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.”
“What happened? Did you do a climb-off? I can’t believe I missed it! I would have loved to see you beat him!” Ethan rambled on, clearly relieved.
“I don’t really want to talk about it, Ethan,” I said. “And I think we should take a couple days off from climbing. Until things cool down, you know?”
Ethan nodded miserably. “Sure, Bree. Want to play catch instead?”
“Not now. Sorry, Ethan.” I smiled at him. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you later.” I walked around the corner and grabbed my bike from the garage. I cycled along the Fraser River until I was sure no one was watching. Then I turned and headed toward the railway tracks. To my trees.
I hid my bike behind a bush and started climbing up into the Knife. I cleared my mind and concentrated on the branch in front of me. Within ten minutes I was as high as I could safely go. I wasn’t going to reach the top today.
I sat on a branch near the trunk and let my feet swing freely below me. It felt good to be surrounded by big green leaves. I heard a bee buzz by my ear, lured by the sweet smell of tree sap. It was one of those cloudy Vancouver days where the gray sky seemed close enough to reach up and touch. The clouds were like a blanket that warmed the air without any help from the sun. I felt like I could hide away on this branch forever.
And then, suddenly, I saw a branch move in the tree next to me. Actually, the whole tree started moving. And I could hear the sound of twigs breaking. There was something in the Fork.
I sat there as quietly as I could. Whatever it was, it was too large to be a squirrel or a cat. It sounded like a person, but I was sure Ethan would’ve told the Cedar Grove kids to stay away. I watched and waited for something—or someone—to appear.
Within minutes I saw a hand reach up to a thick branch parallel to the one I was sitting on. Then I heard a grunt as a knee appeared next to the hand. Another hand. Another knee.
It was Michael.
“Hi,” I said quietly, not wanting to scare him. I was pretty sure he didn’t know I was there.
“Oh!” Michael turned quickly and almost lost his balance. “Hi,” he said once he was steady again.
“I didn’t know you liked to climb trees,” I said.
“Neither did I. I’m not very good at it. But when I saw you all crowded around these trees yesterday, I decided I had to give it another shot.” Michael smiled at me. “It’s fun!”
“Does Tyler know you’re here?”
“Nope.”
“I’ve never seen you go anywhere without him.”
“Come on, Bree, I’m not that bad. He’s not that bad. He just likes to give you a hard time because you’re so good at sports.” Michael paused, then quietly added, “Plus, you’re a natural leader. Tyler isn’t. His baseball coach is always on his case about it. He watches you do all this stuff—teaching kids to climb, organizing protests—and it makes him crazy.”
I looked at Michael, trying to figure out if he was making fun of me. He appeared to be serious. “Sarah’s good at sports too,” I said.
“That’s different.”
I didn’t understand. And I didn’t want to talk about Tyler and Sarah. So instead I asked, “Do you really think Tyler will keep quiet about the tree climbing?”
“Yeah. He really likes Sarah. He doesn’t want to do anything to get her mad at him.”
“Oh.” So I was right. But I still had no idea whether Sarah liked him back. And she was supposed to be my best friend.
“But, Bree?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t you think it would be better if the tree climbing wasn’t a secret?” Michael was looking quite comfortable now, perched in the tree with his back against the trunk.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You should keep up your fight against the bylaw. Then we could climb at Cedar Grove again. Without worrying about getting caught.”
“But the Neighborhood Council didn’t listen to me. And they ignored our protest. What else can I do?”
“According to my dad, safety is the issue,” Michael said.
I rolled my eyes. Safety, safety, safety—I was so tired of that word!
Michael continued, “And Ethan says you’ve come up with all kinds of rules to keep kids safe while you are teaching them to climb.”
I rolled my eyes again. Ethan just couldn’t keep his mouth shut!
“So maybe if you explained how you’ve made tree climbing safe for everyone in Cedar Grove, the council would reconsider.”
“But I can’t do another presentation,” I blurted out. “I don’t even think they’ll let me.”
“What about the Annual General Meeting?”
“What about it?”
“The AGM is scheduled for the end of the month. It’s an open meeting for every resident in Cedar Grove.”
“You want me to give a presentation in front of everyone in Cedar Grove?”
“Well,” Michael said, “my dad says the tree-climbing bylaw won’t be official until there’s another vote.”
“That’s just some kind of formality. The council has already made their decision.”
“But my dad is a council member and he doesn’t agree with the bylaw.”
“He doesn’t?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
“No. And he says he’ll vote against it at the upcoming AGM.”
“You mean there is actually going to be a vote?”
“Of course.” Michael gave me a funny look. “Right now it’s just something called an interim bylaw. It won’t be a real bylaw unless it passes the vote at the AGM.”
“Really?” What Michael was saying sounded familiar, but it was taking my brain a while to catch up. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Michael said. “And the way I see it, if you can convince the residents of Cedar Grove—not just the Council—that tree climbing is safe, you can stop the bylaw from becoming a real and permanent thing.”
I started nodding. Slowly. Then I smiled. Michael was smarter than I’d ever given him credit for.
“It’s worth a try,” I said quietly.
“If anyone can do it, you can, Bree.”
I swallowed hard. Another presentation. A much bigger presentation in front of everyone, not just the Neighborhood Council.
The idea made me nervous, but for some reason, I didn’t feel scared. Not like last time. Michael’s confidence made me feel hopeful.
Maybe a little too hopeful.