Rules of The Heart

Rule 1: Expectations = Hope

Claire snuck a glance at Seth, watching as he read the assigned novel for their English class. They always signed up for the same classes, but this year, the school had only given them one period together, French. For the first time in their lives, they weren't attached to the hip. But it was moments like these that Claire appreciated, ones where it was just the two of them.

Claire and Seth have always been a part of each other's lives. They were neighbors since birth and their mothers had been friends since high school. And thus, Seth and Claire became acquainted before they even spoke their first words. They've attended school alongside each other since pre-school and have never failed to carry conversations on the daily. They knew everything there was to know about each other. 

Well, almost everything.

As he grew up, Seth easily became one of the most sought out guys at school. The girls deemed him "the King," putting him above the rest of the male population. It was a joke, but Seth was true to the name. He was very attractive. He had deep green eyes and a head of dark hair. Along with a boyish grin, he had an intellectual mind and a wonderful personality. He would easily win all the class superlatives: Best Looking, Best Personality, Best Sportsmanship, Best Smile, Best GPA etc.

Best Friend. That was what Claire was able to reserve for herself. To her, he was person who had been there for her all her life, for all the ups and downs. The person who knew her deepest fears and her greatest desires. 

Except for one: him.

He was both one of her greatest fears and deepest desires.

Seth didn't know how Claire felt about him. They were friends. Rather than test the idea, Seth had learned to not even think about possibilities and to just enjoy what they had right now.

Seth had started dating Felicity, much to Claire's disappointment. A little part of her always thought he might have felt the same. She was taken aback when Seth had told her that he had begun dating the girl from their English class. The bubbly, redheaded beauty who somehow managed to win his heart in less than a semester, something Claire wasn't able to in more than sixteen years.

She hid her feelings from him, knowing that'd she'd rather spend as much time with him as possible than confess to him and lose him forever. Claire didn't have the confidence to believe that he would pick her over Felicity, the only girl he had taken seriously enough to date. That idea was more painful than ruining their friendship.

But Seth didn't make it easy for her to pretend. The two have always been affectionate ever since they were little. Greetings began with hugs and there seemed to be no consideration of what actions may seem too friendly. Seth didn't see a reason to change how he behaved, saying, "This is how we've always been."

But Claire was scared that those actions would be the end of their friendship. With every passing day, it was clear to Claire that Felicity was here to stay. Seth and Felicity had been dating for almost a year, and they were nowhere near the verge of breaking up.

Claire was scared of Felicity and the power she had. Claire was sure that if Felicity really wanted to, she could take away Seth from her in an instant. Claire made sure from then on that boundaries were laid out. She was scared of offending Felicity and, in doing so, losing Seth.

These days, Claire worried a lot about keeping this peace.

"Let me take a nap, Claire." Seth requested, closing his book and placing it on his chest as he laid down. He brought his head down to her lap, closing his eyes. She almost pushed him away, but she relaxed, knowing that the door was locked. They were the only ones who could be at the rooftop garden right now. Claire was the sole key-holder, besides Dr. Burnett, their principal.