But Sarah was heading straight toward the garage with the basketball hoop. Tyler’s garage. I listened, hoping to hear a street hockey game over the skipping song, but there was only the sound of a ball bouncing against the pavement.
“Hey, Tyler,” Sarah called out as we got close.
“Sarah. Bree. Wanna play?” Tyler took a shot and missed the net.
“Air ball,” I said under my breath.
“I’ll play,” Sarah said, giving me a dirty look. Sarah’s a good basketball player. I mean really good. We don’t usually play together because she beats me every time. I had no doubt she’d give Tyler a close game.
“Where’s Michael?” I asked.
“Dentist,” Tyler replied as he passed the ball to Sarah.
“You two play one-on-one,” I said. “I’ll sit out.” I didn’t know exactly what was going on with Tyler and Sarah. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it and I didn’t want to be a part of it. I just wanted to do some more climbing.
I sat down on Ethan’s front step and watched. Sarah was already up three to one.
Within minutes, Ethan was sitting next to me.
I was glad to see him. Glad to have someone to distract me from the basketball match. “What’ve you been doing?” I asked.
“Reading. Just finished my book.”
“Why don’t you play video games or something?” I asked, although it wasn’t really a question. And because I was feeling miserable, I added, “You know, like other kids.”
Ethan just shrugged. “I like to read.”
“Where’s your mom?”
“Getting ready for some big meeting,” Ethan replied.
“A Cedar Grove Neighborhood Council meeting?”
“Nah. Something at the school.”
Poor Ethan. His mom would never let him spend time playing video games. And she was never around to do anything fun with him. Good thing he had me and the rest of the Cedar Grove kids.
“Want to play catch?” Ethan asked. “Help me test my arm a bit?”
“Sorry, Ethan,” I said, feeling bad about disappointing him. “I have to walk Sarah home as soon as she’s done this game. Then it’ll be time for dinner.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the basketball game. Sarah was up seven to six. Tyler was still smiling and joking around even though she was winning. Why was I the only one he hated losing to?
I tried to think of something funny to share with Ethan. Something to change the mood. And that’s when I remembered my promise.
“Listen,” I said as quietly as I could, “were you serious about learning to climb trees?”
Ethan looked at me, his forehead wrinkled with confusion.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said slowly.
“Then let’s do it,” I said, keeping my voice down.
“But how? It’s illegal.”
“I found some trees. They’re not on Cedar Grove property.” I was whispering now.
“I’m not allowed to leave Cedar Grove without my mom’s permission,” Ethan said miserably.
“But they are ALMOST on the property.”
“You know how my mom is about rules, Bree.”
“I know, I know. Just come with me tomorrow after school. You can stay on Cedar Grove property and watch me climb. I’ll teach you what I can, and if you get bored, we’ll play catch.”
“Really?” Ethan said, his voice rising with excitement. “And there will be no risk of a fine?”
“Shhhhh.” I smiled and made a slight movement of my head in Tyler’s direction. “It’s all legal, but I don’t want everyone finding out about the trees.” I really didn’t need any more trouble from Tyler. And if the Easter egg map was wrong, I didn’t want to know. That would be bad.
“Should I wear camouflage?” Ethan said, gesturing toward my capris.
“You don’t need camouflage. You won’t be that close to the trees. Just meet me by the mailboxes tomorrow at four. And bring your glove.”
“Okay, but I doubt I’ll need my glove. I won’t get bored watching you climb. I think I’ll bring my notebook instead so I can write down all the things I learn!”
“Bring whatever you want, Ethan, but remember, this is supposed to be fun.” I was suddenly having doubts. How much could Ethan learn if he couldn’t go into the trees? And what if his mom didn’t even want him watching? Was there some way she could stop me from climbing those trees too?
But Ethan was excited. And the basketball game was over. It was too late now.
Sarah had won. She gave Tyler a high five that lasted longer than it needed to and then turned to me. “Let’s go, Bree. I gotta get home before Dad kills me.”
