"It was a school project. I have to work with the new girl and we were studying at her place."

"Really? Then why didn't you answer your cell?"

"Look, if you don't believe me ask Mary Mar… I mean, Miss Blanchard. Emma's her new foster daughter and she saw us." Regina thought it best not to mention that the teacher had returned home later than them.

Cora didn't have time to linger any longer with her daughter, she had guests to entertain, "fine. You will come down to dinner, and help entertain Eva, but for the rest of the week you're grounded. If you need to work on your project you are to bring Emma here or if you need to study at the library then Zelena can go with you."

"Mom? That's not fair!" Zelena folded her arms, "I'm not a babysitter."

"No, but I saw your attitude towards Eva. She is our guest."

Zelena blushed, knowing exactly what her mother was talking about.

"Now the White's will be here for at least another hour or two, so downstairs and make them feel welcome."

Two "yes mom's" echoed from her daughters so Cora motioned them out of the room. Regina caught the glare from her sister and knew Zelena wasn't happy with her.

"What's really going on?" Zelena whispered as they headed down the stairs.

"Nothing."

"Yeah right."

"Fine, but later okay?" Regina pleaded.

Zelena nodded her agreement.

Two hours later, their guests gone and finally able to return to their rooms, Zelena followed Regina, entering her room before the younger girl could close the door.

"So, what were you really up to today?" Zelena asked.

"Studying. Emma and I have a big project…"

"Liar."

"She's in my Spanish class…"

"Since when do you turn your cell off, or on silent, to study? Fess up, you were doing something you shouldn't, so what was it?"

"Miss Blanchard…"

"Oh please, we both know mom would never check out that story but I will unless you tell me the truth." Zelena narrowed her eyes, "you weren't with Killian, were you?"

"I. Was. With. Emma." Regina pronounced each word slowly.

"But you weren't studying? Just tell me, we both know you suck at lying. What did that girl make you do? If she's hanging out with Killian you can't trust her."

"Emma didn't make me do anything."

"Really?"

"Really."

Zelena sat on Regina's bed, giving no indication that she intended to move anytime soon, and folded her arms.

"Zee, I have to study."

"Fine. Swear it. Promise that you will not hang out with Killian."

"You're obsessed!"

"I'm trying to look out for you."

"No, you're not. You're just angry because you're in love with Killian and there's no way mom would ever let you date him now."

"What!" Zelena leapt to her feet, "how dare you…"

"It's the truth. You love Killian."

"He's a loser."

"He made some dumb choices, but…"

"And so is that Emma girl if she's hanging around with him."

"Take that back!"

Zelena grinned, "why, do you want to be friends with her? Anyone who thinks Killian is cool is stupid."

"Get. Out. Of. My. Room."

"Or what?"

"MOM!"

The increasing volume of her daughters' argument had already drawn Cora towards them. She reached the door just as Regina called for her, and entered the room without knocking.

"What is going on in here?" she asked, using the voice reserved for their most troublesome antics and one she hadn't needed to use for the last few years.

The effect was the same as if they remembered hearing it just yesterday. Regina and her sister immediately closed their mouths and looked at the ground, feeling as though they had done something really wrong. Regina flashed back to a broken window, Zelena recalled one night Killian had tried sneaking into her room – they had been twelve and he wanted to show her something. The punishments for both had been memorable events.

"I'm waiting," Cora reminded them.

"Mom…" both girls began talking at once, but Cora raised a hand to stop them.

"As this is Regina's room, she can go first."

"I… it was just… I needed to study and Zelena wouldn't leave," she finished lamely.

"Zelena?"

"She's right. I'm sorry," Zelena headed to the door, giving Regina one last stern look before she left.

Cora just waited a moment, listening for Zelena's bedroom door to close, before shaking her head and leaving Regina to her studies.

Some of Zelena's comments stayed with Regina once she was alone. She wanted to trust Emma, but what it Zelena was right and her actions had been Killian's idea?

