From here on out the timeline gets a bit shaky.. I'm trying my hardest to line the rewrite up with the newest draft, but there are likely going to still be inconsistencies (and typos). Also, since I have no experience with what happens in this part, there is a good chance I've botched it and a better chance it's offensive in its inaccuracy? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Timeline: One year before the events of The Foxhole Court. Part one was here.
That weekend Nicky
showed up at the girls' room and invited Dan out for dinner. It was a
completely unexpected gesture, but Dan knew better than to turn down
a chance to get to know her newest teammates. She accepted her
roommates' offer of luck and disappeared after Nicky down the hall.
Allison wanted to wait up for her, not trusting the cousins with her
friend, but Renee believed Dan could handle herself. They compromised
and stayed up until midnight, spending part of the time on a movie
and the other half comparing their fall schedules. They were asleep
before Dan came home but found her fast asleep on the couch when they
woke up.
Dan slept until
late afternoon and woke with what she complained was the worst
hangover of her entire life. Allison ignored her misery in favor of
quizzing her, but Dan could barely remember the previous night. She
begged off her roommate's curiosity, more interested in the medicine
and water Renee offered her, and Allison eventually had to give up.
It wasn't until a few days later that Dan admitted her memory was
still in pieces. She didn't know what she was missing, or how or why,
but since nothing seemed to have changed between her and the cousins
she told Renee she wouldn't worry about it.
Matt moved into
the girls' room the following Friday. Allison went up one side of him
and down the other, completely unimpressed by his so-called weak
will. Matt listened to her lecture in silence, refusing to defend
himself, and kept his stare on the carpet at Allison's feet. Dan
looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.
Renee went to dig spare pillows and blankets out of their closet, and
the three watched as Matt made a nest on their couch. After he'd
gotten comfortable, the girls locked themselves in the bedroom to
argue in whispered voices. Dan wanted to get Abby involved, whereas
Allison thought that would be unfair.
"Unfair,"
Dan echoed incredulously. "Unfair? How is that," she
jabbed a finger at the wall separating them from the living room, "at
all fair?"
"Come off it,
Dan," Allison said, propping her fists on her hips defiantly.
"It's not like you mind having him over all the time."
"It's not
about where he stays. It's what they're doing to him."
"They're not
chasing him down with needles and bongs," Allison said.
"They know
better than to do those things around him! It's his room too!"
"So, what,
they should stop because it hurts his feelings?" Allison arched
an eyebrow at Dan, looking almost pitying. "Let 'em do what they
like. It's not going to hurt anyone."
Dan's expression
darkened. "Like it didn't hurt Ian or Kirk?"
Allison's mouth
thinned to a hard line. "That was different."
Ian and Kirk
started with the girls, but they died in a car accident at the end of
their first year. The school lost seven athletes in one go, a
consequence of them drunk driving and carpooling from after-party to
after-party. Wymack hadn't reacted well to the loss, and he'd sat his
team down for a long talk the day after the boys' funerals. They
talked about responsibility, partly, but mostly how they could meet
each other halfway to keep the Foxes safe. Both he and Abby were
willing to let the team crash at their homes for celebrations, and
they were happy to play designated drivers no matter what time of
night it was.
Drugs, however,
remained a gray area. Officially, Wymack didn't want any of his
players doing drugs, and Abby would likely tear their ears off should
she ever catch them at it. Off the record, though, Wymack only said,
"I don't approve of drugs, since I've seen them tear a whole lot
of good families apart. However, you could say the same for alcohol,
and no one in the world's gonna get me sober. To each his own and
agree to disagree. Just be safe, don't hurt anyone, and don't you
dare get caught. The second you break one of these three rules is the
second I stop conveniently looking the other way."