“See you tomorrow. But remember, the trees are a secret,” I whispered to Ethan as I stood up to leave.
He looked up and nodded, all smiles.
Chapter 15
Teaching Ethan to climb was fun. For a few days he only watched, just as we’d planned, but soon he couldn’t stop himself from getting into the Spoon. I tried to convince him to follow his mom’s rule and stay on Cedar Grove property, but the trees were so close and, well, Ethan was desperate to do some climbing himself. I couldn’t really blame him and there was nothing I could do to stop him.
After a couple of days on the Spoon, he was ready to try the Fork. I could get to the top of it by then, but I had to plan my route carefully. I gave Ethan a few pointers and let him attempt the Fork alone. I think he scraped his knees a couple of times but he never fell.
When he got tired, he’d sit on the other side of the Cedar Grove property line and watch me tackle the Knife. I was getting closer to the top every day. But I didn’t push too hard. It was fun watching Ethan learn, and I knew that once I had the Knife figured out, I’d be desperate to find new trees to climb. And that would be bad, since there weren’t any.
“You’re such a good climber,” Ethan said to me when I plopped down next to him on the grass one day. We’d been climbing together for a week. I wasn’t sure I had anything more to teach Ethan. The rest was just practice.
“So are you. Helps that you have a great teacher!” I said, laughing.
Ethan smiled.
“You’ve really practiced hard,” I said. “Doesn’t your Mom wonder what you’ve been up to these last few days?”
“I guess she’ll expect me to be pretty good at baseball,” Ethan said, looking at the gloves that lay on the grass beside us, unused. “But she’s too busy to care. And she’s not worried as long as I’m with you.”
“Really?”
“Yup, she thinks you’re very responsible. She talked about it after you gave that presentation to the Neighborhood Council.”
“Really?” I said again. I was surprised. Especially since the council hadn’t listened to anything I had said. And Ms. Matheson’s words, You do not set the best example, Brianna, had stuck with me.
“Yup.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said as I lay back on the grass, letting the sun hit my face.
“Um, I have a favor to ask, Bree,” Ethan said.
“What?”
“Well, it’s just that some of the other Cedar Grove kids would like to learn how to climb too.”
“Like who?” I asked, not really paying attention to what he was saying. I was enjoying the warmth and the fact that someone thought I was responsible. I was proud that Ms. Matheson had been impressed by my presentation to the council, even if it had been a waste of time.
“Like Salina.”
I bolted upward, momentarily blinded by the sun. “How does Salina know I’m teaching you to climb?”
“Oh, I might have told her,” Ethan said as if it were no big deal.
“Ethan! The trees were supposed to be a secret!” I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. I’m sure my face turned a thousand shades of red.
Ethan looked at me anxiously. “But Salina promised she wouldn’t tell. And I didn’t tell anyone else.”
“A secret is NOT something you tell
one person at a time,” I stammered.
“It’s just that I was so excited about it and I wanted to tell someone, and now Salina is excited too and so I was just wondering if you could teach her to climb.” Ethan looked as if he was about to cry.
I lay back down, hitting my head hard against the ground. What was I going to do now? If I started teaching other kids how to climb, it was only a matter of time before everyone, including the Cedar Grove Neighborhood Council, found out. I wasn’t even sure it was legal to be climbing these trees. I was probably breaking another bylaw. And even if it was legal, the other parents might still think I was putting their kids in danger. I was sure the council would kick us out of our house for that.
On the other hand, if I refused to teach Salina to climb, she might get mad and tell people anyway. And knowing about the rivalry between Tyler and me, she would definitely go to him first.
I couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into this. All I’d done is offered to let Ethan watch me climb. The rest had just happened.
After I had calmed down and thought it through, I finally said, “Okay, Ethan. Bring her tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Bree. Really, thanks. That’s great.”
