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)
Aaron and Andrew canceled their Wednesday session with Dobson to come to practice on time, but Kevin skipped Thursday night's practice. He had no real explanation aside from, "I need to take care of something," and he left Neil in charge. Telling the others what to do was every bit as awful as Neil expected it would be, but Neil didn't have time to hesitate. They had a game in two days and Neil was the only other person who knew all of the Ravens' drills. He walked his teammates through them, knowing they couldn't master them in such a short time but needing them to know what they were up against on Friday. They asked a lot of questions but didn't push back, and afterward Dan murmured, "Nicely done, captain," at his ear.
They didn't leave the court until after one, but by the time they made it back to the dorm Neil's nerves overrode his exhaustion. He stood at his desk while the others changed for bed, staring at his textbooks without really seeing them. He flipped halfheartedly through one of his notebooks, then pushed everything aside. He wanted to go for a run, but he also knew his body needed to rest after today's long practices. He'd settle for pacing, but he didn't want the others to know he was getting anxious. It felt like doubt could undo everything they'd been working toward.
Nicky came back into the living room. "Hey. You good?"
"I'm fine," Neil said. "Just thinking."
Nicky said nothing, but it was a minute before he turned away. Neil had the living room light on, so Nicky closed the bedroom door. Neil stood quiet and still until the bedroom descended to silence, then sat down at his desk and stared at the wall. He stayed there so long with his twisting thoughts he couldn't believe the sky wasn't lightening with sunrise. At last Neil's thoughts slowed to a drained crawl and he got up to sleep. He only made it a few feet from his desk before the suite door opened and let Kevin in.
Kevin reeked so strongly of alcohol Neil could smell him halfway across the room, but Neil forgot the stench the second he saw the bandage on Kevin's face. It was too much to hope for and too impossible to believe in, but Neil froze in his tracks and stared. Kevin pushed the door closed and stumbled backward into it. He almost fell, braced himself in the nick of time, and stared blearily at Neil. That was about all Kevin could manage, it seemed, so Neil went to him. Kevin made a limp gesture near his side. Neil worked a corner of the tape up and pulled the gauze off Kevin's face.
It felt a bit like falling and a bit like flying; Neil's stomach bottomed out a second before adrenaline flooded his veins. Kevin had worn a "2" since his first days in the Moriyamas' cruel care. Riko and Kevin used markers for years, writing over their numbers any time they threatened to fade. As soon as they were old enough they'd switched to a more permanent ink. Now that number was gone, covered up by the jet-black image of a chess piece. Neil's knowledge of chess was hazy at best, but he knew for sure that wasn't a king.
"You did it," Neil said, too stunned to manage anything else.
"Let Riko be King," Kevin said, with the exaggerated enunciation of the thoroughly sloshed. "Most coveted, most protected. He'll sacrifice every piece he has to protect his throne. Whatever. Me?" Kevin gestured again, meaning to indicate himself but too drunk to get his hand higher than his waist. "I'm going to be the deadliest piece on the board."
"Queen," Andrew said somewhere behind Neil. Neil hadn't heard him get out of bed, but of course the bang of the door would have woken him. A sober Andrew was as light a sleeper as Neil was, maybe moreso because Andrew was used to unfriendly people sneaking into his room. Neil looked back at him, but Andrew was studying Kevin. Andrew crossed the room to stand at Neil's side and caught Kevin's chin in his hand. He turned Kevin's head to inspect the new ink. "He is going to be furious."
"Fuck him," Kevin said, sliding a little further down the door. "Fuck all of them. Waste of time to be angry. They should be afraid."
"Hell hath no fury," Andrew said.
Kevin gestured feebly to Neil, so Neil pressed the bandage back into place over swollen, reddened skin. Neil dropped his hand back to his side and clenched his fingers into a fist to hide the excited tremor. He doubted either Kevin or Andrew noticed; they were too busy staring each other down. At length Andrew smiled, slow and cold. It was the first time he'd smiled since coming off his drugs, and Neil couldn't help but stare.
"Now it's getting fun," Andrew said.
"Finally," Kevin said, equal parts exhaustion and exasperation.
It took both of them to get Kevin to the bedroom. Neil didn't know how Kevin was going to make it up the ladder to his loft, but somehow he managed. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Neil felt completely recharged as he stared up at Kevin's bunk. He was unsteady on his feet, too buzzed to stand still. The darkness should have hidden the jittery wreck he'd become, but Andrew wasn't fooled. He jabbed Neil's shoulder on his way back out of the room. Neil tore his gaze away from Kevin's unconscious form and followed.
Andrew pushed him up against the wall with heavy hands and hard kisses. "Junkie."
"I've been waiting for that since June," Neil said. "You've been waiting longer."
Andrew didn't bother denying it. It was nearly dawn by the time they finally went to bed, but Neil could make up the hours on the bus ride north. He burrowed under his blankets and dreamed of Evermore coming down on his head.
-
By an hour to serve, every parking lot on Edgar Allan's campus was packed. The stadium grounds were swarming with black-clad fans. Staccato bursts of camera flashes and hefty bodies in suits marked the arrival of big-name celebrities. Everywhere Neil looked he saw cops, and an entire section was cordoned off for news vans.