You're So Sweet Read Free

excited to go back to dance. I’m already tired, though!”
    McKinley was one of the newer schools in Vancouver, and it was clean and bright-looking in the morning sunlight. It was a peachy sandstone colour of the sort that had been popular for public schools during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the flag at the entrance proudly flew the United States flag. The school billboard announced that Hancock Secondary’s Senior Prom would be held on June 6.
    â€œI guess something’s being filmed here again,” Alexandra said. “That’s cool.”
    â€œI like the new trees,” Julian said, laughing. The film crew had obviously thought that McKinley Secondary had been lacking in the tree department, and had propped a row of fake trees on top of the grass leading up to the entrance and covered up the wooden bases with squares of turf.
    â€œClassy,” Alexandra agreed. She pushed open one of the front doors, and they entered their school, which seemed to have almost equal McKinley Secondary and Hancock Secondary symbols at the moment. The atrium was a huge empty space right now, and their shoes made loud squeaking noises as they walked across to one of the tables. Alexandra dumped her backpack on one
of the tables with a sigh of relief. “Okay, that’s better.”
    â€œMmm, I can smell cinnamon buns,” Julian said, sniffing. He looked in the direction of the cafeteria.
    Alexandra made a face. “I love cinnamon buns,” she said.
    â€œWhy don’t you get one?” Julian asked.
    â€œWhy don’t you?” Alexandra countered.
    â€œNo money,” Julian answered.
    â€œI’ll buy you one.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œYeah, sure. Here.” Alexandra passed him a toonie, and Julian automatically took it.
    â€œYou sure?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œYou just want me to get fat, don’t you?”
    â€œPretty much, yeah.” They both giggled, and Julian went over to get his cinnamon bun, coming back with a floppy sugar-and-cinnamon-drenched mess and a pile of napkins.
    â€œWant a bite?” Julian asked, tearing a piece off and stuffing it in his mouth.
    â€œSure, thanks.” Alexandra took a piece. “What’s with the skateboard?”
    â€œI missed it last semester, so I brought it back from the Island. And it’s a longboard.”
    â€œIt’s cool.”
    â€œThanks — so, are you doing that Spring Seminar thing?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œTristan said you got a scholarship last year.”
    â€œYeah.” Alexandra frowned as she opened up her thermos of green tea and sniffed it. “It was for contemporary, though.”
    â€œStill, that’s really cool.”
    â€œYeah, I guess.”
    â€œHey, want to hear something really weird?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œTaylor just asked me if I wanted to homestay with her family.”
    Alexandra frowned over the steam from her Thermos. “Don’t do it,” she advised. “They’re nuts.”
    â€œSo’s Mr. Yu.”
    â€œHe’s a different kind of nuts. Trust me, you do not want to homestay with Taylor.”
    Julian nodded. The atrium was filling up around them, and he stood up, stretching out his backpack. “I’m going to get to class,” he said. “I want to try and get a good seat. I hate being stuck in the front or in the back.” Julian got up and left. Even though he had the same courses that he’d had last semester, they still felt better thanks to his break. Fresh new paper, new pens, and he had actually slept. He felt actually excited to take notes.
    By the time Julian got out of school, the clear cold sky of the morning had turned grey, and cold rain had started to drum down. He made his way to the bus stop, walking on the grass to avoid the humongous ice and water puddle that was usually sidewalk. “I’m sooo wet!” he called out to the others as he neared the bus