Angels in the Alleyway

Chapter Three

Catherine Simpson

Looking into the future ahead, all I see is a straight line. A perfectly straight segment at exactly 180 degrees; a completely non-winding path that I could look right down and see the imminent future that is to come: I graduate from high school with honors, get into a good university and from there, I also graduate with honors, I "find" a suitable husband, marry him and have kids with him and with that, I live safely and peacefully for the rest of my life.

It's a promised, predictable future that I've seen hundreds of times and one that, frankly, I am so sick and tired of; but of course, I have never had the courage to say this out loud.

Every single day of my life, I have meticulously followed the path of privilege that has been laid out for me and near flawlessly played the role of the "goody two shoes" child whom has always pleased their parents. At this point of my life, after sixteen years of this, my parents have pretty much already completely trusted me to maintain my high grades in school and to not fall to the wrong side of tracks.

Heck, they even approved of me dating Nate, which honestly wasn't that hard for them. Nate is appealing to them in every single way---he has this neat and orderly charm, he has good grades and a healthy, preppy upbringing. In other words, in the eyes of my highly expectant parents, he's a perfect match to me and I'm sure they hope that we'll someday marry and raise our kids in the exact same manner they have raised me, for many generations to come.

It's horribly selfish of me....but I feel myself craving for something more. Something beyond the planned out life I have always led. For a while now, I have been yearning to break out of the persona I've inhabited as a good girl and instead, experience something new, chaotic and something beyond my satisfaction. Occasionally, I would even long for a passion that is beyond the loving affections Nate so selflessly gives.

But because of how rudely venial and how irresistibly tempting these secrets are, I usually shove them to the farthest corner of the back of my mind, wherein much time will pass by before they start to haunt me again.

Monday morning, I waited for Nate as he crossed the lawn to the front of the school. "Catherine!" he greeted me cheerfully, taking me into his arms before he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I smiled, feeling the blood rush to my face when he gently nuzzled me neck, just like he always does.

"Hey Nate....let's get inside. We don't want Charlie to embarrass us at lunch like last time do you?" I reminded him

Nate pouted a little bit but then he gave me a grin afterwards that never fails to melt the hearts of the girls who love him, including me. As he took my hand into his own and we walked into the school building, I kept on reminding myself how lucky I was, having one of the most popular seniors at Serenity Falls High School as my boyfriend.

******

".....and that is the most efficient way to finish the problem. Well done Ms. Simpson." Mr. Jones, my physics teacher, commended me as he nodded at my complex method drawn out at the blackboard. I muttered a small "Thank you" before returning to my seat.

Rosalie, who was right next to me, looked up from her notes and smiled. "Nice job Catherine. You finished the problem faster than I did." she whispered

Flattered yet at the same time embarrassed, I insisted that she was still the smarter person with the better grades---which is very much true. Rosalie Lopez has one of the highest grade point averages in all of Serenity Falls and she is also a top member of the school's various academic clubs and teams.

I admire her quite a lot but she prefers to keep to herself and to study most of the time. She isn't really that concerned about making friends with other people and it's actually somewhat uncommon for the both of us to speak to each other at all.