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)
"Stop acting like a child," Kevin said.
"I shouldn't be doing this."
"Yes, you should, and you are going to make a good impression somehow." Kevin checked his reflection and tugged gently on his shirt sleeves. After a moment's consideration he undid his braces and set them aside. "Follow Kathy's leads, but don't let her dominate. This show is about us, not her. She is the enabler, not the star."
"Smile and lie," Neil said to his reflection.
"There is no reason to lie," Kevin said. "She's only going to talk about Exy."
"No reason to lie," Neil echoed. "Says you, who just lied to her face about how much the Foxes are worth, who told the ERC—" Neil faltered, unable to say the words. He tipped his head forward and pressed his forehead to the mirror. He counted his breaths to keep from panicking, but his gut was trembling so hard it ached. He clenched his hands around the corner of the counter and willed himself to stillness.
"Who told the ERC what?" Kevin asked.
Neil closed his eyes. "Why did you tell the ERC I would make Court?"
"Because when you stop being impossible and do what I tell you to, you will."
Andrew hadn't lied. The articles hadn't lied. Despite Kevin's angry words and rude impatience, Kevin believed in Neil's potential. Kevin wanted to train Neil. He wanted to play with Neil, and he wanted to shape Neil into the star he'd once been. Kevin would never forgive Neil for vanishing on him without warning this fall, and Neil hated that. As complicated as Neil's obsession with Kevin was, one truth was undeniable: he didn't want Kevin to hate him.
"So what are you going to tell Kathy?" Kevin asked.
"That I hate you," Neil muttered.
"You don't."
"How would you know?"
"Because if you did, Andrew would not let you anywhere near me," Kevin said.
Neil opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Kevin. "Right. I almost forgot about your guard dog. How did you win him over, anyway?"
"When you know what someone wants, it's easy to manipulate them. Case in point," Kevin said, gesturing from Neil to the room they were standing in.
"I was under the impression Andrew wants nothing."
Kevin didn't bother to explain. They waited in silence until the makeup artists arrived. Kevin let them in when they knocked. He was all smiles and polite charm as the artists set to work. When the two were ready, they were escorted to a lounge to wait. A widescreen TV showed the stage, which was currently empty. Neil checked the clock on the wall and saw they were ten minutes out. He passed time looking at the questions laid out for him. Most of them were basic, the same sorts of questions his teammates had asked him at the beginning of summer.
An aide came to collect Kevin when it was almost time for the show to start. Neil watched him leave, then looked back at the TV. At seven on the dot the show's opening music started and Kathy waltzed onto the stage to applause. She stopped in the center to bow and wave at her morning crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning! I know it's a little early for most of us to be awake on a Saturday morning, but we've got a fantastic show in store for you today. Our musical guests are the four extremely talented men from the up-and-coming Hobgoblin's Thunder." She paused for the resulting cheers. "But let's start the morning with last night and the start of the NCAA Exy season!"
This drew even louder cheers. Kathy beamed as she slowly paced the front of her stage. "How many of you had a chance to go to a game last night? Oh, wow! How many, like me, watched the game from the comfort of your own home?" She raised her hand and laughed at whatever response she got from the crowd. "Some of you are probably already taking bets on the season's rankings and spring contenders. Right? This year has potential to be the greatest college season we've seen yet. Think of all the changes, all the amazing possibilities. We're going to talk a little about that today, but to do that, I'm going to need a couple special guests.
"It's been a year since you saw him here last and nearly nine months since his last public appearance. I present to you our first guest of the day: former starting striker for the US Court, the Baltimore Wildcats, and the Edgar Allen Ravens, current starting striker for the Palmetto State University Foxes, Kevin Day!"
She almost didn't make it through her introduction. At "nine months" the bigger Exy fans in the crowd caught on, and halfway through his titles the entire audience was cheering. The camera followed Kevin as he stepped out of the wings onto the stage. With the studio's expensive clothes on and his smile in place, Kevin looked every inch the adored idol Kathy was selling him as. He took her hand as he reached half-stage, leaned in to kiss her cheek, and turned with her to face the crowd. Kathy threw her hands up, a million-watt smile on her face, and Kevin waved hello to the audience.
It was an endless minute before the crowd calmed down, and by then Kathy had retreated behind her desk. There were two couches on stage with her, one to either side of her desk. Kevin sat on the one to her right, half-turned so he could see both Kathy and the audience. Kathy leaned over her desk to smile at Kevin, looking impossibly pleased with herself. Neil guessed she was already imagining her ratings.
"Kevin, Kevin, Kevin," Kathy said, shaking her head in time to his name. "I still can't believe I talked you into this. I hope you'll forgive me when I say it's surreal to see you back here alone! I still think of you as one half of a whole."
"At least I have room to stretch out now," Kevin said, neatly avoiding a real answer. "I might have to do so in a minute. I can't believe you expect us to be awake and presentable after last night's games."