Late! Shit, I'm so late. I pull my phone from the messenger bag at my side as I attempt to scrape the cold January ice from the windshield of my yellow bug. Ruby had an early class and didn't wake me before she left this morning. So much for our roommate agreement. I growl while standing hunched over in my suede fur jacket, striped dress, black leggings, and boots not fitted for the snow and ice. My glasses keep slipping down my face, I haven't worn them in forever thanks to my contacts, but those ended up in the toilet this morning while I rushed to get ready, and they were my last ones.

I walk around to the street side of my car to attempt to scrape the passenger side. My glasses slide again and I shove them off causing them to fly off my face. They land just at my side, I bend to pick them up when my foot accidentally kicks them further into the street. I try to flag down the car that's barreling through the slushy street, but they don't see me or they don't care. Inside the car is a man with dark hair who shoots me a dirty look. I throw him the finger as the sound of my glasses crunching under his tires causes me to wince.

I don't bother to pick them up I don't have the time, so I walk around to the drivers side and finally get inside. The bug takes a few minutes to start, but when it finally does it purrs to life like it's not a million years old. The heat stopped working and I rub my hands together attempting to thaw them. Slowly I pull out of the spot on the street in front of the house I rent an apartment in.

This is only my second semester at StoryBrooke University, I spent the last two years in Boston before changing my major, and heading home to StoryBrooke. I received a pretty huge discount since my ex – and sons grandfather is the Dean. My son – I miss Henry, but thankfully he's happy with his adoptive family and I still get to see him on occasion. Although Regina, his adoptive mom can sometimes be an evil witch.

I drive close to the steering wheel trying to see the few feet in front of me. I'm thankful that the campus is two blocks from the house. I pull into a spot and turn the car off. Next to me a car blasts some sort of music that vibrates the walls of their car and my own. I look over and notice it's the same black mustang that crushed my glasses into a million pieces.

Oh this guy is going to get a piece of my mind for not stopping. I slide out of my bug just as he opens his door. He adjusts the neck of his leather jacket like he's the Fonz or something, and then grabs a messenger bag from his passenger seat. As he leans into the car I lean up against the rear passenger side watching him, waiting. I'll admit it's a nice view – no Emma stop it.

He pulls his head out of the car and stares me down.

"You should take a picture luv, it lasts longer," he says.

He's got a slight accent that I can't place. He throws me a smirk that makes me want to smack it right off of him.

"You ran over my glasses back there," I say.

"Oh is that so?"

He closes his door and struts over to me. He acts like his shit doesn't stink and I'm not a fan of guys like that. I cross my arms at my chest half to warm me up and the other half to let him know I'm pissed.

"Yes! Did you not see me on Enchanted Court?"

"Oh the crazy lady waving her arms? Aye, I saw you."

"And you didn't think to stop?"

He snickers and leans in close.

"I did luv, just late to class," he says.

I eye him up and down and take in his dark appearance. He's wearing all black from head to toe. His cheeks glimmer red from the cold.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Sorry luv..."

I cringe and he chuckles. He squeezes between the two cars and starts heading towards the school.

"I'm not done yelling at you yet!" I yell.

"Sorry lu... I mean sorry – late to class!"

He gives me that ridiculous sly smirk again and waves his hand before bolting towards the main building on campus.

"Asshole," I say under my breath.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry Emma."

Ruby comes sauntering over towards my car. She looks from me to the guy walking away.

"What was that about?" she asks.

"Jerk ran over my glasses with his car, I can't see anything," I say.

Ruby laughs under her breath as we start walking in the same direction as him.

"Sorry, how are you seeing right now?" she asks.

Ruby and I have been friends since we were kids, we grew up together in StoryBrooke and now I'm finally joining her at the University. I eyed her choice of clothing, jean shorts with black stockings a white blouse and a red coat.

"I'm barely seeing," I say.

"I'll drive you to the store to get you more contacts after class," she says.

"Thanks, how'd you get here anyway?" I question.

"I walked," she says.

"Wearing that?"

"Ah – a little ice and snow never bothered me before," she says.

