The Raven King (All for the Game, #2)

by Nora Sakavic

"I'm not exactly a uniting force," Neil said. "You've obviously got something Andrew wants," Matt said. "Where Andrew goes, they all go. You just have to pull him harder than he pulls you."

"If you're going to play dealer who do we have in goal second half?" Wymack looked at Andrew. Andrew looked over his shoulder as if checking for a third goalkeeper. There wasn't one, so he quirked an eyebrow at Wymack and dragged his thumb across his smiling mouth. "Coach knows my medicine doesn't work that way." "I know," Wymack said. "What are you telling me to do?" "I'm not telling you anything," Wymack said. "We had a deal and I'm not about to renege on that. I'm offering a trade, same terms and conditions as last year. Abby picked the bottle up yesterday and put it in the first aid kit. It's yours as soon as you walk off the court. All you have to do is play. How you play is up to you."

"Yeah, last October." Nicky didn't look up from where he was stuffing things into his duffel, but he was grinning as he told his story. "We found out the ERC was going to cut us from the Class I ranks if we didn't stop losing. Coach asked Andrew for a miracle, and Andrew gave us one. He made Coach come up with a number between one and five, and that's how many points he let the other team get before he shut them out. It was probably the most badass thing I've ever seen."

"For eight months you've told me no. In eight seconds you told him yes. Why?" "Oh, that's easy." Andrew stuffed the last of his gear into his bag and zipped it shut. He slung the bag over his shoulders and got to his feet, standing up so close to Kevin he almost knocked Kevin back a step. "It's just more fun to tell you no. That's what you wanted, right? You wanted me to have fun. I am. Aren't you?"

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

day." Andrew smiled around the mouth of his bottle. "Neil is a walking tragedy." "You're a pretty pathetic sob story yourself," Wymack said.

"Neither are you. You put a noose around your neck and handed the loose end to Riko," Andrew said. "I distinctly remember saying I would watch your back. Give me one good reason why you'd make that difficult for me." "I survived for eight years because no one could find me," Neil said. "That's not why." "Are we doing the honesty thing again?" "Do we need to?" Andrew asked, taking his phone from Neil. "You start."

"Your parents are dead, you are not fine, and nothing is going to be okay," Andrew said. "This is not news to you. But from now until May you are still Neil Josten and I am still the man who said he would keep you alive.

"I don't care if you use this phone tomorrow. I don't care if you never use it again. But you are going to keep it on you because one day you might need it." Andrew put a finger to the underside of Neil's chin and forced Neil's head up until they were looking at each other. "On that day you're not going to run. You're going to think about what I promised you and you're going to make the call. Tell me you understand."

"See?" Nicky said, sounding pleased. "That's much better. That's how a normal human being looks when they check their phone, Neil." Neil stared at him. "Is that really why you've been messaging me nonstop?" "Mostly," Nicky said. "Andrew told me to handle it. That's the easiest way I knew how." "Handle what?" "You, of course. Question," Nicky said. "If I hadn't been bothering you would you have touched that phone at all this week?" "I have it for emergencies," Neil said, "so no."

"His antagonism is a personality flaw we're learning to live with," Kevin said.

"Oh, Coach." Andrew tossed his hands up in a helpless shrug. "You can't even imagine how much fun we are having right now. It's overwhelming. Give us a minute to catch our breaths before our hearts explode in our chest."

"Who is Doe?" "Oh, that's me," Andrew said. "I didn't enter the foster system with a last name, so I was tagged as a Doe. Like John Doe. Get it? Ah, they think they're clever. I changed my name when I was adopted.

"I'm starting to think I misjudged you," Wymack said. "I just don't know how or where. I know I'm not completely wrong, but you're still not adding up right." "Now you sound like Andrew." "That's because they're his words," Wymack said.

"First day of practice I told everyone Edgar Allan had transferred districts, you remember? Andrew spent that night here with me. At first I figured he was mad at Kevin for lying to him, but he was more worked up about you. I mostly tuned him out then, but I probably should have listened." "Andrew and I are working on our trust issues. Sort of." "He says you're a pathological liar," Wymack said. "I'm starting to believe him." "It's what I was raised to be," Neil said.

"Andrew has neither purpose nor ambition," Kevin said. "I was the first person who ever looked at Andrew and told him he was worth something. When he comes off these drugs and has nothing else to hold him up I will give him something to build his life around."

"But he's fighting you every step of the way. Why?" "When I first said you would be Court, why were you upset with me?" "Because I knew it'd never happen," Neil said, "but I wanted it anyway." Kevin said nothing. Neil waited, then realized he'd answered his own question.

"Andrew is crazy, not stupid," Kevin said. "Even he will grow bored of being a failure eventually. When his medicine is out of his system and he can actually think for himself again I will have an easier time getting through to him."

Neil thought about Renee's bruised knuckles, Dan's fierce spirit, and Allison holding her ground on the court a week after Seth's death. He thought about his mother standing unflinching in the face of his father's violent anger and her ruthlessly leaving bodies in their wake. He felt compelled to say, "Some of the strongest people I've known are women."

