The Foxhole Court (All for the Game Book 1)

Neil left reality behind when he stepped into Dan’s room. Spending a month with Andrew’s cracked lot and a volatile Wymack had almost irreparably damaged his image of the Foxes. Now he was sipping on a glass of sweet iced tea and eating cookies Renee had brought with her from home. They asked him about the fight only once more, and when Neil brushed it aside, didn’t press him. Now the girls were going over charity projects they wanted to involve the Foxes in this fall.

Dan sat propped against Matt’s shoulder, fingers twined with his, and nodded as Renee ticked ideas off on her fingers. She seemed friendly enough now that Andrew was out of sight, but Neil had already noted her spine. She was made of sterner stuff, his mother might have said. Neil guessed she had to be to captain a ragtag team like this.

Her roommate Renee was a mystery. The Foxes’ senior goalkeeper had bright white hair cut to her chin. The bottom two inches of her hair were dyed in alternating pastel colors. It was interesting enough to warrant a second look, but downright odd when paired with her scant makeup, conservative clothes, and delicate silver cross necklace. Nicky had called her the sweetheart of the team. Neil understood why as he listened to her talk. He had no idea how she qualified for the Foxes’ halfway-house team.

At five Wymack called to let them know Seth and Allison were on their way to campus from the airport. They were clearing away their glasses when Nicky showed up for Neil.

‘I’m timing you,’ Dan said, showing Nicky her watch. ‘I know how long it takes to get to the court from here, especially with the way you drive. You take him straight there, you get me?’

Nicky waved her off. ‘Have a little faith in a guy, Dan.’
‘That’s Renee’s job, not mine. Mine is to make sure we start the year with ten working bodies.’
‘It’s not like we’re going to kill him.’
‘Kevin already tried,’ Matt pointed out.
‘Nah, that was just a love tap.’ Nicky beckoned to Neil. ‘Can we go? These people are making me feel extremely unwelcome.’
He didn’t wait for Neil but vanished into the hallway. When Neil stepped out of the girls’ room, Nicky was jogging to the stairwell. Neil had to hurry after him. Nicky waited until they were in the stairwell to slow. He arched his eyebrows at Neil in exaggerated surprise. ‘So you speak French.’
‘Yes,’ Neil said.
Nicky waited a beat to see if he’d elaborate on his own. ‘Why French?’
‘My mother’s family is French.’ It was a lie that probably had his British mother rolling over in her sandy grave. ‘She didn’t really give me a choice on which language to study at school. How did Kevin learn?’
‘You don’t know?’ Nicky asked. ‘You knew he’d understand you.’
‘I heard him use it once,’ Neil said.
‘Jean taught him,’ Nicky said. ‘Jean Moreau? He’s a backliner the Ravens imported from Marseille. He and Kevin were tight, and he taught Kevin French on the sly. Hey, maybe you can teach me a couple good pickup lines. Kevin refuses to help.’
‘I’m pretty sure I never learned the things you want to say.’
‘What a waste,’ Nicky complained.
Andrew was leaning against the car waiting for them. Kevin was already in the passenger seat, and Aaron was in the backseat alone. Andrew was between Neil and the door, so Neil had to stop in front of him. Nicky kept going around the car to the driver’s seat, leaving Neil to Andrew’s nonexistent mercy.
‘You waited for us,’ Andrew said with feigned surprise. ‘A liar who practices occasional honesty. Clever. Keeps people guessing. Very effective. I would know. I do it myself, you see. Come on, then. After you.’
Neil climbed into the backseat. Andrew followed him in, sandwiching Neil between him and his brother. Nicky already had the engine going. As soon as Andrew yanked his door shut Nicky peeled out of there like he wanted to take the asphalt with him. Neil automatically reached for his seatbelt, but one of the brothers was sitting on it.
Andrew sprawled against his side. ‘After everything we’ve done for you, you have to start a fight with us. For shame, Neil.’
