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Andrew was excellent at sniffing out other peopleās secrets. He professionally rummaged through their things, never leaving a single trace behind. But he always fell just a little short on stealth when eavesdropping on conversations. The Foxes treated him with extreme wariness. They went quiet the moment they spotted him. They openly told him to get lost, anything to keep Andrew Minyard out of their lives.
Andrew figured out pretty quickly that cats werenāt seen as threats. People didnāt view them as potential enemies. Even Mattāwho was a dog person through and throughācouldnāt resist cooing over the white cat whenever he got the chance.
Other peopleās affection and attention didnāt interest Andrew in either form. Secrets, though? Those were much easier to overhear as a cat.
Andrew always knew Kevinās, Aaronās, and Nickyās exact schedules. Heād followed each of them and learned that on particularly rough days, Kevin kept himself going with fast food and full-sugar soda. He discovered that Aaron didnāt go to the library for studying, no matter what he told everyone else. His dates with Katelyn happened in the far back rows between the stacks, where no one ever went. They stole kisses like any other college students, but they couldnāt hide from the white catās sharp eyes. He decided to keep that piece of information in reserve as a valuable card to play later and stopped poking around the hidden corners of the library.
Nickyās secrets turned out to be as simple as they were disappointing. In both forms, Andrew knew that his cousinās smiles and carefree attitude were nothing more than a front. So he wasnāt surprised when he caught Nicky completely broken for the first time. At the last second, the cat managed to slip away from the suffocating hug. He refused to become a shoulder to cry on or pretend to comfort someone he had zero interest in consoling.
Neil Josten and his secrets had been the most interesting from the very beginning. From the first day, the first meeting. Human-Andrew watched him during practice; the white cat watched him during lectures and in the breaks between classes.
At first glance, Neilās obsession with Exy seemed almost ridiculous. Magazines, newspaper clippings, notebooks filled with detailed match breakdownsā¦ Andrew got bored without even bothering to read the text. Until one day, while tailing Aaron in the library, he stumbled across Neil.
Neil was sitting at a table, head bent over a textbook. His preparation for tomorrowās class was dragging painfully slowly. He hadnāt touched any of the recommended readings; almost immediately heād switched to his notebook. Kevin had asked him to analyze the opposing teamās strategy, to write down their strengths and weaknesses. Neil had managed barely a sentence and a half, recalling the match footage from memory. Almost immediately he began doodling Exy racquets, balls, and little fox paw prints in the margins of his notebook, completely lost in daydreams about winning the seasonās final game. But even the drawings got old fast. Neil began spinning a pen around his fingers, setting it on the table, nudging it forward, and waiting for it to roll back to him.
In his mind he could see the brutal fight for every pass, the rewardāthe championship trophy. The Foxesā tight group hug, their smiles lighting up the court brighter than the stadium floodlightsā¦
Neil flinched when a white fluffy cat jumped onto the table and pinned his pen under two soft paws. He recognized his new friend immediately and let a small smile slip out. The cat had already knocked the pen into his lap and was now attacking his pencil case. Next came a black pen, a couple of pencils, and a ruler Neil had forgotten he even owned. The catās attention locked onto the bright orange fox-paw eraserāa gift from Danāand Neil quickly snatched it out of those greedy paws.
Neil: you againĀ
Neil: and not even stuck up a tree this time
Andrew froze. The smooth, repetitive motion of Neilās fingers had distracted him, and he hadnāt noticed himself leaving his hiding spot. It had happened beforeāwhen he stared too long, the cat instincts took over and Andrew followed them without thinking.
What now? Hide and keep watching? Run? He hadnāt planned this contact and, for a moment, completely forgot how normal cats behaved in situations like this.
Neil, tucking the eraser into his pocket: came to remind me about homework?
Neil: oh, donāt worry
Neil: Iāll get it done eventuallyā¦
Neil: probablyā¦
Neil smiled, catching the catās intense stare. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head.
Neil: with your permission, Iāll just tell the professorĀ
Neil: that I tried really hard to do the assignmentĀ
Neil: but a cat lay down on my notebookĀ
Neil: and I was powerless
Without much thought, Andrew stepped back. He sat beside the textbooks and tilted his head. Helping people come up with excuses definitely wasnāt on his to-do list. At Neilās heavy sigh, Andrew gave him a long, measuring look and lifted his chin just slightly. His small victory had never felt so close. Forcing people to do things they didnāt want to was a special kind of pleasure.
Soon Neil was bent over his homework again while Andrew quietly gloated inside. He didnāt let Neil get distractedāevery time the pen stopped moving for more than a couple of seconds, the cat tapped his hand or even his cheek with a soft paw. Neil quickly solved the problems that would appear on tomorrowās test. The catās tail flicked happily beside the notebook. Neil went back to the assignment, barely holding in a genuine smile. For the first time someone was helping him with homework; it didnāt matter that it was a cat, or that the help had come in such a strange and unusual way.
Neil, after finishing: thanks
Neil: without you Iād have been here until midnight
Andrew licked his paw and washed his face with the most bored expression he could manage, as if Neilās warm smile didnāt affect him at all. The softened look in Neilās eyes didnāt matterāhe didnāt even notice it. Didnāt see how Neil propped his head on one hand, watching only him.
Neil: okay, since weāve already broken one ruleā¦ letās break anotherā¦
Andrew stilled. He watched Neilās hands closely as they rummaged through his bag. Then he stared in surprise at the sandwich being offered to him.
Neil: I donāt know if cats eat this, butā¦
Neil didnāt get to finish the sentence. Andrew snatched a chunk of turkey out of the sandwichāand darted through the libraryās open door. Neil stared after the heavy door that had just swallowed the white cat and his prize, wondering: had the cat really stayed with him all this time just because he couldnāt leave? Neil shook his head slightlyāit didnāt matter. Heād enjoyed doing homework with his fluffy companion. The cat had gotten food and seemed pretty satisfied when heād knocked all the stationery off the table.
Andrew collapsed onto his bed, already back in human form. The faint sweet aftertaste of turkey lingered in his mouth, reminding him how much better meat tasted through cat senses. But food mattered less and less compared to the look and the smile Neil had given him. Could human-Andrew have earned those? He rolled onto his other side, brushing the stupid thought away. Something like that shouldnāt bother him. Definitely not Neil. Absolutely not the warmth spreading through his chest.