Ethan looked so relieved that I almost smiled. But instead I glared at him with my best principal face and said, “But you must promise not to tell anyone else.”
“Not a word.” Ethan clamped his lips together between two fingers and gave me the thumbs-up with the other hand.
If only I believed him.
Chapter 16
“Okay, that’s good. Now reach up with your left hand. No, left. The other hand. You can do it. Keep your foot on the branch until you’ve grabbed hold of the…”
“Bree?” Salina said urgently.
“What is it, Salina?”
“I think I need a break.”
“Okay.” I sighed. “Come on down. Do you need help?”
“No. I can do it. Just give me a minute,” she called down.
She wasn’t even that high. I rolled my eyes. Teaching Salina was much tougher than teaching Ethan.
I turned and walked over to the grass where a group of kids was sitting next to the railway tracks. “Who’s next?” I asked.
“My turn!” Ashley jumped up, blond hair bouncing.
Sure enough, my tree-climbing lessons were a “secret” that was spreading through Cedar Grove, one kid at a time. It seemed that suddenly everyone was interested in learning how to climb trees. Maybe because it was illegal without really being illegal. Or something like that. But some kids were definitely better than others. Ashley was surprisingly good. She wore pink even when she climbed (in shorts not skirts), but she was actually kind of fun to be around when she wasn’t skipping.
We walked over to the Spoon and waited for Salina to come down. Only one kid was allowed on the Spoon at a time. And they had to be supervised, by me, at all times. I wasn’t taking any chances on someone getting hurt. That would be bad.
I looked up at Ethan. He was in the Fork. When I decided someone was good enough for the Fork, I allowed them to climb it on their own. I was still around, just not watching their every move. And they had to follow the rules I’d come up with to keep everyone safe.
Safety was my number-one concern. If anyone got hurt, the secret would get out for sure. And I had no doubt that big trouble would follow.
I wondered why more parents weren’t suspicious of the scrapes covering everyone’s elbows and knees. Maybe they just figured it was a natural part of the weather warming up and skin being exposed. But really, these kids must be going through a lot of Band-Aids.
Ethan smiled and waved. He really loved tree climbing. Almost as much as me.
“Okay, Ashley. Your turn,” I said when Salina finally emerged at the bottom of the Spoon.
As Ashley stepped onto the lower branch, I heard a deep voice behind me yell, “What’s going on here?”
I turned around, heart pounding. It was Tyler. Michael was standing behind him.
“What are you doing here, Tyler?” I said quickly, trying to act calmer than I felt.
“No, the question is”—Tyler looked around at all the kids—“what are YOU all doing here?”
“Climbing trees,” I said, looking him right in the eye. There was no way to hide it. I couldn’t believe we’d managed to keep it from him for this long. And I knew right away that was the part that was really going to make him angry. I wished Sarah was here to give him a reason to be nicer to me.
“As I’m sure you all know,” Tyler said, “that is against Cedar Grove bylaws.”
“No, it’s not,” Ethan said. “These trees are not on Cedar Grove property.”
I turned and stared at Ethan. I was surprised he wasn’t hiding up in the tree. Even more surprised at the conviction in his voice. It didn’t sound like him at all.
“Tell him, Bree,” Ethan said.
“Ethan’s right, Tyler. These trees are not on Cedar Grove property.”
“How do you know?” Michael asked.
“I’ve got a map that proves it,” I said.
“This sure looks like Cedar Grove property to me,” Tyler said. “And I think the Neighborhood Council would be very interested to know that you’ve been climbing these trees.”
“You’re not going to tell them!” Salina gasped. “We could get fined! Our families could get kicked out of Cedar Grove!”
“The Neighborhood Council needs to know. And they need to know that not only has Bree been climbing trees”—Tyler paused for effect—“she’s also been encouraging all of you to do it too.”
“We’re here because we want to be here,” Ethan said, still sounding unusually forceful. “It’s not Bree’s fault.”
