It's Just Casual

Chapter 1

It was always easy to tell when Ruby was annoyed and as I observed her from a distance, I noticed she was far more annoyed than I'd ever seen her before. She was talking to a woman whose back I did not recognize and I knew that meant she was our new employer.

Ruby forced herself to smile through gritted teeth and hurried away as soon as she got the chance. She plopped down next to me and groaned.

"Fucking cunt," she muttered and eyed the woman that had just turned around. I had no clue who it was, but she was quite beautiful. Slightly tanned skin, deep brown eyes and a sharp jawline.

"Who is that?" I asked confused. I wondered what the woman could've said in the ten seconds she'd spoken to Ruby that made Ruby dislike her this much already.

"Our new boss," Ruby said. "I don't kno.."

"Welcome, everyone. I'm here to take over Mr. Glass's job as principal of Storybrooke's Elementary School. There's a few rules I'd like to address. First, good education comes along with good preparation, so I expect you all to have taken care of your work before you come here. This rule also includes being on time. Second, proper appearance gains respect, so I expect everyone of you to wear clothes that suit your position, exempli gratia, dresses that reach below your knees." She flashed Ruby a glare and ended her speech with this. "Together, I think we can continue this year as it should be, with educating children instead of pranking bosses. We're all adults here, act like it."

I exchanged a look with Ruby and immediately understood her behavior from earlier. If there was one thing Ruby didn't like, it was a woman acting as though she was better than everyone else.

"She told me to stop slouching," Ruby said in a hushed whisper, evidently annoyed. "She doesn't even know me and she told me to stop slouching, because otherwise students will never respect me. They're six."

The new principal looked at us and I could feel myself shrink under her gaze. She had a way of staring at people that made it impossible to look away from her.

"Care to discuss your thoughts with the whole group?" The woman asked. I saw Ruby opening her mouth, ready to throw some comeback at her, so I quickly spoke before Ruby could make things worse.

"We didn't catch your name," I said. "Mine's Emma. This is Ruby. Over there are Mulan, Graham and Walsh. Sitting behind their laptops are Ariel and Killian and that's Belle and Jack."

The principal seemed unfazed by this new information, like she wasn't even going to try to remember it. "I know, Miss Swan," she said and looked me directly in the eyes. It felt as though she was getting to know every tiny bit of my soul. "You will all address me as Miss Mills."

"No first name?" I asked, with a light smile, hoping to get rid of the tension in the room, but Miss Mills didn't seem to appreciate it.

"I don't think that's necessary," she said and walked towards the exit.

"I bet you she's got a ridiculous first name," Ruby said, but spontaneous as she was, she hadn't waited for Miss Mills to leave. The principal turned around and stared daggers at Ruby.

"It is a shame you'll never find out," was all she said and I didn't know whether I imagined it, but I swore to have seen a hint of a smirk on her lips.

When the door to the teacher's lounge closed, everyone let out a breath of relief. "So, what do we think of Miss Milf?" Graham asked with a bright grin. He leaned with his back against the counter of the small kitchen and sipped his coffee.

"Milf, Graham? She seems like the kind of person who doesn't even know what sex is," Ruby said. "She told me to stop slouching. That's so rude."

"Well, contain yourself, Ruby. We can't have her quitting as well," Belle said. She was the peacekeeper of the group and I agreed with her on this.