Regina huffed. The brunette didn't understand why she'd been summoned to the counselor's office this morning, and she sure as hell wasn't happy about it. She steeled herself before stepping through the door.

The sickeningly sweet smile of the high school counselor, Miss Powers, greeted her when she entered.

"Regina! How wonderful to see you today! How are you, dear?"

Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and fixed the older woman with her most winning smile. "I'm doing wonderful, Miss P. And how are you?" She didn't actually care about her counselor's well-being, but social protocol called for the exchange of pleasantries, so she partook.

"I am excellent, my dear, thank you for asking. Now. Down to business." Miss Powers fixed Regina with a concerned look. "We missed you here yesterday, Reggie. That's the fourth time this month…"

Regina winced at the use of the terrible moniker. And at the implied question. "Oh, it was nothing Miss P." It wasn't nothing. "I was just with my mother." Getting the shit beat out of me. "You know how I love spending time with her." I hate her. "And since she's so sick…" At least that part was true. Sick and twisted, anyway. Regina didn't have to fake the tears streaming down her face. Those were real.

"Oh, darling. I understand, I understand. Here, have a tissue. You know you can come talk to me whenever, right?" Regina nodded pitifully. "Alright then, you may go to class. And if you ever need to chat…" she trailed off.

Regina nodded again, turning and walking briskly from the office, straight to the ladies' room to recover. It didn't actually take long to put the mask back in place—hell, that had been recovered since she'd turned to face away from the counselor. But she should fix her makeup. And really, she could use the opportunity to wallow a bit more in her sorrow given the current situation. The hopelessness really was becoming overwhelming even for someone as composed as Regina typically was.

She let the tears fall naturally when she reached the bathroom. The place was empty, and she knew she could keep it that way if she just fixed the next person to walk in with one of her death glares. Her seniority and her reputation preceded her; even though she was class president and a straight-A student, everyone was terrified of her. Frankly, that was just how she liked it.

Regina bent over the sink, wanting desperately to retch, to rid her insides of the terrible pain consuming her. Her eyes darted up to the mirror, where her tears were uncovering the ugly purple bruise underneath her left eye.

Just then, a young girl walked in with long blonde hair. A freshman with an even bigger reputation than Regina. Regina fixed her with a glare, but the blonde just scoffed. She leaned back against the stalls and looked at Regina's reflection in the mirror before lighting a cigarette and shrugging uncaringly.

"Your parents beat you often?"

Regina's jaw dropped at… this woman. At the audacity.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Name's Emma. And I only ask because I know something about that…" She rolled up her shirt a bit, revealing the top of a tattoo and, above it, four terrible black bruises that looked like fingerprints.

Regina's eyes widened. "My name's… Regina. And no, not my parents. Just my mother."

Emma's eyebrow arched at the venomous way Regina spat the word 'mother.' "You're a senior, right?"

"What?"

"You're a senior. Aren't you 18? Why don't you leave?"

"I—it's not that simple."

Emma blew out a puff of smoke and sighed. "It would be if I were 18. I would leave—go far away from here. Run away, and NEVER look back."

"I fear that would be too kind a fate."

Emma's eyes widened slightly. "For who?"

"I'd like to kill her." Regina spun to face Emma now, meeting her eyes to show her she was serious. Her jaw clenched harshly.

Emma smirked anyway. The girl had spunk, that was for certain. Emma admired that, in a strange way.

"Don't look at me like that," Regina hissed. She approached Emma. "You don't think I could do it, do you? I could, and I would savor every second. Every terrified glance. Every scream." She came to a stop closer to Emma than she had intended.

Emma had the feeling that Regina wasn't seeing herself standing in front of her. No, Regina was seeing another being entirely, judging from the hate swirling in her eyes. Emma took a step closer anyway, putting the cigarette out on the counter and leaving it there. She ran her hand along the side of Regina's face, the pad of her thumb grazing the bruise, and, to her surprise, the brunette leaned into her touch. "Don't let the evil win. Show the world you can punch back without becoming the thing you hate."

And with that, Emma disappeared out the door. Regina reached up and touched her cheek.