Read Online The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: K. L. Going
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mention our lists again once. Not even when I told her I’d crossed off number twenty-three since she’d forgiven me.
Life was strained. Summer was at its peak—you couldn’t move an inch without breaking a sweat—and there’s nothing worse than suffering in the heat while your best friend is sore at you. The only saving grace was the Bicentennial. It was on its way and we were real excited.
The last week of June, me and Frita met up in Hollowell to get ice cream cones. I’d saved up my allowance every day since I’d squished the centipede, so it was my treat. Frita got a strawberry cone and I got a vanilla one and we sat on the lawn in front of the town hall to eat them. That was a good spot because you could listen in on everyone’s conversations.
“
You got those fireworks set for the Fourth, Joe?
”
“
How about those sparklers for the kids?
”
“
Who’s in charge of the parade floats this year?
”
Everyone had something to say, and it was fun listening to them with ice cream dripping down your chin. At least, it was fun until Duke and his pop pulled up in their old monster truck. I’d been trying not to think about Duke all summer, but now I remembered him right quick.
“Let’s go,” I said to Frita, but she stayed put.
“They’re not gonna chase
me
away,” she said. She was pretending to be brave, but I noticed how she watched real careful while Mr. Evans climbed out of the truck. Duke climbed out after him and said something to his pop. Then he glared at me and Frita, but she glared straight back. Mr. Evans glanced over at us but he didn’t say anything. He just kept walking to the general store.
“See?” said Frita. “That wasn’t so bad.” But I wondered who she was trying to convince—me or herself. I was glad Mr. Evans hadn’t called Frita any names again, but I didn’t want to stick around until they came back.
“C’mon,” I said. “Let’s go back to my house and make another obstacle course.”
I tried to pull Frita up with me, but she didn’t budge. Her eyes narrowed into slits like she was getting an idea. Then they started to sparkle again. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Only thing I knew for certain was it meant trouble.
“I got a better idea,” Frita said.
“What?” I asked, real suspicious. I sure hoped it didn’t involve bugs.
Frita’s chin jutted out like it did when she got something in her head she was going to be stubborn about. “Gabe,” she said, “it’s time to do some liberatin’.”
* * *
The thing about trouble is, if you think you’re going to land in it, you can be pretty certain you’re right. One minute I was sitting outside the town hall with an ice cream cone, and the next minute I was crouched in a pricker bush outside Duke Evans’s trailer.
Looked like our fear-busting was back in business.
“You sure we should do this?” I asked, peering between the branches.
“Yup,” said Frita. “Duke’s trailer is on your list, right? Well, it’s on mine too, so now’s our chance.”
We were just a few feet away from the edge of Duke’s yard.
“What if someone’s home?”
“We know they’re not,” Frita said, “that’s why we’ve got to do it now.”
I sniffed the air, remembering what Duane Patterson said about Mrs. Evans’s corpse. I didn’t smell anything, but there wasn’t any wind today.
“Duane said they’ve got Dobermans in there,” I whispered.
Frita wiped her brow.
“I don’t hear any barking,” she said, but we both stayedreal silent just in case. I hadn’t put Dobermans on my list, but that was only ’cause I hadn’t thought of them at the time. Truth was, I’d rank them right close to spiders.
“Didn’t your momma and daddy say not to come around here?” I said.
I could hear Mrs. Wilson’s voice in my head. “
Don’t you go near that place. You hear me, Frita Wilson?
” She’d said it a hundred times. Then I thought about what Pop had
Life was strained. Summer was at its peak—you couldn’t move an inch without breaking a sweat—and there’s nothing worse than suffering in the heat while your best friend is sore at you. The only saving grace was the Bicentennial. It was on its way and we were real excited.
The last week of June, me and Frita met up in Hollowell to get ice cream cones. I’d saved up my allowance every day since I’d squished the centipede, so it was my treat. Frita got a strawberry cone and I got a vanilla one and we sat on the lawn in front of the town hall to eat them. That was a good spot because you could listen in on everyone’s conversations.
“
You got those fireworks set for the Fourth, Joe?
”
“
How about those sparklers for the kids?
”
“
Who’s in charge of the parade floats this year?
”
Everyone had something to say, and it was fun listening to them with ice cream dripping down your chin. At least, it was fun until Duke and his pop pulled up in their old monster truck. I’d been trying not to think about Duke all summer, but now I remembered him right quick.
“Let’s go,” I said to Frita, but she stayed put.
“They’re not gonna chase
me
away,” she said. She was pretending to be brave, but I noticed how she watched real careful while Mr. Evans climbed out of the truck. Duke climbed out after him and said something to his pop. Then he glared at me and Frita, but she glared straight back. Mr. Evans glanced over at us but he didn’t say anything. He just kept walking to the general store.
“See?” said Frita. “That wasn’t so bad.” But I wondered who she was trying to convince—me or herself. I was glad Mr. Evans hadn’t called Frita any names again, but I didn’t want to stick around until they came back.
“C’mon,” I said. “Let’s go back to my house and make another obstacle course.”
I tried to pull Frita up with me, but she didn’t budge. Her eyes narrowed into slits like she was getting an idea. Then they started to sparkle again. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Only thing I knew for certain was it meant trouble.
“I got a better idea,” Frita said.
“What?” I asked, real suspicious. I sure hoped it didn’t involve bugs.
Frita’s chin jutted out like it did when she got something in her head she was going to be stubborn about. “Gabe,” she said, “it’s time to do some liberatin’.”
* * *
The thing about trouble is, if you think you’re going to land in it, you can be pretty certain you’re right. One minute I was sitting outside the town hall with an ice cream cone, and the next minute I was crouched in a pricker bush outside Duke Evans’s trailer.
Looked like our fear-busting was back in business.
“You sure we should do this?” I asked, peering between the branches.
“Yup,” said Frita. “Duke’s trailer is on your list, right? Well, it’s on mine too, so now’s our chance.”
We were just a few feet away from the edge of Duke’s yard.
“What if someone’s home?”
“We know they’re not,” Frita said, “that’s why we’ve got to do it now.”
I sniffed the air, remembering what Duane Patterson said about Mrs. Evans’s corpse. I didn’t smell anything, but there wasn’t any wind today.
“Duane said they’ve got Dobermans in there,” I whispered.
Frita wiped her brow.
“I don’t hear any barking,” she said, but we both stayedreal silent just in case. I hadn’t put Dobermans on my list, but that was only ’cause I hadn’t thought of them at the time. Truth was, I’d rank them right close to spiders.
“Didn’t your momma and daddy say not to come around here?” I said.
I could hear Mrs. Wilson’s voice in my head. “
Don’t you go near that place. You hear me, Frita Wilson?
” She’d said it a hundred times. Then I thought about what Pop had
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