The Billionaire Boys Club (Billionaire Romance Series Book 1) (4 page)

Keith looked up for a moment, seemingly to collect his thoughts, and began again. “Legal Writing at Darrow is pass/fail.” Kelsey could almost hear the collected sigh of relief. “But trust me,” Keith warned, “You’re going to want to take it seriously. Students who haven’t completed assignments on time or have screwed around have found themselves in front of the Dean and have been required to take Summer Session to make up for it. And I imagine most of you would like to be in an internship this coming summer, instead of looking at Ms. Davis’s unsmiling face.” The warning had been heard. The students shifted in their seats and started to pay closer attention.
 

“So you will complete several assignments over the year,” he continued. “You don’t need to note them now, because I’ll go over everything again when we meet next month. For your reference though, at least three will be with your assigned teammate, one will be with a larger team and one will be in-div-idual.” he said, sounding out the last word for emphasis and smiling at the pretty girl, who had returned her attention to her iPhone. You’ll meet your teammate in October, and the larger team will be assigned later. You get a break after Thanksgiving, so all of you don’t fail your exams, then we’ll be back together after the holidays. Does anyone have any questions?” He looked around the room again.
 

A boy raised his hand timidly. “Yes?” Keith asked.
 

“What if our assigned partner doesn’t do any work?”
 

Keith nodded thoughtfully. “Well. that’s just like life, isn’t it? Sometimes your team sucks. I would recommend that you pick up the pieces and do the work necessary to get the job done.”

“But that’s not fair!” the boy exclaimed.
 

“Life isn’t fair. Which is why you’re sitting in that chair and so many of your college classmates are at third-rate law schools around the country. But you’re a Darrow student now. You’ve got to make the most of your opportunities. If it’s any consolation, or perhaps it’s a reminder, we do notice the slacker students. They don’t make it to second year. So I suggest that each and every one of you get ready for what will probably be the most challenging year of your life, and start thinking about how you’re going to put five assignments into your busy schedule.” He looked around the room. Kelsey noted that almost everyone looked as scared as she felt.
 

“If there are no further questions, that will be all for now. On your way out, please pick up the schedule for the rest of your first week. Although I won’t be here this afternoon, this small group will be your group for orientation. So you’ll be meeting some of the professors here later today. Feel free to hang back if you have any other questions.” The students stood up and most of them headed out, while a few headed to talk to Keith, who was leaning on the podium. Kelsey noticed that the pretty questioner was in line.
 

She glanced at her phone as she headed out. Kelsey had silenced it for the presentation.
 

Where are you? I’m starving!
Jessica had asked 10 minutes ago.
 

We started late. On my way. In the room?

Sitting in front of the Student Center.
 

I’m going to ask Dylan to join us,
Kelsey wrote. She walked out of the room and took one of the schedules which had been left on the table. She noticed that three of the nametags had not been picked up.
 

Nice! I’ll finally get to meet him!
Jessica replied.
 

Kelsey messaged Dylan, then placed her phone in her pocket and headed down the stairs, behind her fellow students. She noticed that her group seemed to be the only one left in the building. Kelsey walked out into the cool fall day and headed, like most of the rest of the students, to the Student Center. When she arrived, she found Jessica sitting on the low ledges and Dylan standing off to her right. Kelsey waved and they both waved back. Then Jessica and Dylan looked at each other and laughed. They were shaking hands as Kelsey walked up.
 

“You don’t look anything like Kelsey said,” Jessica was saying.
 

“I’m much more handsome,” Dylan replied, smiling at Kelsey. She smiled back. It was true. Dylan was tall, slightly built and although he wasn’t her type, Dylan was considered one of the cuter boys in her class at university. He looked at Kelsey with his warm hazel eyes.

“I told her that you only wore fleece,” Kelsey said.

“The sweatshirt threw me off,” Jessica said.
 

“Plus you cut your hair,” Kelsey said.
 

“Yeah, you don’t look like your Facebook photo,” Jessica said.

