Hummingbird Heartbeat

Chapter 1

Sixteen, smart, pretty, and from a very wealthy and sophisticated family, Claire Dearing had her life figured out. She was the best in class and in her school all together. She liked studying and reading and her dream was to go to Yale, like her dad and grandfather had. She wanted to study something interesting like political science and simply rule the world, make it a better place.

From a very young age, she had been very determined, and kind of a control freak. At the age of three, her parents would watch her align her toys by size. Once she started elementary school, her notebooks were color coded and by fifth grade she already had her own studying method.

She was the pride of the Dearing family, not once had she gotten in trouble or grounded. She was the youngest of two sisters. Karen, the eldest, was ten years her senior. She was engaged to her long term boyfriend, Scott, but still lived at home with her parents and younger sibling, with whom she had a strong bond, and had promised to never leave her side until Claire eventually went to college.

Robert and Eleanor Dearing both came from prestigious families, generations of successful businessmen and women who were involved in society by hosting all kinds of public events, like charities. They were caring but strict. Karen still lived at home also because their old fashioned modesty wouldn't allow her to move in with a man out of wedlock. The eldest Dearing sister didn't find this too much of a problem, since she was waiting for Claire to graduate High school to get married and start her own family.

Karen had been a teenager in that household and knew how challenging it was. Claire had always been there for her, and their close bond simply kept her from leaving her behind on her own when she was starting the most difficult phase of adolescence.

Every morning, on her way to school, Claire would come downstairs and find dad reading The Wall Street Journal. He would always shoot her a quote from a literature novel and Claire gave him the author and the name of the book. It was a little trivia they shared since her 8th grade.

Some days, her boyfriend, Sam Thompson, would need a ride to school and so he would ride his bicycle to Claire's place. He had been raised to be a gentleman and would always clean his feet on the entrance mat before stepping in and ring the doorbell. He would make sure he greeted Robert with a handshake and exchanged some words with him about the latest stock market stats.

He then would make sure his girlfriend's mom got a warm compliment and asked Karen about Scott. Claire and Sam had been together for over a year and her family was very welcoming of the relationship.

Sam was a great student with goals set straight, and he respected Claire like the lady she was. Not to mention, he was the typical pretty boy with chocolate brown hair, a classic clipper haircut with short layers that allowed Claire to run her fingers smoothly through it. He had deep blue eyes and the pair of glasses he wore only made him look more intellectual than he already was.

"Are you ready, lovebirds?" Karen gave her father a kiss on the cheek. She was running late to work but their school was on her way there so she didn't mind giving both teens a ride.

Claire and Sam giggled. He gently reached out for the redhead's backpack and adjusted it over one of his shoulders, having his hanging from the other one. Claire smiled faintly at the gesture. They walked to the kitchen so she could fetch some of her notebooks but he beat her to it and carry them for her.

"We are leaving, mom." Claire announced, the woman was on the phone planning one of the gala events they had coming at the end of the month with her elite group of friends.

She nodded before excusing herself to the person on the other line. "I hope you can come for dinner tonight, Sam." She offered. "We are having pot roast and I know how much you like it." She smiled.