Sinking into my chair to relish the silence that enveloped me, I took a deep, lazy breath and held it for a few seconds. The ceiling was so interesting after staring at perfectly neat, feminine handwriting all day, and I counted the grooves. Lifting my pointer finger to keep track of where I was, I gnawed absently on my inner cheek.

“… Ms. Mazkov?” Tilting my head at the mousy voice, I sat up straighter out of reflex before catching sight of Julianne. She looked so uncomfortable, her cheeks stained red and her smile more like a grimace. “Can I study in here?”

“Of course, you can, Julianne. You don’t have to ask.” Narrowing my eyes on her slim body, I watched her take her usual seat right next to the door. My heart squeezed, and I slowly pushed myself up to walk over to her. The closer I came, the more I could notice that the ends of her thin, yellow hair were frayed; it was as if she constantly teased them.

“Do you need any help with today’s lesson? I know it was tough for some of the students.” Even as I posed my question, I knew the answer, and Julianne shook her head. She was easily of above average level intelligence; even after seven months at this academy, I still didn’t understand why she was here. Standing near the desk next to her right, I crossed my arms over my bust as she arranged her things with obsessive neatness.

“I’m just waiting for my brother. He’s going to be late, and I didn’t want to wait outside and do nothing. I- actually- I didn’t have that tough a time with the lab. I wish Math was so easy…” Smiling at the confession, I nodded in understanding while Julianne propped her elbow and rested her chin in her hand. She was so different than any other girl that attended this academy; from day one I’d gotten the sense that she’d been through trauma that had grounded her and kept her from being a spoilt brat.

I couldn’t even count all of the times I’d heard ‘do you know who my dad is?’, whether directed at me or another staff member. While I was very lucky to have gotten accepted to teach here, I still would’ve preferred angry, borderline homeless, inner city kids.

At least they had incentive to change.

“Alright. I’ll leave you to it, Julianne.” Heading back to my desk, I dropped into my chair to expel a sigh and grab a stack of papers. Every other instructor used electronic methods to teach, and I peered down at the sloppy handwriting on the top page with a slight frown. Annoyance bubbled up in my chest as I flipped through the essays, and I was beyond glad I didn’t become an English teacher.

Grabbing a pen, I cocked my head as I scanned the almost illegible scrawl. These girls were 14 years old, only a dozen years younger than myself, but were so used to laptops and tablets that they could barely do an assignment without them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the majestic, oak desk I’d been provided with, and my frown deepened. I can’t believe parents pay 60 grand a year for an education they take for granted.

Time ticked by slowly; each stroke of the second hand on the clock above the door was loud and echoed slightly. Grading the essays at a snail’s pace, I jotted little notes in the margins as if I was grading a literacy essay. Many of these girls were going to fail my class if they couldn’t write neatly enough for me to understand, and I had to resist the urge to groan aloud.

Taking a peek at Julianne, my pupils narrowed as she effortlessly typed away on her laptop. The thing must’ve cost more than my apartment’s security deposit, and I propped my chin in my palm before opening my mouth.

“Julianne? What do you think of my class?” My call made Julianne jump slightly, and I furrowed my brows as her light brown eyes flew to me. Curiosity burned in my throat, and she cleared her throat as she stuffed her curled hands in her lap.

“Uh- uh… well… I like it- I like the way you do things. The other teachers just give us assignments and ignore us for an hour… If you ask them a question, they act like you’re a complete idiot, and then they tell you to figure it out on your own. I know Charlotte and I- we prefer the way you teach, Ms. Mazkov.” Smiling with pride, I straightened slightly as the emotion was quickly squashed by shame.

I’d been brought in to replace an instructor that had died, and the others were old and tired. They didn’t have the energy or the inclination to deal with a bunch of 14 to 18-year-old girls. Many of them were stuck in their ways, and they could be bought. Just thinking of it caused disgust to roil in my gut, and I shook my head slightly before turning my attention back to Julianne.

