Page 10 of A Game as Old as Time

Hearing the words come out of Emilio’s mouth had officially killed any desire Gunner had to drink. And the thought of hooking up with someone just did not feel right. Would it piss off Charlotte? Maybe, but Gunner had things on his mind besides his ex-girlfriend.

“Jesus Christ! Emilio!!!” The scream erupted from the house.

Shit! Juelz!

They both turned and took off at a full sprint across the patio, exploding through a door into the large, expansive kitchen.

“Juelz! What the hell is going on?” Emilio shrieked as he slid across the granite floor with his wet feet.

“Emilio, one of your damn friends threw up in my bathroom!”

Oh boy.

Gunner could not hold in the laugh as he helped Emilio get his balance. The small group immediately shuffled into the massive living room, where a large crowd had gathered.

“I told you to keep your damn football friends out of my room and away from my bathroom!”

Emilio rolled his eyes. “Who is it?”

Unfortunately, this was not the first time this had happened at one of these parties.

“I don’t know! Just get him the hell out!”

Emilio’s fiery twin sister continued to yell as she chased him up the stairs. Her intense personality, which was the only thing she had in common with her twin brother, appeared to be in full force tonight. However, she was at least six inches shorter than Emilio and at least half his weight. Gunner considered her stunningly beautiful, even though she never tried to dress up, and her close relationship with him always brought questions from his ex-girlfriends.

Where’s Andy when you need him?

“You would think you football players would know how to hold your liquor, with as much as you drink,” said a girl sitting on the couch.

“You know, Bridgette,” Gunner responded, moving closer and taking a sip of his beer. “I thought that you Glee Club people would listen to better music than this shit.”

He pointed to the speakers, which were playing some pop song from the radio.

Bridgette was one of Juelz’s close friends from the Theatre Club, and she always found a way to draw Gunner’s attention. Her snarky personality, however, constantly led to confrontation when the two groups were together at the house.

“Well, not like you would know anything about good music.” She leaned forward with a flirtatious smile. A flick of her short black hair was a clear invitation for him to come closer.

Well, well...

She had been drinking, and he could see that the solo cup in her handwas only half full. Their eyes locked for a brief, awkward moment before Juelz came sprinting back down the stairs.

“Gunner!” she yelled, grabbing him from behind.

“Juelz!” he said, winking at Bridgette and hugging her back.

“Is Bridgette giving you problems again?” She moved in between them like a protective sister, causing Bridgette to roll her eyes.

“Nah, just friendly banter, right Bridgette?” He smiled at her as she turned her head, a smirk also visible on her face.

Not tonight, though. I’m not drunk enough.

“Hi, Gunner!” A tall, lanky boy sat down on the couch, waving frenetically.

“Hey, Brad! You guys enjoying the party?”

“Of course!” The young man answered immediately, but Bridgette merely rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.

“Woah!” A yank by Juelz had Gunner’s body lurching the other way. “What are you doing?” he said, laughing as he sarcastically waved goodbye to the other two.

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