Empire High Untouchables

by Ivy Smoak

  “Can I speak to you for a second?”

  I jumped when someone’s hand landed on my shoulder. My eyes flew open. Felix was staring at someone over my shoulder. I turned and saw James Hunter standing there. The scowl was no longer plastered to his face. Instead it was the smile. The fake one that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Um.” I looked around but James was definitely talking to me. “Me?” I poked myself in the middle of my chest.

  He leaned forward, his lips brushing against my ear. “Can you keep a secret?”

  I wasn’t a scholarship student. I’d probably kissed my brother instead of the boy I’d promised my first kiss to. My life was becoming one big secret. “Yes.”

  “You can’t tell anyone what you saw tonight.”

  Or…what? I swallowed hard.

  “Please,” he added, taking the tone of a threat off the table. “I swear it wasn’t what it looked like.”

  I pulled away and looked up at his face. Similar words to what Matt had said when I’d seen James come into school late. I have it under control. It wasn’t what it looked like? So why wasn’t he offering an alternative? My eyes dropped to the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. I didn’t want to keep his secret. I wanted to help him. “I think it was what it looked like.” I didn’t realize the words had even left my mouth until his fake smile melted off his perfect face.

  “James! There you are,” the brunette I’d seen him with earlier said. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I thought you left.” She looped her arm through his. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Brooklyn Sanders. She’s a new student at Empire High. A scholarship student. A sophomore. She just moved here from Delaware.”

  How the hell did he know all that?

  “Nice to meet you, Brooklyn. I'm Rachel,” she said and then turned back to James. “Come on, let’s get another drink.”

  He nodded and then leaned toward me one more time. “Keep my secret and I’ll keep yours,” he whispered before Rachel pulled him away. He disappeared into the crowd of other students dancing.

  Now that was a threat. The chill I’d felt when I’d walked up to the mansion returned. The problem with James’ threat was that I didn’t know what secret of mine he was talking about. I had so many it was getting hard to keep track.

  I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want to be tied up with people like Matt and James. And most of all I didn’t want my arms to feel so heavy. Or for the room to be spinning so fast.

  I was in over my head. I needed to come clean to Felix. I’d tell him everything. I wasn’t going to be blackmailed by some rich kid I didn’t even know. Even if he seemed to know me. I turned around and ran right into someone, their drink splashing all over the front of my dress. Shit. I wasn’t sure how, but this party was even worse than the one last weekend.

  Chapter 18

  Saturday

  “Sanders!”

  I looked up from the stains seeping into my dress to see Rob holding a now-completely empty cup in his hand. He was smiling brightly like always.

  “I thought that was you! What the hell are you doing here?” He clapped me on the shoulder like his brother had just a minute ago.

  Getting scared shitless, getting my favorite dress ruined, and getting threatened by your brother. I shouldn’t have been here. That much was clear. “I was actually just leaving.”

  His fingers tightened on my shoulder. “Shit, I spilled my drink all over your dress. Let’s get you to the bathroom to clean that up.”

  I stepped back from him. “I’m fine.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you where it is.” He slipped his hand around my upper arm and started pulling me off the dance floor.

  Felix stepped in front of him, putting his hand on his chest. “I’ll take her.”

  Rob glanced back down at me. “You here with him?”

  I nodded, feeling incredibly awkward that Rob was holding my arm.

  “Huh.” Rob smiled. “This night keeps getting more and more interesting.” He looked back at Felix. “I promise I’m not stealing your girl. But the bathrooms downstairs are getting redone. I know where the ones upstairs are. I’m just escorting her. I swear.”

  Felix didn’t move.

  I looked down at my dress. As much as I’d rather Felix help me find a bathroom, if I didn’t get cold water on the stain right now, it would set. “It’s fine, Felix. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll keep him entertained,” Kennedy said and started dancing even though Felix was just staring at me.

  Rob pulled me toward the doors of the ballroom. “I thought you stopped seeing Felix when you canceled on him Thursday night.”

