Something Real (Andreil)

Chapter Five

Andrew just stared at him.

"I'll take that as a no then?" Neil turned to leave, but Andrew got up to stop him.

"Fine but try not to slow me down."

Andrew has little regrets. He doesn't believe in them and makes a habit of standing by his decisions. Nonetheless, twenty minutes into this run, and Andrew regrets tagging along with Neil.

Neil was fast. He jogged at a decent pace yet managed to hold onto his stamina. Andrew was fit and could probably run circles around most, but his endurance had a limit. Halfway through the run, they stopped in a park so Andrew could catch his breath.

"You know, if you trained with the foxes, you'd be in better shape."

"Fuck off." Andrew muttered as he resisted the urge to clutch his sides.

Neil jogged in place and Andrew seriously wanted to hit him. "Have you thought about it? Joining, I mean."

"I've been a little busy taking care of you."

Neil rolled his eyes. "No one asked you to."

"No, but if your crazy ass had to be shipped off somewhere, I rather not hear Kevin complain for months."

"It won't happen again. That was a slip."

Andrew looked at him and knew that was a lie. "Let's play another round of truth since you don't seem to be fond of honesty today." Andrew didn't wait for his agreement. "Who's Nathaniel?"

Neil stopped short, his ceaseless jogging finally coming to an end. "How do you know that name?"

"That's not how the game works." Andrew glanced around, making sure there wasn't anybody too close to hear. All he saw was empty swings and a girl reading a book under a tree. "I ask, you answer. Then you ask, and I answer. Got it?"

"He's nobody." Neil said, his voice teetering on anger.

"Lie." Andrew quipped.

Neil narrowed his eyes. "He's dead, so why should it matter?"

"It matters because it's all you blubbered about during your panic attack. Hm, what was it again?" Andrew began to mimic Neil's voice. "'I'm not Nathaniel, I'm not the Butcher's son, I'm not lost.'"

Neil took a step back, and for a moment, Andrew thought he would run. "Did everyone hear?"

"No, you were quiet enough." Andrew said, then added, "maybe Renee."

Silence stretched between them. Andrew wasn't going to be the first to break eye contact, so he held his ground. Eventually, Neil sighed and looked down. "It's what I say to myself when I—well, when that happens."

It was barely an explanation. A half assed answer to the game Andrew was playing. Yet Andrew let him get away with it. "You're an idiot."

Neil snapped his head up. "Excuse me?"

"Have you ever considered reversing the words?"

Neil cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe those words don't help because they're reminding you of everything that freaks you out. Try reversing them into something like 'I'm Neil, I'm a fox striker, I'm home'."

Neil's face transformed into something that made Andrews stomach swoop. "Don't look at me like that. Anyone with a brain would have told you the same."

Neil didn't answer him, just took off to a slow jog that Andrew easily caught up with.

By the time they made it back to the dorms, Kevin was up and sitting at the table. Nicky and Aaron were hovering next to him, and Andrew got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Where the hell have you been?" Kevin asked as Andrew made his way over. Neil stood next to him, a tension in his shoulders that hadn't been there before.

"Out for a run." Kevin wasn't talking to Neil, but he answered anyway.

Aaron snorted, and Nicky chewed nervously on a fingernail. "And you didn't think to bring your phones? Either of you?" Andrew could smell the alcohol on Kevin's breath from where he stood.

"A bit early for getting wasted, don't you think?" Neil apparently smelled it too.

Kevin laughed, an awful thing that could easily turn into a sob. Had Riko contacted him? Was that why he was falling apart? "I think under these circumstances, I'm allowed."

"And what circumstances are those? I'm getting bored of guessing in my head." Andrew said.

"Korin." Nicky said. "She was in an accident."

"Is she dead?" Neil asked, his tone surprisingly calm.

"No, but it wasn't pretty. She broke her spine, along with an arm. She's out for the season."

Neil scooted out a chair from the table and took a seat. Andrew didn't give two shits about the other goalkeeper on the team, but he knew what this meant for the foxes and why Kevin was so upset. Renee was the only other goalkeeper, and she couldn't possibly protect the goal for a full game. The foxes chances of winning were too slim for Kevin's taste. For a while, no one said anything as Kevin sipped on a clear liquid from a cup. Andrew could guess what it was.

"Can't we just rotate people out? We have three strikers. Put Seth in the goal while you and Neil are on the field."

Kevin laughed again. "Seth would never agree to that. And besides, he has no goalie experience. Might as well put no one in the goal."

"I'll do it." Neil offered.

"Sure, and lose the fastest player on the team to stand still in a goal." Kevin said.

Neil looked surprised by the underhanded compliment, and Andrew suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "So what do we do?" Nicky asked.

"We find another goalie."

"We can't sign someone this late." Aaron scoffed.

"They'll have to make an exception. Our only other goalie is out for the season before it even started. They will let us sign someone as long as it's before our first game."

"Who? All the best goalies have been signed already." Nicky said.

"You don't think I know that?" Kevin asked, his voice venomous.

Andrew felt eyes bore into his head, but he refused to look at him. Refused to give Neil the satisfaction of considering it. What would Neil have him do? Say something like 'hey guys, I play, sign me.' Yeah, right. Andrew would rather die.

"Then we find someone less than perfect. We can still make it into the championships with an amateur in the goal." Nicky said.

Kevin sighed, shot back the rest of his drink, then put his head on the table. "Not if we lose."