A Game Worth Watching Read Online Free

the house would be
an all-male lair. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her dad wished one day he
would wake up and she would have disappeared just like her mom had done five
years ago. Growing up with four brothers had hardened her; growing up without a
mom had hardened them all.
    She
retreated to the garage, ignoring the smell of must and mildew that refused to
go away no matter how many air fresheners she used. She weaved through stacks
upon stacks of boxes, an old weight lifting set, bikes with flat tires and bent
spokes, broken furniture and lawn tools, and every other type of artifact her
family had discarded over the years, until she finally came to the corner of
the garage which served as her bedroom. Boxes stuffed full of her family’s
possessions built her makeshift walls. A three-bedroom house wasn’t big enough
for a family of six, especially when only one of them was a girl. Her dad
figured she needed the most privacy, and what was more private than a
garage—graveyard—full of broken toys and tools?
    Her
bedroom consisted of everything a bedroom should have including a dresser with
missing knobs and drawers that refused to close all the way, a single bed that
squeaked when she applied pressure, a wobbling bedside table, a lamp with a
missing shade, and a scrap of gray carpet to separate her feet from the
concrete floor. A few items of clothing hung neatly on hangers from the tops of
boxes, and she made sure all of her girl-related items were safely hidden in a
cardboard box where Riley wouldn’t stumble upon them. What more could a girl
ask for?
    After
switching on the space heater that kept her just above freezing in the winter,
Emma changed into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeve shirt for bed. The springs
squeaked their goodnight as she climbed under the covers. She stared at the
ceiling she couldn’t see in the dark and listened to her dad and brothers.
Laughter and shouts of triumph over the game filtered through to her from the
other side of the wall.
    Sometimes
privacy was synonymous with loneliness.
    “Goodnight,”
she whispered to her family, separated from them by so much more than a wall.
    Mentally
drained from the day’s drama, Emma’s eyelids drooped closed within minutes. The
space heater hummed along with the voices of her family, and the warm current
of air stroked her face as it mingled with the draft of cold winter air slipping
in from the crack under the garage doors. She felt herself slip a few notches
toward sleep.
    Footsteps.
The sound of feet shuffling against pavement. Something about that particular
sound seemed off as Emma tried to fight sleep to place it. Did it come from the
world around her or from her dreams? In her sleep-induced state Emma tried to
make sense of it, but before she could, a hand clamped down on her mouth, and
no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t scream for help.

Chapter 3
    “Shh.
It’s me,” a voice whispered in the dark.
    Emma
grabbed the hand covering her mouth and pulled it away, her heart pounding.
“Riley?” she gasped. “What are you doing here? You scared me half to death.”
    She
heard him chuckle in the dark.
    Emma
seriously regretted telling him where the hidden key was to her garage bedroom.
Sure, he’d snuck in before, but usually he warned her first.
    Before
she could pull her arm back to punch him, Riley shoved something into her
hands. “Put this on.”
    From
the feel of it, she knew it was her favorite sweatshirt. It was a hand-me-down
like everything else she owned, but it fit perfectly and had stood the test of
moths and basketball. Plus, it was green, her favorite color. She pulled it on
and slipped her feet into the shoes Riley tossed to her.
    He
waited in the doorway leading outside. She stopped and leaned against the
opposite side of the doorframe to secure her hair in its usual wad, preparing
for their sprint to safety.
    Riley
reached over and brushed a stray hair from her face. “You ready?”
    “Why
do you