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Back The Copycat Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Chapter One
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Chapter Two
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Chapter Three
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Chapter Four
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Chapter Five
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Chapter Six
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Chapter Seven
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Chapter Eight
  34. Twenty-Three
  35. Twenty-Four
  36. Twenty-Five
  37. Chapter Nine
  38. Twenty-Six
  39. Twenty-Seven
  40. Chapter Ten
  41. Twenty-Eight
  42. Twenty-Nine
  43. Thirty
  44. Thirty-One
  45. Chapter Eleven
  46. Thirty-Two
  47. Thirty-Three
  48. Thirty-Four
  49. Thirty-Five
  50. Chapter Twelve
  51. Thirty-Six
  52. Thirty-Seven
  53. Thirty-Eight
  54. Chapter Thirteen
  55. Thirty-Nine
  56. Forty
  57. Forty-One
  58. Forty-Two
  59. Chapter Fourteen
  60. Forty-Three
  61. Forty-Four
  62. Forty-Five
  63. Forty-Six
  64. Forty-Seven
  65. Chapter Fifteen
  66. The Following Summer
  67. About the Author
  68. About the Publisher

Gigi’s hand trembled as she smoothed Ali’s hair. “I should have forced Andy to train Teddy, but I didn’t, because I wanted to get along with Andy. Remember what we told you the night we started your training?”

“That an untrained Copycat is a dangerous thing?”

Gigi nodded. “Teddy was dangerous. What little he knew, he’d taught himself or learned from Digger, but Digger wasn’t as serious as he is now. He trusted Teddy would figure things out. I loved Teddy, but he was a terrible show-off. He tried to change as they went over the rapids and ended up overturning the boat. Digger was fine; he changed into a fish and swam for shore. But Teddy didn’t have Digger’s abilities. . . . Later, when Andy blamed Digger for Teddy’s death, I lost my temper and blamed Andy. I told him that his pigheadedness about Copycats had killed his son. That was unfair. He never spoke to me again.”

“It was an accident, Gigi.”

“It was. And instead of coming together as a family, we blamed ourselves and one another. Teddy would be so disappointed in us. Does Digger know you went to see Andy?”

“Yes.”

“How did he take it?”

“Okay, I guess. And even though he knows they won’t come, he invited the Other Sloanes.”

“That’s my Digger. Thank you for trying, Alison. You did your best. That’s all any of us can do.”

“What am I going to do about everything else? Should I call everyone and apologize?”

“Take your time. The history of this planet is people rushing to say and do things, when a day’s reflection would make all the difference. You don’t live to be my age and not realize that time is the great healer. Though not always. Sometimes, we have to heal ourselves.”

Gigi seemed to sense that Ali was confused. “Here’s what you’re going to do: don’t go to school tomorrow. Your problems will still be there on Monday, and sometimes taking a day to be nice to yourself is the best medicine. Besides, the house needs to be decorated.”

“What will people think if I quit debate team?”

“They’ll survive without you, especially if you’re as terrible as you say you are.”

“Gigi! But what if my quitting disappoints them?”

“You’ve spent your whole life trying not to disappoint anybody. Why don’t you try to not disappoint yourself and think about what you’d like to do? Once you do that, I promise that the right people will show up in your life and you’ll make real friends. Now, how about you go grab the Scrabble board? I feel like playing a game.”

ALI’S RULES FOR BEING HAPPY

  1. Tell the truth.
  2. Play Scrabble with Gigi.

Chapter Thirteen

Fog Records