‘You started this fight a month ago,’ Neil said. ‘If you want it to stop, leave me alone.’
‘I like fighting. It’s just troublesome when Coach and Abby and the other busybodies start crying foul. Show some consideration.’
‘You show some consideration and stay out of my things.’
‘How do you know it was us, anyway? Maybe it was Matt. Innocent until proven guilty fails on an Exy court.’
‘I haven’t heard you deny it yet.’
‘You wouldn’t believe me anyway.’
‘I don’t believe anything you say.’
‘Believe this, Neil: you can’t put a leash on me. Don’t think you can, okay? And don’t be stupid enough to tell other people you will. It’s not safe. You’ll make me want to break you.’
‘You?’ Neil said. ‘You can’t.’
Andrew’s smile curved wider. ‘Ohhh, that sounds like a challenge. Mother may I?’
‘Your mother’s dead. I don’t think she cares what you do.’
‘I know for sure she never did,’ Andrew said. ‘Well, she had to take offense to the dying part, but I thought that was rather fun. But you’re right.’ He slapped the heel of his palm against his temple as if something obvious had just occurred to him. ‘I do as I please. Consider this your official invite, you suicidal wretch. I’m bringing you to Columbia with us this Friday.’
He let go of Neil and held up five fingers, smiling at Neil through them. ‘You have five days to meet the others. Five days of practices and all of Coach’s ridiculous bonding nonsense. Then it’s our turn on Friday. You can get to know us off the court.’
‘We’ll take you out to dinner,’ Nicky said over his shoulder. ‘We used to live in Columbia, so we know all the best spots. Even better, we’ve got a free place to crash so we don’t have to worry about driving back drunk or exhausted. It’ll be a blast.’
‘I don’t drink or dance,’ Neil said.
‘That’s all right,’ Andrew said. ‘Kevin doesn’t dance anymore and I never do. You can drink soda and talk to us while the others make fools of themselves. We can’t get through this year with this little misunderstanding between us, so we’ll take a night off and fix it.’
‘Fix’ was a strange choice of words. Neil knew one of them would have to break for them to get along, and he was pretty sure Andrew understood that too. It was obvious Andrew expected him to be the first to give ground.
Neil knew he should. It was past time to concede. But Neil wanted to prove him wrong, no matter how stupid it was. ‘If I go, promise me you’ll never touch anything of mine ever again.’
‘So possessive,’ Andrew said.
‘Of course I am,’ Neil said. ‘Everything I own fits in one bag.’
Andrew considered that, then answered with a mad grin. ‘Okay. One night with us, and no more break-ins. Friday night will be fun.’
Neil highly doubted that.
They reached the stadium a full minute ahead of their more lawabiding teammates and waited on the curb for Matt’s truck to arrive. As soon as the upperclassmen parked and got out, Andrew pointed at Neil.
‘Look, one piece.’
‘Are you bleeding anywhere?’ Matt asked.
‘Nowhere vital,’ Neil said.
Renee intervened before her friends could react. ‘Why don’t we wait inside for Seth and Allison? We’ve got a while and it’s a little warm out here.’
‘Maybe they’ll get in a crash and won’t make it,’ Nicky said hopefully.
‘Really, Nicky,’ Renee said. ‘That’s a little inappropriate, don’t you think?’
She said it gently, with the hint of a smile on her face, but Neil still felt the rebuke. It was subtler but somehow deadlier than the dirty looks Matt and Dan were sending Nicky, maybe because she was so sweetly disappointed in Nicky’s attitude. Nicky dropped his gaze from hers and gave an uncomfortable shrug.
‘Let’s go,’ Dan said, and led the way into the locker room.
Wymack and Abby were perched on the entertainment center in the lounge when they arrived. Dan’s annoyance faded under real warmth as she greeted the pair. Andrew’s group went straight to one of the couches while Matt waited for the girls on the other. Neil picked a chair where he could keep an eye on everyone. After Renee’s friendly greetings, she retired to Matt’s couch. They left a space between them for Dan. Dan stayed with Wymack a while longer, chatting animatedly about the summer Exy major leagues.
