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)
He made it to his English class with time to spare, so he managed to snag a desk in the back corner. The teacher didn't show until the bell rang, and then she came bouncing in with curls flying. She was a perky teaching assistant who acted like freshman composition was the greatest thing they'd ever study at Palmetto State. Neil followed along with her as she went through the syllabus and decided she was mental. Instead of midterms, they'd have reports of varying lengths due. Neil was suddenly grateful for the tutor hours he had to slot into his days. It'd made scheduling and registration a headache, but at least he could get some help with this. He was an average writer at best, and this lady made it clear average wouldn't cut it.
The only things she wanted to cover today were the syllabus and short self-introductions. As soon as that was finished, she dismissed them with a cheery farewell until the following Tuesday. From there it was off to chemistry, which was a large enough class it was held in an auditorium. Neil took a spot in the top row. It was impossible to see the board from where he was, but at least he had a wall at his back.
Unlike his English class, the chemistry professor only spent a few minutes reviewing the syllabus before starting on an overview of introductory chemistry. His voice was an unwavering monotone that could put any living creature to sleep. Neil resorted to stabbing himself with a pen every time he started drifting off. He probably should have taken last night's practices with Kevin off in preparation for today, but he didn't think Kevin would have allowed it. Neil was doomed to spend the school year exhausted.
After seventy-five mind-numbing minutes of science, Neil finally escaped back into the sunlight. The campus had come alive in his absence. The late sleepers and early risers were finally meshed on campus, which meant elbow-toelbow people on the sidewalks between classes. More than half of the students were sporting school colors, and Neil saw a few headbands with fox ears.
The amphitheater in the middle of campus was packed with booths representing various student organizations. Volunteers were ready to hand out paraphernalia and point out buildings for lost freshmen. The clumps around the tables were buzzing with enough energy to power a small town, with most of the talk centered on either Friday's Exy or Saturday's football games. Neil got a small stack of magnets pressed into his hand as he passed. He sorted through them as he walked. There was one for every fall team with schedules printed on each. Neil kept the Exy one, tossed the rest into the trash, and buried his magnet deep in his pocket where he didn't have to look at the dates. Wymack had gotten the finalized fall schedule a few weeks ago. Palmetto State was facing Edgar Allen on Friday, October 13th. It felt close enough to choke Neil.
He detoured around students toward one of Palmetto State's three dining halls. Two were for the general student body. The third was for athletes only, justified to the general populace because of teams' training schedules and nutritional needs. All three halls were set up as buffets, but the athletes only ever had one unhealthy thing available a day whereas the regular dining halls' menus frequently boasted pizzas and a wide selection of desserts. The meal plan included in Neil's contract gave him limitless access to any of the halls, but Wymack strongly recommended he stick to his own.
The dining hall was busy when Neil arrived, though it might have just looked busy because it only sat a hundred people. He swiped his meal card at the front register, collected a tray, and tried to pack in enough food to fuel him through the end of practice at eight o'clock that night. Afterward he was free to return to the dorm, since he'd scheduled most of his classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
His room was empty when he showed up, so Neil settled at his desk with his syllabi. It was only the first day of school and he already had three assignments: a short paper, a fifty-page chapter to read, and a page of questions about said chapter. Neil debated for a minute as to which one sounded least painful. Five minutes later he was still uninspired, so he put his head down on his desk.
He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until a gunshot jarred him awake. Neil bolted upright so fast he sent his pile of textbooks crashing to the ground. Too late he realized the crack he'd heard wasn't a gun but the lock snapping undone on the suite door. A bemused Matt stood in the doorway.
"Hard at work already, I see," Matt said dryly.
"Something like that."
"I'd say it gets easier, but." Matt shrugged. "You should probably cut back on your late practices now that classes are in session."
"I'm fine," Neil said. He knew he'd never give up those practices. If he had to choose between class work and Exy, the answer was obvious. Neil was only here for a couple more months. He wasn't going to give up a single second of his time on the court no matter what else it cost him.
"You say that an awful lot," Matt said. "I'm starting to think you don't know what it means."
There wasn't really a good way to answer that, so Neil let it slide. Luckily Matt didn't push it but crossed the room to his computer. Neil spent the last half-hour until practice thinking about October and the Ravens.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Thursday's excitement had nothing on Friday's. The whole school got decked out overnight with vibrant orange and white streamers. Ribbons and banners hung off every sidewalk lamp. Live student bands took over the amphitheater for short concerts and the student newspaper released that morning gave details for the afternoon parade. Cheerleaders roamed the campus in small packs, flaunting their short skirts and bright smiles and revving up school spirit wherever they could.