The Foxhole Court

Chapter 6

Neil left reality behind when he stepped into Dan's room. Spending a month with Andrew's cracked lot and a volatile Wymack had almost irreparably damaged his image of the Foxes.

Now he was sipping on a glass of sweet iced tea and eating cookies Renee had brought with her from home. They asked him about the fight only once more, and when Neil brushed it aside, didn't press him. Now the girls were going over charity projects they wanted to involve the Foxes in this fall.

Dan sat propped against Matt's shoulder, fingers twined with his, and nodded as Renee ticked ideas off on her fingers. She seemed friendly enough now that Andrew was out of sight, but Neil had already noted her spine. She was made of sterner stuff, his mother might have said. Neil guessed she had to be to captain a ragtag team like this.

Her roommate Renee was a mystery. The Foxes' senior goalkeeper had bright white hair cut to her chin. The bottom two inches of her hair were dyed in alternating pastel colors.

It was interesting enough to warrant a second look, but downright odd when paired with her scant make-up, conservative clothes, and delicate silver cross necklace. Nicky had called her the sweetheart of the team. Neil understood why as he listened to her talk. He had no idea how she qualified for the Foxes' halfway-house team.

At five Wymack called to let them know Seth and Allison were on their way to campus from the airport. They were clearing away their glasses when Nicky showed up for Neil.

"I'm timing you," Dan said, showing Nicky her watch. "I know how long it takes to get to the court from here, especially with the way you drive. You take him straight there, you get me?"

Nicky waved her off. "Have a little faith in a guy, Dan."

"That's Renee's job, not mine. Mine is to make sure we start the year with ten working bodies."

"It's not like we're going to kill him."

"Kevin already tried," Matt pointed out.

"Nah, that was just a love tap." Nicky beckoned to Neil. "Can we go? These people are making me feel extremely unwelcome."

He didn't wait for Neil but vanished into the hallway. When Neil stepped out of the girls' room, Nicky was jogging to the stairwell. Neil had to hurry after him. Nicky waited until they were in the stairwell to slow. He arched his eyebrows at Neil in exaggerated surprise. "So you speak French."

"Yes," Neil said.

Nicky waited a beat to see if he'd elaborate on his own. "Why French?"

"My mother's family is French." It was a lie that probably had his British mother rolling over in her sandy grave. "She didn't really give me a choice on which language to study at school. How did Kevin learn?"

"You don't know?" Nicky asked. "You knew he'd understand you."

"I heard him use it once," Neil said.

"Jean taught him," Nicky said. "Jean Moreau? He's a backliner the Ravens imported from Marseille. He and Kevin were tight, and he taught Kevin French on the sly. Hey, maybe you can teach me a couple good pickup lines. Kevin refuses to help."

"I'm pretty sure I never learned the things you want to say."

"What a waste," Nicky complained.

Andrew was leaning against the car waiting for them. Kevin was already in the passenger seat, and Aaron was in the backseat alone. Andrew was between Neil and the door, so Neil had to stop in front of him. Nicky kept going around the car to the driver's seat, leaving Neil to Andrew's nonexistent mercy.