chapter ten
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"Nicky thinks I'm mean to you."

     Abby continued stirring away at her pot, unbothered as she got a head start on dinner because she'd be busy later,"Nicky doesn't have a copy of our rule book, and we've been playing the game for far too long that we've completely tossed it out ourselves, but we have a mutual understanding."

     "Basically, he doesn't know that you're mean back." Maeve deadpanned as she looked away from watching Echo swim around, Abby slammed a cutting board and knife down in front of her and gave her a stern look, but it wasn't real and Maeve could tell she was actually amused. She accepted the carrots that came next and began to chop.

     "I was going to say he doesn't know all we've— you've been through to get here, to this point now. And that's a result of you not talking to him, or anyone, but sure." She shrugged.

     Maeve rolled her eyes,"I talk to Betsy."

     "You have to talk to Betsy." Abby scoffed,"She's also twice your age before you think about saying that you talk to me."

     "Well I could eliminate at least half my issues if my friends that are my age weren't such fucking assholes—" Abby glared at her over her shoulder for her choice of language and she rose her hands in defense,"What? Sorry, but okay, they are, and that's exactly why I don't associate with them anymore."

     "They weren't very good friends to begin with." Abby sighed,"Friends don't encourage friends to fall back into bad habits, or call them buzzkill when they don't agree, or turn to the next available body when they leave, or—"

"I get it." Maeve closed her eyes, she rubbed her temple slowly,"I don't wanna talk about it— them... her... anymore."

     "Okay, next topic," Abby tried to be subtle as the following words left her mouth,"Running, with Kevin."

     Maeve rolled her eyes,"He was there when I was leaving and he asked to come along and I didn't say no, it doesn't mean anything and it probably won't happen again, he can't keep up and he has a staring problem."

     Another shrug. "Maybe he likes you."

     She thought back to all the times Kevin had yelled at her for being a shitty backliner and she shouted back that it was a result of shitty communication, the many arguments they'd had over her form of defense and his entitlement. She thought back to that very morning and kissing him... the feel of his mouth and the way it painted a vivid picture across the canvas of her heart, she had breathed his air and tasted his soul.

     All for him to reject her.

     She came back down to her senses, she was still mid conversation with Abby and she spoke before her sudden silence made her seem suspicious,"Nah, he's got a one track mind— Exy 24/7. Plus he's way too arrogant to love anyone other than himself."

     "Or maybe he just needs someone to change that." Abby suggested nicely.

     "People don't change other people." Maeve countered with a scowl,"And even if they did, it certainly wouldn't be me to change him. Besides, you know how I feel about getting involved with your teammates."

     "You only feel that way because you don't like Matt and Dan together."

     "Yeah, well, they don't work." She rolled her eyes,"Matt just isn't ready to admit it yet because he's scared he won't find better."

The sound of Maeve's cellphone going off prevented Abby from speaking any further, and while Maeve was grateful for the distraction, seeing the name WYMACK flash across the screen was a not so fast at her.

     She let it ring a couple times before bringing it to her ear,"I knew you enjoyed our chats—"

     "No bullshit today, Kingston, I need you to come to my apartment ASAP."

     "If you want me to talk to newbie again—"

     He cut her off again,"No, not him. Kevin."

     "Kevin? And what makes you think I wanna talk to him, I see enough of his face here."

     "Yeah, well, I didn't ask you what you wanted, did I? So shut up and get your ass over here because he sure as hell wants to talk to you."

     "I don't even have a car."

     "You're perfectly capable of running here and you know it so just do it already."

     Maeve scoffed, but he hung up on her before she could protest any more and she gave Abby an annoyed look,"I hate your boyfriend."

     "He's not my—"

     "Yeah, yeah, I'll see you at dinner." Maeve sighed and picked up her keys on the way out. Wymack was right, of course, she was more than capable of running from Abby's to his apartment and she could do it in under five minutes, but just because she could didn't mean she wanted to. And yet, her walking soon turned into running at full speed.

     She caught sight of Neil leaving the building just as she went to enter it and they exchanged the shortest of glances as she slowed to a walk again on the way to the elevator. She hadn't really spoken to him since he arrived and she was now realizing how awkward it'd be.

