by Brann Garvey
“Who would wear that?” I asked.
“Someone who wants to look like a plucked purple chicken,” Monica joked.
We laughed all the way to the swimsuit racks.
“Two-piece or one?” Becca asked.
“A one-piece is better for water games,” I said.
“But a two-piece is better for getting a suntan,” Becca said.
“These are so cute!” Monica said. She picked out a blue suit with a seashell design.
Becca chose a flower-print bikini with a matching beach top.
I found a crimson red suit. A white and silvery bubble pattern curved across the front. I held it up for Monica and Becca to see.
“Do you like this one?” I asked.
Monica nodded. “It’s the PERFECT color for you,” she told me.
Just then, Anna and Carly walked up to us.
“That suit is too fancy for the lake,” Anna said. “Fish love to nibble sparkly things.”
Munched for lunch by fish! The idea made my skin crawl.
“And the water in the Community Center pool will ruin it,” Carly said. “They use too much chlorine.”
“That’s why your hair turns green and feels like straw after you swim there,” Anna said.
Becca smiled. “Actually, Claudia won’t be wearing her new suit in the Community Center pool,” she told Anna.
“Or the lake,” Monica added.
“Well, if she’s not wearing it at the Community Center or the lake, where’s she going to wear it?” Carly asked, looking at the three of us.
Monica smiled. “She needs it for the new pool in her back yard,” she said.
“Did you get a new kiddie pool, Claudia?” Anna cooed in baby talk.
I rolled my eyes. I hated being the target of Anna’s sharp tongue.
Teasing made me feel:
Hurt when the tease was mean.
Embarrassed when the tease was true.
Mad when the tease was unfair.
I almost never thought of a snappy comeback fast enough. So Anna usually got away with being a jerk. This time I fought back with facts.
“Actually,” I said, “I’m getting a Swimmer’s Cove deluxe in-ground pool.”
“With a diving board and water slide,” Monica added.
Becca giggled.
Carly’s mouth fell open.
“No, you’re not,” Anna said.
“Yes, she is,” Monica said.
I nodded and smiled.
Anna didn’t even try to ZING me. She grabbed Carly’s arm and left.
“Did you see Anna’s face?” Becca asked.
Monica laughed. “Total shock,” she said.
I didn’t get the best of Anna very often. It felt good. But now she knew about the pool. So I had to get one, or suffer the horrible consequences.
Anna would never let me forget it if I said I was getting a pool and then didn’t. It would hang over my head like a permanent black cloud.
Every day until our high school graduation, she would remind everyone about the time I said I was getting a pool but didn’t.
I couldn’t take that risk. Anna was bad enough. Anna with a reason to tease was awful.
I had to grow up sooner or later. It might as well be now.
Tommy was right.
Tree houses were for kids. Teenagers needed pools.
CHAPTER 7
IT’S ALIVE!
Nick had bad mood radar. He knew when I was cranky or worried or upset. Then he was like a big zit on the end of my nose. A horror that wouldn’t go away!
“What are you doing?” Nick asked. He stared down at me, holding a glass of lemonade in one hand.
“Sunbathing,” I said.
“Why?” Nick asked.
“To get a tan,” I said.
“Why?” Nick asked again.
I was tanning because my new suit had smaller straps than my old suit. The tan lines looked weird. I needed to fix my tan.
Nick didn’t want to know that. He just wanted to drive me crazy.
“Because,” I answered.
Something wet fell on my leg. I sat up with a gasp.
There was a drop of water on my leg.
“Did you SPIT on me?” I demanded.
“No,” Nick said. He showed me the ice cube melting in his hand. He ate it. Then he took another cube out of his lemonade. “I won’t drip on you again,” he told me. “I’ll drool on you next time.”
Unexplained Law of The Universe: Little kids think disgusting stuff is funny.
I rolled onto my stomach so I could watch him. I didn’t dare close my eyes.
“It’s too hot out here,” Nick said.
“Go back inside,” I suggested.
As usual, Nick didn’t do what I told him. He sat in the shade of the tree-house-tree.
“When are you getting the pool?” Nick asked.
“Soon,” I said.
