Untouchable

1

"i've been waiting to hear from you. your deep, raspy voice bellowing through the phone. yeah that's you, that's my brother. how have you been?". he didn't understand. he found it near impossible to wrap his thick skull around that as soon as he left the beatings got worse. but it wasn't the end of the world, i'd just brush it off and continue my tomorrow. that's what this family did. there was no pity party for our new gash that was bundled with an inevitable lie. everyone would find out as soon as i left. they had to, they needed to figure this out.

the great Jay Parks, leaving the nest. who knew it, a sixteen year old prodigy leaving his mom and dad to ruthlessly take on the world. that wasn't my choice, my call. "heh", a slight hint of sarcasm could be heard in my voice, "wanna wait any longer?". his expression could just be seen through the phone. the stiff curve of his charcoal eyebrows and puffed out bottom lip. kinda like mine, but mine had a unique puff to it, bigger than everyone else's.

"you say? i've missed you, Jay. business has been slow and lately all i've been thinkin' about is your brilliant ideas. the way they override bumps", Camden laughed, "but that doesn't matter. are you okay, i mean other then that subject area". Camden always kept an eye out for me. it was his fiancé that didn't. Chase Cole. it sucked that he could give a crap about the circumstances we're under. Camden didn't care though, he said that it doesn't matter what people think as long as they're aware. i miss his light hearted wisdom the most. his jokes.

my older brother had been thrown out of the house after making our bitter focused, near
vile dad aware of his flaming homosexuality. i haven't called or even talked to him since then. our dad cut off all contact from each other. we were the best of friends and brothers. the nearly inseparable thunder buddies. he left when i was thirteen. the same year that our mom was diagnosed with the inevitable fate of smokey blackness called death. it never bothered me until i figured out what our monster of a father did to her. i had known about the emotional and physical abuse he chose to put both of us through. it wasn't exactly painful but emotionally and physically draining. every ounce of passion taken out of your friable veins. your face painted gray.

it would have seemed as if i had it all. athletic, popular, captain of the soccer team, and looks. that wasn't what i necessarily wanted though. i wanted a better dad. a better family, with a final given chance and will to live. we've lost that will to move on. it's been stripped from our brittle, breaking bones. he had known it too. i take no pity on the situation. it's our fault from not standing up. or is it, i had gotten into this situation because i decided to take a punch at my dad. give him a taste of his own medicine. that caused me a box on the corner dairy. homeless, moneyless, jobless, but what trumps it all is family-less. no sunday morning forehead kisses, or tight hugs on your birthday. just the cold, firm feeling of loneliness.

"too soon? i just won't ask. anyway, how'd you get my number? just a hunch i had one of the most controversial numbers out there", he laughed, sending ripples of hums through the phone. i shrugged and realized he couldn't see me so i replied with a soft, crisp, "yeah". my hand rested on the back of my neck and my other held the black payphone. this was worse than death itself. i wished death upon myself at this very moment. the awkward 'um''s of the conversation and the slight 'uh''s every now and then. this was my chance to lie and say i have to go, or lie my way into a new home with a rotten fiancé and sick as frick thunder buddy.