleying it to Ariel. "Year before didn't even make it there."
"Jeff and Rob were captains last year, but Jeff and Graham the year before." Ariel said, giving a sharp pass to Anna, who seemed to have never played before. The ball went right between her feet onto the football field.
"I'll get it." Ruby said with a laugh as she ran off.
Anna groaned, "I'm not that talented at sports." She said apologetically.
The girls laughed, but gave her smiles and words of confidence, "it just takes practice." Emma said.
"Yeah, when I moved here,
I was the biggest klutz of all." Ariel admitted.
"Really?" Anna asked, "but your so good now."
Ariel laughs humbly, "I just played with these girls everyday freshmen year."
The girls heard a shouting and turned to see Ruby running back, soccer ball in hand, and her eyes wide with shock. Emma have Ariel a questionable look, but she just shrugged. Neither had a clue what had surprised Ruby. She finally reached them, stopping to take a breath then dropping the ball in the middle of them.
She stare up at Emma, resting her hands on her knees. Finally she spoke, "Killian just got a touch down, against Jefferson."
"Whoa!" Ariel exclaimed, "He must be really good."
Ruby nodded, but still spoke in disbelief, "He is, except for the fact that he's never played on a team before."
Emma and Ariel's jaws dropped even more. Anna did not follow well. "What's so surprising about that?" She asked.
Emma turned to her, trying to find words to explain he full shock. "This school takes football very seriously. Jeff has been captain of the team since freshmen year. As much as I hate him, I have to say he's really good at football." She said, and all of it was true. This school loved football. They all liked to win, especially after Jeff got the whole team to the state tournament in freshmen year. "We got to go to State a few year ago, but it all went to his head, the team flunked, we got killed out there. Haven't been back since." Emma said with a shake of her head. It was a shame really. Jeff was such a good player before he got popular. They could've gone so far as a team, but he wanted all the glory.
"This school would do anything to win state." Ruby explained.
"So.. Your saying if Killian really is better, he could take us to state?" Anna asked hesitantly.
They nodded in reply. Emma glanced over to the field. The game had been stopped, and her dad was approaching Killian. She took off, the others quickly following as they raced to hear the news that would come to change their senior year forever.
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Killian Jones expected his first day of school to go just swell. He would probably annoy every teacher, get a few detentions, possibly suspension, and do it all before 3:00, but meeting the right group of people can change everything.
He expected by the end of the day, he would have a title, which was correct, however he thought it'd be along the lines of heartthrob or jerk or another word he probably shouldn't say, but instead people were calling him a miracle, a hero..?
He could see it now, Emma and her friends were the heroes of the school. They strived to achieve in all categories: Rob was great at sports, but he didn't label himself a jock, in fact he was quite the history geek. Belle loved books, but she knew the story she should focus most on, is her own. Regina had many enemies, but the friends she had were for life. Ariel and Eric were in love, but they didn't let their relationship ruin their time at high school. Krist, he was realizing, was a huge doof, but he excelled in science. And Emma Swan, she may say the queen of the school is Zelena, but Emma had been a friend to everyone. They look to her with reverence, respect, friendship, like that of a true queen.
All of them had good and bad qualities, but they focused on the good and accepted the bad.
Now he was being taken into that group, and all because of that decision, he was beginning to find his place here. In gym he'd made an immediate enemy of Jefferson by beating him. First in a race, Emma hadn't been here last year, and neither had he. Jeff had ranked the highest score, but now he had two in front of him.
And after all that, an event that he still does not quite understand: the football match. Eric and Jeff picked the teams.
It was Eric, Rob, Sean, Krist, and himself against Jeff, Hans, Graham, Lance, and Will.
During the game, he'd driven down the line all the way to the end zone, dodging Jefferson's tackle and scoring a touchdown, which apparently was an impossible feat.
"Killian! Mate, that was amazing!" Rob called, his jaw dropped in utter unbelief. Jefferson couldn't even speak. No one from their own school had ever scored on him one on one like that.
