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)
Kevin's mouth thinned to a disapproving line. "It's not time."
"Make it the time. I need your help, and you should have told him years ago," Neil accused him. When Kevin didn't answer, Neil interpreted it as the reluctant agreement he wanted. He straightened and went back to English. "We're going to split their attention between us. Kevin's going to out his father."
"Wait, you know who he is?" Nicky asked Kevin, startled.
"I found out," Kevin said, an edge in his words. "My mother wrote the master when she found out she was pregnant. I took the letter from his house and hid it at the stadium a few years ago."
"And I took it from Evermore," Neil said. He shrugged at the startled look Kevin flicked him. "Jean showed me where it was. I stole it so you'd do something about it."
"So who is it?" Dan asked.
"I'll contact him before I tell anyone else," Kevin said. "He deserves a forewarning."
Renee looked to Neil and said, "What do you need from us, Neil?"
It didn't take much thought. "Everything I needed, you already gave me. You let me stay."
Renee's smile was slow and sweet. Dan got up and crossed the room to give Neil a careful hug. She didn't hold him like Abby once had, like she thought he might fall apart without her support. There was a muted ferocity in the fingers that bit into his arms and he could feel the tension in her body where she leaned against him. This wasn't comfort; it was something protective and defiant. She was staking claim over him as one of her team. Somehow it was enough to ease the last of the day's stresses out of him. That much-needed peace only made Neil realize how exhausted he still was, and he barely managed to swallow a yawn.
Dan let go and took a step back when Neil finally relaxed. "Come on. It's been a long day and I'm ready to see it over with. Let's sleep this off and figure out in the morning where to go from here. Maybe we'll all get breakfast or something. All right?"
"All right," Neil agreed, and the Foxes got to their feet.
Abby handed him his medicine. "Let me check on you again tomorrow, but be careful washing, okay? Wrap your arms if you can. If you get soap in those burns it's going to hurt."
Neil nodded, looked to Wymack one last time, and followed his teammates out. Their cars were still in the parking lot where they'd left them a couple days ago. Andrew popped the locks on his car and Nicky opened the passenger door for Neil. Neil climbed in and didn't bother struggling with the buckle. As soon as his limbs were out of the way, Nicky slammed the door and got in back. The upperclassmen piled into Matt's truck and Matt pulled out after Andrew.
It was the middle of the night, but there was usually still something going on around campus. Today the grounds were dead, and it took Neil a moment to remember it was spring break. Understanding was quickly followed by a flicker of guilt; the others had had plans to fly out on Sunday morning. They'd missed their flights to stay in Baltimore with him. He asked Dan about it when they met up again at Fox Tower, but she waved it off as unimportant.
No one talked about it, but somehow they all ended up in Neil and Matt's room. Matt and Aaron shoved the couch out of the way, and the girls showed up a minute later with blankets. The living room wasn't meant to sleep nine bodies but somehow they made a workable nest out of it. Foxes came and went as they grabbed pillows and changed into pajamas. For a moment, though, Neil and Matt were alone. Matt gave Neil's shoulder a careful squeeze.
"Things could have gone much worse," Matt said, subdued. "I'm glad they didn't. You want anything, you need anything, you let us know. Okay?"
"Okay," Neil said.
"I mean it," Matt stressed.
"I know," Neil said. "I'm done lying to you, Matt. I promise."
Matt sighed, but he sounded more tired than skeptical. "Wish it didn't take all of this to get that, but I guess I understand. A lot of things about you make sense now, actually. With one notable exception," Matt added dryly, "but I'm going to let Allison handle that conversation. She'll kill me if I steal her thunder."
"Great," Neil said. Matt grinned at his unenthusiastic tone. Neil thought maybe he was better off not knowing, but he asked, "Does that mean you bet against it?"
"I bet for you and against him," Matt said, and shrugged at Neil's surprised look. "I'm your roommate. You never talked about girls, even back when Seth and I would go on and on about them. I noticed, but I figured you'd say something if you wanted us to know. Just so you know, it makes no difference to me either way," Matt said, "except I would have seriously judged your taste a couple days ago."
Neil assumed Andrew's territorial streak in Baltimore had a lot to do with Matt's change of heart. "Did he really choke Kevin?"
"Took three of us to pull him off," Matt said.
Neil didn't know what to say to that. Matt gave him a minute, then clapped his shoulder and went to get changed. Neil thought about getting undressed, decided it would take far too much effort, and sat down on his blankets to wait on the rest of the Foxes. He ended up in the dead center of the room, with Andrew on one side of him and Matt on the other. His thoughts should have kept him up all night, but with his friends this close Neil couldn't worry about anything. Neil studied Andrew's face until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.
He dreamed of facing his father on an Exy court, and in his dream the Foxes won.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Monday breakfast plans got pushed back to brunch on account of how late they'd all been up. The dining halls were closed for spring break, but there was a diner ten minutes down the road that served breakfast food all day. The Foxes dispersed to get ready, carrying blankets and pillows with them out of the room. Kevin was the only one who stayed behind. Neil knew why, but he was still too tired for this conversation. He struggled to his feet and trailed Matt to the kitchen with his bag of medicine. They'd be eating in an hour, but apparently that was too long to wait for coffee. Matt rinsed the pot in the sink and started filling it.