The Manhattan Project [rewriting]

O N E.

☆ C L A I R E ☆

Lowering her black Dior sunglasses, Claire McKinley's blue eyes stared at the Manhattan skyline in front of her.

Weary from the long flight from LAX, she carefully walked down the airstairs onto the tarmac, trusting her Dear Frances Spirit booties not to fail her. A sleek black escalade was parked next to the McKinley jet with a driver dressed in business casual attire waiting at the door. Claire looked behind her, ensuring the stewardess and pilot were bringing all of her Louis Vuttion suitcases and trunks to the Escalade.

The blonde walked over to the driver and introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Claire McKinley."

The driver greeted her, shaking her hand with a smile, "Hello Miss McKinley, I've been sent by your father to be your personal driver this year. I'm Arthur."

Arthur opened the door for her and she climbed into the Escalade. She turned around to see that the airline workers had finished loading all of her expensive luggage into the large trunk.

"Excuse me a moment, I have to make a call," Claire informed Arthur as he started to drive out of the JFK airport.

After she set her beloved Balenciaga city bag down next to her, she quickly dialed her father's number expecting him to answer. Instead, she got the next best thing: his secretary.

"What can I do for you, Miss McKinley?" She asked Claire. The secretary's sweet tone made her roll her eyes, knowing very well that Morgan Delaney hated her with a passion.

"Hi, Morgan, I was wondering if I could talk to my father?" Claire said, letting out a sigh.

"Sorry hun, your father's in a meeting right now. Try your mother maybe? Ok, goodbye." Morgan said quickly before she hung up on her. Of course, her father was in a 'meeting.'

Clare knew that 'meeting' was code for the fact that Theodore "Teddy" McKinley III had probably told Morgan that he did not want to talk to his problematic, spoiled, good-for-nothing daughter.

It was only three months ago when the end of her junior year and her plans had been foiled. Informing your daughter that she would be moving across the country to a boarding school for her last year of high school was not exactly a mood lifter.

The news was delivered to Claire by her parents, who she saw only once a day before driving to school. It was safe to say that the McKinleys weren't big on the whole family concept. She remembered how confused she was when they sat in front of her with plastic smiles on their faces as she wondered why on earth would they spend some crucial time of their day with their only daughter.

The decision was already made and not by her. What father said goes.

Moving across the country after living in one city all your life was not exactly going to be easy, especially when you are moving alone. She never relied on her family to be there for her, but her friends were the only thing that made her feel like she had people to rely on.