It was permission
to do what they liked, so the Foxes did. Most of the boys stuck to
pot and painkillers, but Reggie and Damien dabbled in coke every
chance they could get. It didn't mean much for the girls, since
Allison didn't mind the smell of weed and neither Dan nor Renee had
much reason to see the boys outside of practice. Matt was a different
story entirely. He'd suffered an out-of-control addiction for years,
courtesy of his wealthy, drug-abusing father, and he hadn't been out
of rehab long enough to face his roommates' addictions.
"They're
asking for trouble," Dan said at last.
"At least
they're here where we can keep an eye on them."
"And where
they're hurting Matt."
Allison drummed
her fingernails against her forehead and exhaled slowly through
clenched teeth. "Again," she said. "It's one against
the majority. You can't ask them to stop just because it's bruising
your little rehab project out there every time he sees them light up.
Tell him to grow a pair—you don't see Renee crawling inside herself
every time she sees Matt's track marks, do you?"
Dan shot Renee a
quick look to see how Renee reacted to such a backhanded accusation.
"Do you even look at lines before you cross them, or do you just
crush them underfoot?"
"Everyone
reacts to addiction differently, Allison," Renee said. "Faith
pulled me through, and it holds me together whenever I think I might
be too weak. Matt hasn't found an anchor yet, so it's difficult for
him to keep a center when they're playing devil's advocate. I'm not,"
she said, holding up her hand when Allison looked about to argue,
"asking them to stop. We've all lived through terrible things
and have had to find our cures where we can. I won't take theirs from
them. I sympathize with Matt for his unhappy position, is all."
A knock at their
suite door cut their argument short. They heard the couch creak
through the wall as Matt got up to answer. Dan stalked out to meet
her guests, raring for a fight, and Renee and Allison followed after.
They expected to see Reggie or Damien here to taunt Matt about his
retreat. The two were hell on Matt's sobriety, finding Matt an easy
target upon which to vent their frustrations and inner demons.
When Matt opened
the door, however, Nicky was standing on the other side. Nicky looked
a bit thrown to see Matt there, but it only took him a second to
recover. His pleased smile said he didn't mind the surprise.
"Evening,"
he said cheerfully. "Am I interrupting?"
"Not really,"
Matt said.
"No? Well,
that's boring," Nicky said. "It's Friday night, you know?"
Nicky looked to the girls, then past Matt at the couch. He clucked
his tongue against his teeth as he studied the makeshift bed, then
shook his head and turned on Matt again. "This looks like a fate
worse than death. How about a knight to save you?"
"Do I really
look like I need saving?" Matt asked with a gesture at his
all-female company.
"You want my
honest answer or my polite one?" Nicky turned in the doorway and
motioned for Matt to follow. "Come on. We're heading out of town
to get a couple drinks. You should come with."
"We?"
Matt asked.
Aaron and Andrew
stepped up behind Nicky, dressed head-to-toe in black for their night
on the town. Andrew ignored Matt entirely in favor of surveying the
room. His smile was all teeth and he rapped the back of his hand
against Nicky's shoulder. "Oh, Nicky, Nicky," he said.
"That didn't take long at all, did it? Guess he forgot to pack
his brakes—could've used them on that fall!"
Matt bristled at
Andrew's mocking tone. "What didn't take long?"
"You hiding
out in here," Aaron said. "We thought you'd last two weeks
at least. Guess not."
"I'm not—"
Matt started.
Andrew didn't let
him finish. "We're leaving now!"
He wheeled out of
the doorway, but Nicky and Aaron didn't follow. Aaron propped his
shoulder against the doorframe and turned an expectant look on Matt.
Matt turned away, still looking a little offended by how easily
they'd seen through him, and started back toward the couch. Nicky
snagged his elbow to drag him to a stop. He was still smiling like
there was nothing rude about what his cousins had said.
"You are
coming, aren't you?" Nicky said.
"Now, Matt,"
Aaron said.
It was the first
time Aaron had bothered to call any of them by their names that week.
Maybe that was what sealed the deal, because Matt glanced back at
Aaron. After a moment he pat his pockets in search of his wallet.
