The Book of History (Discontinued)

Hailey I: I Meet an Insane Teenager

I didn't know what to expect. I mean, I know that New York was going to be different from Wisconsin, but really? You know, I was really hoping I would luck out and meet some cool people and see interesting places. I've heard of crazy New Yorkers (No offense to my New York people out there), but that didn't really register until now.

Oh yeah, I'm Hailey. I used to have friends, but they're all back in my hometown. We promised each other to keep in touch, but so far, my friends are terrible with promises. I haven't heard from them since I moved here. I used to live in a small town in Wisconsin but moved here with my grandma. Wait, you don't know what Wisconsin is? Not really surprised. It's not the most well-known places on Earth. The place was decent enough. At least they had Dunkin Donuts.

Right now, I'm just wandering around on these endless streets trying to figure out where the darn coffee shop is. I've passed a few pizza stores and many apartment complexes. All I know is that it's going to take a while to know my way around.

As I looked up at the soaring skyscrapers, I got nostalgia. This place somewhat reminded me of Chicago. I haven't been to the city too many times, but it's hard to forget. The impressive buildings, the attractions, the traffic. It's almost an exact replica of the Windy City. I wondered if there was a Bean around here . . .

Right, coffee, top priority. I was still zigzagging through the streets when I felt a chill on the back of my neck. I froze in my spot and looked around. I didn't find anything unusual, but I still felt uneasy. I stuffed my hands into my blue hoodie and continued my journey to find my caffeine fix.

It may have been the beginning of summer, but I was dressed as if it was fall. I basically looked like this every day: simple black leggings, gray Ugg boots, and my blue hoodie. It was my absolute favorite hoodie of all time. It was really comfy and soft. Of course I fell in love because it was the color blue, my favorite color. And right in the middle, it had a large black treble clef. The hoodie almost had a wave-like look to it every time I moved, like soft waves rolling off a beach, and I absolutely love the beach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of blue and brown. I swiveled around, but it wasn't there—whatever it was—anymore. I've been in New York for two weeks and I'm already going insane. Great. A man gave me a quizzical stare as he passed me. Being as awkward as I was, I just flashed him a small smile and waved before walking away.

I glanced behind me to see if I could spot it, but it was gone. What I did find however, was a large, glittery sign on a small building. I squinted up at the sign and found to my delight that it was a coffee shop, Culture Espresso. I smiled and skipped over to the double doors. I tugged them open. It was a modern but cozy coffee shop that you could find anywhere (except it took forever to find). There was a counter on the back of the shop with two cashiers standing behind the counter on opposite sides, armed with cash registers. A few employees were rushing around behind the counter, tinkering with expensive-looking machines that were probably coffee makers—if I had to guess. The left wall had a beautiful cream and gray wallpaper with vertical white stripes disrupting the wallpaper ever foot or so. Quite a few pictures hung from the wall. Beautiful crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling and made the place shine. A few people were seated at a long table in the middle of the room and were smiling and laughing as they sipped their drinks.

I got in line right behind a young teenager. She had long brown hair trailing down her back. She had a patterned blue t-shirt on paired with some jeans. She told the clerk thank you and turned around. She had piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore a hole right through me. Those eyes unnerved me, and the way she was looking at me didn't help. She looked at me like a cat that finally caught its prey. I managed to tear my eyes away from her's and saw a bronze necklace dangling from her neck that had a key on the end.