It took almost twenty minutes for the final two Foxes to arrive, and Neil felt the tension in the room change when the door banged open. Neil noted his teammates’ reactions and mentally divided the team into four groups: Dan’s three, Andrew’s four, the new arrivals, and himself.
Seth Gordon was the first into the room and he brought an attitude problem with him. He didn’t look happy to see any of them again after only a month apart and he barely grunted at the staff in greeting. He took a second to scowl fiercely at Neil, but that was it. He threw himself into one of the open chairs, all long limbs and black anger, and glared at the doorway as he waited for his companion to arrive.
Allison Reynolds was only a few seconds behind him. She stopped in the doorway to glower across the room at her surly teammate. Neil had seen pictures of Allison when researching the Foxes, but she still required a second look. The Reynolds were billionaires thanks to their world-class luxury resorts. Allison grew up a modern-day princess and a celebrity through her association with her family’s clients. Rumor had it she lost her inheritance when she chose Exy and public schools over joining the family business, but Allison still looked like a catwalk star. Everyone else was in jeans and rumpled from moving in. Allison looked ready for a photo shoot with perfect platinum curls, spiked heels, and a skintight dress.
‘Nice to see you two, too,’ Wymack said dryly.
Allison skipped him to nod at Abby. ‘You survived the summer.’
‘By the grace of God,’ Abby said. ‘It doesn’t get easier, that’s for sure.’
Allison swept the room with a look, lip curling a little in scorn as she spotted Andrew’s group. Her gaze settled on Neil and she studied him a moment, expression calculating.
‘I’m going to sit with you,’ she said.
She crossed the room to perch on the arm of his chair. There wasn’t really room for her there; she had to lean against him to keep her balance. She wound an arm around his shoulders to keep from sliding off and crossed her legs at the knee. The move slid her short hem further up, showing off a healthy stretch of toned, tanned thighs.
Neil saw it in his peripheral vision but kept his gaze on Allison’s face. His skin stung with the memory of his mother’s heavy blows. Life on the run meant no time for friends or relationships, but that didn’t stop Neil from checking out girls as he grew older. His mother’s watchful eye noticed his lingering looks and increasing distraction. Afraid he’d spill their secrets over a childish crush, she beat him like she could kill his hormones with her bare hands. A few years of this violence and Neil finally got the hint: girls were too dangerous to consort with. Allison was beautiful but off-limits.
‘I can move if you want to sit here,’ Neil said.
‘No, this is fine.’ She smiled, but it had a smug edge to it, probably because Seth was glaring at them like he could kill them with willpower alone. Allison looked back at Wymack and flicked her fingers in an impatient gesture. ‘This will be quick, won’t it? It was a long flight and I’m exhausted.’
‘You’re the ones slowing this down,’ Wymack said, and stabbed a finger at Neil. ‘First order of business: Neil Josten, our new striker sub. Got anything to say?’ When Neil shook his head, Wymack jerked a thumb between Allison and Seth. ‘You already met everyone else. Here’s the last of them: Seth Gordon, starting striker, and Allison Reynolds, our defensive dealer. Questions, comments, concerns? Anyone?’
Seth pointed at Neil and said angrily, ‘I’m fucking concerned—’
Neil guessed Wymack had heard this argument before, because he spoke over Seth like he didn’t hear him. ‘All right, then. Moving on. Abby?’ Abby got down from her perch and passed out stapled packs of paper. ‘Same boring forms as always. Sign your name on the appropriate lines and give these back to me first thing tomorrow. You can’t practice until I have these on file.
‘Summer practices start at 8:30. Enjoy sleeping in while you can, because we’re moving to 6:00 when the semester starts. We’re meeting at the gym. I repeat, we’re meeting at the gym. If you’re late because you came here instead of there I will put my shoe through your face. You’ve only been gone for a month. I know you all know how this works.’