"Don't
bother," Nicky said, correctly interpreting the gesture. "It's
on us, and no one's gonna ID you where we're going. Okay? Out you
go." He let go of Matt as Aaron turned away and left. Matt
glanced at Dan one last time before following. Nicky started to
follow, but Dan crossed the room in a second and caught his shoulder
in an iron grip.
"You be
careful with him," she said, low but so fierce her voice
carried.
Nicky's smile
wasn't kind, but it was at least sympathetic. "Easy, sister. We
know, okay? Aaron's got an eye for people like Matt. Trust us."
"Who would?"
Allison asked.
Dan couldn't be so
indiscreet. "Don't give me a reason not to."
"Such
devotion!" Nicky tapped Dan's hand until she took the hint and
let go of him. "How long have you two been dating, anyway?"
"Four
months."
"Four, huh?
Then we'll take extra-special care of him just for you."
With that he
wheeled away and set off down the hall. Dan looked a little like she
was regretting this already, but at last she closed the door and
locked it.
..
The next time they
saw Matt, he was a delirious mess on Abby's living room floor. His
arms and face were raked raw in places, self-inflicted wounds in his
panicked withdrawal, and his skin was so pale and slick Abby could
barely keep a good grip on him. Abby's face was bruised in a
half-dozen places from stray elbows and fists, but she grimly held on
as tight as she could. Betsy Dobson, the team's psychiatrist and
Abby's best friend, had hold of Matt on his other side. Her legs were
tangled with his, likely to keep him from kicking either of them.
Renee couldn't understand a word Matt was saying; it was twisted
through with too much hysteria and desperation to be at all
intelligible.
Dan threw herself
at him, crying for some sort of explanation, and practically climbed
into his lap to hold on. The choking guilt in her voice made Renee's
heart hurt. Dan had trusted Nicky with Matt last night, and this was
how the cousins repaid her faith. Rage would come later, Renee knew,
and she knew she needed to be there when Dan broke. For now, Dan
would keep herself together for Matt's sake.
One of the women
had to move to make room for her, so Abby carefully disentangled
herself. Dan fell into her space easily, threading her fingers into
Matt's hair and pulling his face into her shoulder. Matt wrapped an
arm around her so tight Renee heard Dan's back pop all the way across
the room. Matt was still talking, but now Dan's shirt smothered most
of it. His tone still carried, though, and Renee swallowed hard
against the lump in her throat.
Abby and Betsy
exchanged looks, and Abby crossed the room to guide Renee out of it.
They went down the hall to the kitchen. Abby opened a cabinet door
and tried lifting down cups, but her hands were shaking too badly.
One slipped from her grip and bounced off the counter. Renee caught
it as it sailed off the edge and took the other before Abby could
drop it too. Abby slammed the cabinet door shut, then opened it and
slammed it again for good measure. Renee set the cups down and placed
a calming hand on Abby's arm.
"Sit down,"
she said, so Abby went to sit at the table. Renee collected enough
cups for the rest of them and filled all of them with water. Three
she left on the counter for now; the others she brought to the table.
She pressed one into Abby's shaking hands and sipped from the other.
"What happened?"
"Speedballs,"
Abby said hoarsely. "They got him up on crackers and
speedballs."
Renee closed her
eyes to let that sink in. Dread and horror were stones in her chest,
crushing the breath from her lungs. Crackers were a candy drug, a
current craze with clubbers looking for a quick and temporary high.
They were only mildly addictive, but even they would be razors on
Matt's wavering resolve. Speedballs, though? There was no quick fix
after something like that. Renee still remembered how they felt. More
than that, she remembered what it was like coming off of them. Matt
was right back to square one after everything he'd sacrificed to get
this far.
"Please tell
me you can stand in the same room as him," Abby said, and Renee
opened her eyes again. "I don't want to make this hard for you,
but you're the only one who's been there and back again. You're the
only one who can understand what he's going through right now. Dan
can give him everything she's got, but they're going to need your
help. Can you do that?"
