Aftg react

Book3 Part48

Foxes react: chapter 1

|
...
|
"Duck your head," Kevin echoed. He gestured incredulously at his own face. "Riko called me on Christmas to say he inked you. How long do you think he'll let you hide before he forces you to show it off? The press will be all over this, and they won't stop their questions at your tattoo. He's trying to get you found."

Hearing that made some of them to get worried, they knew what it meant and they knew what would happen if it actually happens, the fear that hit them was of the same that Neil was feeling.
|
...
|
Fear was ice in Neil's stomach, eating its way up his throat.
Keeping it from bleeding into his voice took everything Neil had. "I'll take it as a compliment. He's trying to take me out of the game before semifinals. He wouldn't waste his time unless he thinks we really are going to be a problem for his team. That means something, doesn't it?"
"Neil."
"I'll worry about this, Kevin. I'll worry about me. You do what you do best and focus on Exy. Take us where he doesn't want us to go."
Kevin's mouth thinned to a hard line, but he didn't argue. Maybe he knew it was pointless; maybe he knew it was too late.

"I swear I can't hear the words 'it was too late' anymore" said Nicky he looked sick and he was not the only one it made everyone sick to know that he was convinced that he was dying and that there was nothing else they could do about it.
|
...
|
Neil unzipped it and started to shrug into it. He only got one arm through before his entire chest and side lanced white-hot with pain. He froze and blinked away the fuzz eating through his vision. "I'm sorry," he said, and regretted it immediately. He could hear pain in his voice, thick enough to slur his words. Nicky looked stricken with guilt. "I can't yet."
"I'm sorry," Nicky said. "I didn't—I wasn't thinking. Here, here. Let me. I've got it." Nicky eased the coat off Neil's arm and folded it. "I'll hold onto it until you're better, okay?"
"Okay."

A similar grimace and anger took over the room and Nicky like in the screen looked as guilty, Andrew who seemed like the calmest and unbothered inside anger burned like a wild fire mean while Renee kept an eye on him since she knew the most out of everyone else.
|
...
|
He didn't realize how close he was to drifting off until Kevin's subdued French startled him awake.
"I know what he's like," Kevin said. Neil looked at him, but Kevin was studying his hands. "Riko. If you want to talk."
It was the most awkward and uncomfortable thing Kevin had ever said to him. Kevin was known for his talent, not his sensitivity. Consideration and tact were as foreign to him as the German the cousins spoke.

"Yea he is right I can't get used to that and after a while it actually becomes scary" said Alison with a sour expression making the others laugh and making Kevin give a glare at everyone on what seemed to be the hundredth time.
|
...
|
Nicky caught Neil's wrist as he lowered his hand and gave a short, fierce squeeze. Nicky likely meant it as an apology for his cousin's cold shoulder, but fire sizzled up Neil's forearm and down to his fingertips. He'd rubbed his wrists raw fighting Riko's handcuffs, and his bandages weren't thick enough to protect him from Nicky's tight grip. Neil flinched before he could stop himself.
Nicky let go like he'd been burned.

The moment effected everyone anger hot and them not being able to do anything about right now made it 10 times worse.
|
...
|
When the flashing logo finally gave way to his home screen, he dialed Wymack.
"I was starting to think he'd killed you and left you to rot on the side of the road," Wymack said in lieu of hello.
"Not yet," Neil said. "We're back now."
"If anyone needs anything, I have my phone on me. Attempt to keep yours on."
"Yes, Coach," Neil said, and turned his phone off again as soon as he'd hung up.

