Trouble in the Trees (10 page)

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.

“Listen, Bree,” Tyler said impatiently, “do we have a deal or not?”

“Deal,” I said quickly before he changed his mind. “What's the message?”

“I'll write it down,” he mumbled, “and drop it in your mailbox.”

“Okay.”

“Let's go, Michael.” Tyler had already turned to leave.

Michael smiled at me before trotting off after Tyler. “Too bad about the tree-climbing competition.”

“Yeah, too bad.” I smiled back.

Chapter 17

Sure enough, the note was in my mailbox when I left for school the next morning. I read it, of course. I figured there was no way Tyler would know I had read it and I was sure that Sarah wouldn't mind. Pretty sure anyway.

All it said was,
REMATCH
. It was written in perfect block letters. Almost as if Tyler had written it over and over again until he got it just right. He'd used red ink.

I could've told Sarah about the note when we met by the swings before school started. But for some reason, I waited until lunch.

Before handing her the note, I described the showdown between Tyler and me. Sarah didn't say much. She just nodded patiently and then slowly unfolded the note. She took way too long to read it—it was only one word after all—and then she folded it back up again. She set it on the edge of her lunch tray and continued eating.

“So?” I said.

“So what?” she said as she peeled her banana.

“Don't you think it's weird? That he'd pass on an opportunity to get me into heaps of trouble?”

“Not really. Tyler's not as bad as you think.”

I sighed. I couldn't remember anything that Sarah and I had ever disagreed on. Until now. “So you're going to give him a rematch? I'm assuming he means basketball?”

“Maybe. We'll see.” Sarah was diving into her bag of cookies now. She seemed totally disinterested.

“But if you don't give him a rematch, he'll think I didn't give you the note and then he'll go blabbing to the Neighborhood Council.”

“Relax, Bree. Tyler's not going to tell. Besides, they're bound to find out sooner or later. There's no way a big group of kids can keep a secret like that.”

I didn't say anything. I knew she was right, but I was mad at her for saying it. We both ate quietly until the bell rang.

“Are you coming over after school?” I asked before she left.

“Not tonight,” she said. I watched as she dumped what was left on her lunch tray into the garbage. But not before she pocketed the note from Tyler.

I was miserable for the rest of the day. I kept thinking about what Sarah had said. I might be safe from Tyler, but no matter what either of us did, the council was bound to find out about the tree climbing eventually.

When I got home from school, Ethan was waiting in the usual spot next to the mailboxes. There were three other kids with him, all holding baseball gloves. I made a mental note to bring bats next time. Parents must be getting suspicious about all this catching practice.

“So?” Ethan said anxiously.

“Tyler's not going to tell.”