“It’s quite a leap from the D you had in your first quarter, yet I won’t ask how that happened because I have a feeling I already know. Generally, you get good grades. Your Estonian records show all-A’s. I find that remarkable, and proof of your capabilities. Yet during your freshman and sophomore years, you began to get C’s and B’s.”
“I don’t know why you’re telling me what I already know.”
“You have a lot of potential, Zach. You have the potential to be the star of this school. To be a leader.”
“Why would I want to lead a bunch of morons?”
“I have a question for you.” Johnson paused and leaned back into his seat, hands folded in his lap, “Why are you so defensive?”
Zach sunk back in his seat, shrugged limply and said, “I’m not defensive.”
“You talk quickly, and frown a lot. I can see it in your eyes, you are waiting for me to stop talking so you can say something. You may say you aren’t defensive, but your body language and your eyes say that you are. But I don’t blame you, it’s a tough world out there— What are you exactly, Zach? I’ve been to Estonia before, yet I’ve never seen anyone who looked like you.”
“No two people look alike. But I know what you’re saying, since I hear it all the time. I’m mixed.”
“Well, Zach. I don’t know how tolerant Estonia is, but in America, we have scholarship opportunities for this. You could be eligible for quite a few, and you already have the intelligence and capability to unite people. Biracial is the future.”
Zach eyed him warily, drawing back and crossing his arms over his chest.
Johnson continued, “However, I believe you’re heading down the wrong path. Right now, you may care about clothing or gay rights, or about true love. But all that will change. Things come together and fall apart, experiences deepen your mind and shift your priorities. Yet whoever you are, it won’t matter if your grades are low. Your grades reflect how much you learn, and how much you understand what you learn. They allow you to become powerful enough to change things.”
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