AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Where is she today, anyway?” I ask. “How come you didn’t rope her into this?”
“Some family thing, I don’t know,” he shrugs, distracted with his phone. He shoves it in his pocket and yanks at my arm, dragging me in the direction of the physics department.
We walk through the deserted halls towards the business classrooms. Sara waits outside the door, her pretty face forming a pout when she sees me. I narrow my eyes because I know exactly how this is going to go down. I’m positive she only offered to help Lucas out in order to be alone with him.
“I didn’t realise you were bringing a friend,” she says as she approaches us. She says ‘friend’ like I’m a wart that needs to be burnt off. I smother a laugh as Lucas nudges me.
“I didn’t think it would be a problem. Lace aced this class last semester. I figured we could use the help,” he says, raking his dark hair away from his eyes.
“Since when is physics part of your degree?” she says, her tone snide. “Or did you do it for fun?”
“I did it because I needed a math elective,” I retort, mimicking her tone.
“Well, the professor made it clear that we are to do this by ourselves.” She addresses me, giving me a cold stare, her painted lips pursed. “So, you have to go. And last time I checked, I’m top of this class. I don’t need anyone’s help. I’m here helping you as a favour.”
“Does the prof really need to know?” asks Lucas, his lips forming the same crooked grin I’ve seen work on many girls. “Because I don’t see her around here.”
“Listen, I’ll get the extra credit I’m after whether you pass or not. If she stays, I go.” Her perfectly manicured hand rests on her hip as she waits for him to respond. He sighs and looks at me apologetically.
I don’t even know what to say, so all I do is shake my head. Is she for real? Because I’m struggling to believe anyone could be that big of a cow. But I shrug, because I don’t have the energy or inclination to waste my time by engaging her. I give Lucas a pointed look and wait for him to say something in my defence.
“Here,” he says. He throws me his keys. Catching them, I laugh. I can’t drive manual and he damn well knows that.
“Well, I guess I’m spending the next two hours filling in time, huh?” I say, narrowing my eyes. I’m beyond pissed, but I should’ve expected this from him. As wonderful as he can be, he can also be the world’s biggest cock.
“I’ll pay you back, I promise.”
I roll my eyes as he disappears into the classroom, and I wonder what I’m going to do while I wait. Sighing, I turn on my heel and stalk out of the building. Outside, I glance up at the grey sky and wonder how long it will be until the rain starts falling. Like always, the weather has been unpredictable, so it’s my own fault for trusting the clear blue sky this morning and opting for a flimsy cotton tee shirt and a pair of shorts.
I head in the direction of the library, praying that it’s open. I push on the door, sighing with relief when it spills open. I count two other students as I make my way over to one of the small leather couches that line the far wall, overlooking the courtyard. Sitting down, I pull out my Kindle and begin to lose myself in a book.
Yawning, I glance at my watch and see that I’ve been sitting here for nearly three hours. How much longer can they take? If I’d known it was going to be this long I would’ve caught the bus home. I rest my head against the back of the seat and close my eyes. I’m too tired to keep reading and too lazy to do anything else. I wish I could blame my tiredness on a big night the previous night, but I don’t think finishing an assignment for my Institutional Psychology class counts.
If Ariel was here she’d remind me that this is why I’m alone: I spend too much time focusing on my schoolwork and not enough time having fun. Come to think of it, Lucas would say the same thing. Those two don’t agree on much, but my lack of a love life is one of the things they do.
“Lacey, I was just talking about you.”
My eyes fly open. I look up and see my Legal Studies teacher, Professor Jameson. Professor Jameson is by far one of my favourite teachers. She makes a relatively boring subject interesting. I eye her jeans and sweatshirt, which are a much more casual getup than I’m used to seeing her in. She smiles widely.
“Not my usual attire, I know,” she laughs. She lowers her voice to a whisper and adds, “I’m not really here. My laptop packed it in, so I just stopped in for my work one on the way to my son’s soccer match. And it’s a good thing I did. I just finished a very interesting phone call. About you.”
“Really?” I say, my cheeks heating. I don’t know what else to say. I’m curious as to who she would be talking about me with, especially on a weekend, but too embarrassed to actually ask. I'm in the top five percent of my course, but it still makes me nervous that I’ve done something wrong. God, it’s crazy how much damage my childhood has done to me. “Should I be worried?” I add, only half joking.
“Not at all. I was going to come and find you tomorrow, but I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you. You've heard of Wilmot and Associates—or more specifically, Aaron Wilmot?”
“Sure,” I reply with a little too much enthusiasm. Who hasn’t heard of him? Aaron Wilmot is a shark in his profession. He's one of the top barristers in the country and he’s represented some of the country's most prolific criminals. He always wins and he's been known to tear his opponents and their witnesses to shreds. He’s been up against my father more than once, and though he would never admit it, my father detests him. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I idolise the guy so much.
“Well, his firm contacted us and a few of the other top universities in the country,” Professor Jameson explains. “You know they offer yearly internships for law students? Well, this year he's offering a similar opportunity for a student majoring in forensic psychology.”
“That's great,” I say, still not sure what that has to do with me. Is she suggesting I apply?
“He'd like to interview the top five students in the course,” she continues, smiling. “And you are one of them.”
“Wow, that's amazing,”
I say. I can’t help it, I’m buzzing. Just being offered an opportunity to meet Aaron is incredible. I feel giddy just thinking about it. Actually working with him for three months, I don’t even want to think about. If my father found out I was even considering applying…I shudder. I don’t even want to think about that, either. “Do you know how many students in total are being asked to apply?” I add, not wanting to get my hopes up.
“Five students from each of the top ten universities in the country.”