  “I didn’t cancel on him.” I found myself getting closer and closer to Rob as he led me down the dark hallway.

  “Very very interesting.”

  Why on earth did he think I canceled my dinner plans with Felix? I was pretty clear in class that I had no intention to.

  “Well, I feel obligated to tell you that your friend likes him then.”

  “Who…you?”

  Rob laughed. “As happy as I am to hear that you think of me as a friend…no. I’m not into dudes. I was talking about Kennedy.”

  “You’re into Kennedy?”

  He looked down at me. “Are you drunk?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

  He laughed. “Kennedy likes Felix.” We walked into the foyer and I was distracted by the chandelier. The death chandelier.

  “She doesn’t like Felix,” I said. “She used to freshman year. Now I’m pretty sure she hates him.”

  “No way. She definitely wants him.” He led me up the stairs.

  “Wanna bet? Rob, are you sure there aren’t any bathrooms I can use downstairs?” In such an enormous house it seemed ridiculous that there wasn’t one, just one, I could use that wasn’t up here. The higher we climbed, the colder it felt. And as we started walking down the hallway I knew something wasn’t right. Why had I agreed to come up here with him? Why wasn’t I running in the opposite direction? If there was one thing I’d learned in the past few weeks, it was that it was better to stay away from the Untouchables. The reasoning behind their nickname was becoming more clear every day.

  “You know what? I have a different bet to make with you,” Rob said, ignoring my question. He stopped walking and I almost tripped as he tugged on my arm.

  We were alone in the hallway. It was possible that Mason was still in one of these rooms, but I didn’t remember which one. I had the fleeting feeling that no one would be able to hear me if I screamed. “Is it true? The rumor about the Caldwell’s great great grandmother?”

  “You’re definitely drunk. We were in the middle of a bet, Sanders.” His fingertips lightly tapped the bottom of my chin, drawing my gaze up to his. “Focus.”

  I stared at him. That permanent smile was still on his face. And I found myself wishing that I liked him instead of his brooding friend. I quickly dismissed the thought. I didn’t like Matt. I liked Felix. Felix, Felix, Felix.

  “I bet you that I’ll have you screaming my name in 60 seconds.”

  The first thing that popped into my mind was an image of Rob throwing me over the balcony. James wasn’t the first person to threaten me from my new school. Charlotte told me I’d disappear. Was this it? Were Rob and her in cahoots? I’d forget about Felix because I’d be as dead as Matt’s great great grandmother. I pulled my arm out of Rob’s grip. I wasn’t going to take another threat from a stupid Hunter. “Fat chance, asshole.”

  He just kept smiling. “Asshole? I thought we were friends, Sanders?”

  I glared at him.

  “Sixty seconds. If I’m right, you’ll owe me a favor," he said.

  That meant I’d still be alive? I tried to think back to what he’d said. I bet you that I’ll have you screaming my name in 60 seconds. I had no plans on screaming in the bathroom. Honestly, the odds of me crying were significantly higher since he’d ruined my
dress. This was an easy bet to make. “And if I win?”

  “Not happening. But in the slim chance that it does…I’ll owe you a favor.”

  A favor from Rob didn’t sound like a bad thing to me. Maybe I could ask him to help get Isabella off my back. Or get him to let me know what James thought my secret was. Or get his bestie to stop leaving me notes. “Deal.” I put my hand out for him to shake.

  Instead of taking my hand, he leaned forward. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me. Screaming his name. Maybe I would scream, but it wouldn’t have anything to do with him being a good kisser and wanting more. Because I had zero freaking plans to find out if he was or not. I was already a possible brother kisser. I wasn’t planning on doubling my odds of that being true. I was about to reach my hand out to stop him, but he reached out first and lightly pushed me.

  I fell backward into a dark room, landing hard on my ass. I glared at him standing in the hallway. He had the audacity to laugh. And then he slammed the door shut, bathing me in darkness.

