Read Online The Big Dream by Rebecca Rosenblum - Free Book Online Page A

playing in the background, the same sample over and over. It was a little too warm. Yaël tucked the bottle between her knees and slid off her jacket.
    A tall girl with a lot of toffee-coloured hair came running up. “Oh, wow, I just love those boots, those are gorgeous boots.” The girl talked like a ring tone, but a compliment is a compliment, plus she took the bottle and pointed out the coatrack. When Yaël had hung up her coat she introduced herself and shook the girl’s silky hand.
    â€œI’m Bess,” the girl said, handing the wine back. She wore no mascara, had bruisy bags under her eyes, a thin silver wire around the tip of one eyebrow.
    â€œI’m Yaël.” Yaël took the bottle reluctantly. “Nice place.”
    â€œOh, I don’t live here. I’m just a friend of Jarrit’s. You meet Jarrit?”
    â€œOn the steps.”
    They stared at each other, blinking. Yaël couldn’t imagine telling Bess about her beautiful logo swirl in pantone 292, glowingly approved by all senior management. Bess’s chest was approximately 36C, in a tight white T-shirt that said in red letters, Vote for Pedro. She wondered if that was someone’s first or last name.
    Bess shifted from foot to foot. “I’m gonna go talk to Jarrit. There’s a corkscrew in the kitchen, if you want. Sasha was in there
before, making guacamole. You know Sasha? She makes awesome guacamole.”
    â€œAwesome,” Yaël said faintly, and went on to the kitchen. The music was quieter there, but it was even warmer, and no Sasha. Someone saw Yaël’s wine bottle and tried to give her a corkscrew; she flatly refused. Everybody stared at her, the everybody there was, which wasn’t many. They weren’t chatty, either, though few people had asked whether she was in the masters or doctoral stream, who her advisor was, who she TA’d for and what year she was in. Then Yaël didn’t want to chat anymore – she didn’t know what she was doing at this party anymore. She was the only one wearing shoes. She found a bathroom and locked herself in.
    The sweat from her hand had soaked through the LCBO bag, so she took it off the bottle and threw it in the wastebasket. Then she hugged the wine to her chest and sat on the lid of the toilet until someone knocked on the door.
    â€œMinute!” Yaël took out her cell and scrolled the numbers. While she was scrolling, it rang. “What?”
    â€œHey, so, you make it to the party ok?” Deep laughter in the background, the rustle of a crowd.
    â€œAbey, I can drive a car.” Someone tried the door. “Just a minute !”
    â€œYeah, but like, new place, new people.” Beyond Abey was a sound like a foghorn.
    â€œAre you at the game, Abey?”
    â€œYeah, but you need a ride, no problem, Yaël, I just had the one beer so far.”
    â€œAbey, I’m fine. ” Yaël stared at the crumpled orange bath towel by the radiator. If Abey came and got her, he’d take her home if she wanted, but otherwise to the sports bar near the Allen, where she could order wine by the glass and not be responsible for the bottle, and every guy in the place would watch her and want her, but no one would talk to her because she was with Abey. It would
be easy, and more fun then sitting on the toilet lid while her hair frizzed.
    â€œThis Sasha-friend, she’s looking after you, I guess?”
    â€œAbey, I’m fine, but there’s so much static.” There was no static, it was a very good cellphone and she kept it fully charged. “I gotta get off.”
    â€œSure, but if ya – ” Yaël hit End, then dialed.
    Sasha picked up on the third ring, laughing, then, “Um, yeah? Hello?”
    â€œSasha? Are you there?” She stood up, peered into the mirror at her mouth.
    â€œ Yaël. Are you there?” There were men’s voices in the background, and the same music