All Chapters of The Captain that was never mine: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Shirley POV Three years ago Last day of fresher year in high school, I think I'm gonna finally do it. I'm gonna finally confess my feelings to Brad Walker. Well you might ask who is Brad Walker, well he's the hottest guy in my grade and my childhood friend, and longtime crush that I have been obsessed with. I walked through the hallways and I finally saw him, he was hanging out with the cool kids now, I don't blame him, I mean who would want to hang out with the ugly girl with braces and lots of acne, anyways I took my chances. I walked up to him with a smile and handed him a love letter I wrote yesterday, I poured my feelings into it. He took it confused for a moment before reading the letter. I bit my lips shyly, waiting for his response, he face changed for a moment before laughing out loud, "Look at this guys, she actually wrote these cheesy lines, I see you in my dreams, hahaha" His other friends laughed alongside him. How could he mock me publicly, those were my fe

Shirley's POV I immediately choked on my food hearing Kayla's question, how do I tell her that I stalked Brad’s Instagram, that would made me look like a fangirl.“Oh, goddamn it. I gotta go, bye!” Kayla suddenly blurted, checking her phone with wide eyes. She bolted down the hallway like her life depended on it, waving over her shoulder.I sighed, thank goodness she left, shoving the last bite of my bun into my mouth, chewing quickly as I stood up. The cafeteria noise was still getting on my nerves. The hallways had quieted down a lot since morning, which was a relief. Then a large, strong hand grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways.What the fuck? I stumbled into the dim janitor’s closet, heart slamming against my ribs. Before I could scream, a big palm clamped over my mouth, muffling any sound. The door clicked shut behind us.These people are actually insane. Can I not have one normal moment today?I thrashed hard, elbowing backward, but the body behind me was solid muscle.“Calm

Sebastian POVThe final buzzer had sounded minutes ago, but the adrenaline still coursed through my veins. We’d won. Westfield had beaten Hawthorne 4-3 in a game that felt more like a war than a high school matchup. I glanced across the hallway toward the Hawthorne side, where Brad Walker stood surrounded by his teammates, his face was brimming with anger and his eyes dark with frustration. Meeting him today would definitely piss him off more, so the farther I could stay away, the better. Though it would be amusing to watch his drama unfold back at home.My phone rang, cutting through the post-game chatter. My eyes lit up when I saw Mom’s name on the screen. I picked up immediately, a genuine smile breaking through.“Ma, I won my game today,” I said, pride slipping into my voice. “But I might be a little late because I want to grab some KFC with the buddies from the team.”There was a brief pause. Mom’s voice cracked slightly before she cleared her throat and spoke calmly. “Oh, congra

Shirley POV After the intense game on Saturday night, Brad had cornered me again near the parking lot. His ego was bruised from the loss, but his confidence clearly wasn’t. He’d asked me, more like demanded, to come with him to the after-party. “No,” I’d said flatly, meeting his eyes without flinching. I wasn’t someone easy to get. Not anymore. The flash of irritation and surprise on his face had given me way more satisfaction than it probably should have. He wasn’t used to hearing “no,” especially from girls. Now it was Monday morning, my first real Monday at Hawthorne High, and I’d decided to show up looking like I owned the place. I wore my cutest outfit: a flowy pastel dress that hugged in all the right places, paired with light makeup and my favorite sneakers for that effortless-cute vibe. The school was already buzzing when I arrived. The hallways were crowded with students laughing, slamming lockers, and complaining about hangovers from the weekend parties. The party had

Sebastian POV We walked out of Principal Hargrove’s office together. The hallway was already buzzing, but I tried to ignore the stares. Shirley seemed decent enough. Before we went our separate ways, I turned back toward her. “Hey,” I said, “when are you free later? For the tutoring, I mean.”I guess I wasn't loud enough or rather my voice was drowned by the noise. Brad appeared out of nowhere, sliding in like he owned the hallway. He leaned close to her, said something with that arrogant smirk, and even tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. And Shirley… smiled back. She laughed softly and played along. My expression hardened. I turned away before either of them could notice me still standing there. Just great. So she was one of those girls. One of Brad’s crazy admirers. I felt a little disappointed, I’d thought she might be different. I headed to class without looking back. History class dragged on forever. The teacher’s monotone voice about some long-dead empire was pai