“Are they going to dig a big hole?” Nick asked.
“Yep,” I said. “Right where you’re sitting.”
Nick frowned. It wasn’t his mad frown. He was puzzled. “Wait. What about the tree-house-tree?” he asked.
“They have to cut it down to make room for the pool,” I explained.
Nick gasped with a little squeak. “What do you mean?” he asked.
I’d never heard him gasp before. Nothing ever shocked Nick.
Until now.
“You can’t cut down the tree!” Nick wailed. “It’s alive!”
I didn’t want to think about that. My choice wasn’t just between the tree and the pool anymore. It was way more complicated.
Anna knew. If we didn’t get a pool, Anna would tell everyone that I lied to look cool. Even though that wasn’t true at all.
“Everybody wants a pool, Nick,” I told him. “We all decided.”
“Not me!” Nick yelled. He burst into tears.
I was shocked. Nick cared about the tree! I tried to make him feel better.
“You’ll have more fun in a pool,” I said.
“Can I splash you?” Nick asked. He sniffled.
“Yes,” I said, “but only if I’m already wet.”
“I don’t believe you,” Nick said.
“Why not?” I said. “I never lie to you.”
“Yes, you do,” Nick said. “One time, you promised we could sleep out in the tree house for the whole night. You promised. We never did, and now it’s too late. The tree house is getting cut down. We can’t sleep in it. So that was a lie.”
Breaking a promise was as bad as lying. I couldn’t go back on my word.
“It’s not too late!” I exclaimed. “We can sleep out tonight.”
Right away, I wished I hadn’t said that.
Sleep Out Checklist
sleeping bags
flashlights
scary book
bottled water
snacks
Nick complaint #1: There’s no TV!
Solution: Explain why, even if it doesn’t help.
“Pioneers didn’t have TV,” I said. “Or computers or video games or radio.”
“No way!” Nick exclaimed. “What did they do all night?”
“They went to bed after dinner,” I said.
“I’m not tired!” Nick yelled, scowling.
“Good,” I said. “We’ve got work to do.” Then Nick and I climbed the ladder.
“I’ll put everything on this bench,” I told Nick. “That way we can find things in the dark.”
Nick complaint #2: I hate the dark!
Solution: Let him keep his flashlight on.
“Isn’t this exciting?” I asked as I unrolled the sleeping bags.
“No,” Nick told me. He aimed his flashlight in my face.
“Lighten up!” I teased. “We’ll have fun.”
“I won’t,” Nick said. He stuck out his lower lip. Sometimes nothing made him happy.
Nick Complaint #3: I’m hungry
Solution: Give him an apple.
I unpacked our supplies while Nick ate.
Nick ate half the apple. Then he opened a bench.
“Do not put the apple core in there,” I said. “Last time you did that you left it there and it stunk up the whole tree house. Just put it down.”
“But it’s garbage!” Nick said. “It’s going to get mushy and smelly.”
Unexplained Law of the Universe: Little kids don’t like to touch disgusting stuff they think is funny.
“Throw it outside,” I said. “You can put it in the compost in the morning.”
Nick Complaint #4: I’m bored.
Solution: Read a ghost story.
“I brought a book,” I said. I held up my new copy of Phantom High, The Revenge of Eerie Eileen.
Nick complaint #5: That book doesn’t have pictures.
Solution: Just read the scary parts.
“Imagine the pictures in your head,” I explained.
“Is Viper Man in it?” Nick asked.
“No,” I said. “Just lie down and listen.” I began reading in a low spooky voice.
Nick was asleep when I reached the end of Chapter One. I closed the book, closed my eyes, and nodded off.
I jerked awake when Nick screamed.
Nick complaint #6: I’m scared!
Solution: Stop shaking, turn on flashlight, and act brave.
It was really, really dark. The batteries in Nick’s flashlight were dead.
“It’s okay,” I said. I gave him my flashlight. “I’m right here. Did you have a bad dream?”
“No,” Nick said. “All the creepy noises woke me up.”
I stopped talking and listened. I heard creaks and groans.
Unexplained Law of the Universe: Sounds are louder at night.
