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)
"No, I cut it too close too often last fall." To Allison, Neil said, "Thank you. I wouldn't have even thought of trying this. It seems like a useful trick."
"It is. I learned it to keep the paparazzi off my back when I first started playing. I haven't needed it since then, but I never forget a good fashion tip." Allison lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Take it for a test run and get your textbooks. Now, preferably. Dan is waiting to commandeer your room."
"It's not his room I'm interested in," Dan said.
Neil set the mirror to one side and got off the couch. "Leaving."
"Oh, and Neil?" Dan said when Neil made it to the door. Neil let his hand go slack on the doorknob and looked back at her. "If you want to talk about any of it, or anything, or," she gestured vaguely at the side of her head, maybe meaning Neil's abrupt change in looks, "you know we're here for you, right? Whatever you need."
"I know," Neil said. "Maybe later. Text me when it's safe to come back?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
Neil shook his head and left. He pulled the door closed behind him and lingered in the hallway. He was tired and sore and not at all looking forward to his week off the court, but for a moment none of that mattered.
"We're okay," he said to the empty hall. "We're going to be okay."
The Foxes would be okay, at least, and that was more than enough.
CHAPTER THREE
Neil expected to feel jilted for being banned from the gym Thursday morning, but Wymack gave him one of UT's more interesting matches to watch. Wymack watched a different game in his office, and the two of them convened afterward to discuss players' styles. The girls picked him up from the stadium since Allison needed to work on his face again. It was faster this time now that Allison remembered what she was doing and had the colors figured out.
Classes were a blur; Neil spent more time worrying that people could see through Allison's makeup than he did actually paying attention to his teachers. It was a relief when his second class let out at one forty-five and Neil could escape back to Fox Tower. Matt was missing when Neil stepped into the suite. A glance at the class schedule tacked to the front of their fridge said he wouldn't be back until it was almost time to go.
Neil unloaded his backpack onto his desk. The bottom shelf of his desk still held last semester's math and Spanish books. He pried his math notes off the shelf, wiped dust off the binder, and sat down to review. Most of it was only dimly familiar, but the further he flipped the more it started coming back. Neil had a sinking feeling he knew how he was going to spend his weekend.
At a quarter to three Neil met up with Andrew's lot for a ride to the stadium. The Foxes usually traveled to practices in two groups. Today they took three cars, since they'd be going back and forth to Reddin Hall throughout afternoon practice. Andrew and Kevin had the first slots with Betsy Dobson and would head straight there, so Aaron and Nicky piled into the bed of Matt's truck with Renee. Neil didn't think he could climb that high without pulling something, but he didn't have to worry. Allison stuffed him into her pink convertible as soon as he was within grabbing distance.
Neil braced himself for questions, but Allison didn't speak to him the entire ride. Neil thanked her as he got out, got a bemused look in response, and waited on the curb for the others to arrive.
Afternoon practice was as awful as he'd expected it would be. He took the disc Wymack offered him but stood lost in the hallway while his teammates changed out. He watched them head into the stadium for warm-ups and had to fight not to follow. Sitting down on the couch took every ounce of self-control he had, and he hoped the game would distract him. It worked only until the Foxes came back into the locker room to strap on their gear. Neil lost track of what was going on on-screen and stared through the wall instead.
"Focus," Wymack said somewhere behind him.
"I am," Neil lied.
"They just scored an impossible goal and you didn't even twitch," Wymack said.
Neil glanced back at the TV and saw the score had gone up. The crowd was going insane in the background. "I should be on the court."
"You will be," Wymack said. "Next week, when you're more healed. It won't kill you to sit out a couple days. It might kill you if you pull something and injure yourself beyond repair. I will definitely kill you if you eliminate us just because you're impatient. Look at it like this if you have to: your teammates are playing catch-up right now. You got two weeks of practice in over the holidays while they were goofing off and stuffing their faces. You're ahead of the curve."
"Kevin practiced," Neil said. "Matt said he was at the neighborhood court every day."
"That's one out of eight."
"They can afford to take time off. They're all better than I am, and they have subs."
"They're more experienced and they have different strengths than you do," Wymack said. "But you're a hundred times better now than you were in May. Don't sell yourself short. Now focus. I'm going to need some good notes when you leave today."
Neil picked up his pencil again in silent acquiescence and Wymack left.
He was halfway through the second game before it was time to head to Reddin. This time he was going third and was paired off with Aaron. Neil drove, and somehow he resisted asking how long it'd been since anyone let Aaron ride passenger. There was nothing yet to gain from antagonizing Aaron.
It was too early for most of the student body to starting taking up space at the medical center, so Neil found a parking spot close to the door. They bypassed the general check-in and went down the hall to the counselors' quarters. Before Neil could ask which one of them was up first, Aaron continued to Betsy's office just out of sight. Neil sank onto one of the thick chairs to wait.