Van couldn't believe it had already been two weeks at Excelsior. Time seemed to be flying by without him even knowing it. He felt like most of his energy had been drained out of him and he was fortunate that the weekend would soon fall upon him.

Van groggily ambled down the hallway to his final class of the day before he could breathe in the sweet air of freedom, well for limited time period that was the weekend. Van admired the school building; it was practically an antique and he always had the uttermost respect for the old. It always seemed so exquisite and knowledgeable to him as the old had the most life experience and he referred this to every aspect of life whether it came to buildings, people or his personal favourite literature.

As Van continued the struggled path down of what seemed like the never ending hallway, he stumbled upon Millerna Aston, a fellow co-worker. She was a Biology teacher and the head of the science department. She was young like him except she was slightly older by a couple of years. She seemed like a very vibrant and an enthusiastic individual and she was relatively attractive, well, not to him personally, but to the boys of the school, that he was sure of.

His class of male seniors adored her and had admitted their infatuations with her to him. Van remembered mentally chuckling to himself when they told him at what lengths they took to get her to notice them. He could see why they would find her eye-appealing but he personally he didn't find her that appealing. She was a boisterous golden haired female with violet-blue eyes that could look men directly in the eyes and make them feel weak at the knees, almost jelly-like. She looked very interesting in her black trousers and tight pink polo top, not very teacher like at all. Van always believed that to educate young minds you needed to show them that you were a serious person and it also gave him a sense of power and pride being in expensive designer wear suits.

"Van," Millerna smiled that million dollar smile, which Van couldn't help but to wonder.

"Millerna…hi," Van greeted uneasily.

"You couldn't possibly do me a really big favour, could you?" Millerna spoke in an unusually more feminine voice battering her eyelids in the process.

"Well it depends," Van responded blankly, ignoring her flirtatious actions.

"You see my sister Marlene has just given birth to her first child yesterday and well you see she lives in another state and I really wanted to make an early start today to meet her but it turns out I've got to monitor the kids in detention today, and I was wondering if you'd cover for me? I promise to take one of your days of detention. It's just I really want to see Chid my new nephew," Millerna said sincerely and sweetly and doing a great job into making Van feel somehow guilty.

'Great I can't say no...Damn,' Van thought hopelessly. "I'll do it Millerna. That kid better be cute, that's all I can say," Van teased. "Well, I better get to class."

'I really wanted to go home and watch the game,' Van moaned his frustrations mentally.

***

An aggravated Van found his way to the detention room. 'Stupid Millerna,' Van scolded more mental thoughts into his head. 'My sister's having a baby…nah blah and I'm missing the big game.'

Van shoved the door open in an infuriated manner. He seated himself on the chair at the teacher's desk completely forgetting the surroundings he was in. He then settled his brief case on the old oak desk opened it and took out some papers and a pen and he closed the brief case again and placed it on the floor.

He then realised how foolish he must have looked to the students in detention, he slowly looked up to see the room was practically deserted except for one figure that seemed to be unaware of his presence.

He was astounded to see who it was. 'Hitomi?' His mind questioned. She had a pure, innocent-type look as she was writing away to her heart's content. She was easily his most superior student.

Her hair was laid out beautifully as her lips so sweet and pink mouthed the words she was writing. Van couldn't help but to gape at her.

'What is she here for? She's such a good student,' Van's mind pondered that eventually Van couldn't help but to inquire the information.

"Hitomi," he called out softly. Hitomi looked up and when she saw Van, her cheeks blush a rosy pink.

"Mr Fanel," she said astounded by his presence and placed her hands softly onto the desk in front of her.

"It's really none of my business, but what is a student like you doing in detention?" Van questioned in an off-handed manner with a grin.

"Um…I wasn't paying attention to Mrs Décor," Hitomi hesitantly answered, her voice was calm and pleasant. 'He must think I'm really weird.'

"Writing again in that note pad," Van questioned with a raised eyebrow, but his voice was kind. Hitomi's face turned a bright crimson and she finally replied with a soft nod. "May I ask what do you exactly write in that notepad?" He asked curiously.

"My story," she replied a little hesitantly but it was mixed with pride.

"Really?" An astounded Van said taken a back, this was truly an unexpected answer. He thought she was scribbling away notes to God knows who! Like that of her friends and the other class mates as that was what he had spotted the other students do.

"Undoubtedly," she replied in what sounded almost like a giggle. 'Why am I acting so strange? Like a bimbo.' Hitomi's mind thought furiously.

