Maybe last night's practice was an icebreaker in Kevin's strange world, because Kevin's angry comments made a comeback this morning. They harkened more to the angry disappointment Kevin started the summer with, though, and less like the hostile insults Kevin resorted to after hearing about the district change. Neil tried to appreciate the difference and almost succeeded.

The cousins still had nothing to say to Neil, but Neil noticed Nicky watching Kevin and Neil from time to time throughout practice. Seemed he hadn't missed the thawing ice between the two. Neil waited for him to say something, but anytime Neil looked Nicky's way, Nicky feigned to find something else suddenly fascinating. Neil let it slide, unwilling to be the first to break the silence after what Nicky had helped Andrew do to him in Columbia.

Nicky's patience lasted until Wednesday afternoon. Andrew had weekly sessions with his psychiatrist on Wednesdays. Nicky dropped him off at the medical center while the Foxes were lunching and made it back in time to change out for afternoon drills. The men were all in the changing room, checking the straps on their armor and tugging their uniforms on again, when Nicky broke.

Except when Nicky finally spoke up, it was in German, and it wasn't to Neil.

"You think he's ever going to forgive us?" Nicky asked.

"Does it matter?" Aaron said. "He's not our problem."

Neil forgot the collar he was tightening around his neck and turned to stare at them. Andrew knew he could speak German, which meant these two should know Neil could understand them. Neil wondered if they expected him to join in, if Nicky was passively inviting him to forgive or condemn them without the others listening in on it, but neither man was looking at him.

"What do you mean, he's not our problem?" Nicky asked, but Aaron didn't answer. Nicky waited but lost patience before long. "Are we really doing this all over again? You want to fight these guys all the way to graduation?"

"I want to be left alone."

"This is a team sport!"

The others had been ignoring them, likely used to the occasional German conversation, but Nicky's strident tone got their attention. Seth glanced over with an irritated scowl, but Matt flicked a curious look between the cousins. Kevin didn't look up, likely used to the occasional squabbling by now.

Nicky didn't seem to notice the attention he was getting. "You can't live like this, Aaron. I can't live like this. It's exhausting and depressing."

"Okay."

"'Okay'? Just 'okay'? This isn't okay. Jesus. Sometimes you're so much like Andrew it's horrifying."

Aaron's expression was livid. "Fuck you."

"Hey," Matt said loudly. "Break it up, you two. What the hell?"

Aaron pushed off the bench and stormed out, leaving Nicky glowering after him. Matt looked from the door to Nicky, frowning.

"Nicky?" he asked.

Nicky affected a wounded look and tilted his entire body toward Matt. "Aaron hurt my feelings! Kiss it better, Matt?"