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.