"I told you so."

"Sit down, Minyard," Wymack snapped, coming up behind Dan's new chair. Andrew gave an exaggerated sigh and let his chair fall back to the ground. Wymack turned on Neil next. "Did you or did you not tell me you weren't going to start a fight?"

Nicky spoke up on Neil's other side. "In Neil's defense—"

"I didn't ask you," Wymack interrupted. "Neil, talk to me."

In his head Neil was already counting steps to freedom. Their new seating arrangement made them the closest table to the court door. He'd just have to cross the inner court and get through the locker room. The fence around the stadium was ringed with barbed wire to prevent vandalism and theft, but he could leave the way they'd come in. It was a toss-up as to whether or not the guards would stop him. A young man in nice clothes running breakneck speed away from a public event was suspicious.

If he had an excuse to get out of here, like following Kevin to the vodka on the bus, he could conserve his energy until he passed the guards. From there he just had to find a taxi, because hitchhiking wasn't going to be fast enough this time. He needed to get back to Palmetto State and get his papers from his safe. He needed his money and his numbers. Maybe it was finally time to call—

Neil's escape route ground to a sickening halt in his head. He pried his fingers apart and pressed one hand to his pocket. He could feel the hard lines of his phone through the cotton.

"Neil, if you can't be here say so," Wymack said. "Abby can take you elsewhere until it's time to leave. Get out of here and get some fresh air."

It was the perfect opening, but Neil couldn't take it. If he did, he really would go, and he wouldn't come back. Running wasn't easy, but it was easier than trusting Andrew. But Neil remembered the weight of a key in his palm, its metal soaked through with another person's body heat. He remembered Andrew's promise to see this year through with him.

"No," Neil said, finally finding his voice. "I knew this was going to happen. I just wasn't ready for it. I'm fine."

"What can I do?" Wymack asked.

Neil looked up. The tired look on Wymack's face said Neil's surprise was a little too blatant. For a split second Neil felt guilty, though he wasn't entirely sure why. He crushed it as fast as he could. He had too much else to worry about right now and was feeling too much already to deal with a strange thing like guilt.

"I don't know," Neil said.

"When you know, tell me."

"Yes, Coach."

The arrival of another team helped distract them. Kevin returned a while later, looking worlds better with an ungodly amount of vodka in his system. When all fourteen teams were accounted for, Blackwell's coach gave a short speech about the season. Event staff rolled food out, and the teams ate to the sound of scattered laughter. Away from the pressures of game night it was easier for them to behave. They just needed to avoid bringing up rivalries and tensions.