  “Rob!” I yelled and stood up, banging my palms against the door. My hands stumbled in the darkness, searching for the doorknob. I tried to turn it, but it didn’t budge. He must have been holding the doorknob from the outside. “Let me out!”

  I remembered earlier when I thought there were coffins in the bedrooms. Now it was all I could think about. The darkness felt like it was swallowing me whole. Now the tears that I thought were more likely than my screams started to burn my eyes. “Rob, open the door!”

  I heard him laughing on the other side.

  “Open the fucking door!” I slammed the door with my fists now, my tears cascaded down my cheeks.

  Something brushed against my shoulder.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs and threw a punch into the darkness. My fist collided with solid rock.

  A grunt.

  No, not a rock. I’d read Twilight. I knew vampires’ muscles felt more like stone than flesh. God, I was going to die. Just not the same way the Caldwell’s great great grandmother had. I was going to get eaten by a vampire. I screamed again and a strong hand clamped over my mouth.

  I bit down on the vampire’s palm.

  “Jesus.” He removed his hand. “Brooklyn, calm down. It’s just me.”

  Matt. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Even in the pitch black when all I could think about was vampires and death. Every ounce of me wanted to throw my arms around Matt’s strong shoulders and have him protect me. But he wasn’t protecting me. He was trying to scare me. He was part of whatever sick game Rob was playing. So instead of finding solace in his arms, I punched him again.

  “Ow. Would you stop doing that?” He grabbed both my hands in one of his and pulled me into his chest. He was breathing fast, his cinnamon-scented exhales intoxicating me.

  I tried to move my hands, but he kept them locked in his. “What is wrong with you?”

  “You’re still ignoring my notes. I needed to…talk to you. To see you.”

  I had nothing to talk to him about. And if he wanted to see me, wouldn’t the lights be on? He literally had his friend push me into this room. This was…this was kidnapping. God, he was such a jerk face. “We have nothing to talk about.”

  “So you felt nothing after our kiss?”

  “You mean the kiss you stole?” I couldn’t see him in the dark room, but he laughed and I could easily envision his smirk. His stupid, sexy smirk.

  “You gave it to me.” He leaned forward, his warm breath on my neck. “Just like you’ll give me the next one.” He lightly kissed the side of my neck.

  I wanted to tell him to go screw himself. To demand him to let go of my hands. Instead I stayed completely still. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips on my skin. I was mad. And scared. And for some reason desperate for his touch. I couldn’t tell him to stop. Because I didn’t want him to.

  “And the next.” His lips lightly traced up my neck. “And the one after that. Because I know you feel this too.” His lips hovered over mine. Waiting.

  I swallowed hard.

  “Tell me I’m wrong.” He let go of my hands. “Tell me you felt nothing and I’ll leave you alone.”

  I felt like I was on a sinking ship. A burning sinking ship. I was going under. But there was something about drowning with him that was a lot more appealing than drowning alone. Because that’s what I’d been doing. Slowly drowning alone for weeks.

  I couldn’t stand here and lie to him. Because I didn’t feel nothing when he kissed me, no matter how much I wished I had. I felt everything. Every. Single. Thing.

  I closed the distance between us. My lips pressed against his, earning a groan from him that was quickly becoming my favorite sound. He pushed me backward, sandwiching me between him and the door, and deepened the kiss.

  There was no way to say he stole the kiss this time. I’d initiated it. Maybe I did it because I was still scared. Maybe it was because I was drunk. There were a million ways I could describe my actions away. But I was pretty sure the truth was that I wanted this. Him. I wasn’t dangling from a banister or being eaten by a vampire. I was alive. And I wanted to be alive with him.

  His hands felt like fire as they trailed down the sides of my body, pulling me against him.

  “You’re mine,” he said against my lips.

  I breathed in his cinnamon exhales. I didn’t push him away this time. I didn’t tell him to stop. I didn’t call him a thief. But he was most certainly a thief. Because he was trying really hard to steal my heart. And in that silent room, just the two of us breathing hard, it felt real. It felt like falling in love.

