Chapter One

"In the Middle Of the Night When I'm In This Dream"

The cool New York breeze burned my face as it blew against my cheeks. My fingers felt numb inside my jacket's pockets. I really need to find my gloves. I know it's somewhere in my apartment. Knowing me, it's probably tucked inside my closet.

Thankfully, the streets and sidewalks weren't as crowded as usual because it was early in the morning. There were still people roaming around the beautiful city.

I prefer the early morning side of New York, not the loud, pompous noises of evening New York. But I have to admit, the lights of the city really are beautiful. Plus, nature that surrounded the city were beyond beautiful.

Walking in the New York streets made me nervous; I wasn't like most people who have lived here for many years. I felt kind of like a stranger to a city full of people who knew this place like the back of their hand. People always knew the latest hotspots and I barely knew how to get from point A to point B. My mind was a jumbled mess when it came to New York lingo too. I was also so lost.

This is my second year here, and the only reason I came to New York was to go to college at Columbia University. Yes, Ivy League. Ever since I was about five or six, I have dreamt about attending an Ivy League school. And now here I am, at nineteen, I'm a young woman who is attending Columbia University on a scholarship. I don't mean to gloat, but that's pretty effing awesome.

I opened the doors to the Barnes and Noble nearest to my apartment and let the warm air overwhelm me. The place was decked out in holiday decorations trying to match the New York streets' amazing preparations. I slid my coat off and walked into the staff lounge, "Morning!"

I received lousy waves and quiet hellos. I stuffed my jacket into my locker and sat at the table, "Hey, Travis, did you bring that book for me?" I asked.

Travis was a heavy-set man in his mid-thirties, "Yeah, here you go," he slid a book towards me and I skimmed through the cover and back.

"Dating For the Inexperienced? I thought you were giving me a book with tips on writing. What the hell is this?" I demanded.

"Language, honey. Travis, why did you bring this book? I think you would need it more than any if us in this room," Yvonne, a woman in her forties with a family of her own, came to my defense.

"For your information, ladies and gentlemen, I met a lady friend last night! Her name is Margo," Travis was bouncing with delight now.

"Okay, hold up, your last girlfriend was like three years ago. Plus, she was a hooker who got you in jail because she framed you with possession of marijuana," Matt, a college student who was two years older than me, added.

"Hey, don't gang up on me! Baby Lea hasn't had a boyfriend since she came here!"

I scoffed," Please, I have had plenty of boys ask me out!"

"Oh really?" Matt asked. The room stared at me and they waited for me to reply. I sighed. They knew I was lying," Okay, well, maybe not many boys, but at least two! And in my defense, this is only my second year here in New York! And I really don't try to put myself out there to attract the opposite sex! I'm too busy with school and work!" I exclaimed.

"Then maybe it's time you put yourself out there and get a boyfriend!" Yvonne said happily.

"You all are crazy. I'm going to work now. Speaking of work, shouldn't you all be working now?"

"Don't remind us," Matt pleaded.

I walked out and made my way to the cash registers. Mrs. Wagner, my manager, was checking on the registers, "Oh, hello, Lea," she smiled, "I'm glad you're here. I need you to straighten the books in the fiction section, and when you're done could you come back and work the cashier? Thank you."

I spun on my heels and strolled towards the fiction section. I took my time and skimmed through the titles. I did my job, and whenever I found a book worth reading, I made a mental mote to buy the book later. I slowly made my way to the registers. I hated working the cashier. I had to make eye contact with customers and I had to act all happy with them.

Being outgoing just isn't my thing. I like to keep to myself. I'm very shy and I warm up to others slowly. By the time I reached my station, some customers were strolling through the store. I sighed and got my station ready. Unfortunately, the store was packed. People were looking for books for the holidays. By lunch break, I was exhausted. I let Travis and Yvonne handle the impatient customers.

I had about thirty minutes to eat my lunch. I made quick strides toward the deli around the corner and brushed past many people. I ordered my usual turkey and cheese sandwich and quickly went into the staff lounge. I had about sixteen more minutes to eat. The TV was on the news channel, so I grabbed the remote and changed the channel to MTV, a channel that teenagers obviously love. They were playing reality show reruns and I had nothing else better to do but watch after I had devoured my lunch.

By the time I got back to my station, Mrs. Wagner had other plans for me. She kindly pulled me aside and asked if I could simply wipe the tables at the cafe. I went into the supply closet and grabbed a rag and the disinfectant and sprayed the tables. Once I was sure they were spotless, I went to go find Mrs. Wagner and report that I had finished my duty.

Much to my distaste, I had to work the registers again. You don't even know how happy I was when my shift was over. I trudged back to the lounge and opened my locker. I stuck my head into it and sighed, "I am so freaking tired."

