Flip by Erin Gilgenbach (novel24 .TXT) 📖

the charger.”
She sipped her coffee and pointed at the phone sitting on the charger.
“Thanks mom.”
I said as I ran and grabbed the phone heading to my room that I shared with my two brothers.
“You are going to clean this up right?”
“After I’m done on the phone.”
I yelled from the top of the stairs. I walked into my room James was on the floor trying to put on a pair of pants. “Can you help me Luke?”
“If you leave after I’m done. Where’s Mat?”
“He’s in the shower.”
James is Five and he has the most adorable lisp. So when says ‘shower’ it sounds like ‘thower’. And when he gets older you can tell that he’s going to be a chick magnet. Big blue eyes and silky blonde hair demand it. I helped him into his pants and pushed him out the door. I lay on my bed and dialed Harper’s number. The space between the rings seemed to last an eternity.
“Hello?”
Harper is like the only person that still don’t have caller ID at her house.
“Hi, it’s me are you ok?”
“I guess.”
“You want to talk? I can pick you up for lunch.”
“Sure, what time.”
“I’ll pick you up at 1:00.”
“Ok see you then.”
“Ok Bye.”
I hung up and lay there staring at the ceiling. Then there was a banging on the door, I jumped up Thinking that the FBI was after me.
“I won’t tell you anything, you can’t make me!”
“Luke what are you talking about, let me in I’m standing out here in a towel and I need in, open up.”
I let myself relax and opened the door then flopped back on my bed. Mat was two years older then me and he was the one that I needed to get the car from.
“Hey can I barrow the car?”
“Why would you need the car?”
“I’m going to take a friend to lunch.”
“Wait is it a girl?!”
“Maybe….”
“WHAT!! You’re going to lunch with a girl, wow. She must be a real dog to want to go out with you.”
“She’s not a dog! And we’re not going out, she’s just having a hard time and wanted to talk.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it. Ok here’s the deal I’ll let you use the car if you let me meet her after lunch.”
I thought about this as he finished getting dressed and sighed. My brother will probably ask her out if he thinks that she’s cute enough. But I already told her that I’d take her to lunch so it seems that I have no choice.
“It’s JUST Harper Mat.”
“What! You mean that girl you’ve had a crush on since preschool.”
He started laughing, I just glared at him.
“I don’t have a crush on her!” I yelled, my face turning red. Mat whipped a tear away from his eye.
“Sure, then why every time she called you, you would grab the phone from whoever had it like you were a cow going to the copping block and she was your last meal?” I made a face at him.
“What are you talking about?! Your mad, what kind of nonsense is that.”
He tossed me the keys.
“Have fun with your girlfriend.”
He moved his eyebrows up and down and smiled at me. I through a pillow at him
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Yet” He said in a singsong voice, he swayed his hips back forth “Like I said have fun.” He waved his fingers at me and batted his eyelash’s, then walked out of the room laughing at his own stupidity. I just shook my head and got ready to take a shower.


* * *


I opened the door to my house and walked in. My dad was already gone, but it wouldn’t matter if he was there is would still be dead silent. If I died I don’t think he would find out until an undertaker came to take my body away. I sat down and looked around at the room and hated it. It was like a jail with no bars, but it still keeps me locked up. I can’t wait till I’ll be able to dive, just three mouths you can make it, maybe.
Just then the phone rang, I wondered if I should pick it up it was probably a salesmen. Or it could be the FBI; right now I did not want to talk to them. In the end I picked up the phone on the last ring. It was Luke asking me if I wanted to get out of the house and go to lunch with him. Anything to get me out of this pit, even though it sounded like he was asking me out, I got ready and went and sat out on the grass in front of my house. It was going to be about an hour before he would pick me up, but I didn’t want to stay in that house anymore. I touched one of my sides ouch, blast that Crane, he knows how to kick you just right. Hard enough to leave huge bruises but not enough to brake or fracture any ribs. At lest he kicked me on the side that didn’t have the cut, that could have been bad. Beside that I had some scratches from running away from Smith and a bruise on my check from Crane. Over all I think I’ll live to see another day.
About an hour later a car pulled up and Luke waved. I jumped up and bolted for the car; I hopped in and smiled at Luke.
“Thanks for taking me away form this place.”
“No problem.”
For the rest of the ride no one spoke, I stared out my window at the passing world. We drove to one of those outside restarts, where the tables are outside and they have the umbrellas and flowers and everything. I sat at the table and stared down at my feet. I wish that this was just a dream. Mom why did you leave me? I need you, please come back. Dad and I never talk and the FBI is practically killing me. I don’t know what to do. I looked up to she Luke staring at me.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
“No, there’s nothing on your face.”
“Then why are you staring at me?”
“It’s nothing I was just thinking.”
I put my elbows on the table and rested my head in my hands.
“Bout what?”
“Just stuff.”
“That tells me a lot.” He opened his mouth to say something when a crash from down the street stopped him. We both looked over to see what the crash was. I stared not sure if I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I jumped up and ran over to the car crash forgetting all else. I could hear Luke in the background but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I ran up to one of the cars and knelt next to it. Tears started rolling down my cheeks; I pulled on the door handle desperate to get it open. Luke ran up behind me and started pulling on the handle. He braced his leg on the side of the car and pulled with all his might. The door banged open and I jumped into the opening of the door. At first I thought that it all was a mistake but now I saw the truth sitting in front of me. I rapped my arms around my dad and sobbed. How could this have happened? The man from the other car came over by me.
“I’m sorry.” He murmured.
I was enraged, him just kill my father and all he has to say is ‘I’m sorry’? I looked up at him and then took a step back. Smith Oh my…. I grabbed Luke’s hand and bolted down the street. I don’t think that he would fallow me because of the crowd, but I kept running. Luke stumbled behind me as I pulled him along. How could he have found us? How could this have happened? What am I going to do? Tears rolled down my cheeks as I ran, my side burned. I didn’t know him well but he was still my father. I hated crying in the end it just made you feel worse and nothing gets solved from it. Not to mention that I got the worst runny nose after I’m done crying. I made a quick turn in between some old buildings, Luke barely turned in time to not hit the side of the building. He looked at me the space between his eyes wrinkled and his eyebrows caved in.
“I’ll tell you later but not right here.” I said. Hoping that there would be a later, and then telling myself not to think like that.
“Ok so were do we go? “ He said jingling his car keys in his pocket. I grabbed his arm and stared weaving in between the buildings.


5


After awhile of weaving, dogging, and ducking we finely made it back to Luke’s car. I slouched in my seat and played with a lose thread that was stinking out of the side of my skirt as Luke pulled out and drove away. After some discussion we decided to go to my house. But as we drove past we noticed a car in the drive way. Luke parked a crossed the street and we watched to see what was going on. A man with a hat that looked to big for his head and pants that were to short walked out of my house. He walked up to the car bent over and talked to some one that was inside. I tried to see the man’s face but his hat (being to big for his head) covered his face and hair so that all you could see was his mouth and his chin. (Which was very pointy) The man grabbed a piece of paper out of the car, walked up to the door and taped the paper to the door. Me and Luke sat very still as they pulled out and drove away. We sat for about fifteen minuets before Luke jumped out of the car and I followed. He stopped in front of the door and looked at the paper that was taped there. Then he started to read aloud.

This is to notify that:
Harper Elizabeth Marie Armstrong is under house arrest and is to be taken to the headquarters of the FBI. Anyone having seen Miss Harper please notify the police or hold her till they come. Be careful she may be armed and