Abby glared at him. “Different? Like last night?”
“What’re you talking about?” Jason shot back.
“We had unwelcome guests. Little black crawling guests,” Stacy spoke up. “The opposite of uncles!”
There was a gleam in Jason’s eye. “So you had interesting company, huh? Oh, sorry about that.”
Stacy groaned. “Those ants were everywhere, Jason Birchall! A nasty trick! And you are NOT sorry!”
Jason smirked. But not for long.
Abby spoke up. “Stacy and I need to have our meeting now.” She wanted Stacy to climb up. She wanted to talk to her friend in private. In their tree house.
“It’s time for ALL of us to meet,” Dunkum insisted. “The Cul-de-sac Kids stick together. Remember?”
Abby was tired of hearing about the motto. She wished she’d never made it up. “Too bad,” she said. “Stacy and I are starting our private meeting. So scram!”
No one moved.
Jason frowned. He pushed up his glasses. “You’ve had enough meetings, Abby. You guys had a sleep-over meeting last night.”
“We’re not guys. And, yep, we sure did,” Abby said.
“See? You ARE having too many meetings!” Jason shouted.
Abby wouldn’t argue. Not in front of the Cul-de-sac Kids. She looked at all of them. “Hey, where’s Dee Dee?” she asked.
The kids turned to count one another.
“And what about Carly?” Stacy asked. “Where is she?”
“Carly and Dee Dee will show up. Sooner or later,” Eric said.
“We can’t meet without them,” Stacy said.
“That is, IF we were going to,” Abby added.
“Don’t forget little Jimmy,” Dunkum reminded them. “He’s missing, too.”
Abby thought about her little brother. Was Jimmy still eating dinner? “Who’s gonna get Carly and Dee Dee and Jimmy?” she asked.
She hoped all of them would search. Then she and Stacy could have some peace. And a club meeting—the Best Friends Club meeting.
Shawn nodded. “I go find little sister and brother.” He jumped over the gate.
Jason ran to find Dee Dee.
But Eric and Dunkum stayed. They didn’t budge one inch.
Abby bit her lip. Things weren’t working out.
Not the way she’d hoped.
TEN
Abby sat like a princess, high in the tree house. Her legs trailed over the edge. “Stacy and I have to talk,” she insisted.
“So talk,” Eric said. “We’ll wait. We won’t come charging up your tree house. We promise.”
Quickly, Stacy climbed up. She flew into the tree house.
The girls whispered. “What should we do?” Abby asked.
“About the Best Friends Club?” Stacy said.
“Can’t we have two clubs?” Abby said.
“I don’t know,” Stacy answered softly.
Abby felt sad. Really sad. She looked around. The tree house was just right. It was perfect for two girls.
“Don’t you wanna be my best friend?” Abby asked.
“ ’Course I do,” Stacy answered.
“Then . . . what about just you and me? Shouldn’t we have the Best Friends Club anymore?” Abby held her breath.
Stacy looked away. “I wanna be your best friend. But—”
“But what?” Abby said.
“We’re all best friends,” Stacy whispered. “Aren’t we?”
Abby glanced at the Cul-de-sac Kids. Dee Dee and Carly were standing with the boys now. Jimmy too.
But nobody was smiling. Not the kids on the ground looking up. Not the girls in the tree house looking down.
Stacy bit her lip. “I miss my other best friends.”
Abby knew who those friends were. She wondered about the tree house. Nine kids was a lot for one hideout. How crowded would it be?
She thought some more. Sharing was a good thing. The Sunday school teacher said so. A double dabble good thing.
Still, Abby was stubborn. She cupped her hands over her mouth. “I’m president of the Cul-de-sac Kids!” she shouted.
The kids on the ground listened. Their eyes were wide.
“I’m going to say something. Something important,” Abby said.
Now the kids looked eager. Dunkum and Jason were smiling.
“We are NOT having a meeting today. Everyone can just go home,” Abby said.
Faces sagged. Especially Eric’s. He looked mad.
“No Cul-de-sac Kids meeting today,” Abby repeated.
Stacy touched her arm. “Why not?” she whispered.
Abby shook her head. “Tell them it’s our tree house. Just ours. Please?”
“I’m sorry, Abby. I can’t.” Stacy got up and climbed down the tree.