"I'll do my
best."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be,"
Renee said.
"I'm sorry,"
Abby said again, because they both knew she was asking a lot. Abby
scrubbed her face and looked away. "How could he be so stupid?
How could they be so cruel?"
Renee couldn't answer her. The
best she could do was reach across the table and take one of Abby's
hands in hers. She gave Abby's hand a hard squeeze and got to her
feet. When Abby looked at her, Renee smiled, willing Abby to believe
her, willing all of them to believe in Matt.
"He's going
to be all right," Renee said. "Matt's strong. He's not
going to let this stop him."
"I wish it
was that simple," Abby said, but her hands were a little
steadier now. Between the two of them they managed to carry all five
cups back to the living room. Dan couldn't take hers, and Matt was
too far gone to notice his drink, but Betsy accepted her glass
gratefully. Then there was nothing they could do but be there for
Matt—if he even knew they were there.
..
Wymack showed up
on Abby's doorstep around dinnertime. It had been a while since he
looked this haggard—not since Ian and Kirk died, Renee thought. She
started a tea kettle in the kitchen, and it wasn't long before Betsy,
Abby, and Wymack joined her there. Abby glanced from Renee to the
door and back again, a silent plea for privacy. Renee left the room
but didn't go far. Matt was asleep for now, but his brain would wake
him up soon enough as he hit the next valley in his withdrawal. Dan
was catching what rest she could, and Renee didn't dare disturb her.
Instead she took up a post a few feet down from the kitchen doorway.
"Where are
they?" Abby asked.
"They're at
the stadium," Wymack said. "They had two choices: sleep
there or get a hotel. I'm not letting them back to Fox Tower anytime
soon, and they sure as hell can't stay here. I do need to borrow your
spare bedroom, though. Randy Boyd called to say she's touched down at
Upstate. I offered to pick her up from the airport, but she wanted to
have a rental car handy."
"You told
her?"
"I didn't
have to," Wymack said. "Apparently Andrew got her number
from Matt's file or something; he called her from the bar to tell her
what he was going to do. She said Andrew acted with her blessing and
doesn't want any of them punished for this."
"You can't be
serious," Abby said flatly.
"She
apologized for any inconvenience it might cost us to have Matt going
through rehab right now," Wymack said, with a noticeable edge in
his voice, "and promised to compensate our team and Betsy for
the hardship. I told her it wasn't necessary and that we neither
wanted nor needed her money, but she said we could write her check
off as a donation."
"Money
doesn't make this okay!" Abby said stridently.
There was a short,
sharp pause. Renee imagined Wymack trying to hush Abby before she
attracted attention from the Foxes.
"Nothing's
going to make this okay," Wymack said at length, "but we've
got to believe she knows what she's doing."
Renee had heard
enough. She went down the hall as quietly as she could and crouched
against the wall near the living room doorway. Matt was groaning in
his sleep now, and the rustle of cloth said it wouldn't be long
before the sound woke Dan up. Renee propped her elbows on her knees,
laced her fingers together, and pressed her forehead to her knuckles.
She focused on every strong memory she had of Matt, from his easy
smile at their first introduction to his aggressive playing style to
the night he'd finally risked asking Dan on a date, and prayed and
prayed and prayed.
The doorbell
interrupted her some indeterminable time later, and Renee stretched
out the kinks on her way to open it. Matt's mother was a sight to
see, a professional boxer who almost matched Matt's generous height.
She was dressed in jeans and a bomber jacket, with a backpack slung
over one shoulder, and she nodded at Renee in recognition.
"Morning,"
she said.
Renee hadn't even
realized the sun was coming up. "Good morning."
Wymack, Abby, and
Betsy had stepped into the hall at the sound of the bell, but they
kept their distance and said nothing in greeting. Wymack gestured to
indicate the living room, and Randy slipped past Renee to
investigate. The doorbell had woken Matt too, it seemed, and even in
his terrible state he recognized his mother. He was begging by the
time Renee stepped into the doorway, heartbroken and desperate and
needy. Randy stretched out on the couch with him, burying him between
her body and the cushions, and held him close. Dan watched from a few
feet away, looking white in the face and exhausted.