“It’s not anything. It’s just creaky boards and tree branches,” I said.
“The tree’s trying to tell you something, Claudia,” Nick whispered. “It doesn’t want to die. You can’t let them kill it!”
“Don’t be silly,” I said. I read another chapter of the book. Finally, Nick went back to sleep.
I didn’t.
I wanted to keep the tree and get a pool, but I couldn’t have both.
I had to choose and stick to my decision.
Once the tree was gone, I wouldn’t be able to change my mind.
CHAPTER 8
MEETING PLACE TRYOUTS
“We can’t hang out at the tree house. Some people are coming to see what they’ll need to cut it down. And we can’t hang out in my room,” I told Becca and Monica the next day after school.
All week, we’d been planning on getting together to try different hairstyles, do our nails, and go through fashion magazines to pick out dream wardrobes. And Becca was going to dye my hair. We were supposed to meet at my house.
“What’s wrong with your room?” Monica asked.
“Nick and Jimmy are both at my house,” I said.
“Then we REALLY don’t want to be there,” Becca agreed.
We would be trying to look beautiful. Nick made us feel like bozos.
Last time, he yelled, “Look at the clowns!” and rolled around on the floor, laughing.
“Jimmy is worse,” Monica said.
My brother would pound on the door. Then he’d throw it open and roar like a monster.
He thought it was funny to scare us. Believe me, smearing lipstick and mascara wasn’t funny. That stuff was hard to get off!
We decided to meet at Monica’s house.
Becca and I brought our supplies in backpacks. We listened to music while we unpacked in Monica’s room.
When everything was set out, Becca looked at me. “Ready, Claudia?” she asked.
Becca wanted to put red highlights in my hair. I was pretty sure my parents would hate it. I thought it would look awesome. If it didn’t, my hair would grow out.
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” I said. I sat in Monica’s desk chair and closed my eyes.
Becca started to brush my hair. Just then, the bedroom door banged open.
Monica’s step-sister ran in. “I want to play!” Angela shrieked.
“We’re not playing,” Monica said as she put on blue eyeshadow. “We’re doing makeup.”
“I want makeup!” Angela yelled. Just like Nick, she never spoke softly. She ALWAYS yelled.
“You’re only eight,” Becca said. “That’s too young.”
“No, it’s not!” Angela yelled. She jumped up and down. “I like blue eyes. And I want curly hair like Claudia. Please, please, please!”
We all looked at each other.
Getting rid of Nick on makeup day was easy. We just threatened to paint his nails. Or curl his eyelashes. Or style his hair with gobs of gel that smells like flowers.
The only way to get rid of Angela was to paint her nails, curl her eyelashes, and style her hair. We gave in.
“Me first. I’ll sit still,” Angela said.
She pushed me off the desk chair and sat down. “I want glitter,” she told us.
Becca picked out pink lipstick. Angela wanted red lipstick.
I suggested ponytails. Angela wanted braids.
Monica held up a bottle of red nail polish. Angela wanted blue.
When we finished, Angela look like a Junior Miss Beauty Pageant Princess. And it was time for Becca and me to go home.
Monica’s room rating: Snacks = + 5
Sister = -
5
Total = 0
* * *
The next day, Monica, Becca, and I met in the park. Usually, we only hung out at the tree house, unless we were watching something on TV or going to the mall. But sometimes we could hang out other places too.
Becca made a list, and we discussed our options.
“What about Roaring Rock?” Becca asked.
“It’s in the park,” I said.
“Which is GREAT for exercise or playing games,” Monica pointed out.
“But not for arts and crafts or make-up,” I said. “Or when it’s raining.”
Roaring Rock rating: Outside activities = + 5
Inside activities = – 5
Total = 0
Becca read #2 on her list. “The back booth at Pizza Palace,” she said.
“We’ll have snacks and drinks,” I said.
“But no privacy,” Monica said.
“Good point.” Becca frowned. “Someone might hear our secrets.”
“That could be a disaster!” I said. We would be totally mortified if anyone heard us!
Pizza Palace rating: Snacks & drinks = + 5
No privacy = – 5 = – 5
Total = 0