Bad Judgment Read Online Free Page B

dropped out.
     
    Why even bother to finish and rack up the debt when I know I won’t be able to get a job to pay it off? Katie was offered a job at a good physical therapy clinic in Arizona, so I’m going with her. Good luck, kid. Go kick law school’s ass for both of us.
     
    All my replies after this message went unanswered.
    My phone dings with a text from Merica, dragging me out of the depressing thoughts.
     
    M ERICA : Get your ass to the board room. Scholarship meeting starts in 20.
     
    I’m late getting back in the swing of things because I wanted to work for as long as possible before coming back to campus. Not only because I needed to save the money, but because I felt like I had a purpose. Unfortunately, the Legal Aid office couldn’t support another full-time lawyer due to budget cuts, which puts me back to square one in the job hunt.
    Hefting my backpack, I head for my car, catching a glimpse of myself in the storefront window. The hour a day I carved out at the gym made a difference. My ass has never looked better, and there’s no way Ryker Grant is getting another shot at it.
    Nope. Stop. Not thinking about him because he doesn’t merit the brain space. Especially because embarrassment still creeps into my veins when I remember that night and how he left me waiting on the curb the next morning. Asshole .
    I sneak through yellow lights and dodge students on bikes to get to the school on time. Last year’s scholarship meeting was a stern lecture about how we had to keep our GPAs at a certain level depending on which scholarship we received.
    The room is already packed when I manage to squeeze in the door, but Merica waves from an end seat. Her giant purse takes up the chair next to her, and I’m sure her don’t you even think about asking if you can sit there look kept plenty of people from trying to take it. I smile and squeeze by a few of the students leaning against the walls.
    The dean takes the lectern moments after I sit. The entire board of trustees flanks him on either side—including my former boss and the father of he who shall not take up any space in my head . Justice Grant meets my eyes for the briefest moment but doesn’t smile before looking away.
    What is that about? Justice Grant is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met—always ready with an easy smile and a kind word. Uneasiness twists my stomach. Does he know what happened between his son and me? The judge was an amazing boss and I thought we parted on great terms, so I don’t have any other explanation for his odd behavior.
    Actually, the presence of the board of trustees at this meeting is completely different from last year. But the beginning of the dean’s speech is exactly the same—a boring rendition of the long proud history of this law school as one of the finest legal academic institutions in the country, and remarks about how grateful he has been to be at the helm through its rise through the ranks. That’s where the similarities end.
    “And despite our continued rise in the world of academia, we’re facing an altogether too common problem shared by many institutions. We are not immune to the downturn in the economy and the financial hardships that have plagued so many schools. This is probably the most disheartening speech I’ve ever had to deliver during my tenure, but I don’t believe in sugarcoating the facts.”
    He reaches for a glass of water and makes eye contact with Justice Grant. Grant nods in return as if giving the dean a push to deliver the rest of his speech.
    What the hell is going on? Because something is definitely wrong.
    The dean replaces his water glass on the table next to Grant and stares out into the audience of students and faculty with an apologetic expression.
    “What the hell is he dragging his feet for?” Merica mumbles under her breath.
    “We faced a difficult choice this summer, and after reviewing all of our options, it has been determined that the merit scholarship program