Chapter Text
Wymack could see why Neil had his eyes sat on Ronan Lynch. When Wymack first read what they had on the boy he was unimpressed.
Born into privilege, raised around money and prestige, also a trouble maker. That alone wouldn't have been enough to convince Wymack that he deserved a spot on their team. It wasn't his job to teach entitled brats how to behave. He wanted to give second chances to people who needed them.
But beyond the first look Ronan turned out to be way more interesting than his facade. First, his father was murdered and according to the file Ronan was the one that found him. Then he and his brothers got locked out of their home and away from their mother. Like multiple Foxes, Ronan had a record, too. Mostly drag racing and drug posession. Apparently he'd even gone to Juvie for a month after being caught with illegal substances one too many times. The latest addition to his record was a 72 hour long trip to a psych ward after a failed suicide attempt.
Since then he seemed to have mellowed out a bit but kid was still a problem. This wasn't a brat, acting out. Ronan was either screaming for help in the only way he knew how to, or he was someone with absolutely no regard for what was happening to him. Both cases were familiar, both cases were equally tragic.
Pair that with his insane Exy stats and he was a perfect fit for next year's line-up . And he wasn't the only possible candidate from the Aglionby-Raven's Exy team. Wymack himself had picked the other one.
Adam Parrish. The coach at Aglionby had made Wymack aware of Adam. He was the absolute opposite of Ronan, at least on paper. The Coach had told Wymack about Adam's insane work ethic. The kid was top of almost all his classes while working several jobs to pay his tuition. His coach mentioned that he sometimes wasn't sure if Parrish ever slept or if all he could do was work. He also expressed his concern for Adam's home life.
"We don't have any confirmation on that and Adam always refuses to talk about it but the faculty worries that he might have abusive parents. There is no evidence except for unexplained bruises and just a general worry for his well being but it might be a possibility.", the email the coach send Wymack said. The kid wasn't as natural at Exy as Lynch but ten times more ambitious so recruiting him was a no-brainer.
That's how Wymack ended up in a car with Neil and Andrew on their way to Henrietta. Neil had played a part in the selection of the recruits so it made sense to bring him along. And Andrew went where ever Neil went these days. Even if the threat of Neil's past was eliminated, Wymack had the feeling that Andrew was still afraid of Neil being taken away again if he let him out of his sight. A strange thought, Andrew being afraid of something, Andrew caring about someone, Wymack was still getting used to it.
They arrived just in time for the final game the Ravens played in that season. The three stayed further away from the court, not wanting to attract any attention. They met the coach who got them spots in the commentators booth where they could watch without being seen. This school had to be ridiculously overfunded.
The Ravens played well, not particularly aggressive or defensive. They were pretty balanced out. Their playing style only made Ronan and Adam stand out.
Ronan was vicious as a striker, sharp, aggressive, with no mercy. Adam was more strategic in his approach as dealer. He watched the court like a hawk, analysing each situation in split seconds before making a move. While the whole team worked well together, these two were something else. They were perfectly synchronised. Ronan seemed acutely aware of every move Adam made and Adam knew where Ronan would be before he even made a move.
Their partnership won them the game, Wymack was sure of that. Once the final second on the timer passed, the score was 4:8 in the Ravens favor. Neil let out a low whistle, his arms crossed, eyes still focused on the court where the Ravens celebrated with their friends and teammates.
It didn't go past Wymack's attention that Ronan didn't engage in the festivities, separating from the crowd of people. He wasn't taking off, though. Wymack saw him approach a different group of people, running over to him from the stands. Adam was right behind him and they were both greeted by the people who seemed to be their friends. Two guys and one girl threw themselves at them.
Neil had noticed as well and let out a smirk. "At least we don't have another completely antisocial prick on our hands.", he remarked, glancing over at Andrew who only gave him a bored, unimpressed look.
"Hilarious. I'm rolling on the floor.", Andrew returned before giving Neil a shove with his elbow that Neil returned.