Everyone was silent.
“How ’bout we settle this with a tree-climbing contest?” Michael suggested, breaking the silence.
“A tree-climbing contest?” I asked.
“Yeah. A climbing competition. Between you and Tyler.”
“Good idea!” Ethan said. “Whoever gets highest in the Knife wins the competition.”
“Or we could see who can get to the top of that tree the fastest.” Michael was pointing at the Fork.
“No contest,” said Salina. “Bree would win for sure.”
“Win what?” Tyler asked.
“Your silence,” said Ethan.
“Yeah. If Bree wins, Tyler has to promise not to say anything. If Tyler wins, Bree has to go back to the council and confess.” As Michael said this, I noticed Tyler’s eyes dart toward him. Tyler looked angry. And maybe a little scared.
One of the kids started chanting, “Bree! Bree! Bree! Bree!” Soon other voices joined in. My body started tingling with anticipation. Every muscle in my body tensed, ready for the climb.
But there was also a nagging voice in my head, telling me that this wasn’t a good idea. Even though I knew I could beat Tyler, competitive tree climbing wasn’t safe. Not without ropes and harnesses and all that stuff that was on the TCI website. This seemed like a sure way for someone to get hurt. Most likely it would be Tyler. And even I didn’t want that. I just wanted him to stop competing with me.
“Bree! Bree! Bree!” The kids were still chanting, but they were starting to lose their enthusiasm since neither me or Tyler were saying a word.
Then Sammy started to cry, and all the chanting stopped.
“I think he’s been stung by a bee,” Salina announced.
“Take him home,” I said to her. “You should all go home,” I added, hoping that Tyler would be easier to deal with if he didn’t have an audience to impress.
Tyler and I stared at each other, arms crossed, while we waited for everyone to leave. Ethan wanted to stay, but I told him to go. “Make sure none of the other kids tell their parents about the trees,” I whispered to him as he walked away. “This isn’t over yet.”
And then everyone was gone, except for Michael, who was standing behind Tyler and looking up into the trees. Tyler and I kept
staring at each other, neither of us wanting to be the first to speak.
“It would be great!” Michael finally said. “I could charge admission. Sell popcorn. Make it into a real community event!”
“Community event?” I said. “Yeah, right. And you think you could do all that without the Neighborhood Council and the rest of the parents finding out?”
“She’s right,” Tyler said, turning his glare on Michael. “Besides, I have nothing to gain from a climb-off.”
“Afraid you’ll lose?” I couldn’t resist.
“No,” Tyler said flatly.
“But if you win, Bree has to confess!” Michael said.
“What do I care if she confesses?” Tyler snapped.
“You expect me to believe that you don’t want me to get in trouble? You really are afraid to lose!” I felt better now that I knew Tyler didn’t want to compete. But there was still a part of me that really wanted to beat him.
“I’m not afraid to lose. But like I said, I have nothing to gain from a climb-off. There’s not gonna be a tree-climbing contest,” Tyler said firmly.
“So then,” I said slowly, “what’s it going to take to keep you quiet?”
Tyler looked around to make sure Michael wasn’t listening. “Maybe there is something you could do for me,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Can you give Sarah a message for me?”
“What?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“A message. For Sarah,” Tyler repeated, clearly embarrassed.
“If I give Sarah a message, will you promise to keep your mouth shut about the tree climbing?” I said this slowly, enjoying Tyler’s discomfort.
Tyler nodded.
“Aren’t you worried about what the other kids will think? That you backed away from a tree-climbing contest?”
“No. The kids around here look up to me. And like I’ve already said a million times, I have nothing to gain from winning a tree-climbing competition. Will you give Sarah a message if I promise not to go to the council?”
This boy-girl stuff was a mystery to me. “Why don’t you just give Sarah a ring? I mean, phone call?” I said, catching myself. I was getting flustered and starting to talk like an English schoolgirl again.
Trouble in the Trees Page 6