The Weight of Words (The WORDS Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Fair?”
    “Oh yeah, a bit old-fashioned. Not a fan of posting notes online, still stuck in the chalk-and-talk era, that sort of thing, but he’s a good teacher and he’s very kind. He genuinely wants people to do well.”
    “No online notes. That means no skipping lectures. Thanks for the heads up,” she said, sipping her coffee. “Not that I think attending class will be a chore with Daniel sitting at the front of the room. Did you get a load of him? Fuck me sideways, he is one good-looking man!”
    “Yeah, he’s a long, hot drink of Saturday night sexin’. This morning he looked like he rolled a bum on Yonge Street and stole his clothes, though,” I said, making light of my attraction to Daniel. “Weird thing is, I know his father.”
    “Really? Do they live in Oakville?”
    “No, I don’t know him from home. David Grant is the Dean of Students at Victoria College. I work for him.”
    “Right. I’d forgotten about your job. It stinks that you have to work. Fourth year is stressful enough as it is.”
    “I know, but what else can I do? Taking a year off to work full-time after high school helped, but that money couldn’t last forever. My parents do what they can, but it’s not nearly enough.”
    “I guess. So what’s he like? Daniel’s father? Is it a decent job?”
    “It’s perfect. I only work three mornings a week. Dean Grant is a great boss. He’s a damn fine specimen of a man, too. The Grant DNA is definitely solid,” I said.
    “Is it too late to transfer from Trinity College to Vic? For some reason I feel inspired to make the dean’s list.” Julie laughed and then leaned forward, switching subjects again without missing a beat. “So, tell me about your family! What’s going on with your mom? She and Rick are good?”
    My mother had met her new husband Rick while the two of us were in Las Vegas the February before. They fell madly in lust, he paid for her to go down for the May long weekend, then again for two weeks in June, and the next thing I knew she was packing up the apartment and moving to Nevada.
    “They’re doing great, I guess. Mom loves Vegas, and they’re having a blast together.”
    “That’s kinda nuts,” Julie said. “Do you like him?”
    I shrugged. “Rick’s fine. My mom’s happy. She’s kind of getting a second chance. It’s nice for her.”
    “Nice for her, but shitty for you. With your dad in Calgary and now your mom gone too? I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t escape to Windsor once in a while to have my mom feed me and do all my laundry.”
    It was odd hearing Julie’s take on my life. She was right—my situation was weird. I’d recently started stewing over the fact that soon Reading Week would be upon us, and everyone would go home or leave for a southern getaway. I didn’t have a home anymore in the sense that everyone else did. Between flying to Vegas for Christmas and being a broke university student, I’d be staying in residence alone for Reading Week. Then, of course, there was the fact that after my summer residence lease was up, I’d have to move out and find something comparably priced in the real world. My lack of safety net was a constant worry.
    The conversation turned to Julie, and she updated me on her family and the new dance company she’d hooked up with in Toronto. I listened as she moaned about her sketchy social life and nodded sympathetically at her even sketchier love life.
    “I can relate,” I said. “I’ve been holed up like a groundhog all winter. It sucks.”
    “Well, that’s decided, then,” she said. “I grabbed two tickets to an indie music revue next Thursday and was going to invite my roommate, but I think you should come with me instead.”
    “Seriously? It’s been ages since I’ve been to a show. Remember all those concerts we used to go to in first year?”
    “Those were so fun. It’s been way too long. So what do you think?”
    “Hell, yes! I’d love to.”
    “Perfect. It’s a