Chapter 3: Clearing the Air

Jonathan parked his car and walked briskly down the sidewalk to Celeste’s apartment building. He had only visited his red-haired friend a few times before, but he liked the surrounding neighborhood, including the coffee shop two blocks down. With a sigh, he plunged his hands into the pockets and quickened his pace.

‘Why am I doing this?’ Jonathan wondered for the hundredth time since Celeste’s phone call earlier that afternoon. He stopped outside the doors of the building, staring at the buzzer. ‘Last chance to run.’ The idea was very tempting.

“Hello, Jonathan,” a shrill voice cried. “How are you!”

The young man grimaced before meeting the smiling face of Mrs. Johansen. The wife of the building manager made it her job in life to know everything that happened there. With a beaming smile, she handed Jonathan a bag of groceries.

“Are you here to see your friend, Celeste?” she asked, digging through a monster purse in search of something.

“Yes,” Jonathan replied reluctantly. “I’m supposed to meet her at six.”

Mrs. Johansen paused and glanced at her watch before resuming her search. “Oh, you’re early. Such an admirable trait in a young person.”

With a laugh of triumph, she pulled a rather large key ring out of her purse and proceeded to unlock the door. “Don’t worry about buzzing her. I’ll let you in. Oh, and you’re such a dear for helping me with my groceries.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied in a dazed tone as the woman ushered him through the door and to her second floor apartment, maintaining a constant stream of conversation the whole way.

* * * * *

Celeste rinsed the pot and placed it in the drying rack. She brushed a stray lock of her red hair with the back of a sudsy hand. With a sigh, she glanced at the clock.

Her sigh became an exclamation as she noted the time. “He’s going to be here any minute!” she cried, racing through the tiny apartment to ensure that everything was perfect.

Assured that her living room and her dining area were cleaned, she checked on the food in the oven. She froze when she heard the knock on the door. Quickly, closing the oven door, she ran to the door.

She smoothed her shirt and the front of her pants while taking a deep, steadying breath. With a hesitant smile, she opened her door. Her greeting died on her lips as Jonathan stared at her wide-eyed and then starting laughing.

“What?” she asked, her annoyance growing as he continued to chuckle.

He held up his hand and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he stated, after finally regaining control of himself. He brushed a couple of his fingers over her hair, holding a part of the bubbles that were residing in the red tresses.

Celeste felt her cheeks grow warm and quickly tried to remove the remaining suds.

“I hope that you didn’t go through too much trouble for this,” Jonathan commented as he followed Celeste’s retreating form into the apartment.

“Not really,” she stated, glancing over her shoulder at him. A faint ding drew her attention to the kitchen. “Oh, the casserole. Just a second.”

He watched her for a moment, realizing that both of them were feeling uncomfortable. ‘Maybe I should be more understanding with her,’ he thought. He entered the kitchen and began to help her set the table.

* * * * *

Celeste nudged her plate forward and rested her elbows on the table. The meal she had just shared with Jonathan had been a little awkward, but they had managed some casual conversation. The silences that interspersed the snips of dialogues were fairly comfortable.

“Dinner was great, Celeste,” Jonathan said, collecting his dishes and hers as he rose from his seat.

She placed her hand on his. “I was serious about us having a talk, Jonathan,” she stated quietly.

With a reluctant nod, he sat back down. He leaned back in his seat and tried to prepare himself for what she was going to say. ‘However, with Celeste, there’s never a lack of surprises,’ he thought.

“I won’t be going back to school this semester,” she said.

“Honestly, Celeste, you were going to have to transfer at the end of this semester. It was probably a good idea to transfer early.”

She shook her head, turning to look out the small window. “I won’t be going to school at all, Jonathan. I withdrew completely before I left for Tokyo. My application for Edgars didn’t arrive on time, so I will only be considered for summer admission.”

He stared at her for a moment. “So, what are you going to do?”

She gave a heartless laugh. “I really don’t know. I guess I will focus on training. If I learned anything from my battles with Scorpios, it’s that I’m more than a little rusty.”

“You never told me everything that happened in Tokyo, Celeste,” he said quietly.

She finally turned away from the window to face him. “What would you like to know, Jonathan?”

“What happened in that throne room, for one thing. I was so out of it I can only remember pieces.”

