Page 32 of A Game as Old as Time

“It’s beautiful.”

Hailey sighed. The dress for the lead role hung in front of her. The golden-yellow fabric, sewn into tiered waterfalls, sparkled in the light of the empty auditorium.

I would never be able to pull it off.

She stomped away. The force of her feet against the polished wood reverberated across the stage.

Why do I even care? I am not playing the lead!

Her father’s emotional breakdown still weighed heavy on her, and she had felt like she was in a daze during the last few days at school. They hadn’t spoken about it since. Her father was back to his normal routine, and her sister had gone back to being silent. But it happened. And Hailey now understood that her father was breaking right in front of her and she had no way to help.

I hate this.

Staying late in the theatre usually helped clear her mind. It had always allowed her to just be herself in an environment that felt safe. She used to love the feeling of the wooden boards beneath her feet and the hazeof the lights that poured down on her like rain on a hot summer day. Tonight, however, it felt different.

It is so lonely.

She closed her eyes and gently let her shoulders drop. A sound from behind the stage startled her, and she whipped around toward it.

“Hello?” She took a few hesitant steps back, the stage lights forcing her to squint.

Why can I never get a few seconds alone?

“Hello?” she said again, more sternly. Finally, she heard a shuffle behind the curtain.

“Hey.”

The unwanted guest emerged.

Him!

Her face immediately stiffened as Gunner came to a stop, hands in his pockets.

“Sorry...” His voice trailed off. “You know, I had to get some of the stuff cleaned up for the stage crew and---”

What a load of crap!

She spun around before he could finish. A hot anger she had never felt before was boiling inside her stomach.

“They all left an hour ago. Stop following me, and stop watching me!” Her yell projected over the empty chairs below.

“Right.” He moved his hand behind his head. While his face seemed shocked by her response, his eyes held a look of deep discouragement that was unexpected. “I just. I just never heard that song you were singing earlier. I guess I was intrigued, especially because it was yousinging it.”

Not today!

She stomped toward her books, turning her back to him with a huff.

The game they had played last week had been fun, but now she had seen the real Gunner Weston. He was the one who had broken her father and abandoned his team.

“Well, you would have no idea what that song is.” She was nearly at a sprint as she pressed by him. “That song is from the musical, not the kids’ movie you tried to impress me with last time!” She stormed by him and started down the steps.

“What’s your problem with me?” His question stopped her cold. The feelings inside boiled up to the top of her throat.

Just keep going.

“I mean,” he continued, his feet getting closer, “I have been nothing but nice to you, and yet you treat me like I’m some monster.”

You are a monster.

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