oholism, leaving the two of them always on the verge of homelessness. It was a rough time for both of them.
It was only through legal aid services that Mel’s mother was able to pursue her ex-husband for child support and get her debt under control. The lawyer assigned to her mother was a kindly old woman who did far more than her job required to help them get their lives back on track. Mel would never forget how much of a difference the woman had made in her life. She wanted to do the same for others someday.
“I know that a lot of you will be interested,” Professor Carr said. “So I’m going to make my choice based on merit. And I don’t mean whoever gets the highest grades. Out in the real world, it doesn’t matter what grade you got on your final. To make it as a lawyer, you need to be willing to put in the hard work. You need to have a deep understanding of the law. You need to be able to use that knowledge as a weapon. So if you want this internship, show me that you have what it takes. Come to class prepared. Pay attention to my lectures. Prove that your understanding of the law goes beyond what’s written in your textbooks. Impress me, and the internship is yours.”
The class broke out into loud whispers. Mel wasn’t the only one excited about the internship. She would have some tough competition.
“Settle down, everyone. Let’s get started.” As the conversation faded, Professor Carr put on her glasses and picked up a sheet of paper. “The students on call today are-”
The class collectively held its breath as Professor Carr rattled off a list of names.
“-and Melanie Greene.”
Mel downed the rest of her coffee in one gulp. She was prepared. She had this.
Mel made it through the hour without any problems. Not everyone was that lucky. One of her classmates had slowly broken down over the course of the lecture. She was almost in tears by the end of the class. Most law students, especially those at her prestigious school, were highly competitive. Many of them didn’t handle failure well.
“That internship,” Jess said. “You’re going to go for it, right?”
“Definitely.” Mel gathered her things, and they joined the stream of students heading out of the lecture hall. “How about you?”
“No way. I’m not crazy enough to want to compete with you and all the others who want it. Besides, I already have an internship in mind. I’ll be spending my summer at the District Attorney’s office.”
“Melanie,” Professor Carr called out. “A moment, please.”
Mel told Jess she’d catch up with her later and walked over to the professor’s desk.
“You did well today,” Professor Carr said. “Handled my questions like a pro.”
“It was an interesting case. I did lots of research.”
“I expected nothing less. So, about The LSP internship. Are you interested?”
“Definitely! Working at a place like that would be a dream come true.”
“I’m not going to lie. I’m rooting for you, Mel. The others? They only want the internship because it will look good on their resumes. But I know that you care about this kind of project. I was the one who reviewed your law school application. And your personal statement showed that you’re doing this for all the right reasons.”
Mel shifted from one foot to the other. Her personal statement had touched upon her experience with that lawyer who had helped her mother, and how it had affected her life. Of course, she didn’t mention the parts of her childhood that had really shaped her. Those weren’t the kind of things she could put in a law school entry essay. But her essay had revealed more of herself than she usually gave to people, even those closest to her.
“You’re a talented student, Melanie. I want to see you succeed.” Professor Carr crossed her arms. “But I’m not going to hand you that internship. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone, you included. Earn it. Don’t disappoint me.”
Mel nodded.
“I’ll let you go now.”
“Thanks, Professor Carr.” As Mel left the lecture hall, she knew it was time to put Vanessa out of her mind. There was no time for games, not now. She had to stay focused.
“Coming to drinks tonight, Mel?” James asked.
Mel gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, James, I have a quiz tomorrow. I’ll be up all night studying.”
“You’re off the hook this time. But one of these days, I’ll get through to you.” James wandered off back to the bar.
Mel shook her head. It was an hour into her shift and the night was beginning to ramp up. There would be no chatting behind the bar tonight. She went over to a recently vacated table and began to clean up. As Mel placed a half-finished bottle of very expensive wine on her tray, something caught her eye. Someone.
Vanessa. The crowd seemed to part before her as she walked through it with long, purposeful strides and a regal air. She looked more stunning than ever. She wore a blue silk cocktail dress that flowed down her hips like water. Her long dark hair hung loose around her shoulders. Her pearlescent skin seemed to shimmer under the sparkling lights.
Vanessa strode closer. She wasn’t heading for her usual seat. She was heading for the corridor that lead to her room upstairs. And it was right behind Mel. Mel stood frozen in place, unable to tear her eyes off the woman who had taken over her thoughts since that night.