### **Chapter 2: The Case Against Belonging**
Harvard Law wasn't designed for people like Elle Hoods.
The walls were lined with portraits of men who had written justice into existence with ink dipped in privilege. The halls echoed with the certainty of students who had spent their lives preparing to wield legal jargon as weapons. And the air—thick with the weight of expectation—made it clear that belonging here wasn't just about intellect. It was about *pedigree*.
Elle sat in the back of her next class, watching as a student named Preston Montgomery III confidently argued a point about contract law. His voice was smooth, polished, the kind that had been trained in debate clubs and private schools. When he finished, the professor nodded approvingly.
"Excellent articulation," he said. "Miss Hoods, thoughts?"
Elle raised an eyebrow. The challenge was deliberate.
She leaned forward. "Montgomery's analysis assumes the validity of the contract without considering the power dynamics between the parties. You can't just look at the terms on paper—you have to look at who's holding the pen."
A few students shifted in their seats. Preston frowned.
"The law is about interpretation," he countered.
"No," Elle said, voice steady. "The law is about survival. And survival isn't theoretical."
Silence. Then the professor gave her the same look she had seen in the courtroom—calculated dismissal.
"Well," he said finally. "That's an *interesting* perspective."
Elle smirked. *That's what they always say right before they ignore you.*
After class, Preston caught up with her in the hallway. "Where'd you study law?" he asked, voice laced with skepticism. "Community college?"
Elle didn't flinch. "I studied law watching cops lie under oath. Watching single mothers sign contracts they didn't have the education to understand. Watching judges decide verdicts before defense attorneys even spoke."
Preston blinked.
Elle stepped closer. "You learned law in classrooms. I learned law in survival. Let's see whose interpretation holds up when it *really* matters."
She walked away, leaving him standing there, still trying to process the idea that justice wasn't just a game played in expensive suits.
For Elle Hoods, Harvard Law wasn't a school. It was a battlefield. And she wasn't here to lose.