Wymack still had his eyes on Ronan, celebrating with his friends. Maybe they were the reason he got a little bit of a handle on his situation lately.
The coach of the Ravens entered the booth a minute later, his smile wide and exhilarated. "So? What'd you think?", he asked, slightly out of breath.
"We want to see both of them.", Wymack nodded.
~
The coach told the two to stay behind a moment longer after they showered and changed. Wymack and his entourage waited until everyone else was gone before stepping into the changing room.
"What's this about?", Ronan asked as soon as he laid eyes on them. "Ronan, Adam. This is Coach Wymack from Palmetto State University. He's coaching the Foxes and he's interested in recruiting you.", the coach replied, unimpressed by Ronan's sharp tone.
"Nope.", Ronan said immediately, picking up his bag and already heading out, only to be stopped by Adam's hand, held out before his chest.
It shouldn't have worked. Ronan didn't look like the kind of person who could be stopped by anyone. With his shaved head and sharp eyes, pissed off sneer and vicious looking tattoo. Everything about him screamed, stay the fuck away and don't touch me unless you want to get shredded by my edges.
And Adam? Adam was the opposite. Not in a friendly, sunshiny way, no. The boy carried just as much darkness as Ronan but everything about him was more subdued. Where Ronan was loud Adam was muted, where Ronan was bold Adam was faded. Where Ronan was unpredictable Adam was controlled. He shouldn't have been able to stop him but the simple gesture did the trick and Ronan came to a halt, glancing at Adam.
"Hear them out.", Adam ordered and Ronan stilled, reluctantly looking back at Wymack. He raised a single eyebrow, like he was giving him permission to continue.
"I'm looking to fill my ranks with some new faces. Your Coach told me that you haven't decided on a school yet-", Wymack started, talking to Adam. "-and that you didn't even apply.", he added, looking at Ronan. "I need a striker and a dealer and you fit the bill. All you need to do is sign and you got your next 5 years planned out for you. "
"Yeah. I've heard your criteria. You fill your team with a bunch of freaks. I'm honored.", Ronan stated but Adam was listening.
"People who need a second chance, but yeah.", Wymack shrugged and watched as Ronan's eyes shot from him to Neil.
"Is that what your second chances look like? 'Cause your last recruit looks like he's one step away from being living ground beef. Pardon me but I'll pass on those chances."
Even with his arms wrapped in black bands the brutal scars on Neil's hands and face were still visible. They had healed since Neil's run in with his father and Neil didn't attempt to hide them but it still made something ache inside Wymack's chest whenever he looked at him. Neil didn't react to the harsh words, months of press seemed to have dissanitized him to rude comments. Andrew didn't say anything either but Wymack felt him tense beside him. Great.
Adam shot Ronan a glare that the other ignored before focusing on Wymack. "And this would be a full ride?", Adam asked and Ronan's head snapped over to to look at Adam.
"Yes.", Wymack nodded.
"Then I'm taking it.", Adam replied and a satisfaction bloomed in Wymack's chest. Ronan didn't seem as happy.
"What the fuck, Adam? What about Harvard?", he asked. Some of the bite left his voice when he spoke to Adam but Adam didn't budge.
"You know I didn't get the scholarship. I can't afford to go there anyways and Palmetto is a good school and I get to play Ext and not have a bunch of jobs for once. " His words sounded like they should be something personal, not admitted before all these strangers. Adam didn't seem too happy about opening up like this either but he focused on Ronan like the other's weren't even there. "It's my best option. I need to go.", he said apologetically before looking back at Wymack. "Where do I sign?" Neil handed him the contract and Adam actually sat down on a bench to read through it, something not a lot of people did before signing it. Finally he placed his signature and handed it back.
"Do you need us to speak to your parents?", Wymack asked, curious how Adam would react to it. He didn't flinch, didn't pull a face. He only said "No." But it was too quick and Wymack thought that the Coach might've been right about Adam's family-situation.
