Untouchable - Chapter 9
Friday
I stared at the door that had an uncanny resemblance to the ornate front doors of Empire High.
Felix said the party was at his house. But this wasn’t a house.
And I didn't just mean that because he lived in an apartment building.
I meant that there was a doorman when we entered the lobby downstairs.
There was elevator music. And the thick rug under my feet looked like it cost more than my mother's house. “We must have the wrong address.”
Kennedy snapped a picture of me staring. “No, this is it.”
“Are you sure?” I ran my fingers down the skirt Kennedy had made me change into.
It was way too short. Which made no sense because Kennedy was taller than me.
I was pretty sure if she wore this that her ass would be hanging out.
Maybe that’s why she had forced me into it.
She was all long legs and tan skin in her tight dress, despite the fact that she was in the pair of flats she’d worn to work.
I was pretty sure I looked the way I felt.
I’d settled on the term deflated troll. “We should probably just go home.”
“We took the ride all the way up here. You’re not backing out on me now.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me up to the door. I could hear the music blaring from inside.
“But I thought I’d be wearing my work clothes, not this ridiculous skirt.”
“You look hot.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to look hot. I just wanted to look like me. Besides, I was a deflated troll, not hot. “And I definitely didn’t think Felix’s place was so…this.” He said he wasn't from old money. This apartment building screamed old money.
“Everyone’s apartments at our school look like this. You’ll get used to it.” Instead of knocking, she opened the door and walked right in, pulling me along with her.
The apartment was huge. And it was as fancy inside as it was out.
But where the outside was classically designed the inside had clearly been redone.
Everything was modern with sharp lines and cold stone.
The foyer had that kind of modern art that looked like a five-year-old made it, but it was probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The only thing that didn't seem fancy was the fact that the floor was shaking from the blaring music.
I was pretty sure Felix was literally about to tear down the building with this party.
“Let’s go get a drink!” Kennedy shouted over the music and continued to pull me farther into the apartment.
It was packed and we had to wind our way through the crowd.
And Felix thought he didn’t fit in. If I threw a party, only he and Kennedy would show up.
I’d only been at the party for two minutes and I was thinking my party of three sounded a whole lot better.
These things were overrated. I couldn’t even talk to Kennedy because it was too loud.
She pulled me into the kitchen. It was as big as my uncle’s whole apartment.
“Here,” Kennedy said and shoved a plastic cup into my hand.
“What is it?”
She shrugged. “Some kind of punch.”
Oh. Yum. I loved a good punch. I took a huge sip. It was delicious. At least one thing at this party was good. “Should we try to find Felix?” I asked.
“No need,” Kennedy said and nodded behind me.
Before I could turn around, Felix threw his arm around me.
“You made it,” he said and smiled down at me, keeping me tucked into his side.
I was pretty sure he’d known all along I would try to come. Even before I did. “Yeah, work ended early.”
“My lucky night. You look beautiful, as always.”
I could feel my cheeks turning red.
Kennedy snapped a picture of the two of us.
Felix lifted his head. “Sup, Kennedy?”
“Great party,” she said, but her tone was laced with insincerity. Her eyes were glued to the display on her camera instead of him.
God, she promised to be nice. I took another sip of my punch.
“Let me show you two around,” Felix said.
“I’ve already been here, remember? Never mind, of course you don’t. But you two go ahead. I’m just going to take some pictures.” She lifted up her camera.
“Not for blackmailing purposes, I hope,” Felix said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I’m not an ass. Unlike some of us.” She disappeared into the crowd before I could stop her.
I had promised I’d be glued to her side all night. But she’d taken the first chance she could to unglue herself. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “She promised she’d be on her best behavior.”
“I don’t think it’s in Kennedy’s nature to be nice. Here, let me refill that for you.” He grabbed my cup.
That wasn’t true. Kennedy was always nice to me.
I thought about last weekend when I’d asked her if her mom had made her hang out with me.
She had been forced to be kind to me. But we had quickly become friends.
And Kennedy was one of the sweetest people I knew.
Felix was a close second. So it was strange that they weren’t friends.
I needed to ask Kennedy more about what happened between them freshman year.