"Could I look at the story?" Van asked realising he may be crossing the limit by asking that question. It wasn't right for him to be invading her privacy when he, himself treasured his privacy.

"It's kind of private and it's really… not that good," Hitomi nervously answered holding the note pad close to her chest.

"Oh that's alright. But...err I was hoping that perhaps you would trust me someday to maybe share it with me. Maybe I could help you out. Give you some pointers," He spoke sincerely and a hint of eagerness could be traced in his carefully toned voice.

"Why thank you," Hitomi smiled gladly. "That's very kind of you. I may take you up on that offer one day."

"That's what I'm here for to help you guys out," Van announced with a warm smile.

"Yeah, you're quite the favourite teacher among the students," Hitomi proclaimed. 'Where did this courage come from?' She thought.

"I know," Van cockily replied brushing his nails against his jacket.

"Mr Fanel, please, if your head got any bigger you wouldn't be able to fit through the door," Hitomi remarked laughing lightly. 'Why did I say that? Great now I'm in his bad books.'

Van gave her a devilish smile and laughed. "I know I'm intolerable."

"Well Mr Intolerable, do you think you're tolerable enough to help me with this English essay?" Hitomi asked her adrenaline pumping madly. 'I shouldn't have spoken to him in that manner; I have to be careful because I've heard of intelligent students getting B's due to teacher's having a personal hatred towards them.' Hitomi was about to have a panic attack as such thoughts continued to pound away into her head.

"But Hitomi I haven't set you an essay," Van questioned.

"I know, its assignment from a book I set myself," Hitomi replied.

Van carefully got up from the teacher's leather seat and walked over to the girl. He pulled up a chair from a nearby desk and placed it next to Hitomi's.

"You really need to get out there. Do what other girls do. Get a hobby," he commented in a friendly manner making sure he didn't hurt her feelings.

"As I told you I'm not that out there," Hitomi remarked.

"That's not the impression you give me," Van spoke truthfully.

"It doesn't last I can assure you," Hitomi whispered and looked down at the scrap piece of paper she had before her.

Van then sincerely looked at her and spoke, "So what's the essay on?" A smiled emerged on her lips and she turned towards him and replied.

"It's on the novel Great Expectations, you have read the book?" Hitomi asked, rising her eyebrows.

"Hitomi," he sighed in an almost distraught manner. "If I haven't read that book then I shouldn't be here. That is one of the most renowned literatures of all time." Hitomi winced slightly and then blush a bright pink. "You know you get embarrassed effortlessly."

"I can't help it," Hitomi said to her defence as she covered her cheeks with her hands. Van couldn't but to chuckle.

He then cleared his throat, "So what's this essay on?"

"Pip's unrealistic expectations," Hitomi answered after some time as she waited for her cheeks to cool down.

"Let's see," Van pondered rubbing his forehead. "Well, start of by summarising the story into one sentence, relating it to that character so it let's see… it's the story about  Pip and his initial dreams and resulting disappointments that eventually lead to him becoming a genuinely good man."

"Okay and then do I start to bring up the points to answer this essay?" Hitomi asked with genuine interest.

"Yes but don't bullet point it out, just subtly bring it up into the next paragraph but make sure it has some connection to the paragraph before," Van mentioned. "But I'm sure you know this already."

"Yes I do. And so then I would write, in the beginning of the novel, Pip is characterized as a harmless, caring boy, who draws much sympathy from the reader even though he is at that point content with his common life" Hitomi said.

"Yes and quote. Let me think of a good quote to demonstrate Pip at the beginning of the book…" Van pondered for a moment. "Ah, I know Pip's confrontation with the convict presents his harmless, innocent nature. As Magwitch first seizes the young boy, Pip simply responds, "Oh! Don't cut my throat, sir, O Pray don't do it sir" that's a quote on page two.  Then you could also add that Pip is forced into submitting to the convict's demands, mainly due to his naive fear of Magwitch's fictitious companion who "has a secret way peculiar to himself of getting at a boy, and at his heart, and at his liver" that's on page four."

"Mr Fanel you can remember actual lines from the book?" Hitomi asked startled by her new teacher's brilliance.

"Why of course, Hitomi. I studied the text in detail," Van replied.

'Well he's not just a pretty-boy after all,' Hitomi thought.

The two then continued on with the essay until the end of detention. Hitomi found herself warming up to her new teacher, his brilliance stunned her and it made her think about him differently. She now knew the true meaning to the saying 'do not to judge a book from its cover.'