Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Coker Page B

had another fight, I guess.” Her cheeks puffed out. “Gosh, sometimes I really just hate being here.”
    The bitterness in her voice churned my stomach. I clutched a pillow, feeling guilty because I had been so close to thinking that only a few minutes earlier. “They didn’t have a fight. They just had … a disagreement about some money.” My voice didn’t sound very confident. I gnawed on my bottom lip.
    Juli rolled her eyes. “They wouldn’t worry about money if Dad was less of a bum and actually went out to get a real job or something.”
    What?
My skin turned hot. I sat up, tensing. “Don’t you dare say that, Juli! Dad works just as hard as anyone. We all work together. All except for you. But I guess you wouldn’t be home enough toknow that anyway, would you?” The words that spilled out of my tongue were venomous and beyond repetition. I felt like spitting at Juli.
Stupid, selfish sister!
    Juli glared back, daring me with her flashing eyes. “I don’t see why they don’t just get rid of Grandpop Barley right now. The longer they put it off, the more the bills are going to stack up.”
    I stood, only inches away from her. It felt like she was trying to egg me on, waiting to see what I would do. I clenched my fists at my side. “Grandpop Barley is family! He’s not going anywhere!”
    “He’s just an expensive freak. Like Cliff.”
    That straw broke the camel’s back, and my hand flew of its own accord, slapping Juli clean across the cheek. Juli whipped right back, hitting me harder. It knocked the breath out of me and I stood there panting, staring at her. At my older sister. The one who played dolls with me and braided my hair and taught me how to whistle through my missing front teeth. My hand was throbbing.
Did I really just hit her?
    Juli’s face grew very white. Then her mouth opened with a spew of curse words I’d never heard before. She grabbed her bag. “Ziggy’s more family to me than you are.” The door slammed behind her and then I was alone again.
    I didn’t hear her footsteps on the stairs or her car pull out of the driveway. It was just silent. Mama called upstairs, wanting to know what was wrong, but I just shouted, “Nothing!” and turned off the light.
    Then I curled up on my bed and stared into the darkness, wondering when I had turned into the kind of girl who thought bad things about her parents and slapped her sister in the face.
    The house was perfectly quiet when I awoke close to midnight. Silently, I pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed. My throat burned from thirst.
    I crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pulling a glass down from the cupboard, I filled it with water and gulped it down.
    Pit. Pat
.
    I blinked.
What was that?
    Pat. Pit. Pit
. There it was again: a strange tapping noise, coming from outside.
    My heart began to race. Maybe someone was trying to break in. Maybe it was a notorious axe murderer who’d come to prey upon our family. Maybe …
    I hugged my chest. Well, there was only one way to find out. And someone would be screaming for help if it was a murderer, right?
    It was probably only Juli, now that I thought about it. Mama probably locked the front door, and she needed me to come open it for her. Perhaps it was nothing.
    I inched toward the side door. With trembling fingers, I pushed aside the curtain and peered through the little window. Utter darkness.
No, wait …
I looked a little closer.
    Someone was standing outside by the side of the house. A man, by the looks of it. His arm was raised, and he tossed something at the house.
Pit. Pat
. Rocks. He was throwing rocks at a window.
    What on earth …
    I squinted my eyes as hard as I could. He looked an awful lot like …
    I unlocked the door and pulled it open slowly. “Frank?”
    The man’s head whipped toward me. Then he stepped forward into the moonlight. It was indeed Frank, standing in my front yard with a lightweight jacket thrown over his pajamas. “Oh, hey,