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)
"People don't really wear these, do they?" Neil asked after pawing past a cereal box and a giant sponge. Nicky sent him a curious look, so Neil pulled the next one off the rack. It was a milk carton with a cutout for the wearer's face and a bold "Have you seen me?" printed beneath it.
"Oh, that's perfect, Neil," Andrew said. Neil sent him a dirty look. Andrew laughed and held up a mottled costume. "Nicky! Look! A cow. I think you should be this."
"Cow tits," Nicky said, pointing at the rubber udder in disgust. "At least let me be a bull, as in hung like a. Or Matt. Same difference, right? Dan is so lucky."
"I'm going to pretend I don't know you," Aaron said.
"What else is new?" Nicky asked breezily.
"Just hurry up and find something. I don't want to spend all day shopping."
"You have somewhere to be?"
"I've got a paper due Monday."
"Do it tomorrow," Nicky said. "Saturdays are supposed to be lazy."
"That attitude is why your grades are so terrible," Aaron said.
Nicky muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back to the costumes. Kevin pulled something long and dark off the rack closest to him and went up front to look at decorations. Andrew watched to make sure he didn't go far and then went back to his search.
Neil's phone hummed in his pocket, and Neil pulled it out to find a message from Dan: "where u guys at". Neil tapped out the name of the store, and Dan responded almost immediately: "important txt when otw back".
Neil closed his phone but was slow to put it away. Wondering about Dan made him think about last night's game. Neil had an idea, but he could already guess how the others would take it. His chances of winning this argument were slim to none, but Neil had to try. He tucked his phone back in his pocket and looked up. Andrew was pulling costumes off their hangers and dropping them on the floor.
"We should invite the others to come with us," Neil said.
Nicky turned to stare at Neil. "What?"
"No," Aaron said. "We don't go out with them."
"We need them," Neil said, keeping his eyes on Andrew. Andrew hadn't slowed but Neil knew he was listening. "Talent alone won't get us to semifinals. If that was enough, you'd have made it last year. You have to stop breaking this team in half."
"Don't have to anything," Andrew said.
"I'm not asking you to be their friend," Neil said. "I'm asking you to give an inch."
"Give them an inch and they'll take a mile," Aaron said.
"You really think they're strong enough to take a mile from Andrew? You think he'd let them?" Neil shook his head when Aaron started to argue again. "Kevin told Riko we'd see them again at semifinals. I'd like us to get our act together before that rematch, wouldn't you? We can't do that until we respect and understand each other. We might as well start now, with this."
"I doubt they'd agree even if we invited them," Nicky said. "We kind of burned that bridge last year."
"You mean Matt," Neil said, looking between the three. Nicky's gaze shied away, so Neil looked at Andrew again. "Abby mentioned it my first night here. She didn't want you doing to me what you did to him. When Coach was yelling at you afterward, you said it was different. So what happened with Matt?"
"Ask him," Andrew said.
"I'm asking you."
"I'd rather hear how he tells it," Andrew said. He slung a striped inmate's outfit over one shoulder and detoured past Neil on his way to the front of the store. When Neil started to argue, Andrew hooked a finger under his chin and forced his mouth closed again with an easy jerk of his hand. "Ask him, and then tell the busybodies to come along if they dare."
Nicky's jaw dropped. "Wait, are you serious?"
Andrew's smile was wide and pitying. He continued like he hadn't heard Nicky. "It won't make a difference in the long run, but find that one out for yourself."
Nicky and Aaron exchanged a baffled look as Andrew left. Nicky tilted his head in silent question, as if making sure he hadn't imagined that. Aaron only shook his head. Nicky rubbed the back of his neck, looked after Andrew one more time, and went back to his search. Neil didn't know what to make of Andrew's easy agreement either, but he wasn't going to question it.
The others found their costumes long before Neil chose anything for himself. It didn't take Nicky long to realize Neil was stalling. He batted Neil's hands away from the rack with a heavy sigh.
"Never mind. I'll find something for you."
"I'll dress up as a college student," Neil said.
"No," Nicky said, and pushed a couple hangers around. "You're going to be a zombie cowboy."
"You're making that up."
"Shhhh." Nicky pulled a costume off the rack and draped it over one arm. "You are absolutely impossible to put up with sometimes. I might ban you from shopping with us ever again."
"I tried banning myself last time," Neil said. "It obviously didn't work."
He tried to take his costume back at the register, but Nicky kicked him in the shin and tossed it on the conveyer belt with everyone else's. Aaron tossed a couple vials of face paint and fake blood on top. Nicky split the bags between himself and Aaron on their way out to the car. When Neil was sure they were heading back to campus he texted Dan a ten-minute warning.
Finding a parking spot at Fox Tower on a Saturday afternoon was tricky. They ended up in street parking a short walk away. They took the stairs up to the third floor and Nicky snagged Neil when Neil continued past the cousins' room.
"Where are you going? You've got to try this on."
"I'm checking in with Dan," Neil said. "She messaged earlier to say something was up."
"Did she use punctuation?" Nicky asked.
"I'm convinced she never does."
"She does when she's angry," Nicky said. "Thinks it gives her words more emphasis or something. Did she?" He waited while Neil checked his phone, then tugged Neil's shirt again when Neil shook his head. "Good, then it can wait. Come on. This will only take a couple minutes."