Renee went to her
and caught hold of Dan's arm. Dan came to her feet with only a little
resistance, and Renee tucked Dan closed to her side. "Come on,"
she said. "I'm taking you back to the dorm to get some sleep."
Dan dug in her
feet, but not for long, and Renee guided her out of the house without
a look back. A rental car was parked behind Wymack's at the curb;
Dan's car was still in the driveway behind Abby's. Renee got Dan's
keys from her and waited for Dan to get settled in the passenger seat
before starting the engine.
They were halfway
back to the dorm when Dan hit her door. Renee kept her eyes on the
road. Dan groaned something thick and unintelligible in the back of
her throat and lashed out again, beating the inside of her door until
Renee thought she'd break every bone in her hand. She didn't stop
until Renee parked at Fox Tower, and then both girls sat still until
she could breathe without choking.
"I'm going to
kill them," Dan said, voice raw.
"Randy okayed
this," Renee said.
The look Dan shot
her was horrified. "No."
"Coach said
so to Abby and Betsy," Renee said, gazing out the windshield as
she tried to make sense of it. "Andrew told her what he was
going to give Matt, and Randy gave him the green light. She doesn't
want any of us to hold him accountable."
"Fuck her,"
Dan said hotly. "The next time I see him, I'm going to wring his
neck, and you'd better not try to stop me."
Renee looked over
at her, weighing her friend's words and wondering where the line fell
in a situation like this. She thought about forgiveness, about being
the better person, about trusting people's good intentions even when
one couldn't understand. Then she thought about Matt's bloody face
and Dan's heartbroken guilt, and she settled on the religious code
most convenient to the situation.
"Leviticus,"
she said. "An eye for an eye. Maybe you can't exact an even
retribution, but perhaps you can extract some measure of repayment. I
will let you try, Dan."
Dan's expression
tightened with cold resolve. "Good," she said, and she
slammed the car door behind her on her way out.
..
Dan got her chance
two days later when the cousins were the last ones to arrive for
afternoon practice. Wymack had been waiting in the locker room with
the upperclassmen, but someone from facilities arrived and couldn't
wait around for Wymack's convenience. Wymack didn't look happy
leaving his Foxes unattended, but he hurried the other man into the
stadium to show him the trouble spots they'd opened tickets on. He
was gone maybe thirty seconds before the Foxes' freshmen waltzed in.
Dan had been
sitting tense, a coiled spring of rage just waiting for a trigger,
and she moved the second Andrew stepped into her line of sight. The
others all knew what had happened by now, and while they didn't
really care about Matt's situation they were happy for a reason to
fight. Juan came off his chair with a whoop, and the locker room
exploded into chaos.
Renee stayed back
for a minute, content for now to play referee. Her intent gaze
followed Andrew as he moved, cataloguing the way he fought. He had a
nasty, undisciplined style likely learned the hard way. His height
was a serious disadvantage, but he'd tailored his fighting style to
compensate: he put emphasis on being quick and devastating.
He was going to
win this fight, Renee realized with something that was but shouldn't
be impatience. The only reason he hadn't done so already was because
the roiling bodies around them made it hard for him and Dan to stick
with each other. It didn't seem fair that he could do such a thing to
Matt and then best Dan here. Renee forced such thoughts aside as
unhelpful and unbecoming and finally waded into the fray.
Allison was
closest, so Renee hauled her aside with a hand on her elbow. Allison
started to swing, realized who'd grabbed her, and fell out of the way
as fast as she could. Renee caught Seth's fist when it came too close
to her face and gave a warning squeeze. He scowled at her for
stopping him, but Seth would never hit a woman. He wrenched his hand
free and barked a couple angry words at his roommates. None of them
were listening, but Renee didn't have time to wait for them. She went
for every pressure point she could find and forced her teammates to
clear a path. Finally she was where she needed to be, right between
Dan and Andrew.
