Neil left as fast as he could, but he only made it as far as the hallway. As soon as he shut the door behind him, his legs locked, and he grabbed desperately at the wall. A spike of panic wrenched his stomach into his throat. He dug the side of his hand into his mouth so hard he tasted blood.

Was he supposed to honestly think some rabid goalkeeper could protect him?

His thoughts went unbidden to the confrontation in Kathy's studio. Andrew showed up in time to protect Neil. He should have gone straight for Kevin, since Kevin appeared to be the center of his strange world, but he'd put himself between Riko and Neil instead. Andrew knew exactly who the Moriyamas were and he knew hints of what Neil was involved in, but he thought he could stand between them just the same.

Neil shoved away from the wall and went to the stairwell. He was running before he reached the ground floor, and he slammed the front door open so hard it banged on its hinges. Louder than that crash was his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

What if he could stay? What if a psychotic teenager really was enough? What if Andrew was right that the Foxes' infamy could protect his identity?

Neil should know better than to believe such dangerous promises, but Andrew's words haunted him every step of the way.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The dormitory was uncharacteristically busy when Neil made it back at nine. The football game had ended about the same time he'd run away, and now some of the after-party crowds were slowly drifting back. People yelled to each other up and down the hall, and loud music blasted through open doors here and there. Neil wound his way through the chaos toward the Foxes' rooms. They were the only three closed doors this side of the stairwell.

He stopped in front of Andrew's door but couldn't make himself knock. His hand was shaking when he looked at it, so he balled it into a fist. He'd almost gotten up the nerve to move when the door opened without warning.

"Oh, he made it," Andrew said. "That's interesting."

He pressed two fingers to Neil's throat, checking his pulse. When Neil tried to bat him away, Andrew caught his wrist with his free hand. His smile was small and fierce as he leaned forward into Neil's space.

"Remember this feeling. This is the moment you stop being the rabbit."

Neil was too startled to answer, but Andrew didn't wait. He slid past Neil, using the weight of his body and his grip on Neil's wrist to pull Neil with him out of the way of the door. He let go in the middle of the hallway and slipped his hands in his pockets to wait.