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)
"We are going to talk about this," Wymack said, "but not until everyone's here. Go get washed up. We're going in turns again. Ladies first." He watched them leave and waited until the changing room door closed behind them. "I'm instating a new team rule where everyone is required to be happy after a win. You downers are going to suck the life out of me before my time."
Wymack looked at them, but Kevin was watching Neil and the twins were back to ignoring one another. Wymack threw his hands up in defeat and left. The room descended to tense silence until Dan showed up with Nicky and Matt in tow. The three still looked enthused from the win and their interviews, but being around their moody teammates killed their cheer. Dan hesitated only a moment before continuing to the changing room without a word. Nicky came and propped his shoulder against Neil.
"So we totally just bagged our two out of three. Next week's win is gonna be the icing on the cake." Nicky flicked Kevin a meaningful look as if demanding he join in the conversation. "Then it's on to the first death match. Chances of us playing someone interesting?"
"Zero," Kevin said. "All of the interesting teams are in the odds bracket."
"All except us, you mean." Nicky gave him a moment to agree, then heaved an exaggerated sigh when he didn't. "You're so biased. Just don't forget whose team you're on. If we end up facing USC, you'd better be rooting for us."
"I'll consider it," Kevin said.
The Ravens and Trojans were fierce rivals, but Kevin was an unrepentant USC fan. Neil wasn't surprised, since USC had one of the best teams in the nation. They were famous for their sportsmanship and they'd spearheaded the movement to keep the Foxes in the running last fall. They were worth Kevin's attention and favor.
"Jerk," Nicky said. "I'm telling Coach you like Coach Rhemann more."
"Tell him," Kevin said. "If Coach is worth his position he knows the Trojans are better than the Foxes are. They always have been and always will be."
"Biased," Nicky muttered again.
Dan came to get them when the women were done, and the men took over the changing room. Neil stood under the spray and checked under his fingernails for blood. He found none, but for a minute he swore he smelled burning flesh.
Neil was the last one dressed, as usual, and he found his teammates waiting for him in the lounge. Wymack was standing in front of the entertainment center with his arms crossed over his chest. Abby was hovering in the doorway. Neil was tempted to continue past her outside and skip this conversation entirely. He doubted anyone would let him get away with it, so he sat beside Andrew on the couch.
Wymack waited until he'd gone still before starting. "First off: the massacred elephant in the room. Massacred birds, rather. I called in a favor with the faculty and got Abby access to the microscopes in the science labs. We needed to make sure that wasn't human blood."
"That's morbid," Nicky said.
"But necessary considering who we're dealing with." Wymack shook his head. "The last thing I want is to put you all at risk. The court is supposed to be a safe place for you, but I've failed to protect you. I have half a mind to install cameras in here in the public areas, but I won't do that unless everyone agrees. If we do rig something up, the only ones who will see those tapes are the people in this room right now. I want people in our business as much as you do.
"Which leads me to my second point: Neil asked us to leave the authorities out of this," Wymack said, looking each of his Foxes in the face. "I respect him enough to allow that, but it's not up to just me. Are you going to be okay with that?"
"You're really just going to let Riko get away with this?" Dan asked.
"He wouldn't have done this if he thought he would get caught," Neil said.
"Maybe we can't get him, but we could get his middlemen," Matt said. "No one's perfect. Everyone leaves a trail."
Aaron spoke up then, and his callous accusation made Neil's blood go cold: "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Junior?"
Neil flicked a quick look at Aaron's dark expression and braced for the worst. When it came, though, it was worse than he expected.
"They'll never find proof that Riko was involved in this," Aaron said, "but they might find you, right? That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Aaron gestured at his own face, indicating Neil's abrupt change in appearance. "Your looks, your languages, your lies—you're running from something or someone."
That biting demand was a sucker punch, knocking the breath from Neil's lungs and crushing his stomach to his spine. The silence that followed felt infinite. Neil was sure his teammates could hear his heartbeat; it was pounding so loud he felt it on every inch of his skin. Their stares were piercing enough to peel up every disguise he'd ever worn.
Finding his voice was an act of desperation. Keeping it calm took every ounce of energy he had left. "You know, I expected low blows and backstabbing from the Ravens. I thought Foxes were better than that. No," Neil said when Aaron opened his mouth again. "Don't you dare take your issues with Andrew out on me. I know you're mad at me for getting Katelyn involved, but you're going to have to get over that."
"You dragged her into my business. I'm dragging them into yours. Not as much fun when someone does it to you, is it?" Aaron asked.
"You're so stupid," Neil said. "I invited myself to your fight because I wanted to help you two. You're doing this because you think it's going to hurt me. There's a pretty critical difference there. On the bright side, you being an asshole at heart means I was right about your chances." Neil tipped his head to one side and eyed Aaron. "You do understand by now that your cowardice is what's keeping you and Andrew apart, right?"