Trouble in the Trees by Yolanda Ridge

Dan.
    â€œYes,” Dan said. “You can choose not to vote.” He referred momentarily to his notes and then looked back at Ms. Matheson. “So, I guess we’ll proceed?”
    â€œGet on with it,” Ms. Matheson growled.
    Dan looked uncomfortable. Slowly he said, “All in favor of bylaw 47.21, please raise your hands.”
    There was a flurry of activity. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw more hands in the air than I wanted to see.
    There was silence as Michael’s dad counted. I tried to count as well, but I kept losing track. I was too worked up to concentrate. The only thing I know for sure is that neither Mom’s or Dad’s hand was in the air.
    â€œOkay.” Dan was writing and talking slowly. “Now all opposed to bylaw 47.21, please raise your hands.”
    This time I didn’t close my eyes. I watched as a bunch of arms shot up quickly, including Dad’s. Slowly, more reluctant hands joined them in the air. I waited and watched. It didn’t look like enough.
    Actually, it looked like the same number of hands that had gone up in favor of the bylaw.
    There was more silence and more counting. Dan scratched his head. He looked at his papers again. Then, with a puzzled look on his face, he said, “How many abstainers?”
    To my surprise, several hands went up, including two belonging to council members. I looked to see if Mom had raised her hand, and then I realized that Dad had voted for both of them. I wondered how Mom felt about that. Her eyebrows weren’t giving anything away.
    â€œInteresting,” I heard Ethan murmur quietly beside me.
    It didn’t take Dan long to count this time, but the puzzled look did not leave his face. He whispered something to the council member sitting next to him. Then he said, “The vote appears to be tied.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” someone in the audience asked.
    â€œRight now there are not enough votes to ratify the bylaw.”
    â€œBut there are absentee ballots to consider!” Ms. Matheson blurted out. “And too many people are abstaining!” She looked at the other council members accusingly.
    â€œYes,” Dan said thoughtfully, “I think we need to consider a secret ballot. This is clearly a contentious issue among residents.” He paused, waiting for a reaction. There wasn’t any. It was like everyone was in shock.
    Finally, Ms. Matheson spoke up. “We need to continue with the AGM. There are other items on the agenda.”
    â€œTo ensure an accurate result, I think it is best if we give everyone some time to think. I will collect the votes after the AGM,” Dan said. “Unfortunately, that means the result will not be available until the end of the week.”
    The room suddenly felt stuffy. As if everyone had exhaled at once.
    â€œVery well,” said Ms. Matheson curtly. “We will now move to the next item on the agenda.”
    I turned to gather my things. I was ready to go. And apparently I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to stay for the rest of the meeting. The sound of metal chair legs against linoleum floor filled the room as others stood to leave. The rest of the agenda was routine council stuff. There was nothing left to vote on.
    We walked as a pack through our townhouse complex with a group of parents trailing behind. One by one, my friends peeled off to their own little piece of Cedar Grove and disappeared behind different doorways.
    We reached Michael’s townhouse too soon. I liked walking next to him. I felt grateful to him, for sure, but I knew it was more than that. I suddenly understood why Tyler was so different around Sarah. So nice.
    We reached Tyler’s driveway last. Before turning off the road, he punched me gently on the shoulder and said, “I couldn’t have done that, Bree.”
    â€œYou didn’t have to.”
    â€œYeah, but now I have to practice so I can beat you to the top