"Faggot," Seth said, stalking out.

Matt wasn't swayed. "You guys all right?"

Nicky feigned confusion. "Of course we are. Why?"

Matt looked at Kevin, then Neil, waiting for one of them to back him up. Kevin ignored him, so Neil gave a slight shrug. Matt let it go and finished getting ready. Nicky gathered the last of his uniform and left a couple seconds later. Neil watched him go.

It wasn't an act. They wouldn't have let their argument take such a personal turn if they knew Neil was listening to every word. But that meant Andrew hadn't told them, and Neil didn't know why Andrew would keep such a secret from his own family. Maybe it slipped his mind when he medicated Saturday night, but it was a big thing to forget.

Neil didn't know what game Andrew was playing or what he expected to get in return for his silence. He kept an eye on Andrew when Andrew made it back from Betsy Dobson's office, but when he might have had the chance to ask, he let it slide. Andrew was drugged and happy; Neil didn't want him to change his mind in a burst of scatterbrained amusement.

That night Kevin was at his door again. Neil bid his disgruntled teammates goodnight and followed Kevin to the car. Andrew was smoking in the driver's seat but stubbed his cigarette out upon their arrival. He took them to the stadium, waited for them to change, and went up into the stands as they continued to the court.

When Kevin locked the court door behind them, Neil asked, "How often do you two come here?"

"Every night," Kevin said.

Neil looked over his shoulder at the stands, but he couldn't see Andrew. "Isn't he bored of this by now? He's never going to practice with you, so why does he humor you?"

"He will," Kevin said. "He just doesn't know it yet."

"I didn't take you for an optimist."

Kevin ignored that and started setting out cones for interval runs. "Let's go."

Neil pushed Andrew out of his thoughts and focused on Kevin's drills.

They had two weeks of practice before the ERC made an official announcement regarding the district change. The day's practice was over and the team was back at the dorm when Wymack called to warn them. Matt flipped on the TV and went to ESPN to see the segment. They'd missed seeing the news itself but were in time to see the reactions on the news show. The anchorman was gesturing wildly and talking a mile a minute. One of his guests was shaking his head in exaggerated disapproval; the other kept trying and failing to interrupt.

"Here it comes," Matt said. "They'll be all over us like white on rice. Coach's phone is going to be ringing off the hook for weeks."