Neil Josten was too close to her past, and she had enough ghosts haunting her.

     Wymack was waiting for her outside his door, he gave her the same glare that he always did and she returned it with a bored look. She didn't want to be here, so why was it that her legs kept pushing her forward? She stopped in front of him and waited because she knew he had something to say, and right on cue—

"He's not in the best mood right now, so how about you don't be your usual loving self and let him say whatever it is he wants to say to you before you go making comments about all the rest? Just be fucking nice is what I'm saying."

     "He's never in a good mood and neither are you, nor am I nice." Maeve pushed past him and walked into the living room.

     Kevin sat on the couch, holding an already halfway drunk bottle of vodka and Maeve scoffed as she tore it out his hands and gave it back to Wymack,"You're not at all helping him by giving him this shit, so why don't you be fucking nice and get the fuck out, I'm sure there's plenty for you to be doing right now, starting with leaving us alone."

     "Just promise you won't kill each other." He grumbled, but picked up his things anyway, giving them both one last glance before shaking his head and walking out. Maeve shut the door behind him as a way of stalling for herself, what the hell was she doing here?

She took a deep breath before facing Kevin again, slowly she walked over to him, she took his chin into one hand and forced him to look up at her. Shock trickled its way through her body, from the padding of her thumb that gently swiped across his jawline, to her toes and even through the sneakers she wore that touched his, all because in his eyes, layered behind a million brushstrokes of emotion, were tears. She almost flinched. She didn't know how to describe the feeling that came after.

All she knew was that she'd punch whoever it was that was responsible for landing him in this state, and probably Wymack for making it worse by adding vodka into the mix. It was like Exy practice, where she would challenge Dan even though she knew she couldn't do much better in her position.

     Another deep breath.

     "I'm not good at this stuff." She started, but he shook his head.

His hand went up to meet hers, scarred and shaking slightly as he brought her down to sit beside him. "That's not why I asked you here."

A part of her wanted to blurt that he hadn't asked. Wymack demanded.

     But she didn't. "Then what?"

     Kevin cleared his throat and sat up straighter, some stalling of his own. And then,"The day I... broke my hand— the day I spoke with Wymack and he agreed to let me come back with the Foxes and be on the sidelines while I healed, you weren't there that day."

"No." It wasn't a question, they both knew she hadn't been there in the beginning and it was probably why his presence angered her so much, he'd just... come out of nowhere and she really disliked being caught off guard. "There's not much I like to remember about that day, it started shitty, and by nightfall all I wanted was to hit something. I spent most of the banquet hiding from an asshole called Hanson and the rest of it up on the bus while I waited for the others to have their fill so we could leave, Wymack wasn't happy to give me the keys, but when he realized it was the better alternative than me taking my anger out on someone... he relented and I fell asleep in the back."

"And the next morning?"

     She twisted her ring around on her finger,"I'd gotten myself back here by then."

     "And Wymack was too busy with me to notice." Kevin concluded and then started up again,"The Foxes were curious."

"Mm, nosey is more like." She corrected.

     "Same concept." He disregarded and continued,"And Wymack doesn't keep secrets from his team so he gave them answers, everything I'd said to him, the truth that got me on that bus and led to... here."

     Maeve refrained from asking where he thought here was exactly, still her own curiosity got the better of her.

     "The truth being which?"

"I didn't break my hand in a skiing accident."

The world stopped. Buildings fell away and color faded to black and white, everything was an illusion, was nothing like she'd known before. She couldn't breathe.

"What?"

Kevin was looking at his hand, tracing the scarring,"It was Riko... he broke my hand."

     "Why?"

     She already knew. Say it. You know why too.

     "Jealousy."

     Anyone who was anyone involved in Exy knew of Riko, of Kevin. And though Maeve wasn't one to keep up with the news outlets, it was impossible to not hear about some gossip or other at some point, she especially hated to see Riko Moriyama in headlines, his annoying face plastered all over the magazines laying in the lounge. Now she had a reason to put a hole in said face.

