Rainbow Connection, AFTG ✔️

2.8

CHAPTER EIGHT
PORTER

The Foxes were falling apart in slow motion, and Porter could only watch. It had started with Andrew attacking Allison, but shortly after, Aaron had decided to quit being a team player. Katelyn and Neil banded together to force the Minyards into group counseling with Betsy, and Aaron was now significantly pissed off that his girlfriend wouldn't speak to him.

The day was full of chaos and nothing good, but the next morning came too soon, and with it came more bad news.

Wymack called them early to say the campus was defaced. Black paint covered buildings and sidewalks in thick sloshes and the pond was stained bright red from dye. Rude graffiti tarnished the white outer walls of the Foxhole Court. Wymack didn't want the team stopping by to see it but didn't want them hearing about it secondhand, either. The facilities department was out and about trying to restore everything as fast as possible. Wymack vowed to shred campus security as soon as he got them on the phone.

The second wave of vandalism brought the press running back, and a reporter finally got close enough to Wymack to put a microphone in his face. Wymack was too smart to go after the Ravens, so he settled for attacking the fans.

"I think it's pathetic," he said. "What good do these cowards think they're accomplishing by lashing out at us like this? All they're doing is bringing negative attention and publicity to the team they're trying to defend. It's past time the Ravens spoke out."

Edgar Allan's president, Louis Andritch, responded within the hour and made an obligatory appeal to Raven fans to cease such "unruly" behavior. Tetsuji Moriyama released a harsher statement shortly afterward, condemning the attacks as both insulting and unnecessary. It sounded suspiciously supportive until Moriyama finished with, "You cannot house train a dog by beating it a day late; it is not smart enough to correlate action and punishment. You have to discipline it the moment it misbehaves. Leave it to us to correct them on the court."

Dan seethed the rest of the day, but Moriyama's words got through to the fans. Monday dawned with no new disasters. With the outside distractions gone, the team was free to focus on their internal problems again, which was nothing better.

Dan and Matt spoke to Neil and Porter but ignored the rest of Andrew's group, which Porter horribly found himself indoctrinated into by proxy. Allison acted like nothing had happened but noticeably stayed out of Andrew's reach. Aaron didn't so much as look in Neil's direction and wouldn't talk to anyone, Nicky included. Porter hated how badly it effected him when his cousins treated him so poorly.

Kevin griped about the rampant discord for forty minutes of afternoon practice, then gave up chewing out his teammates and rounded on Neil. "If you cost us our game because you couldn't keep your mouth shut—" He didn't finish that threat, assuming Neil could fill in the blanks himself. His expression only darkened when Neil waved him off. "This is not the time for your attitude. Stop causing unnecessary problems before you ruin anything else."

Neil settled on the simplest response: "Fuck you."

Kevin shoved him like he could push sense into Neil. Neil shoved back with everything he had and sent Kevin careening into Matt. Luckily Matt had been watching the short argument. He stumbled under Kevin's sudden weight but didn't fall and grabbed Kevin to stop him from going after Neil.

Neil pointed his racquet at Kevin in warning and strode for half-court. Porter stood up from the bench so quickly and violently that his racquet banged on the metal, and when he went to move, James accidentally stepped on his foot with his crutch, and he fell on his hands. The whole time, he glared at Neil.