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)
Dan got right to the point. "Riko was on the show."
Seth stared at her for a second before bursting into raucous laughter. Allison smothered him with her pillow and said, "On the show like how?"
"Kathy sat him down seven feet from Kevin and asked why they split up."
Seth pushed the pillow out of the way. "I should have gone. Did he freak? I bet he freaked."
"Seth, shut up," Dan said. "It isn't funny."
"He held it together after Neil told Riko off," Matt said. "Kid's got a serious mouth on him. He made Riko look like a stupid asshole who sells out friends on a daily basis. You really should borrow the tape from us later and watch it."
Seth looked dubious. Allison arched an eyebrow at Neil and asked, "What'd the monster think?"
"He was drugged to high heaven," Dan said. "Abby made sure he dosed up on the way back, but I recommend avoiding him the rest of the weekend."
"What else is new?" Seth said.
Renee let the silence settle between them for a minute. When it seemed the serious part of the conversation was over, she said, "Is anyone else interested in lunch? I'm starving."
They ordered a couple pizzas to be delivered to the room. Allison and Seth dressed while they waited, and then Neil took over the bedroom to change out of Kathy's clothes. He buried them at the bottom of the dresser beneath his more practical outfits and tugged on worn jeans and an oversized tee. He and his teammates wasted a few hours with food and a movie. Afterward talk turned to the season, but the upperclassmen seemed as happy to talk about the Ravens as Neil was to think about them. Allison tolerated the moping for only a minute before distracting them with talk of the banquet.
"We should go shopping tomorrow," Allison said. "I'm going to need time to find the perfect dress. You," she pointed between Matt and Seth, "are in charge of getting Neil something real to wear. I've seen everything he owns. I don't trust him to choose something appropriate."
"I could just not go," Neil said.
"You have to go," Dan said. "It's a team event."
There was a knock at the door. Dan was closest, so she got up to answer it. Nicky was waiting in the hallway, smiling but visibly tense.
"How bad is it?" Dan asked.
Nicky winced. "Does your armcandy there know how to install a window?"
Matt looked over his shoulder at the bedroom window. "I can try, but I'm not going anywhere near him tonight."
"Tomorrow's cool, too," Nicky said. "Just, you know, preferably before Coach comes around to check on Kevin again. There's three hundred bucks in it for you if it's fixed before noon."
"You get Andrew out of the room and I'll see what I can do."
"Awesome." Nicky looked at Neil. "Andrew wants to see you."
Neil looked at the clock and did the math. If Andrew took his midday dose on time, he should be popping another pill any minute now. Neil wondered if he'd really take it and idly hoped he would. If withdrawal didn't upset Andrew enough, being able to finally react to this morning's events without drugs in his veins would make him downright murderous. Neil wouldn't want to be Kevin tonight.
He got up and followed Nicky down the hall to Andrew's suite. He hadn't been in their room since he'd come to yell at them for breaking into his things, and they were pretty good about keeping their door shut, so it was weird to step inside again. He spotted Kevin first, curled up on one of the oversized beanbag chairs facing away from the door. Aaron was washing dishes in the kitchen and didn't look up as they went by. Nicky pointed down the hall and went to sit with Kevin. Neil went alone into the dark bedroom and closed the door behind him.
The cousins had pushed two of their dressers against the wall under the window. Andrew sat on top of them, leaning forward so he could fold his arms across his knees. Neil smelled blood and looked past Andrew at the window. Andrew had taken the screen off in the main room so he could smoke, but this window still had one. It was probably all that saved his hand when he punched a hole in the glass.
Andrew wasn't looking at him but at the bloody hand dangling between his knees. He flexed his fingers occasionally as if checking the extent of the damage he'd wrought.
"You could have destroyed your hand with a stunt like that," Neil said.
Andrew laughed. "Oh my, where would I be then?"
"Off the team," Neil said. "Where would Kevin be then?"
Andrew didn't answer. Neil crossed the room to stand in front of him. Andrew didn't look up, but he smiled wide enough to show Neil his teeth.
"Oh, Neil, as unpredictable as he is unreal," Andrew said. "The last time we spoke you were afraid Riko would notice you. Either you lied to me or you changed your mind. I do hope it's the latter, because I hate being lied to."
"I didn't change my mind," Neil said, "but I didn't have a choice."
"There is always a choice."
"I had to say something."
"And what a thing to say! You took a swing at Riko on live TV. He's not going to take that sitting down, you know. How's that target on your back feel?"
"Familiar," Neil said.
Andrew sat up and slumped back against the screen. Neil glanced down at Andrew's hand as it slid into Andrew's lap, but he couldn't see the actual cuts past Andrew's drying, smeared blood.
"Give him a couple days and he'll know everything about you," Andrew said. When Neil looked him in the eye again, Andrew smiled. "Money greases the wheels of the world easier than blood does, and Riko has access to both. He'll look for a way to get back at you, and it won't take him long to see how cold your trail is. How long do you think it'll take someone with his connections to figure out the truth?"