[Complete] Ariel and the Bandits

Prologue

A/N: Hello! Please feel free to leave comments and feedback so that I can improve this story. Otherwise, enjoy!

SPRING SEMESTER 2019

Uriel Herrera is a lovable accident-prone idiot. Both of his sisters say so. He thinks of himself as the main character-- though he wishes he were the kind of protagonist who is the lovable anti-hero badass like Deadpool. But sitting in the doctor's office, no one thinks Uriel is charming or a hero-- just an idiot who wanted to be both.

His dad is hanging on to every word his twin sister Ariel translates for the Orthopedic surgeon. The MRI scan results aren't looking too good. He's happy his mom got stuck at work, or else he wouldn't know what to do with the hundreds of questions and prayers she'll start throwing at Dr. Ortiguera. The look on his dad's face says - Deberías haber jugado el verdadero fútbol. As if playing soccer would have guaranteed him the safety and health of his MCL and PCL.

Aside from the throbbing pain in his knee, Uriel's mind is on two other things: his scholarship and Ariel. Their papá, Eddie, will be too worried and stressed about the bills, loans, and the building debt to even deal with him. Ariel is a better multi-tasker. She would also worry and stress, but she is going to let him have it. If he wasn't injured, he's sure she would hit him for trying to fight her battles. Or maybe Ariel wouldn't address the issue at all to keep the torture at a psychological level.

Dr. Ortiguera informs the family that surgery is necessary for Uriel's ability to walk-- along with 1-2 years of physical therapy.

The dollar signs are painfully audible. Every ca-ching digs a little more into a grave where Uriel's hopes and dreams to become an NFL Star will lie. His MCL will heal in six weeks, but his PCL can take anywhere from four months to a year to heal. Plus therapy.

Knowing it'll cost him his scholarship, the mental ca-ching rings louder in his ears. He hates all of the sufferings he's bringing. He'd die if it meant saving his family from financial hardships - but funerals cost money too. And his family would rather have him annoyingly alive than have wads of cash.

Dr. Ortiguera schedules Uriel for surgery in three weeks and sends him off in a brace and crutches. Eddie helps him into the backseat as Ariel sits in front of the wheel. She pulls the seat forward and adjusts the rearview mirror.

"Are you comfortable?" Ariel asks. She looks back at him, and he nods. The smile catches him off guard. She lurches forward and punches him hard in the shoulder. "How could you be so stupid?"

"Ariel!" Eddie pulls her back down to the seat.

Uriel really shouldn't have gotten involved. Ariel had the situation with Toby more than handled. All Uriel did was act as lighter fluid to an already fast-growing flame.

Ariel is tearing up. In part, because this was their dream-- Uriel an NFL star and Ariel an NFL coach. But mainly because she can't commit murder.

When they get home, Eddie informs their mamá of everything that happened. Instead of panicking, Aurora sits down at the kitchen table and starts to figure out a plan on where to begin to cut expenses.

Uriel sits down on the family room couch, props his leg up, and cushions his knee. He gets through all of Avengers Endgame before Ariel marches into the family room.

"I have an idea. You may or may not like it." She squats beside him, gently placing her hand on his good leg.

There is no question it will be a long shot of a bad idea like throwing a hail Mary. Except the Herrera kids are natural runners, and Ariel and Uriel have a habit of running in opposite directions.

"You'll sit out the rest of the year. After this semester ends, you will agree to summer training--"

"But--"

"I know you're not in the condition to do it. But let me talk to Stevenson. I'll have him switch you to a kick returner or a kicker."

Uriel thinks this plan sounds crazy, especially when Ariel looks this hopeful.

"Do you remember when we tricked Ma and Pa into thinking we were each other?" Ariel asks.

"We were eight, and you cut our hair," Uriel clarifies.

"But we did it, didn't we? I can shorten my hair-- you can grow it out--"

Uriel cuts her off. "We're not the same height and we're sure as hell not the same weight."

"I'll put some weight on if I have to, but it's not something you should worry about if you're the one going in for measurements."

Uriel shakes his head. "You know how this sounds, right?"

Ariel frowns. She tilts her head up and shakes her expression off. "I know how it sounds, but it'll work if you stick to my plan. I'm not letting you lose that scholarship. And you're not going to lose your chance at the NFL."

Ariel is waiting for a response of some sort. Uriel wonders if someone will love Ariel as much as she loves. "How long?"

"At least until you recover," Ariel answers.

Uriel smiles. "I meant the hair."

"I can always slap on a bald cap or keep my hair in a bun. You might look good in a man bun, but I'll look stunning in a bald cap."

"Or like you have an oddly shaped head."

"Hey," she smacks him in the stomach.

Ariel's Twitter notification dings and lights up her phone screen.

There's a hindering thought to Ariel's plan. "What about the money for the surgery and the therapy?"

She looks away from her phone. It dings again. She flips her phone screen side down and runs her hand through her hair. "Let's focus on the one thing we can do to help out Ma and Pa-- keep your scholarship. If we try to do too much, we might end up worse than where we are."

Uriel nods. The credits are still rolling on the TV. His eyes shift back to Ariel. "Do you want to watch She's the Man for some inspiration?"

"You know that's based on Twelfth Night by Shakespear, right?"

"Yes, but Amanda Bynes plays a sport so it's more relatable to your situation. So go on, get your pen and paper and get ready to take notes."