Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Emma woke up in her one-bedroom apartment, ready to start her first day back to college. It was her last year before being able to graduate for her Arts degree. She got out of her bed and got dressed. She put on her usual blue jeans and black boots with a white tank top and a white bra. Once she got dressed, she went into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup. She put black eyeliner on that was a tad bit too dark, but yet it looked good on her with white eye shadow. She figured her makeup was good enough on just her eyes for today. She didn’t need to go all out. Although now it was time to do her hair. She looked to the clock, and it read 7:30 A.M. "Shit, I’ve only got 30 minutes to get to school.” Emma grabbed her hair tie from the bathroom counter and decided to put her hair up in a messy ponytail. It was only her first day back, so it's not like she wanted to get dolled up for someone special. She hasn’t even dated anyone for a few years anyway. Not since she’s been in college. She will admit, she’s had some one-night stands with a few men and women when she needed to let loose, but that was about it.
As Emma grabbed her backpack and slowly made her way out the door with her keys in hand, she locked the door behind her and got in her little yellow bug and drove off to school. She was so excited to be back because she had wanted to see what this year could bring her. Emma had a few ideas about what her goals after graduating. She even had a few jobs lined up for her to apply after she got out. One of these jobs was to become a children’s poetry author. She figured they made a lot of money, and she always loved writing for children. Plus, writing for children was the only reason why she went to college in the first place. She could easily have gotten a job at her mother’s restaurant as a cook or even a busser. She didn't exactly know how to cook, although she was good at following recipes. She used to work for her mother's restaurant back when she was in high school part-time after school to make extra cash for things she wanted, such as more clothes, a phone, etc. since her mother never wanted to pay for a phone for her. Although working at the restaurant was great, she didn’t see herself doing that all her life. It just wasn’t her thing.
As she got halfway to school, she realized she left her hearing aids at home. “Damn it! I have to go back to get them. I can’t get through the day without them!” she thought as she made a quick U-turn and made her way back to her apartment. Emma was hard of hearing. She could hear somewhat but not as much as most people. Emma always felt the need to try to be like all the hearing kids at school back in her elementary days. Although, as she got older, she realized that there wasn't anything wrong with her. She once read a quote from someone famous in the deaf world by the name of I. King Jordan that read, "A deaf person can do anything a hearing person can except hear.” This quote gave Emma the courage and the strength she needed to get by in life. It gave her hope that someday she could be a famous writer in the deaf community. Even though she wasn't deaf, she was hard of hearing, which honestly didn't matter. No matter what, she had the hope and drive, which was all she needed to become the writer she always wanted to be.
As she pulled back into the parking lot of her apartment complex, she quickly got out of her yellow bug with her keys in hand and made her way back up the stairs to her apartment. She unlocked her door and quickly went inside her apartment to her bedroom to grab her hearing aids. Once she had her hearing aids in her hand, she practically sprinted back to her car and went on her way to school as quickly as she possibly could. Once she got to her college, she looked at the time and the time read 7:50 A.M.
“Oh crap, I’m gonna be so late!” Emma thought to herself. Emma quickly grabbed her backpack from the passenger seat and got out of the car. As she was walking onto the school campus, Emma took her class schedule out of her bag since she couldn’t remember what class she had that day. As Emma read the class list, she saw her class was Poetry 101. Emma would have this class every Monday and Thursday. On Tuesday, Emma would have Math and Science classes. Emma knew she was going to dread those days. She always hated math and science. On Wednesdays and Fridays, Emma had an English class. Tuesday's were the only days she had two subjects in one day, although Emma was okay with that. As Emma put the schedule back in her backpack, she started looking for the Poetry 101 class.
Ten minutes had now passed, and it was officially 8 A.M. Her class was now starting, and she was now officially late. “Shit, I haven’t been late for any class since my first year of college! Stupid new alarm!” she thought as she was still searching for the classroom. Emma had just gotten a new alarm for the deaf. It flashed and vibrated in addition to the alarm sound, so it would effectively wake her up on time. Before this, all she had was a regular alarm that a hearing person would use. Although, in the last year, her hearing had gotten worse, and she needed an adjustment in her hearing aids from the audiologist to make her hearing aids louder. Emma started not to be able to hear her alarm go off during the summertime when she tried getting up early because she was sleeping in too much while she wasn't in school. She knew she had to change to a deaf alarm system before school started back up, so that is what she did. She wasn't used to the alarm vibrating as much, but the vibrations and the flashing lights were what worked in waking her up. Although, this morning, her alarm went off 30 minutes late, and she wasn't sure as to why. She told herself she'd look at her alarm clock later after she got home from school.
