Chapter Ten: Back to School

It's the first day of school after vacation. And back to nightmare for most of the students, but not everyone – hopefully.

Miriallia went to school early. At six o'clock, she's already on the school gate. The first person to switch off the building lights, and to open the classroom.

She sat on her place and stayed there, like a silent angel, reading the bible- her book, I mean.

Her whole vacation was spent on books, presentations and seminars. She was the section, as well as the school representative.

The wind is starting to be chilly- the beginning of winter season. Although the snow shows up occasionally, the temperature can reach down to less than ten degrees. Winter coat is a necessity.

She was already on page twenty-five when a familiar classmate entered the room. A very familiar one. Yzak Joule.

"Morning…" he said dully.

She folded her book and smiled warmly at him.

"God morning Yzak. How's vacation?"

"Fine…"

End of conversation.

She couldn't help but blush.

He greeted me first!

She was very happy with this simple gesture that she received. For a one-sided love affair, a simply hello could mean 'I love you forever'…the reason why a lot of hopeless romantics commit suicide.

The next people to show up aren't happy at all.

She was walking along the hall when she saw someone waiting for her at the stairs.

The poltergeist of Halloween could have been better.

Cagalli pretended not to see him- walked straight ahead.

As she passes by, he spoke.

" Mom said she wanted you to have dinner with us tonight."

"And what makes you think that I'll agree?" Her eyes were beginning to spit fire on his face.

"Find an excuse or something. That's why I'm telling this to you. You have a whole day to think," Athrun said coolly, ignoring her stare.

"Fine."

She entered the room and saw Miriallia. Athrun followed and went to his seat.

"Mir! How's vacation?"

"Well, it's okay. The seminar I mean. How about you?"

Cagalli paused for a moment.

Should I tell her that I had just received my first kiss in the most unromantic manner? Like I was screaming after that happened and slapped the culprit on the face- twice?

She slapped Athrun twice. Hard. Athrun somehow regained real consciousness from what he did. He didn't slap her back. But he held her hand when she attempted to strike him for the third time. Tight like a wrench.

"Uhh… not so good. But tolerable," Cagalli answered Mir's question.

The next person to enter the section B door was none other than the gorgeous Stellar and following her was the not-so- gorgeous Shinn.

They saw each other on the gate.

"Shinn!" Stellar shouted as she recognizes the geek's thick glasses.

"How's vacation huh?" She said as she walks with him.

"Not so good… but tolerable." The same answer as Cagalli's.

Shinn remembered how Cagalli stormed inside their room after that incident with Athrun. He wasn't aware of it of course. She was so furious that she pulled Shinn out of the couch. Shinn almost hit the floor. She said that if he wouldn't pack up within ten minutes, she wouldn't speak with him forever.

He was surprised to hear those words from Cagalli. Usually, it was Stellar who's capable of throwing that threat- to Kira.

"How about you?" Shinn asked Stellar.

"Well…" Stellar's words faded. Then sniffed twice. She stopped walking. They were in the middle of the hallway, and everyone's attention was towards them.

Shinn tapped her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"I… broke up with him again!" Stellar said as she embraces Shinn.

She embraced Shinn. It's like a solar eclipse has passed. Everyone within the scenario stopped and gaped at the sight.

The school's hottest girl, embracing the four-eyed geek with peptic ulcer.

Weird but fascinating.

"Uhh… don't do this here…" Shinn's face was red. He grabbed Stellar's hand and walked fast towards their classroom.

Cagalli saw them as they entered.

"What happened to her?" she asked, after seeing Stellar's weeping.

"They broke up again," Shinn said.

"Would that be a bad or a good news," Cagalli commented as she smiles at Shinn.

Shinn guided Stellar to her seat.

" I don't think she's okay, so let's just keep the celebration to ourselves," he whispered to Cagalli.

"I see."

Then Cagalli looked at the seat beside her. Unoccupied.

"I hope he forgot about school," she prayed.

But Kira did not forget about school. In fact, five minutes after Stellar's arrival, Kira suddenly showed up. He walked quietly towards his seat.

"Speaking of the devil…" Cagalli said to herself.

"Did she tell you?" Kira asked without looking at her. Just staring ahead.

"Are you talking to me?" she replied.

"Of course Cinderella, who else?"

"Don't call me names."

"Well you're fortunate I referred to you as Cinderella- not Ursula or Quasimodo."

"What the hell did you do her?" She was already too fired up for a fight. First with Athrun, and then with Kira.

"Ask her. Maybe she could tell you the whole story," Kira said. His tone was quite different- a little serious.

The class is beginning to complete itself. Dearka arrived with his new haircut, Meyrin with her new braces, and Flay with - her small brain and sneakers.

Luna was absent. She told Shinn that she couldn't make it to class because of some diarrhea. Of course she obliged him to lie about the true reason for her absence.

"Tell Mr. La Flaga that I've just arrived from Switzerland," she told him on the phone.

"You wanted me to think of some lame excuse for your absence? Diarrhea isn't such a bad one," Shinn replied.

"Well if you tell him or anyone about that, I wouldn't give the souvenirs that I bought for you. Do we have a bargain cousin?"

"Yeah, whatever."

So, Luna was absent. At least the devils of section B were reduced by one- just for a day.

