I was exceptionally small for my age, dwarfed even further by my friend’s five-foot-nine frame. She was tall, athletically built, and exceptionally beautiful. It wasn’t a demure form of beauty, either. No, it shot out of her face like sunbeams. Claire was simply dazzling with big puppy-dog brown eyes and ringlets of light-blond curls. She had a sunny disposition and a smile that could warm the coldest of hearts.
