She had screenshots saved to her camera roll, taken from the Blackridge Academy website. Ezra featured in each one. He posed with his group on a field trip, and with a crowd in theschool's pavilion. Jiyeon had cropped Leila out of the frame, leaving only an elbow and the brim of her hat.
“I know I don’t have a lot here. I felt bad searching through the school newsletters like some kind of stalker. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and then I kept coming back to what my mom said on Saturday night. You know, when she said Ezra’s just like you.”
“Make sure she never tells him. Being just like me is the last thing he wants.”
“Don’t you see it, though? He’s in a uniform most of the year, but when he gets to choose, he copies the way you dress."
Eunjae looked again. Realizing she was right, he said, "Same kid who called me a walking laundry basket."
"Same kid who doesn't hate you. It's the opposite, Eunjae. And I know 'cause I used to do this with Janie. She was everything I wanted to be, and everything I didn’t want to be.”
Her gaze turned inward for a moment. “Sometimes, Ezra’s just like you… but he’s also just like me.”
30
Therewasapoliteway to wake your brother at the crack of dawn, and then there was the Apollo way: flipping the lights on, whipping the covers off, and shaking the victim until they rolled onto the floor in a bundle of blankets and thrashing limbs. The alternate method involved everyone piling onto the mattress while singing ballads at top volume. Joints popped. Bones were crushed. There was a lot of yelling, swearing, and frantic kicking. Eunjae didn't think Ezra was ready for that, so he went with the milder version.
“Time to get up,” he announced, seizing the kid by one shoulder and jostling him mercilessly. Ezra tried to break free, but Eunjae handled it with the cool detachment of a veteran. He’d dealt with worse. For example, you practically needed body armor if you planned to interrupt Jesse's beauty sleep.
Ezra squinted at him. “Why are you here? What time is it?”
“Early. Come on, they're waiting for us.”
“Who? The film crew?”
“No. Hurry, everybody's ready except you.”
“Ready for what?”
Eunjae scooped up a pair of sweatpants folded neatly on top of the dresser. Passing these to Ezra, he replied, “Just get up. You'll see.”
His brother stayed with Simon in adjoining rooms, the closest you could get to a suite at the Monroe Garden Inn. Eunjae cut through the connecting door, a grumbling teenager at his heels, and didn’t expect to find their father waiting by the exit. He’d transferred his coffee to a travel mug. Tucked under his arm was a novel and a box of granola bars, unopened. “I’d like to go,” he said. “If you don’t mind.”
Eunjae shrugged. Upon evaluation, he didn’t mind if Simon wanted to linger on the periphery like a ghost. He was used to it.
Three minutes later, he’d gotten Ezra into the van, Dad following through downtown Monroe. The buildings were submerged in a cold, clinging mist. Kazu suggested that they run to their destination instead of driving. Nicky and Namgyu voted yes. Jungwoo had his headphones on and heard none of it. As for the driver, Max refused outright. “Pass. The high school’s seven miles away and I’m freezing.”
Ezra rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “The high school? Why are we going there?”
“We’ve been borrowing their track. It’s so nice! I love it there. You’ll love it there, too. I know you will.” Namgyu offered Ezra a sip of some terrible green drink. He’d either forgotten or didn’t care that the kid couldn’t understand a word he was saying. “You’ll run and run and run, and you’ll be so tired that you won’t be mean anymore. You just won’t have the energy for it. Aww, I can’t wait! I’ll love you so much when you aren’t mean anymore!”
“He’s kidding,” said Nicky, winking. “Gyu loves everybody, even you.”
“Ha! That’s true!”
They pulled up to an empty campus, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Denny showed up with Kei and a gaggle of production staff. Jesse shambled after them, zombielike, whining nonstop.
“You said I could sleep in,” he wailed at their manager. “Why would you lie to me like this, what happened torespect, what happened to havingmorals?”
“I did say you could sleep in. Feel free to crash in the van.”
“Why does that sound like a trap?”
Denny hefted a giant case of bottled water onto his shoulder. “It’s not a trap. You’re done growing, right? I know how tall you are,” he said, “so I won’t have to measure you for a coffin. Gets you another two minutes.”
“Waaaahhh—”
The members fanned out to do their stretches, cameras rolling. Ezra received a shoddy explanation of how wind sprints worked. He didn't seem to believe they'd be engaging in such insanity until the others took off running. Eunjae went with them. He guessed, correctly, that his brother would follow. There was nothing for it except to join in.
