My Heart Skips a Beat

Hope

Hope feels the buzzing before she hears her phone go off. She looks at the caller and it's her father. Reluctantly she answers.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, my little wolf!"

"Dad it's-" Hope brings her phone down to look at the time "6:30 in the morning"

"Exactly, you should be up and ready by now."

"I don't have classes until 8:30. I have time dad."

"Hope you are legacy of Mikealson Industries. It's time you get out and come back home to take you rightful place as CEO."

"Dad we had a deal. I could stay for four years and then I would go back home. I still have two more years of you haven't noticed."

"I'm aware Hope, but your mother and I aren't getting any younger and I was hoping you'd change your mind."

"Why would I change my mind?"

"I thought you would have ended this foolish dream about becoming a painter when you have already have a job waiting here for you back home!"

"I remember when I was 6 and you took me outside our house to pick flowers. We made paint out of them and painted the flower field in the front of our house. It was the best day of my life. It's what made me want to paint." A single tear fell from hopes face. Oh, how things changed. She hears her dad sigh on the other side of the phone.

"Ok, I'll respect your wishes but Hope when the two years are over you come home."

"Ok." Hope says tired of having this same talk.

Hope hung up the phone and let out a loud sigh. She didn't get enough sleep last night trying to find inspiration for her next piece. She just sat at the blank canvas for 4 hours until she saw it was two in the morning and went to sleep.

With her dad shoving the company down her throat; all of the press about her becoming CEO in the next couple of years she's just...exhausted...overwhelmed?

Her whole life has been her training to become the perfect heir to the Mikealson thrown. She never really knew much other than that and she didn't get to make many friends in her childhood. If you could even call it that. She was homeschooled for the most part. Her parents finally allowed her to go to a private school at 14. She had hoped she could finally experience the things she say in movies. Friends, parties, food fights, gossip, even the cafeteria food. That sadly wasn't the case.

Everyone stayed away from the girl afraid of her father. Well everyone except the Machado twins.

At first Hope thought they were strange. They were constantly asking her questions and following her around like lost puppies. Which she found weird since they've been at the school longer than her. When they spoke to her she never said much, mostly nodded and gave a tight lip smile. But over a few weeks she warmed up to the twins and slowly opened up to them.

As it turned out both of the twins had a small crush on the Mikaelson heir. It lasted a short while though. The three grew even closer over the years.

In their sophomore year of high school they met Cleo. She was a transfer student. Hope and Cleo instantly clicked and became good friends. Cleo had this coolness and calmness about her that just worked with Hope. She was also extremely wise and kind. Hope introduced Cleo to Maya and Ethan and just like her they clicked with Cleo.

It's been just the four of them for a while now. Hope is completely content with that. Besides the twins are hard to handle especially when fighting. And they fight over anything of everything a girl, a sock, the remote, even the last bowl of cereal. It has Hope thankful she is a only child.

Now Hope is on her sophomore year of college at Salvatore University. She studies art. Just like her father she's keen to painting and loves the way it calms her and just makes her feel safe. It's one of the few things she and her dad can agree on.

Hope and father don't have the best relationship currently. Hope doesn't want to take over the industry in the future. Her father thinks differently. Since Hopes the only child of the family besides baby's Nick she's the only one who can rightfully take it.

She knows it's inevitable but you can't hurt a girl for trying. Hope sighs at the thought. All she wants is to be a painter and artist. To live an average life without all the flashing lights and questions.

She lets out a grunt and sits up on her bed. There's no point in staying in bed now  that she's wide awake. She checks the time and it's 7:15a.m. Hm she must have been in deep thought. She gets up and gets ready for the day.

After she's out of the shower she changes into her classic everyday look. Jeans and  old band T-shirt. She buts on her high heeled boots and finishes it off with her signature leather jacket.

She looks in the mirror and runs her hand through her hair a couple times. Grabbing her phone she looks at the time 8:09a.m. She grabs her bag and walks out the door.

'It's going to be a long day'
______________________

I've got an idea of where I want this story to go. It won't be long I'm thinking maybe 12-ish chapters. Idk it depends on how I feel later on. Feedback is welcome! Any kind! Positive or what I could do better for the future and improve!

I hopes you enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will be the 'official' beginning.

-RJ