Andrew went still
immediately, looking bright-eyed and amused by the untimely
interruption. Dan tried to shove Renee aside, but Renee reached
behind herself and caught Dan's wrists. She leaned against Dan, back
to chest, and forced Dan out of Andrew's reach. Dan struggled to get
loose, but Renee would always be too strong for her. Eventually Dan
gave up and gasped ragged curses against Renee's shoulder.
"Enough,"
Renee said, looking around the room at her ruffled teammates. Her
gaze settled on Andrew's smiling face last. He was having the time of
his life, or so it seemed. "That's enough, all of you."
"Oh, okay."
Andrew shrugged and turned away.
"Fuck you!"
Dan yelled at him. "You can't do shit like that."
"No?"
Nicky managed a cheeky grin despite his split lip. "Matt's mom
says otherwise. Coach already told you, didn't he? So there's no
problem."
"No
problem?!" Dan echoed incredulously.
Andrew spun and
put a finger to his mouth. "I don't want him on your couch,
captain! I don't want him skulking on the defense line. What a
mood-killer! It's so annoying."
"You—"
Dan started.
Andrew didn't let
her finish. "Matt's been in this hole once before, yes? If he
wants to, he'll climb out! If the climb doesn't kill him, he'll
remember why he got out of that hole the first time. For a team that
loves to bet you're awfully afraid to gamble. Curious!"
That caught them
all off-guard, and Allison was the first to react. "You expect
us to believe you did that for his sake?"
"Oh, no."
Andrew waved that aside with a flap of his hand. "I did it for
me! He was making life troublesome."
"We didn't
hold him down and shoot him up," Aaron said. "The choice
was his, and he said yes. He was weak. You're lucky we were the ones
who cleaned up behind him."
"Lucky,"
Dan spat. "Go to hell."
Nicky slung an arm
arm around Aaron's shoulders and turned his cousin after Andrew.
"Guess that means we get first dibs on the locker room? We'll
see you all down on the court!"
Renee waited until
she heard the door close down the hall before letting go of Dan. Dan
stalked to the far side of the room to pace and seethe. Renee decided
to make herself scarce and went to change into her uniform. She was
done dressing and working on her laces when Dan and Allison finally
showed up. Dan didn't return Renee's searching look but angrily
shoveled clothes out of her locker onto the floor.
"You're no
match for him," Renee said as gently as she could. "I
couldn't let him win."
Dan ignored her
and peeled her shirt over her head. Her sides and abdomen were
stained dull red in a half-dozen places; she'd be sore every step she
took on the court and covered in bruises by the end of practice.
Allison wasn't as bad off since she'd had most of the men between her
and the cousins, but a glancing blow left color on one high
cheekbone.
In the end,
physical discomfort had nothing on the acidic tension between the
Foxes. Practice was almost unbearable, and it took most of the
afternoon before Dan would say anything to Renee. She refused to
acknowledge the cousins whatsoever, choosing personal outrage over
her position for the first time since the summer of the girls'
freshman year. Wymack could have called her to order—they all knew
Dan would do anything he asked her to—but he settled for group
punishments instead. They skipped scrimmages in favor of exhausting,
miserable drills and ended practice with a six-mile run around
campus.
Renee wasn't sure
Dan had forgiven her yet, but she matched Dan's pace as they took off
across the parking lot. If Dan pulled ahead of her, Renee would
obediently fall back, but Dan said nothing about having Renee at her
side. Seth and Allison were close behind them, since the only thing
Allison hated more than long runs was looking slower than the men on
the team, and the rest of the Foxes stretched out behind them as a
long, broken string.
Renee ran the
first five miles in silence, then looked over her shoulder for the
cousins. They'd taken up the far rear, unsurprisingly.
"I'll see you
at the stadium," Renee said. Dan glanced over at her at that,
but Renee only gestured over her shoulder and peeled off to the side.
