Andrew Minyard

The sun was slowly setting below the horizon. Andrew Minyard sat with his face buried in the collar of his sweatshirt, inhaling the familiar scent of medicine and other medications. It was the scent of his twin brother, the last thing he had left, and Andrew couldn't part with it. He needed this seemingly useless rag, but it wasn't for him. He inhaled the aroma of the medications that had so ingrained Andrew's being, giving him a precise idea of ​​who could smell like that. Only Aaron smelled like that, and only with him could Andrew embody this scent. His fingers tingled. He wanted to smoke, Andrew thought, but he didn't take out his cigarettes; he didn't want his sweatshirt to smell like cigarettes Aaron had never smoked. Hearing footsteps nearby, Andrew realized who was coming: Coach Hernandez.
"I haven't seen your family, Minyar," the coach said. "Sit down not far from Andrew. "
"I couldn't make it," Andrew merely shrugged, as if to say it didn't matter. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the truth either—it would have sounded terribly hypocritical coming from the guy if he'd cared about his dislike of lying, but without lies, he wouldn't have survived. Andrew knew how tired the teachers and coach were of his excuses, but for him, the lies were so familiar. It was the best explanation for why the Minyards weren't in town and why the guy was sleeping in the locker room. It wasn't about money, but rather his illegal status. Milford was slowly dying out, which meant a lot of houses were up for sale, and so Andrew was able to sneak out and find temporary shelter this summer; the neighbors were very elderly and rarely left their homes. But Minyard always double-checked everything ten times before leaving the house. But he couldn't stay like that for long, he knew that if they found out about him, found out that Andrew was living with fake documents, unnecessary questions would start, so he spent the night wherever he could, and so it turned out that sometimes Andrew would sleep in the locker room, deliberately trying not to catch the coach's eye, but the coach, unfortunately, is not blind and was able to see the guy sleeping in the locker room, but for some reason he remained silent.

Unable to withstand such a struggle, he spoke.
"I need to talk to my family," he said because he couldn't say anything else.

• Why? The coach said, confused.
• The form says you're twenty. Actually, Andrew is still eighteen, but if the form says twenty, so be it.
  "Still, we need to consult," Andrew said, catching himself.
  "They'll be thrilled about it." Andrew didn't respond to this; he knew that if Aaron had found out he was considering this, he'd have killed him. But what else could he do? Aaron had died a year ago, and Andrew simply couldn't do otherwise. He'd lost what had kept him going, and when Aaron was gone, Andrew simply lost the point of drifting along, hoping for nothing.
  Wymack stood silently, looking intently at Andrew, and then turned to Kevin and said.
  "Get out." Kevin gathered up all the papers, climbed down from his seat, and left, followed by Neil. Wymack waited until everyone had left before speaking.
  "Do you want me to talk to them?" the coach asked.
  "No need, I'll do it myself," Andrew said, his next question delivered with deadly directness.
  "Your parents beat you." Andrew looked at the coach in utter bewilderment; the question was so tactless that there was no point in answering it. The coach realized this and hastened to add.
  "I'm not just asking this. Coach Hernandez says you sometimes sleep in the locker room, you're always the last one to leave, and you don't want to introduce your family to anyone. He thinks there's something wrong with your family. You know who I'm recruiting for the team, he thinks you're right for me. I don't know the whole story, but something tells me he's not entirely sure. The locker rooms are closing for a while, so you can stay with me until the dorms open. Neil and his friends will be staying with Abby. Abby is our team medic, so you're staying with me temporarily until the dorms open. The apartment is cramped, sure, but there's a couch, and it's definitely softer than the bare ground."

"We looked at many candidates, and you're the perfect fit for this role," said Coach Wymack.
"We should have thrown out your application, we're going to the championship and I don't need a newbie in my room. That's why your coach showed us the game footage. You're like a wall in goal, fighting tooth and nail. That's the kind of guy I need, you know?" Kevin said, looking at Andrew, but Andrew latched onto the word "newbie." That meant Kevin didn't recognize him, and it was just a stupid coincidence. Maybe this is the world's way of showing him what can happen to Andrew if he lingers in one place. Next time, it won't be Kevin coming for him, it'll be Moriyama and his father.
"That's it," Andrew said, feeling like he could breathe in oxygen normally.
"Actually, it's actually a good thing you're from such a remote place," Wymak remarked.
"Nobody on the team, not at your school, not even a single person knows we're here. We don't want you to be in the news this summer. We've got our hands full for the next few weeks, and we don't want to drag you into all that until you've gotten to know the team and settled into the dorms. There's a confidentiality clause at the end, so you have to keep quiet about joining the team until early August."
Andrew looked at the coach and at Kevin, maybe Kevin recognized him after all.
"That's a bad idea," Andrew said, not understanding why he said that.
"Your decision is noted," Wymak said dryly.
"Any more questions or should we sign the papers already? The best option would be to run away, or maybe shoot himself. Kevin didn't recognize him, but maybe he subconsciously remembered the kid he played with in Exy. Running away means living a little longer. The contract will allow Andrew to live a little longer and be normal; the coach said it's for five years. But Andrew doesn't have to stay the whole time; as soon as he senses something is wrong, he can easily leave."

