"New Brobdingnag University hereby confers upon Jeannine the degree Bachelor of Arts! Majors in Political Science and International Studies." Sara reads in her 'professor' voice. She holds my degree out in front of her, as if it is some sort of treasure. "Ooh, how official!"

"It's just a piece of paper. A very expensive one." I cannot help but chuckle at her silliness. I look around fondly at the campus that has been like a second home for so long. Today, both of us will be saying our goodbyes to it, now that we've collected our degrees. I turn my attention back to her and scowl. "Stop reading it like that. And give it back, already!" I say, snatching the award back. I give her a funny look and pretend to dust it off. "You have the exact same one. Where is it, anyway?"

"Framed and hung up on my bedroom wall!" She says, proudly. "The one back home. Not my dorm. My dad took it back with him after grad. Oh my gosh, Jeannie, you should have seen his face." She rolls her eyes. "He was proud. He even cried."

"He's not the only one." I beam at her. Scooting over on the bench to pounce on her. I wrap my arms tightly around her and just squeeze. I admit, I am a little overcome with emotion. I feel her arms embrace me as she reciprocates. My voice calms and I whisper to her. "All that work paid off. We're finally finished."

"Can't believe we made it this far. Feels like just yesterday we moved to a new city and were running around trying to find our lecture halls." She giggles, refusing to loosen her hold on me. "It's been a fun four years. I can't wait for what comes next."

Hearing her say that, I find myself intrigued. It sounds to me like she had something planned, and if so, why am I only hearing about it now? I let go of her, prompting her to do the same. We seperate and I give her a curious glance. 

"Are you going to tell me or...?" I tilt my head, innocently.

"It's nothing serious." She waves her hand and shakes her head. "I just got an internship at this law firm. A friend of my dad's hooked me up."

"That's wonderful! Congratulations!" I take her hands in mine. "You'll have to tell me the details later. Seriously, congratz!"

"Aww, Jeannie..." She pouts.

Our tender moment is interuppted by the sound of heels clacking behind us. A familiar presence clears her throat to get my attention. I frown, knowing who it is before I even look. 

"Hello, Jeannine." Dr. Lam says to me. She nods towards Sara as well. "I would like to speak with you privately. Do you have a few minutes?"

I glance at Sara, who stares right back. We have a lightning-fasting-fast mental conversation. I ask her how I should respond, now that we are not her students. She tells me to let it all out. I tell her that I would feel bad. She tells me not to care because we are never going to see her again. And that it will feel good! We then hold one another's gaze for a moment, then break to look at the object of our frustrations.

"I have nothing planned this afternoon. What is the matter, professor?" I say, as politely as I can. This elicits a groan from Sara, but I ignore it. "But why privately?"

The woman ignores my question, instead turning and walking away. "Meet me in my office, when you are ready."

The two of us wait for her to be out of earshot before we start talking again. 

"Well, that was weird." Sara makes a disgusted face. "Are you actually gonna go?"

"I don't see why not. Honestly, I'm curious. She's never come to talk to me like this before." I get up and collect my things, carefully storing my degree in my bag. I let out a sharp breath and give her a wave. "I'll let you know how it goes. See you this weekend, Sara."

"See ya, bestie!" She excitedly waves back.

I make my way over to Dr. Lam's office, wasting no time on the way there. Despite my decision to act nice, I am not at all fond of the woman. I even consider turning around and leaving, but my curiosity gets the best of me. Soon after, I knock on the door and enter, finding my least favorite professor at her desk, waiting for me.

"Close the door behind you." She instructs me, gesturing for me to take a seat in the empty chair in front of her desk afterward. I comply, putting my bag down and getting as comfortable as I can while in such company. Clearly, my body language is not as suble as I think, because she comments on it. "You can relax. I don't bite, young lady."

"Dr. Lam, what is this about? You have never specifically called for a student unless they were in serious trouble." I explain, loosening up in my seat. I roll my shoulders and adjust my top. "The fact that you said 'privately' makes me wonder if this is about a certain friend of mine."