“Scorpios had killed Galena,” she stated, her green eyes distant. “I wouldn’t join him, so he challenged me to one last battle. During the fight, I lost the Sun Staff and he was quickly gaining the upper hand. So, I used my Celestial Phoenix attack.”

“Why?”

Her eyes locked with his. “Scorpios had to been stopped, and I had to protect you.”

“Celeste, I . . .”

She shook her head and turned once more to the window. “Please, no pity and no gratitude. You’re my friend, Jonathan, even if I don’t always treat you like it.”

Celeste forced herself to smile when she finally looked back at him. “So, what are your plans for Christmas?”

Jonathan folded his arms across his chest. “My family would like me to go home, but I'm not going.

"You’ve never mentioned your family.”

“Neither have you,” he stated.

“I don’t have any.”

His brown eyes widened in surprise. “Huh?”

Celeste gave him a sad smile. “I don’t have any living relatives. My parents were killed in a boating accident when I was twelve. They were only children, and my grandparents had already passed on. My great aunt, Grace, came to live with me. She died a month after my high school graduation.”

He shook his head. “I had no idea.”

“It’s not something I get around to telling everyone,” she replied gently. “So, what about your family?”

He shrugged. “My parents, a younger sister, and a younger brother live in South Carolina. My father and I had a huge fight about college. Well, a huge fight about a lot of things. I refused to go to his alma mater and I left after we said some pretty nasty things to each other. I still talk to my mother.”

“And your father?”

“I haven’t talk to him in nearly two years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

She shook her head. “You’re both idiots.”

“I didn’t ask your opinion, Celeste.”

“Since when has that ever stopped me?” she asked, drawing a snort and a reluctant smile from her friend. “Family is something precious, Jonathan.”

“I really don’t need a lecture, okay, Celeste?”

“Fine,” she muttered, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender.

A silence fell between them for a few moments. Then, they made eye contact once more.

“Are we still friends?” she asked quietly.

“Sure,” he replied with a slight smile. “Though I don’t know where this sudden source of patience has come from.”

Celeste threw her napkin at him before taking a few dirty dishes to the sink. Laughing, he picked up some dirty glasses and followed her. The evening passed quicker and happier.


