Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
"So about those padded cuffs," Roland said, and laughed at the look Andrew gave him.
As soon as Roland ducked away to check on the rest of his customers Andrew set about rearranging their drinks into an indeterminable new order. Nicky still wasn't back by the time Andrew finished, so Andrew started on the closest drink. Standing there watching him, Neil thought he wouldn't mind waiting for a seat all night. His clock was still ticking down, but his numbered days followed a different schedule now. Neil had all the time in the world, and that left a heat in his gut stronger than any whisky could.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Because USC lost both semifinal games back-to-back, the ERC canceled the third semifinals match. There was no point in pitting the Foxes and Ravens against each other when they had both already qualified for finals. Instead the two schools were given a week off to rest, recharge, and fend off a story-hungry press.
The Foxes sounded confident whenever they had a microphone in or camera their faces, and it wasn't always an act. Their all-consuming hatred of Riko helped smooth out the jittery edges of their nerves. The Ravens had little to say about the Foxes, but that was probably because they were dealing with fallout from Jean's abrupt transfer. Jean was the most sought-after athlete in NCAA news these days, but he refused to announce his current whereabouts or speak to the press. His silence did the Ravens no favors so soon after Kevin's bold interview, and the speculations and rumors were starting to get a little wild.
On Monday afternoon Wymack told his team the final game would be hosted at Castle Evermore. It wasn't welcome news, but it wasn't a surprise, either. Because it doubled as the national team's court, Edgar Allan's stadium was half-again as large as Palmetto State's. They needed every seat they could get. Wymack still didn't think it'd be big enough for a showdown like this, but there definitely wasn't room in South Carolina to accommodate a championship finals crowd.
On the tail-end of that announcement, Wymack passed around a clipboard. Edgar Allan was going to reserve a "friends and family" section right behind the Away bench. They were given eighteen seats to divvy up between the nine of them, and Wymack needed a list of names so he could get those seats reserved as soon as possible and start working on travel arrangements from the airport to Edgar Allan.
Eighteen didn't sound like very many, but the Foxes couldn't fill them. No one in Andrew's group needed any, and Allison passed the clipboard on without hesitation. Renee needed one for her foster mother and donated the second to Matt so his father could bring his current mistress. Dan went last so she knew how many spare seats she could steal. Several of her stage sisters had moved on from their old club to quieter jobs, but the few who were still there were unlikely to get approved for a Friday night off.
That night Nicky and Aaron showed up to evening practice uninvited. Neil expected Kevin to send them packing with a "too-little, too-late" speech, but he put them to work immediately. On Wednesday the upperclassmen tagged along too. A week and a half wasn't enough time to make anyone an expert on Raven drills and scrimmages, but Kevin tried his best. His caustic attitude and rude dismissal of his teammates' abilities earned him no favors during the day, but at night the Foxes submitted with a silent and grim determination. Matt was the first one to realize Kevin played left-handed at night, since he was the one getting in Kevin's face to block him. Having a secret weapon against the Ravens buoyed their spirits.
Bringing all the Foxes along made it harder for Neil to get Andrew alone afterward, since it was more obvious that they weren't heading straight for bed. Living in the same room made it only marginally easier to catch Andrew alone between classes. The Foxes had such long practices that most of their classes were crammed into the same time blocks. It would have been completely impossible if not for Nicky's interference. Nicky spent a lot of his free time hanging out with the rest of the Foxes in their rooms, and he dragged Kevin with him whenever he could. It forced Andrew to choose between Neil and his controlling nature. Sometimes Neil won; other days Andrew's spite had him hunting the wayward pair down as soon as he realized what was going on.
The following week was significantly harder to get through, in part because it was the last week of classes. Friday night the Foxes would face the Ravens in NCAA Exy finals; Monday they'd start academic finals. Three of Neil's teachers made classes optional, allowing their students to come in for reviews and practice tests or opt for self-study elsewhere. Neil tried going to his first class but left halfway through. He intended to find an empty seat at the library, but somehow he ended up at the Foxhole Court instead.
Wymack didn't look surprised to see him, but he made Neil swear he wouldn't fail any classes before he'd loan Neil games to watch. The next morning Neil didn't even try to go to class. Between matches Neil ran laps and suicide drills. He ran the stadium steps early in the day so his legs could recover before afternoon practice. He pushed himself to go faster, faster, faster and knew it wouldn't help.
The Ravens were lightning on the court; they rarely carried the ball for more than a few steps because they'd perfected the art of impossible passes. They'd destroyed the Foxes with their tricks last October. Kevin had spent months teaching Neil how to play like that, but that meant nothing now. It didn't matter if Neil and Kevin could score if their defense couldn't hold the line and control that point gap. Every match Neil watched drove that further home until he thought he'd be sick.