The Prince of Manhattan Read online

  2.

  Miranda Hazelgrove groaned as her alarm went off, she had only slept for four hours. She had stayed up late getting her assignment done, an essay on Epicurean philosophers during the late Roman empire. She had only just managed to complete the essay before she called it a night and collapsed on her bed. She sat up and stretched out her limbs and let out another groan as her body fought to keep her in bed. She hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in ages, not since she had moved to Greenwich Village in order to attend New York university. What was I thinking? I should have stayed in Albany, I can’t keep living like this forever. She made herself a cup of coffee, stuffed some cereal down her throat and then took a shower. The hot water dispelled any remaining grogginess and left her alert. When she got out of the shower she caught sight of her body in the mirror. Medium brown hair, blue eyes and a trim body stood out. Her tired eyes also stood out and she groaned when she realised that she would have to do her makeup. She got out of the bathroom and back into the main room of her studio apartment. It was a pretty threadbare affair, not surprising considering she lived in one of the most expensive cities in the world. There was a bed with her laptop and her smartphone resting on it. In front of the bed was a drawer with a small television resting on it. There was also a wardrobe next to the wall facing the street which contained most of her clothes. The walls were a bland pastel colour, the only painting hung from behind her bed, it was a replica of The School of Athens by Raphael. The floor was hard wood and in regards to cooking there was only a small bench top with a tiny alcove that fitted a small fridge. The only indulgence in the tiny flat was the balcony, it was next to her wardrobe and she had a small coffee table and two chairs laid out there. The blinds were closed but sometimes she liked to open them and go rest on the balcony, doing her work or just reading a book and listening to the sounds of the city and enjoying the view. It was one of the few pleasures her place afforded her.

  Miranda opened up her wardrobe and dressed herself for the day ahead. Her stomach grumbled and she knew that she hadn’t eaten enough breakfast but she didn’t have enough time to satiate it. She had a class to attend and she had been late enough times to know that she had to pick up her game. Professor Hamilton is already frustrated with me enough for not getting my last assignment in on time. It wasn’t my fault, the USB I had it on was lost and I had to start again with only three days to do it but he didn’t care. He doesn’t care about any of that stuff, nobody here does. It’s all work, work, work and if you fall behind then too bad. Oh listen to me go on, I’m already making excuses for myself, I’m better than that. She slipped on a plain white t shirt, a dark green bomber jacket, a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of sneakers. Then it was only a matter of returning to the bathroom and painstakingly applying her makeup. Once she was done with that, she stuffed her laptop into her backpack and pocketed her smartphone and wallet, she was ready to face the day. She opened the door to her flat and closed it behind her and then walked down the narrow corridor towards the elevator at the end of it. The apartment complex she lived was quite large by Greenwich village standards, it was around ten stories high and she lived on the ninth floor. It had been cheap by New York standards and she had taken it with her parents blessing, they had put down money for the bond and to this day they still paid most of her rent. It made her feel guilty but she knew that she would have no other way of attending New York University if it wasn’t for her parents income. Most of the students she knew were in the same situation, none of them paid their own way, it was just too impractical.

  Miranda reached the end of the corridor and pressed the button for the elevator to come to the ninth floor. It was a nice touch, one of the few amenities that the complex possessed as a whole, it sure beat having to take the stairs. When she had first moved in she had deliberately taken the stairs in order to keep herself active, the daily effort ended up dwarfing any kind of gym work she had ever done. Her legs were strong and limber as a result, which for Miranda was at least one thing she could acknowledge that she had improved on since she had arrived in the Big Apple. The elevator arrived and she stepped in and pressed for the ground floor. She checked her smartphone and was relieved to see that she was still on schedule. She would go to class first thing’s first, then have lunch and then go to her job as a waitress at Duffelburger before coming home late at night and then forcing herself to do some studying. Maybe if she was lucky she would get in some Netflix or read a chapter or two from her Kindle. It was a small consolation that she only had to work three day’s a week, the rest of her time being freed up for studying or socialising. Or socialising… Yeah about that. Making friends was something that Miranda had found hard in the big city, there were some weekends when she wasn’t invited out at all. All of her high school friends were either still in Albany or had moved elsewhere across the country or even overseas.

