Off Limits

chapter one

My final year of high school turned out completely different than I originally thought it would turn out to be. It was a week before school started back up again and I was determined to keep a low profile. It was our last year of high school and I wanted it to be over as soon as possible. My brother, Blake, was the complete opposite of me, despite us being twins. Blake has always been the socialite of the school where I have always been the school's nerd. You see my best friend, Amy, and I weren't exactly popular, no, we were the school's nerds but that wasn't the hardest part of school.

My brother was in the lime light, everyone looked up to him and they always compared me to him. I have always tried to hide from the people he hangs out with, they have always made my life well ... a little difficult. Especially, the girls that tend to stick around him. And then there was Liam. He is the biggest jerk of them all and, unfortunately, he is my brother's best friend.

That's the thing about being a twin, you are always being compared to your other half. With Blake being annoyingly good at everything he did, I struggled to be a good comparison to him. I, Maya Jones, was good at one thing and one thing only. And that was knowledge. I have always thrived in the academic department, I've always been at the top of my classes. I didn't look particularly nerdy but I did struggle fitting in with my peers. Blake was a natural at talking to people, I was not. He has always been able to be genuine and honest with anyone that he talks to and it is very annoying.

I heard my brother and Liam outside playing football with a few of the other guys on the football team. As much as I envied my brother, he still took care of me at school. Actually, despite not liking most of my brother's friends they have always defended me. The only time that I have ever been bullied is when they weren't around, and it was typically done by girls who wanted to get with my brother. A few of them were the classic annoying popular girls who made snide and mocking comments towards Amy and myself.

I picked up my phone and sent Amy a message asking if she wanted to go watch a movie. She immediately agreed and said she would meet me at the theatres in half an hour. I ran downstairs and went into the living room to grab a blanket.

The laugher grew louder from the boys outside.

"Ugh, could they be any louder" I said as the back door opened and closed revealing Blake holding an empty glass.

"Where are you going?" He questioned me. I looked over my shoulder standing up with my movie blanket.

"Going to watch the new marvel movie with Amy, why?" I looked at him and begun walking to the kitchen to grab a few contraband movie snacks for Amy and I. The door opened and closed again. Both Blake and I looked over at the door. Liam was still laughing from what one of the guys said as he turned around, he too had an empty glass. I rolled my eyes.

"I thought we were going to watch that together" Blake said with a slightly annoyed tone. Liam looked at the both of us with a confused look.

"What are you two arguing over this time?" Liam asked looking at Blake, but it was me who spoke.

"I am not arguing, I'm just saying I'm going to watch a movie" I said grabbing a few snacks from the pantry.

"Yea, the movie we were going to watch together" Blake said glaring at me.

Blake and I practically grew up on marvel movies, we've seen every single one in theatres together. It was our one thing that we would do consistently.

Liam chipped in "why don't we all go. I wouldn't mind going to see that too and I think the guys won't mind either" he said looking over his shoulder.

Blake and I looked at each other for a minute. Blake knew I was going to say no considering I despised Liam from all the years of him tormenting me. I gave him my 'no way in hell am I going if he is' look. And of course, as soon as I did that he gave me the 'c'mon, he isn't that bad' look. Blake looked at Liam and gave him a nod. I sighed and continued to look for movie snacks.

Liam opened the door and yelled "come on boys were going to watch a movie" a bunch of utterances could be heard from outside. I sighed and pulled out my phone texting Amy of the latest arrangements. Amy of course didn't mind so much. She always gawked over the football guys, especially Justin. Justin was Blake's other best friend. Blake, Liam, and Justin were rarely not seen together. They were the three most popular guys in school, and it wasn't that surprising. As much as I hated to admit it but they were the hottest guys at school.

"You coming or are you just going to stand there looking at the door" Liam asked as he brushed past me. I glared at the back of his head. Almost as if he could sense it he turned around and chuckled. I walked out of the house and locked the door. Blake and Justin sat in the front because I didn't call shotgun quick enough. And I was placed in the middle of the back because and I quote Liam said he and Andrew were too big for the middle and he wasn't going to brush up against a sweaty Andrew. So, there I was stuck between two sweaty guys. Who, by the way, also smelled really bad.

When we pulled up to the theatre I pushed on Liam to get out the car quickly. The smell was so pungent that I had to breathe through my mouth. I suddenly remembered how Blake always had deodorant and cologne in his car. I opened the middle console and pulled out the deodorant and cologne and threw it at the guys.

"No girl in there will look your way if you smell like a sewer" I said when they looked at me with confused stares. Blake laughed and agreed. He put his deodorant on and then passed it along. He also took the cologne out of Andrews hands after he had used it and put some on before neatly putting it in the car, along with the deodorant. I began to walk to the theatre and heard the car beep. Knowing Blake locked the car.

I opened the door and looked around. I spotted Amy by the seating area and called out to her.

She walked up to me and looked at the guys behind me before turning back to me.

"I bought my ticket already; the movie starts in twenty minutes and I thought you said that half the team would be here" she rushed her words but in a hushed tone so only I could hear her. And on cue the rest of the guys walked into the theatre. I looked at her "ahh, there's the rest of the meatheads" I said and Amy laughed.

We stood in line for my ticket and all the guys stood behind us. Amy and I were talking about our summer. She filled me in on how her parents were doing and how her younger sister has been annoying her and stealing her clothes. She also told me that her parents and her sister were away for two weeks and that we would be able to hang out lots before school started. I was about to tell her what I had gotten up too but it was our turn to get my ticket.

"Next" the guy said.
"Can I get a ticket to the new marvel movie please?" I asked him.
"You sure can" he smiled at me.

The guy then struck up a conversation with us, he begun flirting with both Amy and myself. He handed me the ticket to the movie and proceeded to ask me for my number. I laughed and was about to give it to him until Liam came in behind me and stared down the guy.

"We are going to miss the first bit of the movie, so can we hurry it up here" he said in a rude and bored tone.

"Yea, yea, ass hat we will hurry it up" I said glaring at him. I then turned to the guy and apologized for how much of a jerk Liam was being. Amy and I went to the screening room. And found seats in the middle of the aisle near the top, we sat in the same seats we always do. In a way it was our spot.

I grabbed my blanket and the snacks out of my bag and I spread it out over myself and Amy. I handed her, her favourite movie snack, coffee crisp and skittles. I pulled out the starbursts as the guys filtered into the room.

"There's room above them" I heard Blake say and I sunk further into my seat.

As the guys sat down behind us the room became dark and the movie began to play.