Before you Go 6

She was done with the class in an hour. Though she thought it went well, she knew how to make it better. There will be a few things that she could do that would be easy to make the class more fun for the teens there that were probably not all that into the actual class but there for a requirement. Though she was now in search of the older woman to see what else needed to be done for the day, she couldn’t find her. Larissa went into the greenhouse that was in the back of the offices for the science department and saw that Mr. Vincent was in there with a class. He looked over and smiled. “It hasn’t been used that much since you left. That was really the only time I ever saw it in use.”

“Maybe I will get some seeds, and we can see it again in its former glory,” Larissa said with a smile as she saw the younger students all look at her like she was a huge prize. They were in the younger grades of high school. He normally taught freshmen classes.

“This is one of the science department's greatest achievements.” Mr. Vincent said as he looked at Larissa and then back to his students, “Dr. Larissa Walker was one of the best students we ever had the pleasure of teaching though she was never in my class personally.”

“You did teach me, though.” She said with a smile, and he chuckled. “Everyone did. They always had something for me to learn.”

“We all tried to have a hand in your education.” He laughed. “Though even at ten, you were probably smarter than all of us combined.”

“I doubt that,” Larissa said as she smiled at the other students. “You guys are all lucky to have these teachers. They are some of the best I have ever met.”

“Why are you here?” One of the younger girls asked in the snottiest of tones. Larissa knew exactly who she was without even thinking. This young girl was her niece from her sister. Only her sister could have passed on that tone and the perfection on which it was used so well. She looked at the girl and knew that she had no idea that Larissa was her aunt as well.

“I am helping an old friend,” Larissa said. “Right now, I am relaxing in one of my favorite places in the school.”

“This place?” The girl asked with such a disgust that it was confirmed for Larissa.

“Oh yes, this place.” She replied and smiled as she looked around, “Though it needs some work, I think I could bring it back rather quickly.”

“Sure.” The girl said and stuck her nose up in the air.

“Miss Walker?” She heard from the doorway and turned and saw Gabe standing there, “Mrs. Libby is looking for you.”

“Good,” Larissa said as she nodded to the older man there and followed Gabe out of the greenhouse back into the building.

“How do you do that?” Gabe asked as she looked at her when they stopped.

“What? “Larissa asked.

“Be able to talk like that. I figured you would be all scientific things and completely unrelatable.” Gabe said as he looked at her. “I mean, you aren’t a teacher but a doctor. I have never met a doctor that talks like you do.”

“I found out a long time ago the best way to talk to people is how I expect to be talked to. Though some people will always have a problem with my age or my IQ, I try not to let it bother me.” Larissa said. “One thing you need to do to get through to them is the same. You have to make yourself on their level.”

“But that can’t be easy for you.” He said. He seemed to believe she was something different than just a normal person. She knew that a lot of people often felt the same way about her because of the way she was. She knew the difference, though.

“Actually, it is rather easy and something everyone should do. I find that doctors that talk over people's heads to be annoying, and it is self-serving in a way. They want to feel big and smart. It is part of the god complex that most of them have. I like to believe I don’t have it, though. The thing is, though, they will have to dumb it down anyway because people won’t understand it anyway. I skip that step altogether. I don’t need people to make me feel smarter. I need people to understand me the first time.” Larissa said. “Ease up a bit. I know she is on your case but relax. Treat your students like little people and make it relatable to them. One of the things you need to do is be reachable to them. Talk to them. Listen to them as well.”

“That is what I have to do?” He asked. “She seems to hate the idea of me doing anything new.”

“I know her and what she gets angry about,” Larissa said with a smile. “Do what I did today and talk to each of your students. Learn why they are in the class you are teaching. I know that you teach a younger grade but find out what they like to do. Remember that girls will learn better from classroom situations but balance that with some hands-on things for the boys.”

“So basically, I should rewrite the entire year,” Gabe said with a grin. “It is rather boring teaching earth science.”

“Then change certain things. I would assume that earth science is more about learning the layers and whatnot. Try doing activities where you can have samples of different rocks. Something like that will really excite kids.”

“I think I could do something like that.” He said with a bigger grin forming. “Thank you for that. I would have never thought of something simple like that.”

“What are you doing?” Another voice asked as the door opened. Larissa and Gabe looked up to see the woman from before. His girlfriend. “I don’t ever want to hear that I am supposedly cheating again when I walked in on that.”

“We were talking,” Gabe said with a sigh. “I was getting a few pointers on how to help my classroom. Dr. Walker was just giving me some ideas on things for my class.”

“Sure talking.” Ann said as she looked at Larissa and glared, “He is mine.”

“Good,” Larissa said as she laughed back. “I don’t really need a pet right now.”

“What?” they both asked. They looked at the smaller woman. He was trying to figure out the comment, and she was glaring at the female before her. She really was going to push this one. She didn’t like the smaller woman at all.

“I am here to help Judy out.” Larissa said as she looked at them both, “not find myself in the middle of this crap. I don’t do drama or deal with people like you.”

Larissa didn’t waste any time, and she walked back into the hallway of offices when she heard Judy in the office saying something that that woman had to go by any means necessary. Larissa didn’t know what that meant, but she was sure it wasn’t going to end well for the other woman in the end. Larissa walked in and looked at her and then sat down and waited for the older woman to tell her what the rest of her day was going to look like.

When she was done, Larissa looked at the older woman and knew she was planning something. Though she wasn’t sure what it was in the end. “Larissa, can you get the incinerator going?”

“I think I remember how,” Larissa said as she thought about it for a minute. “I can try.”

“Good.” The older woman said as she looked at Larissa. “I have some things to get rid of later, I believe.”