     Kevin paused to gauge her reaction, but she gave nothing away as he went on to explain the secret truth of the Moriyama family business. She knew he had a limited time to get it all out before he shut down again, so she waited, and she listened, and when he finally seemed to reach the end, she stood up.

But it wasn't the end.

     "There's more."

     She whirled around, a new kind of heat fueling her anger now.

"The Ravens have transferred to the southeastern district." His brows furrowed as he continued tracing patterns on his palm.

"Good."

He looked up lightning fast, her hands were balled up at her sides.

"Riko only thinks he's number one, and when we're out on that court you're gonna show him just how wrong he is."

Kevin shook his head,"He'll kill me."

It pained her to see that he genuinely believed that and suddenly his equally out of nowhere friendship with Andrew made sense, she kneeled down in front of him, took his hand and put it palm down on the couch with her own stacked on top of it,"Kevin."

Tears brimmed in his eyes again and he fought against her when she tried to force his gaze to her. "Kevin." She said again, to ground him, to delay what she truly wanted to say... she didn't know which, really, but then she was speaking and it was hard for him to not look at her when she said what she did next.

"If Riko thinks it's gonna be as easy for him to get to you as it was for them to transfer, he is sorely mistaken. He's not going to face you on the court, he's going to face me, and he's going to have so many regrets when he does." She held his gaze,"And if he even tries to get to you off court, I'm gonna do to his hand what he did to yours, only I won't stop there, because I'm not merciful, and you don't fuck with a Fox."

     He gaped a little, then he cleared his throat,"So you're finally admitting I'm a Fox?"

     She shrugged,"You fit the criteria."

     The ringing of her phone cut her conversation short for the second time this day, only this time it was Nicky and he'd shot her a text.

     It read: outside !!!!!!! :). How he even knew she was there, she didn't know, but she put the device back in her pocket and looked to Kevin once more. Had they been speaking for that long? She frowned,"No more secrets." He looked hesitant and she added,"As soon as there's time you're telling me whatever the fuck the deal is with Andrew."

     "What about you?" He asked.

     She stood up again,"What about me?"

     "Tell me something in return."

     "I'll think about it." She wouldn't. She couldn't say to Kevin the things that went on in her life, or even her head. "Nicky's here."

He followed her, and they fell into silence in the elevator. She guessed that was that, but when she climbed into the back and went to shut the door, he stopped it and slid in beside her. Nicky looked like he wanted to comment on Kevin not immediately heading for shotgun, but Maeve spoke before he could.

"Andrew hates waiting Nicky."

It was true, and for once Nicky decided to be smart. He did as he was told and drove.

She didn't ask where Aaron was, she didn't care enough, and when they arrived she saw a way out. Her motorcycle parked right where she'd left it. Take it. Leave. Walk away now.

Maeve looked down, during the short drive from Wymack's to campus, Kevin had taken her hand into an iron tight grip and she was scared. Not to let go or how he'd react when she did or even Nicky seeing them, but of the increase in her heart rate. From the moment his scarred palm touched the smooth by default surface of her own, she could feel it pounding in the back of her skull.

It was a reminder that this was new territory and she was breaking her own rules.

Andrew walked out the second the car came to a full stop and Nicky got out to switch places, but instead of getting into the back with them he took up the passenger seat and Andrew took a moment after adjusting everything back to his liking. "Kevin, front." He demanded.

But Kevin still hadn't let go. And she didn't plan to.

"No." He said.

He still smelled of vodka. She hated it.

This caused both Andrew and Nicky to look back at them, Kevin unhooked their fingers just in time to avoid Nicky's gaze, but Andrew had surely seen them with the way his lips curved up into a smile. To him, their intertwined hands had been like a glow in the dark, impossible to miss. He chuckled humorlessly,"Oh." He laughed some more,"Oh, Kevin, Kevin."

"Shut up and drive." Maeve scowled.

     He did and the silence was filled in gaps by Nicky, who had plenty to say after not seeing them for the entirety of a day. Maeve, however, was back on the roof, only this time there was a body beside her and he held her hand tight, like he never wanted to have to let go.

And she knew she was gone for good. And she'd do anything to feel his skin against hers again.