The Blue Between the Clouds Read Online Free Page B

quiet. Even Esther.
    Finally Jimmy Kranz spoke up. “Why don’t you do it right now?” he said, coverin’ up like a boxer when Esther gave him the evil eye.
    I wasn’t sure what to do then. I knew he was callin’ my bluff so I had to show him everything.
    â€œFine,” I said. “Let’s go.”
    Now, Miss Alexander wasn’t too friendly about us cuttin’ class. One time Two Moons and me cut out and went fishin’. We just felt like goin’ after some rainbow instead of bein’ in school. We told Miss Alexander that too when we had to face the music. We sat there in her office the next day and told her that we just needed a day off, needed to relax. We thought for sure she’d understand. Mr. Pilkington was there too. We knew he wouldn’t understand. He don’t have any kids of his own to holler at so he come to school to do it. Unless of course your ma is there; then he’s nicer than a big-city salesman. Well, he was madder than we thought he’d be, and Miss Alexander was a little ripe too. After she blew off a little steam she said somethin’ really strange. She said, “You boys got lives of your own you haven’t discovered yet. You’re not ever going to find them if you keep cutting class. But if you don’t want to come to school, that’s your choice.” I haven’t missed a day since, and neither has Two Moons. Except for that morning Jimmy Kranz called my bluff about the Icarus wings.
    Pa would punish us for sure. Pile on the chores and make us feel like tomorrow would never come. Then there would be Mr. Pilkington. Maybe if I understood what he was sayin’ I would feel worse, but he’s got a way of ramblin’ on like a crazy preacher, doesn’t give you time to feel bad. Ma would hold back on the desserts for a month, we knew that. But it was Miss Alexander I kept thinkin’ about. I wondered what I would lose by missin’ school for a couple of hours.
    It was a long walk back to the barn. There must’ve been thirty kids trailin’ behind us. The sun was full up and the snow was all melted except for a few small piles in the shade. Esther walked between me and Two Moons. She had just saved me from a thumpin’ and maybe she was worried I would think she loved me or somethin’, so she poked and jabbed me all the way to the barn.
    â€œYou gonna kill yourself in front of all these people,” she said. “You gonna land on your head and talk baby gibberish the rest of your life.”
    I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to start a fight right then ’cause I knew we would never get to the wings if I did. She knew it too. Maybe that was Esther’s way of tellin’ me that she really did love me, that she didn’t want me gettin’ hurt. I don’t know. I guess I’ll never understand Esther.
    Finally, Esther gave up. She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she just mumbled and walked behind me, kickin’ at my feet. We had to sneak around the back of the yard, behind Emmett’s trucks. Emmett saw the long line of kids through his window and pulled the string of an imaginary train whistle. He smiled and waved to me as if I were the conductor of a passin’ train.
    We stopped at the back of the barn.
    â€œYou all go around to the front and have yourselves a seat,” I said. “Two Moons and me will go in and get the wings ready.”
    â€œSure,” said Jimmy Kranz. “You gonna sneak outta here and leave us waitin’.”
    â€œWhen I say I’m gonna do somethin’, I do it,” I said to Jimmy. “You don’t go round front and wait, you’ll never see daylight again.”
    Jimmy knew I was serious. He’s kind of a mouthy kid. Never can back up what he says, but always got somethin’ to say.
    Anyway, they all went out front and me and Two Moons went into the barn. There was just enough sun