"Start caring. I've let you push me around for two weeks because I know how scared you are about the district change, but I've had enough. Andrew's going to find out about it at tonight's meeting. You should be prepping to handle that explosion instead of harassing me."

"You worry about your incompetence. I'll worry about Andrew."

"You'd better," Neil said. "Put a leash on your pet monster or I will."

"A frightened child like you?"

"Fuck you, cripple."

Across the room Kevin's face went white. "What did you call me?"

"I called you a deadweight has-been," Neil said.

Kevin was out of his chair so fast he knocked it over. Neil backed out of the room and slammed the door closed between them. He'd only made it two steps back toward his room when Kevin yanked the door open again.

Kevin got his hands on Neil's neck in an instant and slammed Neil up against the opposite wall. Neil dug his fingers into Kevin's wrists, trying to loosen Kevin's grip enough that he could breathe. He tried to knee Kevin, but Kevin crushed him against the wall with his own body.

"What the fuck did you call me?" Kevin demanded again.

Neil didn't have the breath to answer. It didn't matter; Kevin's angry voice and the loud smack of Neil's body against the dormitory's concrete walls was enough to fill the hall with Foxes. Andrew was the first to show up in the cousins' doorway, but Matt was the one who went for Kevin. He wrapped an arm around Kevin's throat and wrenched Kevin's head back at a dangerous angle.

"Get off him, Day," Matt snarled.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Nicky said over Andrew's shoulder. "Come on, Matt."

Kevin let go of Neil with one hand and drove an elbow into Matt's ribs. Matt grunted and tightened his grip, forcing Kevin to release Neil entirely if he hoped to breathe anytime soon. Matt hauled Kevin away from Neil, but Kevin wiggled free two steps later and swung at Matt. Matt deflected it with one swipe and punched Kevin hard enough to send him sprawling.

The look on Matt's face said he was just getting started, but Andrew stepped between them before Matt could go after Kevin again. Andrew was smiling and his stance was casual, but Matt knew better than to try his luck against the short psychopath. Matt took a step back, silently conceding the fight, and shot Neil a worried look. Kevin got to his feet behind Andrew and glared at Neil. Neil refused to look at anyone at all and pretended the far wall was the most interesting thing he'd seen in years.

The girls chose that moment to step in. One moved up alongside Matt, expression tight with anger. She swept a dark look between Andrew's group and Neil and said, "What do you think you're doing? It's our first day back. Why are we fighting already?"

"Technically we never left," Andrew said, "and Neil's been here a couple weeks, so it's your first day back, not ours." He leaned to one side, looking past her to her roommate. "Hello, Renee. About time!"