Rainbow Connection, AFTG ✔️

2.17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
PORTER

The Foxes learned the truth about Kevin's father as soon as Neil and Kevin returned from the stadium. Neil collected Nicky and the twins from their room and Porter and James from theirs. He brought them all next door to the girl's room, a pile of backpacks and travel suitcases in the living room.

Matt and Allison were sitting on the couch while Renee unplugged electronics around the room. Renee went and got Dan from the bedroom when Neil asked her to. Dan sank into the open spot between Matt and Allison and grabbed a mug off the coffee table. Neil waited until everyone was settled before looking across the room at Dan.

"Coach is Kevin's father."

Dan spat her coffee halfway across the table and choked on what little didn't make it out of her mouth. Matt stared slack-jawed at Neil for an endless second before he realized Dan was coughing, and then he gave her an enthusiastic thump on the back. Dan tried to say something, but it was an unintelligible hoarse wheeze. Allison and Renee stared at Neil like he'd grown a second head, and Aaron looked to Andrew like Andrew should have warned them of this at some point. If Andrew noticed the attention, he didn't return it; he was staring at Neil.

Porter groaned and shrunk into his spot on the couch, "How did it go?"

"You knew!" Nicky yelled quickly, "No way! No way! Are you serious? You can't be serious. When the hell did that happen?"

"She taught Coach Exy," Neil reminded him.

"And what, he didn't notice that he knocked her up?" Aaron asked.

"She told him Kevin wasn't his," Neil said. "She knew Coach wanted to have an NCAA team one day. She thought he'd abandon his dreams to help her raise Kevin. She didn't want that, but she didn't want to give up what she was doing and move to the States, either. So she lied. The only person she told was Coach Moriyama."

Dan finally got her voice back. "How long has Kevin known?"

"Only a couple years," Neil said.

"A couple years," Dan echoed, voice dangerous, "and he didn't say anything?"

"He was trying to protect him," Neil said. "If Coach knew Kevin was his son, he'd have tried to take him from Edgar Allan."

Nicky grimaced. "They'd have never let Kevin go."

"He should have said something when he ran away," Dan insisted. "He's been down here a year and a half now. He had no right to keep something like this from Coach for so long. Jesus, he didn't—" Dan's voice cracked a bit, more grief than outrage, "That's not right. That's not fair."

"No," Neil agreed quietly, "but at least Coach knows now."

"Damn," Matt said. "How'd he take it?"

"I wasn't there for the conversation," Neil said, "but I don't think it went well."

Dan made an awful noise and got up from the couch. Matt reached for her only to get his hand smacked away. Dan bolted for the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Matt looked flabbergasted by that violent rejection, but Renee took over Dan's empty spot and slipped her arm through his. Despite that silent show of support, Renee was looking at Allison. The look they exchanged was tired.

"Where's Kevin?" Porter asked.

"Downstairs."

When Porter stood up, Nicky quickly shook his head, "No, no, wait, you did know didn't you?"

"Of course I knew," Porter scoffed, "I know everything about Kevin."

He tried to leave again, but Matt said, "Wh--"