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)
The new arrival seemed startlingly tall compared to the Foxes Neil had put up with so far this summer. Nicky was almost six feet and Kevin was an inch or two taller, but this man looked halfway to seven. Part of the illusion Neil blamed on his black hair, which he'd gelled up in short spikes around his skull.
The hairstyle was also what kept Neil from recognizing him immediately, as the man hadn't sported such a brazen look last year. By the time he put a name to the man's face, the stranger had crossed the hall to him and put a hand out. Neil accepted his hand and did his best to keep his stare on Matthew Boyd's face. It was difficult; Matt's short sleeves did nothing to hide the faded but obvious track marks on both arms. No wonder Abby was so adamant about that part of the check-up.
"Matt Boyd," the man said, giving Neil's hand a firm shake. "I'm a junior this year, and I'm the Foxes' starting backliner. You must be Neil."
Neil was saved the trouble of answering. Wymack had heard Matt's arrival and he came out of his office to hurl a key ring at Matt's head. The jangling got Matt's attention and he turned in time to get smacked on the cheek with the keys. Matt snagged the ring as it fell and made a face at his coach.
"Jesus, Coach, good to see you too. When did we move past a simple 'hello'?"
"I could say the same for you, stomping past my open door like that without so much as a by-yourleave," Wymack said.
"You looked busy."
"I'm always busy. That's never stopped you pricks from interrupting me before."
Matt shrugged and looked around. "Where are the monsters?"
"Probably razing Fox Tower to the ground as we speak. You met Neil?"
"I was trying." Matt sent Neil a knowing look. "I can't believe you put up with Coach this long. How did you survive?"
"I wasn't around much," Neil said.
"Neil's been training with Kevin and Andrew every day," Wymack said.
"Oh god," Matt said with feeling."You're awful, Coach."
"He knows it," Abby said, stepping in her office doorway and propping her shoulder against the doorframe. "Welcome back, Matt. Did you have a safe drive?"
"Safe enough, but I drank so much coffee I probably won't sleep for a week." Matt looked to Neil again. "Already settled?"
"Coach wouldn't let me move in without you," Neil said.
"Way to keep him waiting," Wymack said. "Take him and get out of here."
"Come on," Matt said. "I'll swing you past Coach's place to get your things."
"This is it," Neil said.
Matt looked at his bag, then around the room for suitcases that didn't exist. He flicked a questioning look at Wymack, who shook his head, and turned back on Neil. "That's a joke, right? You should see how much I crammed into my truck—and how much I had to leave behind—and you expect to last a year with one bag? That thing have magical expanding powers I don't know about or something?"
"You get to take him shopping later this week," Wymack said. "On your time, not mine. I'm sick of seeing him in the same clothes over and over. Just let me know when you're going and I'll give you the pcard so we can expense it."
Neil was mildly offended. "I have money."
"Good for you," Wymack said. "I thought you two were leaving."
"Didn't miss you at all," Matt said, but there was no heat in his voice. "Let's go, Neil."
Matt's truck was parked two spaces down from Wymack's and Abby's cars, a monstrous blue thing that looked like it could eat a hole through the stadium without slowing. Matt hadn't been joking about how many things he owned: the truck bed was stuffed with furniture and only a dozen taut cords kept anything from falling out. The back seats in the extended cab were also full of suitcases and crates. Matt took a backpack out of the passenger seat and tossed it in back with the rest so Neil could fit. The truck came to life with a quiet roar Neil felt more than heard, and the radio blasted to life a halfsecond later. Matt cut it off and yanked his door closed.
"We're not all bad, just so you know," Matt said as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Dan hated that your first impression of us would be the do-nothings. She was pretty sure you wouldn't stick around long enough to meet the rest of us. She thought about coming back to campus early to be a buffer, but Coach told her not to bother. Said you had to deal with them eventually."
"They're interesting," Neil said.
"Interesting," Matt repeated. "That's the tamest description of them I've ever heard. Seriously, though. If they give you any trouble, just let me know. I'll kick Kevin's ass for you."
"Thanks, but I can handle them on my own."
"I thought I could handle them, too." Matt raked a hand through his hair, skewing his spikes every which way. "Andrew made it pretty clear he wasn't going to be handled by anyone. You change your mind, you know where to find me. My offer's good through graduation."
Neil wouldn't need Matt's help, but he said, "Thanks."
Matt pointed out the windshield. "There it is."
Most of Palmetto State's buildings, offices, and dormitories were inside the giant loop known as Perimeter Road. Fox Tower was one of the few exceptions, but only because a stray hill forced Perimeter to hug the campus green near the clock tower. The hill might have been a nice spot for students to picnic between classes, except someone thought to build the athletes' dormitory on the peak. It stood four stories tall and had its own computer lab and parking lot.
The parking lot was out back, and Andrew's car was the only one parked there. Matt skipped all the lined spaces in favor of pulling up at the curb. It took both of them to unload the truck onto the sidewalk, and Neil waited with the pile while Matt parked. Getting everything inside and up to the third floor was a nightmare, especially since several pieces of furniture wouldn't fit in the elevator. The stairwell was too narrow to make it easy on them, and the handrail kept getting in their way as they tried to turn corners at the landings. It was made only more difficult by the serious height difference between them and the fact Neil had his duffel bag on him. He didn't want to leave it either in their room or Matt's truck, so he carried it up and down on every trip.