‘Yes, Coach,’ the team chorused.
‘Physicals get done before you leave today. Andrew, you’re first. Seth, you’re going second. The rest of you draw straws or something. It’s up to you. Don’t even think of leaving before you’ve seen Abby.’ He gave Andrew’s lot the evil eye. Andrew and Nicky affected innocent looks that fooled no one.
Abby went to stand behind Kevin. Wymack hesitated before reaching for the papers stacked facedown at his side. ‘Last order of business from me today is our schedule.’
‘Already?’ Matt asked. ‘It’s only June.’
‘We don’t have dates yet, but the ERC’s made some changes that will make this spring look like a cakewalk. They’re notifying the coaches in our district one by one to try and control the fallout. It has potential to get ugly.’
‘How could it be worse than the shit we dealt with last year?’ Seth asked.
Matt counted off on his fingers. ‘The break-ins, threatening phone calls, rabid press, vandalism…’
‘Personal favorite was when someone told the police we were running a meth lab out of the dorm,’ Dan said sourly. ‘Police raids are awesome.’
‘The death threats were creative, though,’ Nicky said. ‘Maybe this time they’ll follow through and actually kill one of us. Let’s vote. I nominate Seth.’
‘Fuck you, faggot,’ Seth said.
‘I don’t like that word,’ Andrew said. ‘Don’t use it.’
‘I would say ‘fuck you, freak’, but then you wouldn’t know which one of you I was talking to.’
‘Don’t talk to us at all,’ Aaron said. ‘You never have anything useful to say.’
‘Enough,’ Wymack said. ‘We don’t have time for petty bullshit this year. We’ve got a new school in our district.’
Neil glanced at Kevin where he sat white-faced and rigid. Four men on one couch meant Andrew’s group was sitting crushed together with Kevin and Andrew in the middle. Even on drugs Andrew couldn’t miss the way Kevin went tense, but with his medicine in his veins he thought it was funny. He grinned up at Kevin, but the smile evaporated off his face when Wymack spoke.
‘Edgar Allen’s come south.’
Shock silenced the team, but not for long.
‘No way,’ Dan said sharply. ‘That isn’t funny, Coach.’
Seth apparently thought otherwise because he started laughing. Aaron, Nicky, and Matt drowned each other out as they demanded explanations. Allison made a shrill noise of disbelief that left Neil’s right ear ringing. Renee, like Neil, watched Andrew and Kevin and said nothing.
Wymack tried explaining the ERC’s logic, but he kept his attention on Andrew. It didn’t take the team long to notice his distraction. The hubbub slowly died out. As it did, Andrew’s smile returned. This time it was all teeth. Andrew’s drugs made him manic, but they didn’t make him any less vicious. Neil knew what that smile meant and braced for violence.
‘Hey, Kevin,’ Andrew said. ‘Hear that? Someone really misses you.’
‘The ERC shouldn’t have approved it,’ Kevin said, so quietly Neil barely heard him.
‘You said he would come for you.’
‘I didn’t know it would be like this.’
‘Liar,’ Andrew said, and Kevin flinched.
Andrew twisted to sit sideways on the couch so he could see Kevin better. It put his back against Nicky’s side. Nicky leaned away from his deranged cousin, knuckles white where he was holding onto the arm of the couch. Andrew either didn’t notice or didn’t care how uncomfortable he was making Nicky. He had eyes only for Kevin. Kevin looked sick to his stomach, but he wasn’t panicking over this bombshell. Andrew had no problems interpreting that pseudostrength.
‘You did know about this,’ Andrew said. ‘How long? One day, two days, three four five?’
‘Coach told me when it was approved in May.’
‘May. May, Day. Mayday. A little curious, Kevin Day. When were you going to tell me?’
‘I told him not to,’ Wymack said.