As Emma walked down the hallway searching for her Poetry 101 class, she saw a classroom that had an interpreter just signing away whatever the teacher was saying. Emma saw the interpreter had long red curly hair and had a long green jacket that came down to her knees with black pants. “This must be my class. I don’t know anyone else here that’s deaf or hard of hearing like me.” Emma thought to herself. She pulled the door to the classroom open and walked in. The teacher and everyone in the room watched as she walked into the room. Emma felt too nervous and embarrassed, knowing that everyone was watching her. The teacher looked to Emma with somewhat confusion.
“Yes, can I help you?” asked the teacher
Emma looked to the interpreter as the teacher spoke to her, and right then, the interpreter knew that this was the student for whom she was supposed to be interpreting.
“Is this the poetry 101 class?" Emma said. She chose not to sign it, and yet her voice sounded completely normal. You couldn't tell Emma was hard of hearing. For a second, Emma saw the interpreter’s face as if they looked to her like she couldn’t have been the deaf or hard of hearing student for whom she needed to interpret.
The teacher looked at Emma with a soft smile. She had dark brown hair down to her shoulders, and she wore a black pantsuit. Emma noticed she had a scar on the top right of her lip, and for some reason, it looked incredibly sexy to Emma as if it was her signature look. Emma wasn't quite sure how she got the scar, and she wasn't about to ask, and she certainly didn't want to get caught just staring at her while everyone in the classroom was staring directly at her. Emma then tried to keep her eyes on the interpreter in an attempt not to let anyone or even the teacher herself see how attracted she already was to her.
“Yes, this is the poetry 101 class and who may I ask are you?” asked the teacher
As the interpreter signed what the teacher said verbatim, Emma then looked to the teacher, trying not to show too much attraction and again used her voice, and this time she signed at the same time.
"My name is Emma Swan. I'm the hard-of-hearing student who took up this class. I'm so sorry for being late. My alarm didn't go off on time, and I don't exactly know why, but I promise it won't happen again!"
Emma saw the interpreter's face, and this time she saw that the interpreter looking more at ease knowing that she was for sure, the student for whom she was supposed to be interpreting.
“Oh, I see, well then, go and sit down. Next time your almost 15 minutes late to my class, you’ll get extra homework. Do I make myself clear?”
As the interpreter signed what the teacher said, Emma then shook her head yes and quickly sat down next to the interpreter was. The teacher waited for Emma to get fully seated before she went back to what she was teaching.
“First, I will introduce myself once more. My name is Miss Mills. Please do not call me by anything else of the sort. Do I make myself clear?” said the dark-haired teacher as she then looked straight to Emma as if she should never show up late to her class again.
The whole class remained silent. Emma knew she defiantly didn’t start her day off to a pleasant start. But at least 15 minutes late was better than 30 minutes late like she had done the year before with this one teacher by the name of Mr. Gold. He was one of the most demanding teachers Emma has ever had. His work was hard, and she always needed to stay a little bit longer after the class had ended for extra time for tests he gave out. She remembers that she was the only one in the whole class that had additional time on tests, and for all the people who failed the course or didn't do as well, they always seemed jealous of her for getting that added test time. Mr. Gold never liked giving people additional time on tests, but the school board made him give Emma more time due to her hearing loss. At first, Emma felt embarrassed by it, but then she realized how much she thanked the school board for letting her have that extra test time because Mr. Gold didn't play around. He was one strict teacher, she thought. Emma was wondering if this Miss Mills would be the same as Mr. Gold was. If so, she just knew she’d be spending more time after class for tests, but to be honest, Emma didn't exactly mind it because she kept thinking about how beautiful this teacher was. Emma knew she was always more into women than men, but there was something very different about this woman that made Emma question her existence.
Some guy sitting next to Emma saw how Emma was staring at Miss Mills and slowly wrote her a small note and handed it to her without the teacher seeing. This guy had short brown hair and was wearing a white shirt with a grey jacket and blue pants. Emma gave this guy a confused look, but she took the note anyway and slowly opened it up to read it.
“I wouldn’t try anything with this teacher. I see you staring at her. Everyone sees her beauty. You’re not the first person to think they can get a shot with her for at least one night even. But no matter how hard they try, nobody succeeds, so if I were you, I'd just not even worry about it and do the work handed to you without any question. By the way, my name is Robin. It's nice to meet you. I don't know sign language, so that's why I wrote you this note. I hope that's okay.”
Emma read the note silently to herself, not even paying attention to what the teacher was saying or even doing. The interpreter saw that Emma wasn’t paying attention and silently put her hands up to get Emma’s attention. Although Emma didn’t see it, she was too focused on what the note said. Again, the interpreter tried getting Emma's attention, but this time, she didn't wave her hands, she stomped her foot. Emma immediately looked up from the note and saw the interpreter. The interpreter slowly put both hands to her face, both palms inward, and waved her hands back and forth. Emma recognized the sign right away. The motion translated as "PAY ATTENTION." Emma then kept her eyes on the interpreter for the rest of the class time.
