Wicked Love | √

Two

I'D like to say I chose to go into law for the right reasons. That I felt this deep calling to use my power to change the world. To defend the defenseless and put the scum of the earth behind bars.

But that wouldn't be true.

I chose the law because it's what flows through my blood. I'm determined and logical and this field of study pushes and challenges me. Because I see most of the world as black and white, but the law can't be seen like that. You can mold the law to fit what is needed. It's in shades and scales of gray that force me to think and change my context every single day.

The law is what my father doesn't want me to study. It's useless to him to see me go after a career that he isn't going to support me in. He's already made it clear I won't be taking over the firm. So why am still going after this career path?

Because I have to prove him wrong. I have to show him that even without his support I can flourish and dominate in an industry that he thinks women can't thrive in.

"If you need some help let me know." The teacher's assistant for this class murmurs as he slides a pop quiz onto my desk face side down. His brown eyes framed with black square glasses give me a sympathetic look before turning to continue to pass out the papers.

I flip the thin sheet over to see a C- written at the top along with my percentage. The sheet is fully marked up in red ink with mistakes and points I should've expanded on.

My stomach sinks and acid slides through my veins. I don't get bad grades. I am a straight A student. Everything might not come easy to me like for my brother, but I study the hardest so I can become the best. I practice and read and research deep into the middle of the night filling my brain with every area of the law that I can.

I'm only a pre-law minor, with double majors in English and political science, but this program feeds directly into major law schools in the country. Specifically Yale.

The law school my father graduated from.

I knew this class would be tough for me. It's an elective and not a requirement for a reason, but it looks amazing on a transcript. It's only offered to the upperclassmen, and as a junior it's my first semester in the class. It's a collective overview of what the first year of law school will actually be like. A small taste of what many consider the hardest year.

The method of teaching is completely different and the topics we cover involve in-depth reading and comprehension to be able to have in class discussions on detailed topics three days a week.

This year will involve covering topics from constitutional law to property law to tortes and civil procedure. The class is newer, only having been around for the last five years. But it has prepared students like nothing else can. With LSAT prep included in the course as well. Most people that take this class with our professor get into a top law school within a year of graduation.

This class can make or break the next two years of my life. And as my eyes take in the glaring grade on my paper, and heat flushes my neck, I start to believe it may break me.

♢

"How are classes going?" my mother asks as she tosses the salad that accompanies our weekly family dinner.

I lean my hip against the marble counter and pick at the cuticles on my thumb. I've been in a fit of nerves since I received my terrible grade and I almost backed out of dinner tonight, but I knew it would only raise questions with my family.

My shoulders lift in a shrug as I stand next to her trying to remain nonchalant. "Okay," I breathe.

Her hazel eyes rise from the large wooden salad bowl and land on me. "Care to elaborate?" she inquires.