Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
"Oh thank God," Nicky said, reaching for Neil with both hands. "Help."
Matt finally found the remote and paused their movie. "What the hell? You all right?"
"I'm two seconds away from being dead," Nicky said. "Mom just called to wish Andrew and Aaron a happy birthday."
"And that's a bad thing?" Matt asked.
Nicky gaped at Matt, but surprise quickly washed away his disbelief. He rubbed the back of his neck in obvious discomfort. Neil expected him to laugh it off. The cousins' first response to personal problems was to close ranks against the upperclassmen. Nicky might not like it, but he'd done it time and time again throughout the season. It caught both Neil and Matt off-guard when Nicky actually answered.
"Uh, yeah," Nicky hedged. "We don't really talk to my family, you know? Dad hasn't said a word to me since he found out Erik's more than just my best friend. Mom calls on Christmas to see if I've returned to God and disconnects when I tell her no. I don't think Aaron's spoken to them since Aunt Tilda's funeral, and Andrew avoids them like they're a contagious disease. He and Dad didn't hit it off too well when they met at juvie."
"It couldn't have gone that badly," Matt said. "I mean, your dad supported his early release, right?"
"Yeah, but." Nicky fidgeted.
"Why did she call, really?" Neil asked.
"To invite us home for Thanksgiving dinner."
"And?"
"And I hung up on her!" Nicky flailed at him. "What else was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell her no, could I?"
"You were supposed to say yes," Matt said. "What the hell, Nicky?"
"It's not that easy." Nicky sounded miserable. "Offer's contingent on Aaron and Andrew going, too. Mom made that clear. There's no way Andrew will agree."
"You never know until you try," Matt said.
"I don't think you understand how much Andrew hates my parents," Nicky said.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Neil asked.
"Be moral support and back-up," Nicky said. "If I go to Andrew with this, he'll either laugh me off or pretend he doesn't hear me. But he listens to you, right? I mean, you talked him into a team party. Maybe you can talk him into a family dinner somehow."
"I didn't talk him into anything," Neil pointed out. "I said it was the smart thing to do and he agreed. This is more complicated and I shouldn't have a say in it. I could tell him it's obviously important to you to patch things up with your parents, but you and I both know how he'll probably react to that."
Nicky looked crestfallen, but he rallied with a weak, "I grew up in that house, but Dad hasn't let me set foot in it since I came back out of the closet. I know they think I'm a heathen doomed to burn for eternity, and I know I should give up on them, but I can't. Maybe this call means they're coming around. I have to know. Please, Neil? I want my mom back. I miss her more than you know."
Neil swallowed hard against the burning knot in his throat. This wasn't his family. It wasn't his problem. It wasn't his mother. Neil's mother was ashes and bones buried in a California beach. She was gone forever. Neil would never hear her voice again and would never get another phone call from her. She'd never sit him down and explain why she'd run or apologize for hiding his connection to the Moriyamas. She'd never watch him play with the Foxes in semifinals. She wouldn't be there when he gave his testimony. She wouldn't be there when he died.
Neil's grief was a knife spinning circles in his stomach, tearing him to shreds from the inside out until he could barely breathe. He took a slow breath and counted his heartbeats on the exhale. Nicky waited, too desperate to press his luck further.
"Wait here," Neil finally said.
Nicky's expression was a whirlwind of surprise and hope. Neil couldn't stand the sight of it and he didn't want Nicky's premature gratitude. He slipped past Nicky into the hallway and went two doors down to the cousins' room. Nicky hadn't locked the suite door behind him, so Neil let himself in with a perfunctory knock.
Aaron was waiting on one of the beanbag chairs with a controller in his hand. Judging by the indent in the other chair and the still images on the TV, Nicky's phone call had interrupted their game. Kevin had a newspaper spread on his desk as he checked last night's scores around the nation. Andrew was sitting on the desk closest to the window. He'd taken the screen off months ago so he could smoke indoors.
"Oh, Neil!" Andrew wiggled his cigarette at Neil in greeting. "Hello."
"Can we talk?" Neil asked.
"Today's not a good day," Andrew said. "Try again tomorrow."
"I wouldn't crash your birthday party if it wasn't important."
Andrew grinned. "Sarcasm from Neil? Your repertoire of talents is ever-expanding."
"Two minutes," Neil said.
"So persistent."
Neil waited for Andrew to make up his mind. Andrew hummed around his cigarette as he thought. It took him almost a full minute before curiosity won out over his sheer need to be difficult. Andrew flicked his cigarette out the window, yanked the window closed, and hopped off his desk. Neil followed Andrew into the cousins' bedroom and tugged the door closed behind them. Andrew only continued a couple feet into the room before turning to face Neil.
"Tick tock," Andrew said. "You have my attention; now keep my interest."
"Nicky's mother called."
"Oops, time's up."
Neil put his arm out when Andrew stepped forward, but there was no way he could stop Andrew if Andrew really wanted to leave. Neil had seen how much Andrew pressed when the team did weights at the gym. More importantly than that, he'd seen Andrew practically pick Nicky up by his throat and move him when riled. The gesture was just a show. Andrew knew it, but he rocked to a stop anyway.
"Nicky's mother invited him home for Thanksgiving," Neil said.
"He said yes," Andrew said, not really a question. "Oh, Nicky, an optimist until the day he dies. You'd think he would know better by now, but he'll go and come back boo-hoo-hoo." Andrew mimed scrubbing away tears. "Their love has a price tag he can't pay. He won't give Erik up for them."