Name: Ivan Petrov
Age: Twenty Two
Class Year: Sophomore
Position: Striker, #28
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Growing up as an only child in a wealthy household meant an abundance of things: it meant that you’d be given everything your heart could ever desire, that you wouldn’t quite understand all of the things your parents would mutter under their breath while you pretended not to listen, and that you’d be destined for greatness no matter what. For Ivan, these were facts of life. He grew up around shady business practices and never-ending cash—and his obliviousness was his strongest suit, was the thing that kept him safe.
As Ivan grew up, his perspective on things changed. And, for the first time, he came eye-to-eye with the true nature of his family’s unclean practices and eventually learned of their connection to the Solntsevskaya Bratva—a notorious Russian gang. It took little more than a quick search online to understand just how horrific the actions of the brotherhood were, but Ivan tried his best to push it to the back of his mind and carry on the façade of ignorance. His father, however, made that impossible, outright showing him the exact things he’d been trying to ignore in an attempt to indoctrinate him, and that made everything feel so much worse.
He focused his energy on Exy—something that he didn’t adore but was distracting and tiring in a way that meant he wouldn’t have to spend so much time thinking about things he didn’t want to. He had played a little when he was younger but he’d never truly let himself indulge in it until then, and was surprised to find he was actually talented at it. He used it as his distraction for as long as he could—until he overheard something that he couldn’t just ignore, a young girl who’d happened to witness one of their crimes and then squealed to the cops about it. Ivan was well aware, at that point, of what the gang was known for and capable of, and he knew exactly where this was going. A location, a time and a date was given, and Ivan, too good for his own good, couldn’t help but give the police a forewarning. After that, one small sabotage led to another—and it was clear to the Bratva that all these failed tasks seemed to point to the same household, that they had misplaced their trust.
The Bratva didn’t take kindly to the risks created by Petrovs’ apparent carelessness and the amount of close calls they’ve had with the police because of them. Ivan’s father didn’t even waste his breath trying to explain before moving himself and their family out of the country, far away from anyone who could recognize them for who they were. With their move, they left behind the majority of their wealth, their extended family, and most importantly, their futures.
Brooklyn was a loud place, and the language barrier and the lack of possessions only made the whole experience that much more daunting. Ivan was enrolled at a shabby high school, one he’d never thought anyone would pay all that much mind to, and he only joined the Exy team to give himself something to do while his parents were at home arguing about how they were both lacking any income and struggling to scrape together the rent for their cheap apartment.
The next two or so years felt like the hardest thing Ivan had ever done. He was trying to juggle school work, part-time jobs, and Exy practice—which was particularly difficult with how little his parents ended up contributing. Due to their lack of reasonable work experience and no qualifications to show for themselves, neither had any legal work. His father picked up a terrible habit of spending his nights at bars, wasting away Ivan’s hard-earned money with little care while making no contributions to the family himself. His mother, on the other hand, was more helpful: spending her nights discreetly selling her body for money despite the obvious toll it was taking on her.
SEIZE IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT
Although Exy had never been something Ivan had really cared for in the past, it became a crutch of sorts. It enabled him to spend time doing something that was personal to him and still offered a sense of achievement at the end of the day. And, when senior year came to a close, he didn’t have to think twice about the offer David Wymack gave him to sign with the Palmetto State Foxes. His only concern there was his parents’ well-being, but he was an adult and he had every right to be a little bit selfish for once in his life and accept the opportunity he was given. For the first time in awhile, it felt like there was an opportunity for a brighter, cleaner future—and so he took it.
However, in signing with the Foxes, Ivan had no idea what he was truly getting himself into. The excitement attached to the concept of having a future and getting to go to a university meant that he hadn’t even thought to look into his team-to-be until after he’d already signed up. Finding out that he was on a team of rejects stung in a way that he couldn’t quite explain. It felt like a painful reality to be put into a team of people who don’t seem to fit in the way that everyone else did. But he’d played with worse in high school—and at least those around him had genuine talent now.
IVAN PETROV is portrayed by XAVIER DOLAN and is TAKEN
