The Black Swan

Chapter 24

Author's POV

     Emma snuck back into Ruby's room as quietly as she could. She was relieved to see Ruby still sleeping, because she knew her friend would try to embarrass her as much as she could if she found out what Emma had been doing. Emma checked the time and saw that it was half past nine (her mother refused to drive her back to Ruby's and made her walk). Emma crawled into the bed next to Ruby, and closed her eyes.

Emma's eyes popped open as the blaring sound of an alarm clock filled her ears. She heard Ruby groan and Emma took it upon herself to make sure that they weren't late. She kicked off the covers and got Ruby out of bed. She handed Ruby the aspirin and started to get herself ready.

When they were ready, Emma made sure to hide Ruby's hangover as much as possible.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you," Ruby quietly said.

"It's fine, I still had fun," Emma gave a smile with her reply. She was telling the truth, she really did have fun.

Emma and Ruby avoided going to the diner for breakfast, because Ruby was sure to get a scolding, and then they'd never make it to school. Emma drove Ruby's car and stopped at a convenience store to grab an energy drink to wake Ruby up. Ruby gulped the drink in seconds and was acting like her normal self again.

The two sang along to old songs, joked, and through things at each other, all the while managing to not get into a car accident. When they go to school, they shared a hug before parting ways to get to their lockers. Emma smiled and softly hummed to herself as she took out the books required for her first class.

She's coming very soon.

Emma's humming abruptly stopped and she froze.

Nope, not real.

She closed her locker and walked to class. She opened her bag and took out her bottle of prescription pills to take when she felt overwhelmed. She popped one into her mouth and swallowed it dry.

Not today, bitch.
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Killian put the finishing touches to the poster they would use to advertise the production before starting his daily routine. He made sure to double check with Gaston that there were no issues with costuming (he most definitely was not blushing when Gaston flirted with him). He would work his ass off to make sure he didn't cause any more problems for Jefferson. He was there to help, after all.

As Killian finished his workout, his thoughts drifted back to his dream. No, nightmare was the better word for it. It was scary as shit and left him confused as hell. Something had been off lately. When he was alone, he sometimes felt like he was being watched. It was strange. Enough of that. Focus. Right...focus.
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Emma's POV

I bid my friends goodbye once the last belle of the day sounded. I heaved my bags onto my shoulders and started the walk to the studio. Being a little early never hurt anyone. Besides, I would rather have the changing room to myself instead of filled with chatty girls who don't know anything about personal space.

I'm on the pill. I don't feel any different, but I feel more grown up. As if losing my virginity wasn't enough. I'm really excited about my date on Friday. Who wouldn't be? My boyfriend is hands down the best looking guy out there, and he has a great personality. Our relationship doesn't feel wrong to me, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be when I'm with Killian. Almost as if we were destined to be together.

Once I get to the studio, I drop my backpack off in our main room before heading to go change. On my way there, I bump into something. More like someone.