Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
The last, “Coach canceled practice tomorrow” was unnecessary, but Jeremy laughed.
“Good! Take the time to take care of each other.”
He set his phone away before Kevin could answer and jogged back down to the court.
-
On August 3rd, Rhemann came to Lyon to collect his team. Rather, he came looking for Jeremy and then went in search of Jean as soon as Jeremy peeled away from his machine. Never in Jeremy’s four-plus years had Rhemann interrupted the morning workout like this; even Coach Lisinski looked on edge as she watched him steal two players out from underneath her nose. That Rhemann didn’t simply pull them into the next room did nothing to put Jeremy at ease. They went all the way outside, and only when they’d put about twenty feet between them and the fitness center did Rhemann turn on them.
“I’ve spent the last hour on the phone with Edgar Allan,” he said without preamble. “More accurately: I’ve split the time between them and a hauling company trying to figure out how best to resolve the matter. The Ravens have sent you a gift,” he explained, studying Jean with disquieting intensity. “They’ve dropped a car off at the Gold Court for you.”
Jeremy stared. “They bought him a car?”
“Sent it over with the title,” Rhemann said, and Jeremy glanced over to see what Jean thought of that. The too-blank look on his face wasn’t encouraging, but Rhemann only gave him a few seconds to react before saying, “Supposedly you left it in West Virginia, so they covered the costs of getting it transferred over.”
Jean looked ill, not surprised, so Jeremy connected the dots as best he could. “It’s really yours, isn’t it?”
“All Ravens are given cars when they sign to Edgar Allan,” Jean said slowly. Jeremy belatedly remembered Kevin saying something similar: they’d given him a car, and he’d used it to flee Evermore when Riko broke his hand. “They should have destroyed it when they destroyed everything else. Why didn’t they?”
Jeremy thought of Jean’s notebooks and folded his arms tight across his chest. “Too expensive to be that careless with, perhaps?”
“It’s nicer than mine,” Rhemann agreed. Jeremy could have told him that everyone had a nicer car, but Rhemann had inherited that ancient station wagon from his late father and would rarely tolerate jokes about its obvious decline. “Someone paid a pretty dime to ensure it made it directly to you. They refuse to leave it at the court without your permission, and I already tried twice to reschedule delivery, so I need you to ride over and sign off on the delivery.”
“They spent all of spring stirring up trouble,” Jeremy said. “Why this? Why now?”
“Uncharitable best guess?” Rhemann shrugged and motioned them toward his car. “Jean’s interview is next week, and Edgar Allan knows they’re going to be a hot topic. This is an unsubtle bribe to keep his mouth shut and smile away any prying questions.”
Jean would never argue with a coach, but Jeremy saw the look on his face as he and Jean climbed into the backseat. “You disagree?”
“They know I will not speak against the Ravens,” Jean said.
“Maybe Coach Moriyama knew that.” Jeremy didn’t miss the way Jean flinched at his name. “They’re under new leadership now, and Coach Rossi is tasked with trying to somehow salvage their reputation. He’ll start with the carrot.”
He let Jean mull over that for the first half of the ride, then said, “You could, you know. Turn on them, I mean,” he added when Jean refused to look at him. “You’re not a Raven anymore; you’re not beholden to their contracts and expectations. You have the right to speak out about what happened to you.”
Jean made a rude noise in his throat. “There is nothing to say.”
“I’m not saying you should tell people more than you’re comfortable sharing, but you should establish and protect your own boundaries. Stop letting them tell your story for you.”
He waited, but Jean continued to stare out his window like he wasn’t even listening. Jeremy swallowed a sigh and said, “You don’t even have to make it personal, if you don’t want. Even just some insight into what’s wrong at Evermore would help start the conversation again and make people question what they’ve so blindly assumed about you. The Ravens’ training schedule, the way you’re forbidden to interact with outsiders, the ironclad meal plans...” He trailed off, hoping Jean could fill in the blanks from there.
Jean asked, “How long have you known Kevin?”
“Uhhh?” Jeremy blinked, thrown. “Three years, give or take? No, closer to four. He and Riko weren’t on the team yet, but they attended our semifinals match with the Ravens my freshman year. They came by the bench to say hello afterward. Why?”
“Four years,” Jean said, “and you heard about the Ravens’ schedule from me. Their dietary restrictions, their synchronized majors, contrition, from me. Not once in four years did Kevin bother to explain himself to you, and you think I would say such things to a camera?”