*Narrator's POV
*Killian
Killian Jones, 16, was born and raised in the small town of Drogheda, Ireland. It was one of the oldest towns in Ireland. It was located on the east coast of Ireland about 35 miles from Dublin. Killian had lived in the quaint town for his entire life, he had never been anywhere else. But he was about to embark on a trip to America.
He was about to start his sophomore year at a new school, in a new country, as a foreign exchange student. And he was absolutely terrified, but at the same time very excited and anxious to go off and explore the unknown.
Both his parents, Brennan and Ava, were extremely worried and concerned about sending off their youngest son all by himself to another country. Killian was their baby, born 3 years after his older brother, Liam. Liam had graduated high school last year and was now attending college at the University of Dublin.
Killian and Liam were polar opposites. In high school, Liam was a star athlete, the most popular guy in school. All the boys wanted to be him, and all the girls wanted to date him. Killian, on the other hand, preferred to keep to himself, and was more focused on his academics. Killian was very bright, a straight A student. But unlike his big brother, he was not athletic whatsoever.
Killian was your average, stereotypical dork. His gorgeous ocean blue eyes were hidden behind thick black rimmed glasses, he was a 6 foot tall pencil, and in his free time he loved reading comic books and playing Pokemon Go. As Killian continued packing his suitcase, he wondered what would lie ahead for him. Little did he know how much his life was about to change. Or who would change it.
*Emma
Emma Swan, 16, had been an orphan her whole life. The only thing she knew about her parents was that they abandoned her on the side of a highway when she was only a few days old. She had been living in Storybrooke for the past 3 years with her foster mother, Ingrid. This was the longest she had ever been in one place.
She had been all over the country, from Portland and Tallahassee, to Phoenix and Boston. You name it, she had seen it. Before Storybrooke she was living in a girl's group home in New York City, but after two weeks there she was sent right back into the system because there wasn't enough room. Luckily, her social worker found Ingrid, and Emma had been with her ever since.
Emma was one of the most popular girls in school. Along with her best friends Regina, Mary Margaret, and Ruby. All 3 were on the cheerleading squad, the student council, and helped out at the local animal shelter.
Both Regina and Mary Margaret were taken. Regina's boyfriend, Robin, and her had been together since 7th grade. While Mary Margaret and her boyfriend, David, had only been dating about 8 months. Ruby had never had an actual boyfriend, but many boy toys. Ruby was definitely the most promiscuous of the bunch, that was putting it lightly.
Emma was also single, she had never been able to open herself up to anyone but her friends. Every guy in school wanted Emma, but she certainly didn't reciprocate. Emma wanted a guy that was mature, that could always make her laugh and smile, was down to earth, and didn't just see her as a piece of ass. She wanted a guy she could trust, someone that would be her best friend, who she could tell all her secrets to and confide in about anything. Little did she know that's exactly what she was about find.
*Killian's POV
"Mum, please stop crying," I pleaded with my mother at the airport. She was bawling her eyes out while my father and Liam were helping me unload my bags from the trunk.
"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. My little baby is leaving me for a whole year. You're going to be on the other side of the world."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. And I promise I'll call everyday."
Mum grabbed me and gave me a tight squeeze, having to stand on the tips of her toes because I was so much taller than her.
"Ava, stop," Dad complained. "You're embarrassing the boy. Killian will be just fine. So stop with the waterworks. People are starting to stare."
Mum glared at him as she reluctantly let go of me.
Dad patted me on the shoulder. "Take care off yourself, son. And have fun. Who knows, maybe you'll have met a nice, pretty girl by time we see you again?"
"I wouldn't hold your breath for that one, Dad," Liam snickered as he punched me in the arm.
"Shut up, Liam," I muttered as I tried to rub some feeling back into my arm. Damn, that hurt, I thought.
After I said goodbye one last time to my parents and brother, I hopped on the plane. Eagerly ready to start my adventure.
*Emma's POV
3 days later...
Beep, beep, beep. I groaned as I heard my alarm clock go off. I slammed my fist down on top of it to make the annoying sound go away. I reluctantly got up and headed to the bathroom down the hall to brush my teeth. Once I was done with that, I headed back to my room to get dressed. Ding. I heard my phone go off. I saw that I had a text from Regina.
