Mocha Latte

Chapter 1

The chatter of the coffee shop patrons ran over jazz music in the background. A pair of high school students from Ocean Crest High School down the street were sitting at a table and chatting about their classmates.

"Did you hear what Violet did in class yesterday?" The taller of the two girls asks.

"No! What happened?" Replies the shorter of the two. The name on her coffee cup reads Charlotte.

The bell over the coffee shop door rings, interrupting the conversation. As the two girls pause and look at the door, their conversation was momentarily forgotten. A brunette walked in, shaking the rain off of her umbrella. This was Violet, the subject of the two girl's conversation. Her brown locks were slightly curled from the harsh rain.

Looking as beautiful as ever, her hips sway as she walks to the counter. She walks away with a small coffee and a cinnamon roll. Glancing around the small coffee shop, her eyes meet mine momentarily. Time stops. She walks by my table, her honey-vanilla scent enveloping the air around me. She sits down and pulls out a book and a pair of headphones, munching on her cinnamon roll as she opens her book, The Fault in Our Stars. As she gets lost in her book, the two girls I was eavesdropping on earlier continue their conversation in a much quieter voice.

"Anyways, she told Kirstin and her boyfriend off. He was talking about how ugly she was and she retorted with how fake Kirstin was and he slapped her."

Slightly shocked, I look over at the small, yet gorgeous girl sitting a few tables over. Sure enough, a dark purple bruise lined the edge of her face and neck.

(Josh slapped her? Oh I'm so going to kill him.)

Josh Black, the most popular and well-known guy in our school. Being a senior, he is the co-captain of the football and baseball team. He's a good player but such a jerk. It's no wonder he landed a girl like Kirstin. Looking like your stereotypical popular girl, her pin-straight platinum blonde hair screams fake from a mile away. The makeup caked on downgraded her already pretty face. She's so skinny, I wouldn't be surprised if she was on a diet. Probably isn't though. But Kirstin doesn't compare to the beauty who was currently reading a book.

Violet Winters is what everyone would call an outcast. Only a few friends, and none of them good enough to justify the word. However, this wasn't always the case. In middle school, Kirstin and Violet were best friends, that is until Kirstin got jealous at how much attention the already perfect Violet was getting and made a rumor about her. At age 14, all of the guys were already drooling over her. Her long, light brown hair streaked with golden honey highlights, her chocolate eyes, so smooth and silky, her plump pink lips, looking so kissable. Her skin was the most flawless thing I've ever seen in my life. Tan but not dark, with just a hint of Italian in her features. Although she was only about 5' 6", her long legs make all the guys stare. Her hips were wide but still gorgeous nonetheless. She was perfect. Yet nobody seemed to care. Basically, everybody at our high school cared more about their reputation than being able to call this beauty their own.

Her eyes glance up to meet my own. Pausing, I notice the slight blush creeping up her neck onto her perfect cheeks. Moving her hair to cover her bruise, she looks down again and bites her lip. Oh my GOSH! She's a goddess.

The bell above the door rings as Lila, my girlfriend walks in. Even though Lila is beautiful, no one compares to Violet.

Lila's tight clothing (too tight), her eye makeup (too dramatic), and her attitude, (snobby and rude) couldn't be more different from the goddess before me. I've only ever seen Violet laughing, smiling, or blushing shyly, and it's rare for anyone to even see that. Nobody pays attention to her. The girls are too intimidated and jealous of her looks and the guys are too scared of what their girlfriends would do if they admitted her beauty.

"Hey, babe!" Lila's voice stirs me from my stupor. I blink, stupidly, and reply with the same.

"Oh, my gosh. Is that Violet Winters? How could she show her ugly face hereafter French?" Lila rolls her eyes. I remember that she was in Ms. Jeanval's 4th-period French class, where the whole fiasco happened. "Anyway, I'm gonna go buy a drink. You want one?"

"Nah, I'm good. Buy whatever you want, I'll pay."

"Thank you sooo much, Bella! You're the best!"

With her gone, I return to watching Violet. As I watch (and pretend I'm not), she grabs her book and heads out into the rain, pulling a jacket over her head. I feel bad, watching her walk away. Then, I make what may be the biggest mistake of my life.