"Great. We'll be in contact and see you in June.", Wymack nodded before turning his attention to Ronan. "What about you?"
"Fuck off.", Ronan spat, actually leaving this time. Adam watched him storm off and let out a sigh before glancing over at the others.
"Sorry for what he said.", Adam then said, looking at Neil. Neil shrugged before saying. "It's fine." Only one word away from the phrase the Foxes had pretty much forbidden him to use.
"It really isn't.", Adam mumbled before turning his attention towards Wymack. There was something unnerving about Adam that Wymack had no idea how to place. He didn't seem as volatile as Andrew or as screwed up as Neil, he was just...other...strange in a way Wymack had never seen before. Adam was just a boy, not even a really intimidating one, but his eyes were a thousand years old. Wymack couldn't help but to wonder what had to happen to someone to give them that look. "Do you need a reply from him immediately?", he asked.
"I'm pretty sure we already have his answer.", Andrew stated but Adam didn't waver a bit.
"We'll be here until tomorrow afternoon. He has time until then.", Wymack replied, handing Adam one if his cards.
"I'll talk to him."
"Call when you have a reply." Adam nodded before picking up his bag and heading out as well.
~
They ended up at Monmouth Manufacturing after Ronan and Adam rejoined the group, sat on the floor in a circle around several pizza's they had ordered. Gansey, Blue, Adam, and Henry. Aside from his brothers these were all the people Ronan loved, his family... plus Henry. But he was Blue and Gansey's boyfriend so that made him family by proxy so Ronan accepted him.
Adam hadn't hesitated telling them why they had been held up and of course the excitement reached a new peak after his news, followed by a quick crash after Adam told on Ronan for refusing the offer.
"I can't go to South Carolina. I can't dream over there.", Ronan stated. He had only recently discovered that he couldn't leave Henrietta for too long or hold off his dreaming without the nightwash setting in. He would basically start to bleed black ooze from his nose, ears and eyes that would eventually fill his lungs and brain and kill him. It was a convenient excuse for him, or so he though.
"Wait a second.", Gansey interrupted, jumping up before rushing over to his bed where he still had his Glendower notebook. He flipped through it until he found a map of the US where he marked the path of the ley lines. He carried the book back to the group to show them. "The university is right next to one of the ley lines. It can help you control your dreams over there. ", he explained and Ronan's stomach cramped.
"You'd just have to pop by the barnes every once in a while to stop the black faucet of death.", Henry pointed out. Ronan gave him a deadpan stare.
"It's a 7 hour drive. I'd have to go back at least once a week.", Ronan tried but the other ones didn't seem convinced.
"The way you drive you only need 5. ", Blue smirked before reaching for another slice.
"Come on, do you not want to go with me?", Adam asked gently cocking his head to one side. Ronan grew weak.
"It's not that I don't want to go away with you.", he clarified. "It's that I don't want to go to college. I fucking hated high school, I hate people telling me what to do.", he complained and Blue rolled with her eyes but didn't meet his his. Instead of taking note of that he moved his attention back to Gansey.
"Yeah, but you'd get to play Exy . You love that sport. And you don't even need to pay for it, you get a scholarship.", he argued and Ronan scoffed.
"Money isn't an issue. If I wanted to go to college I'd just do it. I don't give a fuck about the scholarship." Ronan noticed something change and it only took him a second to realize what it was. Blue had gone incredibly still, her eyes glaring at Ronan furiously. Before he had time to decipher what this was about she got to her feet. Another second and she was storming through the room to the entrance.
"You're an entitled asshole, Lynch!", she snapped before slamming the door behind her.
"What the fuck was that about?", Ronan asked, looking over to Gansey and Henry for help. Blue and Ronan normally understood each other. It took them both some time to get there but by now he knew her they way he only did few people. Blue had a bit of a temper but she wasn't prone to explosive outbursts like this. She was way too sensible. A quality Ronan lacked entirely.
Gansey let out a deep sight and rubbed a hand over his face
"Shit.", Henry mumbled.
