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)
There was no point lying when the upperclassmen were going to tell Wymack everything, so Neil summed it up as succinctly as he could. "Allison hit Aaron, so Andrew hit back."
Wymack closed his eyes pinched the bridge of his nose. He was obviously trying not to snap on them, not wanting to reignite an awful situation, but it took an age before he dropped his hand. "Andrew, we are going to talk about this. No, I am going to talk about this and you are going to listen. Today, but not now. After the rest of this chaos has been sorted out. Do you understand?" Wymack gave Andrew a minute to acknowledge that, then said, "I didn't hear you."
"You'll talk, I'll listen," Andrew said, and even Neil wasn't sure if he was agreeing or summarizing Wymack's demands.
"I'm going to check on them," Wymack said. "I'll be right back. When I come back, we are going to focus on the real problem and the real enemy. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," Nicky said weakly.
"Yes, Coach," Neil said.
Wymack stomped off, and Andrew's lot waited in silence for his return. Neil looked between Andrew and Aaron. Andrew, like Nicky, had turned his attention back on the mangled car. Aaron was still looking at Andrew as if the answer to the universe was just out of reach. Kevin had stayed out of the way during the entire fight, but now he finally edged forward and took up a post at Andrew's side.
Wymack was gone for a while, but he eventually made it back to them. He'd meant it when he said they were putting the Foxes' fight on hold. He didn't say another word about Andrew's violence or Allison's safety. Instead he gave Andrew's car a long look and shook a cigarette into his hand. Andrew put an expectant hand out as soon as it was lit. Wymack handed it over without hesitation and lit himself another.
"Well," Wymack said, "at least you upgraded your insurance policy last year."
"Fat lot of good that does us." Nicky jammed his hands in his pockets and toed the car's bent bumper. "This mess can't be fixed. Even if they ripped out and replaced the entire interior, I couldn't get back into it without getting the heebie-jeebies. Did you see the dead fox, Coach? They put a dead animal in our car. Ugh."
"Pigs," Aaron said.
Neil was lost for the second it took him to notice the cops. They were only two cars down from Andrew's now. Neil didn't tense up at the sight of them, but it was a near thing. He dragged his stare away without trying to be obvious, but the view wasn't much better in the other direction.
"Cameras, too," he said.
At some point the police had cordoned off the parking lot and made a checkpoint for the arriving coaches. Two press vans were stopped outside the line and reporters were snapping shots of the dismal scene.
The cops made it to them a few minutes later. One made a slow lap, jotting down the license plate number and presumably writing out descriptions of the extensive damage. On his second lap he had a camera out, and he shooed the Foxes out of his way with an impatient hand so he could get good shots. The other cop swept them with a tired look, pen poised above his notepad, and said, "Whose car is this?"
"Ours," Nicky said, raising a hand. "Well, it's in Andrew's name, but I'm on the insurance policy too. We're cousins, see. Nicky Hemmick and Andrew Minyard, room 317. You need the registration or anything, I can tell you where to find it, but I'd really rather not reach in and get it for you. Look inside the car and you'll understand why. No, really, look inside."
The cop spared a glance for the car but said nothing about its sorry state. Neil guessed he'd stopped caring about sixty angry athletes ago. All he said was, "Did you see or hear anything unusual last night or this morning?"
"Friday night on a college campus," Nicky said with an apologetic shrug. "You learn to tune things out if you want to get any sleep. Besides, our room faces the front of the building."
"What about you?" the cop asked Aaron.
"No," Aaron said.
The cop looked to Andrew last. Andrew gazed back in unimpressed silence and took a slow drag off his cigarette. Nicky only gave him a couple seconds before answering for him. "He found out when I did. Renee stopped by and woke us up when she heard the news. Uh, Renee's our teammate." At the look the cop sent him for speaking up, Nicky shrugged. "Yeah, sorry. Andrew doesn't talk to cops. It's a long story and completely irrelevant. What else do you need to know?"
The cop only had a couple more questions, some of which he aimed at Andrew despite Nicky's warning, the rest of which he split between Nicky and Aaron. Andrew stopped paying attention to the interview before long and let his gaze wander. Nicky filled in the gaps as quickly as he could, and eventually the cops moved on.
A couple insurance agents showed up from local offices to get a firsthand look at the mess and touch base with whichever athletes were their clients. The woman representing Andrew's agency must have brought a cheat sheet with her, because she greeted the cousins by name and expressed sympathy for going through this a second time. While she chattered and took notes and pictures of her own, tow trucks rolled onto the scene and began the slow process of hauling every car to repair shops.
"We're footing the bill for rental cars and vans for a week," Wymack said when she trotted off to her next client. "I'll get the two we need sometime today. It might take the shop a while to get around to you," he gestured, indicating the enormity of the task awaiting the local crews, "so let me know as soon as you get an ETA. I can extend the cars if I have to."