Guilty

Juliette

"Objection," I call out, my voice laced with confidence and for once I feel it. I normally always get nervous when having to do court cases in front of the entire class. Regardless of if it's fake or not.  

That is unless I'm put against Zane Ivory, in which case I always seem to perform remarkably well. My ego won't allow otherwise. 

"Shocker," he says dryly as he sits down and shoots me a smirk. Andrea next to me smiles at him as her cheeks turn pink. I sigh, exasperated. He is not that dreamy. 

"You said that my client was physically abusive towards her husband, yet I see no proof of bruises on his body, I don't see swelling, I don't see discolouration. Or any physical evidence. Where is your proof to back up these accusations?"

Zane is silent and I can't help but smile a little. 

"Baseless domestic violence accusations are not to be sent out lightly, considering the way this case has affected my client's life I would argue to file a countersuit for defamation of character. " I add on. 

I watch carefully to see any of Zane's tells, did I walk into a trap? Is he caught off guard?

I don't see anything swirling in those dark blue eyes of his. He doesn't reply or say anything, he's just looking at me. 

I sit down satisfied.

Zane winks at me before standing up, "I do have evidence. An audio recording."

I frown, at the judge - or Penny as she takes the file he hands over to her and I glance over as an audio recording lights up on the computer in front of her. 

Are you joking? 

My client's voice crackles to life as I sit there and listen to him yelling and berating his wife. The silent room is filled up with noises of crying and glass smashing as well as thumping noises I can only assume is Zane's client falling.  

I slump back in my chair, seething.

"We stand to send this to a criminal trial," Zane says looking at Penny.

"Hmm yes of course Zane...Uh I mean Sir," she says her cheeks turning the same shade as her hair. Our professor walks over and hands Zane a candy cane. Our professors reward the winning side of these cases with those. I genuinely hope he suffocates on it. 

The bell rings and I gather my things in my bag before walking out of class, no longer in a good mood. 

"Wait up Juliette," A voice calls from behind me and I begin to quicken my pace but of course, it's no match for the six-foot-three asshole running after me.

He grabs my arm, stopping me immediately.

"You did great back in there, you would have won and moved it to a defamation case if I didn't have the audio sample," Zane says, his voice sickly sweet.

I want to be sick. Nothing coming from his mouth that's directed towards me sounds genuine. 

"Shut up. You and I both know the only reason you found that audio sample is because you slept with Arabella and she handed it to you. Which is cheating." 

He smiles a little, his pride betraying him. "Yeah maybe, but it doesn't matter I'd have found it eventually." I snort and shrug his arm off me as I continue walking down the halls. 

"I didn't sleep with her if it's any consolation. I just flashed her a smile and she handed it right over,"  He says easily falling in step beside me.

I stop walking again and turn around to face him, "Is there a point to that, Zane? Or are you here to rub your win in my face? Because if I remember correctly this is the first win you've had all semester." 

"We are on week three of the semester." He says dryly. 

He offers me another smile, I glance around already feeling uncomfortable with all the stares from girls passing by. I can't imagine what they're saying about the two of us. Zane is like a beacon for gossip and I'd like to stay as far away from it all as possible. 

It's no secret we hate each other. Maybe I'd like him more if we weren't academically matched in every single class we take. 

I started Yale and was immediately top of my class in everything, and so was he. If I got a 99 on a test he did too, and in subjects like criminology where my average score was a 90 when his was a 95, we made up for that in psychology where my score was a 95 and his a 90. In all other subjects, we were the same. The same. Every single time. 

It was infuriating. Any win I had against him would only be temporary. He would make up for it a week later. Anyone in my position would hate him out of spite as well. 

Except it wasn't just spite, he was an arrogant asshole about every good grade he got. While I tried to keep my head down. We never said we competed with each other out loud until we were twenty when I won a debate against him and shoved it in his face. Only to get it thrown back at me when we had an exam the day I had forgotten about. I got an 80 and he shoved his 98 in my face.

I wasn't stupid or in denial I knew Zane was attractive. He was beautiful with dark blue eyes that reminded me of storms out at sea. And his height and unruly raven black hair certainly helped his charm.  I'd heard enough stories from the girl's showers to know that his body was, apparently, perfect. 

In the beginning, I hated him out of spite but now I truly did dislike him. It didn't matter anyway, I had to hate Zane Ivory. Because if I didn't hate him I'd probably fall in love with him from the sheer amount of time we spend together since all our teachers think sitting the smartest students near or next to each other is an amazing idea. 

And falling in love with Zane Ivory was just begging to get your heart obliterated.

"Are you having a stroke?" Zane says, his voice cutting into my thoughts.

"Sorry, I was thinking of all the things I'd rather be doing than standing here talking to you," I reply.

"Funny. I asked you if you saw what Mrs Laurens posted online." 

I groan despite myself as I pull my phone out, if it's homework I will scream.

My eyes go big as saucers when I read about our final project - we and the person sitting next to us have to create a project about a topic of our choosing around the themes of psychology.

"No!" I gasp out loud.

"What should our theme be? Do oppositess attract? How hate and love are the same things?" Zane begins to blabber on.

"Why do people kill," I state, shooting him a dirty look before turning a corner and escaping him.