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Andrew was excellent at sniffing out other peopleâs 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 werenât seen as threats. People didnât view them as potential enemies. Even Mattâwho was a dog person through and throughâcouldnât resist cooing over the white cat whenever he got the chance.
Other peopleâs affection and attention didnât interest Andrew in either form. Secrets, though? Those were much easier to overhear as a cat.
Andrew always knew Kevinâs, Aaronâs, and Nickyâs exact schedules. Heâd 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 didnât 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 couldnât hide from the white catâs 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.
Nickyâs secrets turned out to be as simple as they were disappointing. In both forms, Andrew knew that his cousinâs smiles and carefree attitude were nothing more than a front. So he wasnât 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, Neilâs obsession with Exy seemed almost ridiculous. Magazines, newspaper clippings, notebooks filled with detailed match breakdowns⊠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 tomorrowâs class was dragging painfully slowly. He hadnât touched any of the recommended readings; almost immediately heâd switched to his notebook. Kevin had asked him to analyze the opposing teamâs 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 seasonâs 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 rewardâthe championship trophy. The Foxesâ tight group hug, their smiles lighting up the court brighter than the stadium floodlightsâŠ
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 catâs attention locked onto the bright orange fox-paw eraserâa gift from Danâand Neil quickly snatched it out of those greedy paws.
Neil: you againÂ
Neil: and not even stuck up a tree this time
Andrew froze. The smooth, repetitive motion of Neilâs fingers had distracted him, and he hadnât noticed himself leaving his hiding spot. It had happened beforeâwhen he stared too long, the cat instincts took over and Andrew followed them without thinking.
What now? Hide and keep watching? Run? He hadnât 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, donât worry
Neil: Iâll get it done eventuallyâŠ
Neil: probablyâŠ
Neil smiled, catching the catâs intense stare. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head.
Neil: with your permission, Iâll just tell the professorÂ
Neil: that I tried really hard to do the assignmentÂ
Neil: but a cat lay down on my notebookÂ
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 wasnât on his to-do list. At Neilâs 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 didnât want to was a special kind of pleasure.
Soon Neil was bent over his homework again while Andrew quietly gloated inside. He didnât let Neil get distractedâevery 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 tomorrowâs test. The catâs 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 didnât 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 Iâd have been here until midnight
Andrew licked his paw and washed his face with the most bored expression he could manage, as if Neilâs warm smile didnât affect him at all. The softened look in Neilâs eyes didnât matterâhe didnât even notice it. Didnât see how Neil propped his head on one hand, watching only him.
Neil: okay, since weâve already broken one rule⊠letâs break anotherâŠ
Andrew stilled. He watched Neilâs hands closely as they rummaged through his bag. Then he stared in surprise at the sandwich being offered to him.
Neil: I donât know if cats eat this, butâŠ
Neil didnât get to finish the sentence. Andrew snatched a chunk of turkey out of the sandwichâand darted through the libraryâs 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 couldnât leave? Neil shook his head slightlyâit didnât matter. Heâd enjoyed doing homework with his fluffy companion. The cat had gotten food and seemed pretty satisfied when heâd 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 shouldnât bother him. Definitely not Neil. Absolutely not the warmth spreading through his chest.