‘You picked Coach over me?’ Andrew asked, and laughed. ‘Ohhhh my. Favoritism, deception, betrayal, how familiar. After all I’ve done for you.’
‘Andrew, knock it off,’ Abby warned him.
‘Help me,’ Kevin said, almost a whisper.
Andrew clucked his tongue and cocked his head to one side. ‘Help you? Help a man who lies to my face for a month? How?’
‘I want to stay,’ Kevin said. ‘I’ll ask you again: don’t let him take me away.’
‘You’re the one who would tell him yes,’ Andrew said. ‘Maybe you forgot.’
‘Please.’
‘You know how much I hate that word.’
Kevin stared down at his hands where they were clenched in his lap, eyes on the scar that ran across the back of his hand. Neil had only gotten glimpses of it, since he didn’t want Kevin to catch him staring. It was a jagged mess along the thin bones of his hand. However Riko broke his hand, it hadn’t been a clean strike. Andrew heaved an exaggerated sigh and held his hand out, blocking Kevin’s view of his scar.
‘Look at me,’ Andrew said.
Kevin turned a haunted look on him. Neil wasn’t sure how Andrew could smile at such an empty stare, drugs notwithstanding. Neil felt Kevin’s despair all the way across the room, and it was such a familiar feeling he thought he’d be sick.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Andrew said. ‘I promised, didn’t I? Don’t you believe me?’
It took a while, but at last Kevin visibly relaxed. The dead edge melted out of his eyes as he absorbed every ounce of strength Andrew could give him. The unwavering trust Kevin had in Andrew was amazing. How Kevin thought one psychotic midget could protect him against a family as twisted as the Moriyamas, Neil didn’t know. Neil thought he should be impressed, but all he felt was bitterness. He swallowed hard against the churning in his stomach and looked away.
Wymack watched them a minute longer, then nodded. ‘The ERC will make their official announcement later this month. They agreed to wait until you were all here where it’s easier for us to protect you. That doesn’t mean you can be careless. Chuck—that’s our university president Charles Whittier, Neil—has reissued orders that reporters stay off our campus without a police escort this summer. You’ll see twice as many campus police around, and I need all of you to save their number to your phones just in case. Understand?’
Neil didn’t own a phone, but he joined the others in saying, ‘Yes, Coach.’
The room went quiet, and Neil couldn’t stand it anymore. ‘Anything else, Coach, or are we finished?’
‘This is a big deal,’ Dan said. ‘It changes everything. You don’t understand.’
‘Neil found out when Kevin did,’ Wymack said. ‘I already had the talk with him, so he understands just fine. And no, there’s nothing else. Abby, they’re all yours. Do with them what you will.’
Neil got to his feet and started for the door without a backward glance. Dan tried to call him back for his physical, but Abby quieted her.
Renee caught up with him outside. ‘Unfortunately this news means Andrew can’t give you a ride back to the dorm,’ she said. ‘Kevin needs him right now and that trumps whatever agreement you two had. If you’re okay with waiting a bit, though, you’re more than welcome to ride with us. There’s plenty of room in Matt’s truck.’
Neil meant to say no, but what came out was, ‘Why does Kevin trust Andrew?’
Renee smiled. ‘Because he knows he can.’
‘With so much at stake,’ Neil pressed, as if she didn’t understand what was going on as well as he did. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she couldn’t understand what Kevin was risking and what he would face if Andrew failed. She wasn’t like them. She was normal, or as normal as the Foxes could hope to be. Gangs and blood feuds were things out of movies. Neil hated that she couldn’t understand, but he hated more that he did. ‘With so much at stake he honestly thinks Andrew is enough?’
Renee held out her hand to him. ‘Neil,’ she said, so gently he wondered if she’d even heard him. ‘Neil, please wait for us.’
‘No,’ Neil said, taking a step back. ‘I know the way. Thank you.’
He rolled his papers into a tube and jogged away. She didn’t call after him, but he felt her stare on the back of his head. As soon as he reached the far edge of the parking lot he sped up to a full-out run.