She shakes her head, a slight smirk on her face. "No, you are not in trouble. Nor is this about him, I assure you. We agreed never to speak about that again, did we not? I have held up my end of the deal." She turns her attention to her laptop, typing away. "But, since you brought him up... How is he?"

I hesitate to answer, my eyes darting around the room for any sort of 'bugs'. It is because of Luca and his antics that I am still unnecessarily on edge. As loathesome as Dr. Lam is, I do not take her for someone who would do that, though. She just...does not seem like the type. All conflicts with her are 'in your face' and direct. Just to be safe, I speak without divulging any details about his race.

"He is doing very well, actually. Despite what he went through with you, he never held a grudge. In fact, he hopes you are well." I explain, curious how she will react to the feelings of a Lilli. Someone who, in her own words, is 'beneath her'. To my surprise, she smiles. "I ended up sharing your exam with him. If memory serves, he scored just shy of ninety."

"Give him my regards." She says, disappointing me with her lack of a response. I guess it is fair, since she hardly knows him. Their relationship, if you could call it that, is akin to an author and one of their readers. One is far more familiar with the other. She looks up from her screen, turning her laptop to face me. "This is why I called you in. Take a look."

I lean closer, squinting at the screen on full brightness. Thankfully, she seems to have the text enlarged for readability. As my eyes scan the webpage, they begin to widen in disbelief, bordering on confusion. It appears to be an email from someone at city hall, if I am reading the domain name correctly. More surprisingly, the subject line has my name printed clear as day, followed by the words, 'Internship Opportunity'.

"What is the meaning of this?" I ask, seeking confirmation from her. I do not recall sending any emails to city hall, let alone doing it through her. "You sent an application on my behalf?"

"No. I merely asked a favor from a friend." She corrects me, pointing to the name in the email address. "Yvette and I have been friends since we were about your age. She is currently seeking bright, young talent to come work at city hall." She then points to the body of her original message. "You were the first name that popped into my head."

I read the conversation on the screen, my shock increasing as I see what my professor said about me. Several amazing words such as, 'confident', 'outspoken', and 'intelligent', to name a few. I have never received anything remotely positive from her in person. It baffles me that she would act so differently behind my back. Moving to Ms. Yvette's response, I see that she is eager to meet me. She is asking for my contact information, though, Dr. Lam has not responded with anything yet.

"What do you think?" She asks me, her face expressionless. "Would you like me to pass that information along?"

I stare at her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what in the world is going on.

"Well, yes, but..." My voice trails off. It takes me a moment to recompose myself. "I- I don't understand. You are trying to get me an internship? I thought you hated me?"

The older woman's brows furrow, and she stares at me as if I just said the dumbest thing she has ever heard. "Hate is a strong word. Jeannine, I hope you know that, to me, you no longer exist once I go home. I do not waste my precious time thinking about you, or any of the ridiculous things you spout in my classes. Least of all the Lilli nonsense." She does not hesitate to say any of that, in fact, it seems to spill from her lips with practiced ease! I guess that kind of 'I don't care' attitude must come with age? She continues, "We have and will continue to disagree forever. That said, I believe that you are one of the brightest students I have ever taught. And one of the bravest, since you challenge me on a near-daily basis."

"Good to know..." I half smile at her.

"Disagreements in the classroom are one thing. Your future is another. What each of us believes is of no relevance to me when it comes to the latter. I wish to see you succeed in life, that is why I am an educator. I do not mind going out of my way to help you do that." Her finger then moves to bring up the offer letter attached to the email. It opens, revealing the details of what the internship entails. "I believe that this is the next logical step for someone like you. That is, should you choose to accept it."

The document is long, so I skim it as quickly as possible. I identify my role, responsibilities, privileges, and even the small stipend that comes with it. Despite giving it no more than twenty seconds, I am already blown away! This is better than anything I could have possibly found on my own. Moreover, it is in this city! I would not have to move...

