It's Mark!

[Ramsay High]

On the third floor, in class 1313, a class is in session. The teacher's name is Mrs. Birch. 22 years old, graduate of Ramsay High herself, she's very passionate about her job.

Her career could have gone further but Mrs. Birch chose to be a teacher.

This is her first year teaching the class but after three months of getting familiar with the students, she realised that there are a few misfits in her class.

And... she wanted to set them straight.

For a better future that is...

...

Mark is one of the students and as usual, school's boring for him which is why he's drawing characters from an eroge game he played recently instead of paying attention in class.

Delinquent's Summer Journey was unlike any other game he has ever seen. It's a masterpiece out of many others.

Mark has played many eroge games but this game easily became number one for him just after a week of playing.

The character he's drawing right now is a girl named Bianca.

Twenty four year old goddess, Bianca is a pretty tall girl with a curvaceous figure. Her butt is slim, making her E‐cup chest the most prominent feature.

She flaunts her self‐confidence by having only a grey T‐shirt and black pants on her.

Bianca is the one main character talked the most with out of many females in the story and coincidentally, she was his favourite.

"OwW!!"

As Mark was worshipping the eroge character while drawing, he suddenly yelled in pain because someone hit his head.

Mark turned around in anger to see who is the motherfu-

Oh.

"Is my class that boring that you have to draw females, Mr Greyson?"

Seeing Mrs. Birch's stern eyes, Mark shut his mouth that was about to swear.

"You failed recent quizzes of mine and that's still not enough for you?"

"N-no, Mrs. Birch. It's not wha-"

"Mr Greyson, I believe in what I saw. You failed last two quizzes and was drawing a woman just before I hit you. You would've continued drawing if I didn't come.."

As she said it, Mrs. Birch covered her hand on half of the face and start shaking her head.

"Even if you don't want to study, please do it for your parents...They're working hard everyday nonstop for you to become educated...It's not easy for them to make money, you know.."

Hearing this, Mark's face turned dark.

'It's not like I don't want to study...What can a guy with no ambitions even do after graduating high school? Others have dreams and plan for their future... Even if I decided to go to university, which major would I even be interested in?...'

Mark was lost in his own thoughts while Mrs. Birch continues to lecture him.

It's not like he doesn't have hobbies...Mark likes drawing but the thing is...

His parents would rather disown him than let Mark take art major.. They think it's a waste of time and he can't disagree with them.

Although there are successful people who makes money out of their art, he's not skilled enough to be like one of them. Not daring enough to sacrifice his future either.

"Are you listening, Mark?"

Mark stopped thinking and looked at Mrs. Birch. He nodded with a fake smile.

"Yes, Mrs. Birch. Thank you for that, I will try my best to not disappoint any of you. "

Looking at the teacher go back, he thought for the last time.

'You won't understand what I'm feeling anyway. Nobody ever does...'

...

His mood ruined, Mark stared at the sky from the window on his left instead of drawing.

His eyes would dart from one cloud to another seemingly never stopping until he felt a tap on his right shoulder.

Mark turned around only to see a girl in black hair smiling at him. As he looks at her with questioning gaze, she replies:

"Mrs. Birch is looking at you again."

Mark immediately turned around to look at the teacher only to see the whole class looking at him with hostility.

"See me after class."

Hearing Mrs. Birch, Mark could only sigh out of despair..

*chuckles*

Hearing a laugh from behind, he turned around again.

'This bit-'

"What's so funny, Miss Carmen?"

Mark was going to start a swearing marathon in his mind but it was interrupted by the same damn teacher -again..

"I uhh-"

Looking at the girl struggling to speak, Mark had a noticeable smile on his face.

"See me after class as well."

"Dammit!"

"What did you say?!"

"A-haha..nothing, Miss. "

...

Ignoring the argument, Mark start copying the words from whiteboard that Mrs. Birch wrote.

Situation would become even worse if the teacher finds out in their next meeting that he didn't write anything in the book.

Mark was so focused on copying that he didn't notice the scowl from Carmen behind him.

...

School's over and everyone's leaving. Mark went to Mrs. Birch's room with backpack on his back.

He knocked the door twice and wait for a few seconds.

Not hearing a sound from the room, Mark knocked abit harder this time.

This time he could hear the chair moving and the footsteps.

Soon the door opens and Mrs. Birch's figure appears in front of him.

"Come in."

...

Inside the room, Mark was standing awkwardly waiting for the teacher to tell him to sit down.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Birch's not planing to do that anytime soon.

So the silence continues...

After a minute of silence, Mark sat down not being able to bear this awkward situation any longer.

"So..."

He started the conversation hoping for Mrs. Birch to snowball it.

"Mark, I'm trying my best to teach you guys. Why can't you just pay attention?.. Am I not good enough?"

Seeing the woman's face, he felt... complicated.

"Look, Mrs. Birch...I-"

"Carole."

"W-what?"

"You can call me Carole after school. I'm not that much older than you anyway."

Mark felt like the situation is becoming really strange...

"Look Carole, uhh...It's not your fault, okay? It's me who's the problem..."

Awkward to depressed, Expressions on Mark's face changed as he said it.

"I don't want to study... I'm never going to learn about things I like anyway... so what's the point of studying these?

No matter how much I study, I'm never going to achieve top scores like my parents expect me to...so what's the point?

Am I supposed to stay in school just because my parents say so? Where's my freedom? Why can't they let me do what I want? Why can't I be me?!"

Mark felt empty right now. He didn't want the teacher to feel sympathy for him.

Mark just needed someone to listen to the voices screaming inside his heart because nobody ever does.

His parents would rather work to death than have a heart to heart conversation with their child. His sister's too busy being an exemplary student.

Birch hearing him didn't know what to respond. So she hugged him.

Mark who was surprised by the hug wanted to struggle but..

"You know.. We're all alike in some way..."

Hearing Birch's words, he looked at her.

How's someone like him similar to Mrs. Birch, a genius who graduated from a famous university with high income job?

Every teachers in the school are looking at her with respect in their eyes. Even the principal himself.

Mrs Birch smiles as if knowing what he's thinking.

"Mark, you can't look at someone by who he or she is today. Look at their journey.. I was once a student like you as well, you know..."

'Oh yeah..she's talking about that...' Mark thought.

There was once a rumour that Mrs Birch was once a problematic student in Ramsay High.

Her demeanor changes only at the start of her last two years of high school.

She started studying seriously climbing up the scoreboard in the short span of two years and graduated from high school with top marks.

The situation seems too good to be true especially with the way Mrs. Birch acts so seriously about education.

"Wait, so the rumour is true?!"

Mark got out of her embrace in shock.

Seeing Mark's shocked face, Carole chuckled.

"Well..I had my fair share of problems in the past."

Mark wanted to refute. No matter how bad her life was, it probably wasn't that bad, right? Otherwise how can she transform herself in just two years?

Just as he was going to say something, both heard a knock.

"I'll do it."

Mark excused himself and opened the door only to see the weirdo black hair again.

Ignoring her presence, he went back to the sofa.

"You-"

Seeing the situation, Carole stopped it before it gets worse.

"Drop it, Carmen."

"But, aunt-"

"Just drop it. Please."

Seeing her aunt serious, Carmen shut her mouth although her eyes are still glaring at Mark.

"Aunt?"

"Yeah.. My sister's child."

Mark looks at Mrs Birch in question and she answered casually.

Seeing how casual the two are, Carmen was confused.

'When did they become close...?'

...