She slowed to a walk, ignoring the look Allison sent her on her way
by and the snide remarks from the men as they passed her moments
later. She waited until Aaron and Nicky finally passed before falling
in beside Andrew.
"This is
unexpected," Andrew said. "To what do we owe this
undeniable honor?"
"I'd like you
to apologize to Dan and Matt," Renee said.
He laughed. "Oh,
no. Minyards don't apologize! It's not in our blood."
"Maybe you'll
make an exception just this once," Renee said. "Good
intentions don't change how much you've hurt them. Apologizing is the
right thing to do."
Andrew quirked a
brow at her. "Weep, weep, a tear for their bruised feelings.
Really, Renee! Why would I care about doing the right thing?"
"For a nice
change of pace?" Renee suggested, smiling. "You might like
how it feels."
He laughed again
and slanted a look at his cousin. "Nicky, do you hear her? What
a strange, strange child we have among us."
"She's sweet,
if a little naïve," Nicky said. "I think I like her."
"How lost you
are," Andrew said to Renee. "How sorely misplaced."
"Do you think
so?" Renee asked.
"Should I?"
Andrew asked.
"Seriously,
though," Nicky said, looking back at her. "How'd someone
like you end up here?"
"Grace of
God," Renee said.
"Boo, wrong
answer." Andrew waved her words off like they stank. "I
despise Christians. Such blind creatures have no right to give others
advice."
"If you'll
forgive my curiosity, what have we ever done to you?" Renee
asked.
Andrew only
smiled, but Nicky said, "Don't take it personally. Andrew hates
everyone."
"But you
might prove amusing, at least for a little while longer," Andrew
said. "Goodbye, black sheep, baa baa lamb."
With that, he was
off like a shot, running like he hadn't already gone the better part
of six miles. Renee watched him hit full speed in just a couple of
strides and contemplated giving chase. In the end she settled for
running the last quarter-mile in silence. Her thoughts were company
enough, even if she didn't yet know what to make of them.
26 comments:
It was perfect!!! But it's just like crackers, a quick but temporary high... Can't wait for the next part (or the new book, nudge, nudge...)!!!!!
Oh, poor Matt. The whole thing makes me remember Neil's official assessment of his teammates, when Betsy asked what he thought of them: 'They are clinically insane' ;-)
Thank you for the second part! I'll eagerly await the continuation. And the book!
I love these! And even if there are inconsistencies, chances are I won't notice or care.
BTW feel free to add conversations and kiss scenes to the book to your hearts content. You can make it a 1000 pages strong for all I care. I'd be ecstatic! ^_^
The only thing I dread more than the long wait for it, is that moment when I'll be turning the last page...
It would be awesome if you could add these "extra content" to your third book or in a book of its own. Even if its short I love this short looks into the past
I love these extra short stories! Would like to read a scene that involves Renee and her ability to hold her own during a fight. Not just breaking one up. There must be one, otherwise Andrew wouldn't spar with her if he wasn't bsure she could take it......
That was fascinating *sigh* thank you so much! I loved it.
LOVE this stuff. I really like seeing the girls especially. It's fun. Sorry I'm not eloquent. I'm sick, but I wanted to send some love because I do appreciate you doing this for us while we wait for the final installment of the main series. I know you have a lot of back stories, so, it's great you're sharing them. Thank you so much, this has been so delightful to read!
Any news??? (Sob...)
Is that sob like tears or like short of breath or both??? ;")
Both of course!!! As dramatic as can be!!!...
I'll join in the dramatics. I just finished rereading both books YET AGAIN. Somebody please make it stop! D;
I even googled pictures of random people a few days ago, to see if I could find some one who matches the looks of the characters in my head. It was just supposed to pass the time, but I got really caught up in it.
It was great fun and I found a possible Neil and Kevin and practically everyone, but no Andrew. It seems there are no people who are both short and menacing at the same time in real life... ;-)
Really?!?! Do you have links to the pictures?!
