Free A Game Worth Watching by Samantha Gudger Page B

that’s not likely going to
happen, but what if?” Her eyes glazed over and strayed from Emma’s, obviously
absorbed in some twisted what-if scenario. “What if for some reason I’m the
only one left on the bench and Coach puts me in?”
    Then we’re doomed ,
Emma thought.
    Ashley
snapped out of her trance. “I can’t lose the game for everyone.”
    “Sorry,”
Emma said, without a shred of sympathy. “I don’t give private lessons.” She
sidestepped around Ashley and headed for the door.
    “Please,”
Ashley begged. “I’ll pay you.”
    Emma
whirled around. The mention of money was not a way to entice her. Just because
she was poor didn’t mean she could be bought. “Is this some kind of joke?” she
spit out. To think this freshman would stoop so low sickened her. It was the
type of thing Lauren would orchestrate to humiliate her.
    “No,
no joke.” Ashley shook her head, her eyes widening. “I’ll do anything. Please.”
    The
sincerity in Ashley’s voice was unmistakable, but Emma still wasn’t convinced.
“Why me? Don’t you get enough from practice?”
    “Have
you seen me play? I need a lot more help than two hours a day.”
    Emma
forced back a smile. She knew more than most how much more help Ashley needed.
    “Please,”
Ashley whined. “I’m begging you.”
    No
one could look as pitiful as Ashley did. It was just plain sad. The kid was all
knobby knees, bony arms, and milk-white skin. Her big brown eyes pleaded with
Emma. Innocence. When Emma looked into the kid’s eyes, all she saw was
innocence. Innocence Emma had long forgotten. Add that to the kid’s obvious
interest in learning Emma’s beloved sport, and her heart softened a little
around the edges. For some unknown, stupid sappy girl reason, Emma couldn’t
find the words to turn the kid down.
    She
scolded herself silently then took a deep breath and tried to gain a clear
perspective of the situation. She didn’t know the first thing about coaching,
but maybe if she spent a couple hours with Ashley, the kid might be less of a
hazard on the court. She certainly couldn’t get any worse. Besides, Emma wouldn’t
be able to stand it if the kid cried because of her. The way her chin wobbled,
tears weren’t too far away. “Lauren or anyone else hasn’t put you up to this,
have they?”
    Ashley
shook her head.
    Emma
sighed, knowing she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life. “Okay,
fine. I’ll teach you a few things.”
    A
high-pitched shriek erupted from Ashley as she threw herself at Emma and
wrapped her scrawny arms around Emma’s waist. “Thank you, thank you, thank
you!”
    “Okay,
okay.” Emma tried to wriggle free, noticing there was more strength in this
tiny figure than she’d originally thought. “Get off me.”
    Ashley
laughed but released Emma and stumbled backward. She shoved her hand into her
bag and pulled out her wallet.
    Emma
grabbed Ashley’s wrist. Not hard enough to leave bruises, but hard enough to
relay to the freshman the seriousness of her next statement. “Rule number one,
I don’t take your money. Rule number two, you do what I say when I say it. Rule
number three, you tell no one about this. Got it?” No way would Emma allow this
kid to humiliate her in any way, shape, or form.
    “Yes,
anything,” Ashley said, not threatened at all. “When do we start?”
    Emma
sighed, wondering how much she’d regret this arrangement later. “When do you
want to start?”
    “Now?”
    Emma
laughed, knowing Ashley was completely serious. As tempting as the immediate
start time didn’t sound, she needed a break from girls and prep time to figure
out how to deal with one on an individualized basis for any length of time.
“How about tomorrow after practice?”
    ***
    Emma
didn’t know anything about coaching. Everything she’d learned about basketball
she’d learned from Riley and his dad. The Ledgers had moved in down the street
when Emma was nine. The day after they arrived, Riley appeared in