Rainbow Connection, AFTG ✔️

2.6

CHAPTER SIX
PORTER

Neil came back to the team that week. Their night practices started up, and Porter pushed as hard as he could; his excitement for Friday was too strong for him to not. Every time he picked up his racquet, he felt like he could run wind sprints.

January 12th rolled around, and Porter nearly chewed through his pens in his classes. His late class that Friday had excused him from attendance because of the game, and Porter was grateful he didn't have to keep faking attention. All that mattered was that they had a one-twenty flight out of Upstate Regional.

First serve was scheduled for seven-thirty, but Wymack wanted them on the ground in Austin two hours early. He didn't trust winter weather, he'd said. Porter doubted it was even cold in Texas -- it was Texas, after all. South Carolina was a winter hellscape though; it was pouring outside, cold and hard enough to feel like ice.

It was raining too hard for an umbrella to do any good, and Porter was grateful for the winter coat that he'd picked out with Kevin and Nicky. He pulled up the hood and took quick steps on the sidewalks and paths; he didn't want to run on soggy and slippy concrete.

By the time he walked into his dorm, the carpeted dorm halls were already soaked, and he only added to the mess. He opened the door to hear Neil say, "I don't bet,"

Matt nodded in Porter's direction as a greeting, and James wiggled his fingers in lieu of a wave. Porter started pulling off his jacket and backpack while Matt kept talking to Neil, "Still? On anything?" They were talking about the Foxes gambling obsession, Porter assumed, "We've got, what, sixteen ongoing bets now, and you don't want in on any of them? Well, fourteen that you're qualified to bet on. Some of the pots are getting pretty big and you're probably in the best position to win on a couple of them."

"Why fourteen?" Neil asked. "What happened to the other two?"

"Can't bet on yourself," Matt said. "That's cheating."

Neil tilted his head back to look at Matt. "I didn't know you were betting on me."

"We bet on everyone at one point in time," Matt said. "Did you know most of the team bet against me and Dan? They didn't think I'd have the courage to ask her and they knew she'd never give me a chance. She was kind of a man-hater when I met her. I want to blame it on her time at the strip club but I think it's mostly due to the guys Coach gave her to work with her freshman year. Even Allison told me not to try."

"You tried anyway," Neil said.

"For a year," Matt said. "Made Renee a small fortune when Dan finally gave in. She's the only one who bet on us. She's always the most willing to bet on lost causes."

"That's why you bet on Andrew and Renee," Neil said.

"Andrew and Renee?" James asked. He had a mug of something brown, hot chocolate or coffee, in his hands, and a blanket on his shoulders. Porter envied his warmth and chattered his teeth. "Are they together?"

"Not yet. It's a big bet right now," Matt said explained. "For a while, there Renee was the only one outside of his little group Andrew would talk to. Renee said they had a lot in common and it was nothing serious, but then he let her drive his car. That's a GS, Neil. You don't loan that out to just anyone."

Neil waved a hand over his head to show the significance passing him by. "I don't speak cars."

"I'm saying after he finished tricking it out, it cost almost six figures," Matt said.

Neil bolted upright and twisted around to stare at Matt. "Cost what?"

"Jesus Christ," Porter muttered then shook his head, "I'm going to change."