"What?", Ronan demanded. How did he mess up this time?
"Blue applied for Palmetto and got accepted.", Gansey clarified, or tried to but Ronan didn't understand what just happened any better.
"So? Great. Then she can keep Adam company.", Ronan asked and Adam let out a groan.
"She isn't going, dipshit.", Henry cut in. He rarely sounded this harsh, or harsh at all but just like Gansey he had a unique sense of protectiveness when it came to Blue. Not that she wanted to be protected by them. Not that she needed it.
"She didn't get a scholarship and she can't afford it.", Gansey added and wow. That'll rip your guts out. Ronan felt awful as soon as he understood what they were trying to say. Of course she was upset. Of course. Because Ronan got something she wanted but couldn't get and instead of being thankful he shat all over her dreams. Fucking fantastic.
"We'll talk to her.", Gansey said getting up, Henry right behind him. They both didn't look too optimistic.
It wasn't that Blue was stubborn, which she was. But whatever was lately going on with Blue was new. She was cracking and it made sense to none of them.
Blue was steady. Maybe the steadiest of all of them. Her lack of Adam's truckload of emotional issues, Ronan's reckless nature or Gansey's emotional constipation made her the most reliable.
But ever since they defeated the demon, ever since Gansey's search ended and with it his life, ever since Noah slipped away and Cabeswater gave itself away to save Gansey...She had changed.
It were little things at first. A distant look in her eyes, a forced smile. It only got worse from there. Blue grew distant. She didn't avoid them in any way, she was still there but when Ronan looked at her he didn't feel like she was really...There.
She acted normal, or tried to at least but every once in a while her carefully constructed mask cracked. Sometimes Ronan saw her stare at Gansey when she thought no one was looking and she just looked so sad.
One time Adam came by her house and found her training with Mr Grey. He was basically her stepfather and the person to gift her the knife she always carried with her. Since he had laid his life as a hit man to rest he used his talents to teach her how to fight. They knew of it but Ronan had assumed that it was just simple self defence. Not according to Adam.
"She was so angry, she was furious. I never saw her like that.", he had told Ronan when they curled against one another in Ronan's childhood bed back at the Barns.
Gansey and Henry told Ronan that she had nightmares. That she'd start sobbing in her sleep and that they had to shake her awake. She refused to talk about it.
One time Blue went missing for two days. Ronan finally found her in Lindenmere, the new dream forest Ronan had build after Cabeswater killed itself for Gansey. Later she said that she just forgot the time. It could happen in Lindenmere, time worked differently there. But that didn't explain what Ronan saw when he found her. She was sitting under one of the trees, her legs crossed, her arms on her knees. Her face was calm her eyes empty, unseeing, but the worst were the tears, running down her cheeks endlessly. She was mumbling something and Ronan realized after a moment that she was speaking the language of the trees. Ronan had no idea when she had learned that but it wasn't completely outlandish. After all Blue was related to this forest. Her father Artemus, who used to be one of the trees in Cabeswater, had made her part of it all.
It was strange to see her like this, foreign. It took Ronan several tries to get her to snap out of it and when she did she refused to talk about it. As always.
Whatever it was, it was eating at her. Blue was coming apart right in front of them and none of them knew what to do.
Gansey and Henry left and then it were only Ronan and Adam. "I'm such an asshole...", Ronan groaned out, burying his face in his hands.
Adam pat his back gently but replied:"Yeah you are. But you know Blue. She'll get over it in no time." Would she, though? Ronan didn't ask out loud but the question was definitely in the room. Right now it didn't look like Blue was getting over anything.
Ronan was done watching his friend fall apart right in front of him. He needed to do something, needed to help her in whichever way he could. He couldn't tackle the real issue, she refused to tell them what it was. But he could take care of his latest mess and he already had an idea of how to fix it. He just needed to dream something up first.
~
Wymack was honestly surprised when his phone rang the next morning at Ronan Lynch was on the other end of the line. "Meet me in the changing room of Aglionby in an hour." Then the line went dead.
