Untouchable
Fall 2006
Matt’s Story – Book 1
Untouchable - Chapter 1
Friday
The Untouchables.That’s what everyone called the Hunter and Caldwell brothers. At least, it was Kennedy’s nickname for them. And since she was the only one that talked to me at my new school, I took her word for it.
The nickname probably came from the fact that they were exorbitantly wealthy. Old wealth. The kind that wasn’t flaunted around. But you could tell by the way they carried themselves. I watched the four of them walk past my locker.
Or maybe the name just referred to the fact that they were so beautiful it was almost hard to look at them. James and Robert Hunter were classically tall, dark, and handsome. Mason and Matthew Caldwell were also tall and handsome, but their hair was lighter. It almost looked like it was spun from gold. The same gold as the Rolex watches hidden beneath the sleeves of their blazers.
No matter the reason for their nickname, it was an ironic one. Because I’d only been going to this school for a week and I already wanted to touch them.
The sound of a camera flash made me stop gawking and turn my attention to Kennedy.
“What are you reading, Brooklyn?” she asked without looking up from the display on her camera. She was leaning against the locker beside mine, not at all phased by the Greek gods walkingby. Maybe after a year I’d learn how to ignore them too. But right now I was finding it hard not to stare.
I glanced down at the book in my hand. “Jane Eyre.” I slid it into my backpack along with the rest of the books I’d need over the weekend.
“How depressing. You should read something a little more upbeat, don’t you think?”
I laughed, but it came out sad and forced. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d really laughed. But Kennedy was right. I’d had to restart the book a few times already because my mind was having a hard time focusing on the words. Not because it was boring, but because it was hard to be consumed by someone else’s pain when my own was so acute. “It’s for our English class.”
She looked up from her camera. “Then just read the CliffsNotes.”
I stared at her. She was kidding, right? The only reason she was here was because she had a scholarship. And the only reason I was here was because my uncle was a janitor at the school and apparently family got legacy preference at prestigious academies like this. I was still on a GPA restriction though. We were lucky to be in the best high school in New York City. And even though I didn’t love this school or most of the snobs in it, I wasn’t prepared to start over. Again. So I wasn’t going to risk not reading for an assignment just because Jane Eyre was depressing.
“I can’t. And I know you won’t risk a failing grade either. I doubt the public schools around here give you cameras like that for class. Or even have photography classes period.”
Kennedy laughed. “I know, right? When I take pictures on our street I’m more worried about getting arrested for possessing such an expensive camera than I am of getting robbed.”
“You should be worried about the latter too.” I’d only been in the city for a few weeks, but I was very aware of how unsafe it was. Sirens kept me awake at night. Not that I’d have been able to sleep anyway.
“Honestly, I don’t think Mr. Thompson would even care. If I lost it he’d just give me a slap on the wrist and a brand new one. The benefits of Empire High.” She stepped back and lifted the camera to her face. “This time smile!”
I shook my head. “I have to get home and make something for my uncle to eat tonight while I’m at work. Or else he’ll get takeout again.”
She snapped another picture anyway. “And what’s wrong with takeout? My mom and I eat takeout whenever her shifts run late.”
“It’s not good for you.”
“You’re starting to fit into this school pretty quickly.” She hiked up her skirt the way the popular girls did. “Cheese curls?” She flipped her hair. “What on earth is a curl of cheese? I only eat locally sourced salmon that my personal chef prepares for me on a silver platter.”
I laughed for real this time. “Cut it out.” And she wondered why everyone else at this school treated her like a social pariah. Not that I blamed her. She had too much charisma to stay silent like I did. It was one of the reasons why we’d become fast friends. Kennedy oozed confidence and strength. And I needed that. I needed her. Because most days I was finding it hard to even breathe.
Kennedy flipped her hair again. “But like…I’ve never touched a knife before so how am I supposed to like cut anything? I pay people to do that for me.”
“I’m sure they know how to use knives.”
“I’m not so sure. But you can ask the queen bee herself.” Kennedy pulled her skirt back into place as Isabella walked down the hall toward us with her catty friends.
“I can’t wait for the party tonight,” Isabella said loudly enough for us to hear. Probably to rub in the fact that we were not invited. Hell, I hadn’t even heard about it until this second. Nor did I care. I never had the luxury of attending parties at my old school because I worked all weekend. It would be the same here.
Isabella’s heels clicked down the hallway. She was a senior at Empire High and she had all the notoriety of the Untouchables. But unlike them, she wasn’t respected. She was feared. At least by me.
