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)
Seth jeered at Matt's back as Matt left, then looked at Neil. "Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought."
"Maybe I am," Neil said, and left Seth to finish his drink.
CHAPTER TEN
Classes were scheduled to start on Thursday, August 24th, so Wednesday's practice was a bit of a convoluted mess. Neil had forgotten the Foxes were supposed to meet with the psychiatrist Betsy Dobson before the semester began. Wymack scheduled them to go in pairs throughout the morning and tried to set them up in a way that didn't leave holes in his scrimmage lines. Matt and Dan went first, then Aaron and Kevin, Seth and Allison, and Nicky and Andrew. Neil and Renee were the last to go.
When Andrew and Nicky returned to the court Wymack called Neil and Renee off. Andrew waited for them in the inner ring long enough to hand Renee his keys.
"Thank you," Renee said, smiling. "I'll take care of her."
"Kevin's not allowed to drive your car but Renee is?" Neil asked.
"It's fun telling Kevin no," Andrew said with a wicked grin.
"Andrew only lets me and Renee drive," Nicky said. His smile didn't reach his eyes as he watched Renee turn the keys over in her hand. Nicky only had nice things to say about Renee, but Neil had noticed early on that no one, Nicky included, wanted Renee and Andrew to be friends. Nicky likely sided with the upperclassmen in thinking Andrew was an awful influence on someone as sweettempered as Renee.
"Not Aaron?" Neil asked.
"Don't keep Bee waiting," Andrew said, and headed onto the court.
Nicky only shrugged and followed him. Neil glanced between Renee and Wymack, but neither had an answer for him. Renee only smiled warmly and said, "Shall we go?"
Neil and Renee split up in the locker room long enough to change out and freshen up. There was no point in showering when they'd be coming back to a lunch break and more drills, but neither wanted to show up at Betsy's office a sweaty mess. Neil took his armor off, toweled dry, and changed into the lighter uniform they'd need that afternoon for cardio. He beat Renee to the lounge and they left the stadium together.
After successfully avoiding being alone with Renee all summer, Neil was stuck with her for the drive across campus to Reddin Medical Center. He wanted to ask her why she and Andrew got along so well, but he didn't want to open up a conversation, so he stared hard out the window and hoped she got the hint. Somehow she did, and she filled the silence between them with the radio.
There were more cars at Reddin than Neil expected, but he knew he shouldn't be surprised. The school year was just around the corner. Fox Tower was full now and he'd seen traffic around campus as the rest of the student body moved into the other dormitories. Long practices and nights spent in his room meant he'd avoided most everyone so far, but people kept showing up at his dorm looking for Matt or Seth. Neil did his best to stay out of sight anytime someone knocked, since Wymack still hadn't released his name or face to the ERC. Neil wanted to protect his anonymity as long as he could.
Reddin was split in half, with psychiatrics down a hall out of sight and an array of doctors' offices closer to the front. Renee signed them both in at the desk and went down the hall in search of Betsy's office. Neil settled on one of the pale blue couches in the waiting room and tried not to stare at the clock. Every minute that went by wound him tenser until he thought every breath would break him open, but he couldn't make himself relax. The thought of being locked up with a psychiatrist for half an hour was too awful.
What felt like an eternity later, Renee returned with a woman on her heels. Dr. Betsy Dobson had pale brown hair to her chin and a few extra curves. Years of smiles were etched into her face the way only genuine warmth could scar. She looked friendly, but she wasn't harmless. The brown eyes looking out at him through narrow-rimmed glasses were bright and intelligent. Neil took an instant disliking to her, borne of nerves and serious distrust of her profession.
"You must be Neil," she said. "Good morning."
Neil made himself get up and cross the room to her. She held out her hand at his approach and Neil gave it a firm shake. Renee smiled a little, maybe in encouragement, and sidled past him to find a seat. Neil resisted the urge to wipe his hand off on his pants and preceded Betsy down the hall.
There was only one door open, and Betsy's name was on a plaque beside it. Neil invited himself in and looked around. A chair and a couch faced each other with a short coffee table between them. A small potted plant was in the dead center of the table, and pillows were painstakingly arranged on both the couch and the chair. The desk in the corner was clear of everything but a hot plate and kettle. A short bookshelf was against the wall, but only the bottom three shelves had books on them. The top one was covered in glass knickknacks, but even in their clutter they looked clean, as they were all set equidistant to each other.
"You're obsessive-compulsive," Neil said when Betsy stepped into the doorway behind him.
"Guilty as charged," Betsy said cheerfully. "My name is Betsy Dobson. You can call me whatever you like; I'll answer to just about anything from Betsy to Doc to Hey You. Shall I call you Neil, or would you prefer Mr. Josten?"
"Either one is fine," Neil said.
"Then for the time being, I will call you Neil. If you're ever offended or feel this makes our relationship too personal, just warn me and I will edit it to something more appropriate to our needs. Sound fair?" She gave him a moment, then said, "Why don't you get comfortable and I'll make us some hot cocoa."