Stella by Starlight Read Online Free Page B

children.
    In addition to a track team, Mountain View had a football team and was known around the state for its academic and sports successes. They even had their own library.
    Each morning, as they headed to their school, the Mountain View students, most wearing leather shoes and woolen coats against the wind, would sometimes give them a wave as they passed by, sometimes not. But they all knew one another. In a town this small, it was impossible not to.
    As the two groups eyed each other, a whoosh of thin, cool air encircled them all. Stella pulled her jacket closer, buttoning up her resentment.

6
Silver-Wrapped Chocolate
    â€œLet’s go, y’all,” Stella urged them forward. “Mrs. Grayson is gonna have a hissy fit if we’re late!” Their school was still half a mile away.
    The back-and-forth that occurred nearly every morning rose up yet again.
    â€œI wouldn’t want to go there,” Johnsteve declared. “Too proper!”
    â€œAnd they wouldn’t want you!” Tony countered. “Too dark!”
    â€œYou think they got better teachers?” Johnsteve asked.
    â€œBetter than Mrs. Grayson?” Stella asked, with a smirk. “Not a chance.”
    â€œI like our school, even though it’s old,” Jojo said.“And everybody’s got ashy legs and scabby knees just like me!”
    â€œSpeak for yourself!” Stella retorted.
    With that, they all laughed and hurried on to their next stop—Cathy’s Candy Store. Mrs. Cathy Cooper opened early so that the children could buy sweet treats on their way to either school. Her twelve-year-old daughter, Thelma, helped her until it was time for her to go to Mountain View.
    As they crowded into the store, Stella waved at Mrs. Cooper. She had to be the nicest white lady in Bumblebee, not just because she sometimes gave them free candy, but because she didn’t shoo them to the back door like most of the other store owners in town did. It felt kinda good to walk in the front like everybody else. Stopping by the candy store made every day start off sweet.
    Carolyn had a penny, so she bought a bag of red hots.
    â€œThank you, dear,” Mrs. Cooper said. “Tell your mama I said hello.” Carolyn promised she would.
    Stella poked her friend. “Girl, you know I can’t eat those things—they make my tongue go thick,” she grumbled.
    Carolyn grinned. “Maybe that’s why I got them!”
    â€œNo fair!”
    Because they visited the store so often, Stella felt comfortable enough to say hi to Thelma. “It sure must be nice having a mom who owns a candy store,” she said this morning.
    Thelma laughed. “I probably get less than any of you—Mommy’s pretty strict!” She handed Stella a Bazooka Joe bubble gum when her mother wasn’t looking.
    Just then a group of five white children walked into the store, also carrying lunch pails and school bags. The room was suddenly quiet.
    Stella inhaled sharply, a thought striking her. Had any of their fathers been in that field last night?
    â€œWelcome!” Mrs. Cooper called out cheerfully, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Looks like we’ve got a full house this morning. Nothing better than a store full of children!”
    The two groups, however, moved around each other like oil and water.
    Paulette Packard, the doctor’s daughter, pushed herself right up to the case and started choosing. Stellacould scarcely take her eyes off Paulette’s dress—it was a pale lavender, and clearly store-bought. She wore patent-leather shoes and carried a matching pocketbook.
    A pocketbook at school? Stella thought.
    While most of the children in the store, both black and white, scraped for pennies in their pockets, Paulette pulled out two crisp dollar bills and bought three large bags of candy. She sure liked Goo Goo Clusters!
    So as not to be caught staring, Stella turned from Paulette back to Thelma and