I do! I just hope nobody finds this offensive, I'm sure we all have very different ideas of what the characters look like. ^_^
Anyway, this is solely for entertainment purposes, so here are mine:
Neil1
Neil2
Neil3
A bit young maybe? But I like to imagine that he'd have a bit of an innocent face while he's all cracked inside.
Kevin1
Kevin2
Mostly because of the slight look of condescension on his face. ;-)
Nicky
I don't know why I keep seeing Nicky with curly hair...
And as I said, I came up blank for Andrew and Aaron, but maybe something like this would work:
Andrew+Aaron
How could you give one of them up, Aunt Tilda? Shame on you. U_U
Anybody else have some pictures and wants to share? :D
La sigh. I miss neil and andrew. However, anybody here read winter wolf?? Because I miss axton and leander, too.
OMG! That wasn't even close to what I was thinking those guys looked like! LOL
I pictured them ALOT older.
Nicky is a 3rd year college student. A man!
Kevin is a second year college student, that was tortured by Rico, and trained by the Ravens Coach, his whole life. Seems he should be harder and more calculating, with shorter hair. No way the Ravens coach let him have it that way. If he still calls him Master, I just don't see him changing it on his own. Its to much individuality, I just don't think Kevin has that in him, yet.
Twins....Straight up ADORABLE!!
Neil....I just don't see the baby face on him. Running, be it physical or mental takes its toll on a body, I see him lean and wary. No innocence in him at all, not for a very long time. Also, since he had blond hair and blues eyes, and his fathers face, when you hung us off that cliff at the end of book 2, I see him as more chiseled, or sculpted, hard.
You are right! We all see something different in our heads as we read!
I am so glad you are still sharing with us, I like to read the opinions of the other readers while we wait on book 3. Its kinda like a book club discussion. Only, with author input. No right or wrong answers, and thats cool. I also like that your not hiding from us because book 3 isn't out yet!!
Me?????
......I'd probably HIDE! LOl
Okay, to find andrew and aaron you basically have to google "short male gymnasts." A good candidate for me is Jonathan Horton. Intense expression, strong arms. I wish I could find a pic in street clothes though.
Isn't Neil's natural hair color brown? I don't remember reading it was blond at the end of chapter 2.
Sandy brown-ish?
I also remember him mentioning that he never dyes his hair a certain shade of (lighter?) brown.
Which actually reminds me of a question I had about physical appearances. What color are the twins' eyes?
Also, I think maryvel and marynoel are different people...?
Alondra: I went back and checked, you are right, it did say a lighter shade of brown.
I guess I was just thinking, if it were me, and I was hiding, I wouldn't have it any shade of brown!
Saj:maryvel is a reader/fan, and marynoel is the writer. I think....almost 99% sure.
Yes, definitely different people. The similarity of our names is pure coincidence. ^_^
I don't think they'd look much older. That's what 20 year olds look like nowadays. 30 is the new 20 and all that... ;D
But I knew this would be wildly different for every one of us. All in good fun!
Neil's natural hair color is brown however, he says so in the last scene of book two after Wymack picks him up from the airport.
I think the twin's eyes are blue btw, but I'm not 100% sure.
Hey lovelies! Am out of town and hijacking someone else's computer/internet right now, so sorry for the short & sweet response. Love the fancast photos so far! Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to share my own version of 'em ;D Would hate to ruin anyone else's take on them though!
Neil's natural hair color is light brown vs the dark brown he started the series with. The twins' eyes are hazel, if that helps. Nicky is a sophomore/second-year, even though he has a couple years age-wise on his cousins. :D If I remember correctly (I don't have my stats file with me and I had Jameson for breakfast and lunch) the Foxes are ranged 18-23 yrs old at the start of the trilogy.
More when I get back to NC, including the next part of Son Nefes! I brought the file with me so I can work on it on the go. I'll be back on Wednesday.
Also, updated my name to make life easier for everyone ;D ♥
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