Free The Faculty Club: A Novel by Danny Tobey Page B

know."
    "Are you
kidding
me? I'd give anything to have your life. You've traveled the world. You go to parties with Oprah and Bill Gates. You envy
me
?"
    "You're a nobody," he said matter-of-factly. "You never have to wonder if you're here because some professor loved your mom in
Last Affair.
" He smiled lightly. "You're white, so you never have to entertain the thought that you're here to populate the cover of an admissions brochure--you know, the one with the smiling rainbow coalition sitting under a tree?"
    "Nigel, that's bullshit. You're one of the smartest people I've ever met. The only reason I can read a case is because I spent the last four years living in my parents' basement, practicing for law school. While you were out having a life."
    "Maybe yes, maybe no," Nigel said. "But
you
never have to wonder."
    The hell I didn't. I was a category too. The country rube, hereat the pleasure of the Northern gods. I tried to think of a way to say this, but Nigel spoke first.
    "I want you to know something, Jeremy. I appreciate what you did tonight. But the V and D is my destiny. My dad was in it. And his dad before him. And you can trace it all the way back to the first black man in the V and D, in a time when black men didn't get shit handed to them. So I tell you this out of courtesy for the kindness you showed me: don't be surprised when I do whatever it takes to hurt you."
    With that, he picked up his books and left without another word.

10
    Daphne and I sat next to each other in the packed courtroom. Her leg was pressed against mine under the table. The chamber overflowed with spectators--hundreds of jealous classmates, chattering professors, curious undergraduates, high school debate teams, townies, press, even a few tourists with cameras--every seat was full, and people stood two rows deep in the back of the room. All here to watch the 203rd chapter of the oldest, most prestigious mock trial in the nation. Actors from the drama school would play the star witnesses: Arnold Reid, the altered vet; Sheila Reid, his loyal wife. Doctors from the university would serve as expert witnesses, providing actual medical testimony and standing on their own credentials. The jurors were upperclassmen, 2Ls and 3Ls eager to decide the fate of the best and brightest first-years.
    A warm front had moved in overnight, pushing away the clouds and cold and sending bright rays of sunlight streaming into the courtroom from the wall of windows. Across the aisle from us, Nigel and John sat at their table, laying out stacks of papers. Next to them was their client, the unfortunate Arnold Reid, played by a good-looking young drama student.
    The murmuring suddenly stopped, and I looked over and saw the procession of judges enter from a side door. The retiredSupreme Court justice was first; he looked more rested and relaxed than I'd ever seen him in pictures, almost embarrassingly so: he had a tan that looked straight out of a bottle. The former U.S. Attorney was next, pudgy and good-natured, with neat prep-school hair, owlish glasses, and a deep dimple in his chin. Professor Bernini entered last. He looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with the room. His trademark impishness, that twinkle in his eyes, was completely gone. He was taking his role as judge seriously.
    The men marched solemnly and took their seats on the bench high above us.
    Dean Thompson addressed the room. He welcomed the crowd and gave each judge a warm, reverent introduction. He introduced the four of us, then closed with a long list of the famous people who'd won this event as first-year students.
    Then, the retired Supreme Court justice leaned forward.
    "Are both sides ready?"
    "Yes, Your Honor," Daphne said, rising.
    "Yes, Your Honor," John echoed.
    "Okay. The State may proceed."
    I felt a shot of voltage from my toes to my fingertips. The State. That was me. And this was real. Holy shit. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. Until this moment I'd been watching this like a