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)
"I don't believe you," Neil said.
"I can't prove it, but I know I'm right."
"If you are, then what?" Neil asked. "I'm willing to gamble with my life. I won't gamble with theirs. They don't deserve that."
"You don't have to," Andrew said. "I do, and I say the odds are good. The Foxes are famous for having terrible seasons, but even bad luck only goes so far. One death is a believable tragedy. Two brings us below the bare minimum number of requisite players to compete. Coach Moriyama wants Kevin and Riko to face-off on court, so Riko can't risk disqualifying us."
Neil said nothing. Andrew hooked his fingers in the collar of Neil's shirt and tugged just enough for Neil to feel it. "I know what I'm doing. I knew what I was agreeing to when I took Kevin's side. I knew what it could cost us and how far I'd have to go. Understand? You aren't going anywhere. You're staying here."
Andrew didn't let go until Neil nodded, and then he reached for Neil's hand. He took his cigarette back, put it between his lips, and pressed a warm key into Neil's empty palm. Neil lifted his hand to look at it. The hardware logo engraved in it meant it was a copy. To what, Neil didn't know, but it only took him a moment to figure it out. Andrew used this key to unlock the front door and then took it off the ring on the porch. Now he was giving it to Neil.
"Get some sleep," Andrew said. "We're going home tomorrow. We'll figure this out then."
Andrew went around Neil to the front door. He had no sympathy or comfort for his family as they grieved Seth's unexpected death, but he would keep watch on them from the doorway until they were okay again. It was harder than it should have been for Neil to look away from him, but he finally set off down the hall. He passed the den, then backtracked and curled up in one of the recliners.
Despite Andrew's promises and confidence, chances were good Neil was going to leave Palmetto State in a casket before spring. Neil thought he would be okay with it. He would spend his last few months as Neil Josten, starting striker for the Palmetto State Foxes. He'd be Kevin's protégé, a teenager with a bright future, and his death would be a tragedy. It sounded a lot better than dying scared and alone halfway around the world.
Neil looked down at the key in his hand. "Home," he whispered, needing to hear it aloud. It was a foreign concept to him, an impossible dream. It was frightening and wonderful all at once, and it set his heart racing so fast he thought it'd drum out of his chest. "Welcome home, Neil."