Shadowed Destiny

When I heard the sirens, my heart started racing.

“Shit,” West muttered, excitement tinging his voice. I caught a glimpse of the smirk on his face before Laura and Ariel leaped to turn off the spotlights. We stepped back to admire our masterpiece—an explosion of blue, grey, and black with Athena emblazoned across the large brick canvas. Dropping our empty spray cans, West quickly snatched up the lights.

“We gotta go!” Laura squealed, anxiety in her voice. Her boyfriend, Ethan, grabbed her hand and yanked her towards the far end of the alley. We each had a route planned to avoid getting caught by the police—a maneuver we’d practiced many times before. My route was the toughest, taking me right past the cop cars on the main road. Moving determinedly, I followed my boyfriend toward the alley's opening.

“Run fast, baby,” Nate murmured quietly as we approached the alley’s edge, the blue lights getting closer, sirens blaring. In that brief moment, everything seemed to slow down. I caught the light reflecting off his serious blue eyes, his intense gaze searing into my memory. I wanted to kiss him, and a smile curled my lips, despite my pounding heart.

“You too,” I whispered as the others slipped away in different directions. Nate and I bolted out of the alley, splitting up—he went right, and I went left.

I let my legs carry me as fast as they could. A cop car screeched to a halt when they spotted me, the tires wailing like a banshee as I raced down my route. My breath quickened as I inhaled the cool spring air, my bandanna brushing against my lips. I didn’t look back when I heard the cops get out of the car. Panic clawed at my throat as I felt one of them close in, heavy on his feet. My skate shoes hit the pavement quietly as I ran on the balls of my feet, my muscles burning with the effort. The dark sky contrasted with the city lights that glittered off the broken glass on the sidewalk, resembling freshly fallen snow. Wearing all black, I was like a shadow, the blue lights bouncing off the windows of the towering buildings beside me.

I slipped into an alley, leaping past a few sketchy guys who scattered when they realized I was being chased. My friends were long gone, each heading home by their own route.

We’d done this so many times, but the rush never faded. My shaky hands gripped the cold metal of a chain-link fence separating me from the dark woods beyond. I threw myself over and landed on the other side, taking one last look at the uniformed officer before backing into the trees, out of the orange streetlight’s glow. The cops never followed once I crossed that fence, and tonight was no different. The officer sighed in frustration, catching his breath, before retreating with his walkie-talkie.

Once I’d caught my breath, I took off my hat and bandana, stuffing them into my bag as I made my way home. I wondered if anyone had managed to snap a picture of our art before we scattered.

The next morning, I took my usual route to school and met my friends at our usual spot—a picnic table on the school grounds. I threw my arms around Nate and kissed his cheek as the others greeted me.

“How are you?” I asked cheerfully.

“Fine,” he replied, his usual lie. I ignored his gloomy attitude, something I was used to, and slid in next to him. His blue eyes met mine coldly from under his blond bangs, and my smile faded, sensing his mood.

“Nate, what’s wrong?” I asked softly.

“Nothing, Athena. Forget about it.” He looked away, avoiding my gaze. The table fell silent, everyone pretending not to notice.

“No, tell me,” I pressed, not wanting to let it go this time. He shrugged off my touch, refusing to meet my grey eyes.

“It’s fine,” he lied again, more convincingly this time, waving a pale hand dismissively.

“Okay,” I said, letting it go for now, but I made a promise to myself to figure out what was bothering him by the end of the week. I fell silent after that, pretending it didn’t hurt every time he pulled away from me. I didn’t think I was clingy—I didn’t always touch him or show affection in front of others. We both hated that sort of thing. But it was hard seeing him in pain. I tried convincing myself it was just the Monday blues.