  The loneliness was one of the biggest downsides of her current life, and that wasn’t to get into her love life. She hadn’t done anything with boys in high school, at the time she hadn’t felt ready and she had never really connected with anyone. She thought that would change once she moved to New York but since then she had failed to luck out. Besides a few awkward Tinder dates which had ended at dinner and a handful of vaguely flirtatious interactions with retail workers she had next to nothing to show for her efforts. She always told herself that there were other things she could do but she either didn’t have the time or she just didn’t feel like pursuing them. She didn’t think she was ugly but she wondered if her personality was too off putting for guys. Am I too quiet? Do I read too much? Am I not funny and spontaneous enough? Do I come off as rude? Why can’t I stop thinking about these things all the time? Miranda sighed as the elevator door opened and she got out onto the ground floor. She strolled through the lobby and then out into the sunshine, it was summer in New York and if it wasn’t for air conditioning she would have been cooked alive in her little chicken coop flat long ago.

  She walked down the street a brisk pace, even though it was early morning the streets were already beginning to fill up. Commuters and students were bustling around and there was a low level of friendly chatter in the air. One of the good things about living in Greenwich Village was that she was close enough to her university campus to walk there rather than take public transportation. After around half an hour of walking she arrived at New York University, she then made a beeline for her lecture hall. Her lecture began in just a few minutes and she needed to hand in her assignment before it began. She entered the hall and handed off her assignment to professor Hamilton who responded warmly when she handed in her paper. Miranda then found a spot to sit down while the hall steadily filled up. In the end a girl name Vanessa sat down next to her with her friends. Vanessa was the girl she had sat next to during her first lecture, when she had no idea who anybody was and she was just a scared twenty year old fresh out of Albany. The two of them had become well acquainted though it would be a stretch for Miranda to say that they were good friends. Besides having lunch and very occasionally being invited to parties there was little that Miranda and Vanessa did together outside of their studies. Miranda found it frustrating but she was grateful at least for the company, it could always be worse.

  “Did you get the assignment done?” Vanessa asked turning to Miranda.

  “Yeah” Miranda replied truthfully. “It took me all night though, I think I’m going to be the first person to die of Epicureanism”.

  Vanessa laughed, “It took me forever as well. If I have to read about Ataraxia one more time I think I’m going to ditch this course”.

  “Now students it’s time for us to begin” professor Hamilton began, silencing everyone in the hall. “Today we are going to be studying Plotinus as part of our section on the late Roman empire, I expect you all to be taking notes”. Miranda opened a notepad and took out a pen to begin writing down with. “First of all Plotinus lived in a time in which Christianity was rapidly becoming a major religion in the Ro
man empire” Hamilton continued. “Despite this he remained a staunch Platonist and from him we can see the flourishing of the school of philosophy known as Neoplatonism”. For the next four hours Miranda listened intently and wrote down notes. By the time the lecture was over she was mentally exhausted and her stomach was grumbling with hunger. “Are you going to go down to Killiny’s?” Vanessa casually asked Miranda.

  “The Sushi place?” Miranda inquired.

  “That’s the one” Vanessa affirmed. “If you haven’t been then you must come with us, the sushi is to die for”.

  “Sure” Miranda agreed.

  The gaggle of girls left the hall and ventured across campus until they reached Killiny’s Sushi emporium. It was a small independent joint run by an eccentric Russian who was known for his bizarre experiments in the field of sushi recipes. The girls entered the restaurant and grabbed some of the sushi that was rolling around on the conveyor belt. Miranda chowed down on the grub eagerly, she was famished due to her lack of a decent meal earlier in the day. “So did you hear about Anastasia?” one of the girls mentioned.

