Dream Catcher

The heat of the sun was scorching but the cool wind brushed her face like a light feather submerged in ice. As she lay motionless at the playgound staring at the perfectly formed clouds and the stunning blue sky, she heard someone running towards her. She cursed inward as she knew the solemnity was about to end abruptly. As she started to sit herself up, the piercing voice of the intruder yelled, "What are you doing?! We're totally gonna be late in class!". She stood up and brushed the twigs that her uniform picked up while lying on the ground. Cristine is back to reality and she released a great,deep sigh...

Cristine was the youngest in her class. She was average in every sense of that word, she didn't have high grades nor extraordinary beauty that would have otherwise made her standout. She had thick glasses, huge front teeth that makes her look like a rabbit, she wasn't fat but a bit chubby, her skin was always sun-burned cause she goes to the beach every weekend, but she has long, thick lashes, snobbish nose, pouty lips, and beautiful, long, black hair. She lived a very sheltered life. Cristine never had to do any hardwork because they had many helpers at home to take care of everything. Her father picks her from school then drops her home and vice versa. Then again, something is odd about her. Cristine is a day dreamer, she could just sit down and imagine things the whole day. She found her thoughts was a much safer place for her to stay than to live in her reality where she constantly shuts herself from the world due to her irrational fear of rejection. Everyday, she looks at the mirror and imagine that her face was prettier and her body was more shapely.She stares as the girls would swoon over the handsome and popular boys at school, she imagines that it would be her with whom people will secretly admire. Everytime her father drives her to school, she looks at the cornfields that they pass by and imagine her sight was filled with huge buildings and malls like in the real big city far from this sleepy, small town where everybody know everybody. She knew she didn't belong here and so she waited for the day the opportunity would come and take her away to change her life forever.

Years passed and finally, graduation came. It seemed that everybody was already in a relationship and she was so left out. Some guys actually liked her but she was so uptight that no one dared to come close. She loathed seeing how all the perfectly good boys gets stuck with the slutty girls and how the good girls are treated like shit by asshole boyfriends.The fact that Cristine never had a boyfriend didn't bother her at all because she was looking forward to College. She finally convinced her parents to let her study in the big city like her brother and that was all that really mattered... On the night she was on the ship that would take her to the big city far away from this town, she allowed her long hair to fall and be swept by the cool, sea wind. She prayed her dreams would finally start coming true...

Finally, she was in the big city. Nobody knew her nor her family and nobody cared about what she does. College life was different. The city was far from what she imagined. She lived in a small aprtment with her older brother. Cristine's parents didn't allow them to have a helper and refused to give them a car in the city. She had to learn how to ride a public transportation, wash and iron her clothes, cook instant food, and clean the apartment she lived in. She ended up buying contact lens to replace her glasses after it got broken during one of her general house cleaning.She didn't mind working hard because it made her feel independent. She even got so involved in church activities in her school. She became one of the leaders for the schools youth church group where she finally felt like she truly belonged. She went to mass twice a day everyday as a reader, singer,server and eventually, she trained people who are interested to learn mass service. Her  daily routine was home, school,and church but she felt so contented and happy. The only thing that bothers her is that there's only a few students who goes to the school's church.She felt so passionate to bring the youth in the service of the church and she constatly tried to invite people by posting flyers, posters, and internet invitations. Unfortunately, most college students don't really find the thought of church service as a very interesting way to spend their free time.
One day, as Cristine finished her last class for the day, she came to church which was only in the next building. She saw a student coming inside the church and she recognized that it was one of her batchmate in highschool who was a varsity player before. She called him out and as the guy turned around to look, he was suddenly frozen as if he saw a ghost. Cristine was a little confused but she ignored his reaction and continued to come closer. As she stared at the guy, she noticed that he looked different now and she realized that it has been 2 years since highschool graduation where she last saw him. When the guy finally spoke after a while, he stammered through his words to say how beautiful she looked and how much he wants to take her out sometime but then a girl from the back came and called him out. It was his girlfriend. As he was walking away with the girl, he kept looking at Cristine as if he couldn't stop staring at her face. It made Cristine feel uncomfortable. What was going on? At first, she thought the reaction of the guy was fear, but then she realized it was a stunned reaction. As she walked through the church rooms to prepare for the mass, she passed through a slightly opened door and caught a glimpse of herself in the huge mirror. She took a step back and slowly entered the door. She stared at her reflection and tried to remember what she looked like in high school. The thick glasses are gone now so her long, thick lashes were visible, her eyes looked very alluring. It's been a long time since she went to the beach so her skin was flawlessly white and smoother now. She never had acne problems thanks to her mom's genes. Her long hair was parted at the side and tied on a half-pony style. She also went to the dentist last year so her front teeth is better now, it made her pouty lips look more appealing. She was surprised to realize that she has lost 15 kgs since highschool, something she didn't expect because she eats twice as much as she did before. All the excess fats were probably used as energy for her active lifestyle in the big city. Her body was rockin'...Cristine couldn't believe it. She was looking at a different person now. She looks absolutely stunning and she didn't even notice it up until now. She remembered that during rare times when she would go to the mall, many people would turn and give a look of appreciation but it didn't mean anything to Cristine.