Hello. Sorry it took so long to update this- I started college last week, and had to concentrate on my lessons, which are BRILLIANT! I LOVE my Italian teacher- he's hilarious, enthusiastic and passionate about the subject he teaches. I actually AM being taught by two doctors in biology- Dr. Schofield and Dr. Seveno, my Mathematical Studies teacher is a bit of a git, but he'll probably grow on me. RE... we had to draw our relationship with God, and I drew a picture of Hell, Hahahaha! English- I have two teachers, Emily and Nick, and I swear that Nick is GAY! I don't really mind, though- the gayer the better! My Psychology teacher is a Hippie. That's all I'm saying. Oh, and we are actually doing the Unification of Italy in History, which is actually quite interesting. Not the college experience I had hoped for as you can tell by this fic, but I digress... this is part II of Biology.

Chapter Five: Biology Part II

"Now," the Doctor said after finishing the spider diagram we had been working on over the past hour. He looked up at the clock- nearly three and half an hour to prepare for Mathematical Studies. "Doctor Harper will be here shortly- he should have been here before me, actually- and you will-"

"Sorry I'm late! Sorry I'm late!" Called a thick cockney accent as someone dressed in an argyle jumper and a pair of blue jeans ran into the room, throwing a satchel onto the front desk, knocking over a tower of paperwork. "John, you idiot!" he hissed at the Doctor. "You were supposed to leave a message on the desk for me!"

"I did." The Doctor hissed back, reaching over the mounds of paper to grab a small pink post-it and waving it in front of the cockney man's face. The man took it and read it, blushing a light pink as his eyes scanned the words, and then he turned to us. "Nice of you to join us. Class, this is Doctor Owen Harper. Now, Owen, as you can see," the Doctor. "I've already started the lesson, and we only have about five minutes left." Then the Doc looked over the room, his eyes landing on me. I tried my best to conceal myself, but no means of hiding would have stopped him from saying; "Oh, and Owen, have you met Jack's genius? She's trying to hide behind her textbook."

I groaned, and Mariam kicked my leg. I turned and gave her a look. While I let my textbook drop to the bench, I looked back at the two doctors as they both beamed at me. I knew why every teacher in this school seemed to know who I was, and why they seemed to be so eager and proud of me even though they had only just started teaching me. It was because Mr. Harkness had bragged about me to all of them. Right there and then, I hated him- he had given the teachers reason to have insatiably high expectations of me, it was only the first day of lessons, and the course lasted for two fucking years. I knew exactly what I had to do- I had to confront him, and I had to reason with him, ask him not to praise me to the other teachers anymore, because otherwise, something awful could happen, and his name would be written...

The klaxon rang, and I was the first out of the classroom. I made my way over the bridge to the South Building, where my History class was. I made it just in time as the last student was leaving, and found myself alone with Mr. Harkness.

"Gavvy! I'm happy to see you- none of my other students hold a candle to..." He said happily, but as he trailed off his joy faded when he saw the fury in my eyes. "What's wrong?"

"You," I said softly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Harkness, but I've had a pretty bad day today, and I think it started with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," I said, keeping my voice calm. "I mean that it seems like you've been praising me too much, and the teachers I've seen today- you, Miss Costello, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Williams, Doctor Smith and Doctor Harper- they all look at me like I'm a prize pig. I can see that they're making all sorts of plans for me, and I don't think I'll be able to handle it because it seems like too much."

"So?" He said with a breathy laugh. "What's so bad about that? It's good to have people believe in you, isn't it?"

"Not for me," I admitted, looking down. "I can't handle so many people taking so much pride and putting so much faith in me, because, if I fail, then it will all have been for nothing."

"Don't say that." He tried to reassure me. "Let me ask you something- you're so smart, you're so talented, and you're so lacking in self-esteem. I've met the girls who got either all A's, all A*'s or a mix of both, and you know what you have that they don't?"

"What?" I said, trying to remain calm- I was nearly late for my C.A.S. talk.

"You have personality." He smiled, taking one of my hands. "I can tell that you are happy to learn, eager to learn, and you know you will always learn. I bet you don't think much of yourself, but believe me, you're more than what you think. You know what universities like? Of course, they like you to have the grades to back your placement up, but to them, even to Cambridge and Oxford, the grades are just a benefit, a feather in their cap to ask 'We've got the best of the best- what have you got?' but what they really want is a student with potential, with the right attitude. Those girls I met? They're just going to university because they're parents want them to. They're just going because they want to be doctors, barristers, lawyers... all the huge job labels. Miss Gorman told me that you want to teach, and your reason was, and I'm sure still is, because you wouldn't feel like you were helping if you were sitting backstage like a doctor while the surgeon actually dug into the patient, or if you were a lawyer because you would just be watching your bank account grow instead of concentrating on helping anyone. You want to teach because you will actually see the people you're helping. Do you know how amazing that is, Gavvy? I got into teaching for that very reason, and so did Mr. Jones. Miss McDonald called Miss Costello, to praise you, and then she called me, to warn me about Suzie's attitude towards you, and she told me that you were her best student because you were the only one who was quiet, who was willing to learn. Gavvy, those girls bear no mark of personality- they're mannequins. But you, Gavvy, are a woman, and you'll be an amazing teacher when you qualify."

Any normal person would be moved to tears by a speech like that, but I wasn't- I learned long ago to block out words of encouragement. To me, they're just words of weakness, and if I let words like that get to me, then I knew I would fail, and I would have no further incentive to improve myself- that's why I always look for the negative aspects of life.

"Than you sir," I said softly, and turned away, walking out of the room, towards the S3 staircase towards the East Building, or, to the other students, the 'Politics, Law, Undergraduation and Student Services' building. I was headed towards Miss Sato's room, where my interview awaited.