Cassie’s hand rocketed upward. When Ms. Ryder nodded for her to speak, she turned to Ali first and then pivoted to Alfie. “So, are you guys related or what?”
“Cousins,” said Ali, forcing herself to look in Cassie’s and Alfie’s direction.
“Really?”
She waited for Alfie to respond. Several terrible seconds passed, and then he said, “Yes.” Ali’s face burned. Why had she thought this would be the best way to meet him?
Ms. Ryder glanced from Ali to Alfie, as if she expected them to say something more. When they didn’t, she said, “I think that’s enough introductions for now,” and pushed a button so that the grammar lesson was replaced by the same debate information she’d passed out earlier. “Many of you are old pros at debate, but some of you are new, so we’ll take a couple of minutes to review the basics.”
Ali reached into her knapsack and grabbed a notebook and pen.
“You don’t need to write this down, Ali,” Ms. Ryder said.
Ali flushed. “I like to write things down. It helps me remember.”
Murray pointed at his own pen and paper. “Me too. Plus, it’s been scientifically proven that when a person writes something down, they remember it better.”
Ali glanced over at the fancy penmanship in Murray’s notebook, all loops and curls, and did her best to imitate it.
Ms. Ryder chuckled. “I stand corrected.”
For the next ten minutes, they discussed debate styles, and how one team put forth a proposition while the opposing team tried to tear it apart. Ali took notes, but none of it sank in. All she could think about was Alfie sitting three chairs away. Was he surprised that she was at Princess Elizabeth School? Did he want to be friends too?
ALI’S RULES FOR WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU WANT TO MEET SOMEBODY
Don’t join a club you have no interest in joining.
Don’t catch them off guard.
Don’t say stuff just to say something. A lawyer? Not in a million years.
Cassie’s jiggly right leg and frantic arm-waving brought Ali back to the meeting. “Are we going to talk about rebuttals and refutations?”
“Someone’s been reading ahead,” said Murray, which made everyone laugh.
Ms. Ryder smiled. “We’ll get to that next time, when we practice debating. If any of you are as enthusiastic as Cassie, you can read about them on the sheet I gave you.” She pushed another button, and a video filled the screen. For the next ten minutes, they watched eight kids from Boston debate the pros and cons of exams. Ali watched the teams go back and forth and knew she would never have the courage to debate anyone.
Her fear must have been visible, because Murray leaned over and whispered, “Scary, huh? But I bet you’ll be great.” Murray was nice, but he was wrong. She would not be great.
When the meeting ended, Ali dawdled until Alfie left the classroom. Heart thumping, she followed him out the door, ignoring Cassie’s attempt to chat with her. It was time to really meet her cousin.
Nine
Alfie didn’t seem surprised when Ali caught up to him at the end of the school driveway.
“Can I walk with you?” she asked. Could he hear the quiver in her voice?
Alfie nodded. “Uh-huh.”
They walked in silence for the first block. The moment was so significant to Ali that she half expected a brass band to step out of the fog and lead them down the street. The late afternoon sky was a hazy gold. It seemed brighter today, as if the sun wanted to banish the fog and celebrate the fact that Ali and Alfie had finally met.
Ali knew that she needed to use different tactics to get to know Alfie than what she used in Ali’s Rules for Making Friends. She had to be herself, act natural. But it was hard; she’d never done that before. She knew she shouldn’t dive right in about their family troubles, so she decided to start with the favorite conversation of all Saint Johners: the weather.
ALI’S RULES FOR MAKING FRIENDS*
Be friendly.
Do what the other person wants you to do.
Agree with them.
Don’t a) talk too much; b) be a know-it-all; or c) give up.
*note: Alfie Sloane is different. Try to be yourself.
“Lots of fog, huh?”
“Yup. We get a lot of fog in London, too, but nothing like this.”
They continued on, quiet once more.
Ali tried another topic. “I was nervous about the debate team.”
Alfie glanced over. “How come?”
It was time to tell the truth. “I don’t really like public speaking. I joined the debate team to meet you.” She held her breath, fearful of his reaction.
“Huh,” said Alfie. It sounded like a surprised “huh,” which Ali took as a hopeful sign, though the fact that he wasn’t swinging his knapsack was a worry.
They turned onto Douglas Avenue, and she paused. She loved her new street, which ran the length of a narrow peninsula separating the Saint John River and the Bay of Fundy. The peninsula’s existence created the city’s famous Reversing Falls, thanks to the twice daily twenty-eight-foot ocean tides that rushed into the bay and forced the river to flow backward. A reluctant Digger had taken Ali to see the falls the previous week, even though he’d said there wasn’t much to see. She’d stood on the observation deck and watched the water churn, thinking about a scientific law she’d studied in sixth grade—Newton’s second law of motion—which explained what happens to a mass when it’s acted on by an external force. The massive bay and its tides might push the river back twice daily, but the force of the river was unyielding. Thanks to force, something small could stand a chance against something much larger.
Gigi’s Victorian house came into view. Did Alfie know this was where she lived? As they got closer, she pointed up at the turret. “That’s our great-grandmother’s room. Notice the open window?”
“Uh-huh.” Alfie studied the window like it was a problem to be solved.
“She always leaves her window open to feed the birds and squirrels. My dad hates it when she does, because he worries the house will be taken over by animals.”
Alfie chuckled.
“Want to come in?”
Ali imagined taking Alfie inside. She’d introduce him to Digger, then take him upstairs to meet Gigi. It made her shiver with excitement about how thrilled they’d be. She was already on the first step when Alfie shook his head and began to walk away. Stunned, she gaped at his departing back, then ran to catch up with him.
“You don’t want to come in?”
Alfie shook his head. Ali swallowed her disappointment. She hadn’t even told him about Gigi’s party yet.
“Can we talk for a few minutes?” She pointed toward Riverview Memorial Park in the distance. Maybe he’d be willing to talk someplace else. He didn’t say no, so they kept going. They passed the old New Brunswick Museum, with its imposing pillars and dark stone, and arrived at the park on the other side, cutting across the leaf-strewn grass until they reached the statue of a Boer War soldier. They took a seat beneath the sad-looking man, who clutched his bayonet as if he expected to be called into battle at any moment.
Alfie checked his watch. “I have to be home in ten minutes.”