The run did nothing to calm the restless anxiety gnawing at his stomach. He reached the dorm in worse spirits than he’d left the stadium. He tried to distract himself by putting his things away, but he ended up pacing the room with his empty duffel bag in his hands. His fifth time around he couldn’t take it anymore. He fell to his knees and yanked at his dresser, hurriedly unloading his few outfits so he could get to his safe. He punched the code in and undid the combination lock, needing to see his binder. He went through it cover to cover, checking and recounting everything.
He shouldn’t have come here. He shouldn’t have stayed once he heard about the district change and found out who the Moriyamas were. Andrew getting into his things should be the last straw, even though Andrew hadn’t said anything yet about what was in Neil’s folder. Maybe Andrew wasn’t smart enough to check the slips, or maybe he’d written the folder off the second he realized it was basically a shrine to Kevin and Riko. But Neil couldn’t just assume Andrew hadn’t found his money. For all he knew Andrew was waiting to throw it in his face later.
Panic told him to go now, but Neil couldn’t move. A quieter voice beneath his fear kept him from getting up again. Neil still remembered Kevin’s breakdown at Wymack’s last month. Kevin’s fear cut him wide open because Neil knew that feeling. Every day Neil woke up and relearned how to breathe. He gave himself two minutes every morning to calculate his chances of getting caught, weigh the benefits of staying wherever he was, and talk himself through his fear.
Did Kevin do the same? The dead look Kevin turned on Andrew today was the same look Neil saw in his reflection. When Neil stopped acting, when he stopped worrying about who was watching, when he let go of the lies that kept him alive, that was the only expression he could make.
Neil repacked his safe and dug out the cigarettes he’d bought at the store earlier. He went to the window, undid the two locks that kept it closed, and shoved the pane up as far as he could. A screen kept him from leaning out, but he pressed against it so hard it creaked. He lit a cigarette and watched it burn. The acrid smell of smoke and fire took the edge of his nerves, but the familiar and quiet grief that followed made everything worse.
No matter how alike he and Kevin really were, the critical difference between them made Neil feel worlds away from all of this. Kevin had Andrew to lean on, and Neil had no one at all to confide his hopelessness and loneliness in. Whether Neil left today or tomorrow or next week, he’d leave alone. Two, five, ten years from now, if Neil was even still alive, he’d still be alone. He could be anyone, anywhere in the world, but he’d be alone until the day he died. He’d never trust anyone enough to let them in.
And that was why Neil couldn’t go.
Even if everything in Neil screamed at him to run, Neil couldn’t do it, not after seeing that little show between Kevin and Andrew today. Maybe he was pathetic, or maybe he was too jealous to walk away. Maybe Neil just needed to understand.
Why did Kevin always get more? Kevin lived with an awful family, but he had a home and a reputation and a following. He grew up in the spotlight while Neil was left looking over his shoulder in a dozen countries around the world. Kevin lost his hand but gained his freedom. He was stubborn enough and skilled enough to pick up where he’d left off, even if it meant learning how to play with his weaker hand. He had a coach and a teammate willing to defy the Moriyamas for him. Why? Why did Kevin deserve all that?
Why did he deserve Neil? Why should Neil hesitate here and worry about him when Neil’s own life was on the line? After the way Kevin treated him this summer, Neil should be happy. This was the perfect time to duck out. The team would assume Neil was a scared kid who couldn’t deal with the Moriyama truth and the press would be too busy following Kevin and Riko to dwell on another failed Fox. Neil should send Riko an anonymous thank-you card and go over the border to Mexico.
But Neil couldn’t, not yet.
He shook a clump of ash off onto the windowsill and pushed his finger against it, smearing it into a dark streak on the white paint. He looked up at the clouds and searched them for his mother’s furious face. ‘One of us has to make it, Mom.’
