*Sam's POV*
Preliminary exams were here, and I was barely holding myself together.
Stacks of case digests, handouts, and notes were scattered across the library table, a chaotic battlefield of knowledge. I was drowning in legal doctrines and jurisprudence, and no amount of coffee could save me now. Millie, Cass, and I had been holed up in the library for hours, desperately trying to cram weeks' worth of readings into our exhausted brains.
"This is ridiculous," Millie groaned, dropping her highlighter on the table. "How do they expect us to remember all of these cases? There are literally thousands of them."
"Stop being dramatic. You're only covering the first hundred," Cass said, not even looking up from her book as she continued scribbling down notes.
Millie scoffed. "Oh, yeah, because a hundred cases are so manageable."
I smirked, watching them go at it again. This had been the routine for the past week. Millie complained, Cass scolded her, and I simply sat back and enjoyed the entertainment while trying to absorb as much information as possible.
Cass shot Millie a sharp look. "Instead of whining, maybe focus? That way, you'll actually survive this."
"I am focusing," Millie huffed, flipping through her book. "I just need to vent. Otherwise, my brain will explode."
"Then at least vent quietly," Cass glared at her. "Some of us are trying to study."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "You two should just accept that this is how we operate. Millie complains, Cass reprimands, and I try to stay sane."
Cass sighed and turned to me. "How are you holding up, Sam?"
I hesitated before replying. "Honestly? I feel like my brain is melting. But I think I'm getting the hang of some concepts."
Cass nodded approvingly. "Good. Let's go over criminal law again. Both of you need a solid grasp on the elements of a crime."
Millie groaned, but she picked up her pen. "Fine. But if I start crying, you better not judge me."
Cass smirked. "No promises."
We spent the next hour going through doctrines, Cass patiently explaining the complexities of criminal law while Millie and I tried to keep up. Just when I was finally starting to make sense of everything, the library door swung open. My focus momentarily wavered as my eyes flicked toward the entrance.
There he is again. Nate.
He strolled in, his usual confident steps making it clear he knew exactly where he was heading. I blinked in confusion as he made his way straight to our table and, without a word, sat next to me.
Millie and Cass exchanged bewildered glances. Nate wasn't exactly the type to mingle outside his usual crowd. Yet here he was, unbothered, completely at ease as if this was something he did every day.
"Uh, hey?" I greeted, unsure of what else to say.
"Hey," Nate replied, then glanced at the open book in front of me. "Criminal law?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. We're just reviewing."
"Good. You guys need all the help you can get."
Millie gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? Did you just insult us?"
Nate smirked. "I'm just stating facts."
Cass narrowed her eyes. "And what exactly are you doing here, Dawson?"
"Joining your study session," he said nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. "Hope you don't mind."
I was still processing the fact that Nate was voluntarily sitting with us when Cass snorted. "Oh, we mind. We very much mind."
"Relax, I'm here to help," he said, grabbing one of my case digests and flipping through it like it was a light novel.
Cass frowned. "We don't need help. I was already tutoring them."
Nate raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but wouldn't it be better if they had two tutors? Besides, I highly doubt you're explaining everything perfectly."
Cass's jaw clenched. "Excuse me?"
I felt the tension rise immediately. Oh no.
Millie, sensing the shift in energy, smiled widely, leaned toward me and whispered, "This is going to be fun."
And fun it was.... for her, at least. Because what followed was the most ridiculous tutoring session I had ever been in.
Cass and Nate went from explaining legal principles to subtly trying to outdo each other. One moment they were discussing the elements of self-defense, and the next they were throwing obscure Supreme Court rulings at each other like weapons.
Millie and I? We just sat there, eyes darting between them like we were watching a tennis match.
"You're oversimplifying the doctrine," Cass snapped after Nate explained a case.
"And you're overcomplicating it," Nate countered smoothly. "Not everything needs to be dissected to the atomic level, Cass."
"Understanding the depth of the law is necessary. You can't just skim through the surface and expect to master it."
"I'm not skimming. I'm making it digestible. There's a difference."
Millie leaned toward me again. "So... are we actually learning, or are we just here for the drama?"
"Both, I think," I murmured back.
They kept going, neither one willing to concede. At some point, I think they even forgot we were here, completely immersed in their intellectual battle. And honestly? It was both impressive and exhausting to witness.
Just when I thought it couldn't get any more intense, the library door opened again. A hush fell over the table as someone approached.
Ashley. Uh oh.
She stopped a few feet away, her expression unreadable, but the tension in the air was undeniable. Her eyes flickered between Nate and the rest of us before landing on him with an icy stare.
"Nate, let's go."
Her tone was calm, yet there was an edge to it, one that made my stomach twist uncomfortably.
Nate's amused expression from earlier was replaced by something more serious. He didn't say anything at first, simply holding her gaze. Then, with a sigh, he stood up. "I'll see you guys later."
He didn't say anything more before walking away, Ashley following closely behind.
The moment they were gone, the three of us exchanged glances.
"What was that?" Millie asked, voice low.
"No idea," I admitted, still feeling the lingering tension.
"She didn't look happy," Cass noted.
Understatement of the century. Ashley's expression had been unreadable, but something about it had made me uneasy.
Millie smirked. "Maybe she didn't like her boyfriend having too much fun with other girls."
I stiffened. "That's ridiculous. We were just studying."
Cass nodded. "Agreed. There was nothing inappropriate about this."
"Oh, I know that," Millie said, raising an eyebrow. "But does she?"
I didn't answer. My chest felt tight, my mind still replaying Ashley's voice. I shouldn't care. There was no reason to care.
I shook my head, forcing myself to push aside whatever unease I felt. "Let's just get back to studying. Prelims are still happening whether we overthink that or not."
Millie sighed dramatically. "Fine, but only because I don't want to fail."
Cass rolled her eyes. "Good. Now, back to criminal law. No more distractions."
Easier said than done. Because even as I turned back to my notes, the scene from earlier lingered in my mind.
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