R:
Morning, Em. Did you hear the big news? 🤗
E:
Morning. Nope. What is it? 🤗
R:
We have a new foreign exchange student and he's Irish. 😏
E:
Oh that's right! 😱 He's staying with Graham Humbert's family. Mrs. Humbert told Ingrid last week.
R:
Yep! And guess whose volunteering to give him a tour of the school? 😉
E:
Tell me you didn't. 😑
R:
But I did! So get your butt to school ASAP! 😝
E:
Right away your majesty! 😝
I couldn't help but chuckle a little. Regina and Mary Margaret knew I wasn't interested in any of the guys at school, so the new student being a guy was exactly what they'd been waiting for. I wish they spent as much time trying to set Ruby up as they did with me. It'd be nice if the two of them would get off my back if even for a few minutes. I just had to remind myself that they weren't doing it to annoy me to death, it was because they were my best friends and they wanted me to be happy.
I quickly chugged down some orange juice straight from the cartoon, threw on my red leather jacket, and headed out the door. Ingrid had already left for work.
Now that I had my license I could drive the yellow Volkswagen bug that belonged to Ingrid's niece, Elsa. God I hated that ice bitch. I was glad that she decided to live on campus. Elsa had always picked on me, always taunting me that if my parents, the two people who were genetically programmed to love me didn't, then nobody ever would.
Anna, Elsa's younger sister, was not nearly as cold. Quite the opposite actually. Anna was always hyper and friendly, sometimes a little too much. But she always treated me like family. She was going to college too, with her boyfriend, Kris.
I pulled into the school parking lot a few minutes later. I headed to my locker, where I found Regina talking to Robin. Our lockers were right next to each other's.
"Hey guys," I greeted.
They both turned around and waved. "Hey Em," they said in unison.
"So where is this new student I'm supposed to show around?"
"Waiting for you in the main office," Regina answered with a smirk. Robin wrapped his arms around her to calm her down because she was jumping up and down with excitement.
I just rolled my eyes. "Don't get your hopes up, Gina. The only two decent guys in this school are dating my two best friends. I'm sure this new guy is just as much of cocky jackass as all the others."
"Not to sound all infuriatingly optimistic like Mary Margaret, but I have a good feeling about this."
"You're starting to sound as annoyingly hopeful as her too," I grumbled as I headed to the office.
*Killian's POV
I was nervously tapping my foot as I leaned against the wall in the main office, waiting for the student who volunteered to show me around. So far America wasn't what I expected. This town wasn't what I expected. What the hell kind of name is Storybrooke? A very curious and strange one.
The host family I was staying with seemed nice enough. At least Mr. and Mrs. Humbert did. Their son, Graham, not so much. I had only been staying with them for a few days and already I could tell how much of pompous ass he was. We had to share a room together. Lucky me. I automatically assumed he would be the one to give me a tour of the school, but his exact response when I asked was, "Yeah right. You think I would actually be seen around school with a loser like you, four eyes?"
Four eyes? Really? If you're going to insult me, at least come up with something a little more original.
I heard the front door open then, and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor when I saw who walked in. She was absolutely gorgeous, breathtakingly beautiful. Her long, golden blonde hair fell in loose curls just above her waist. Her eyes were a light forest green, her skin the color of porcelain. And her smile just lit up the room. I had never seen anyone so stunning in my entire life. Jeez Killian! Keep it together, or you're going to start drooling over her like an idiot! Too late for that.
The secretary behind the desk gestured towards me, and the beautiful blonde turned her head and smiled at me, knocking the wind right out of me. Bloody hell, I really hope she's not the one here to show me around. All I'll do is stare at her the whole time.
*Emma's POV
Mrs. Boyd pointed me out to a guy that was standing in the back corner. He was leaning awkwardly against the wall. I could tell by his body language that he was very nervous. I definitely know how much I was my first day too. I smiled warmly at him as I walked over.
He had hair as black as night that was combed back. His eyes were as blue as the ocean, hidden behind his thick black rimmed glasses. The same kind I used to wear before I got contacts.
