Knockout Games Read Online Free PDF Page B

let’s get outta here.” Destiny playfully slapped me in the back of the head. “He’ll be OK; he’s just napping. Come on.”
    She pulled me along, but I kept glancing back over my shoulder as we caught up to the others. Some lady was kneeling next to the man, pleading into her cell phone, her face full of panic.
    Nobody came after us.
    It was a beautiful fall day—the bright white sun, a flawless blue sky. But all I could see in my mind was the red blood dripping from the man’s mouth.
    Destiny beamed, all teeth, warming her face in the sun. She has that dark hazelnut skin that glows when the light hits it. The long shadows of the boys danced ahead of us on the sidewalk.
    â€œThat was crazy, right?” she asked. I could feel her eyes on me even if I kept mine glued to my viewfinder.
    â€œYeah,” I sputtered, out of breath. I’d forgotten to breathe after seeing that man’s face. The oxygen flooded back into my head, little spots floating in my eyes.
    â€œYou OK?” she laughed.
    I wasn’t sure. All my senses were hyperawake. Goose bumps on my forearms, the hair rising on the back of my neck. Everything felt brighter, more sharp. I even noticed my hand hurt from holding the camera too tight.
    â€œYou probably got some good shit, right, Fish? Man, C-Jay sure connected with that one! I didn’t think he’d come through, but that boy got pop! ” she yelled at the crew of middle schoolers.
    I turned my camera back on them. They were so happy now, jumping around and reliving the moment. Before they’d been regular boys, bored and arguing with each other. But now...
    â€œThat was crazy,” I said out loud again, to no one.

7
    Walking home that day was the first time I ever really noticed the Eyez.
    Some graffiti artist had painted strange eyes all around the neighborhood. Some were small, gazing at you from a fire hydrant or mailbox. Others were big, staring at you from the side of a building or on a tree. They kinda blended in, so I’d never paid them any mind. But today, they seemed to be watching me. Every block that I passed, those eyez were popping out to me. Did someone just put them up or did I just never notice them before? It was kind of creepy. I walked faster, kept my eyes on the ground. But even there, I saw a pair staring at me from a crosswalk.
    Destiny wanted to come over to my place, but I said something lame like an artist needs to work alone . The truth was, watching the footage on my computer made my mind reel. Getting caught up in the action was one thing. Seeing it on your computer was another. Did I really want to make this video?
    I’d skipped my 4:30 dinner with Mom routine and said I had a lot of homework to do. Somehow I let it slip that I was out videotaping with Destiny and she got all excited that I might have a real friend.
    Maybe Mom was right because as soon as I went into my room, Destiny texted me. Nobody ever texted me, except Mom when she was checking in. Destiny kept poking me every twenty minutes or so, asking if she could come by. It had been a long time since anybody that wasn’t related to me showed an interest.
    It felt good.
    Eventually, she sent me the password and a link to a Facebook page she’d created for me. It was called Fish Films and was described as “Life Underwater.”
    Destiny was the only one who friended me. Suddenly, I didn’t mind her calling me Fish. It was her special name for me, which meant we had some sort of connection and that she would bring me into her crew. I guess that made us friends.
    It said so on my Facebook page.
    I minimized the browser and stared at the frozen image of C-Jay’s fist flying through the air about to knock this guy out. This was something different, that’s for sure. I thought about a quote I read in that book Mrs. Lee gave me where some artist summed up his artistic mission in life: “ Capture something different and