章 16: Growing Up
The next morning, Ethan was jolted awake by the sound of something breaking downstairs. His mind was still foggy with sleep, but the sharp noise made his heart race. He groaned, rubbing his eyes, and looked around his room. The sun barely filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the space. Shadow and Oliver, his two cats who were usually curled up by his side, were nowhere to be seen.
Confused and still half-asleep, Ethan tossed off his blankets and stumbled out of bed. He felt the cold floor beneath his feet as he trudged out of his room, the house eerily quiet except for the occasional sound of voices coming from downstairs. His thoughts were still hazy, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
As he made his way down the stairs, the voices became clearer. He could hear Suzy, his older sister, talking to someone. Ethan frowned, puzzled by her presence. Suzy was supposed to be at work, so why was she here, in their house, chatting with someone at this hour? The mystery deepened when he heard her voice cooing with delight.
"Oh my goodness, you two are just the cutest things ever! Where did you even come from?" Suzy's voice was filled with affection, a tone Ethan rarely heard from her.
Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ethan rounded the corner into the living room and found Suzy crouched on the floor, completely absorbed in his two cats. Shadow was lazily sprawled across her lap, while Oliver was nuzzling her legs, purring contentedly. A broken plate lay forgotten on the floor nearby, clearly the source of the noise that had woken him.
"Suzy," Ethan began, still trying to piece together what was going on, "what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
Suzy didn't even glance in his direction, too wrapped up in giving Oliver and Shadow an overwhelming amount of love. Ethan stood there, waiting for a response, but all she did was giggle and kiss Shadow on the head. Oliver, clearly enjoying the attention, rubbed against her legs even more.
After what felt like an eternity, Suzy finally looked up, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, right," she said, almost as an afterthought, "Mom called me this morning. She told me to pick you up and take you to your new school."
Ethan blinked, his sleep-addled brain taking a moment to process her words. "Right... new school…" he muttered, before yawning deeply. He was still far too tired to care about school at this point. Without another word, he collapsed onto the couch, hoping to catch a few more precious minutes of sleep.
But Suzy had other plans. She narrowed her eyes at him, then marched over with purpose. "Get up," she ordered, "We don't have time for this!"
When Ethan didn't move, Suzy gave him a swift kick in the butt.
"Ow!" Ethan yelped as he rolled off the couch, landing on the floor with a thud. Rubbing his sore backside, he glared up at her. "Suzy, that really hurt! I'm telling Mom!"
With a smirk on her face, Suzy waved him off and turned her attention back to the cats, as if nothing had happened. Ethan, grumbling to himself, took the opportunity to snatch his phone off the coffee table. He dialed their mom's number quickly, determined to get some justice.
The moment their mom picked up, Ethan put on his most pitiful voice. "Mom, Suzy kicked me!"
Before their mom could even respond, Suzy swooped in, yanking the phone out of his hand. "Oh, quit being such a snitch!" she snapped, grabbing him by the hair for good measure. Ethan winced, trying to wriggle free.
The call disconnected, leaving their mom listening to dead air on the other side. She chuckled, shaking her head at the scene she could only imagine was unfolding back home. "Those two," she muttered to herself, amused, "they never change."
A couple of hours later, Suzy's car pulled up outside Ethan's new school. The academy was huge, with towering buildings and sprawling green lawns, a place that screamed wealth and privilege. Suzy's eyes went wide as she took it all in.
"Whoa," she said under her breath, leaning forward to get a better view. "What kind of fancy rich kid school is this?"
She glanced over at Ethan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, staring out the window. "How did you even pass their entrance exam?" she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "I mean, I'm the smartest one in the family!"
Ethan rolled his eyes, used to her teasing by now. "Goodbye, Suzy," he said flatly, eager to escape her commentary as he opened the car door.
Shadow and Oliver, who had been snoozing in the backseat during the drive, immediately perked up. As soon as Ethan stepped out of the car, the two cats followed him, hopping down and trotting along behind him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Suzy watched them go, a fond smile tugging at her lips. "My little brother," she thought, "he's really growing up."
Across the street, Seojin stood outside the school gates, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. The moment he spotted Ethan, a broad smile spread across his face, and he started waving enthusiastically.
"Ethan! Over here!" Seojin called out, his voice cutting through the morning chatter.
As Ethan walked over, Seojin's eyes immediately went to the two cats trailing behind him. "Man," he said with a laugh, "those cats of yours are seriously smart. They're always sticking by your side like little bodyguards."
Ethan gave a shy grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess they are," he mumbled, a little embarrassed by the attention. He didn't really understand why Shadow and Oliver followed him everywhere, but it was oddly reassuring.
In his own mind, Shadow was silently judging Seojin, thinking, At least this guy isn't as dumb as he looks.
Oliver, meanwhile, was brimming with confidence. The moment they reached Seojin, the cat strutted over and began rubbing against Seojin's legs, purring loudly.
Ethan burst out laughing at the sight, his earlier irritation with his sister forgotten. Watching his cat win over his best friend with such ease made the whole morning seem lighter. As he walked through the school gates with Seojin and his two loyal companions by his side, Ethan couldn't help but think, Having friends really does make everything better.
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