Nicholas

“Did you want me to drop you off at school again?” my dad asks.

“No need,” I tell him. “I have a friend coming to pick me up. Just worry about the twins. I can manage myself." I give him a small smile.

“Are you riding with Euijoo?”

I suppress a sigh. He’s just like the twins. Expecting an immediate best-friend connection with Euijoo.

“No, Dad,” I say. “I do have my own friends.”

He glances at me and smiles. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re managing on your own. I’ve been worried about how you were going to settle in.”

Before I can respond, my stepmom walks in, coming up behind me, she slides her fingers into my hair and playfully messes up my perfectly styled hair.

“Mom,” I shriek. “It took me fifteen minutes to style this.”

Everyone laughs while I try to fix it with my hands.

A car horn sounds outside, cutting the moment short. I glance out the kitchen window and see Harua’s car in the driveway.

I quickly grab my bag and a piece of toast and head outside. Right when I open the passenger side door, I hear a door open from either side of me and see Jo coming out of his house as well as Euijoo coming out of his.

Jo walks to the car sitting in his drive, unlocking it. Instead of Euijoo going to his own car, he walks quickly past my house and continues on to Jo’s. They stand outside the car as if waiting for someone.

I sit down in my seat and close the door, buckling up.

“Morning,” Harua says, nodding.

“Morning.”

I look back over at Jo’s house when Sungho steps out of his. I watch him in the rearview mirror, walking to join Euijoo and Jo. He brushes past Euijoo and gets into the back seat.

Harua backs out of the driveway when the half-asleep Taki in the backseat pops up, noticing me.

“Oh — hey, Nicholas,” he says, somehow cheerful despite clearly just waking up.