The boys suddenly grew silent. Killian noticed Coach Dave walking over, staring sternly at Jeff, and examining himself.
"You play last year son?" He asked.
Killian shook his head.
"But you played middle school?" He assumed.
"No sir."
"Little League?" He asked, eyes growing wider.
"No." Killian said. None of this seemed to make any sense. All he done was score a touchdown. Rob had done that twice this game. Jeff had even gotten three.
"You've never played football, but you just scored one on one against my Captain?" His said it like a question, but it was truly a statement.
"I guess, sir."
David laughed genuinely, shaking his head. "Welcome to the team son."
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The bell rang to signal the beginning of fourth block, and Emma took her place by Killian. Most of this class was filled with Sophomores, who were required to take it. Emma wasn't here sophomore year so she missed it as did Killian, but neither was complaining.
The room was filled wall to wall with paintings and fabrics, play posters, and sculptures. The floor even had a few shaggy rugs. There were dim candles, but the lights were turned off and the blinds were closed. It was a room filled with things meant to inspire: the arts room.
The teacher walked in, an older woman short in stature with warm round cheeks. She was dressed head to tow in pink and flowers and had an aged beauty that showed in her smile. Her tiny feet walked in short steps, and when she finally reached the chair, she had to lower it to sit down.
"Hello," she said warmly, looking over each student. "I'm Mrs. Flora, one of your three teachers for this class. I teach physical art, the kind made on paper with paint or ink, or clay sculpted from your hands." She explained, clearly she had a passion for art.
"Mrs. Fauna teaches art in language and writing. Poetry and using words to tell a story or write a song. She will also introduce you to basic music structure."
"And, Mrs. Merri will show you how to act and reveal expressions on stage. Each day will be something new. At least one of us will be here at all times." She explained, and opened a folder on her desk, to begin calling roll.
Emma had not had the chance to bring up gym to Killian yet. She knew her dad had welcomed him to the team, but she wasn't sure he wanted to join. If he did, it could potentially change everything about the highschool.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Mrs. Flora set a heavy text book on her desk. She gave everyone a book then stood at the front, holding her own. Suddenly she dropped the book on the floor with a loud echo.
Half the class jumped. She laughed and smiled brightly. "Everyone pick up your books!" She called. Emma glanced at Killian, wondering if the woman was crazy.
"Go on!" She encouraged. Emma lifted the book hesitantly. Killian chuckled and picked up his own, dropping it to the ground.
"He gets it!" Mrs. Flora said excitedly. A few other students dropped their books too, a look of realization hitting their face.
Emma laughed at the insanity. Mrs. Flora smiled at her, "There you go, now just let go of the rules."
The book escaped her fingers and flew to the ground, hitting the cold tile with a smack.
"We will never use this textbook." Mrs. Flora said, standing on top of her book. "I will teach you art based on creativity and inspiration, and that comes from the world, not words on a page."
Killian smiled over at her, a spark is his gaze. This class intrigued him. The room was a mystery waiting to be solved.
But for Emma, the mystery was him. He fit perfectly in their group of friends. He respected the teachers. He was tied to her in first place for gym. He beat Jefferson at football. He was the first to figure out the art teachers insanity.
.
He was the hero that had began destroying the popular's palace the moment he got here. Jefferson's crown was made crooked today, soon it would slip from his head, and he would never get it back. Then Zelena's would follow, and the unjust tyranny would end.
Home would be home again, because of Killian Jones.
XXX
I hope you are enjoying this so far! The chapters are extremely long so I may go back and separate them into more, but for now I like this set up. Because they are so long, each of my stories will probably be updated once a month, maybe twice, but that all depends on my inspiration, and as Mrs. Flora says: that comes from the world.
It comes from your words to me, so let me know what parts you liked best.
Honestly those last paragraphs about Killian are my favorite thing I have ever written. I hope you got as much out of it as I did.
Much to come! The story is just unfolding.
~Rachel Morgan