Disclaimer: unfortunately, none of the characters etc belong to me...

Emma's POV

I probably shouldn't have enjoyed the situation as much as I did. It was keeping me from my much needed chocolate bars after all. On the other hand, it was a very interesting sight. A woman was on her knees in front of the cheap vending machine, her arm inside it and obviously stuck. Which was funny enough on it's own, but with her elegant clothes and overall flawless appearance she looked more than out of place in the art building full of students who wouldn't wear such a sensible pantsuit even if they could afford it - it would be full of paint and other curious stains after mere minutes anyways.

"Could you stop laughing for a second and help me?" a furious voice interrupted my musings. I hadn't even noticed that I'd been laughing my ass off for minutes until that moment, but I honestly tried to stop. Which kinda worked. Until I looked down and saw the almost comically furious look on her face in combination with the position she currently was in. I couldn't help the giggle escaping my lips.

She scoffed and turned away, focusing on getting her hand out again, rather desperately it seemed. After a particularly hard yank of her arm that didn't bring any results, she sighed loudly and sat back on her heels, head hung low.

It was only then that I noticed the tears she barely managed to keep in her eyes.

"Hey" I said softly.

She didn't look at me.

"I'm sorry I laughed at you, it's just-" I managed to stop myself before I said anything more. Telling her how ridiculous she had looked would just make her more upset. "I'm sorry" I started again, and after a moment of hesitation I put my hand on her shoulder. I felt her tense up, but she still didn't turn her head. "I'm going to help you, ok?"

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" I flinched at the venom in her voice. "You can't pull my hand out of that thing anymore than I can myself. You standing here is not very helpful!"

"Whoa, no need to yell at me like that. W- I'll figure something out. Or I, uh, could get someone who can open the vending machine?" it wasn't supposed to sound that much like a question.

"Then make yourself useful and go get someone already! Why the hell are you still standing here?!" her icy glare took me by surprise.

For a few seconds I could do nothing but stare at her. "What the fuck is wrong with you? I offered my help and all you do is yell at me! It's your own damn fault that you're stuck, and it's also your fault that I can't get my snack before my next class, which I'm already late for, by the way! So if you want to stay here and wait for a miracle, be my guest, I won't bother you anymore! Have fun with your chips!"

Without another glance I turned around and walked towards my lecture hall. Unbelievable! This woman was the most infuriating person I had ever met. Who does she think she is? To yell at me like that like it was my fault that she was stuck, even though I had just offered my help… With a furious shake of my head I stomped off, loud enough that I almost didn't hear the soft voice calling after me. Almost.

"Wait!"

I don't know why I even turned around. I could have just left her there, would've served her right.

But I did. I wasn't prepared for the look on her face. She had let her angry mask fall, leaving behind a tear stained face with such a vulnerable expression in her big puppy eyes that I almost wanted to cry myself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said" her voice was barely above a whisper. "Can you please help me? Please get someone who can get me out of here."

I looked at her for a second before deflating. "Ok. I'll go get someone. Will you be ok here until I come back?"

She laughed at that, a combination of bitter sarcasm and shaky tears. "It's not like I have a choice, is it?"

"I guess not"

I almost let a smile tug at the corners of my lips as I suppressed the urge to wipe her tears away (seriously, where had that come from?) and hurried in the other direction, without any stomping this time - that might have been kind of a childish move earlier, not that I'd ever admit that out loud. It took only a minute to get to the janitor's office. I walked in without knocking.

"Hey, David!" he turned around and smiled at me.

"Emma! What can I do for you!"

David was not your typical old, creepy cliché of a janitor, he was young, handsome and very friendly. He had let me into the art studios to paint at the oddest hours more than a few times - which was the reason why he knew my name - and was always there to help when anybody needed him.

"Somebody got their hand stuck in the vending machine while trying to get their snack out." I didn't hide my amusement as I thought about it again. Really, the fact that the woman had looked far too classy for vending machines in general made it even more amusing.

David just sighed. "Seriously, with the amount of money all you guys pay to study here, it should be possible to buy a vending machine that, you know, actually works properly and doesn't force people to stick their arms all the way in to get their snacks out."

I raised an eyebrow in question when I saw the defeated look on his face.

"That's the third this week."

"Oh", was all I could say. It was Tuesday morning. Not a good sign.

He sighed again. "Go ahead and keep Cruella's victim company. I gotta get some tools."

"Cruella?" I asked.

"That's what I call that damn machine in my head. It's a cruel device, you have to admit the name is fitting.

"Fair enough" I shrugged and turned around. "See you in a sec!"

Notes:

Let me know if you like it so far! I know there's not much Swan Queen going on, but further chapters are already in work!

I'm not quite sure yet where the story is headed, so the rating might change later on..

Also, I'm not quite sure about the title.. If you have any ideas (for the title or the plot), please tell me!