It’s officially the third week of Sarang’s last year of middle school, and her first year of school without Luhan. Every morning, Sarang doesn’t know how she gathers the energy to get out of bed and take the bus without her beloved bus buddy. Because Luhan’s new high school was in the opposite direction of Anyang Middle School, and further away, he took an entirely different bus and had to wake up earlier every morning to make it on time. Therefore, she never even got to see him in the mornings.

Sighing, she gloomily downs her breakfast and leaves for school.

However boring life may seem without Luhan to join in on their lunchtime shenanigans, Sarang still has Eunji, Sehun, and Jongin to cause plenty of ruckus in her life, as demonstrated by what she sees when she approaches the school gates.

“What are you doing?” she asks upon seeing Jongin and Eunji engaged in a fierce stare-off. Both their eyes are bloodshot as they glare at each other with ferocity unknown to Sarang.

“Staring contest,” Sehun explains with an exasperated eye-roll. “They’re betting to see who’ll have to pay for lunch today.”

Sarang frowns. “Why don’t we just pay for our own meals?”

“Eunji forgot her lunch money, and Jongin refuses to buy her anything.”

Sarang chuckles. She knows that despite Jongin’s outward prickly attitude towards Eunji, he has a soft spot for her that he shares with neither Sehun or Sarang.

Nevertheless, their friendship wouldn’t be what it is without a fair amount of competition, and thus, the staring contest continues.

“I’m bored,” Sehun declares, getting to his feet and turning to Sarang. “Let’s leave the idiots to complete their staring contest before classes start. I’m not gonna ruin my attendance just to see how this fiasco ends.”

Nodding in agreement, Sarang and Sehun turn their backs on their friends to leave…but then Sehun turns around again to blow in Jongin’s eyes and cause him to blink involuntarily.

“Sehun!” he roars in outrage, and Sehun grabs Sarang’s elbow to drag her along with him as he races away from Jongin’s wrath. The two friends guffaw at Jongin, who’s now at the receiving end of Eunji’s teasing victory dance.

Once they’re a safe distance away from Jongin, Sehun and Sarang slow down to catch their breaths and wipe away their tears of mirth. Doubled over, Sarang breathes heavily with the occasional giggle punctuating her labored inhalation.

“By the way, Sarang,” Sehun says in between his own heavy breaths, “I have a friend who’s starting at Anyang tomorrow. Would you mind if he joined us for lunch?”

Sarang blinks at him in surprise. “Of course I wouldn’t. What makes you think I would?”

Sehun seems hesitant to bring it up. “Well…you were really close with Luhan hyung. I was wondering if…you’d be okay if someone new joined our group so early.”

Sarang laughs at his needless concerns. “What do you take me for, Oh Sehun? It’s a good thing to make new friends.” Luhan oppa would want me to make new friends. “Is your friend transferring?”

Sehun nods. “He and his family lived in the United States for the past five years, and they’ve just recently moved back here. We used to live in the same building for a couple years before he moved away, and I’ve known him since we were kids. He might be a little awkward because he’s been speaking English since he moved to the US.”

“That’s all right.” I’m awkward, even though I know how to speak Korean. “Is he in our grade?”

Sehun nods. “Only one month older than me.”

Sarang smiles. “I can’t wait to meet him.” Sehun beams at her proudly before they start in the direction of their lockers while he talks about an assignment he’s worried about. Sarang is half-listening, but the other half of her brain lingers on how proud Luhan will be of her once he hears that she’s willing to branch out and make new friends, even without him around to help.

I’m growing up, Luhan oppa. But it’d still be nice to have you here with us.