I noticed Mason get up from his desk and head for the door. I looked at the time to see it was eight on the dot. “You weren’t here Monday?” I asked him with a surprised expression. I couldn’t believe someone would miss the first day.
He chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I was sick. I actually couldn’t even get out of bed.” I made a face and he laughed. “Yeah, it was pretty bad.”
“Well, you did miss quite a bit. I can email you a copy of the notes I took, if you’d like,” I offered. “But you’ll have to get the syllabus from the professor,” I stated.
He tore a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote something down before sliding it to me. “That would be really great. Thank you,” he replied.
I opened the piece of paper to see he’d written his email address. I smiled at him and nodded as Mason started the lecture.
“Today, I want to start the class by going over a few things I didn’t on Monday,” he began as he took off his jacket and laid it on the desk. “I had a discussion with a second-year student this morning and it brought up some points which you all need to know and understand. I’m not saying any of this to discourage you.” He leaned back on his desk and folded his arms across his chest. “I want all of you to succeed and if you are here, that means you’ve done your research. You know how hard you have to work, but I’m not going to bullshit you. Some of you will have a hard time finding work after you graduate. The industry is flooded, and there are attorneys everywhere,” he stated, looking around the room. “Who in here wants to specialize in criminal defense?”
I raised my hand and looked around the room to see three others doing the same, including the new guy beside me. I lowered my hand and looked at the professor to see him staring directly at me. “In any court room, you need to be aggressive.” He stood up, unfolded his arms and paced the room. “But being a defense attorney, you have to have the balls to go after what you think is right. There are tons of attorneys out there who have no business being in the field because they have no idea what they’re doing. Now, with that being said, I’m going to teach you everything you need to know, but it’s up to you to do that work. My whole reasoning for wanting to become a professor was to make sure there were good, intellectual lawyers out there, but the reality is you are the only ones who can make that happen. So, let’s go ahead and get started for the day.”
He walked to the board and wrote some words down which I immediately added to my word document. I smiled to myself as I listened to him go over the causes of action. Not only was he a hot professor, he also knew what he was doing. I admired any teacher who was upfront with you from the beginning. He was passionate, straight-forward, and to the point. It made me wonder why he never wanted to practice law himself. He would have been great in the courtroom.
*
Class ended and before I knew it, students were grabbing their stuff to head out. My heart rate immediately picked up as I looked down at Mason. I watched him as he packed up his things and wondered what exactly he had planned.
As I was putting my own materials away, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Brian standing behind me, holding out my pen.
“Thanks for letting me use it.” He smiled as I took it from his grip. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled from foot to foot.
“You’re welcome,” I replied as I stood, putting my satchel over my shoulder. “I keep a ton of them in my bag, just in case.” I smiled.
He nodded. “That’s good to know, because I always seem to forget one,” he said with a laugh. “So, I wanted to ask if you had a study partner.”
“A study partner?” I asked, pinching my eyebrows together as I shook my head. “No, actually, I don’t.”
He looked around the room, drawing my attention, too. It had gotten quiet without me even realizing it. We were the only ones left along with the professor who was at his desk, still packing his things.
“Well,” he continued, looking back at me. “I was wondering if, since we both want to specialize in defense, maybe we could study together. But if that’s not your thing, I totally understand,” he smiled.
I chuckled. “No, that’d be great, actually. Maybe we could start next week.” I hadn’t even thought about trying to find a study partner, and I’d definitely need one.