The last person to arrive was Lacus Clyne.

For thirty minutes, Yzak had been looking impatiently at his watch. Waiting. Mir was observing him while she reads. She didn't know the reason for his distress.

He saw his girlfriend walking towards the room. He went outside to meet her. Carried her bag and held her hand as they entered the door.

Everyone was surprised with this deliberate display of affection.

If someone could put an animation of the class, that moment would be a good one.

Meyrin and the others were wearing big question marks on their heads.

The scene was not surprising for Cagalli.

Athrun yawned.

Kira was staring at the window.

Stellar sneezes while sniffing.

Miriallia's eyes were stoned. She felt like throwing up.

"Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom," she told her seatmate.

Cagalli knew what was going to happen so she stood and followed Mir.

Shinn's eyes weren't moving. He was standing near the doorway when the couple arrived. He was pinned to his position… then, everything went blurry.

All he knew was the vision of his princess fading away… farther.

"Shinn!" someone shouted. It was Flay.

Shinn collapsed. He was unconscious.

Cagalli wasn't aware of what happened to Shinn. She was in the women's restroom- with Miriallia.

"C'mon, open this Mir," she pleaded as she knocks by outside the cubicle.

Mir was sitting on the toilet bowl, holding a piece of handkerchief as she wipes the tears on her eyes.

"I… I was so stupid. You know, he greeted me this morning… and… and I thought of happy things, and… now, he took them away…"

"Pull yourself together Mir. He wouldn't be the last guy in this world. Just calm down."

"I want to be alone. Thanks Cagalli, but please leave…'

"Okay. I think Shinn's having a hard time too," Cagalli said as she leaves her friend.

She was deadly right. Shinn was unconscious in his seat. Everyone was in the state of panic as Lacus begins to say crazy things like "What if he goes into coma"- and all.

Cagalli stormed inside the room.

"I knew it!" she said as she pulls herself out of the crowd towards her friend's seat.

He lay there, with his eyes closed. Stellar was crying, while holding his hand.

"Cagalli he… he passed out!"

"Stupid-" Cagalli cursed.

"I think we'd better call the school nurse Yzak said as he dials hi cell phone."

"Man, is he having that peptic whatever attack again?" Dearka said.

"No, I think it's more than that," Flay commented, giving a meaningful eye towards Cagalli.

"And all he needs is some thrashing," Cagalli said.

She grabbed Shinn on the collar, to everyone's surprise.

"Hey, don't hurt him, can't you see he's like dead?" Stellar exclaimed.

Lacus her was on Shinn's right, Stellar on the left.

"If you kill him, you'd be in jail forever," Kira commented on his seat.

"Just shut up!" Cagalli shouted at him.

Still holding her friend on his shirt, she began to slap him.

"Stop acting like this! Fainting after learning about you is princess's marriage…Snap out of it!" She shook him while saying these words.

Shinn's eyes snapped open. She saw Cagalli's panic stricken face.

"You stupid… stupid…' she couldn't continue her words because she's already crying.

Shinn felt like shrinking after seeing his classmates, eyes- all on him. Then he saw Stellar, and Lacus- the reason for his 'fainting'.

"I'm okay," he told them.

Miriallia just went in with the school nurse and Mr. La Flaga.

" Mr. Asuka, you should come with us to the clinic. We'll run some check ups."

"No ma'am, I'm okay," he said to the nurse.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

That afternoon, the three of them were walking home. Each with different thoughts in their heads.

Stellar said to Shinn and Cagalli that she wanted some ice cream.

They had ice cream at the same spot where they always do.

"Are you okay now Shinn?" Stellar spoke.

"Not really," Shinn answered while looking at his melted ice cream.

"It's hard if you love other people and they don't love you back," Stellar said.

"What happened between you and Kira?" Cagalli asked.

Stellar paused for a while.

"We thought of having some space… Because of fidelity issues."

"As always…"

Cagalli forgot to think about her own problem. It was already afternoon.

When she remembered about it, it was too late.

A car stopped in front of them.

Mrs. Zala was inside, and Athrun was driving.

"Oh man, I forgot!" Cagalli exclaimed.

"Oh darling here you are…"Athrun's mother said.

"I smell trouble," Shinn commented.

"Would you excuse us for a while?" Mrs. Zala said.

Athrun's mother went out of the car and took Cagalli by the hand.

"Would you like to have dinner with us? Athrun's father and I are anxious to meet you personally…"

"Uhh… ma'am…"

She was looking at Athrun on the driver's seat. But he wasn't paying attention.

C'mon think of some excuse!

She then looked at Shinn, but she figured that he wouldn't help. Obviously, Stellar is no help either.

She sighed.

"Okay ma'am…"

The car skids off, leaving the Shinn, Stellar, and Cagalli's melted ice cream.

"What just happened?" Stellar asked.

"I have no idea…" Shinn answered.

They were silent for a while. Then Stellar stood up smiling, as if she thought of something brilliant.

"Shinn, do you want Lacus to notice you, or do you want to steal her from Yzak?"

"Huh?"

"I said do you want Lacus to notice you, or do you want to steal her from Yzak?!"

Again, a question mark on Shinn's head.

"We will make that happen." Stellar's eyes were glittering.

"What do you have in mind?"

"A makeover… Or specifically, your makeover!"