Manhattan Wishes (GirlxGirl)

Chapter One

Love isn't something you find

Love finds you.

- Loretta Young

Tap, tap, tap.

Harmony Chester tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the counter of Masimo's, her favorite coffee shop, impatiently. Andrew sure was taking his time, but she'd rather a slow barista at Masimo's than the overpriced coffee and crowds at Starbucks. No one from school ever came to Masimo's, which was around the block from her apartment building, so she could just relax and enjoy coffee.

"A decaf latte with vanilla syrup for Harmony?" 

Andrew called out.  She beamed at him and took the cup, and chose a stool by the wall. She checked Instagram as she sipped the beverage. 

"500 likes, not bad"

She said to herself under her breath. It was a photo of her and her two best friends, Alyssa and Lydia- together they were the "Thompson Three", three of the most popular girls in Thompson Prep, Manhattan.  They were all pretty, as all queen bees are, but it was obvious (but yet never said) that Alyssa Astor  was the leader and the hottest. She was tall and slender from ballet, which she was amazing at, and tanned from spending her summer and winter breaks in Bora Bora. Honey-blonde (natural, of course) hair in soft waves fell around her pouty pink lips and blue eyes.  She was like Blair Waldorf and Regina George mixed together and poured into a Burberry miniskirt.

Lydia Taylor was sweeter, not that being nicer than Alyssa was rare, but loyal to Alyssa. She was a bit of a party girl, which somehow she managed to balance shots on a Friday and three hour viola practice on Saturday morning. She was Japanese-American, short and curvier than her friends. Her black hair cascaded down her back to her hips and was always in a sleek high ponytail.

Harmony couldn't help but to be jealous of her best friends.  They were model material (Lydia had actually been scouted in Central Park last Tuesday, but turned it down to concentrate on the upcoming senior year and her music) and she felt just average. She was pretty, boys did pay attention to her, she just felt she was the weakest link of the Thompson Three. She was average in height, not as tall as Alyssa and not as short as Lydia,  and was quite thin and toned, only because of her personal trainer Marc and cutting excess sugar out of her diet.  Her boobs weren't as big as she'd have liked- or Lydia's- but she did have to agree with that perv Micheal Jacobs in her French class- she did have a nice ass. Her features were soft in comparison to her curly hair, which was "Auburn" not ginger as she reminded people many, many times. Her pale skin was prone to spots, barely noticeable, but to Harmony they were a defining flaw. 

Sure, she was pretty. But nothing special, she reminded herself as she saw Alyssa's latest selfie with 750 likes. She knew she shouldn't measure her self worth by little red hearts, but to her and the rest of Thompson, it mattered.

She checked the time- seven pm on a quiet Sunday- and she remembered she still had to prepare for the first day of school. Thankfully, Thompson Prep had a uniform, but no one paid attention to the regulations about makeup, skirt lengths, and shoes. She finished her coffee with a gulp and gathered her Micheal Korrs tote.  She made her way across the near-empty cafe when a girl suddenly turned, holding a hot cappuccino-

And spilled it all over Harmony's white dress. 

"What the hell is your problem? Can you see?"

Harmony spat, looking in dismay at her dress, now decorated with a huge splatter of coffee. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I'll get some napkins!"