Getting a new passport wasn't a simple matter, but at least he knew where to start. His mother was born into a British crime syndicate, and he'd inherited a list of unsavory contacts from her. Because most of them were European, they were outside his father's reach. Neil wasn't entirely sure they'd deal with him in his mother's absence, but he hoped her name would at least smooth the process. The paperwork he needed came at a steep price, but it was some of the best work on the market. It had to be considering how fast technology was changing.

Because Neil could guess at how much money he'd need in May, he didn't want to make any unnecessary purchases until then. He'd been stupid with his money on that disastrous welcome party in Columbia, so he wanted to hold tight to what was left. His teammates had other ideas, however, which was how Neil wound up shopping for clothes on Tuesday.

No one had told him they weren't going straight home after practice. They'd piled him in the car and dragged him out to the mall without even a by-the-by. This Saturday was the southeastern district's fall banquet and they all knew Neil didn't have anything appropriate to wear. It was a less formal event than the winter banquet in December would be, but it still required more than ratty jeans and worn-out t-shirts.

"At some point you're going to have to try something on," Nicky said.

"I could just not go," Neil said.

"Shut up. You're going," Kevin said, like he wasn't dreading this himself. All fourteen southern Class I teams would be in attendance, and that included Edgar Allan's Ravens. Kevin wanted to see his former teammates even less than Neil did. "The other teams want to get a look at you."

"I don't care," Neil said. "The only place they matter to me is on the court."

"Don't lose face, Neil." Andrew was systematically tugging clothes off their hangers and dropping them on the floor. He chucked one of the empty hangers at Nicky, who squawked and ducked just in time. Andrew shrugged at his miss and looked at Neil. "You laughed at Riko on Kathy's show. If you don't go, he'll say you're too afraid to face him! For shame, Neil."

But Neil was afraid, and Andrew knew that.

"Here," Aaron said, handing Neil a scrap of paper. "Take this before I forget it."

It was a short list of names and numbers in bubbly blue print. Nicky leaned over to see and made a dismissive noise. "Seriously, Aaron?"

"Dan asked me to get a list from Katelyn," Aaron said.

"Who are these people?" Neil asked.

"They're the single Vixens."

"They're all women," Nicky said. "That doesn't help us."

"Nicky," Neil started.

Nicky plucked the list from Neil's fingers and crumpled it. "Your ignorance is endearing, Neil. You're nineteen and you've never looked at Allison's tits? There's no way you're straight. You and I really need to sit down and talk about this sometime."