“Sounds good to me.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Delilah. “But can we stop by the gelato place after? I’m starving.”
“Sure. I haven’t been there in a long time,” said Alexandra. They got off the bus and started walking to H&M. “I love being downtown at this time of day. It’s so happy, you know? Full of tourists who just had a long day and are wandering around relaxing, and the druggies haven’t come out in full force yet.”
“Yeah, okay, Lexi,” Tristan said, laughing. “But no, you’re right, it is nice wandering around down here this time of day.”
“Um, yeah,” said Delilah, staring in disgust at a man who was relieving himself in an alley. “It kind of depends on where downtown, don’tcha think? Like, more there than here,” she pointed up the street to where H&M was and walked quickly. Tristan and Alexandra laughed and followed her.
Later, as they walked into Mondo Gelato, Tristan and Delilah were arguing. “I just don’t like them, okay?” Tristan said firmly.
“Why?” demanded Delilah. “Look, they are sooooo cute!”
“I don’t like the shoes. They’re ugly,” repeated Tristan for the third time.
Ignoring them both, Alexandra went up to the counter and looked. Half blueberry sorbet, half pineapple, she decided. That was what she always got.
“May I try the strawberry sorbet?” Alexandra asked the server. “And then the mango, and then the mint? Thanks.… Actually, can I have one scoop in a cup, half blueberry sorbet, half…” Oh why not be different for once, she thought recklessly, “banana sorbet?”
“Sure,” the server said, laughing slightly.
“It’s a gelato place,” Delilah said when they all had their orders and were sitting at a table outside. “How come you two both ordered sorbet?”
“It’s better for you. It has less calories,” Alexandra and Tristan answered at the same time.
“Jinx, give me a Coca-Cola!” Alexandra laughed. They finished their desserts slowly as it got dark, and then started walking back down Robson.
“Oh, look, it’s the mime dude!” Delilah said excitedly.
“Delilah, that guy is here all the time, we can watch another day,” Alexandra said, stopping to watch nonetheless. They laughed as a Japanese tourist jumped back — the mime was pretending to try and kiss her. Then he turned around and had a fake fight with her boyfriend, who couldn’t stop laughing.
“Okay, we totally have to go, like, now,” said Tristan. “Lexi, is your mom picking you up?”
“No, my dad. I phoned him while you two were arguing over the shoes. He’s going to meet me in front of Le Château and Bebe. Do you need a ride?”
“Yes, please.”
“I can bus,” Delilah said, but Alexandra ignored her.
“Good, that’s fine then,” Tristan answered for her.
“Hey, Tristan,” said Peter Dunstan as they got in the back of the car. “Am I driving you home?”
“Yes, please,” Tristan said, grinning.
“Did you have dinner, Lexi?” Peter asked as he drove.
“Um, no. But we had a lot of junk, so I’m not really hungry.”
Tristan stared at her and mouthed, “We just had sorbet.”
Miming a slit throat, Alexandra mouthed back, “I’m not hungry, and they’re annoying.” Tristan nodded. They spent the rest of the car ride imitating Sequoia for both Peter’s and their own amusement.
As they got out of the car, Peter said, “Are you okay, Lexi? You don’t look so well.”
“I’m fine, Dad,” Alexandra replied angrily. “I’m just tired. I couldn’t sleep last night.”
As she walked up the steps and into the house, Alexandra felt like crying. Emma ran up to her excitedly.
“Lexi, guess what? My teacher is taking us all to the pool on Friday, because we were really well behaved this week!”
“Cool,” said Alexandra impatiently.
“She already ate downtown, with her friend Tristan,” Peter called to Beth.
“Who?”
“Tristan,” Peter said in his normal voice, as Beth walked out of the kitchen. “You know, the tall, skinny one.”
“They’re all tall and skinny,” Beth said, laughing. “Lexi, you look tired. Go to sleep early, okay?”
“Okay. I’m just going to do some homework and take a shower first.”
Alexandra went upstairs, moving quickly. She closed the door to her room, threw her bag on the bed, took off her jacket, and fired it after the bag. She began digging through her drawers, and breathed a sigh of relief. The cookie and chocolate bar were both still there. Taking out a pair of pyjamas and a towel, she set them on the bed and unwrapped the chocolate bar, eating it as fast as she could. She wanted to cry. (No, it’s okay, it’s okay, she reminded herself.) Trying to slow down a bit, she also finished the cookie. When she went down the hall to the bathroom, the door was locked.. Oh great, she thought. Emma’s in the bathroom. “Emma, get out of there quickly,” she called through the door. “Please?”
“Okay, okay,” Emma called back. “I’m just brushing my teeth.”
As soon as Emma finished, Alexandra went into the bathroom and locked the door. She started the tap, tested the temperature, and then turned the shower on to muffle the noise. Then, she bent over the toilet and held her hair back to throw up.
In the shower, Alexandra felt her stomach happily. It was the same as before the chocolate and the cookie. She also didn’t feel as panicky or depressed. Feeling along her jaw, she sighed. She had to stop doing this, and just not eat. It was making her face fat. She walked into her room, trying to hold onto the happiness until she could fall asleep, but it didn’t work. Lying under the covers, Alexandra tried to block everything out of her head, but she couldn’t, and she started crying into her pillow. “I hate you, I hate you!” she mouthed angrily into the darkness, not sure who she meant. Eventually, calmed and exhausted from crying, Alexandra fell asleep.
Chapter Four
Julian Reese
They don’t teach us the ABC’s, We play on the hard concrete, All we’ve got is life on the streets, All we’ve got is life on the streets … I want an accent, something non-Canadian.
Julian woke up to his alarm clock for the first time since he had arrived in Vancouver. He got up, glad not to be waking up an hour before the alarm. It was so quiet in his homestay that early. Everyone else got up at around the same time. It wasn’t like his home, where if he got up before anyone else he could just make his breakfast or whatever. Here, he was given breakfast at the
