When They Met

Chapter 2

At lunch later that same day, Emma sat with Killian, David, Robin, and their girlfriends, Mary Margaret and Regina. David and Robin wouldn't stop teasing Killian about Emma, which made the tips of his ears red. He wouldn't deny that Emma was beautiful. But, he knew that no matter how nice she was to him, she wouldn't ever go for the school's biggest geek, who also barely talked and when he did, couldn't even form a proper sentence. He looked over and she was laughing at something either Mary Margaret or Regina had said. He turned back to his lunch and picked around at the food.

"Killian, go ask her." David said, breaking him from his trance.

"What?" Killian asked, looking up.

"Ask her out. You look so desperate not to."

"I c-can't. I-I'll mess i-i-it up." He slammed his fist down on the table, but not hard enough to catch anyone's attention. "See?"

"You can't be afraid of a little speech issue. You'll be fine."

"But I c-can't d-dr-dress the p-part."

David smirked. "Then I'll help you fix that. Grow out your facial hair,  and get contacts. I'll worry about your clothes. And before you tell me that you'll pay me back, think about it as an early birthday present." Killian nodded and swallowed nervously when he saw the group of jocks approach their table. David glared and Robin looked up, scowling at them. Emma looked confused, and Mary Margaret and Regina kept blank faces.

"W-w-what are y-you bitches t-talking ab-about?" The one in the front asked as he tried to keep a straight face, but in the end, failed.

"Fuck off, Jefferson." Robin spat the words as if they were poison. "No one likes you."

"Oh, and who is this?" Jefferson asked, as he made his way over to Emma. He sat down in the seat beside her. "My name's Jefferson, and you are?"

"Emma." She leaned over on the table and gave him a smile. Killian's heart rate increased in his ears. "Let me tell you something, Jefferson, I don't appreciate you mocking my friend. Get out of my face before I break yours."

Jefferson's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered and stood up. "Let's go, guys." He nodded towards his other teammates and left. Killian turned to Emma in shock and she had a smile on her face.

"That was awesome, Emma! No one has ever stood up to Jeff before." Regina told her. "I like you already."

Emma laughed. "I just don't want to see him making fun of my friends." She looked over to Killian and he smiled at her. She nodded at him, knowing that he was silently thanking her. The bell rang and they got up from the table and threw their garbage away. Emma walked alongside Killian and nudged him with her shoulder. "You okay?"

He shrugged. "I-I've been th-through w-worse."

"Don't pay attention to them. They just have no idea about how sweet you really are."

"Th-thank you, Em-Emma."

For the rest of the day, Emma and Killian stayed side by side as they went to each class together. At the end of the day, the two disposed of their school books that they wouldn't need and went out to the school bus together. They sat in the back as to not draw much attention to themselves and watched as the bus slowly filled up with students. Emma turned to Killian who was staring out the window. She poked his shoulder and he turned to face her. But, instead of talking, she poked him again, bringing a smile to his face.

"Y-Yes?" He asked with a slight chuckle.

She poked him again. "Hi."

"Hello, Sw-Swan."

She sighed and leaned back in the seat. "I have so much homework to do."

"Aye, m-me too. We c-can do it t-together."

"Sounds like a plan." Emma watched as Jefferson got on the bus, and she could feel Killian tense up beside her. "I told you not to worry about him. Your stutter is adorable, no matter what anyone says, okay?" He nodded in response.

Jeff sat in the empty seat across from where Emma and Killian were sitting. Emma paid him no attention, but Killian was a different story. He was staring the jock down, and if looks could kill, they both would have been dead. "So, Emma. You, me, Saturday night, Granny's at eight."

Emma looked up at him. "I have plans."

"Next Saturday then." The way Jeff asked wasn't in the form of a question, but a statement.

"Nope. I'm busy for the rest of my life. Don't waste your time trying to go out with me. I'm not gonna fall for it."

The bus started moving and Jefferson shoved his headphones in his ears. Killian smiled at Emma while she wasn't looking and went back to looking out the window. They sat in silence while the rest of the people on the bus talked amongst themselves. When Killian stood up, ready to get off the bus, Emma did too. The two walked off and up the road. She followed him up a driveway and he dug in his pocket for a key. When he opened the door, he threw his bag on the ground carelessly.

"D-d-do you w-want a-a drink?" Killian asked, turning around to look at her.

"I'm okay." She replied and placed her bag on the ground next to his.

"I-I'll sh-show you the l-living room." Emma nodded. She followed him in and he sat down on the couch. She sat down next to him. "Ex-explore a-all you want. B-but n-n-not my br-brother's r-room."

She nodded again. Liam didn't go into detail about when Killian developed the speech disorder, so she wasn't sure if he was born with it or if a traumatic experience caused it. He had told her that because of Killian's classmates' teasing, it had taken a mental toll on his mood, which caused him to self harm. He had also tried to commit suicide many times. She knew where he had come from. Kids could be cruel. And that cruelness could lead into a person's adult life.