"Just don't spend it here, okay?" Matt asked. "If you don't have anywhere to go I'll drag you home with me. Mom's been wanting to meet the monsters, anyway, and her house is big enough to fit all of you. Just let me know."

Neil needed a moment to process that. "Thanks. I'll pass it along."

Matt nodded and went back to work. Neil turned back to his own assignment, but his thoughts had derailed too far for him to call them back. Instead he drew fox paws down the border of his paper until Kevin came for him.

Neil thought about Matt's offer the entire ride to the stadium, but he didn't bring it up. Kevin wasn't the right person to start with, though Neil figured he'd agree if there was a court close enough. Nicky would be the easiest person to convince, maybe. Neil could only imagine how Aaron would react, but since none of them had family it might be worth a shot. Neil was a little leery of meeting Matt's mother, but after Thanksgiving he was curious to see how normal people spent holidays.

As normal as the Foxes could be, rather.

"Focus," Kevin said impatiently, so Neil pushed it all aside for later.

-

The southeastern district Christmas banquet was held at Breckenridge that year. Luckily it was scheduled late enough at night the Foxes could sleep off the previous night's end-of-semester party, but it still meant seven hours on the bus. With the season two weeks behind them and exams finally out of the way, Neil had nothing to think about except Riko and Andrew. Andrew had been gone for five weeks now, and none of them had heard from him. Not even Betsy knew how he was doing, since she'd relinquished him to Easthaven's care. Neil tried not to dwell on it, but that was an impossible task, and he knew the Foxes were going to hear about it tonight. Riko, no doubt, would have something awful to say.

The Foxes were among the last to show up at Breckenridge's court. Kevin had slept most of the drive, since he'd had as much liquor as he did coffee that morning, but he woke up half an hour out from campus. He was silent as the grave for the remainder of the drive, but Neil looked back at him when they pulled up to the Jackals' stadium. Kevin was staring out his window at the other buses, and his violent flinch said he'd spotted the Ravens' ride.

Wymack shooed his Foxes and their dates off the bus and locked it behind them. When he turned around again he snapped his fingers at Kevin to get his attention. "Look at me."