“A present?” That was the last thing I expected to come out of his mouth.
He walked over to his sweatshirt and pulled an envelope from the pocket. He seemed nervous. I stared at the envelope as he held it out to me.
“What is it?” I asked, afraid to look.
He scrubbed the back of his neck. “I thought that you might need something a little fun. After everything, you deserve a break.”
I gave him a doubtful look. Breaks weren’t really my thing. But I opened the envelope anyway—and froze the second I saw the familiar logo. My heart started to race.
He didn’t.
With slightly trembling fingers, I pulled out the tickets. They were for an Ohio Central University football game. And not just any game—the rivalry game. The Cardinals would face their in-state enemies, the Erie State College Walleyes. It was the biggest game of the season. Of the entire year, actually.
I gaped at him. He was looking at me with a sheepish grin.
“How did you get these?” I stared at the seats printed on the bottom. They were good. Really good. Near the fifty-yard line. Those were expensive.
Graham shrugged like it was no big deal. “My dad’s an alumnus,” he said simply.
“Your dad went to Ohio Central?” I asked, surprised.
Graham nodded, but I couldn’t stop staring at the tickets. The paper felt heavy in my hands. Most tickets were digital these days, but he’d sprung for the fancy commemorative ones. They were more a souvenir, and one I’d probably keep forever.
“Still,” I shook my head, “I can’t—I can’t take these.”
His smile faltered. “Why not?”
“It’s too much.” I raised a shoulder. “You didn’t have to do this—”
“Well, one of them’s for me,” he interrupted, a little exasperated. “I figured if I was already going, you might be interested in coming with me.”
That caught me off guard. “You like the Cardinals?”
He looked at me like the answer should’ve been obvious. “My dad went to school there. Of course I do.”
I blinked at him, my heart suddenly lighter than it had been in weeks.
Could I really go? Part of me doubted it, the part of me that was scared. But a bigger part of me—the one that remembered the smell of bitter, cold air and the thrill of the crowd—couldn’t imagine saying no.
I bit the inside of my cheek, fixing my stare on him. This could be the worst idea I’d ever had, but I felt safe with him.
“Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll go.”
Graham’s eyes glittered in the gym lights, making my stomach clench.
Yes, this could be the worst idea, or…possibly the best.
16
Quinn
Aweeklater,Iwokeup before dawn, long before the first pale light of morning touched the frost outside my window. The game always started at noon, but it took at least a couple of hours to get to the university. The Cardinals were the home team this year.
I dressed slowly, layering against the cold. It was always cold for this game. First was a thick long-sleeve under my old, wornCardinals jersey—the one that had belonged to my brother. Then, a pair of wool leggings and thick socks. Finally, I shrugged on my winter coat that I kept unzipped to show my jersey. I wrapped a scarf around my neck and tugged a beanie over my ears.
When I stepped out onto the porch of the bed-and-breakfast, Graham was already walking up the steps. The morning was quiet under a blanket of frost, the streetlamps haloed in a soft white haze.
Graham looked me over, a smile curling at the edge of his mouth. We’d been working together a lot this week, in the early mornings at the gym. I was about as surprised as him when I’d asked for more lessons. I felt like I’d learned so much already.