Clearing the Air Jonathan parked his car and walked briskly down the sidewalk to Celeste’s apartment building. He had only visited his red-haired friend a few times before, but he liked the surrounding neighborhood, including the coffee shop two blocks down. With a sigh, he plunged his hands into the pockets and quickened his pace. ‘Why am I doing this?’ Jonathan wondered for the hundredth time since Celeste’s phone call earlier that afternoon. He stopped outside the doors of the building, staring at the buzzer. ‘Last chance to run.’ The idea was very tempting. “Hello, Jonathan,” a shrill voice cried. “How are you!” The young man grimaced before meeting the smiling face of Mrs. Johansen. The wife of the building manager made it her job in life to know everything that happened there. With a beaming smile, she handed Jonathan a bag of groceries. “Are you here to see your friend, Celeste?” she asked, digging through a monster purse in search of something. “Yes,” Jonathan replied reluctantly. “I’m supposed to meet her at six.” Mrs. Johansen paused and glanced at her watch before resuming her search. “Oh, you’re early. Such an admirable trait in a young person.” With a laugh of triumph, she pulled a rather large key ring out of her purse and proceeded to unlock the door. “Don’t worry about buzzing her. I’ll let you in. Oh, and you’re such a dear for helping me with my groceries.” “You’re welcome,” he replied in a dazed tone as the woman ushered him through the door and to her second floor apartment, maintaining a constant stream of conversation the whole way. * * * * * Celeste rinsed the pot and placed it in the drying rack. She brushed a stray lock of her red hair with the back of a sudsy hand. With a sigh, she glanced at the clock. Her sigh became an exclamation as she noted the time. “He’s going to be here any minute!” she cried, racing through the tiny apartment to ensure that everything was perfect. Assured that her living room and her dining area were cleaned, she checked on the food in the oven. She froze when she heard the knock on the door. Quickly, closing the oven door, she ran to the door. She smoothed her shirt and the front of her pants while taking a deep, steadying breath. With a hesitant smile, she opened her door. Her greeting died on her lips as Jonathan stared at her wide-eyed and then starting laughing. “What?” she asked, her annoyance growing as he continued to chuckle. He held up his hand and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he stated, after finally regaining control of himself. He brushed a couple of his fingers over her hair, holding a part of the bubbles that were residing in the red tresses. Celeste felt her cheeks grow warm and quickly tried to remove the remaining suds. “I hope that you didn’t go through too much trouble for this,” Jonathan commented as he followed Celeste’s retreating form into the apartment. “Not really,” she stated, glancing over her shoulder at him. A faint ding drew her attention to the kitchen. “Oh, the casserole. Just a second.” He watched her for a moment, realizing that both of them were feeling uncomfortable. ‘Maybe I should be more understanding with her,’ he thought. He entered the kitchen and began to help her set the table. * * * * * Celeste nudged her plate forward and rested her elbows on the table. The meal she had just shared with Jonathan had been a little awkward, but they had managed some casual conversation. The silences that interspersed the snips of dialogues were fairly comfortable. “Dinner was great, Celeste,” Jonathan said, collecting his dishes and hers as he rose from his seat. She placed her hand on his. “I was serious about us having a talk, Jonathan,” she stated quietly. With a reluctant nod, he sat back down. He leaned back in his seat and tried to prepare himself for what she was going to say. ‘However, with Celeste, there’s never a lack of surprises,’ he thought. “I won’t be going back to school this semester,” she said. “Honestly, Celeste, you were going to have to transfer at the end of this semester. It was probably a good idea to transfer early.” She shook her head, turning to look out the small window. “I won’t be going to school at all, Jonathan. I withdrew completely before I left for Tokyo. My application for Edgars didn’t arrive on time, so I will only be considered for summer admission.” He stared at her for a moment. “So, what are you going to do?” She gave a heartless laugh. “I really don’t know. I guess I will focus on training. If I learned anything from my battles with Scorpios, it’s that I’m more than a little rusty.” “You never told me everything that happened in Tokyo, Celeste,” he said quietly. She finally turned away from the window to face him. “What would you like to know, Jonathan?” “What happened in that throne room, for one thing. I was so out of it I can only remember pieces.” “Scorpios had killed Galena,” she stated, her green eyes distant. “I wouldn’t join him, so he challenged me to one last battle. During the fight, I lost the Sun Staff and he was quickly gaining the upper hand. So, I used my Celestial Phoenix attack.” “Why?” Her eyes locked with his. “Scorpios had to been stopped, and I had to protect you.” “Celeste, I . . .” She shook her head and turned once more to the window. “Please, no pity and no gratitude. You’re my friend, Jonathan, even if I don’t always treat you like it.” Celeste forced herself to smile when she finally looked back at him. “So, what are your plans for Christmas?” Jonathan folded his arms across his chest. “My family would like me to go home, but I'm not going. "You’ve never mentioned your family.” “Neither have you,” he stated. “I don’t have any.” His brown eyes widened in surprise. “Huh?” Celeste gave him a sad smile. “I don’t have any living relatives. My parents were killed in a boating accident when I was twelve. They were only children, and my grandparents had already passed on. My great aunt, Grace, came to live with me. She died a month after my high school graduation.” He shook his head. “I had no idea.” “It’s not something I get around to telling everyone,” she replied gently. “So, what about your family?” He shrugged. “My parents, a younger sister, and a younger brother live in South Carolina. My father and I had a huge fight about college. Well, a huge fight about a lot of things. I refused to go to his alma mater and I left after we said some pretty nasty things to each other. I still talk to my mother.” “And your father?” “I haven’t talk to him in nearly two years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.” She shook her head. “You’re both idiots.” “I didn’t ask your opinion, Celeste.” “Since when has that ever stopped me?” she asked, drawing a snort and a reluctant smile from her friend. “Family is something precious, Jonathan.” “I really don’t need a lecture, okay, Celeste?” “Fine,” she muttered, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. A silence fell between them for a few moments. Then, they made eye contact once more. “Are we still friends?” she asked quietly. “Sure,” he replied with a slight smile. “Though I don’t know where this sudden source of patience has come from.” Celeste threw her napkin at him before taking a few dirty dishes to the sink. Laughing, he picked up some dirty glasses and followed her. The evening passed quicker and happier.


Chapter 4: A Day in the Park Sailor Sol: Homefront