The Casquette Girls (Book 1)

16. Uptown Girls

There was no denying that the school grounds were magnificent. The Greek Revival estate had a connected wing on each side and a white balcony that wrapped around the entire second floor. A large crucifix with a green patina sat atop the cupola on the roof. Every window shined. Workers bustled about, busy getting the courtyard landscaping back to its pre-Storm state.

As I walked through the giant iron archway that spelled out "S A C R É C Œ U R" I remembered riding up the hill on the back of Émile's Vespa to the original Sacré Cœur in Paris. From atop the steps, we had watched the sun set over the city. The view from the hilltop basilica had been worth the trip to Paris in itself.

Despite the symbolic pair of hearts sculpted every few feet into the concrete base of the Academy, I had a feeling this Sacred Heart wasn't going to be as romantic.

Wandering into the main building, I tried not to gawk at the other students. The halls were full of the kind of beauty only money could buy: glistening teeth, shiny coifs, sparkly jewelry on French-manicured fingernails, and these were only the obvious details. Hair extensions, nose jobs, and even breast implants enhanced some of the more permanently modified minors.

I pulled down my bun so my hair fell over my wound.

The hallway buzzed with energy. I wondered whether it had always been this lively or whether the recent integration of Holy Cross's all-male student body had anything to do with it. I tried to muster enough courage to approach a group of students that looked my age but chickened out as soon as they looked at me. Pathetic. Instead, I walked over to a lonely-looking tween whose nose was buried in a book.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the administration office is?"

Her face lit up as she pointed me in the right direction and then looked a little sad when I thanked her and walked away.

Please don't let that be me in a week. I looked at my watch and hustled through the office door.

"Miss Le Moyne, I presume?" asked the white-haired secretary.

"Yes. Hi, I'm Adele—"

"Here's your schedule," she said. "They're waiting for you inside."

I pocketed the small card and paused in front of the closed oak doors; she motioned for me to go in. As I exhaled loudly the doorknob began to turn on its own. I frantically grabbed it and looked back at the secretary to make sure she hadn't seen. Luckily, she was hunched over, cleaning her glasses on her blouse.

***

Principal Campbell's office had a classic feel: navy-blue brocade drapes, walls of books, and lots of framed accolades. A middle-aged woman in a red skirt-suit and reading glasses, with a tight ashy-blond French twist, stood behind a large, wooden desk that had been waxed until shiny. She looked more like a high-powered CEO than a high school principal. Across from her sat two other students: a boy with skin as dark as cocoa beans and a closely shaved head, who looked even less excited to be there than I was, and a short, buxom blonde with perfectly coiled curls, who appeared to have been born ready for this meeting.

I felt a moment of relief when I realized I wasn't going to be alone in this endeavor. Maybe we can band together as newcomers? I might actually be able to survive this place in a group of three.

All six eyes followed me. I snuck a glance at the clock on the wall. I was still two minutes early, which, at the Academy, apparently meant I was late.

"Please take a seat, Miss Le Moyne."

I moved quickly to the empty chair next to the boy. He was rubbing his head as if he expected something more to be there. It must have been a new cut.