Arrival (Part 4)

The bell rang and everyone stood up. He took a few more minutes to go out of the class. Not like he had a hurry. Though it was pretty corny, he was actually enjoying this coming back and looking and enjoying everything he saw. The ordinary classroom, with scribbled-on desks and not-to-sleep chairs, it was amazing.

“So, wazzup man? Everything the same?” came Johnny and indirectly brought him back to reality and normality. They were supposed to get out. “Yep.” he added and they headed out of class into the busy hallway. “I know dude. It’s like this place is stuck in time or something.” Johnny made it sound as if it was bad. Maybe it was, but it wasn’t for someone who’d just came back from the other side of the world.

“What about the people? Are they stuck too?” It didn’t matter though. He was back, and it was okay if the school had decided to wait for him.

He tried to answer his own question while Johnny babbled, and he looked at Johnny for reference. His hair was shorter, but messier. Same clothes, with a small touch of freshmen elegancy. Maturity. The surroundings, the careless students passing by, logically they had grown, some of them. Their attitudes were depicted, whether they had said hi or recognized him on Friday.

“Most of the girls, I’ve known them since forever. So no good or interestin’ chicks.” Johnny finished. “Chicks, huh?” he wondered out loud. Well, now that they had gotten into the subject—
“Yeah. So, hey, how’s…how’s Kat doing?” He couldn’t help it. Well, she was a 'chick' alright. He admitted and now realized he had been avoiding the thinking about her. Not like he was expecting her in Chem. on Friday. Coming back in the plane, he had thought about it, about what he would say when they met again.

First he tried to be optimistic, by guessing she was probably gone or had changed schools, but then realized this guessing wasn’t as probable—and satisfying—as it sounded. Well, maybe she wouldn’t recognized him. About the people changing, he had changed but was too modest as to admire himself. But off course she’d remember him. It was Kat, after all. And her memory was partly the reason why he had fallen for her—

Yes, yes, he did. And he was embarrassed about it, but seemed that he liked to think about it…her. He thought of the future back again, and assured himself that something would occur to him eventually. But Chem. had been just too soon.

And now he wanted to know what had been of Kat here, to get a bit prepared for that eventually.

“Kat? Katherine Bristow?! Oh dude, wazzup with her? Somethin goin on still?” Unfortunately, Johnny’s eyes widened with interest. And he thought he was the one asking.