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)
"Summer practices start at 8:30. Enjoy sleeping in while you can, because we're moving to 6:00 when the semester starts. We're meeting at the gym. I repeat, we're meeting at the gym. If you're late because you came here instead of there I will put my shoe through your face. You've only been gone for a month. I know you all know how this works."
"Yes, Coach," the team chorused.
"Physicals get done before you leave today. Andrew, you're first. Seth, you're going second. The rest of you draw straws or something. It's up to you. Don't even think of leaving before you've seen Abby." He gave Andrew's lot the evil eye. Andrew and Nicky affected innocent looks that fooled no one.
Abby went to stand behind Kevin. Wymack hesitated before reaching for the papers stacked facedown at his side. "Last order of business from me today is our schedule."
"Already?" Matt asked. "It's only June."
"We don't have dates yet, but the ERC's made some changes that will make this spring look like a cakewalk. They're notifying the coaches in our district one by one to try and control the fallout. It has potential to get ugly."
"How could it be worse than the shit we dealt with last year?" Seth asked.
Matt counted off on his fingers. "The break-ins, threatening phone calls, rabid press, vandalism…"
"Personal favorite was when someone told the police we were running a meth lab out of the dorm," Dan said sourly. "Police raids are awesome."
"The death threats were creative, though," Nicky said. "Maybe this time they'll follow through and actually kill one of us. Let's vote. I nominate Seth."
"Fuck you, faggot," Seth said.
"I don't like that word," Andrew said. "Don't use it."
"I would say 'fuck you, freak', but then you wouldn't know which one of you I was talking to."
"Don't talk to us at all," Aaron said. "You never have anything useful to say."
"Enough," Wymack said. "We don't have time for petty bullshit this year. We've got a new school in our district."
Neil glanced at Kevin where he sat white-faced and rigid. Four men on one couch meant Andrew's group was sitting crushed together with Kevin and Andrew in the middle. Even on drugs Andrew couldn't miss the way Kevin went tense, but with his medicine in his veins he thought it was funny. He grinned up at Kevin, but the smile evaporated off his face when Wymack spoke.
"Edgar Allen's come south."
Shock silenced the team, but not for long.
"No way," Dan said sharply. "That isn't funny, Coach."
Seth apparently thought otherwise because he started laughing. Aaron, Nicky, and Matt drowned each other out as they demanded explanations. Allison made a shrill noise of disbelief that left Neil's right ear ringing. Renee, like Neil, watched Andrew and Kevin and said nothing.
Wymack tried explaining the ERC's logic, but he kept his attention on Andrew. It didn't take the team long to notice his distraction. The hubbub slowly died out. As it did, Andrew's smile returned. This time it was all teeth. Andrew's drugs made him manic, but they didn't make him any less vicious. Neil knew what that smile meant and braced for violence.
"Hey, Kevin," Andrew said. "Hear that? Someone really misses you."
"The ERC shouldn't have approved it," Kevin said, so quietly Neil barely heard him.
"You said he would come for you."
"I didn't know it would be like this."
"Liar," Andrew said, and Kevin flinched.
Andrew twisted to sit sideways on the couch so he could see Kevin better. It put his back against Nicky's side. Nicky leaned away from his deranged cousin, knuckles white where he was holding onto the arm of the couch. Andrew either didn't notice or didn't care how uncomfortable he was making Nicky. He had eyes only for Kevin. Kevin looked sick to his stomach, but he wasn't panicking over this bombshell. Andrew had no problems interpreting that pseudostrength.
"You did know about this," Andrew said. "How long? One day, two days, three four five?"
"Coach told me when it was approved in May."
"May. May, Day. Mayday. A little curious, Kevin Day. When were you going to tell me?"
"I told him not to," Wymack said.
"You picked Coach over me?" Andrew asked, and laughed. "Ohhhh my. Favoritism, deception, betrayal, how familiar. After all I've done for you."
"Andrew, knock it off," Abby warned him.
"Help me," Kevin said, almost a whisper.
Andrew clucked his tongue and cocked his head to one side. "Help you? Help a man who lies to my face for a month? How?"
"I want to stay," Kevin said. "I'll ask you again: don't let him take me away."
"You're the one who would tell him yes," Andrew said. "Maybe you forgot."
"Please."
"You know how much I hate that word."
Kevin stared down at his hands where they were clenched in his lap, eyes on the scar that ran across the back of his hand. Neil had only gotten glimpses of it, since he didn't want Kevin to catch him staring. It was a jagged mess along the thin bones of his hand. However Riko broke his hand, it hadn't been a clean strike. Andrew heaved an exaggerated sigh and held his hand out, blocking Kevin's view of his scar.
"Look at me," Andrew said.
Kevin turned a haunted look on him. Neil wasn't sure how Andrew could smile at such an empty stare, drugs notwithstanding. Neil felt Kevin's despair all the way across the room, and it was such a familiar feeling he thought he'd be sick.
"It'll be fine," Andrew said. "I promised, didn't I? Don't you believe me?"
It took a while, but at last Kevin visibly relaxed. The dead edge melted out of his eyes as he absorbed every ounce of strength Andrew could give him. The unwavering trust Kevin had in Andrew was amazing. How Kevin thought one psychotic midget could protect him against a family as twisted as the Moriyamas, Neil didn't know. Neil thought he should be impressed, but all he felt was bitterness. He swallowed hard against the churning in his stomach and looked away.
Wymack watched them a minute longer, then nodded. "The ERC will make their official announcement later this month. They agreed to wait until you were all here where it's easier for us to protect you. That doesn't mean you can be careless. Chuck—that's our university president Charles Whittier, Neil—has reissued orders that reporters stay off our campus without a police escort this summer. You'll see twice as many campus police around, and I need all of you to save their number to your phones just in case. Understand?"