Page 55 of A Game as Old as Time

He saw what I was reading.

She looked down sheepishly as he confidently steered them through the tents.

“Well, it is assigned reading for AP English, and I figured I would get a head start with all the practices coming up.”

Gunner turned when they finally broke through the mass of people.

“I know.” He laughed again. “I’m in that class, too. I’m with the morning group due to the AP Chemistry class I had to sign up for.”

What?

She froze by his car.

“What?” He was smiling as he grabbed the books, her facial expression already telling him all he needed to know. “A football player like me can’t be in AP classes?”

No! I mean…

She shook her head, her face heating up even more.

“It’s not that, it’s just…I said some terrible things the other night, and I, well…”

Gunner came around the car, books in hand.

“Look, Hailey.” He leaned against his hood, his muscles bulging through his tight South Mountain Football shirt.

Breathe, Hailey.

“I deserved it. I said some terrible things that night too.”

He had locked her books in his biceps, and she was struggling to pull her gaze off them.

“You don’t know me, and I’ve been kind of a jerk. I’m constantly dropping in on you as you try to practice alone. It’s just…” he trailed off as he handed her the books. “You have an amazing voice, and I guess I was just drawn in, you know?”

Are we doing this again?

She bit her lip, grasping the books tightly as the two went silent.

“But,” he finally continued as he started around his car, “I’m glad you took those books. They’re really not for me.”

His response pulled her closer.

“So, what books do you like to read?”

Gunner had already pulled a slim volume from his back seat.

“This is what I’m reading for AP English.”

He held up a copy ofAll Quiet on the Western Front.

“Of course, a war book.”

He snorted and threw it back into the car.

“Well, it’s not really just about war. It’s about the toll that war takes on a man and how a person can lose sight of who they are.” He stopped and peered into the clear blue sky.

There is that look in his eyes again.

“But I have read some of the classics, too.” He was back to trying to hide the anguish but doing a terrible job. “My dad always preached that I should be well-rounded, so I read some Shakespeare, like you. Butdon’t get me wrong.” He slid over his car hood. “I still love a good Lord of the Rings.”

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