RIVER

I look down at the tickets he had shoved in my hand and then back up at his face. "What is this, and why?" I ask. He looks confused at my question, as if that was not what he expected from me.

"Tickets to the game"

"Why?" I ask, wondering if he thought I was interested in the game just because I asked.

"Earlier today, you spoke about how..." He was stuttering and overgesturing with his hands. He looked flustered, as if I had put him on the spit, so I nodded and took a step back to create ...