Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Dan set the pace with Matt at her side. The rest of the Foxes followed behind them in pairs. Neil expected to be alone in the rear, and he wouldn't have minded, but they'd only gone a quarter of the way around the inner court when Andrew and Kevin moved. Andrew swerved to one side long enough for Neil to pass him. Kevin picked up speed to fall in alongside Neil. Neil looked over his shoulder at Andrew.
"If you trip over your own feet I won't pick you up," Kevin said.
Neil faced forward and decided not to ask.
It felt good to run after spending half the day in the bus, but Dan stopped them after two laps. They stretched by the benches until the referees signaled them to enter the court. They tugged on their helmets and gloves, gathered their racquets, and stepped onto the court for fifteen minutes of drills. The captains stayed behind when everyone else was kicked off the court. Dan met the Terrapin captain at half-court for a coin toss. Dan won their team first serve, so the Terrapins chose to start at home court.
The announcer read off team statistics when the captains left the courts. He called the Terrapin's starting line-up with over-the-top enthusiasm and introduced the Foxes with polite detachment. Neil was impressed despite himself. The abrupt switch in tone was an effective reminder to the Fox team: they were far from home and friendly territory.
Neil was called onto the court second. He had to pass the Terrapins to take his spot at half-court, so he checked out his backliner mark on his way by. Herrera had half a foot on him, so he'd have a longer reach. Neil would have to settle for being faster.
Neil stood on the line and watched the rest of his team join him. Allison didn't look at anyone as she went to the dealer's spot. Matt tapped her racquet with his as he passed and settled onto far-fourth in a straight line back from Neil. Neil was glad to have Matt on his side of the court, but he knew what it meant. Matt was the Foxes' strongest player, and Neil was the weaker half of offense. Matt was there to clean up behind Neil's inevitable messes.
Andrew was the last one on court. He carried his massive racquet across his shoulders as he headed for goal. Neil couldn't get a good look at his expression through the heavy grating of his helmet. Neil wouldn't worry about him until second half, but he turned to watch Andrew's progress anyway.
He expected Andrew to head straight for the goal, but Andrew stopped near Allison. Neil was too far away to hear if Andrew said anything to her. He didn't linger long before continuing across the court. Allison didn't watch him go, but she shifted on her feet and raised her racquet to ready position.
The head referee handed Allison the ball. A warning buzzer sounded; it was one minute until game time. The six officials split up and filed off the court on opposite sides. They closed and locked the doors behind, and Neil watched as they spread out to either side of the court. Neil could still hear the crowd's noise through the overhead vents, but the walls helped muffle it. Neil tensed to run and tried to count seconds in his head. The buzzer sounded and Neil felt it sing through every nerve in his body.
Terrapins and Foxes broke formation at the same time, racing across the court toward each other. The Terrapin goalkeeper let out a wild war cry and banged his racquet against the floor to urge his teammates forward. Neil listened for a serve that didn't come. For a second he was afraid Allison would lock up and refuse to move. He was halfway to Herrera before he heard the distinctive thump of a ball against Andrew's oversized racquet. Allison had served it back to him, and Andrew smashed it up the court toward the strikers.
The game started rough and didn't get easier. Neil tried to follow Kevin's advice but it was frustrating holding himself in check. How Dan and Allison could stand being dealers and playing middleman all the time was beyond him. Neil liked outrunning and outsmarting the defense. He liked the rush of a perfect score. He liked the pressure and the triumph. The rest of his life was a frightening mess; Neil needed the power and control of a fierce game.
The only bright point was realizing his lessons with Kevin were paying off. Since June Neil spent four nights a week learning precision drills from Kevin. Passing wasn't what Neil wanted to do in this game, but he could already see how he was improving. His shots were harder and more accurate, and it took him less time to figure out where to throw.
It didn't take Herrera long to realize Neil wasn't going to score, but Herrera attributed it to incompetence. He kept making snide remarks about Neil's inexperience and spinelessness. Neil wanted to shove Herrera to the floor and charge the goal to prove him wrong. If he missed, Herrera would remind him the rest of the game. If he scored, Kevin would take advantage of the reset to scold him. It was a lose-lose situation and the rest of the game wasn't going much better. The Terrapins were leading three to one until Kevin scored at the twenty-three minute mark.
Wymack used the possession to send out his substitutions. Neil wasn't between Kevin and the door, but Kevin detoured past him anyway on his way out.
"Destroy him," he said.
Neil felt like he'd been waiting for this all his life. "Yeah."
Kevin, Allison, and Aaron filed off the court to let their teammates on. Nicky and Dan came first and jogged to their places. Renee gave Allison a hug at the door before taking her place on the court. She looked strange and small without her usual goalkeeper armor on. Neil hoped she knew what she was doing.