Breckenridge filed on next. Nicky pointed to Gorilla as soon as the player made his entrance, but Neil didn't need any help spotting him. "Remember to thank Seth and Kevin later for getting crushed in your stead."

He might have been joking, but Neil nodded anyway. Anyone who could make Matt look delicate was not someone Neil wanted to face on the court.

Nicky looked at Neil. "Hey," he said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant. "We haven't really had a chance to talk after… Well. I wanted to say sorry, but I kept chickening out. Are we okay?"

"I don't know yet," Neil said.

Nicky weighed that for a minute, then sighed and said, "Fair enough."

The referees slammed the doors with a resounding bang and bolted them shut. There were vents and fans along the ceiling to keep air circulating on the court. The vents would let out echoes of serves and checks, but the players would have to yell for their voices to filter out into the stadium. Neil didn't know what they were saying to each other now as they waited for the game to start, but he doubted it was pleasant seeing as how Seth was flipping off one of the Jackals' strikers. Seth turned the gesture on Kevin a couple seconds later.

"Oh Lord," Abby said at Neil's back. "They could at least pretend to get along when playing against this team."

"Not a chance!" Nicky said. "Ten bucks says they hit each other inside fifteen minutes."

"I'm not taking that," Allison said.

"You could try to be optimistic about the first game of the season," Renee said.

"Maybe you saw who we're up against," Nicky said, pointing at the opposing team. "You really think optimism is going to help us?"

"I think it can't hurt," Renee said with a smile.

Allison started to say something, but the warning buzzer drowned her out. If Neil looked up he could almost see the scoreboard where it hung over the dead center of court. A clock, the score, and shots on goal statistics were displayed on all four sides, as were screens for replays and close-ups. Right now the board would be counting down the last minute to game start, but Neil didn't strain to see. He didn't want to take his eyes off the court. He pressed his gloved hands to the wall and leaned forward, trying to see all of it at once. His heart pounded in his chest, sending shuddery heat through every inch of his body. He held his breath waiting for first serve.