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Alden throws his hands up in exasperation.
Time for a change of subject. “Come on. Let’s get the bikes and go to The Stop Along.”
“Then the treehouse,” Alden adds.
The Stop Along is a corner store a few blocks away. It shares a building with Hull’s Video, where we rent movies. It’s the place where everyone in the neighborhood goes for cold drinks and snacks. Cigarettes if you’re older.
After we load up on snacks and drinks, we head for the treehouse. Oliver meets up with us when we cut through my yard and reach the edge of the woods.
About two miles of forest backs up to our dead end street. If you walk in a straight line all the way through, you come out at the highway on the other side, but none of us are allowed that far. Not that it has ever kept us from going, but there’s usually no reason to. The treehouse is where we want to be, or the creek that winds through not far from it.
We ditch our bikes at the edge of the woods and hike back to our treehouse. Dad built it along with help from Mr. Taylor when I was eight. It’s not high off the ground, only about eight feet, but it’s big enough to hold six kids. Today, it’s empty when we show up and I’m glad. We have lots of friends from the two streets alongside Arcade Court, but I like it when it’s just Tori, the Stokes brothers, and me. We have a lot of fun.
“What’s in the backpack?” I ask Oliver when he slides it off his shoulder.
“A couple of jars. Dad wants tadpoles and minnows from the creek for bait. He said he’d pay us if we catch some.”
Alden scoffs and sits on the wooden floor. “I’m not falling for that again. He never pays up.”
“I also brought Uno.” Oliver pulls out a pack of cards.
“Yes!” Tori exclaims. “Let’s play. I need a rematch.”
Alden grins at her. “Why do you insist on punishing yourself like this? You know I’m going to win.”
“That’s because you cheat.”
Alden opens his mouth like he’s shocked. “How would anyone even cheat at Uno?”
“By stacking cards and laying down more than one on your turn,” Oliver says.
“Dude, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
Oliver starts dealing the cards. “Ha! Like you were when Tori said I was wearing wiener shoes?”
“That was a hard fact to argue, bro, give me a break.”
“They were loafers,” Oliver insists.
“Let’s let Ella settle it.” Alden looks at me. “Ella, you saw the shoes in question. Wiener shoes? Yes or no.”
They were some pretty ugly loafers, but I don’t want to hurt Oliver’s feelings. “I—”
“Come on, it’s not that hard,” Alden interrupts, beaming at me. “Spare my brother the embarrassment of wearing them again.”
It’s hard not to laugh but I manage to stop at a smile. “I mean, they would be fine, like…for church.”
“If you’re a seventy-year-old man,” Tori adds, and Oliver shoves her, grinning despite being the target.
We all gather up our cards and start the game. It occurs to me how happy I am. I’m with my best friends and we have the whole long summer ahead of us.
We spend hours in the treehouse, playing games and hanging out before walking to the creek. While Alden helps Oliver catch the minnows, Tori and I sit on the bank and dip our feet.
“Can I spend the night tonight?” Tori asks.
“Of course.” During the summer, I don’t even have to ask Mom. She always lets us stay at each other’s houses when school isn’t a consideration.
“Thanks. Mom and Luke are arguing again. She didn’t ask him before buying some new clothes, and he’s mad.”