  “Is Matt in there?” A female’s voice drifted beneath the wooden door.

  “Shit,” Matt said and released me from his embrace.

  “Nope,” Rob said much louder than the girl was speaking. “Pretty sure he’s downstairs! Matt is definitely not in his bedroom!”

  “Why are you shouting? And why are you holding the doorknob?” She knocked. “Matt, are you in there?”

  Matt grabbed my hand, pulling me farther into the dark room. “You need to hide,” he hissed.

  “What?” I pulled my hand out of his.

  “Please. I’ll explain everything in a minute.” He opened a closet door.

  “You’re not serious?”

  “Matt, I know you’re in there!” There was pounding on the door. “Let me in!”

  “I promise.” He grabbed my face in his hands. “Just…please, Brooklyn. I swear I’ll tell you everything as soon as she leaves. I need you to trust me.”

  I could just make out his features in the darkness. I had never seen him look worried before. Something was wrong. Really wrong. I heard the click of the door opening.

  “Matt?” the girl was definitely in the room now. Now that I could hear her better, her voice sounded so familiar.

  “Told you he’s not in there,” Rob said, his voice clear now too.

  “Where the hell is the light switch?” she asked.

  I wanted to trust Matt. But the kiss we just shared was the only reason I stepped back into his closet. I was holding on to that moment instead of all the other ones. Like when he’d let Charlotte make fun of me in class. Or when he ignored me in the halls. Or when he scared me half to death in that auditorium and then again tonight. I didn’t trust him. But I wanted to.

  Matt closed the door behind me. The light turned on a second later and I could see his bedroom clearly through a crack. A huge four-poster bed was in the center of the room. I thought there’d be decorations or posters or something that screamed him. But it just looked like the rest of the house. Dark red wallpaper. Cold. Creepy. My thoughts trailed off when Isabella came into view.

  It felt like the blood in my veins turned to ice.

  “Oh, my bad,” Rob said. “Guess he is. I’ll just leave you two alone then…I guess?”

  “You can stay,” Matt said.

  But at the same time Isabella said, “We actually need a moment alone.” Then
she glared toward the door where I assumed Rob was still standing.

  “Right. I will catch you two later then,” Rob said and left, the door closing behind him.

  I closed my eyes. This wasn’t happening. I wanted to wake up. I pinched myself but it just hurt and I was still standing in a closet.

  “What are you doing up here?” Isabella asked, stepping closer to Matt. “The party’s downstairs.”

  He cleared his throat. “Changing. I spilled something on myself.” Some of the stains from my dress had transferred onto his shirt. “I’ll be right back down.”

  “I’ll wait.” She sat on the edge of his bed and crossed her legs. Her skirt was so short that if it rode up any more she’d be flashing him her underwear.

  Matt glanced toward his closet. Me. And then back at her. He pulled off his t-shirt. I’d never seen him without a shirt before. And for a moment, I forgot that Isabella was sitting on his bed and I was hiding. Because his abs? If I wasn’t so mad at him I probably would have been drooling. He grabbed another t-shirt from a drawer.

  “You know,” Isabella said and stood up, grabbing Matt’s hand that was holding his shirt. “The party’s kinda lame. Did you know that Rachel is here? It’s so humiliating for me. Her throwing herself all over James in front of all my friends. Doesn’t he know how that looks?”

  “He probably thinks it looks like he’s dating her. Because she’s his girlfriend.”

  “That’s not how everyone else sees it and you know it. Rachel doesn’t belong here. She’s not even smart enough to get a scholarship to Empire High. She attends public school. Public. School. It’s sad, really. I’d pity her if she wasn’t so horribly annoying.”

  “We’re not at a party with our parents, Wizzy. James doesn’t have to pretend to like you here. Cut the bullshit.”

  She huffed. “How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me that? And you know I don’t like it when you curse around me.” She put her lower lip out like she was a child.

  Gross.

  “If you don’t like the way I talk you can leave.”