The answer is a no-brainer.

"I would like to accept it. Please pass my information along." I tell her, equally expressionless. I do not show any excitement or gratitude, as the situation seems too tense. Internally, I am overjoyed, but I cannot seem to show it. I suppose my strong feelings toward my professor are preventing me. However, I refuse to to be ungrateful. "And... Thank you, Dr. Lam." 

She nods at me, meeting my gaze for a moment, before looking away again. It seems like she cannot stand the sight of me. Good to know the feeling is mutual. I sit patiently as she turns her computer around and types a response. In the meantime, the room is dead silent, bordering on uncomfortable. I feel compelled to try to make conversation with her.

"So-" I begin, hardly able to get the syllable out.

"Shh!" She glares at me, causing me to flinch. "Sit quietly until I am finished."

I frown at the moody woman, annoyed by her rudeness. For some reason, I sit there as I am told for about a minute, not even considering disobeying her. That is, until I remember that I am no longer her student. I am free to act and respond as I please, just as Sara said. It feels so weird, but I will not have much time to get used to it. For all I know, this is the last time we will ever see one another. When I think about it like that, I no longer want to snap at her. Instead, I want to ask a question that I have been holding back for ages.

"Dr. Lam, I need to ask you something." I say, awaiting a negative response, but I do not get one. She shuts her laptop and looks up at me, seemingly having sent the email. I have her undivided attention now, as well as the privacy of her office. There will be no need to 'hold back', not that she ever does, I guess. "In all your time knowing me, listening to my arguments, have I ever been able to change your mind about Lillis?"

"No. Not ever." She says, blunt as ever. She then shoos me away with a hand. "Now, please leave. Our business is concluded."

Not that I ever liked the woman, but that stings a little. My expression becomes dejected as I stand up and quietly move to the door. I suppose some people's minds can never be changed, no matter how hard you try. It is not worth my time to worry about it any longer. I reach for the door handle, but then she speaks to me once more.

"But..." She begins, in a tone far less cold and distant. I spin around to face her, instantly meeting her gaze. She holds it, for once, and does not so much as blink. "I have gained some modicum of respect for Lilliputians recently. Perhaps it is more accurate to say, Lilliputian. Singular." She raises one finger in the air to emphasize her point. Without another word, that finger points forward, at the door, instructing me to leave. 

"Goodbye, Dr. Lam." I say, exiting and shutting the door behind me. 

As I walk away, my lips curl into a smile. Never in my time at this university would I have expected her to say that. Whether she likes it or not, I have clearly left a mark on her. Hopefully a good one! I will probably never get to know how that will manifest, but one thing I know for certain is that it has left me feeling optimistic. That's more than I ever expected from someone like her.  

I make my way off campus, giving it one, final look before I say my goodbye. It is time for me to move on to the next stage of my life! Despite all the urgency to get done and out of here, I almost wish it was not the end. On that note, I decide to skip the bus stop in favor of taking the long way home on foot. I have a lot of thinking to do, and I tend to do my best thinking while on the move. Better still, when I have a partner to chat with. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, dialing Ori.

"Hello, Jeannie. How are you?" Her cheerful voice comes through.

"Very good, Ori! How about yourself?" I ask, listening to the sound of Lou making noise in the background.

"Oh, you know. Always well." I hear a crash in the background, like ceramic shattering. She groans and sighs. "But I desperately require a babysitter..."

"Oh dear. Was that expensive?" I grimace, imagining the mess.

"No, but a mess is a mess. Someone will be cleaning it up by himself." She says, emphasizing the 'someone' part. She must be giving the little boy a death stare. "I apologize for that."

"Don't worry, it's fine." I tell her. "Anyway, I have some news for you. Have you got some time?"

"I do. is it something good?" She asks me, sounding curious.

"You could say that..." I giggle, hardly able to contain my excitement. "Brace yourself. You would not believe what just happened to me on campus..."