He had a strong jawline too, and his lips looked so damn soft. I suddenly felt the urge to yank him over by the collar and plant one on him. Wait, what? No Emma! What the hell is wrong with you?! He looked like a total dork, but it was cute. He was cute. Stop it Emma!
"Hi, I'm Emma, Emma Swan," I greeted sweetly, extending out my hand to shake his.
"Uh, Killian Jones," he said shyly, he had a thick, attractive Irish accent. He took my hand. The second he touched me I felt something I never had before. It felt like electricity was pulsating through me. I wonder if he felt it too. We held onto each other's hands longer than was necessary. After a few seconds we both awkwardly let go.
"So, um, yeah, I'm here to give you a tour of the school," I informed, quickly turning away to hide the sudden, unexpected blush I felt on my face.
"Oh, um, great. Lead the way," he said, clearing his throat nervously. Holy crap, his accent is hot! Emma, calm your hormones!
I guided him towards the science wing. I figured we could start there and work our way down to the math, history, and English classrooms.
"So this is where all the science classes are. Chemistry, biology, physics, and all that," I informed pointed to each. "And then we have the math wing next. Be forewarned, Mr. Underbrooke, the math teacher is kind of a jackass."
He chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind when I have him 4th period for Algebra ll."
"I have that period too. So don't worry, I'll protect you," I teased, giggling.
He smiled shyly. "Guess that makes you my savior."
"I guess it does," I smirked, blushing. We both laughed. "So, you're from Ireland, right?"
"Uh, yeah."
"What part of Ireland? Did you live in Dublin?" I asked, truly interested.
"Oh no, I grew up in a small town called Drogheda. It's a few hours away from Dublin."
"Cool. Ireland is one of the places I want to visit. It's on my bucket list. That and France. But I doubt that'll ever happen," I sighed Yeah right, Emma. What makes you think you're ever going to be able to get your dream of traveling the world? It's too good to be true.
"You never know. You can do anything if you can dream it. B-but that s-sounds really stupid ," he stuttered, turning his head away in embarrassment.
"No, it's not," I assured softly, gently placing my hand on his shoulder as we stopped in front of Mr. Clark's class. He looked down at my hand, clearly taken off guard by the contact, before our eyes met. His were so beautiful, as blue as the sea, I could get lost in them all day.
We both awkwardly looked away, and I removed my hand. But I didn't want to, I had felt those sparks again when I'd touched him. And this time my heart skipped a beat. Was this going to happen every time he touched me? I'd end up having a heart attack, or my heart would give out all together. I liked the idea of him touching me a lot more than I should. Get a grip Emma. What the hell was he doing to me?
*Killian's POV
The second she touched my shoulder I felt that strange electricity run through me again. I'd never felt that feeling before, that was until I met her. And when I looked into this beautiful green balls of light in her head, I felt weak at the knees. What the hell was this beautiful goddess doing to me? Beautiful goddess? Really Killian? Could you sound any more ridiculous? But as cheesy as I sounded, it was the truth.
The bell suddenly went off and both of us jumped. World history with Mr. Clark was my first class, but not Emma's. Part of me was bummed that she had to go, but the other part of me, the rational half was glad. I wouldn't be able to concentrate at all. I already knew I was going to fail Algebra, because if I had to choose between watching the teacher writing equations on the chalkboard or staring at this beautiful goddess, Emma would win every time.
"Well, I should probably head to first period," Emma said. "I'll see you later, Killian."
She smiled at me and waved as she headed towards the gym. Thank god I don't have that class with her. I wouldn't be able to breathe if I saw her body all hot and sweaty... Dammit Killian! Stop it! She's a lady, don't think about her like that, have some respect!
I quickly hurried to class before I got myself more worked up. Thankfully, none of my teachers made me stand in front of the room and introduce myself to the class. That was until I got to 4th period
"Everyone shut up and listen!" Mr. Underbrooke barked to the class. Everyone was silent immediately. "We have a new student, now pay attention while he introduces himself."
I stuttered nervously the entire time. I hated public speaking and being the center of attention. Graham and a few other meathead jocks sitting in the corner started laughing at and whispering about me. I glanced up and saw Emma sitting in the back row, she smiled sweetly at me. She nodded her head, as if to reassure me that everything was okay. I smiled warmly back at her.
