"Come on," Dan said. "Let's give these guys our condolences and get out of here."

They shuffled into line as fast as they could, and the Terrapins grudgingly formed their own line further down the court. They passed each other, slapping sticks and offering a chorus of "Good game!" neither side fully believed. The Foxes filed off the court as quickly as they could and swarmed Wymack. Andrew broke away in the commotion and set off for the locker room.

Neil had never seen Wymack smile like this. It was small but fierce, as angry as it was proud. "That's more like it. Draw straws and figure out who's helping me fend off the press. The rest of you get your sticky, stinky asses to the showers. We'll talk shop on the bus."

"Renee and I will handle it," Dan said as they headed to the locker room. "Neil, you can use the girls' shower while we're busy."

Neil stared at her. "What?"

Dan frowned at him, so Matt explained. "There aren't stalls here."

Neil had noticed, but he hadn't thought his teammates would. That they had, and that they were doing something about it, knocked the wind out of him. He tried to answer, but he didn't know what to say. The best he managed was, "Is that really okay?"

"Kid, you're killing me," Nicky said. "Why do you always get that deer-in-headlights look when someone does something nice for you?"

"It's really okay," Dan promised. Neil tried to thank her, but she waved it off with a breezy, "Nope. None of that. Just don't steal all the hot water."

She, Renee, and Wymack plopped down on benches in the front room to wait on the press while the others went to clean up. Neil grabbed his bag from the men's changing room and took it across the hall. The women's shower room was a little more private. It didn't have doors but it did have stall walls. Neil kept his back to the door and took a quick shower. He scrubbed dry so fast and hard he left his skin red in places, but he didn't want Dan and Renee to have to wait any longer for him. He dressed in loose clothes, grabbed his things, and hurried out.

Animated voices from the end of the hall said the press was still around. Neil crept down the hall to look in, less to see what was going on and more so Dan or Renee would see him and know he was out of their way. Wymack was nowhere in sight, so Neil guessed he'd already given his piece. Renee glanced his way when she spotted movement in the doorway and smiled acknowledgment.

Neil retreated before anyone else spotted him. There weren't a lot of places to hide from the press, but the door to the nurse's office was open an inch. Neil gave it a cautious push and looked inside. Wymack was sitting on the pristine bed with a pack of cigarettes in his hand. Neil took Wymack's nod to be an invitation and slipped inside. He was turning to close the door behind himself when he spotted Wymack's silent companion.