Teach Me Love

The Notion Of Respect

Lena's POV

After finishing my lesson, all the student's applause me, for it's the tradition after the first class of the year and it will be the same at the last.

One, however didn't which didn't surprise me. The attitude of this student was mind blowing, but the most mind blowing about her, wasn't her attitude.

She was a smart one, potentially a brilliant one. She seems to know some complex things under all this anger and it's that kind of student that I try to identify at the beginning of the year so that I can take them as far as I can. However, none of the brilliant student I was lucky enough to meet here, was as rude than this Stef.

"Stefanie, I believe I asked you to come see me at the end of the class." I say, seeing that Stef is almost at the door by now as she sighs deeply. I can tell that she's very annoyed by me, but the feeling is very much mutual.

"What? You want to reprimand me like I'm a child and wait for my apologies? Because I'm telling you right now, I'm not..." she starts speaking aggressively without even give me a chance to tell her why I asked her at my desk, so I cut her off.

This fierce in her eyes is throwing me for a loop, because it's seemed she feels like I'm attacking her or something when in reality she's the one who attacked me first.

"I'm not going to reprimand you. You didn't listen a single word I said during the class, so I don't see the point to tell you something you are not going to listen now. However, I do have some questions for you." I say rather straightly so she would just shut up because I can tell discipline is not her thing.

"What are you waiting for?" she says, rudely again, but what's new at this point. I'm not even angry or offended at her attitude anymore. She does have to learn respect, but I do think her wilderness is hiding something else. I won't try to find that out though, the only thing that seem interesting in her is her brain, and I have to verify that I'm not mistaking.

"Do you know Alcémon de Crotone?" I ask, for I know student usually don't know him much and also, she did impress me when I interrogate her earlier.

I admit that I did it just to make her come back down to earth, and I didn't expect her to actually get the answer right, or to have such opinion just about a formulation, which by the way was very fair.

"He was the one who distinguished the man from the other animals, the man would be the only one to have the conscience, while the others have sensations without having the conscience. Which is bullshit, but he couldn't know that at the time so let's say we forgive him." She says in an indifferent way. It's like she's just not interest, yet she knows the fact.

Usually, when a student knows that much about a topic, it's because they are passionate about it, because they love to read about it, hear about it, but she just seems so bored, I can't quite begin to understand.

"How did you find my lesson today?" I ask knowing that she was once again going to be rude, but I know what I'm doing.

"Annoying as fuck, useless, hum... let's see... I even considered ending myself at some point." She says without hesitation at all, as I'm starting to find this deficient almost amusing.

"Okay I get it. I think you just knew what I was saying already, that's why it was boring to you but..." I start before she cuts me off.

"No, it was boring because it was literature, nothing artistic about it. You know what? I just came here to make contact in the art industry and get a degree in art that's all. I took your class because it was either that of some higher algebra. So why don't we just ignore each other. Better yet since you figured how boring this is for me, why don't you let me sleep next time, that would be more useful."