We stumble into the building both stomping our boots on the welcome carpet just inside the main building. Storybrooke University is unlike any other school. It's small and most people are from town, but they make exceptions for certain students who come from out of the area, they take up the other half of the population. It's funny, because most of them stay together while people from StoryBrooke keep to their own group.

Storybrooke University has two main buildings, both three stories high and look like castles from a fairy tale. The dorms are on the outer edge of the campus and are called Sherwood and Oz. Oz is an all-girls dorm while Sherwood is for the guys. The main building is called The Enchanted Forest, and the second building is Neverland. The school targets creativity and is known for their Arts programs. We also have a great Criminal Justice program and Liberal Arts as well. I've stuck with the creative side of StoryBrooke and swapped my major from Criminal Justice (back in Boston) to English Lit. Ruby loves tracking people so she stayed with Criminal Justice, but because she was so excited to see me back she decided to take some extra classes to be with me.

We walk through the sea of students, some I recognized from town who nod at me and I do the same in return. We trudge up the two flights of stairs to the second floor where my first class of the day is, Fairy Tales and Literature with Professor/Dean Gold. He sees me enter the room and waves me over to say hello. It's awkward being that I gave his grandson up for adoption, but I still head that way anyway. Ruby trails behind me as this is one of her elective courses she chose to take with me.

"Mr. Gold," I say.

"Please Dearie, call me Rumple," he says.

"Dean Gold okay?"

"It's professor here," he says in an annoyed voice.

I nod. Mr. Gold is kind of scary looking if you didn't know him. He's got scraggly long hair that reaches his chin and looks a mess on most days. Some days he has gray scruff on his face others he doesn't, and he wears a long black coat always and half the time it makes him look like an evil wizard or something.

"Professor Gold it is," I say.

"How's my grandson?" he asks.

"Regina and Robin are great parents, they are taking good care of him," I tell him.

"That's good to hear dearie, may Belle and I see him soon?"

I smile and nod. I get to see Henry on occasional weekends as long as I promise not to bring him around his father, Mr. Gold's son. Neal Gold was one huge mistake that I wish I could take back, but he gave me Henry so I really can't complain that much. Belle is Mr. Gold's wife, she's young and beautiful and is actually the Universities Librarian.

"Well dearie I should begin," he says.

I nod and turn towards the seats. This classroom is one of the bigger ones. The seats are on risers and they are just chairs with small desks that flip up for use. I search the room for Ruby, she's waving up at the tippy top. I hadn't realized how full this class was going to be. I turn to head for the seats when I bump into someone spilling coffee all over myself and the person wearing ... all ... black. I shoot a look up at him and he curses like a sailor as our eyes meet.

"You!" he says.

"You!" I repeat.

I look down between us and both of our clothes are dripping wet with hot coffee. The classroom quiets and I look around to see everyone staring including Mr. Gold.

"You two will get your happily ever after later for now please sit. Mr. Jones please I'm ready to start," Mr. Gold says.

My face flushes red as I push by him grabbing some tissues off the small counter by the wall. I try as much as I can to sop up the coffee from my dress as I climb the stairs to Ruby. I can hear some snickers from the class as I make my way up. I sit down and grab my books from my bag as Mr. Gold starts talking about the class. I'm half paying attention when I hear him say that name again, "Mr. Jones," he says.

I look up and sitting at a small desk next to Mr. Gold's in the front of the classroom is the guy I'd hoped I could avoid for the rest of the semester.

"Mr. Jones will be here to answer any questions, and If I am not here he will be taking over my class. He's currently a graduate student and this is his last semester here with us."

"You should make him pay for your glasses now that we know who he is," Ruby leans over and whispers.

"Ladies is there a problem?"

I swear Mr. Gold can hear anything from a mile away. Some days I really think he is a wizard.

Ruby speaks up, "No Professor Gold everything is good up here," she calls out.

The class snickers again, along with Mr. Jones and his smirk – one day he'll wish he never met me because this time I'm serious when I say I'll be wiping the grin off his cocky little face.