It Should Be a Crime by Carsen Taite Read Free Book Online Page B

smart, and articulate.” Nicole’s sigh conveyed her own wish to be one of “those” people.
    Parker replied, “Bradley? Of course I’ve heard of her, but I’m a third-year, do you think I have time to watch TV? Frankly, your TV watching days are over as well.” Parker stood. “I have to go. Good luck with the rest of your day. Feel free to call me if you need anything.”
    Parker strolled across the common area. She needed to make a quick stop at the registrar’s office before heading to her next class.

    *

    Morgan burned her tongue as the overly large gulp of coffee sizzled its way down her throat. She thought to herself, surely the woman crossing the room wasn’t Parker? The tall, beautiful brunette strolled out of sight before Morgan could be sure, but something about the gait and carriage of the woman caught her eye and held her captive. Morgan noted that she walked with great confidence, as if she owned the place. Surely it wasn’t the bartender from two weeks ago. Though cocky in her own element, she couldn’t have looked similarly comfortable in this institute of higher learning. Shrugging, Morgan rose and walked back to her office to retrieve her lecture notes.

    *

    Parker reviewed the syllabus from her Advanced Legal Research class in between bites of a grilled cheese sandwich. Most of the semester’s projects called for teamwork, so she’d have to figure out who in the class she wanted to work with. She knew she was often sought after by many of the other students, primarily because of her high class standing. She was on track to graduate magna cum laude, and while she could always be counted on to help her fellow students, she didn’t want to do anything to put her own scores at risk. This research class involved a series of complex research assignments and would be hard enough without the added task of managing group dynamics.
    “Hey, Parker, aren’t you signed up for the Evidence practicum?”
    Parker looked up at the tall, burly redhead standing over her. Dex Gallagher, another third-year, was one of Parker’s best law school buddies. Dex, like Parker, was singularly focused on criminal law as a future career, but unlike Parker, he planned to start out working as a prosecutor. To further his goal, he had completed internships at both the local county district attorney’s office and the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Though their end goals were different, their path was the same and the two had become fast friends while enrolled in all the same classes.
    “Hey, Dex, I sure am.” Glancing at her watch, Parker realized class would start in a few minutes. “Carry my books to class?”
    “Still trying to get me to be your boyfriend after all these years?” Dex winked. “When are you going to realize I only want to be friends?”
    The joke was old. The first year in school, Dex had asked Parker out on numerous occasions. Reluctant to share personal details about herself, Parker begged off with her standard excuse. She didn’t want to get involved with anyone at school, too messy, too complicated. When Dex came up with a thousand reasons why it wasn’t, Parker finally told Dex her sexual orientation. Dex had recovered from his unrequited attraction and channeled his passion into a devout friendship. The two had been inseparable study buddies ever since.
    They made their way to class and staked claim to adjoining seats near the jury box. The classroom was one of two moot courtrooms at the school. This one was far superior, having been outfitted with cutting-edge courtroom technology. Used primarily by moot court and mock trial teams for practice, it also doubled as a classroom for practical application classes such as the Advanced Evidence class.
    Dex leaned over to Parker. “Did you hear who they finally signed to teach this class?”
    “No, actually, I went to see the registrar about it this morning, but I didn’t get in due to a long line of first-years