Monsters of Manhattan

Chapter Six: Back in Manhattan

“Miss Young!” Mr. Gray’s stern voice hollered from across the room. I adverted my eyes from the window I was looking out to the gray-haired man sitting behind a mahogany desk. 

Normally every set of eyes would be turned towards me, while a section of my immature peers would snicker, but considering we were taking our English final today this wasn’t the case. Every set of eyes was glued to the exam lying in front of them.

“Miss Young, I’m okay with you day dreaming during my final, but don’t you dare complain when you fail and have to retake this class.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, turning my attention to the half finished test lying on my desk.

A few minutes later, I peered through my long eyelashes, checking if Mr. Gray was watching me or not, he wasn’t.

I tore my eyes from my exam once again and looked out the only window that held the perfect view to the quad below. Ethan sat alone on the fountain, playing his acoustic guitar. His fingers gracefully slid down his guitar strings, producing beautiful music mute to my ears.

I smiled to myself reminiscing my date with Ethan. Besides being utterly charming, Ethan was beyond talented at singing and played the guitar with such grace the earth stopped to listen. He had tried showing me how to play on our second date, but after trying a few times, we both realized I was never going to become a proficient guitar player.

“Miss Young!” Mr. Gray shouted causing me to jump from fright. Like the previous time, nobody—besides Mr. Gray—was looking my way, saving me the embarrassment.

“Sorry,” I muttered again, before returning my attention to the test lying on my desk.

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“You seem different,” Lauren speculated as we walked through the vacant hallways of our elite school.

“How?” Whenever someone mentions you’ve changed it’s usually not a good thing, and I had a feeling Lauren was about to tell me I had gone haywire.

“You seem happier,” she replied, pausing for a moment to avert a collision with two sophomores rushing down the hall to their next class.

“I do?” It wasn’t much of a surprise that she saw I was happy, what surprised me was that I seemed ‘happier’. I’ve always thought of myself as a happy person. The dominance over my peers would spread euphoria throughout my mind for days.

“Yeah, it’s almost as if Ethan changed something in you. Something that nobody else has seen or touched before,” she continued.

Ethan, of course, everything in my life revolved around him now. We were still friends though, that much has not changed, but we were closer now then we were before. People could accurately label us as best friends. Our relationship was gradually turning towards more than friends, much to my pleasure.

I would be lying if I said my stomach didn’t flutter whenever I was with him. Besides his previous cocaine addiction, Ethan was prefect. He treated me like a gentleman should treat a woman, and constantly complimented my facial features, without needing a mutual reply.

“Chelsea, Lauren!” someone exclaimed from behind us. I caught the glimmer of his green eyes before my eyes fully acquired his face.

Being distracted by Ethan’s mesmerizing beauty, I didn’t realize he was towing someone until Lauren shoved her elbow deep into my hipbone. 

Lauren’s hazel eyes were glued to the black-haired beauty walking behind Ethan. Her eyes were deep pools of blue, while her slim figure illustrated her elegance.

Amy Walker was no angel; her beauty concealed the darkness lying within her.

She was six years older than us and was my predecessor. The methods I use to overpower the socially unfit were first executed during her reign. She used to be New York City’s: most envied socialite, infamous party girl, remarkable business leader, and most despised bitch. She was everything I wanted and would be.

“You two know Amy, right?” Ethan asked looking from Lauren and I to Amy, who wore a thin smile.

“Sort of,” Amy replied after a short pause.

Sort of was an understatement, Amy, Lauren, and I knew each other perfectly well. Back in our junior high days, Lauren and I, witness a horrific accident involving Amy and other high school students on a school camping trip. Since our accidental intervention, Amy has insured Lauren and I kept our mouths shut about what we saw. Looking into Amy’s blue eyes, I knew she was sending me a silent warning. But before I could ask what it was, her eyes quickly advert towards Ethan who stood silent besides her, watching us. 

“Cool,” he said, his eyes questioning us. Amy and I both smiled, reassuringly.

“Amy and I were heading out for lunch. Want to join?” Ethan invited.

“I’m fine. Kind of have a big math test next period, and I also have a date straight after class,” Lauren muttered, shuffling her feet uncomfortable.

“Sure,” I answered without hesitation. I really wanted to spend time with Ethan, and if I had to endure lunch with the wicked witch of the west, then I was completely fine with it.

“Who’s your date with?” Amy questioned Lauren. Why did she come back from Los Angeles? Or was she in London? Either way she should be dominating the rest of the world, instead of coming back home to pester the rest of us.

Preoccupied with my Amy demolition plan, I missed Lauren’s response.

“Well, he’s quite a…looker,” Amy replied with a small laugh.

“Sure is,” Lauren agreed, although clearly not amused with Amy’s joke.

“I heard he’s a real piece of work,” Amy informed.

“Who?” I questioned, annoyed with the fact I had no idea who they were talking about.

“Justin Blake, dear,” Amy answered, rolling her eyes as if I were stupid.

Taking my shocked expression as an insult, Lauren walked away as Amy laughed loudly. Why the hell was Justin Blake, the asshole who tired to kill me, going on a date with one of my best friends?