NEIGHBOURS | RYEJI

5.

-Flashback-

Yeji POV

Age Thirteen

Dear Diary,

I hate my bedroom.

My friend's is prettier.

It's pink, and she has a real bed, not a mattress on the floor like mine.

She lives in the same trailer court. Her parents are poor, too, but at least they give her something pretty.

Meanwhile, my bedroom walls are a dingy yellow from cigarette smoke.

I throw my diary down and lower my head, glaring at the worn, stained comforter. Ugh. Just writing about it makes me hate my life more.

I pick up the book next to me and open it.

Time to take myself to a happier place where I have a father, a mother who doesn't suck, and an older sister who isn't mean fifty times a day for no reason.

"Hey, Yeji. What are you reading there?"

I peek up from my book to find my sister's boyfriend, Sam, standing in the cramped doorway. I smile before holding up the book, so he can read the cover.

"The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, huh?" he asks. "Your sister said you enjoyed reading."

"I love to read." I wait for him to make fun of me like Joohyun, my sister, does.

She's been dating Sam for a few months now. I only saw him a few times before, but lately, he's been coming around more. My mother hated him at first, calling him filthy names and then sinking so low as to demand he pay her to see my sister. She needed the money to buy drugs and alcohol.

He pays her now-most likely because my sister is younger, and I'd guess he's around my mother's age. Now, she doesn't mind as much. Neither do I.

Sam is handsome. He reminds me of a character from some of the romance novels I shouldn't check out of the library. He's tall with dark hair and broad shoulders and maturer than my sister. It's not unusual for her to date older men, but she's never brought someone home like Sam.

He leans against the doorframe. "Girls who like to read are those with a bright future ahead of them. Their imaginations can take them anywhere."

I crawl to the edge of the mattress and settle myself Indian-style. "My sister doesn't like to read."

He chuckles. "Yes, I am well aware."

"Why do you like her then?"

Joohyun is gorgeous, and even at eighteen, she could pass for someone old enough to get into bars.

Mom lets her go with her sometimes, too. Joohyun is also mean and selfish, and she isn't the big sister girls dream of.

"Your sister excels in other areas," he replies.

"Like sex?"

My response surprises him.

He raises a brow and points to my book. "Keep reading. Excel at that."

He walks away before I can reply.

The next day, he returns with a box of books brand-new books!

"These are for you," he says. "Keep reading, Yeji."

"Thank you!" I squeal, hastily searching through the box. I grab a copy of a Sarah Dessen book and hug it to my chest. "Thank you so much!" The book hits the floor with a thud when I jump up to give him a hug.

When he leaves, I grab my diary and write about how nice Sam is.

.

.

.

Notify me for any mistakes!