• So what? Wymack urged, self-preservation instinct and logic fighting side by side, and Andrew was rushing from one to the other.

"I've already given my answer, I won't play fox," Andrew said calmly.
"You didn't even hear me out to the end. Since I paid for three, you could have listened to me." A chill ran through Andrew's body, and, fighting his emotions, he managed to force the words out.

• Just don't tell me that you took him with you.
  Wymak looked at him, raised an eyebrow and asked.
• Are there any problems?
  Andrew couldn't tell the truth, and he didn't like lying. So he decided to bend the truth a little.
  "I'm not worthy of playing with the country's champion." And that was true, considering the way he plays.
  "Exactly, although it doesn't matter," said the voice Andrew so desperately didn't want to hear. He hoped his face didn't twitch, revealing his state. Although, what's surprising? Why would Neil even come? He wouldn't be staring at a newbie, especially a goalie. Neil was only here because Kevin Day never goes alone. Kevin sat on the table, surrounded by papers. Judging by his impassive face, Andrew's words didn't impress him in the least. If Kevin had spotted him so easily, then for Moriyama's men and his father, he was a living target. Kevin couldn't recognize Andrew, and that was a fact; a lot of water had flowed under the bridge, besides, Andrew was disguising himself with contact lenses and dark hair dye.
  Andrew remembers Kevin very well and knows what he looks like because he watched him grow up. Kevin Day has changed in every way and remained the same, in every way. From the green eyes beneath his green hair to the tattoo of the number two on his left cheekbone—the sight of it alone makes Andrew nauseous. Kevin had it back then, too, when he was too young to get a real tattoo. He and his half-brother, Kevin Rico, would draw on themselves with a marker, and when the tattoos wore off, they'd re-draw them. Andrew didn't know why they did it back then, but he understood later. They made promises that they would become stars, and they did. They joined the Ravens, and were even accepted to the national team. Both won championships, but Andrew... Andrew was simply trying to survive those 10 years on the run.

Neil Josten was smiling, but it wasn't a kind smile, more like a smug, cold one. Neil Josten was a red-haired, blue-eyed guy from just outside the metro station 65. An ordinary guy, seemingly unremarkable, but Andrew knew how different the printed word could be from the cover.
Neil was the Foxes' striker, their most lethal acquisition, and the only one to turn down an offer to join coach Edgar Allan's team, the reigning national champions. Neil chose the Foxes, explaining his choice by saying he couldn't see himself in the Ravens' room and had no desire to join them. Furthermore, many attributed Kevin's move to the Foxes to Neil. Neil smiled because of the pills the court had prescribed him. Two years ago, some guys were harassing Roland, and Neil rightfully intervened to protect his friend. He nearly killed four of the attackers, and the court wanted to sentence Neil to prison for his excessively aggressive behavior. Neil managed to avoid that, though now Neil has to take special pills, which, the court claimed, would help blunt aggression and thoughts of it. That's why Neil smiled.
Neil placed the club vertically and placed his crossed arms on top, with his chin on them, removing one hand and placing it to his temple, saluted with two fingers.

• No problem, next time you'll be lucky.
• Go to hell, whose stick did you steal?
  "I didn't steal it, I borrowed it," Neil muttered, pretending that Andrew's words had offended him.
  "Our Neil's upbringing is a bit lacking," Coach Wymack said. Josten immediately understood the implications of those words and simply raised his hand, as if to say, "What am I? I'm nothing," before walking away.
  "Did you break anything?" Coach Wymack asked, extending his hand to Andrew. Andrew himself simply took a deep breath, refusing the coach's support and helping himself to his feet.
• I'm fine. Coach, I have to go.
  "We're not done yet," Coach Wymack said, looking straight at Andrew. When Wymack said he'd paid for the trip, Andrew felt a chill.

He survived, but he couldn't save himself or what he held onto. He kept his promise to his brother, but unfortunately, he couldn't save him from death.
This is a trilogy from Andrew's perspective (and not only), only with a slightly different life loop. (Andrew lives a bit of Neil's life, and Neil is on pills) my au.
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