Page 2 of Once Kissed

“Curran, just take the assignment. From what we hear, Montenegro isn’t going to go to prison without making a lot of noise. The badges assigned to this case have the smarts to watch my back and theirs.”

“But no one’s guarding the poor homely intern’s back. I get it.”

A sly grin edges across his face. “I never said she was homely, bro.”

Contessa

“Whyher?”

“No idea. I have more experience. So does Tyler, and Emily’s been here longer.”

“We’ve all been here longer,” Emily adds, jumping in.

They’re all talking about me—not just the other interns, but every law clerk here. I get that the Montenegro case is one most attorneys would kill to say they were a part of—one that will make history and open doors to a successful career in law, and one that provides an opportunity to work with Declan O’Brien, the gorgeous assistant DA who’s on his way to becoming a legend. I get it, I really do—and I’m thrilled that I was selected to be a part of it. What I don’t understand is why they have to be so mean-spirited. I would never treat someone this way.

“Do you think she knows someone?” Brett mutters.

“Probably,” Sarah offers. “It would explain why she thinks she’s better than us.”

I don’t think that,I want to say. But I don’t say it. After all the times I’ve passed on lunch and happy hour with them, they wouldn’t believe me anyway. I have my reasons. Yet those reasons are too personal to share, especially with people who think so little of me.

The comments continue as if I’m not sitting close enough to hear. I’d like to say their remarks have no effect on me, but they do. They kick at the pride I feel being the law clerk selected to help Declan. According to DA Miles Fenske, Declan and I will be the only non-investigators on the case. All those nights of staying in, studying, and working hard are finally paying off. My path to independence is close—I can see it. No, I cantasteit. All I have to do is get through the next few months.

And probably a lot more jabs thrown my way.

“Well, looks like U Penn steals it from us again,” Janice chimes in.

I cringe, wishing the comments would simply roll off my back. But I never could ignore insults. They’ve always hurt. Yet unlike in high school and college where I could hurry away, pretending to bury my face in a book, there’s nowhere to run. So I focus on finishing the deposition I’m working on and do my best to ignore their harsh words.

“What makes her so special, anyway?” Brielle adds.

“Not her clothes, that’s for sure,” Burton mumbles, causing the others to burst out laughing.

Their comments are bad enough, but their laughter is more than I can take. This time, I don’t stay quiet. “You don’t have to behave this way,” I say aloud, keeping my back to them. “I’m sure there will be other opportunities—”

“Other opportunities?” Burton mocks. “Oh, yeah, because cases as epic as this one come along all the time.”

I used to stick up for him. I suppose it’s too much to expect the same in return. “I’m not saying that it’s not a good case to have—”

“Then what are you saying?” he demands.

I force myself to continue typing, even as I speak. “I’m only saying you don’t have to be so rude.”

“And you don’t have to be such a bitch,” he barks back.

I whip around, stunned. The huddled group disperses to the rows of desks occupying the center of the law library. No one bothers to glance my way, not even Burton. It’s as if I don’t even matter, and he’d never called me what he did.

If I report him, it’ll come down to my word against his. That much is clear given how they’re all now back at their stations, pretending the past several minutes never occurred.

My voice quivers from anger, and from the humiliation heating my body. “I didn’t realize you thought so highly of me, Burton. I’ll make a note of it in case it happens again.” It’s my way of warning him that I’m documenting this incident in case his behavior continues, but of course, he doesn’t care.

He lifts his head from his work and smiles. “I’m sorry, Contessa. Did you say something?”

Angry tears burn my eyes.You asshole.

His smile vanishes. Not because of me, or because he realizes he’s being a monstrous prick, but because of who he sees approaching.

The door to the library opens and DA Fenske walks in, his status and presence drawing everyone’s attention, and rescuing me in more ways than one. “Hello, sir,” we all say at once, because that’s the type of respect this man evokes.

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