"Thank you for that, Mr. Jones. That's 5 minutes of my life I'll never get back," Mr. Underbrooke grumbled, gesturing for me to take a seat. Jeez, Emma was right. He is a jack ass.
I scanned the rows and saw an empty seat next to Emma in the back. She motioned with her hand for me to come sit. As I made my way over to her, Graham moved his foot out into the middle of the aisle way and tripped me. Luckily, Emma grabbed my arm before I feel flat on my face and made a complete fool of myself. Graham and the other meatheads started laughing again like mules.
"Walk much, loser?" Graham snickered.
"Grow up Graham and leave him the fuck alone," Emma snarled at him.
I looked over at her in shock, my eyes going wide. Graham and the others instantly shut up and did the same.
"Miss. Swan! What did you just say?" Mr. Underbrooke yelled.
Oh no. The last thing I wanted was to get Emma in trouble. Now she'll probably hate me. But why would she even like me in the first place? I was the dorky new kid while she was the most beautiful and perfect girl I'd ever laid eyes on. I'd only met her less than 4 hours ago, but already I could tell how amazingly different she was from the others.
"Um, nothing, Sir," Emma said quietly, sinking into her chair. She bit her lip, knowing how much trouble she was in.
"Really? Well, you say a lot with nothing," Mr. Underbrooke said sternly, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps a trip to the principal's will teach you to curb your tongue."
"Mr. Underbrooke, it was my fault," I quickly spoke up. "Emma was only sticking up for me."
"I don't care what her reasons were, foul language is not allowed in this classroom."
"But that's not fair," I protested.
He glared at me. "And neither is talking back. Just for that you can join Miss. Swan. I'm sure the principal will be so pleased to hear that you were mouthing off to one of your teachers on your first day."
Ooooh erupted through the classroom
Emma and I both looked at each other, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Oh crap.
We both stood up, gathered our belongings, and headed down to the office.
"I'm really sorry about this," Emma apologized in the hall. "If I had just kept my big mouth shut none of this would have happened."
"Hey, don't be," I assured, placing my hand on her shoulder like she did with me earlier. I felt sparks again. Was this going to happen every time I touched her? If that was the case, this girl would be the death of me. I suddenly got wrapped up in the idea of touching her... Knock it off Killian! You're letting your raging hormones get the best of you.
I quickly snapped out of it and nervously pulled back my hand. "Y-you stood up for me. N-nobody has ever done that before. T-thank you."
"You don't need to thank me. Those guys were being assholes." She rolled her eyes. "They're always assholes."
I chuckled at the obvious annoyance in her tone. She looked up at me smiling and giggled.
We made it to the principal's office. Mr. Gold was expecting us, Underbrooke had already notified him. Gold let me off with a warning since it was my first day, but Emma got 2 days in detention. I felt extremely guilty, but she told me that it wasn't my fault and she would survive. That didn't ease my guilt at all.
"E-Emma, I'm really, really sorry," I stuttered. "This isn't f-fair."
Emma threw her hands up in protest of me apologizing for the millionth time. "Killian, it's fine. Getting detention isn't the end of the world. I'll be okay."
"I know," I sighed. "But I feel like I owe you one and should make it up to you."
She shook her head and smiled. "Well aren't you a gentleman?" She teased.
I blushed.
"Okay, how about this," she bargained. "I'm failing Algebra, and I could really use a tutor. Do you think you'd be up for the job? If you are then that's how you can make it up to me."
"I'm pretty good at math," I mumbled, scratching behind my ear.
"Good," she giggled at my reaction. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow after school we'll go to my house and work on homework."
"Works for me."
"Me too. See you later Jones." She gave me a peck on the cheek before heading towards her next class.
I was in too much shock to respond. The girls in my old school had never wanted anything to do with me. They couldn't get past the glasses and my dorky attire to even talk to me. But this one just kissed me on the cheek. She stood up and got sent to the principal's office for me, even though she barely knew me. She was unlike anyone I'd ever met. I still couldn't think straight, but all I knew was that I couldn't wait until tomorrow.