Page 89 of A Game as Old as Time

“No matter what day you are having, no matter how bad it gets, they are there for you.” He felt her hand move his chin to face her. “Now, look at me.” Her soft, caring brown eyes were starting to overflow with tears. “Gunner, you can have bad days, bad weeks, bad months. That’s what makes you human.”

I am human.

“But never forget the people that are there for you, the ones that would help you no matter what.” Her voice went a little higher as she peeredout into the grove. “Those boys would follow you anywhere; they would help you with whatever you needed.”

He chuckled quietly and glanced down at his shoes, which were glowing in the sunshine that leaked into the car.

“Trust me, I have seen you all get in trouble because of that. But they care about you very much.”

He took a deep breath, squeezing his mother’s hand again.

“And sometimes…” Gunner caught a glimpse of Juelz running away from Andy as a car pulled into the parking lot. “Sometimes, when you feel like everything is crumbling around you…when you are lost and can’t figure out who you are…”

Hailey.

He watched her move around the corner of the car and into the grassy grove.

Wow.

He swallowed hard, admiring how her golden dress fit her perfectly. The thin white sweater she wore lay smoothly over her shoulders, and the fabric of her gown flowed gracefully to her knees.

Beautiful.

A matching ribbon was tied behind her ear, and as he watched her laugh, he could not help but admire her hazel eyes, which shimmered between strands of her brunette hair.

“…sometimes you find something you were not expecting.”

Gunner was trying to stay connected with his mother. However, Hailey’s necklace---her neck in general---drew him in as it flashed in the sun.

“I have watched my Gunner talk to a lot of girls, but never---” Hejerked around in his seat. “But I have never seen you like this.”

I know, and I hate it!

His mother slid out the door.

“Gunner,” his mother said solemnly, “last night that girl waited at the hospital for you after everyone left. She watched as you suffered in that room and broke down. Today, she is still here for you.” He swallowed hard. “You are not dumb, sweetie. You know what that means.”

That’s what scares me.

He opened the door slowly. Hailey waved to them.

It’s what REALLY scares me.

He knew that had to mean something, and at that moment, he was sick and tired of guessing what it was.

Enough of the games.

He buttoned his jacket without grimacing and grabbed the corsage from the dashboard.

I need her.

He needed to be around her. If a friendship was all she wanted, then he was ready to accept it. He would accept whatever she wanted because, as he made his way toward her, a smile broke across his face. Not the forced smile he had learned to put on over the last few months. A genuine smile. One that only Hailey could bring out of him, one that had his stomach warming with each step he took.

I love this feeling.

All his friends were ushering him in, but Hailey was all he could focus on as he approached.

And I don’t want to lose it.

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