Abby watched her go. She wanted to cry.
Below the tree house, eight kids made a huddle. Abby couldn’t hear what they were saying. She didn’t want to.
In a few minutes, the kids headed for the gate. Stacy too. They were laughing and talking.
Jason called over his shoulder, “Have a nice private meeting, Miss President.” He chuckled.
Abby wished he’d bite his tongue. She wished someone would’ve said “Goodbye.” Just one.
ELEVEN
Monday morning. Time for recess!
Abby ran to the swings.
“Did you hear the news?” Dee Dee Winters asked.
Abby leaned against the swing. “Nope.”
Dee Dee couldn’t wait to tell. “We’ve got a new club president,” she blabbed.
“You do?” Abby couldn’t believe her ears.
Dee Dee was grinning. “It’s Stacy Henry.”
Abby was stunned. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday afternoon,” Dee Dee said.
Abby wondered how that could be. The past president had to be voted out first. Didn’t she?
Dee Dee kept talking. “We got ourselves a cool president. Really cool.”
Abby didn’t want to hear more. She ran toward the soccer field. “Everybody hates me,” she sobbed.
After school, the Cul-de-sac Kids walked home together. All but Abby.
Abby wanted to join them. But she didn’t.
She thought about her best friend. Stacy probably IS a cool president. Just like Dee Dee said.
She looked both ways at the street. But she tried not to look straight ahead. The Cul-de-sac Kids were laughing. They were talking about the school day. She heard bits and pieces. . . .
Dunkum said he wanted to plant a fruit tree. “For Arbor Day,” he said. “Like Stacy did.”
“Better late than never,” Stacy said.
Eric agreed and offered to help.
Dee Dee and Carly said they’d dig the hole. They giggled.
Jason wanted to taste the first ripe fruit. Shawn said he’d help him. And Jimmy would hang from the tree. Upside down.
But nobody said a word about Abby. Nothing.
“What about today’s club meeting?” Dunkum said. He was walking next to Stacy.
“Wanna use my tree house?” Stacy said.
“Yes!” Dee Dee shouted. “I love our tree house meetings.”
“We’re having another meeting?” Carly said.
“Can I bring my frog?” Jason asked. He did a jig on the sidewalk. He croaked, “Rrr-ribit!”
The kids were laughing. Even Abby laughed before she caught herself. But no one heard her.
No one seemed to care.
Not even Stacy.
TWELVE
Abby felt left out. Really left out.
But it was her own fault. She knew it was.
She decided to do a little spying. It couldn’t hurt anything. Could it?
She went to Stacy’s backyard gate. Leaning down, she peeked through the boards. The Cul-de-sac Kids were perched high in the tree house.
She watched them closely. They were having a club meeting. Without her! There in the tree house with that fancy red roof. And those darling little w
indows.
She twisted the ends of her hair. The kids were saying their motto. Like they always did.
A big lump bunched up in her throat. She tried to swallow. But the lump wouldn’t move.
She coughed. Still stuck.
She coughed again. No use.
Then she felt a familiar tickle. A nose tickle.
“I should’ve stayed inside,” she muttered. Before she could hold her breath, the tickle grew.
It grew so big. It got so strong.
“ARRRGA-CHOOOOOO!”
The sneeze blew open the yard gate.
The Cul-de-sac Kids stared at her.
“Bless you,” Stacy said.
Abby tried to say “Thank you.” Instead, she sneezed again.
This time, Jason and Dunkum said, “God bless you.”
On the third and loudest sneeze, all the girls chimed in. “God bless you, Abby!” Carly and Dee Dee were giggling.
Someone started chanting the club motto. Jason and Stacy got it going. “The Cul-de-sac Kids stick together,” they said. “The Cul-de-sac Kids stick together.”
They kept saying it. Over and over.
When they stopped, Abby saw the new sign. No Snobs Allowed, the words spelled out.
Abby’s nose tickle was gone. But her throat lump was back.
She swallowed hard. She wanted to talk to her friends. All eight of them. She wanted to tell them she wasn’t a snob.
“I’m sorry,” Abby blurted. “I was so selfish.”
“You sure were!” Jason hollered.
“Hey, nobody’s perfect,” Carly said.