Regina shook her head. Why would Killian suggest something like that?

Laying down on her bed, she pressed her face into her pillow. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

As usual, Belle was the first one in their class so when Regina arrived they had a few moments to themselves.

"Want to meet up after school and catch a movie or something?" Belle asked as she set out her pens and notebook.

"Can't, I'm grounded."

"What? Why?"

"Believe it or not, for working on my Spanish project."

"Regina, your mom wouldn't ground you for doing homework."

Regina smiled, "fine. I was working on my project at Emma's place and didn't answer my cell and got home late. You'd think she'd be happy with that excuse, but no…"

"Ouch. Well, how was it? Do you think you'll be okay working on a project with Emma if she's hanging out with Killian?"

"Zelena overreacted about that part, but Killian wasn't even there. My mom said we have to study at my house or the library now that I'm grounded, so as those are the last two places Killian would want to be seen I think I'll be okay."

"I hear she's staying with Miss Blanchard."

"Yeah."

"Do you think you'll get a good grade on the project working with her? I know you're great at Spanish, but working with someone else might pull your grade down if they can't keep up."

The rest of the class began filtering in, so Regina's words "I'll help her," were lost in the noise.

Killian hadn't shown up to school and Emma was feeling the pressure of new teachers and her classes, especially knowing she had homework due and it was only half-finished. So she ducked into the closest girls bathroom as the bell rang and hid in the end cubicle closest to the window. With the lid down she could sit and rest, crossing her legs under her and pulling the e-cigarette from her bag. There was no nicotine in the thing, she'd weaned herself off the stuff before arriving in Storybrooke, but the habit was hard to break and just putting the thing in her mouth helped her to relax.

She had a lot to think about. Mary Margaret had talked to her non-stop after Regina had gone, asking about her day and her classes. As soon as dinner was over, Emma laid out her homework and tried to make a start. The subjects she could focus on, the ones she found easiest, she worked through and the rest she pushed to one side. Before she knew it, Mary Margaret was knocking on her door and reminding her it was a school night. She closed the textbook that she'd been staring at for the last half-hour, relieved, and answered her foster mom.

Someone knocked on the cubicle door. Emma ignored them.

"Hey, you okay in there?" a friendly-sounding voice called out to her.

"Fine."

"Are you gonna be much longer?"

Emma looked down at her watch, "thirty minutes."

She heard the other girl sigh and enter the cubicle next to her, A few seconds later, the voice returned.

"Is that an e-cig?"

Emma looked up and saw a girl with long dark hair leaning over the divide. She held a cigarette in one hand and she was smiling down at her.

"Do you want to try it?" Emma asked, holding it out.

"Really? I'd get one myself but I haven't got anywhere to hide it."

"Where do you hide those?"

"My cousin, he sneaks me a couple before school and they have to last me. Stand by the door and I'll come down."

Emma did as instructed, then frowned, "or I could just open the door for you?"

But the girl was already swinging her legs over the divide and down towards the toilet seat, "I'm Ruby, by the way."

"Zelena's friend?" Emma had sort-of guessed that but the girl nodded a confirmation.

"You know Zelena?"

"I have Spanish with her sister, and she caught me in here the other day and thought I was you."

Ruby laughed, "I think she just expects me to quit, but I am cutting down."

Emma passed her the e-cigarette once she was seated and watched as Ruby tried it, explaining, "there's no nicotine. Just hold down the button…"

"Got it," Ruby handled it easily, "my Granny has one. She doesn't think I know about it, but I've seen her use it. She quit when someone said they'd seen me smoking and she worried it was because she smoked."

Emma really liked Ruby; she was easy to talk to and really relaxed. They kept talking until the next bell rang and Ruby climbed back up into her own stall just before the first students to entered.

"Catch you round, Emma," she said as she left.

Emma just smiled and nodded back. She was safe to go to her next class; it wasn't one she needed to hand in homework for.