Hi guys! Okay- this is going to be the final chapter of The International Baccalaureate. I'm sorry it took so long to update- this course is really killing me! I may do a spin-off of this, although that would be around Christmas time, depending on how much homework I have left.

Enjoy mi amici!

Chapter Six: The End of the Day

I closed Miss Sato's door behind me as I left. She seemed nice enough, but was quite grumpy about the fact that I didn't do an ICT GCSE. I just shrugged it off when she asked why I didn't, and she let the chat progress. She was a lovely Japanese woman with a soft voice and a smile made of sugar.

We spoke about what I planned to do over the next two years, with my answer being that Mariam and I would try to recreate the Sociology project in the book Pay It Forward, where we encourage everyone in the college each term- one Area at a time- to help three people, and to tell those three people to help another three people, and so on and so forth until, in theory- everyone in Lewisham, Deptford, Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and maybe even Dulwich and Camberwell had helped at least one person.

That was the theory, anyway, but, as Miss Sato quite rightly pointed out, we would need to prove that the people in the college had done three deeds- I explained that we would give everyone three small slips which each person they helped had to sign, unless they planned on doing more than three, in which case a notebook from WH Smith's would suffice.

And then she mentioned speaking to Mrs. Williams... about a certain club. A debate club, which she thought would be better for me since it's all three- Creativity, Action and Service- in one hit, so that would be my 150 hours completed after two meetings twice a week for seventy-five weeks. Fantastic! Either way, I wasn't going to go- I couldn't be bothered with arguing when I already had History homework piling up.

Then that's where I left.

I walked down the hall, scanning through my timetable to see what I had the day after:

Friday- IENG1, S. Costello. IMAT2- I. Jones. IITA2- G. Cutaia. IPSY2- I. Jones.

Wow. Miss Costello two days in a row... Fan-fucking-tastic. Then I had the same teacher, Mr. Jones, twice in one day. I figured he must have been good, but I didn't pay much attention as I bumped into him on my way out.

"Sorry, Gav, I don't do dancing!" He said jokily, and then his look turned serious. "I spoke to Jack about two minutes after you left. He was quite upset. I must say, for such a young girl you are very old in your words."

"How?" I mumbled, itching to get out.

"You won't accept encouragement. I understand you have me for Psychology tomorrow. We'll be studying emotions and past experiences. I urge you to research a theory called the Like-Like Principle. You may find that it's perhaps the most intriguing thing you will ever have heard of." With that, he left, up the stairs and turning right, towards the History room where no doubt Mr. Harkness awaited his lover-boy.

I continued on my way, down the hill and towards the exit, Mr. Harkness' words ringing in my head: "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."

I started to think that maybe he was right; maybe I was better than those girls in the sense that I was enthusiastic about my work.

As I left, I passed Mariam- she was surrounded by Luke and some of the others who were in our Biology class. I called out to her, but either she didn't hear me, or she didn't want to reply. I just shrugged and gave up when she ignored me, leaving, considering the two years ahead of me, how Mariam seemed to have 'outgrown' me already. But most of all, Jack's words stuck to me, and I began to feel like I was wrong about my views on life.

Oh well, I decided, maybe things will get better.

I reached the bus stop, and looked back at the college, smiling a little. I had done it- I had mixed with people for the first time successfully, and I hadn't been ridiculed once, but there were still two years to go, and as I stared up at the sky, it came crashing down on me exactly how hard I would have to work.