Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 87395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
They ended up at a place that was half-bar, half-pizza joint. The Lshaped corner booth was perfect for Neil, who could take an end spot on the bench and watch his teammates. He expected the same loud madness he'd seen at Wymack's house his first night in South Carolina, especially after seeing the tension Seth and Allison added to the team, but he was pleasantly surprised. Whatever their differences, the upperclassmen had had years to get used to them, and they carried a table-wide conversation for most of dinner. Even Seth and Allison made attempts to get along, though Neil attributed that civility to the beer.
He stayed out of all of it, and for the most part they let him. He'd done the meet-and-greet thing with Dan's group after his fight with Kevin, and Seth and Allison simply didn't care to know him better. The only times anyone asked him anything at dinner was when Dan or Matt wanted his opinion on the matter at hand.
They were halfway through dinner when Dan and Matt ducked out. Neil saw them leave, but aside from Allison nudging Renee meaningfully, no one said anything about it. No one mentioned the district change, either, though it had to be on everyone's mind. They pretty much had the restaurant to themselves, but the lack of other chatter meant their voices carried easier.
Dan and Matt came back eventually, looking a little worse for wear. Dan picked up their check from the bartender on her way back to the table. Seth toasted Matt with what was left of his beer, but his eyes were on Allison when he did so.
Dan and Matt led the way back to the dorm hand in hand. Renee walked behind them with Seth and Allison. Neil was happy to take up the rear. When they made it back to their floor, Nicky was waiting for them in the hallway.
"Hey, Renee," Nicky said. "You mind calling Andrew's phone?"
"Did he lose it?" Renee asked, pulling hers out of her small purse.
"I did," Nicky said. "And, uh, the man carrying it. He's not answering any of my calls."
"Jesus, Nicky," Matt said. "Coach told you to keep an eye on him tonight."
"I know what he said." Nicky made a face at Matt. "You try it sometime."
"Where's Kevin?" Dan demanded.
"Hasn't left his bed since we got back," Nicky said. "Aaron's watching him."
Renee held up a hand to ask for quiet. Everyone fell silent immediately to watch her. She had her phone at her ear but said nothing, likely listening to it ring on the other end. Neil knew someone picked up by the way Renee smiled, but he didn't know how Renee could smile so warmly when she was speaking to Andrew.
"Did I wake you?" she asked in lieu of hello. "I was hoping to talk to you tonight, but Nicky says you've wandered off. Oh? All right, then. I'll try again tomorrow. Lunch, perhaps? Okay. Good night."
She hung up and put her phone away. "He's at Coach's. Maybe Coach wanted to make sure he took his medicine tonight." Renee gave Nicky's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "He's safe. Kevin's safe. Get some rest. There's nothing else we can do tonight except lock our doors and pray."
"Thanks," Nicky said, and he disappeared back into his room.
They split up to their rooms to prep for bed. Neil climbed up the wooden ladder to his loft and stretched out on the mattress. The simple pleasure of having a real bed didn't last long. After the lights were out and his roommates had quieted down, Neil was left with just the darkness and his thoughts. He lay awake long into the night thinking about Kevin, and when he slept, he dreamed of his father waiting for him on the Foxhole Court.
CHAPTER SEVEN
By Neil's third day on the court, he had no idea how the Foxes made it to championships last spring. His guess that the team was made up of four groups was partially accurate, but the lines he'd drawn were flexible. Whenever Allison and Seth were fighting, Allison ended up with the girls and Seth retreated to Matt. It seemed Allison and Seth didn't believe in middle ground: either they were slinging vile insults at each other or they were making out in the locker room regardless of whoever might be around. Neil didn't know what triggered the abrupt and constant change in emotions. He hoped he never understood.
The entire first week of summer practices was eaten up by infighting as the court hierarchy fell into place again. When Dan was acting as their captain, she ruled them with the same angry spine Neil saw that first day. She didn't hesitate to push people into line and the Foxes let her have the final say in everything. Even Andrew followed her orders, though Neil guessed it was because he was amused by her supposed fearlessness.
Kevin knew more about the sport than any of them ever would and he had some lingering authority from his stint as their assistant coach, but his cold personality was a turn-off and his approach made it hard for the others to listen to him without snapping back. He caused the majority of the arguments that week, and most of those fights were between him and Seth. Kevin and Seth hated each other with a loathing second only to what Seth and Nicky felt for each other. It took only one wrong word to turn their arguments into physical brawls. The fighting hit a peak on Wednesday afternoon when Andrew left practice early for his weekly therapy session. The second he vanished, Seth went for Kevin with fists flying.
Matt was the brute force that kept them in line when Dan's words weren't enough. Because of Kevin's injury and Andrew's apathy, Matt was also the best player the Foxes had. Neil privately thought Matt should have been named captain because of the solidarity he could bring the team. Whatever happened between him and Andrew last year, he seemed to have an understanding with the cousins, which meant the Foxes had a solid defense line. His relationship with Kevin was harder for Neil to figure out. His skill and commitment meant Kevin was willing to work with and listen to him, but the two of them went from perfect understanding to outright antagonism constantly. It reminded Neil a little of Allison and Seth, except without the desperate sexual undertones.