Andrew, for once in your miserable midgety life play like you want us to win, would you?" Andrew looked amused by that request, which Neil didn't find at all reassuring.

The Foxes were slower to react, and Neil didn't budge until he saw Andrew move. Andrew was half-turned as he stared at the red wall behind him. They were only two minutes into the first half; it was the fastest anyone had ever scored against Andrew.

"Sometimes you're interesting enough to keep around. Other times you're so astoundingly stupid I can barely stand the sight of you."

"I should stop betting against Andrew when it comes to you," she said, then explained when Neil frowned at her. "He told me you'd come see me but I didn't think you were ready yet.

The only one besides Neil who didn't have a way out was Andrew.

"Tick tock," Andrew said. "You have my attention; now keep my interest." "Nicky's mother called." "Oops, time's up."

"Why are you so special?" Matt asked. "I'm not," Neil said, confused. "Andrew doesn't give ground to anybody. Why does he keep saying yes to you?" "He's high," Neil said, twirling a finger near his temple. "He thinks it's funny."

He withdrew completely, leaving just the memory of his heartbeat against Neil's mouth, and spun away.

"Trust you." Andrew enunciated each word like he'd never heard them before. He laughed curled his fingers tight around Neil's chin. "You lie, and lie, and lie, and you think I'll trust you with his life?" "Then don't trust 'Neil'," Neil said. "Trust me." "Oh, but who are you? Do you have a name?"

Neil waited, but Andrew didn't let go. With so many people watching them Neil couldn't lift his shirt. He did the next best thing and dragged one of Andrew's hands under the hem. He pressed Andrew's palm to the ugly scarring across his abdomen. Andrew's eyes dropped to Neil's shirt like he could see Neil's marred skin through the dark cotton.

"Andrew. Don't leave me alone with these morons for too long. I'm getting too old to deal with their drama." "Oh, you and me both," Andrew said.

"I don't care." Aaron gave a savage jerk of his hand. "I don't care if Andrew never speaks to me again. I don't care about Cass or Drake or anyone. What Drake did—no. If I could bring him back from the dead and kill him again I would." "Good," Neil said quietly. "So now you understand why Andrew killed your mother." It was not at all what Aaron was expecting. He was so angry it took a couple seconds for the words to really register, and then he recoiled from Neil. "Why he—what? That isn't the same. He didn't do that for me." "He told me he did,"

Neil said. "I didn't even have to ask him. He warned her to stop hitting you and she wouldn't. He had no choice but to get rid of her. Just like last night, right? Drake was hurting Andrew, and you made him stop.

Neil didn't understand the appeal. When Nicky saw his unimpressed face, he said, "It's not really about the food. It's about family. Not necessarily the one we were born with, but the one we chose. This one," Nicky emphasized, gesturing between them. "The people we trust to be part of our lives. The people we care about." "I'm trying to eat here," Wymack said. "Coach doesn't have a sentimental bone in his body," Nicky told Neil. "I don't know what Abby sees in him. He must be really good in—" "Another word and you're on dish duty," Abby said, and Nicky wisely shut up.

She wasn't the first to say that, but Neil wondered if Andrew's opinion of him would change when he was off his medication.

"Harsh, Neil," Nicky said. "For someone who's usually so quiet you can be a real jerk sometimes. There's a way to let girls down gently, you know." "Why?" Neil asked, but Nicky only heaved a pitying sigh. Neil shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and looked at Dan. "Do girls need kid-glove treatment? I thought they were tougher than that." Dan's grin was approving. "Most of us are. Some of us are like boys, though, and have delicate egos."

"First you steal Andrew's car, then you steal his girl..." Matt slipped a gloved hand into Dan's and looked at Neil. "Oh, and you've pretty much corrupted the rest of the monsters into hanging out with us outside of practice. Let me know if you need backup when you've got to explain all this to him." "Thanks, but I can handle him," Neil said. "We noticed," Dan said dryly,

"I would love to see you try. You think I'm afraid of your knife? I'm the Butcher's son."

"Neil hit Riko," Matt said. "It was beautiful."

He had it half-packed when he realized the bag was too small. For eight years he'd never owned more than what could fit in a carry-on. In the past half-year here his possessions had doubled in number. Even when his bag was full there were things in his drawers. Neil was at once confused and heartened, and he pressed a hand to his folded shirts. It was proof he was coming back, something he hadn't had since he was a child.

"Nathaniel Wesninski," he said, like he found every syllable wanting. "Kneel."

"You will kneel," Tetsuji said. Neil had a feeling he was going to regret this for the rest of his very short life, but he smiled and said, "Make me."

"Neil," Wymack said. Neil, Wymack called him, even when he looked like this, even with his father's face and his father's eyes and the Moriyamas' number on his face. Neil, Wymack called him, and more than anything Neil wanted it to be true. He stopped fighting to get free; the hands that had been trying to wrench Wymack's arms off him now held on for dear life. "Help me," he said through gritted teeth. "Let me," Wymack shot back, so Neil closed his eyes.

seemed excited to hear from him now. He was their family. They were his. They were worth every cut and bruise and scream.

months until Finals. Facing the Foxes on the court this spring would be the last mistake Riko ever made.