“I only ask because I know that this particular science isn’t something you’ll use often in your life, but I want you to enjoy learning it.” The surprise on Julianne’s face sent a smile stretching my lips, and I tapped my pen on a closed notebook absently. “Trust me- nothing you learn in high school really helps you when you leave here. You only need to know semi-complex math and English, but unless you’re going into a biology field, there’s no real reason for you to know much about cells. You know a tiger is a mammal, and a lizard is a reptile. No one teaches you how to do your taxes or what taxes even are. There aren’t classes on money management or disaster prevention. What happens if the millions your parents make isn’t accessible to you anymore? Or- what if your parents want you to take over one of their small businesses, and you have no idea what you’re doing because you were forced to learn this rather than that?”

“Is that what happened with you when you started working, Ms. Mazkov?” Nodding, I pushed myself up to wander back to my previous spot near Julianne. Leaning against the desk, I took in the worry and confusion on her face in stride; I wasn’t sure I’d ever had such a direct conversation with her before. She was just so sheepish and shy that I went out of my way not to upset her.

“The reason I bring all of this up is because I don’t want to see you succeed here only to fail out there. You’re a great student, Julianne- but the world doesn’t want great students. The world wants people that can contribute to it. So-“ Taking a breath, I couldn’t help my stomach churning at Julianne’s deer-in-the-headlights look. No one prepares these kids for real life… “Since this is a biology course, I want you to create a business using one of three sub-classes. Marine biology- Botany- or Zoology. Your goal is to create an infrastructure that could be used to expand the knowledge of your chosen sub-class. Does this make sense to you?”

Watching Julianne shake her head lightly, I wondered if this was even a good idea. Technically this was an experiment, and she was the guinea pig. If I was going to go to the Dean, I needed something, though; Julianne was my most promising student. Pursing my lips together, I hummed as I tried to think of a different way to put my request.

“Essentially, you’re going to figure out how to get research grants, donations, and manage money. You’ll learn to pick which funds go where, and how to recognize what aspect of your business is most important at any time. Also, you’re going to need to research potential employees, but you won’t actually hire anyone. It’s a long project- it’ll take the rest of the year to do. I’m going to ask Charlotte to do the same thing with a different sub-class.” Pursing my lips together, I held my hope tightly in my chest as understanding slowly washed Julianne’s expression. I’d only been working here for four months and doing something like I was proposing would get me fired if it didn’t work.

But the old, dusty bag that taught finances didn’t teach these girls to make their own way in life, only to hold on to what they already had until it dwindled into nothing.

“So… you want me to start a pretend business?” I could hear it in Julianne’s voice that she liked the idea, and she brightened considerably when I nodded firmly. “Yeah- yeah, I can do that. Can I choose the Botany one?”

“Of course, Julianne. But remember- only part of this is about starting a business. The other part is keeping it afloat.” My heart thudded hard even as Julianne seemingly accepted what she would be doing, and I let out a breath through my nose. “You have until the beginning of the next school year, okay? And let Charlotte know I want to talk to her about it.”

Just as Julianne nodded her cell phone chimed, and she started to pack up her belongings without looking at who’d texted her. The energy surrounding her was almost palpable, and I smiled as it tickled my skin. She was so interested in what she didn’t know or what she couldn’t do.

And that was exactly why she and Charlotte were picked for this project. If I wanted something to change at this academy, I had to be prepared, and the girl in front of me wouldn’t just drop an assignment.

“I’ll tell her tomorrow, Ms. Mazkov! See you!” Leaving in a much better mood than she’d arrived in, Julianne shuffled out of my classroom with silence in her wake. Sluggishly pushing myself off my perch, I wandered back to my desk with a satisfied sigh.

Coming into this private academy had been an adjustment and learning how very little the instructors cared about quality education had been nerve-wracking. Clasping my hands together absently, I rubbed my palms together with a sharp inhale.

Rich girls- I knew the rumors; I had even met a few in college. Then, as now, I couldn’t get over how incredibly helpless they were. They couldn’t even boil water. I can’t be the cause of that, even partly.