question.
Nobody does, so he turns back to Daisy’s friend. “All right, Rowena,” he says in
a tired voice. “What’s your question?”
Rowena stands up. “Sir,” she says, “the dress-code regulations you mentioned are
directed mostly at girls. Except for the baseball caps, which are unisex.”
“Do you have a question, Rowena?” he asks, drumming his fingers on the podium.
“I do have a question,” Rowena says. “Are there any dress-code rules specifically
for the male students at Lajoie?”
Germinato tightens his tie again. If he keeps that up, the guy is going to choke.
He clears his throat. I think he is buying time while he tries to come up with an
answer.
“Well, are there?” Rowena asks.
Germinato sighs into the microphone. “No,” he says. “There are not.” He checks his
watch. “I’m afraid we’re out of time. Your homeroom assignments are posted outside
the gym.”
As we pile out of the gym, Dandelion-Hair is walking in front of us. He nudges the
guy next to him, and I hear him ask, “So who do you think is the hottest girl at
Lajoie?”
The guy turns to the left, then to the right, scanning the gym. “It’s hard to decide,”
he says. “This place is full of hot girls.”
“I know how you feel.” I blurt the words out without meaning to.
Dandelion-Hair turns to face me. “Let me guess,” he says. “You’re a new arrival from
an all-boys school.”
I nod. “Yup. O’Donovan.”
“Well, then,” he says, “you’ve just died and gone to heaven.”
Chapter Three
I am waiting for Rory and Phil outside the Villa Maria metro station when I get a
whiff of grapefruit. Daisy is walking up to me. She is wearing an orange top and
pink shorts. I cannot help noticing that one of her bra straps is showing.
“Hey, Eric,” she says.
“Daisy.” My voice squeaks when I say her name. She can probably tell that I have
no experience talking to girls. “It’s been years. How ya doing? D’you still like
to draw?”
“I’m okay. And yeah, I still draw—fashion sketches mostly. But hey, I’m kind of in
a hurry. I need to use the washroom.” She pats her backpack. I blush because I think
she is telling me she is having a female issue . Why else would she need to use the
bathroom at a metro station? Everyone knows they are the grossest bathrooms in the
city.
“Well, good luck.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize how dorky
I sound.
But Daisy does not seem to notice. “If you’re still here when I’m done, we could
walk to school together.”
“That would be amaz—I mean, sure.”
Rory and Phil show up. I am about to explain that I want to wait for Daisy when she
taps my elbow. It takes me a few seconds to figure out why she looks different, but
then I realize she has put on makeup. Her lips are bright red, and her eyes are rimmed
in black pencil.
So that’s what she was doing in the bathroom.
I notice Daisy noticing me noticing her. “My parents,” she says. She shrugs, and
I spot the second bra strap. “They think I’m too young for makeup. They’re almost
as bad as the Germinator.”
Rory slaps his thigh. “Germinator,” he says. “That’s a good one.”
As we walk down Monkland Avenue, Rory inserts himself next to Daisy. This bugs me.
Daisy is my friend. If it were not for me, Rory would never be talking to her.
“Hey, Daisy!” Rowena is heading toward us. “Cool outfit! I never would’ve thought
of putting pink and orange together, but it works.”
“You know me and bright colors,” Daisy tells Rowena. “I can’t resist them.” Then
she introduces me to Rowena, and I introduce Rory and Phil.
“What you said yesterday at the assembly was cool,” Phil tells Rowena. “I never thought
about it before, but dress codes are kind of sexist.”
You would think Rowena would like that comment, but she rolls her eyes. “Kind of
sexist?” she says. “Dress codes are not kind of sexist. They’re totally sexist. Is
anyone
Nobody does, so he turns back to Daisy’s friend. “All right, Rowena,” he says in
a tired voice. “What’s your question?”
Rowena stands up. “Sir,” she says, “the dress-code regulations you mentioned are
directed mostly at girls. Except for the baseball caps, which are unisex.”
“Do you have a question, Rowena?” he asks, drumming his fingers on the podium.
“I do have a question,” Rowena says. “Are there any dress-code rules specifically
for the male students at Lajoie?”
Germinato tightens his tie again. If he keeps that up, the guy is going to choke.
He clears his throat. I think he is buying time while he tries to come up with an
answer.
“Well, are there?” Rowena asks.
Germinato sighs into the microphone. “No,” he says. “There are not.” He checks his
watch. “I’m afraid we’re out of time. Your homeroom assignments are posted outside
the gym.”
As we pile out of the gym, Dandelion-Hair is walking in front of us. He nudges the
guy next to him, and I hear him ask, “So who do you think is the hottest girl at
Lajoie?”
The guy turns to the left, then to the right, scanning the gym. “It’s hard to decide,”
he says. “This place is full of hot girls.”
“I know how you feel.” I blurt the words out without meaning to.
Dandelion-Hair turns to face me. “Let me guess,” he says. “You’re a new arrival from
an all-boys school.”
I nod. “Yup. O’Donovan.”
“Well, then,” he says, “you’ve just died and gone to heaven.”
Chapter Three
I am waiting for Rory and Phil outside the Villa Maria metro station when I get a
whiff of grapefruit. Daisy is walking up to me. She is wearing an orange top and
pink shorts. I cannot help noticing that one of her bra straps is showing.
“Hey, Eric,” she says.
“Daisy.” My voice squeaks when I say her name. She can probably tell that I have
no experience talking to girls. “It’s been years. How ya doing? D’you still like
to draw?”
“I’m okay. And yeah, I still draw—fashion sketches mostly. But hey, I’m kind of in
a hurry. I need to use the washroom.” She pats her backpack. I blush because I think
she is telling me she is having a female issue . Why else would she need to use the
bathroom at a metro station? Everyone knows they are the grossest bathrooms in the
city.
“Well, good luck.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize how dorky
I sound.
But Daisy does not seem to notice. “If you’re still here when I’m done, we could
walk to school together.”
“That would be amaz—I mean, sure.”
Rory and Phil show up. I am about to explain that I want to wait for Daisy when she
taps my elbow. It takes me a few seconds to figure out why she looks different, but
then I realize she has put on makeup. Her lips are bright red, and her eyes are rimmed
in black pencil.
So that’s what she was doing in the bathroom.
I notice Daisy noticing me noticing her. “My parents,” she says. She shrugs, and
I spot the second bra strap. “They think I’m too young for makeup. They’re almost
as bad as the Germinator.”
Rory slaps his thigh. “Germinator,” he says. “That’s a good one.”
As we walk down Monkland Avenue, Rory inserts himself next to Daisy. This bugs me.
Daisy is my friend. If it were not for me, Rory would never be talking to her.
“Hey, Daisy!” Rowena is heading toward us. “Cool outfit! I never would’ve thought
of putting pink and orange together, but it works.”
“You know me and bright colors,” Daisy tells Rowena. “I can’t resist them.” Then
she introduces me to Rowena, and I introduce Rory and Phil.
“What you said yesterday at the assembly was cool,” Phil tells Rowena. “I never thought
about it before, but dress codes are kind of sexist.”
You would think Rowena would like that comment, but she rolls her eyes. “Kind of
sexist?” she says. “Dress codes are not kind of sexist. They’re totally sexist. Is
anyone
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