Read New Beginnings for Free Online

were times when she felt like she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to live in this wonderful happening city. But there were also times that she just wanted to leave. Times when the lights annoyed and the constant crowds of people made her feel invisible. What a feeling—to be surrounded by so many people but to feel completely and utterly alone. She watched some German tourists cross the street excitedly pointing at a yellow cab. She laughed to herself; she had been excited to see the cabs when she first came to the city as well. It seemed to be such a long time ago now. She decided to go and sit in the park to think. It’s the place that she and Ella had always gone when they wanted to distress.
    She walked and sat on an empty bench that was overlooking some friends throwing a Frisbee. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world. She stared at them and realized she envied them. She’d always had a heavy heart, her parents’ death, stress that her aunt and uncle couldn’t afford to take care of her, worry that her grades wouldn’t be good enough to get into Columbia with Ella who was a legacy, anxiety over loving Maxwell secretly and now confusion over the fact that he had a child with Alexis. She thought she was too young for all this turmoil in her life and laughed out loud.
    “A penny?” A man’s voice interrupted her hysterical laughter and she looked over at him. A handsome young man who looked like he was in his late twenties had joined her on the bench. He smiled at her warmly, “Or a dime if the joke is super funny.”
    “Just a dime for a funny joke?” She smiled at him. “My jokes are worth at least a dollar.”
    “I think I can find that.” He pulled out his wallet and looked for a dollar. “But it had better be a good joke.”
    “I don’t think it’s worth a dollar.” She shook her head and sighed. “In fact, I don’t even think it’s worth a penny.”
    “Want to talk?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener.” He laughed to himself then and she shook her head.
    “No. Not really.” She pointed at the group of guys throwing the Frisbee. “They look like they’re having fun. I was just watching them.”
    “You wanna play?”
    “Oh you know them?” She looked at him in surprise; he was wearing a dark suit and didn’t seem to fit the jeans and T-shirt look of the slightly younger looking guys.
    “No, but I’m sure I can convince them to play if you want to.” He grinned at her.
    “Oh, I don’t know.” She looked at the laughing guys wistfully. “I should really be going.”
    “Frisbee’s fun.” He jumped up. “Let’s go play.”
    Sophie studied the handsome man before her. His dark blond hair was cut short and he had deep brown, chocolate eyes. He looked a bit like Leonardo Di Caprio, she thought. If she’d been single she would have been attracted to him.
    “Come on.” He held his hand out to hers. “It won’t kill you to have some fun. I think we both need it.” He smiled at her warmly. “If I tell you I had a bad day as well, will it make you say yes?”
    She looked at his outstretched hand and infectious smile and jumped up. “You know what. You’re right. I need to have some fun right now. Let’s go play.”
    “Hey guys, can my friend and I join?” The man took off his jacket and threw it into to the grass as he and Sophie joined in the game. She laughed as the guys all made sure to throw the Frisbee to her softly
    “You guys can throw it harder and longer.” She grinned at them. “I promise you I can get it.”
    “Yeah?” The guy closest to her grinned. “Okay, we will have to step up our game, you heard the young lady.”
    Sophie was heaving breathlessly after running to get the Frisbee and the handsome man came up to her and laughed. “I’m glad I turned your frown upside down.”
    “Thank you.” She beamed at him. “I needed this right now.”
    “I’m glad I was able to help.” He