Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
"How long do you think you can keep that up?" Andrew asked from the back of the line.
Neil grit his teeth at the mocking cheer in Andrew's voice. "Can you crash already?"
"All in good time," Andrew promised.
The Foxhole Court had an open path to the inner court. Belmonte was designed differently, and the hall they took from the locker rooms to the court was a tunnel. Neil couldn't see the crowd yet, but he could hear them. The echoing roar of excited voices drowned out his footsteps as he followed Dan and Kevin into the stadium.
The stadium's seats were rapidly filling with green-clad fans. Security guards and uniformed staff were posted around the inner court and on each of the stairwells that cut up through the stands. The first row started a few feet off the floor, and a railing kept any excitable fans from interfering with the teams. Railing couldn't keep the noise out, but Neil let the jeers and shouts roll right over him.
Neil didn't see the Vixens, the Foxes' all-girls cheerleading squad, or their mascot Rocky Foxy. Belmonte's Terrapin mascot was already hard at it, though. He skipped up and down the inner court to rile fans up. The oversized mask he wore kept him from seeing the Foxes' arrival, but students pointed fingers and yelled warnings to him. He charged their direction as best he could in such a lumpy costume. He stopped a safe distance back from their benches to make a couple crude thrusts at them. Nicky was happy to return it until Wymack swatted him upside his head. The mascot ran off to triumphant cheers from students.
Andrew and Nicky had brought the stick rack with them at the rear of the line. Dan grabbed one end of it and pulled it between two of the away benches. She crouched to lock the wheels, then stood and snapped the tops open in rapid succession. Kevin was at her side before she was done. He pulled one of his racquets free, fingered the strings like they might have come loose on the drive, and went over to the court walls. He didn't spare the crowd a single look; all he cared about was right in front of him.
Neil took his racquet and went to stand at Kevin's side. The Terrapins were already settled on home benches on the far side of the court. They were smaller than Breckenridge's team, but still easily twice the Foxes' size. Neil twisted his fingers so tight around his racquet he heard it creak.
"Any advice?" Neil asked.
He didn't think he'd get an answer, but Kevin glanced over at him. "You're in for all of first half, so you have to pace yourself. I don't want you to score in the first twenty minutes unless the goal's right there in front of you. Pass, don't shoot. Keep the ball moving. When Dan comes on for me, go as hard as you can until the break.
"You'll have halftime and the first twenty minutes of second half to rest. Get your wind back, get back on the court, and give me everything you have. If I think you're holding back just because you're tired I will throw you off the court myself. I want you dead on your feet when the final buzzer sounds."
"Okay," Neil said. He knew it was a touchy subject, but he couldn't help asking, "Do you think Andrew's going to take his medicine for second half?"
"No," Kevin said sourly. "He pushed the last dose up thirty minutes. He thinks he's going to ride it all the way to the end."
Neil looked over his shoulder for Andrew. Last week Dan said Andrew timed his missed dose for a half-hour before serve. His energy started fading during warm-ups and he started the slow slide down right around when he hit the court. The slump lasted maybe an hour and fifteen minutes tops before he started getting sick. A game had two forty-five minute halves and a fifteen-minute break. Penalties and serves added a couple minutes to the clock. It didn't matter that Andrew had pushed the missed dose to the actual first serve; the game was too long for him to hold out. Andrew had to know that, but he didn't look at all concerned. He was still riding his medicine's high and talking animatedly with Renee off to one side.
"Bring it in, Foxes," Wymack called.
Orange moved in his peripheral vision as Neil turned toward Wymack. Neil looked over as the Vixens and Rocky filed into the stadium. The cheerleaders' bench was only twenty feet down from the last of the Foxes' three benches, but Neil couldn't hear their chatter over the rest of the noise. A couple students shouted lewd remarks and gave wolf whistles. The girls completely ignored it in favor of checking each other's skirts and hair. Because they were moving around so much, it was easy for Neil to see the one girl who was holding still. She turned her pompom over and over in her hands as she stared at the Foxes.
"Hi Katelyn!" Nicky yelled with an enthusiastic wave. Aaron elbowed him for that, but Katelyn smiled brightly and waved back. Nicky gave Neil a wolfish grin as Neil stopped beside him. "Katelyn is Aaron's girlfriend."
"She is not," Aaron said. "Knock it off."
"She would be if you'd just ask her out," Matt said. "What's the hold up?"
"Oh." Andrew slapped his fist into his palm as if the answer had just occurred to him. He flashed Matt a wicked grin but answered in German. "Maybe he's afraid she'll die on him like the last woman he really loved."
Aaron shot him a vicious look. "Fuck you."
"Christ, Andrew," Nicky complained.
"I'm going to guess that was completely inappropriate," Matt said, looking between the cousins. "Do I want to know?"
"Do you think we want to tell you?" Andrew asked in English.
"Stow that," Wymack said. "Last I checked this was a team meeting, not a gossip circle. We're on the court for warm-ups in ten. Dan's going to start you off with some laps. If any of you so much as look at the Terrapins on your way past their benches I'll let you walk home from here. Good? Then get going."