The Game

Chapter Three

As I was doing my homework, my mind kept wondering to the invitation. Who sent it? Was it Will? Maybe it had been in my locker and I'd missed it. After all, I might have missed it when I found it if it hadn't fallen out on the floor. Which brought up the question as to how long the letter had actually been there. Maybe I had just missed it for a while. My mind started a train of thought toward how much help that money would be with our current situation. I turned my attention back to my homework.

I earned decent grades in school, but it was something I had to work at. Hallie, on the other hand, had to have a photographic memory. She could look at a page in her textbook once and pass a quiz over it with flying colors. Due to my need to actually focus on the lesson, I was so absorbed in my homework that I didn't hear the person creeping up behind me until their hands came down on my shoulders.
I let out a shriek and jumped.

"Easy there!" I turned to see who it was, though the accent should have quickly clued me in. It was Will, laughing his head off. I felt my cheeks heat in embarrassment.

"What was that for mister!" I said sternly, poking him on the arm, but quickly joining in his laughter.

"I came to see if you wanted to help me set up the concessions early?" He dangled the building key from a finger and raised his eyebrows at me.

"Sure!" I stuffed my homework back in my backpack and stood to follow him to the football field.

Will unlocked the door and we shuffled inside, tossing our backpacks under the counter. We busied ourselves getting the candy display ready and starting the hotdog and popcorn machines heating up. We chatted idly as we worked, but part of my mind was still stuck on that silly invitation.

"What do you think Leila? Leila?" Will asked, waving a hand in front of my face. Oops. I realized my focus on the invitation had caused me to not be paying close enough attention to the actual details of what Will was saying.

"Sorry, I spaced out I guess. What were you saying?" I asked. He looked at me in concern.

"You okay? You seem kind of off," he stated. Maybe I should just get it over with and ask him. Or, maybe he got one too! Who knew how many invitations had been sent out. I doubted my mind would be fully present if I didn't just come out with it.

"Actually, I got this interesting invitation in my locker earlier today," I prodded. I observed his face for any sign of awareness.  I didn't see any. Sigh. Maybe he was just a good actor.

"An invitation?" he asked quizzical, further cementing the notion that it wasn't him. That, or he was just a really great actor.

"Yeah, it was kind of weird. It was in a red envelope and talked about a game of some sort. No signature, and it was typed so I can't even try to match the handwriting to anyone at school," I responded.

"That's kind of creepy," Will scoffed. "But also maybe something that should be kept secret," he whispered, though no one was around but us. "You know, as in something you shouldn't talk about in public places."

I gasped at looked up at him inquisitively. He just shook his head and mouthed "Not here."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on Will. There's no one else here yet."

"Well, if I had ever heard of something like said invitation, and I'm not saying I have, it sounds like it would be something spooky. Especially given where it may or may not be taking place. And the day it may or may not be scheduled for." He made a scary face and laughed in a spooky film kind of way. "But, again, I never confirmed or denied that I knew anything about something that sounds like that."

"Uh huh. Sure. Whatever you say," I said, laughing and dodging him as he lunged for me. I shoved his shoulder and he relented, laughing and nudging me toward the hot dog machine. I took the hint and started wrapping hot dogs in foil paper.