Morning practice ended at eight the next morning so the Foxes could get to their first class on time. It was close enough Neil finally accepted Matt's offer for a lift back to the dorm room. He changed out of his morning sweats into something more appropriate for class, grabbed his messenger bag, and was out the door in time to join the small wave of athletes heading down Fox Tower's hill. Most of the others were wearing their jerseys as a first-day celebration, so the sidewalk by the crosswalk was an eyesore of orange and white. Neil's intention was to blend in as long as he could, so he opted to skip the tradition. He wouldn't have a choice tomorrow; the entire team was expected to be in colors on game day.

He made it to his English class with time to spare, so he managed to snag a desk in the back corner. The teacher didn't show until the bell rang, and then she came bouncing in with curls flying. She was a perky teaching assistant who acted like freshman composition was the greatest thing they'd ever study at Palmetto State. Neil followed along with her as she went through the syllabus and decided she was mental. Instead of midterms, they'd have reports of varying lengths due. Neil was suddenly grateful for the tutor hours he had to slot into his days. It'd made scheduling and registration a headache, but at least he could get some help with this. He was an average writer at best, and this lady made it clear average wouldn't cut it.

The only things she wanted to cover today were the syllabus and short self-introductions. As soon as that was finished, she dismissed them with a cheery farewell until the following Tuesday. From there it was off to chemistry, which was a large enough class it was held in an auditorium. Neil took a spot in the top row. It was impossible to see the board from where he was, but at least he had a wall at his back.

Unlike his English class, the chemistry professor only spent a few minutes reviewing the syllabus before starting on an overview of introductory chemistry. His voice was an unwavering monotone that could put any living creature to sleep. Neil resorted to stabbing himself with a pen every time he started drifting off. He probably should have taken last night's practices with Kevin off in preparation for today, but he didn't think Kevin would have allowed it. Neil was doomed to spend the school year exhausted.

After seventy-five mind-numbing minutes of science, Neil finally escaped back into the sunlight. The campus had come alive in his absence. The late sleepers and early risers were finally meshed on campus, which meant elbow-to-elbow people on the sidewalks between classes. More than half of the students were sporting school colors, and Neil saw a few headbands with fox ears.