It wasn’t going to be Neil. It was obvious he was too stupid to survive without his mother if he let himself get into messes like this. But maybe Kevin could do it. Maybe he’d get through this somehow, riding his talent and Andrew’s psychotic obsession and Wymack’s fierce protection. Maybe he’d get through this season on the Foxes’ roster and be safe. He’d recover and he’d be free. Neil couldn’t leave until he knew Kevin would be okay. He didn’t want to find out from half the world away.
He sucked in a slow, deep breath, trying to inhale as much smoke as he could, and watched as his cigarette burned down to the filter. He went through two more cigarettes before his roommates showed up. Neil stubbed the third out when he heard the front door open and scraped ash off the windowsill onto the carpet. He ground the ash in with a shoe, stuffed what was left of the butt into his pack for later, and kicked his things into some semblance of order. His safe was closed and locked, so he went out to greet his teammates. He felt distant as he watched them walk in. Maybe he was already dying, his stupid soul fading from his short body in preparation for a brutal end.
Seth came in first and heaved his suitcases off to one side. He was mid-rant and needed his hands free for angry gesturing. Matt was behind him with a tolerant look on his face and a third bag in his hands. Matt pushed the door shut and passed the bag to Seth, who threw it after the others.
Neil wasn’t sure who Seth was angriest at: Abby, Allison, or Andrew’s group. His rant went back and forth between all of them without a logical pattern. He stopped only when he ran out of colorful language. Finally he threw his hands up in disgust and turned on Neil. ‘And to make it all worse, I get stuck with a fucking amateur as a sub!’
‘Kevin approved him,’ Matt said.
‘Like that makes me feel any better.’ Seth glared at Neil. Neil stared back, unimpressed by his rage. His apathy only served to incense Seth further. ‘We were a bad joke; now we’re a practical one. When the others find out about this, we’re going to win our games only because they’ll be too busy laughing to take us seriously. We were supposed to make it this year. I trusted him to pick our sub because he said he could get us past the championships death match. But this is repulsive.’
‘At least give Neil a chance,’ Matt said.
‘Day’s fucking with us,’ Seth said. ‘It isn’t right.’
‘This attitude isn’t right,’ Matt said, pointing at him. ‘Kevin would never recruit someone just to make us look bad—we do that well enough on our own. If you want us to win this year, act like it. We need a cohesive offensive line. Since you and Kevin are a lost cause, you’re going to have to make it work with Neil.’
‘He’s short, he can’t play, and he looks like he has an attitude problem.’
‘Coach says he’s got potential.’ Matt looked at Neil. ‘Andrew says you’re fast.’
Neil frowned. ‘When did he say that?’
‘When do you think, wiseass?’ Seth asked. ‘We talked all kinds of shit about you after you booked it.’
‘Dan asked what they thought of you,’ Matt said before Neil could react. ‘Nicky thinks you need more time with us. Aaron says you have to be more aggressive. Kevin didn’t say anything, which would normally be weird since Kevin’s not known for mincing words, but I guess he’s distracted. But Andrew bets you can outrun everyone on this team. Coach said you clocked a fourminute mile back in Arizona. That true? You’re a little short to run so fast.’
‘I like running,’ Neil said.
‘Fuck running,’ Seth said. ‘Learn to score. Word is you still can’t score on Andrew.’
‘No,’ Neil admitted. ‘Not yet.’
‘When you do, you can talk to me,’ Seth said. ‘Until then, stay out of my way and try not to drag down my line too much.’
‘Welcome to the Foxhole Court,’ Matt added dryly as Seth grabbed his suitcase and stormed into the bedroom. ‘Hey, let’s hit downtown for dinner tonight. We might as well enjoy ourselves before this blows up in our faces, and I don’t want to be here when Andrew’s between doses. Can you two handle each other while I check with the girls?’
‘Probably,’ Neil said.
