Do Not Touch- Chapter 1

It was said he killed someone. He never went to jail because there was no proof that he actually killed the guy, so says the grapevine. Cierra Torres watched him from a distance, curiously. He was talking to some of the few friends that he did have –or more they were talking to him. The only friends he had were the ones who were either unafraid of him or did not believe in the rumors of him murdering. He made no emotion to his ‘friends’ and his hands never left his pockets. This was how he always was.

His name was Theo Cooper, or ‘The weird guy’ as most referred to him as, with good reason: Theo always acted weird and wore weird clothes. Everyday, he wore a long sleeve shirt, jacket, or sweat shirt, with baggy jean. On his hands always were his leather gloves. It didn’t matter what the weather was like, even in the hottest days of summer, this was how he always was.

“Cierra? Are you still there?” asked Cierra’s brother, Curtis. He clicked his white cane against the tiled floor, not to guide him as it was meant to do, but to get my attention. Curtis was born blind. However, at the same time, he remains completely independent. He rarely ever uses his cane, unless to try to whack someone and he always crashed into things. Mostly, he was stubborn and rude, and hated to admit when he needed someone’s help. Blindness was his excuse for everything, and he always gets away with it.

He tapped his cane harder. “CiCi? You’re not staring at that weird dude again, are you?” He jabbed his cane in his sister’s direction but missed completely. “You are aren’t you?”

Theo’s eyes shifted toward Curtis and Cierra. She quickly turned around and grabbed Curtis’s arm. “We’re going.” She guided him down the halls to their next class (They had the same classes due to Curtis’s disability), for it would’ve taken tem too long for Curtis to walk down the halls without help. Last time Cierra had let him try, he crashed into the lockers –making the excuse that he did not remember them being there- and then into a teacher –also saying, in humor, that he did not remember that being there either. Cierra had not let him try guiding his own way since.

Usually, Curtis would’ve protested that he could do it himself but he was too busy singing, “CiCi likes Theo! CiCi likes Theo!” Cierra kicked his shin and he shut up. Hard to believe we are the same age, thought Cierra

However, Cierra did sort of like Theo. She didn’t know what about him she liked. Maybe it was just her being curious. Why did he dress the way he did? Why did he rarely talk, even to his friends? Why did he kill –if he killed? Most importantly: was he lonely? He seemed lonely. In every class Cierra had with him, he was always sitting in the back corner, and if there was an empty desk in the classroom, it was always next to Theo.

Cierra sighed as she sat, leaving Curtis to find his own seat. He clanked his white pole against the metal desks, hard, as if that was really how he was going to find his seat. No one dared to yell at the blind kid, and that’s why Curtis was angry. He didn’t like being labeled as someone who could not do something –in this case, that something he could not do was to get in trouble-, and that always seemed to put him in a bad mood. He sunk down his seat behind his sister.

The bell rang and the teacher began teaching algebra, Cierra’s worst subject. Half way through explaining an equation she didn’t understand, Theo walked in. Late, as usual. His hands were in his pockets and he wore his usual sullen expression. The teacher stopped and looked at him. “You’re late Mr. Cooper.”

“Sorry,” he grumbled, taking his seat in the back of the room.

The teacher clicked her tongue and continued with the equation. Cierra rested her head on her desk with a silent groan. This didn’t make any sense to her. She hated Algebra, and she was really bad at it, as proven in the test grade the teacher gave to her from as the class exited her classroom. Cierra groaned. D+.

“Whaddya get?” asked Curtis, who was right behind. He took all of his tests orally or, occasionally, on brail. He was so smart that, surprisingly, he did a lot of the math problems in his head, so there was no need for him to use scrap paper to do his work on, which would be virtually impossible for him. Also, the teachers were very lenient with him, which sometimes frustrated the poor guy (he wanted to be treated like everyone else), but overall, pleased him. Because of the grades, he got praise from their parents. Cierra wished she could get that praise, but that would never happen.

“D+,” She answered, almost in a whisper, ashamed. However, Curtis with his keen hearing sense heard and laughed.

“Ms. Torres!” called the teacher. She looked back and the teacher gestured for me to come back into her room.

“Be right back,” Cierra mumbled to her brother, who was making noises like “Ooooooh…. Trouble….”

She trudged into the room. Theo was also there, standing in front of the teacher’s desk. The teacher smiled as Cierra came up next to Theo. “Cierra, your grades have been very poor in my class,” she told her, as if she didn’t already know.

Cierra nodded.

“So, I’ve asked Mr. Cooper, who surprisingly has been acing my class,” she looked at Theo, shocked that the kid who was always late to her class was her top student, “if he would tutor you, and he has agreed. I believe it will help you a lot and raise your grade profoundly. Who knows? You may just do as well as your tutor yourself!”