She didn't answer, but she heard him. Her lips went white as she pressed them harder together. Nicky stayed where he was, trying to either offer silent support or wait her out. It was an age before Allison moved again, but she didn't look at Nicky. Her smoky gray gaze lifted unerringly to Neil's face.

Neil stood silent and still just inside the locker room door and waited for her judgment. It never came. The seconds dragged by, endless and awful, and Allison's expression didn't change. She didn't look angry like he thought she should or sad like he was sure she would. She was just—there. She was breathing, but she was lifeless, a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Neil was saved by the arrival of the rest of the team. He had to move to avoid getting hit by the door. Dan and Renee went straight to Allison's chair and took up perches on the arms to either side of her. Dan wound her arm around Allison's shoulders, somehow looking more fierce than comforting, and murmured something at Allison's ear. Allison turned her head toward Dan's, soaking up whatever reassurances Dan had for her, and Neil finally remembered how to move. Nicky got up when it was obvious the girls could handle Allison. The rest of the team slowly settled around the rest of the room.

They were all on time, but Wymack and Abby were conspicuously absent. Neil wondered if Wymack was late on purpose. His absence took away the pressure and reality of why they were here. He was giving the Foxes a few minutes to adjust to Allison's return and grief. It gave them a chance to see her before Wymack forced their attention back to Exy.

It also showed them what they were up against tonight. Allison was back, but she looked like she was holding herself together by threads. Neil didn't know if she'd get it together long enough to play. If she couldn't, they were going to get wrecked. Belmonte University was one of the strongest schools in their district. They weren't as high-ranked as Breckenridge was, but they'd be almost as difficult to face now that the Foxes were down Seth. If they lost Allison too the game was over before it even started.

Wymack's office door opened at last. He came into the lounge and motioned to Allison. "Go on ahead of us, Allison. Nicky will load your things."

Nicky made a face at Wymack but was too smart to protest where Allison could hear. Allison slipped free of Dan's embrace and walked out without another look back. Nicky waited until the door closed behind her before speaking up.

"Seriously, whose idea was it to bring her along?" Nicky asked. "She shouldn't be here."

"We gave her the choice to sit it out," Wymack said. "She wanted to come."

"I wouldn't have asked her," Nicky said, flicking a worried look at the door. "I would have just left her behind and apologized later. She isn't ready."