The Boy Next Door

Chapter 4 _The Bus Stops Here_

LUHAN'S POV

Here comes Mom again. She's got that red-in-the-face expression, even though she's smiling at the same time.

"Luhan, dear, why is everything from your closet now on the floor?" she asks, still smiling.

"Um . . . er . . ."

I don't know what to say. Even worse, I don't know what to wear for the first day of ninth grade.

"Do we have a fashion emergency?" Mom joked.

"Andwae!" I bark defensively. "I got everything under control. Everything."

Quickly, I grab the first pair of pants and polo shirt I see. The pants are corduroy and I can't remember the last time they were washed. The shirt is clean (I think), but it's been in a ball in the back of my closet for as long as I can remember. It's a little bit - okay, a lot - wrinkled.

"Oh, Luhan, take those off!" Mom wails, sounding mad. "Those are winter pants."

"Mom made me exchange the cords for a freshly washed pair of jeans. Then she told me to take the shirt off and disappears into the next room. I pushed and shove the reminder of the scattered clothing into one large pile and nudge it toward my closet. This is my patented "pile" technique. I've been cleaning my room this way for years.

Half an hour later, I'm dressed, cool, wrinkled-free (thanks to Mom), and headed next door to Suzy's. Ever since I was little, Suzy and I have walked to school together. Middle school was a breeze. It was right up the street.

But this year it's different.

This year we have to walk three blocks to catch a bus and then head all the way across town. Our new high school is across the railroad tracks, down by this multi-level shopping area in town. We couldn't walk there even if we wanted to.

On my way out of the house, I catch my reflection in the hall mirror. I look like Kris, all starched and pressed. Too bad there's no time to change out of this shirt with buttons into a t-shirt. At least Mom got me a new backpack with my initials on the pocket. That adds some cool to the outfit.

Just as I'm leaving, my half sister, Yoona, appears. She's wearing this yellow-striped dress I hate with these brown flats i hate even more. Even worse, this morning she's actually skipping around the house and singing off-key. Xiumin, Minho, and I always joke that she was cloned from a bad episode of Barney the dinosaur.

"Shake a leg, Luhan," Mom says. "Suzy's on her front steps. She's waiting. I can see her from here. You have everything? Did you put your soccer cleats in your bag? I know you said you might -"

"Got 'em," I said impatiently, grabbing the new backpack.

"You look very handsome, dear," Mom said, brushing something off my shoulder. Mom is always plucking some kind of imaginary lint off my clothes.

"Mom," I groaned. "Good-bye. Okay?"

"Okay," she says in a soothing voice. "Have a great first day of school."

Yoona yells, "Good-bye, Luhannie!" at the top of lungs, and Mom tells me to say good-bye, but I did not. I just wave without turning around. It is bad enough that I have to tolerate a mutant half sister. I shouldn't have to give her a big good-bye, too.

Outside, the air still smells hot like hot dogs and lemon candy and everything else that's summertime to me, but I know the truth: Summer is long gone. Memories of pools and sunburns and games of flashlight tag flood my brain. Then a voice jolts me from my thoughts.

"Move it, Luhan, or we'll be late!"

It was Suzy. She waves as I jump between two bushes and jog up to her house.