You're So Sweet Read Free Page A

stop.
    â€œMaybe not the best day to bring your skateboard?” Anna called back to him.
    â€œHey, so I heard from Aiko that the Demidovskis have finally decided what ballet we’re doing for June show,” Alexandra interrupted, her teeth chattering.
    â€œYou know what might help you warm up?” Delilah asked, shaking her head. “This.” She fixed Alexandra’s scarf so it was no longer purely decorative.
    â€œSo, what did they decide?” asked Taylor, skipping from foot to foot as she tried to stay warm. The slush was now more like snow, and was no longer melting but sticking. The wind started to pick up.
    â€œ Coppelia ,” Anna answered before Alexandra could.
    â€œWell, I know what role I want,” said Delilah positively. They waited. “Dr. Coppélius, ob-vi-ous-ly,” said Delilah. They burst out laughing.
    â€œI can so see you with that cane, poisoning poor Franz.” Tristan laughed.
    â€œI am so not even ready to think about June show,” said Taylor. “Right now all I want to think about is YAGP.”
    â€œYou’re going to compete?” asked Alexandra, staring at her.
    Taylor shrunk a little into her coat as everyone stared at her. “Yes. Mrs. Demidovski said I could,” she added defensively.
    â€œThat’s cool,” Alexandra said expressionlessly. The others started sniggering.
    â€œThe Demidovskis were okay with you going?” Tristan asked, disbelieving.
    Taylor blushed and muttered something unintelligible involving the words “thinking about,” “Mrs. Demidovski said,” and “my mother.”
    â€œI think,” said Angela virtuously, “that you should only do competitions when you are really ready for them. Otherwise, what is the point? That’s why I’m not going. But maybe next year, who knows, if I work hard enough?”
    Tristan mimed doing a laborious arabesque behind Angela’s back, reducing the rest to giggles.
    â€œWhere is that bus?” Alexandra went into the middle of the street to see if she could see it coming. “ Still can’t see it.”
    â€œTaylor,” Julian said quietly, coming up to her while the others were distracted by trying to tell if the bus was in service or not, “is that the competition you were talking about? For me to do with you?”
    Taylor nodded, looking surprised. “Of course. If you want to.”
    â€œOf course I want to,” Julian said. “But … are the Demidovskis okay with me doing this competition? I mean, it’s kind of a big deal, right?”
    â€œYeah,” Taylor giggled. “I’m so excited.”
    â€œYeah. Kind of scary,” Julian agreed.
    â€œJulian, how come you don’t want to live at our house?” Taylor asked. “I think it would be fun.”
    â€œUh —” Julian stammered. “It’s not that I don’t want to live with you guys, I just already live with Mr. Yu. I think it would hurt his feelings if I moved out.”
    â€œOh, okay.”
    Julian stood in front of the schedule, trying to figure out which teachers they had for class. Okay, so obviously LPY was Mr. Yu’s initials, as usual, but one of the slots just had an asterisk instead of a name. Who was it? Was that the academy staff’s way of saying that they had no idea who was teaching today? “Tris, who’s the asterix?”
    â€œObelix’s best friend,” said Tristan solemnly.
    Julian stared at him blankly.
    â€œYou never read those comics?” Tristan exclaimed. “That sucks. But, seriously,” he continued in a quieter voice, putting a hand on Julian’s shoulder and steering him down the hallway and thus hopefully out of earshot of the academy office “that means Mr. Demidovski’s teaching today. He always gets an asterisk, we’re not sure if it is because he’s terrified that the parents will realize he still teaches