“Have to shine up. I’m a Darrow student now,” he said. “I got the sweatshirt when I went to the bookstore last night. Picked up a few things.”

“You know we’re going to the bookstore with the dorm tonight,” Kelsey said as they walked up the stairs, and walked into the Student Center.

“Yeah, but the airline helpfully misplaced my luggage. That’s why I had to buy a sweatshirt last night. All I had what what was in my carry-on.”
 

“Oh, no,“ said Jessica. “Have they found it yet?”
 

“About an hour ago. In Florida. They said they’ll deliver it to me tomorrow.”
 

“Well, that’s good,” Kelsey said. They followed some students across the spacious hall to the place that Kelsey knew from her past visit led to the dining hall. All of the buildings except Darrow Hall had small cafes, where students and staff could get snacks, but there was only one dining hall on campus.
 

“Oh, I’m so hungry,” Jessica said as she picked up a tray.

“We don’t need our ID’s yet?” Kelsey asked.
 

“Your nametag is your ID until this afternoon, Kels. Check the schedule,” Dylan said, lifting a tray. Kelsey nodded, getting a tray of her own and joining the line. Jessica led the way through the hot food line, then headed to the drinks area.

“I’ll grab a table,” she said.
 

“There’s tons of space,” Dylan grinned. He was right. Almost everyone else had eaten or was finishing up. Anyway, only a third of the law students were on campus this week.

“Starving!” Jessica reminded him as she walked off, balancing her tray.
 

“Did you eat breakfast, Kels?”

“No time. Remember?”

“Right, right,” he said as they walked to the salad bar. “That was the noisiest door on the planet.”

“On purpose, I bet,” Kelsey said, scooping mixed green salad onto her plate. “I won’t be late again.”

“You’re right!” Dylan said, helping himself to cottage cheese. “How sneaky.”

“Don’t want to be late for court,” Kelsey said.
 

“Another lesson,” Dylan said. They walked past a bored cashier who was reading. She barely glanced at their nametags before looking back down.
 
They headed for the table where Jessica was eating from her half empty plate.
 

“Delicious,” Jessica said, picking up a forkful. “Then again, maybe not. I was starving.”
 

“You should pick up some granola bars or something,” Dylan said, tucking into his own meal. “Not bad,” he said, tasting it. “Better than PSU.”
 

Kelsey nodded in agreement. Of course her father would say that you get what you pay for. The cost for 3 years at Darrow was more than double the cost of her entire tuition at Portland State. The food was pretty good though. The trio ate in silence as the dining hall began to empty around them.
 

“We aren’t late again, are we?” Jessica asked as she looked up from her almost empty plate.
 

“We’re free until 2.” Dylan said.

“Good,” Jessica said. “Then I can get some more food.” She stood up, leaving her coat behind, and headed back to the food line.
 

“How’s your Mom?” Dylan asked Kelsey.
 

“Great. She sent cookies for you. They’re in my room.”

“I love her, you know,” he said seriously.
 
Kelsey laughed. Dylan was absolutely hooked on Mrs. North’s chocolate chip cranberry cookies.
 

“She promised me a care package a week,” Kelsey said. “Just like in Portland.”
 

“Heaven,” Dylan said. “Don’t give any to Jessica.” Kelsey laughed again.
 

“She’s going to send extra.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m still growing. I need as many cookies as I can get.”
 

Jessica walked back up. “What are you two laughing about?” she asked, a full plate of food on her tray.

“Nothing,” Dylan said, giving Kelsey a warning glare.
 

“She is my Mom, you know,” Kelsey grinned.

“I’m her adopted son. Don’t be selfish,” Dylan responded. He set his fork down on the tray. “I think I’ll get in line to get my ID. They start processing them at 1:30.” Dylan stood up. “Okay, I’ll see you two later.”
 

“See you, Dylan,” Kelsey said. She had finished her lunch. Jessica waved her fork at him.
 

“He’s nice,” Jessica said, after swallowing. “Why didn’t you guys hook up?”

Kelsey shook her head. “I love Dylan, but he’s not my type. And I’m not his.”
 