The walk to my apartment was horrible. People were crowding the streets and were shoving to get where they wanted. Not only did the people annoy me, but the weather was cold and windy. By now, I was pretty pissed. I mean, all these people kept shoving me and the weather was windy. (Oh, and the only reason I'm walking is because my roommate, Mandy, had to use my car to get to work since her's is at the workshop.) I haven't exactly adjusted to New York life, yet.

Just wanting to clear this up, my apartment wasn't in the fancy Upper East Side or had a staff waiting on your hand and foot. This place was tiny. Most of the people in our building were young, also. Thankfully, the apartment was in a nice area. The people were friendly and they didn't care when one of the young adults in our building threw a party. Mostly because the other people in our building were a bit on the relaxed side. None of us threw parties, and if we did, they were like a seven person gathering.

I walked up the stairs and unlocked my apartment door. I collapsed onto the couch. My head was throbbing. My hand reached for the remote on the coffee table and I turned the TV on. No matter how much tried, I couldn't fall asleep. I let my feet drag myself to the kitchen and I simply made macaroni and cheese for dinner. I set the table and decided to go ahead and eat.

From where I was eating, I could hear shuffling from the front door. I stretched my neck to sneak a peek at where the noise was coming from. Mandy emerged and she was carrying shopping bags, "Sorry I'm late, I did a little shopping."

"I see. Where'd you go?"

"Well, after work I went to Wal-Mart and got some groceries. After that, I went to the mall and got a few clothes, "Many already graduated college. She attended NYU and majored in photography. She really is a talented photographer. Unfortunately, her photos don't pay the bills, so she works in a music store in New York.

"So, when is your car ready for pick up? I'll need my car tomorrow."

"Chill. I'm going to go pick it up after I eat this delicious dinner you created," she handed my keys to me and took a seat next to me.

"Was that sarcasm I heard?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love mac and cheese, but we always have mac and cheese," she groaned.

I rolled my eyes and set my dishes into the sink. I walked towards my bedroom and let Mandy go get her car. With one look around my bedroom you could tell it needed a little cleaning. Since nothing seemed to occupy me, I straightened the room a bit. I was satisfied with the outcome and grabbed my laptop.

My Creative Writing teacher requested that each student write an essay reminiscing on one of their favorite memories. Thankfully, she requested us to turn it in before we left for Christmas break. The time must have flown by because once I glanced at my alarm clock it was past ten. My goal for the night was to be in bed by ten. I dug my nails into my bed sheets and counted to ten. My schedule was off, and I absolutely hate when my schedule was off. I began to drag my feet to the bathroom and prepared myself for bed.

I figured since I was in bed by the time I planned, let's just go ahead and finish the introduction paragraph I started. A few yawns escaped my mouth and I gave up. I turned my laptop off and fell asleep.

Today was my day off, so sleeping in until eleven was on my agenda. Suddenly, the smell of bacon crept into my nostrils. I sleepily walked into the kitchen and saw Mandy cooking bacon, "You know, this is really hard for me to cook considering I'm a vegan, but you can call this your thank you for letting me use your car, "she said with her back turned to me.

"Yeah, yeah. Just fork over the bacon," I giddily accepted the plate of bacon and dug in. Mandy walked over to the TV and plopped onto the couch, "Look at this! Lindsay Lohan is in jail again!"

"You know, she was my idol back in her Parent Trap days! I can't believe she let her career spiral into that crap," I said with a mouth full of bacon. The TV displayed a trailer for the new Three Musketeers movie. They showed a clip of a young man with extensions on. He seemed really familiar so I pointed at the screen and called Mandy, "Hey, that guy, where's he from?"

"I think he was in that Percy Jackson movie, "she shrugged.

I left my plate on the counter and walked to my room. I went through my movie collection in the boxes under my bed and grabbed the Percy Jackson movie. I read all the books and was thrilled when I heard they were going to convert it into a movie. I stuck the movie into my laptop and watched the movie. The Lerman guy was kind of cute. But, alas, Channing Tatum and Shia Labeouf were most definitely the sexiest men I've ever seen.

I changed my clothes and sat on my bed. I grabbed my laptop and logged into my facebook account. Like any other person in the world, facebook was my life. I could spend hours on it by just creeping on others' profiles. If you hated facebook for any unusual reason...there's something wrong with you. Although, I'd agree with you if you said you hated facebook because of everyone's outrageous comments, posts, or statuses. And the people that had about two albums full of pictures of just them with captions like, "I'm so ugly."

If they're "so ugly" then why do they have two whole albums about themselves? My phone rang and with my eyes glued to the computer screen I grabbed my phone and answered it. The Other end must've been driving because there was a bit of static.

"Lea, it's Norah! I need to know if you and Mandy are going to the party tonight!" Norah yelled. Norah was a party animal. She loved parties. When her parents are out of town, she threw raves at her family's penthouse. She soon gained a reputation if throwing awesome, yet very crazy parties. No one ever knew what to expect from the parties. Thing like fights, broken household items, and weird drunk partiers were what I usually thought about when Norah's penthouse parties came to mind, and quite frankly, her raves frightened me.

