“That’s really none of your business, but just to clear the air since everyone seems to think they know what’s going on…my parents want James and me together. However, James and I have mutually decided that our own wishes are more important than our parents. We both like different people. My relationship with James is nothing more than theater put on for the sake of our parents.”
I thought about the way she’d sat on Matt’s bed like she’d been there a million times before. I held my books a little tighter. I didn’t know if what she said was true. Maybe she did like James. Maybe she didn’t. Regardless, she was definitely screwing Matt.
“Oh, really?” Kennedy said. “Because it didn’t look like you had a date on Friday.”
“It didn’t look like you did either, sweetie.”
Kennedy smiled. “I thought you didn’t notice me there?”
Isabella opened her mouth and then closed it again. “Charlotte told me you were there,” she said and gestured to her favorite minion. “Right, Charlotte?”
Charlotte nodded. “Sad, really. Who goes to a party without a date?”
Kennedy glared at her. “You would know. No one would date someone as hateful as you.”
“Or as poor as either of you,” Isabella said.
All of them laughed. But the joke wasn’t funny. Poor people dated all the time. And Kennedy and I were both dating people. This conversation was ridiculous. But for some reason I still didn’t open my mouth.
Isabella turned her attention to me like she could hear my silence. “The party is at my house this weekend.”
There was a long awkward pause. Kennedy and I both looked at each other.
“Oh.” Isabella touched her chest again. “You didn’t think…oh no. I should clarify before you get the wrong idea. Because I want to be very clear about this.” She leaned forward slightly. “Neither of you are invited.” She was talking to both of us, but only staring at me with her demon eyes. “Not just to my party. But anyone’s party.Everagain. Unless you’re handing out appetizers.” She turned on her heel and walked away, her minions hot on her trail.
“Bitch,” Kennedy said under her breath.
“The joke’s on her,” I said. “I’m not allowed to go to a party even if I wanted to.”
Kennedy laughed. “I bet I can convince Uncle Jim that we can still hang out.”
“I hope so. Or my weekends are going to suck. And my weeknights. And all my days.”
Kennedy laughed and looped her arm through mine. “He won’t keep us apart. He loves me.”
I nodded. I was pretty sure my uncle did love Kennedy. I just wasn’t sure he loved me.
Untouchable - Chapter 21
Monday
The chair squeaked in front of me. I didn’t look up. My eyes were scanning the same page of my entrepreneurial studies book over and over again, even though I wasn’t retaining an iota of it.
“Brooklyn.”
It was Matt’s voice. I ignored him, squinting at the page in front of me.
His forearms rested on my desk as he leaned forward. “We need to talk,” he whispered.
The time for talking had passed. He’d been promising me a talk for a week but he never talked. He just assaulted my lips. I pressed said lips together, trying to ignore the memory of what it felt like to kiss him. It was easy because the memory of me sitting in his closet was easier to focus on. He’d promised he’d come backto talk. He hadn’t.
“What day this week works for you to meet up after school?” he asked.
So now he was being reasonable? He didn’t have a ballet to attend every other night but Thursday this week or some other dumb excuse? “No days work. Sorry.” I lifted up my book, trying to block him from view.
“I’ll make whatever day you want work. Just pick a day and time.”
“I can’t. You and Rob will have to start the website without me. I’ll write some workout descriptions or something while you two do the coding.”