“What type does he like?”
 

“Why? Are you interested?”
 

Jessica smiled shyly.
 

“Well, he’s the nicest guy I bet I’ll meet in 3 years in this place.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true,” Kelsey said.

“Honestly. Those two jerks were in my small group.” Jessica said.

“From last night?”
 

“Exactly. There’s no way to get away from them here. And if there’s more guys like that out of a class of 120, we’re in trouble.”
 

“I’m sure there are some nice ones. Anyway, it’s not like we’ll have any time to date anyway.”
 

“That’s completely true,” Jessica said, taking the last bite of food. “Come on, let’s get in the ID line.”
 

“Where do we go?” Kelsey asked, pulling the neatly folded schedule out of her pocket.
 

“Basement of Darrow,” Jessica replied. “Hope they’re quick.”

Twenty minutes later, Jessica and Kelsey were admiring their ID cards as they walked up the stairs.
 

“That’s the best photo I’ve ever taken for an ID,” Jessica exclaimed.
 

“No wonder. You made him retake it three times.”
 

“I’m going to have it for years,” Jessica retorted. She reluctantly took one last look and tucked the ID into the clear plastic case at the end of her own lanyard. “And we need it for just about everything.”
 

“I like that,” Kelsey said.

“Me too. Except I’ll forget how much I’ve spent on snacks during the month by not paying cash.”

“Ask your parents to put a little more money on the card.”
 

“My parents? No way. I’m lucky that they didn’t make me borrow the full tuition for this place. Trust me, I’ll be eating all I can from the free dining hall.”

“Same here,” Kelsey agreed. Her parents were paying half of her tuition, plus her room and board, but Kelsey was using her summer savings for everything else. She had borrowed a fortune for tuition. She’d pay it off after she became a successful lawyer. Assuming she made it through the grinder.
 

“This is me,” Jessica said, as they reached the second floor. “See you back at the dorm.”
 

“Okay, bye,” Kelsey said, heading up the stairs. She went to the restroom, then back to room 311. She took the same chair, which had been left vacant. The room was almost full, as it was close to 2 p.m.. She checked her phone. Her Mom had sent an ‘I love you’ message while she had been out with her phone off. Kelsey replied and told Mom that Dylan had said Kelsey couldn’t share the cookies.
 

As four people walked into the room, Kelsey’s mom said she’d send extras. Kelsey signed off as three of them settled into chairs that had been placed at the front, and the last of the students hurriedly walked in.
 

After a moment, the fourth person who had walked in began to speak. It was Dean Miller.

“Hello, group 3. I’d like to welcome you to this afternoon’s program. For the next two hours, these three professors and I will discuss the singularity of the law school experience and how it is an education unlike any other. With me today, is Professor Wadsworth, who teaches Torts, Professor Eliot, one of our Contracts professors, and Professor Dudley, who teaches Civil Procedure.”
 

Each of the professors had raised their hands in turn. Wadsworth was a small, chubby older man, with a face which reminded Kelsey of a small frog she had found near her parents’ home. He wore a smile, however. Professor Eliot was a petite woman in wool slacks and an open white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and several chunky necklaces. And Professor Dudley was a youngish man with glasses, who wore a bow tie.
 

Kelsey removed her fleece jacket. Although it had been cool in the room earlier, the heat seemed to have kicked on. She noticed several others had done the same.
 

“I suspect that at least of few of you are not quite sure what to expect during your law school experience. Darrow is known for giving its first-year students a solid legal background that makes them well qualified for prestigious internships during their first summer.”

Kelsey knew this and was hoping to get a great, well-paying internship after final exams. It would help pay for her second year at Darrow.

“But before you start planning for that first summer, realize,” the dean paused, then continued, “that a third of you won’t finish the year.”
 

The room was completely quiet.

“At Darrow, our grading system is quite simple. The top twenty percent of the class gets an ‘A’, the next a ‘B’, the next a ‘C’. The bottom forty percent of the class fails. There are no pluses, no minuses. Two fails and you’re out. It’s as simple as that.”