Stacy smiled but didn’t say a word.
Eric waved at Abby. “Come up here! You gotta check out this tree house. It’s the coolest place around.”
Abby didn’t say what she was thinking. The coolest place is where my friends are, she thought.
She climbed up the tree. She looked at her friends and took a deep breath. “The Cul-de-sac Kids stick together,” she said.
Everyone was clapping.
Jason was jigging.
Abby squeezed in next to Stacy. “Are you really the new president?”
“Just till you came back,” said Stacy.
“Oh,” Abby said, smiling. “I get it.”
“Look how much room there is,” Dunkum said.
“Oodles,” Abby replied. And she meant it.
“It’s a double dabble good tree house!” shouted Jason.
“Definitely,” said Abby with a smile.
THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS SERIES
Don’t miss #17!
THE CREEPY
SLEEP-OVER
Dunkum Mifflin has finished reading his 25th book. It’s Miss Hershey’s yearly goal for her students. The reward is a sleep-over at the teacher’s house.
Miss Hershey reads a poem—“The Raven”—at the sleep-over. Dunkum’s frightened. He sees weird shadows and hears strange noises. What’ll he do in the old mansion on the hill?
When Jason Birchall offers to help Dunkum overcome his fears, some wild and wacky things begin to happen!
About the Author
Beverly Lewis loves tree houses! She thinks they are the most secret place a kid can have. When she was young, she used to climb trees a lot. Her mother called her a “tomboy.” Beverly didn’t mind because it was true.
“The best part about a tree house is the privacy,” says Beverly. “You can write, draw, and dream up there next to the sky. And nobody knows where you are!”
Beverly thanks her sister, Barbara, who suggested Jason Birchall’s ant farm prank. She also appreciates her long-ago Ruby Street pals in Pennsylvania, who first taught her to share. “Without my childhood friends, there might never have been an Abby or a Stacy, Jason, or a boy named Dunkum,” says Beverly.
Looking for laughs? Then read ALL the Cul-de-sac Kids books. You’ll want to collect the whole series!
Learn more about Beverly and her books at www.BeverlyLewis.com.
Also by Beverly Lewis
* * *
Adult Nonfiction
Amish Prayers
The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook
Adult Fiction
HOME TO HICKORY HOLLOW
The Fiddler • The Bridesmaid • The Guardian
The Secret Keeper • The Last Bride
SEASONS OF GRACE
The Secret • The Missing • The Telling
ABRAM’S DAUGHTERS
The Covenant • The Betrayal • The Sacrifice • The Prodigal
The Revelation
ANNIE’S PEOPLE
The Preacher’s Daughter • The Englisher • The Brethren
THE ROSE TRILOGY
The Thorn • The Judgment • The Mercy
THE COURTSHIP OF NELLIE FISHER
The Parting • The Forbidden • The Longing
THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY
The Shunning • The Confession • The Reckoning
OTHER ADULT FICTION
The Postcard • The Crossroad • The Redemption of Sarah Cain October Song • Sanctuary* • The Sunroom • Child of Mine*
Youth Fiction
Girls Only (GO!) Volume One and Volume Two†
SummerHill Secrets Volume One and Volume Two†
Holly’s Heart Collection One‡, Collection Two‡,
and Collection Three†
www.BeverlyLewis.com
*with David Lewis †4 books in each volume ‡5 books in each volume
Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers
PICTURE BOOKS
In Jesse’s Shoes • Just Like Mama
What Is God Like? • What Is Heaven Like?
THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS
The Double Dabble Surprise
The Chicken Pox Panic
The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery
No Grown-ups Allowed
Frog Power
The Mystery of Case D. Luc
The Stinky Sneakers Mystery
Pickle Pizza
Mailbox Mania
The Mudhole Mystery
Fiddlesticks
The Crabby Cat Caper
Tarantula Toes
Green Gravy
Backyard Bandit Mystery
Tree House Trouble
The Creepy Sleep-Over
The Great TV Turn-Off
Piggy Party
The Granny Game
Mystery Mutt
Big Bad Beans
The Upside-Down Day
The Midnight Mystery
Katie and Jake and the Haircut Mistake
www.BeverlyLewis.com
Tree House Trouble Page 3