Catherine's senses are immediately awakened by the aroma of sizzling bacon and upbeat music from the 90's. She glances at her alarm clock, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep, only to realize that she forgot to set it and is already running late. She quickly gets ready. She has always been determined to fly under the radar and not attract any unwanted attention. She rushes down the stairs like a nimble house cat, she can almost hear her mother's voice complaining about her speed. Then the truth comes to her mind "my mother died last week ". Since the she tries not to be a nuisance in her father's silence and distant gazes. Today is different though; her father's cooking is surprisingly good and they even have a simple conversation. However, before she can enjoy the moment, she hears her friend Nelly's car horn outside. "I have to go, Dad," Catherine blurts out, knowing that he was probably relishing this rare moment of connection with his daughter. Her father tries to protest, but she is already out the door. She knows heard whispers to himself "but today was going so well" as she leaves.
Finally, the person she had been eagerly waiting to see all weekend was here. Behind the tinted windows of a sleek black Range Rover sat Catherine's best friend, the one person who always helped her keep it together. As she approached the car, she attempted to open the door in jokingly - with a frog pose and a mysterious smile. Nelly saw her and brightened up, giving her a special smile that made Catherine feel cherished because no one else earned smiles from Nelly. In fact, most people didn't even bother trying anymore. Catherine was Nelly's only real attempt at socializing. Sometimes it was clear that Nelly didn't want anyone getting close to her, but other times she could be quite talkative - usually when she was high, which was always alone or with Catherine.
Their friendship began in a unique way - during recess in third grade. Davis, the bully of their grade, had targeted Catherine and being new, she had no chance against him. He had her pinned against the wall, demanding an apology for calling him short. The memory of that moment is hazy for Catherine, but the highlight of that day remained etched in her mind and replayed constantly. Even in third grade, Catherine refused to apologize out of pride. That's when her angel (or devil, depending on perspective) fell from the sky with a chair in hand. Within minutes, Davis was on the ground with a bloody shirt and Nelly found herself empowered - something she never wanted - and her life changed forever.
On this day, two people found each other and formed an unbreakable bond by making a promise that few actually keep. They vowed to always be there for each other and have kept that promise through high school. And today was no different as they strolled into school together. And there he was - Davis, the boy who used to bully them both but now the tall quiet kid. He had the frame of someone who played basketball but he never played any sport. After that day, Davis never bothered them again. A year later he got shelled up and extremely antisocial. As they passed by him, he said nothing and didn't even acknowledge them - his usual routine with everyone except Robert. "Sometimes I think we broke him," Catherine joked to Nelly, trying to lighten the atmosphere after sensing some tension from their phone call yesterday. Nelly's silence made her anxious because she remembered nelly's statement from yesterday's phone call claiming Catherine could be heartless sometimes when it wasn't necessary. But her joke seemed to work as Nelly flashed her one of those special smiles before they went through the hallways.