Rainbow Connection, AFTG ✔️

2.22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
PORTER/VINCENT

The Ravens took the court first and settled into their places. Riko was the first one called out, and Kevin was the first called out for the Foxes, but Neil was close behind him. They headed for the strikers' starting spots on the half-court line. It was obvious that Neil had wanted to start the game, and he was surprised when James sat back and agreed to play the end, up until half-time.

When Porter took the court, he studied Riko. He had icy anger on his face, clearly the result of Kevin's new tattoo. When Kevin and Neil were settled into their positions, Riko let out a slew of vicious Japanese. Kevin ignored him until Riko said something else, then slid a cool look Riko's way and answered. Porter didn't know what he said, but Riko twisted his gloved hands around his stick like he was imagining breaking Kevin's neck. Pissing Riko off right before such an important match was as stupid as it was exhilarating.

Vincent was called on by the announcer. Porter figured he would be playing the same quarters that Riko normally did, first and fourth. He jogged on, racquet in hand, face hidden behind his helmet. His uniform was still matched with a long-sleeved undershirt that worried Porter, and long socks, kneepads, and undershorts couldn't hide the fact that Vincent's left leg looked burnt, peaking out underneath his shorts. On the left was a collection of bandages that went the entire length of visible skin; it seemed more like it was hiding something than healing.

He looked up at the clock as the last Fox went still and watched until they passed the ten-second mark. He glanced over the lineup for a moment, but he settled into place with two seconds left and fire the first shot of the night, straight towards Kevin.

It'd been almost seven months since the Foxes and Ravens last faced each other on the court, and it didn't take the Ravens long to realize they were facing an entirely different team. Last fall the Foxes wrote the game off as a sure loss before they even stepped on the court. They'd played the Ravens because they had to but they looked past it to the hope of spring championships. Tonight, buoyed by determination and half-drunk on desperation, the Foxes had the strongest start they'd had all year. They now had Porter on the court, and James would join him soon. Kevin and Neil had taught all of the Foxes the Raven's footwork. This was a blow to the team that they hadn't expected.

The Foxes were fierce, but the Ravens were angry. It was like poison on the court, a bad vibe that set every survival instinct hissing. The laughingstock of the NCAA should not have made it this far or cost them this much. They'd lost Porter, James, and Jean, suffered a thorough internal investigation, and put up with Riko's violent grief in the wake of his father's death. Their fans' attack on Palmetto State and Kevin's veiled accusations had brought a lot of bad press down on them. There were rumors Edgar Allan wanted to close the Nest and reintegrate the team with the rest of campus for their own psychological safety. Now Kevin showed up on their court with a sneer and a new tattoo, and the Foxes rushed them like they had no doubts they'd win.

The Foxes weren't the same team, but neither were the Ravens. They hadn't taken the Foxes seriously last fall. Now they had to, and they didn't pull any punches.

The game didn't start off violent, but it took no time at all to get there. Bodies slammed against court walls and the floor; sticks cracked together and barely missed glancing off jerseys and helmets. The clatter and skid of racquets sliding against the ground, forcefully knocked out of gloved hands, echoed across the court. Porter only ran faster, back and forth, the length of the court, holding down the midfield. He ran himself dead trying to clear the goal; the backliners simply weren't fast enough to compete. Porter was pulled after twenty minutes in exchange for Allison, and he almost collapsed on the floor when he got to the benches.