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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

“How come?” asked Ali.

“She needed to get on with her life. You can’t live in the past. It’s not healthy.”

Ali sensed the comment wasn’t directed at her. “You should call her, go for coffee.”

“Maybe. Did you meet Alfie?” she asked Digger, who shook his head.

“I tried to invite him in,” said Ali. “But I think he was nervous because of the Sloane Family Feud.” She turned to Digger. “You should pop out and say hello when he and I walk home together tomorrow.”

“I’m not going to do that, Ali-Cat.”

“How come? He said he wants to meet you!”

Her father shook his head. “Someday you’ll understand that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“A lot of things in this life don’t make any sense. You’d better get used to that.” An instant later he changed into Digger the dog and fled the kitchen.

Ali harrumphed. “Why won’t he talk about the Sloane Family Feud?”

Her mother leaned across and smoothed Ali’s fog-frizzy hair. “It was a dark time when Teddy died. I know Digger is happy that you met Alfie, but it also reminds him of how much he still misses Teddy.”

“But Teddy’s been gone for years.”

Her mother stood up. “I’m going to take a quick shower before supper. I know this is confusing, honey. The truth is, grief doesn’t stick to a timetable. Your dad’s doing the best he can. Someday he’ll move on. Until then, we just have to support him. The Sloanes are a complicated family.” She kissed Ali on the forehead and left.

That word again: complicated. But why were the Sloanes complicated? Was it because they were Copycats? Because of Teddy’s death? It was clear it wouldn’t be enough to have the Other Sloanes come to Gigi’s birthday party; she had to find a way to help her dad let go of the past.

Eleven

It wasn’t hard to find Alfie and the others in the cafeteria the next day; he was wearing the world’s most hideous Hawaiian shirt, a pea-green monstrosity splattered with chocolate flowers and orange parrots. It was so ugly it hurt Ali’s eyes. She slid into the empty chair beside Cassie, so mesmerized she didn’t say hello.

Cassie nudged her. “I see you’re hypnotized by Alfie’s shirt.”

“Not me,” said Murray, who sat beside Alfie on the other side of the table. “It makes me want to throw up.”

Alfie grinned.

“I dared him to wear it,” Murray continued. “We went to the movies last night and he told me he owned the ugliest shirt in the universe. I didn’t believe him, so I made a bet with him. As you can see, I lost. It is the ugliest shirt ever.”