Read Her Name in the Sky for Free Online

“Yes. That was the plan.”
    Michele hikes her eyebrows as she crosses the room to fetch the rosary bag. “Probably should set a better example for the student body,” she says under her breath.
    Baker tenses. Clay pokes his tongue into his cheek and says, “Come on, Michele. We’re just taking a five-minute break.”
    “I have to get back to the front office,” Michele says, clearing her throat. “But y’all have yourselves a lovely time. And Clay—you’re welcome to come back to prayer group whenever you’re ready.”
    Clay pulls his lips together again and nods. Luke, who sits with his back to the door, mimes throwing up on the table.
    “See you later,” Michele says. “Oh—but Joanie? I’m not trying to be mean, but the lounge is exclusively for seniors. If we start letting selective juniors in, then all the other underclassmen will think they’re entitled to use the lounge, too, and it kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”
    Joanie’s face flushes red as crawfish. “Yep,” she says, her voice prickly.
    “Thanks,” Michele smiles. Then she shuts the door behind her and leaves.
    Joanie slumps down in her chair. “That dumb bitch.”
    “Don’t listen to her,” Luke says.
    “Everyone knows you’re basically a senior anyway,” Wally says.
    “She’s not trying to be a bitch,” Clay says. “She’s just kind of a rule girl.”
    Hannah trades looks with the other four. Clay crosses his arms and asks, “What?”
    Hannah shakes her head. “Thank God you dumped her.”
    “Seriously,” Baker says.
    “Aw, come on,” Clay laughs. “She’s not that bad.”
    “She’s pretty bad,” Luke says.
    “Wally,” Clay says, gesturing to him, “You always liked her, didn’t you?”
    Wally balances on the back of his chair and tilts his head in thought. “I could never figure her out.”
    “She’s gonna tell Ms. Carpenter that I was skipping,” Baker says, raking her hair back as she adjusts her headband. “She’ll probably tell her before I even get to the student council office.”
    “She needs to get over her jealousy,” Hannah says. “I mean, how long ago was that election? Like four months, at this point?”
    “Yeah,” Joanie says, “but between that and Clay dumping her ass, I doubt she’s gonna be our best friend anytime soon.”
    “Come on, we should go,” Wally says.
    “Yeah,” Luke says, sweeping crumbs into his hands, “everyone’s going to think I’ve been taking a huge shit or something.”
    “Thanks for the nice surprise, y’all,” Clay says, looking between Hannah and Wally as he stands up. “You know I love family meals.” 
    “Especially illegal family meals,” Hannah says.
    Baker leans down and hugs Hannah from behind while the others talk and gather their trash. “Thanks,” she says quietly into Hannah’s ear.
    Hannah ignores the somersault in her stomach. “You’re welcome,” she says, keeping her voice even, and then Baker and the others are gone, and Hannah reminds herself to return Wally’s smile.
     
    The days go on. The sun rises earlier and sets later, and the afternoons grow warmer degree by degree, and the whole earth starts to trill with anticipation of spring. The live oaks that line the streets of the Garden District lean forward to whisper to each other, and the Spanish moss that hangs from their branches droops like heavy shawls they are ready to discard.
    But Hannah clings to the static of winter as long as she can. She and her friends meet in the school parking lot each morning, the group of them thumbing their booksack straps while they wait for Luke to show up just before the bell rings with his Oxford shirt unbuttoned and his tie not yet fastened; they gather in the senior courtyard at lunch time and dare Clay to eat French fries with yogurt or apple slices dipped in ketchup; they untuck their uniforms and lean against their cars at the end of the day, exchanging jokes and stories before Clay has to leave for