He’s that untouchable popular kid who you cross in the halls. He’s always there surrounding by the popular students, hardly ever seen by himself. He’s the one you see in the halls or in class, or the one you see in the mall with his friends. He’s the person you aren’t allowed to talk to, who you aren’t allowed to be friends with, all because of your standing on the social ladder.

                Because you are near the bottom with the nerds and geeks and loners, you can never go near him. You’d be lucky to strike a conversation with him, when there aren’t any of his friends close by or it’s in an empty hall. Since you live at the bottom with one or two close friends, there is no chance that you could be friends with him.

                There might be the odd chances when he comes to you and starts talking like you’re good friends. But you can’t forget who you are, and you have to realize that he’s like that with everyone. He’s nice to everyone, it doesn’t really matter who you are, and he’ll be nice if he has to. But that’s the problem, he’s only being nice.

                Maybe there was a time when you two were close, hanging out all the time and laughing like fools. Maybe there was a time when you were children, having play dates and being your true self with each other. Not now though, now everything is different.

                He has changed from the boy you used to play games with and laugh with, into this untouchable, unapproachable person. It’s like he’s on a different planet, you wouldn’t dare go close to him because you would end up choking on your air. The infinite amount of space that separates you from him is the only thing that keeps you away. You’re afraid to die and because of that fear, you too have also changed.

                You used to be better than this. You used to run around and laugh, doing whatever came to mind and blurting out the most ridiculous things. You used to laugh in the face of fear, and you were just like him. Now you’ve changed, you’re shy and introverted, you can’t make friends and you can’t keep up with the others around you.

                There was a time when you were friends with everyone in school, everyone knew your name and although you could be annoying at times, you had people to be with. That’s all different now, they all have their own groups to hang out with. Even your few friends know many others and are able to converse with them easily.

                It’s only you that’s left. You can’t make new friends, you’re too afraid. Afraid that once you start to make an effort, you’ll collapse and dig yourself into a deeper hole. You know you can’t go on living like this, waiting for others to come to you. You’re just too afraid of the fall that you’ll never jump. But you have to understand that life isn’t about waiting for others to make the jump to you, it’s about facing your fears and overcoming the trials and errors of your work. Even if you have to build a bridge to get over it, that’s okay, it’s called tactics.

                Still, there’s him. The one person who you see in the halls or walking home. He’s untouchable, there’s an invisible force that separates you from him. He now has other friends, new loved ones, and you don’t really matter. You could be thinking of him all day, wondering what he’s doing, but you’re probably never on his mind, no matter how much you want to be.

                It could have started last year, last month, last week, or it could have been there all along. All that matters is that he’s different and so are you. You don’t know him anymore, and you begin to wonder if you actually know him at all. Sure, there could have been a time when you could be called the bestest of friends, practically family as some people would call it. But now things have changed, maybe it’s for the better.

                He’s untouchable, he’s grown up, he’s gotten new likes and dislikes, and he’s begun to understand how the big thing called life works. Then there’s that thought that creeps into your mind, even if you know it’s wrong, it’s still there. What if he’s not any different? What if it’s all an act? Maybe he truly likes how his life is right now, and maybe he’s tired of pretending. His smile looks real, his laugh sounds genuine, and his eyes twinkle in the light.

               But then there’s that look he gets on the odd chance that you walk home together. That look of pure exhaustion that paints his features after school when he shoves his hands in his pockets and sighs. You wonder if this boy is the same one you’ve known since childhood. You begin to question everything, if he really likes how his life is, if he really likes having everything he’s ever wanted.

               You can never know the answer though, because he lives on a planet far away from yours. He’s different and so are you, you can continue to be like this, slowly losing person after person until you realize that the one you really wanted to keep around was the first to go.

               He’s there, and you’re here. There isn’t anything you can do to change that fact, no matter how much it pains you. He will forever remain untouchable.