  “No what happened with her?” Vanessa asked, ever the queen bee.

  “She broke up with Daniel” the girl replied.

  “Oh wow I thought they were so good together” Vanessa feigned surprise. The gossip continued but Miranda took little part in it, she was too eager to eat and fill her famished stomach. She also didn’t know a great deal about the social milieu that the girls were discussing, she wasn’t exactly in on all of their shenanigans. “Well I guess that leaves the summer ball” Vanessa said as Miranda finished a California roll.

  “The summer ball is going to be hectic” one of the girls imparted.

  “All of you girls are going right?” Vanessa followed up, looking around at her obedient school of fish.

  “Defs” one of the girls replied.

  “Yeah” Another answered.

  The girls all answered except for Miranda, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go yet. The summer ball was a dress up party held twice a year during summer that involved copious amounts of alcohol, loud music and drama, Miranda had never been but the thought of going made her apprehensive. It was supposedly customary to bring a date and she didn’t have anyone that she could go with, that and she didn’t have a costume. “You’re coming right Miranda?” Vanessa asked.

  Miranda nearly choked on her meal when she heard that and the group’s attention focused on her. “Uhh… well the thing is” Miranda began, unsure of what to say.

  “You’re defs coming” Vanessa insisted. “It’s going to be the biggest party of the year, they’re bringing in Little Joey all the way from Sacramento to DJ the event. You can’t miss it, it’s going to be amazing”.

  Miranda cleared her throat, “sure I’ll go” she said in a voice she wished wasn’t so timid.

  “Great” Vanessa replied smiling. “It’s on Saturday night but I’m sure you already know that”.

  “Yeah” Miranda said while nodding.

  “Who are you going to bring?” one of the girls quizzed a little mischievously.

  “Miranda doesn’t have to answer that” Vanessa interjected. “It’s a surprise, if she told us then it would ruin the fun”. Miranda gulped in relief as Vanessa came to her rescue. That was an awkward moment right there, what was I supposed to say? That I don’t know a single boy that I could ask out to a party? That if I do show up to the summer ball I’ll be alone and out of place around all of the couples. Vanessa knows I think which is why she saved me from that interrogation. I don’t know whether that should make me happy or sad. Happy that she did that for me or sad that she knows how lacking my life is, oh well.

  “I’ve got to get going” one of the girls said looking at her phone. “Greg says that his game is beginning in ten minutes”.

  “Me too” another girl intoned, “I have another lecture in twenty minutes”.

  “I’d better get going too” Vanessa added, “I have to get ready for a wedding of a family friend”.

  “And I’ve got work to do” Miranda sighed as she stood up. The whole group got up and hugged and said goodbyes to each other. “I’ll see you on Saturday night” Vanessa claimed as she hugged Miranda.

  “See you then” Miranda replied without thinking. They all left the restaurant and split off and went their separate ways, their schedules calling. Miranda checked the time and saw that she only had half an hour until her shift began. Can’t be late again or they’ll fire me, even if it isn’t my fault. Man I wish I could spend this time having a nap, I feel like I’ve been shot by a tranquilliser round. I’ll quit my job when I find a new one, until then I have to slug it out. Better that than forcing my poor old parents to pay my way even more. Miranda made her way off campus and into Manhattan proper. She went down to the closest subway station and took a line to Chelsea, where she got off and made her way through the streets towards Duffelburger.

