Moving Forward

-Twenty six-

Sarah P.O.V.

Walking in, I'm already being greeted by my mentor.

"Greetings Miss Fonda"

"Hello Mrs.Matthews..."

"You're here early Sarah.... finally ready to take things seriously?"

"Ma'am after say...... a whole month of knowing me. You should know I'm just lazy." I grinned.

"Sarah, you know its been longer than that..." Of course I know, I just rather not think of the past. Its too....... mentally unfriendly. I don't say a word, and I think she gets the message as she decided to help me out of the hole I tried burying myself in. "So Miss Fonda, are you ready for today's lesson?"

"Of course ma'am." She gets close to my face with a smile on hers.

"I can't hear you!" I giggled as she pitches her voice to say that.

"Aye aye Captain!" I say with more flair, which was the right thing to do as grins at me.

"There's that spirit of yours." Mrs.Matthews grin softens up to a fond smile as she says it, making me feel a certain way. I haven't done anything to deserve that from her yet... So why does it feel so nice? I let out a puff of air as she wraps a arm around my shoulder and walks me down a hallway.

"I don't get it ma'am... Why me?"

"Why not you?" She states like it was the most obvious thing... It wasn't.

"Well sure, but why? I doubt there wasn't a person who wouldn't want to be taken under your wing..."

"Well obviously. But my eyes caught you, and you know lawyers are known to never lie!"

"Aren't lawyers known for lying?" I scrunch my face and raise a brow at her.

"Ha ha no, those are corrupted lawyers."

"True... I guess." Mrs.Matthews stops us in our tracks and turns to look at me, grabbing the top of my shoulders firmly.

"Sarah Jane Fonda. Look at me." I looked up, slowly making eye contact. "I chose you for a reason... Yes others dream of becoming lawyers but it takes more than little dreams to become lawyers. You need guts, intelligence, strategy, and bluffs. And that is what you have Sarah, you just lack confidence. I've seen your class, I've seen the cockiness, the uncertainty, the blinded, and the one dimensional way of thinking. Yet, nobody has shown the best evidence and when to use it, nobody except you."

"What do you mean ma'am?"

"I mean you actually did shit right, you would listen to all sides, the defendant, the witness, the prosecutor, and the possibilities. And you take the time to think of everything. The statements that add up, the contradictions, and clues. Then after you work every possible outcomes and think of how to answer the questions you might be asked. Then you get this fire in your eye when you know you have everything in the bag and even when you mess up or get something you have no idea about, you don't give up. You don't give up on your client even when it was a fake trial because you believed in your client and didn't want to let a innocent person get the wrong verdict. Which is why I was saddened when that ambitious high school freshmen I knew dropped out of law for theater of all things."

"I-I, ma'am you have so much faith in me." I feel my eyes burn as I let my emotions leak out, and try rubbing my eyeballs to get them to stop burning. "Plus I wanted to join theater...." I finished while looking away.

"I know Sarah, I'm just glad to have you back..."

"So am I ma'am." But I wasn't... Why? I don't know... I get that I did all these once but.... I left Law... I left it behind me to do my true passion but I was so good as a lawyer..... But was I happy? Sure I kept getting little side roles,  but- but it's a good thing! I'm not ready for the big roles I just know I would mess it up. I mean people have told me I would go places and that I'm a good actor but was it all a lie?? I love theater but I was always the lead in law...... I knew all the answers. I knew the terms and I was the best in Law, top of my class actually! But it's not what I want to be for the rest of my life....

"........... Ma'am..."

"Yes Miss Fonda?"

"Lets do this."