A Game Worth Watching Read Online Free Page A

ask me like I haven’t done this a million times before?”
    Smiling,
he slipped his hand in hers. They were twelve the first time they snuck out
together on a night when no moon lit their path. Riley had gone one way and
Emma went another. For a girl whose mom had disappeared with no warning, fear
of separation did funny things. By the time Riley found her, she had already
fallen victim to the tears over his absence. From then on, Riley ensured her
hand was secured in his whenever darkness or anything else tried to separate
them, even after she grew old enough to take care of herself.
    Hand
in hand, they snuck between the houses and bushes until their feet slapped the
pavement. They walked a few blocks before ducking between two evergreen trees,
finding the path through the woods, which would lead them to the water of Puget
Sound. Outstretched tree limbs brushed at them in the dark, and their feet,
familiar with the route, automatically stepped around tree roots poking through
the ground. With no moon or flashlight to illuminate their path through the
trees, only Riley’s soft humming guided Emma forward until the darkness of the
forest parted to reveal the night sky and rocky beach. They walked along the
water’s edge and climbed onto their fallen tree trunk to sit side by side,
looking out over the water. Emma reclaimed possession of her hand and shoved it
in her pocket to stay warm.
    The
Narrows Bridge towered above them, the current surging beneath it. Aside from
cars whooshing across the bridge overhead and the occasional boat puttering by,
the night was quiet. During the day, people littered the beach and walked for
miles along the shore at low tide. Kids dug holes and upturned rocks looking
for crabs, dogs swam after sticks, and young couples hid among the rocks for
privacy. Now, as millions of stars looked down on them and lights from the
opposite shore reflected on the water’s surface, it was just Emma and Riley.
She watched the moonlight glisten on the water and thought about how perfect
the moment was…until Riley spoke.
    “So,
have you thought any more about trying out for the girls’ team?”
    His
nonchalant tone didn’t fool her. Tonight’s excursion wasn’t about spending time
with his best friend. He’d planned the evening for one simple reason—to
convince her to play for the girls’ team. She should’ve known. For Emma, the
thought of joining the girls’ basketball team at school was just as absurd now
as it had been when Jen Knowles invaded their court this afternoon. Emma
refused to be swayed with time. “No,” she said firmly.
    When
Riley responded, his tone matched hers. “I think you should do it.”
    She
sighed. “I’m sure you do, but I already told you I wasn’t.”
    “Why
not?”
    “Because
they’re girls.” She could have said they were diseased and it would have
sounded less horrific. Her life was, and always had been, one hundred percent Matchbox cars, mud, grass stains, and Transformers . No dolls, no dresses, no lace, and no pink. “I don’t
know anything about girls.”
    Even
in the dark, she could feel him smile. “You do know you are a girl, don’t you?”
    She
punched his arm. “Very funny.” Yes, she was a girl, but she wasn’t a normal
girl; even he could attest to her uniqueness. She was just another one of the
guys. She didn’t care about popularity status or making herself look beautiful
for the male population or being America’s most beloved princess. What she did
care about was the accuracy of her jump shot, hanging with the guys, and
staying as far away from girls and all things girl-related as possible.
    She
listened to the water lap at the shore and shivered. Winter was definitely
approaching. The breeze blowing off the water, smelling like salt and seaweed,
didn’t help her stay warm. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head
and stuffed her hands into her sleeves to hide from the cold, but it bit into
her anyway.
    Riley
looked at