She said she thought Felix had liked her, but that she’d only liked him for about five minutes.
How many hard feelings could there still be?
Felix handed me my cup. It was filled to the brim with the delicious punch.
“Thank you.” I took another huge sip. “So about that tour…”
He smiled and grabbed my free hand. I was pretty sure the last time a boy had held my hand was in fifth grade. And he’d been dared to do it at recess.
Felix wound me through all the people, showing me the living room, dining room, and every other room you could possibly imagine.
Including a movie theater and something he called a jungle room, which from what I could tell was just a room filled with plants.
But I wouldn’t put it past him if there were some monkeys or something hiding in there.
And all of that was just on the first floor, which was crazy because I didn't realize apartments could be two stories.
“You really do look beautiful tonight, newb.”
I pushed my bangs off my forehead and laughed.
“I’m wearing sneakers with a skirt. I look ridiculous.
I was actually standing outside earlier thinking I looked like a deflated troll.
” What the hell? Why had I just said that out loud?
It was like I had completely lost my filter ever since I stepped into Felix’s apartment.
His lips dropped to my ear so I could hear him better. “A troll? Not in a million years. You look sexy as hell.”
I was pretty sure my throat made a weird squeaking noise, but I couldn’t be sure when the music was so loud. Fortunately that meant he hadn’t heard it either. No one had ever called me sexy before. Not even the boy in fifth grade that had held my hand for five whole minutes.
Felix had kept his head dipped down, so when I turned to look at him, his lips were only a fraction of an inch away from mine.
I’d never been kissed. But I’d also never wanted it more than in that moment.
The music seemed to fade away. I stared into Felix’s blue eyes.
They reminded me of the ocean. God, I could get lost in them.
He stayed completely still, like he knew this moment was precious too.
For some reason my mind started racing. If he closed the gap between us, I was almost positive it wouldn’t be his first kiss.
He was…Felix. He lived in an apartment mansion that looked like a modernist museum.
He was popular at school. And his eyes were definitely easy to get lost in, because I was already swimming in them.
It felt like my brain short-circuited as he moved a fraction of an inch closer.
I wanted to follow his lead. But if it was my first kiss and his hundredth kiss?
It would be inadequate. I’d be inadequate.
Because despite what he said, I wasn’t beautiful.
I was an invisible girl in a world that I’d never belong in.
“So what’s on the second story?” I asked. As soon as I said it, I realized that it sounded really forward. “An arcade?” I said, because it was the first thing I could think of when my mind was focused on the fact that his bedroom was probably up there.
“No, that's down a level,” he said.
Three floors? “Seriously? I was kidding.”
He smiled. “It’s just a few games, not a whole arcade.”
“Cool. Oh rats, I’m all out of punch,” I said and stared into my empty cup. “Could you bring me some more?”
“Are you sure? You’ve already had two glasses.”
“Of course I’m sure. It’s punch. I love punch.
Did you make this?” I asked and lifted my cup.
“It’s yummy. Like your eyes.” What? “Not that I want to eat your eyes. I just meant that your eyes are this really pretty blue and I want to swim in them. God, I’m thirsty. Are you thirsty? It’s hot in here.”
He laughed. “Okay I’ll get you that drink,” he said and lifted my empty cup from my hand. “But then you owe me a dance.”
“Deal.” I had no idea how to dance. But I did feel like dancing. Just thinking about dancing had me moving my shoulders to the beat. The rest of my body seemed to follow.
“Stay right there, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“You got it, sir.” Where the hell else would I go? I saluted him. Oh God, why did I just salute him?
He laughed and disappeared into the crowd.
I stood there by myself, swaying to the music.
A yawn escaped my lips and my eyelids closed.
I was so tired from work that my mind felt all fuzzy.
The sleepier I felt, the more I wanted to dance.
Or sleep. It was a hard choice. But my throat was so dry that all I really wanted was to have more punch. I leaned against the wall behind me.
“What are you doing here?”
I closed my eyes even tighter. Was I dreaming? I was pretty sure I had just fallen asleep. But I was also pretty sure I was still standing up because my legs were tired. Why was I standing in bed?
“Brooklyn.”