"So he changed his mind?", Neil asked as they got ready before piling into the car. "I suppose. I don't see what the point is in meeting us just to tell us no again.", Wymack shrugged.
"The satisfaction of our deep deep disappointment?", Andrew suggested, not at all helpful. Wymack gave him a sharp look and told him to shut up before starting the engine.
Ronan Lynch was already waiting in the locker room when they arrived leaned against a table with a TV on it. Wymack had no idea how he got in there since everything was locked on Sundays but those rules didn't seem to apply to Ronan Lynch. He looked just as intense as the day before but now there was a determination behind his glare which was new. He was on a mission. Interesting.
"Did you have a change of heart?", Neil asked instead of a greeting.
"Hello Scarface.", Ronan commented and Wymack swore that he felt Andrew shift as if he wanted to throw himself at Ronan.
Neil seemed to hold him back though. "How original. I only heard that one about a thousand times already.", Neil returned instead. Wymack started to wonder if Neil already regretted suggesting this guy.
Ronan smiled but like everything about him his smile was something cruel and twisted. "To answer your question. No I didn't have a change of heart. I still fucking hate college but I did have a change of motivation. I'm joining.", he stated. "Under two conditions."
"What conditions?", Neil asked.
"One.", Ronan held up his index finger. Wymack couldn't help but to notice the scars that started at Ronan's wrists and went all the way up to the crook of his arm.
Wymack knew from the boy's file that he had tried to kill himself so it shouldn't have been a surprise. It wasn't the first time he saw intense scaring either. The majority of Neil's body was covered in gruesome scarring. Hell, it wasn't even the first time he saw scars that were self inflicted. He only needed to look over at Andrew who covered his cut up arms with his black bands.
But there was something about the scarring on Ronan's arm that looked so unlike anything someone could inflict upon themselves. They weren't straight cuts left by razor blades. They were crooked and wild and inhuman. His skin hadn't been cut but ripped apart. Like an animal clawing at it's own leg.
Wymack, focused on Ronan's face, on the words he was saying, pushing the though of his scars away. "- I need time to drive back here once a week. Every week.", Ronan stated and Wymack raised his eyebrows. They weren't exactly near South Carolina.
"Once a week? For what?", Neil asked.
"That's my business but I can't compromise on it.", Ronan replied. Wymack thought about it for a moment. He might miss a few practices but Ronan was in no way behind. He didn't like it but if Ronan could put in the work he could skip some sessions without falling behind.
"What's the second condition?", Wymack asked, not giving a reply yet.
"Two.", Ronan said, holding up two fingers now. He didn't seem to care at all that he was showing off his scars. Interesting. "I have a friend. She doesn't go here. She goes to the local public school and she applied for your university and got accepted. But she didn't get a scholarship and she can't afford to go.", he explain.
"And what do you want me to do about it?", Wymack asked, his tone rough and annoyed. He didn't like where this was going.
"I want you to watch her play. She played defence on her schools team.", Ronan pulled a disk out of the pocket of his pants and put it into the DVD player.
"Get her a full ride for your school and I'll join her. Those are my only two conditions. I don't accept compromises. " With that he pressed play and a recoding of a game started playing.
The court was absolute shit. Way smaller than the regular ones, the players didn't have uniforms or numbers. Only red or green vests pulled over their gear.
Ronan pointed his friend out to them. Her name was Blue and she was tiny. Maybe even a little smaller than Andrew if that was even possible. But that turned out to be her strongsuit. She was lightning quick and small enough to just duck away from anyone who went for her. Her team seemed pretty useless and they were not doing her any favors but Blue was hell bent on defending the goal, even if she had to do it by herself. She wasn't as strategic as Adam or as purely talented as Ronan but she was the most passionate.
"She should be goalkeeper but they didn't have that position free so she picked defence. She's amazing in both.", Ronan commented and for the first time Wymack didn't hear any trace of disdain in his voice.
