Matt gave Neil a grim smile and closed his locker. He passed Neil on the way to the door and clapped a hand on Neil's shoulder. "Just try not to think about it until we get there. You won't do yourself any favors if you spend the ride stressing out about things you can't change."

Neil nodded and said, "Matt, I'll help Coach with the racquets. I want to ask him something."

"You sure?" Matt asked. "Then here, I'll get your duffel out to the bus. It's awkward dealing with both."

Neil handed the heavy bag over and got the door. Matt turned left and headed for the exit, and Neil went right to the foyer. Wymack had the gear closet open and had already rolled out the trolley the racquets hung on. The protective lids were open so Wymack could check heads. Neil knew the sticks were in good shape, since maintenance was one of the last things the Foxes did before leaving practices everyday, but Wymack was testing string tensions down the line.

Wymack glanced up at Neil's approach but didn't ask why Neil was here in Matt's stead. Neil said nothing at first but reached out and hooked his fingers through the head of his racquet. He was bringing both of his racquets tonight just in case. The racquets were sturdily built to put power behind their throws and withstand all the stick-checking on the court, but even the strongest racquet would break with enough abuse. Neil didn't want to be seven hours from home and have nothing to play with.

"Watch your fingers," Wymack said.

Neil moved so Wymack could snap the lids shut. Plastic latches clicked in rapid succession. Wymack rattled the rack a little to make sure none of them popped open then gestured for Neil to take the front handle. Neil did as he was told but didn't move yet. He stalled, mentally digging for the best way to word his question. He thought Wymack would hurry him along since they had a schedule to keep, but Wymack waited him out.

"I didn't think Andrew had a price tag," Neil said. "He doesn't seem the kind of person who can be bought."

"He's not," Wymack said. "If I asked him to do it for free, he would. The only reason he's getting something out of this is because I know what it'll cost him to play for us tonight."

"But why?" Neil asked. "Why are you so special?"

Wymack arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm not."

"I don't understand."

"Maybe you've noticed how much I let this team get away with," Wymack said. "I know what sort of people I've recruited, and I know some of them need a little help to keep an even keel. So long as no one gets hurt, no one gets caught, and no one is stupid enough to bring it onto my court, I don't care what you guys get up to in your free time. It's not my business because I don't want it to be my business."