Hearts Unbroken

Louise sees a spirit poster for the upcoming football game between East Hannesburg and West Overland, Joey’s old school. The poster depicts a Honeybee stabbing a “Hollywood Indian” (193) with its stinger. The style of the artwork suggests Nick drew it, but he is DJing in the school radio booth. Louise goes to the bench of “popular people” nearby and demands to know if they saw the poster. Cam initially asks why she is upset but then ignores her concern. Instead, he rages at her for being insensitive to others’ feelings and for breaking up with him by email. Louise realizes she should have broken up with Cam in person. Later, someone takes down the poster.

After school, Louise and Joey are alone together at his house. He shares that his mother lived with his father for several years despite planning to divorce. Louise points out that Joey was able to “live with both of [his] parents” (198) for that time. Joey seems to pull away physically and emotionally.

Louise seeks advice from her cousin Fynn regarding telling Joey about her “being Native” (200). She goes to Fynn at his home where he is painting his office. Louise helps Fynn paint while they talk. Fynn tells her that just because she is quiet on the topic does not make her weak or cowardly. His opinion, however, is that her family and heritage are important parts of her identity, and therefore, Joey will find out.

Louise and Joey try to get a comment on the casting controversy from Sydney Wood, the stage manager, but she refuses. She wishes The Hive would stop “stirring up trouble” (204) and thinks they should not have interviewed Garrett. Sydney wants to avoid commenting because she is worried that college admissions workers will misunderstand her words. 

Louise picks Hughie up from musical practice. They stop at the drug store for remedies for their father’s cold. Hughie looks at a greeting card with the Tin Man on it, but he puts it back. In the car, he lets Louise know that he is quitting the musical with only four rehearsals before the show opens. 

A new teacher shows up in Journalism, claiming that Ms. Wilson is on leave. Mrs. Powell requests they sit in a formal arrangement, and she replaces Ms. Wilson’s First Amendment poster with a school spirit one. Later, Karishma and Louise go to Ms. Wilson’s home. The teacher tells them she is on disciplinary leave and that they should go. She mentions that Mrs. Qualey faced leave as well, but because Mrs. Qualey’s husband has a law background, “they threatened to sue” (211).

Louise grows closer to Joey and wants to tell him two deeply personal things: that she thinks she is ready to have sex, and that she is Native Muscogee (Creek). Her message that should reveal her “heritage and tribal citizenship” (214), however, goes completely astray when she first attempts to bring up Middle Eastern stereotypes to parallel the stereotypes about Indigenous Americans that she finds so frustrating. Louise mentions how on the news, “it seems like [people from Middle East are] always blowing people up or beheading them […] or in the movies, they’re always belly dancing or summoning genies […]” (215). Deeply offended, Joey leaves before Louise gets to her real point. 

Joey does not respond to Louise’s texts and calls. She tells Shelby what happened; they go to the Grub Hub after school. Shelby brings Louise a dessert to comfort her, but when Louise asks if Shelby can talk again, Shelby loses her temper. She says Louise is selfish and self-absorbed regarding their friendship: “Meanwhile, you’re too busy with your tedious boy dramas and your perfect studenting and your postcard perfect family and your self-righteous Indian Princessing to notice” (217). Louise realizes that Shelby’s struggle with living expenses is a challenge unlike anything she experiences. Shelby and Louise apologize and there are no hard feelings.

Hughie tells Mrs. Qualey and the cast that he cannot perform in the musical. Mrs. Qualey allows the cast to discuss Hughie’s decision as a “teachable moment,” and he feels that they understand. Garrett will play the Tin Man.

Louise wakes to the puppies’ barking, the intruder alarm going off, and glass breaking. Out her window, Daniel’s car nears her house. A person leaves her driveway, then gets in the car. The car speeds off. The family discovers the same hate message painted in red on their garage door and a can of paint thrown through the picture window. Mama calls the police and Louise’s father cleans up glass. The next morning, Louise tells Shelby “most of what had happened” (226) but keeps her suspicion about Daniel to herself. At school, Louise waits for Daniel. Daniel says he went after Peter Ney, who was drunk, to prevent him from more vandalism—Peter also planned to set fire to the contents of the family’s trash can. Daniel reveals that he spoke out against Ms. Wilson, saying that Coach and PART pressured him to do so. Louise questions telling authorities about Peter, as Daniel’s involvement might mean trouble for him. She tells Daniel, “See what you can do for Ms. Wilson” (230).

Hughie attends opening night along with his family. Louise sees that Hughie’s description of the musical made the program after all: “Hughie’s badass write-up, ‘Journey to Oz,’ talked about the various incarnations of the story and called out L. Frank Baum on his pro-genocide editorials” (233). The show is a success. Joey refuses to speak to Louise. Hughie welcomes Emily to interview him for The Hive. He praises the show and his friends’ performances, tells viewers that he is a “Muscogee Nation citizen,” and he explains that Baum “ruined the role” (236) of the Tin Man for him because of his (Baum’s) views. He also says, “I didn’t quit the musical because of Parents Against Revisionist Theater. I won a major role, fair and square” (236).