#lola malcolm
Aaron: you use humor to deflect trauma.
Nicky: thank you!
Aaron: why are you thanking me? I never said your jokes were good.
Neil had a duffel for how many years? Like, bro, just get a back pack. Like I’ve been able to fit 3 outfits and all my hair stuff in a MINI backpack, and you don’t have the common sense to fit like 8 pairs of clothes and a binder in there. Like they make some huge backpacks. Not only would it make more sense for someone his age to be wearing a backpack, but it’s heavily implied that he’s had that duffel since he was like 8. And Imagine you see this 8 year old kid, the size of your pinky, walking around with a duffel twice his size. I’d think something fishy was going on.
Also the fact that Neil didn’t know what fashion trends were going on was stupid, you’d fit in more by going with trends than wearing old worn clothes.
In conclusion I’m doubting not only Mary Hartford’s parenting, but her ability to go on the run as well.
So I am a firm believer that Nicky has bad anxiety and depression just naturally and never got meds for it because his parents were very “why do you need meds? Just pray.”
And his bad days aren’t very noticeable unless you pay attention because his smile will be sort of smaller and he’ll hunch in on himself. He’ll eat a lot of bland foods (specifically scrambled eggs) and he has this one hoodie from Germany that he’ll wear. And slowly the twins become more aware of these signs and they’ll hold off on their comments and speak a little more because Nicky needs to have things said to him (he doesn’t understand subtext) and they don’t want to stress him out more.
I think a big reason Andrew didn’t have any sort of deal with Nicky is because at the time he would’ve given one to him (when he was In high school), Nicky already was required to stay as the twins legal guardian. Andrew always knew the relationship had an expiration date. And that’s why Nickys choice to stay after is so important, because there was no deal or legal document keeping him there. He was there because he wanted to be, say all you want about Neil, but you can’t say that Nicky didn’t choose the twins.
I think there’s something truly poetic about Neil’s original position being a backliner, a defensive position, and then him switching to a striker, an offensive position. IE. him being in the run his entire life and hiding, to staying in one place and fighting for his life.
Neil: I can excuse murder, but I draw the line when it affects exy.
Nicky: you can excuse murder?
Neil: bitch
Aaron: what was that for?
Neil: idk,felt like it
Matt: hey! Wanna go cliff jumping?
Neil: isn’t that dangerous?
Matt: yeah but who cares?
Neil: why not, I’m gonna die anyway.
-after Baltimore-
Matt: hey buddy, were you serious?
The millport exy team: yeah, this game was amazing. Did you hear Sophie cheated on Bryan? I know what a bitch.
Neil: I wonder how long it’ll be till my father kills me.
The only reason I’d ever want to meet Andrew Minyard in real life is to call him short.
Aaron and Andrew being able to pass for each other means that Aaron is as buff as Andrew.
We all deserve more Nicky and Neil friendship content. Like they were actually really close in the books.
I want to see not only Neil opening up to Nicky, but Nicky opening up to Neil. Like they kinda fit together in a way that I feel like needs to be explored more often.
Neil is someone who grew up with a gruesome life and had his identity taken away from him and had to constantly change.
Nicky didn’t grow up with a gruesome past, he grew up very white picket fence suburbia. But he understands the way people don’t look close enough on the inside. He understands having to change because of other people, especially family. He understands wanting to hold on to family figures (the way Neil does with Mary).
Nicky and Neil are so interesting, and their dynamic would be so cool to look at. How they could deal with each other’s bad days. How they would deal with both their natural martyrdom.
How they try to convince each other that what happened wasn’t their fault. As both of them try to take the blame for what happened at thanksgiving.
Nicky, not imposing on Andrew and Neil’s relationship, but giving respectful advice as someone who was in Andrew’s life and seen his bad days. I never got when people made Nicky the main imposer on their relationship, out of everyone he would probably back off after a little.
I mean he understands what it’s like for people to judge your relationship without knowing what it’s like.
Is this Aaron’s relationship with his mother?
Someone: Neil is the only person who stayed with Andrew without expecting anything in return.
Nicky: SO I DONT EXIST.
No but seriously, Nicky did stay with the twins without wanting anything. In fact he gave up his life to be with them. Nicky may have pushed boundaries, and that wasn’t okay, but it wasn’t cause he expected to be hugged back. It was because that’s what he would have wanted, he didn’t understand Andrew at the time. we need to remember the book was told from Neil’s POV, he was able to understand Andrew in a way, but Andrew is actually a really complicated person that didn’t give himself away to people. Nicky not understanding him, is a pretty understandable thing.
Shut up, cause Nicky probably relates to Neil in so many ways. Like Nicky does the thing where he says he’s fine all the time and is all smiles the same way Neil does. Nicky had that same self sacrifice thing going on with him and the twins.
Nicky probably turns into a huge mentor figure for Neil, Nicky helps Neil figure out who he is. What clothes he likes to wear, what things he likes to eat. And Nickys there to help with his overall identity any way he can, because he knows what it feels like to not be able to be yourself.
I’m sorry, but Neil is not literally Junior. His name is different then his fathers, Nathan and Nathaniel are not the same. He is not Nathaniel Jr. Or Nathan Jr. their names are just similar.
Mary: I have hope that my son will do everything I tell him and keep running
Neil: lol what if I joined a collegiate exy team
Mary: well shit
Aftg but instead of a Maserati Neil buys Andrew Gucci slides.
Someone need to give all the other exy teams their own books. Like what were they thinking, they found out they played against the son of a literal serial killer, and they never got the full story.
The entire series they were just: ?
Neil: *son of a literal serial killer, who yelled at the Riko Moriyama every time he got the chance*
Every other team: wtf
