Chapter 2

Jus In Bello

Anna-Joy Hotchner

Early September

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Yale University was AJ Hotchner's second home.

There was no two ways about it. She knew her parents had been nervous about her attending her mother's alma mater, but AJ had taken to it like fish to water. She absolutely adored the old buildings and architecture, and now that she shared an apartment with two of her friends, New Haven had become even more of a home to her.

She chuckled to herself at her mother's picture text of her father's latest escapades with Seth's new dog Bugs. Her father had never been a pet type of person. Loud laughter caught her attention next and she rolled her eyes in annoyance even as she looked up.

Vaughan Cliff.

He and his three cronies came stumbling into the room, tripping over each other and AJ vaguely found herself wondering if they really realized that they were in college and not in high school anymore. Here she sat, in a junior class on international law, and she'd bet everything her parents owned that something chaotic had either happened in the hall or was about to. And that there was a young, freshman victim involved.

Vaughan Cliff had been the bane of AJ's existence for years. His family ran in the same political circles as her parents and though it was rare that any of the Hotchner children attended any sort of gala, the times they did, the Cliffs were always in attendance. And AJ could count on one hand the number of times she'd walked out of said gala without wanting to rip Vaughan limb from limb. He was everything her parents had run away from, an arrogant, spoiled rich kid at one of the best universities in the country on his parents' dime. So was she, but she had an academic reputation to uphold.

He'd shown up in one of her first classes in freshman year and she'd had to deal with him every semester since. She'd hoped that she'd avoid him by taking more specialized courses, but either he had some way to look up her class schedule, or he had the same interests she did. Really, she hoped it was neither. She didn't appreciate a stalker and having anything in common with Vaughan Cliff was a terrifying thought.

She focused her attention back on her laptop, tucking her cell phone into her pocket, as the processor strolled into the room.

"Good afternoon class, welcome to a new semester here at Yale University."

She spent the next thirty-five minutes listening to the syllabus and the outline of marking and assignments before the professor moved onto his lecture. She found herself completely absorbed in the way he managed to skim over the almost century of international law in less time than she'd expected. Then he opened the floor to discussion.

That was when Vaughan had to go open his big mouth.

"Globalizations a load of crap," he said, distain obvious in his voice. "Why should a nation like America have to support nations that can't seem to get their stuff together? We have people here who work hard at what they do and if a nation isn't ready for that, then they should suffer the consequences, not lean on developed countries for support."

The professor raised a surprised eyebrow and AJ mirrored the response. "Okay, are there any other opinions?"

AJ was fuming. American elitists, those who believed only in the betterment of their own wealth without a care as to those that were suffering in poorer countries, drove her nuts. It was that anger, that passion that had her raising her hand.

"Yes...?"

"AJ," she answered, swift and polite.

"Go ahead, AJ."

"I think we need to remember that nations like America put many of those countries into those situations to begin with. Western democratic nations have been suppressing other cultures and countries for years. The British controlled huge portions of Africa until the middle of the twentieth century. And the US has supplied weapons to many of the nations ravaged by civil war. I think globalization is one way to battle against oppression of developed nations."

She could see the approval and admiration in her professor's eyes. "Excellent."

AJ sat back in her seat, comfortable that she'd made her point clear.

Take that.

"You know, there's something really hot about a woman who knows her international law."

AJ tensed at his voice and rolled her eyes. "I thought there was a mutual agreement in place where we didn't talk to each other while we were here," she replied, looking up from her book. She was in the library, trying to get a jump start on some of her reading before heading home to the chaos that was often her apartment. She adored both Aslynn and Jessica, but sometimes they grated on her last nerve. That seemed like heaven in comparison to the blue eyes that faced her now.

"Awe, come on now, cupcake! You wound me," Vaughan said, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Not yet," she replied sweetly, "But keep it up and I just might."

"Now why you gotta be like that?" he asked with a little pout.

AJ arched an eyebrow. "Dejected so does not work for you."

"Everything works for me," Vaughan replied with a cocky quirk of his lips.

"Don't you have something better to do with your time?" AJ asked in exasperation, rolling her eyes. She had work to do. Or work she wanted to do. And he wasn't being anywhere close to helpful.

"There's something better than driving you nuts? I have no idea what it is."

"Great," AJ said with a false smile. "Then you can wait here while I go back to my room to actually get some work done."

"You're so uptight," Vaughan said.

"I'm not uptight. I just value my education and the money my parents are putting into said education," AJ replied. "That leaves me with minimal time to lead the life you do."

"You've got to lighten up, Hotch. You're in college, these are supposed to be the best years of your life," Vaughan pushed. "You've got to have some fun."

"I have fun. Just not your kind of fun," AJ shot back, closing her books. Apparently she wasn't about to get anything done with him sitting there. There was a whole handful of reading she wanted to make sure to get done by the end of the week.

"You going somewhere?"

"Yeah," AJ replied with a saccharine sweet smile. "Away from you."

She didn't give him a chance to answer as she stood and walked away.

I actually wrote a second chapter! And sooner than I thought too. Which makes me happy.

For those of you following the Prompt Challenge and saw last night's finale, Sienna posted a bonus prompt to do with the finale. I encourage everyone to go check it out and try and write something. I'm sure, at the very least, you all have your opinions on the matter.

What do you guys thing of Vaughan? And no worries, Gabi and Jack will be coming back into the mix in a chapter or so.