Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson

Author:Janci Patterson [Patterson, Janci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary, Young Adult, C429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9780805093919
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Published: 2012-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Kearney, Nebraska.

Days since Mom left: 31.

Distance from Salt Lake City: 755.1 miles.

9

I put my notebook inside my algebra book and wrote down everything I could remember about shooting Dad’s gun. I got so involved in the writing, I was actually surprised to look up and see we were in Kearney.

“Want me to drop you somewhere?” Dad asked. “You can get a bite to eat and make that phone call.”

“I thought you said you were going to let me be more involved.”

“Did I not tell you all the details about Stan’s case? I’ll even let you babysit him after I’ve got him in the truck. Stan’s not too dangerous, but I’m still not taking you into the bar while I drag him out. You’re underage. There are laws.”

“Fine. I’ll wait in the car.”

“Suit yourself.”

We pulled into a slummy commercial district, past a couple of liquor stores and an “adult” bookstore, its window curtained behind glowing triple Xs.

Dad parked on the street and motioned toward a bar across the way. “If Stan’s still here, he’s probably pretty drunk. This could take a few minutes.”

“Sure,” I said as Dad climbed out of the car. Sprinkles of rain hit the windshield again, and a blast of cold air swept in. Dad slammed the door and walked into the bar.

I picked up my algebra book again, but a man wearing a heavy coat and tattered jeans walked past my window. He turned around, making eyes at me. I looked down at my book, trying to ignore him, until he walked up and rapped on the glass.

I jumped. His face was so close to my window that it fogged the glass. Raindrops slipped through the grease in his hair.

I clicked the lock on the door. “Go away,” I said through the glass.

The man made a pouty face at me, but then he walked past the trailer and out of sight.

I held my breath, watching in the mirror until he disappeared around the corner. Then I pushed open the truck door and headed toward the bar. I didn’t want to wreck things with Dad, but he couldn’t expect me to wait in the car in a neighborhood like this. The bar might be full of creeps, but at least Dad would be there to protect me.

The bar reeked of alcohol and too much skin stuck to the vinyl stools and booths. I wanted to take a can of Lysol and drench the place.

The room was pretty much empty, so I found Dad right away, sitting on the edge of a stool next to a hunched-over man wearing a green slicker and a pair of black rain boots.

“Come on, Stan,” Dad said. “Don’t make this difficult.”

Dad’s arms hung loose at his sides, and he leaned back on the stool. This wasn’t even beginning to be difficult, and he knew it.

“Buy me one more?” Stan said. “Then I’ll come along quiet.”

As I approached, Dad gave me a hard look over Stan’s shoulder. I mouthed “sorry” at him and then sat down in a booth by the far wall.

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