As the class ended, Emma gathered up her things into her backpack. Everyone left the classroom one by one, leaving only Emma, the teacher, and the guy named Robin, who gave her that note as well as the interpreter. Robin slowly tapped on Emma’s shoulder after she had gotten Everything in her backpack.
"Do you read lips?" asked Robin.
Emma made a confused look and tried so hard to understand what Robin had said, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't make out what was said.
“I’m sorry, I honestly cannot understand what you had said. I might be able to speak fine and normal, but please understand that my ears do not work as well, and I cannot read lips. I'm sorry." Emma said and slowly started walking out of the classroom. Although, another foot stomp stopped her. She turned around and saw the interpreter trying to get Emma's attention. As Emma walked up to the interpreter who was now right next to Miss Mills, Emma began to become a little nervous. As Emma made her way closer to them, she noticed Robin had made his way out the door of the classroom. It was now just her, the interpreter, and Miss Mills in the room.
“I was wondering if you understood everything that I had taught today." the interpreter signed, and Emma immediately knew the interpreter was interpreting for the teacher. Emma looked to the teacher with an “oh” face.
"Oh, um, yes, I understood everything," Emma said with her voice
Miss Mills didn’t seem all that impressed with Emma’s reply.
"Oh, is that so? Because I saw that note that Robin had given you. This year is not Robin's first year in my class. It is his second year in my class, and I know he can cause some trouble with some of the students. He tends to spread rumors about me to everyone. Although, he thinks I have no idea that he calls me the evil queen behind my back. I want to know what that note had said.”
Emma then grew very nervous. Her heart started pounding in her chest so fast as if she was about to have a mini heart attack. Her heart hadn't beaten this fast since Emma was with her ex-girlfriend Belle. She was madly in love with Belle, but Belle fell in love with Mr. Gold after she had graduated her college two years before Emma was in her first year in college, which was one of the reasons that made her class with Mr. Gold last year even harder. Emma still talked to Belle occasionally, but they weren't exactly friends since the break-up. Emma found it hard to be friends with someone who she was still madly in love with at the time. Although, now thinking about Belle, it didn’t hurt as bad anymore. Emma thought maybe that was a good thing.
"Oh, um, the note Robin gave me was nothing. It was just something stupid.” Emma said.
Miss Mills still wasn’t satisfied.
"Well then perhaps you don't mind me taking a look at that note? If it were something stupid, it wouldn't be too hard for me to see for myself, am I correct?"
As the interpreter signed what Miss Mills had said verbatim, Emma grew even more panicked. She didn't want her to read the note. She couldn't seem to let this teacher know she was staring at her like a crazy kid in love at first sight. That just could not happen.
"Oh, no, no. I can’t show you. It’s kind of not something I feel comfortable with showing. I’m so sorry!” Emma replied.
Again, this time Miss Mills thought that the note had said something rude about her. Maybe some kind of new rumor about her that she was determined to find out. Miss Mills smiled at Emma softly.
“Emma, if you don’t show me that note at once, not only will you have extra homework from me, but you’ll also have a test every week!”
Emma then grew angry. She started getting furious with Miss Mills, and this time, she just signed angrily and had the interpreter do her job and interpret.
“Excuse me? You can’t do that! That is not only unfair but against the school rules, and don’t think I won’t tell the school board about you! If Robin nicknamed you the evil queen, then now I can see why.”
The interpreter said out loud what Emma had signed, and that’s when Miss Mills let out a laugh as if Emma couldn’t do anything about it.
“Emma, is it? Well, you see, I am the chairwoman of the board at this school. I teach one day a week, while the rest of the week, I'm on the board. Do you understand? So yes, I actually can give you more homework and tests all I want, and there's nothing you can do about it. Now, show me that note!”
As the interpreter signed what Miss Mills said, Emma felt as if someone had just slapper hed in the face. Ema hadn't felt this way since elementary school. Emma thought that this teacher certainly lived up to the nickname that she earned from the students. No matter how beautiful she was, she certainly had a dark side to her.
Emma gave Miss Mills the most defeated face ever, took the note from her backpack, and slowly handed it to her. As Miss Mills read the message, Emma's cheeks felt as if they were heating up. Miss Mills looked up to Emma after reading the note and saw how red Emma's face had become. It was as if Emma looked like she was about to cry for being so embarrassed. Miss Mills quickly folded up the note and gave it back to Emma.
“Well then, I certainly hope you can keep up with my class, Miss Swan. I don’t want to distract you, no.”
With that remark, Miss Mills began to smile as if Emma just complimented her even though Emma didn't see it like that. Emma only nodded her head and quickly ran out of the room. Miss Mills saw that Emma had been embarrassed, but she figured she'd be okay.
Later that night, all Emma could think about was what had happened. What would happen on Thursday when she had to face Miss Mills again? What would happen if Emma grew even more attracted to her over the weeks? She didn't know what she would do, but she defiantly wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.