PUCKED BY FATE

Chapter 1 - Golden Birdcage

Amalia Anderson

What is the best thing that can happen to an overprotected girl? Yeah... College Baby! I was eager to go to college; it was about time my father allowed me some freedom.

It was not ideal, but it was something. I mean I grew up in a very tight knitted family. Well, not blood-related, but it was still a family.

My father Ezra Anderson, and my uncle Teddy Martinez grew up together in Iowa, with lots of discipline and a s**t ton of luck, they were able to go to college, and get drafted as the youngest newcomers of their season. They did great things, even though they hold the record for the most consecutive Super Bowls won in history. That is something you don´t get to see every day.

So, my dad met my mom; they fell in love, and they got married in Vegas - romantic, right? Well, I'm not really... but anyway... after a lot of things that happened in the middle, they stood strong and overcame all of them.

Then the family began. Mom and Dad have us three. I am the oldest, at nineteen years old, and then there are the twins, Ethan and Enzo. Uncle Teddy and Aunt Orla had Tate, who is about the same age as my brothers, and Olga, the sweetest kid alive on the face of the Earth. At just sixteen, she has the world wrapped around her little pinky. Especially Uncle Teddy.

Then there's the tricky part of the family: Uncle Teddy´s sisters, Aunt Tania, Aunt Tessa, and Aunt Tatum. Well, Aunt Tania married Uncle Thomas, and they had Tara, who is fourteen, and little Tom, who is twelve. According to Mom, Aunt Tania was expecting a baby with everyone else, but she had a spontaneous miscarriage, and then she struggled with fertility for a while, thus her kids´ age difference with the bunch.

Aunt Tessa married a football player and billionaire mogul, Nick Morton. Another one of Dad´s friends and teammates. They had Nick Jr., who is months younger than I am. The story goes that Nick was so big that he shattered my aunt's womb and she was unable to have a second baby, but they adopted Mason, who by the way, is the same age as Nick... so they technically have twins, speaking.

Aunt Tatum, Uncle Teddy´s younger sister, married my mom´s cousin, Uncle Caleb. They have Alexander Alves, who is my age... You see the pattern, they were in a heat sprint at the time... and Christopher Alves, who is my brother´s age.

So, if you followed all that, you can now understand why I say I was allowed to leave home but not have complete freedom. Dad said, Yes, and then he went ahead and bought a penthouse near the university. Coincidentally, Nick, Mason, Alex, and I will all be attending the same university, and we'll conveniently be sharing a penthouse.

So, I was allowed to leave home, with three freaking bodyguards who will report every-f*****g-thing back to my father. GREAT! f*****g great. Talking about a golden birdcage!

I took a deep breath and scanned my new room. It needs a bit of decor, but I'll get there in time, and I'll do some shopping sponsored by my jailceller, aka Dad. I stretched and sighed. This was the first day of my new life.

I walked out of my room and saw Nick in the kitchen. "Hey, dork." I bumped into him and he chuckled.

"Are you seriously trying to move my muscle mass, puny human?" he said, and I rolled my eyes. Nick, as any other good heir to an immense fortune, had no care in the world. Yeah, we were a bunch of spoiled kids, but it didn´t mean we were mean, or complete bratz.

"You buffed over the summer." I squeezed his biceps and he laughed.

"This one is called discipline, and the other one is called hard work... sweetie..." he flexed his biceps, showing off.

"Pour me a coffee, I need to wake up... and you just killed two of my good brain cells." I slapped him, and he chuckled.

"As you wish, princess," he said and walked around the kitchen.

"So, school starts in two weeks. You made us all come here early." Alex walked out of his room, and I took a deep breath.

"Good morning, Alex," I said, and he ruffled my hair.

"Good morning, princess," he said, and walked over to the counter and took the coffee Nick had poured for me.

"Hey! That was mine!" I protested, and he chuckled.

"Well, you snooze, you lose..." he took a sip of his coffee and made a happy dance.

"Where is Mase?" I looked around, and Nick chuckled.

"That bear is still sleeping..." he laughed, and I rolled my eyes. Yes, Mason was our age, and Uncle Nick and Aunt Tessa adopted him. They always said he was Nick´s twin, with the slight detail that he had African heritage. So, yeah, whatever they wanted to call it, to the naked eye, you could tell the difference.

Yeah, my family was weird. I got along with those three duffus. My father was overprotective and a bit overbearing, but he didn´t mind me sharing a place with three single men off my age. Either he was blind, or he trusted us too much. I am sure there was a third option; all of them - adults - have made sure we grew up like siblings, and they raised us to be there for one another.

"So, what are you up to?" Alex said and passed me a fresh cup of coffee.

"Nothing much..." I bit my lower lip and looked everywhere but at them.

"Mely?" Nick said cautiously, and I took a deep breath.

"What?" I said, annoyed...

"What are you going to do today?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes.

I'm not asking you about your plans, why would you want to know mine? I said, and Nick laughed.

"Hey, chill," he raised his hands. "We are your cousins, almost your brothers... we don´t want anything to happen to you and then have uncle Ezra breathing down our necks, that's all." he paused, "If you are sure you are not going to get in trouble, into a fatal accident, or pregnant... we don´t care what you do...." he finished. I walked beside him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He was comfort, Mason was a safe zone, and Alex was protection.

"I wanted to check out the rink," I mumbled on his shoulder, and he looked at me.

"Still?" he sighed, and I nodded.

Yeah... my family was a curious one. They supported everything sports-related, if you were a guy. I wanted to play soccer, but it was too unladylike. I then wanted to roughen up my appearance around basketball, but I was told I would end up looking like a giraffe. So, when I was a child, I took ballet and gymnastics. Then my cousin Bobby, who is seven years older, and he is not my cousin, like the others, started playing hockey. I was dragged from ballet to his games, and then I discovered my calling: figure skating. It combined both worlds, beauty, music, art, dance, and athletic endurance...

Of course, my father was reluctant, and he took my interest as a hobby. Then my brothers got into sports, and I had to juggle my schedule to get remotely good at what I wanted.

In High School, I got to nationals, but landed in third place. My father was adamant that I get a degree, because if I couldn´t win first place, following that dream was a risky bet.

"It is what I love." I pouted, and he nodded.

"Alright, can we tag along?" Alex said, and I took a deep breath.

"Are you on guard dog duty?" I said, and he laughed.

"No... we need some ground rules... because I am sure as hell will get company overnight, and we need to have some boundaries." Alex chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

"You manwhore..." I said, and he laughed.

"What can I say, I have Latino blood, sweetheart," he chuckled, and I laughed. My aunt Tatum had Mexican heritage, and my uncle Caleb, just like my mom, had a Brazilian background... And yes, he was f*****g good-looking.

So the roommate mix was very eclectic: Alexander a latino, fashionista heartrob, Nick a good-looking billionaire jock, Mase a hot athlete with piercing hazel eyes, and me... The so-called Anderson princess, the troublemaker. The one that was constantly being called to the principal´s office, creative enough to ruin vacations, and, according to my father, "my grandmother Geraldine reincarnated." Every time he said that, he shivered. I wonder why... I also wondered why my Granny was called the Dragon Lady.

"Alright, we'll set ground rules later... right now, let´s shower and explore a little, then we can check the rink and have something to eat for lunch... or whatever," Nick said, and I nodded.

"That sounds like a plan... Wake Mase up, and let's hit the road!" We agreed and went ahead, getting ready to rumble.

I can´t wait for what campus life has to offer, and I am dying to see the rink.