"Oh wow how nice" said Wymack his sarcasm loud enough for the others to be able to see the annoyance behind it as they laughed quietly.
|
...
|
Andrew turned to face him. "I'll take an explanation now."
"You couldn't ask for answers inside where it's warm?" Neil asked. "If you are worried about dying of exposure you're a little late."
Andrew raised a hand to Neil's face but stopped with his fingers just a breath from Neil's skin. Andrew wasn't looking at his injuries; he was staring at Neil's unguarded eyes. "Did I break my promise or were you keeping yours?"
"Neither," Neil said.
"I know you have had ample time in my absence to come up with your precious lies, but remember I gave you a truth on credit in November. It is your turn in our game and you will not lie to me." "Neither," Neil said again. "I spent Christmas in Evermore."
He shouldn't have been surprised that the first thing Andrew went
for was the bandage on his cheek. Aaron and Nicky had looked past it, not even noticing it amongst the rest of the gauze and tape. Andrew had spent too much time watching Kevin's back to not put the pieces together. He scratched up a corner of the tape and ripped the bandage off like he wanted to take Neil's face with it. Neil braced himself for violence, but Andrew's blank expression didn't change at the sight of Neil's new tattoo.
"This is a new low for even you," Andrew said. "I'm not wearing it by choice."
"You chose to go to Evermore."
"I came back."
"Riko let you go," Andrew corrected him. "We are doing too well this year and your feud is too public. No one would have believed you willingly transferred to Edgar Allan mid-season." Andrew smashed the bandage against Neil's face again and pressed the tape flat with hard fingers. "You weren't supposed to leave Kevin's side. Did you forget?"
"I promised to keep him safe," Neil said. "I didn't say I'd hound him every step of the way like you do. I kept my end of the deal."
"But not like this," Andrew said. "You already said this had nothing to do with Kevin. Why did you go?"
Neil didn't know if he could say it. Thinking about it was almost too much. Andrew was waiting, though, so Neil choked back his nausea.

For most it was weird to see the exchange between the two but it was all ignored and pushed back since they wanted to know what came next.
|
...
|
"Riko said if I didn't, Dr. Proust would—"
Andrew clapped a hand over his mouth, smothering the rest of his words, and Neil knew he'd failed.
Riko said Easthaven's Dr. Proust used "therapeutic reenactments" to help his patients. It was a thin line between psychological cruelty and real physical abuse, and Riko made it clear Proust was willing to cross that line if Neil disobeyed. He should have known better than to trust Riko's word. Hatred thawed a little of the new ice in his veins, but the bored look on Andrew's face was hard to stomach.

It was quiet for a long time from the shock, disbelief, horror and anger they were speechless and what broke the silence was a sniff that came from Nicky who had tears ready to fall and nit long after fell "I am going to kill him" said Aaron his eyes were hard with hatred exact opposite from his brother who looked as bored as he was in the screen but deep done everyone was sure that he hated the fact that something like was in the open know by everyone.
|
...
|
Andrew lowered his hand when Neil went quiet. "Do not make the mistake of thinking I need your protection."
"I had to try. If I had the chance to stop it but did nothing, how could I face you again? How could I live with myself?"
"Your crumbling psyche is your problem, not mine," Andrew said. "I said I would keep you alive this year. You make it infinitely more difficult for me when you actively try to get yourself killed."
"You spend all this time watching our backs," Neil said. "Who's watching yours? Don't say you are, because you and I both know you take shit care of yourself."
"You have a hearing problem," Andrew deduced. "Too many balls to the helmet, perhaps. Can you read lips?" Andrew pointed at his mouth as he spoke. "The next time someone comes for you, stand down and let me deal with it. Do you understand?"
"If it means losing you, then no," Neil said.
"I hate you," Andrew said casually. He took a last long drag from his cigarette and flicked it off the roof. "You were supposed to be a side effect of the drugs."
"I'm not a hallucination," Neil said, nonplussed.
"You are a pipe dream," Andrew said. "Go inside and leave me alone."
"You still have my keys," Neil reminded him.
Andrew dug Neil's keys out of his pocket and pried his car key off it. Instead of handing the rest back, he tossed them after his cigarette. Neil leaned out to see if they'd land on anyone, but the sidewalk below was empty. His keys clattered harmlessly against the ground. Neil straightened and looked at Andrew.
Andrew didn't return his stare but said, "Not anymore."

If the new information from before was not this fresh they would have laughed at how childish this was but after learning some thing like that it was weird to laugh right now.