CHAPTER 5: TEACHING 101

Marcie began tutoring Melanie and helping her study for her test. But as it turned out, she was worse to teach than Peppermint Patty. With Patty, Marcie just had to keep her focused, but with Melanie, she couldn't grasp the simplest questions. Even Patty knew Einstein's Theory of Relativity was E=MC2; even with her D Minus average, but Melanie didn't even know what relativity itself was. Marcie was amazed that she made it through life this far. Melanie didn't need a passing grade; she needed a miracle!

Peppermint Patty came by to see how Marcie was doing with Melanie. She knocked on the door, and an exhausted Marcie answered. "Hey Marcie," Patty greeted. "How are things going with Melanie?"

"Not good, sir," said Marcie. "Tutoring you is a walk through the park compared to her."

"That bad, eh?" Patty replied.

"She can't get anything right, sir. I tried to start simple with 'What's 4 times 2'. Could you believe she answered 'Depend on how much it costs'?!"

"Wow! That's pretty bad, Marcie."

"I don't know if she can pass that test, to tell you the truth."

"I know. I, at least, have a chance with getting a D Minus. Melanie as it seems doesn't have a prayer."

"That's what worries me, sir. I wonder how she made it this far without knowing almost anything. It's even amazing that she can even cheerlead."

"Marcie, that's it! Use what she loves. If you can make her lesson plan into a series of cheers, maybe she can grasp it!"

"You think it could work?"

"What have you got to lose at this point? Remember how you got me to study? You used historic figures and talked about them like they were football teams. And I managed to get a B Plus on that test. Why not try it out with cheerleading with Melanie?"

Marcie thought about it. Then she said, "It's worth a shot, sir. I just hope she can grasp it."

"I'm sure she can," said Peppermint Patty. "Anyway, another thing I wanted to talk to you about is that I ran into Thibault."

"Did he give you trouble, sir? If he did, I'll belt him again like I did that day he kicked dirt on me."

"No he didn't give me trouble. I just told him that he was wrong about stalking Patty and how he's been acting in general. I might have reached him, though. I asked him why he acted the way he did, not just his attitude towards girls, but like how he acted with Chuck as well. He didn't have an answer for it, so he didn't know himself. And for the first time, he looked genuinely sorry for his actions, although he didn't say it, directly."

"Maybe there's hope for him, sir," said Marcie.

"That's all we can do, Marcie. He's got a lot to answer for. But he's got to work on himself first."

"Well, I hope he gets the help he needs."

"Me, too, Marcie. And good luck with Melanie."

"Thank you. I'm going to need it, sir." Peppermint Patty left and Marcie went back inside to get some rest.

Around that time, Thibault walked into a building. He went down a hallway to a room that said "Anger Management and Counseling" on it. He went inside. Later he was seated waiting for the psychiatrist to call him in. He looked a little nervous and wondered how it would go. Just then the doctor called him in and he got out of his seat and walked in. He wanted to become a better person and possibly make amends with Patty. Even if he couldn't get back together with her, he wanted to at least make peace with her, provided the courts would allow him to do so. He knew he had a long way to go, but he was determined to get there.

NEXT CHAPTER: IMPROMPTU CONCERT