Chapter 22: Welcome Back
The first thing that Athrun saw, when he closed the door to his locker, was Cagalli's smiling face. She was leaning against her locker, with her coat still on and her arms hugging her backpack close to her chest. Her cheeks were flushed, and she hoped he hadn't noticed, but she couldn't contain how happy she was to see him. She missed him during the two weeks he was away.
"Welcome back," she said.
He mimicked her by leaning against his own locker. He smiled at her, and Cagalli could slowly feel herself turning into a puddle. A feeling he had not stirred in her for a while. It surprised her.
Not again, she thought, her heart pounding.
She quickly turned to open her locker, hastily stuffing her jacket and books inside without looking at him.
"How was your break?" she said as she pulled out her binder for her core classes.
Athrun turned so that his back was now leaning against the locker. He sighed. "It wasn't…" he paused staring at the ceiling for a moment before speaking. "Did you have a nice break?" he asked.
Cagalli took a moment to answer. She wondered why he changed the subject but thought that he may have had good reason. "It was interesting…but I had fun with friends." She looked down sheepishly.
"I wish I could say the same."
Cagalli stared at him, blinking.
"The house is…lonely. My father is dedicated to work, and, when he is around, he isn't the most pleasant. He hasn't been since my mother died." A forlorn expression washed over his face as he stared into space.
Cagalli reached up and placed a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. She gave him a lopsided smile.
"It will get better," she said. "It'll take time, but it isn't too late."
Cagalli noticed that his face started to redden. She quickly removed her hand from him, feeling her own cheeks become hotter. There was a hanging silence amongst them. Their eyes looking at everything—the passing teachers and students, the new posters and flyers on the walls, the lockers—other than each other. If it wasn't for the morning commotion, chirping would be heard.
Breaking the silence, Cagalli asked: "Any new classes?"
Looking down, Athrun pulled his folded roster out of his pants pocket. He unfolded it and placed it so the both of them could see.
"You're joining the military program?" Cagalli nearly shouted.
"Yup," he said, placing the piece of paper back into his pocket.
Cagalli frowned. "How come?" she said.
"I was in a similar program, at Zaft, last year. I was the commander of my group. I would've joined the beginning of this year, but I wanted to focus on exploring some of the classes offered." he paused. "I thought about joining the military one day...if need be."
Cagalli sighed. "I guess we don't have any new classes together."
"What new classes do you have?"
"I decided to take P.E. again, but the class that focuses on sports. I will also be taking public speaking, writing II, and digital art."
"You're right...well we still have science together."
"Yes," she looked away and bit her bottom lip. "I'm glad."
Her gaze slowly looked back at Athrun, and he seemed to be taken aback by her sudden meek behavior. The two stared at each other for such a long time that they did not notice that the hall was nearly empty. It wasn't until the second bell rang that they came to their senses.
"Uh...we're running late," Athrun said.
Cagalli's mouth felt dry. "Yeah," she whispered.
The two stared at each other once more before speed walking to their class.
Author Question: Do you think the movie will actually happen?