Tangled In The Captains Game (Short Story) INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
I was born in Austin, Texas, but when I was five, everything changed. My mom passed away, and my dad decided we needed to start fresh, so we moved to California. 

Ever since then, my dad’s been overly protective. He’s always had this fear of losing someone else, so he had Asher, my twin brother, trained in martial arts to make sure he could protect me.

Now, I’m 17, and it’s my last year at Crescent Valley High. Here, once you’re a senior, you’re required to live in the dorms unless you pay a $1,000 fee to opt out. That wasn’t even on the table for us.

 My dad works hard enough already, so Asher and I opted to live in the dorms. It’s not so bad, though. The only catch is that they switch up your roommate after every class, which can be weird, especially if you’re stuck with someone you don’t know well.

When it comes to boys… well, that’s a whole other story. My social life is basically non-existent, and I have Asher to thank for that. Anytime a guy even looked in my direction, Asher would either scare them off with just a glare, or, if they didn’t get the hint, he’d “take care of it.”

 By “take care,” I mean he’s thrown punches more than once. It’s not that I can’t handle myself, but Asher just won’t let anyone get close. Not to mention, I don’t exactly go out of my way to impress anyone. I’ve got curly brown hair, which I mostly throw up into a messy bun. Sometimes, a few curls fall loose around my face, but that’s as styled as it gets. 

Asher’s hair is dirty blonde and wavy, a perfect mix of our mom’s color and our dad’s texture, while I took on my dad’s hair color and our mom’s texture. Between my glasses and the fact that I wear the same hoodies and sneakers almost every day, I’m not really on anyone’s radar.

I’ve never really cared about makeup or trendy outfits like the other girls at Crescent Valley. It’s not that I don’t notice how the guys look at them—I do. But I prefer to stay under the radar. I guess I’m just used to it, and honestly, boys aren’t really worth the drama.

 The few that have shown interest either ended up running in the opposite direction after dealing with my brother or realized pretty quickly that I’m not that girl who’s going to put effort into being noticed.

Last year, I roomed with my best friend, Alya. We’ve been close since we were kids, and she’s also dating my brother. Asher, being the stereotypical jock, has a bad habit of breaking girls’ hearts. He’s the type who’ll sweep a girl off her feet and make her think she’s his world for a week or two, only to drop her like nothing happened. 

One of his exes even caught him making out with another girl—a cheerleader—and let’s just say it didn’t end well. The only reason Alya’s been his girlfriend for two months now is because I made sure he didn’t screw it up. I’ve got something on him, a secret he wouldn’t want getting out, so I used it to make sure he didn’t hurt Alya. So far, it’s working.