Bound by law

Chapter 3: Public Humiliation

The lecture hall hummed with the usual buzz of pre-class chatter as students shuffled into their seats. Estelle Brooks sat toward the middle, her foot nervously tapping against the floor as she skimmed through her notes for the mock trial. Today's class would focus on public speaking, and Professor Celeste Thorne had made it clear that every student would be presenting a short, impromptu argument in front of the class.

Estelle swallowed hard. It wasn't that she wasn't prepared—she always came prepared—but something about speaking in front of Celeste, with her cold, unflinching eyes bearing down, made Estelle's nerves run wild.

"You're overthinking this, Estelle," Mia's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she plopped down beside her. "Just go up there, smile, make your point, and get out of there."

Estelle shot her a look. "Easy for you to say. Thorne doesn't have it out for you."

"She doesn't have it out for you either. Maybe she just... likes messing with you. Some people show affection in weird ways, you know?"

"Yeah, by publicly humiliating me in class? Great love language," Estelle muttered, though a tiny part of her wondered if Mia was right. No, it was absurd to think Celeste Thorne felt anything other than professional disdain. Estelle was just another student who annoyed her with too much chatter and not enough perfection.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sharp, familiar click of heels. The room immediately fell silent as Professor Celeste Thorne entered. Dressed in her usual perfectly tailored suit, her posture rigid and imposing, Celeste walked to the front of the room without sparing a glance at anyone. It was like she carried a cold wind with her, chilling the atmosphere with each step.

"Good afternoon, class," Celeste began, her voice smooth but with that familiar edge that sent shivers down Estelle's spine. "Today, we will continue preparing for the upcoming trial by focusing on something many of you still struggle with—speaking under pressure."

Her eyes flickered across the room, barely pausing as they passed Estelle, but it was enough to make Estelle's stomach twist in knots. Celeste picked up a stack of papers from her desk.

"Each of you will come to the front and argue the point written on the paper I hand you. You will have two minutes to form your argument, and you will speak in front of the class. Your ability to improvise under pressure is just as important as your written work in law."

She glanced up, her cold gaze sweeping over the students like a judge ready to sentence them. "Failure to perform will be met with... constructive feedback."

Estelle's pulse quickened. Great. Constructive feedback, she thought. Also known as public evisceration.

Celeste started calling students up one by one, each receiving a topic from her pile. Some managed to stutter through their points without too much embarrassment, but the tension in the room was palpable. Celeste gave each student her trademark cool assessment, her eyes narrowing slightly when someone faltered or rambled. No one escaped her scrutiny.

And then, of course, it was Estelle's turn.

"Miss Brooks," Celeste said, her voice like a razor as she called her name. Estelle felt the eyes of her classmates on her as she stood, her legs feeling heavier than usual as she made her way to the front.

When she reached Celeste's desk, the professor handed her a slip of paper. The briefest flicker of something passed between them—a spark of challenge? Interest? Or was it just Estelle's imagination?

She read the topic: Defend the use of extreme measures in interrogation to extract information from criminals. Estelle swallowed hard. Not an easy subject.