Norah called my name into the microphone and was impatiently waiting for me to reply, "Well, I might be busy, but I'm pretty sure Mandy can go."

"Dammit, Lea! Have fun for once!"

"You know I don't drink or smoke! And that's what usually happens at the parties!"

"Hey, I don't smoke! But I do drink...a lot. But this will be great! All you have to do is avoid the drinkers and stoners! Please come! You know you like to dance!" she pleaded.

"Dancing I like. Grinding? Not so much, Norah," I sighed.

"Just go! I have to go, there's still at least fifty other people that I have to call. Don't forget. My penthouse, nine o' clock, and tell Mandy, "she hung up without another word.

Mandy agreed with Norah after I reminded her about the party. She said I deserved to have fun. She grabbed my hand and led me to my room. Mandy dug through my wardrobe and cursed. She rolled her eyes at me and said I had no party clothes.

Mandy made me take a quick shower, and there, sitting on my bed was a glittery shirt with skinny jeans and silver pumps. My jaw dropped,"I can't pull that look off! I'm perfectly fine with my jeans and graphic tee, "I pointed at the outfit I set on my bed also.

"Oh please, the outfit I picked out for you isn't even that bad. You're seriously overreacting. My outfit is, like, five hundred tine sluttier than yours."

I glared at her and finally gave up. I accepted the outfit and let Mandy take a shower. She owes me-big time. Once she was finished I walked into the bathroom and plugged my hair straightener into an outlet. My good-for-nothing, partying roommate strolled in a very, and I mean VERY short dress with a long v-neck. It was strapless, and all she wore to cover her legs were black tights, "I told you I'd look sluttier, "she sighed while she began to tease her long blond hair.

"I still can't believe you're making me go to this thing. By the way, you're going to freeze to death, "I replied.

"Oh well, "she put a Snooki-like poof in her hair and adjusted her make-up.

All I had gotten done was straightening my hair and adding mascara. I patiently waited for Mandy while resting on the living room couch for another fifteen minutes. I heard the clapping if her high heels on the wooden floor and she stood in front of me, "Let's go."

We decided to take her car because mine was a piece of crap and had a tendency to break down randomly. She placed her keys into the ignition and began to drive to Norah's. Once we reached our destination we were welcomed in and we strolled into the elevator and reached the swanky penthouse.

Lights were lit everywhere, strobe lights flashed on the dance floor Norah had set up, people were grinding, and red cups were strewn all over the place. I frowned ad kicked a cup away, "This place is a mess! Please don't let me stay here long!" I yelled over the music. Mandy nodded.

Norah approached us and clapped excitedly, "You made it! I love your outfits!" And with that, she left.

Mandy made her way to the beer and left me alone. I sat on one of the long, comfy couches and watched everyone dance. They grinded and groped. I watched in disgust. A creepy guy sat too close to me and the smell of his body odor was way too strong for my nostrils to handle. He looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows.

I scoffed at him and walked away quickly. I spent the next two hours trying to hide from the stinky creep. I found Mandy and she was hammered drunk, "Lea? That you? I'm, like, so glad to see you!" she slurred.

I gave her my hand and tugged her with me while I searched for Norah. I asked many people if they had seen her and they each pointed me to a different place. It was hard navigating through the strobe lights and dancers, especially when Mandy tried to reach for more drinks.

The crowds were shoving me from place to place while I walked and they danced. They didn't even acknowledge my presence. I was beyond pissed.

Norah was in her kitchen taking shots with other guys. They were roaring her name and cheering as she took her fifth shot. How does she do it? I have no clue. I pulled her aside and explained to her (Slowly, because it was taking her a while to let it process it in her mind.) why were leaving. She brushed it aside and let us leave.

I led Mandy to her car and we fought over her keys, "Mandy, give me your keys. I'm going to drive."

She pouted and crossed her arms, "No! It's my car, Lea."

"You are severely drunk. Give me your keys now!"

"Whoa, back off. Alright? And I'm not that drunk!" she whined.

I rolled my eyes, "Do you want to die? I don't! So, give me your keys!"

She reluctantly handed her keys over and I began to drive home. Five minutes into the ride, Mandy passed out. As we reached the apartment, I had to drag her with me into the old elevator. I unlocked the door to our apartment and set her on her bed gently. I made tea, her favorite drink, and set the teacup on her end table.

I walked into my room and quickly changed my clothes and brushed my teeth. Those heels were killing my feet. I collapsed onto my bed and fell asleep.

Author's note

So my friend really like this Logan Lerman guy. We were sitting in homeroom the other day, and she randomly turns around, looks at me, and asks if I could write a atory about Logan Lerman. I wrote this first chapter as...a test drive, I guess? To see if she'd like it.

She loved it.

I've been a fan for for a long time. This morning I finally got the nerve to publish this story (:

Please note that these chapters won't be coming in soon. But you won't have to wait for months for the latest installment. (:

Feel free to review!