He and Seth managed to get along until Matt came back, but that was only because they ignored each other. Seth was busy moving in and Neil was happy to stay out of his way. When Seth was done with the bedroom and had moved on to the living room, Neil tidied up the mess he’d made earlier. Matt set up his computer at one of the desks and killed time online until it was time to rendezvous with the others.
‘Downtown’ referred to a long street of shops branching off the campus just a short ways from Fox Tower. Mostly the stores sold campus gear, but there were a couple bookstores and a half-dozen pubs. It was like a ghost town now with so few students around. Half of the places they passed had signs up that they’d reopen closer to fall. The rest stayed open in hopes of drawing in the summer school students and the athletes that would be filtering in over the next couple weeks.
They ended up at a place that was half-bar, half-pizza joint. The Lshaped corner booth was perfect for Neil, who could take an end spot on the bench and watch his teammates. He expected the same loud madness he’d seen at Wymack’s house his first night in South Carolina, especially after seeing the tension Seth and Allison added to the team, but he was pleasantly surprised. Whatever their differences, the upperclassmen had had years to get used to them, and they carried a table-wide conversation for most of dinner. Even Seth and Allison made attempts to get along, though Neil attributed that civility to the beer.
He stayed out of all of it, and for the most part they let him. He’d done the meet-and-greet thing with Dan’s group after his fight with Kevin, and Seth and Allison simply didn’t care to know him better. The only times anyone asked him anything at dinner was when Dan or Matt wanted his opinion on the matter at hand.
They were halfway through dinner when Dan and Matt ducked out. Neil saw them leave, but aside from Allison nudging Renee meaningfully, no one said anything about it. No one mentioned the district change, either, though it had to be on everyone’s mind. They pretty much had the restaurant to themselves, but the lack of other chatter meant their voices carried easier.
Dan and Matt came back eventually, looking a little worse for wear. Dan picked up their check from the bartender on her way back to the table. Seth toasted Matt with what was left of his beer, but his eyes were on Allison when he did so.
Dan and Matt led the way back to the dorm hand in hand. Renee walked behind them with Seth and Allison. Neil was happy to take up the rear. When they made it back to their floor, Nicky was waiting for them in the hallway.
‘Hey, Renee,’ Nicky said. ‘You mind calling Andrew’s phone?’
‘Did he lose it?’ Renee asked, pulling hers out of her small purse.
‘I did,’ Nicky said. ‘And, uh, the man carrying it. He’s not answering any of my calls.’
‘Jesus, Nicky,’ Matt said. ‘Coach told you to keep an eye on him tonight.’
‘I know what he said.’ Nicky made a face at Matt. ‘You try it sometime.’
‘Where’s Kevin?’ Dan demanded.
‘Hasn’t left his bed since we got back,’ Nicky said. ‘Aaron’s watching him.’
Renee held up a hand to ask for quiet. Everyone fell silent immediately to watch her. She had her phone at her ear but said nothing, likely listening to it ring on the other end. Neil knew someone picked up by the way Renee smiled, but he didn’t know how Renee could smile so warmly when she was speaking to Andrew.
‘Did I wake you?’ she asked in lieu of hello. ‘I was hoping to talk to you tonight, but Nicky says you’ve wandered off. Oh? All right, then. I’ll try again tomorrow. Lunch, perhaps? Okay. Good night.’
She hung up and put her phone away. ‘He’s at Coach’s. Maybe Coach wanted to make sure he took his medicine tonight.’ Renee gave Nicky’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze. ‘He’s safe. Kevin’s safe. Get some rest. There’s nothing else we can do tonight except lock our doors and pray.’
‘Thanks,’ Nicky said, and he disappeared back into his room.
They split up to their rooms to prep for bed. Neil climbed up the wooden ladder to his loft and stretched out on the mattress. The simple pleasure of having a real bed didn’t last long. After the lights were out and his roommates had quieted down, Neil was left with just the darkness and his thoughts. He lay awake long into the night thinking about Kevin, and when he slept, he dreamed of his father waiting for him on the Foxhole Court.