  Duffelburger was a popular fast food chain that had made national headlines a year earlier when their CEO, Fred Duffel, was outed as being the anonymous editor of a conspiracy theory blog. Among many of the anonymous claims he had made were that vampires were real and lived in a secret parallel society, that the government was using soldiers as lab rats to test ageing suspension technologies and that aliens had been abducting people throughout human history. The company temporarily considered letting go of the CEO in question until they found that the media exposure had massively increased their popularity and branding. Hipsters and alternative types flocked to the chain, considering it ‘ironic’ to eat at the establishment. Rather than disgrace him, the revelations endeared Americans to the eccentric CEO and his wild claims. The company had even taken advantage of the burst in popularity, setting up science fiction themed décor for many of their establishments. For Miranda though Duffelburger was her employer and a tough employer at that. The companies treatment of its workers was less than exemplary even in states with strong labour laws. It was the only job that she could easily get though and she wasn’t willing to quit until she had another lined up.

  She passed some of the bleak housing projects that dotted Chelsea, causing to contemplate the stark inequality that defined Manhattan. Even in the world financial capital there are people struggling just to make ends meet. I really need to remind myself how lucky I am sometimes, sure it might be hard but some people were born onto struggle street. If it wasn’t for my parents then I don’t know what I’d do. She checked her phone and saw that she had at least five minutes before her shift began, it was going to be a close run thing. And then I have more homework to get down once my shift is over, yippee. Miranda rounded a corner and upped her pace until she finally arrived at an establishment with a big Duffelburger neon sign above it. She braced herself and opened the door to the restaurant and walked to the side of the counter. Where there had once been murals on the walls depicting happy chickens giving the thumbs up there were now images of grey aliens happily munching down on burgers with their flying saucers parked nearby. It was part of the revamped marketing campaign as a result of the revelations of the CEO’s crackpot hobby. “Miranda’s here” called out one of the girls working at the register and the manager on duty moved to unlock the door that separated the dining area from the kitchen area. The door opened and Miranda found herself facing the manager, a young man with an even temper and a mild expression on his face, unlike the other employees he didn’t have a name tag or a uniform. “Just on time” the manager said checking his watch.

  “Do the registers need manning?” Miranda asked.

  “No, you’re on waitress duty today” the manager sternly answered.

  “Okay” Miranda answered, stepping inside and going into the bathrooms at the back of the kitchen.

  The heat in the kitchens was almost intolerable, Miranda felt bad for the cooks who slaved away in these conditions. She entered the bathroom and closing the door, got changed into a Duffelburger uniform which was hanging off one of the racks. The c
ostume used to be a simple yellow and red but it had been changed as a result of the new marking campaign, now it was a space age green and black. Miranda put her casual clothes in a locker and then checked herself out in the bathroom mirror. She was looking goofy with the ridiculous uniform on, like a 1950s diner waitress working in a galactic truck stop. Maybe I should wear this to the summer ball. She remembered to tie her hair up in a bun, loose hair would get messy very quickly in an environment like this. Then she stepped out of the bathroom and taking a notepad she left to go serve the customers and earn her paycheck. The dining area was emptier than usual that afternoon, which was unusual considering the summer heat. “What’s with the small crowds today?” Miranda asked Jade, one of the girls who worked with her. “It’s the Yankees” the young girl replied in a Bronx twang.

  “Oh” Miranda mouthed. No wonder there’s so little business today, everyone’s at home or at the bar watching the game.

  “How’s your degree going?” Jade asked, looking over at Miranda.

  “Oh it’s going well enough” Miranda mumbled out. “Just two more years and I’ll have my bachelors and then I can spend the rest of my life paying off student debt”.

  “Just one of the reasons why I’ll never go to college” Jade said. “Once my papers come through I’m off to Fort Bragg, simple and easy. You should do that too, join the military, that or find yourself a sugar daddy”.

  Miranda blushed, “I just need to find a man first”.

  “You’ll find a man” Jade declared. “It’s about finding a man who’s decent, so many of the guys out there today are no good. Their mothers taught them nothing about being polite or respectful, you should have seen the guy I met at a party last week”.

  “I think I’ll just join the army then” Miranda reckoned. “What’s the worst that could happen?”.

  Jade smiled, “yeah that’s my girl. We can be in the same unit together, the Duffelburger division. We’ll have the best chicken in the whole Pentagon”.