Once the video ended Ronan looked back at them. "I don't deserve to go to your school, hell, I don't even want to. But she does. Get her a spot and I'll sign your stupid contract."
Wymack had made the decision the first time he saw Blue sprint straight towards an opposing striker before diving under their arm right before they could collide. Her opponent ran straight into a wall and lost the ball which Blue quickly passed to a team-mate. But there was still one thing he had to ask. "What's her situation?"
Ronan gave him a strange looked before it clicked. Then he let out a laugh, a humorless sound, he shook his head. "Right. You have a theme.", Ronan stated before answering the question. "She isn't like me. She isn't fucked up like me. If that's what you're looking for, she ain't it. I'm not saying she doesn't have issues. She definitely does."
"What kind of issues?", Wymack asked. He had to have a vague idea of what he was getting himself into. Last year he hadn't known right away and Neil's secrets could've gotten them all killed.
"I don't know yet. But I hope that this will fix it. Or at least give me time to figure out what she needs. It ain't her family, though. I know you're looking for kids from broken homes and while her family is absolutely insane on a different level, they are good people-", he paused before adding:"Or at least they try to be.
Wymack contemplated his decision for a little while longer, trying to decide on the pros and cons of the offer. Blue wasn't his typical recruit, she didn't fit his mission. But he knew that no one else would give her that chance and he saw her determination and passion. Her potential. It wouldn't be fair to throw that away. The same went for Ronan. It wouldn't be the first time he had to convince someone to give themselves a chance. A simple glance to his right reminded him of his hardest case yet and he even got Andrew to try in the end.
"Alright. Get her here and we'll get you both to sign.", he stated and a smile pulled at Ronan's lips. He looked satisfied. Interesting.
He pulled out a phone and dialled. On the other end of the line he could hear a girls voice but couldn't make her words out. Only that she sounded alarmed. "Everything is fine.Get to the boy's locker room.", Ronan replied before ending the call.
It only took her 5 minutes so Wymack assumed that Ronan had ordered her to the school beforehand, in anticipation of his victory. Wymack had only seen blurry videos of her in her gear. In real life Blue was so much smaller but also bolder. She was tiny. Not really shorter than Andrew but she didn't have his width. Her skin was of a warm brown and so we're her eyes. Her black hair was held up by about a million hairclips and it spiked out in all directions and her clothes made her look like an arts and crafts fairy.
But what Wymack noticed almost immediately were the scars around her eye, they weren't even fully healed yet maybe only one or two months old and they looked like someone had tried to claw her eye out.
"What is this?", she asked, her eyes meeting Ronan's. He still wore that smug grin and looked over at Wymack expectantly.
"Hello, my name is David Wymack. I'm Coach of the Palmetto Foxes and you must be Blue." He held has hand out for her to shake it and she did after recognition made her eyes grow large.
"What-", she gasped.
"We were just speaking to Ronan and... well , he convinced us that if we want him, we need to take you as well. I hope you're still interested in our University.",Wymack continued.
"I can't afford it-", Blue stammered, pulling her hand back. She was still stunned.
"Doesn't matter. As part of the Foxes you'd be on a full scholarship. You don't need to pay anything. So? Are you interested?"
A beat of silence and then a wide smile split on the girls lips. "Of course I am!", she exclaimed. "Where do I need to sign?"
Neil took out the contracts, they always had a few extra ones with them in case a pissed of player would rip the contract to shreds. (It wouldn't be a first.)
Ronan and Blue both signed and Neil wrote down Blue's information so they could contact her and Wymack handed both of them his card before saying his goodbyes until June.
Once they stepped out of the room he heard Blue let out a victory cry before laughing wildly. "Where did you even get that video, I didn't see you film?", Blue asked.
"Dreamt my memories and put them in a DVD.", Ronan said as if it made any sense at all. Wymack just stepped away when he heard Ronan bark out a laugh. It might've been the most honest thing he had heard from that boy in the last two days.