don't get too attached - matt sturniolo

prologue

"i don't get why you're obsessed with them. we get new kids all the time," i muttered, trying to keep my eyes on the equation in front of me. i had lost my place enough with sarah rambling about the new boys that had made an appearance.

"yeah, but this time is exciting!" she replied, absent-mindedly scrolling through her phone.

"and why is that?"

"because they're hot." came the droll response, complete with an overexaggerated wink.

"how vain," i mumbled, finishing the problem and circling the answer before shoving the paper into my bag. she whacked me on the arm, laughing.

it was true that we got new kids all the time, as our school was less than ten miles from an army base that got new personnel like clockwork. that's why it was the first ground rule you learned when you moved up into the highschool: never make friends with the new kids. they didn't stick around long enough to warrant an attachment. the only thing you got was aching goodbyes and halfhearted promises to keep in touch. sure, you felt bad when you saw the new batch of arrivals sitting alone at lunch, gazing around the cafeteria like lost puppies freshly dumped on the street, but at least you knew you were saving them the trouble of being set adrift again.

so why would this time be any different?

my answer came in the form of a water bottle hitting me in the back of the head, clattering to the floor with a hollow thud. furious whispers followed the impact, and i felt a hand on my shoulder as the bottle was picked up and thrown into the trash can.

"oh my god, i am so sorry. that was totally meant to hit chris," a voice said. i turned around to see a boy struggling to contain laughter while still holding an apologetic note in his eyes. i let my gaze go from him to the two other guys behind him, one holding the other in a headlock, but both laughing.

"it's fine," i said, clocking the fact that these must be the new kids sarah had mentioned. she wasn't wrong, they were attractive. they seemed to be triplets, all having the same mess of brown hair and the same physical build.

"i'm nick," the boy said, extending a hand. i took it warily, the constant thought of staying away from incoming students remaining in the back of my head. it wasn't a life or death situation, but i had seen enough people say goodbye to have new acquaintances leave a bad taste in my mouth.

"(y/n)," i replied. i normally didn't let greetings happen in the first place, let alone get to a first-name basis. he smiled in response, moving back towards his brothers, one of which who gave me a shrug and a smile, mouthing sorry as he took his seat. i shook my head before turning to see sarah, whose eyes had widened and mouth had dropped open. i raised my eyebrows in a silent question, and she darted her eyes between me and the boys sitting a bit away from us.

"lucky," she breathed. i snorted before turning my attention to the teacher, who made his way to the whiteboard. it didn't matter whether i had engaged with them before anyone else. they'd be leaving soon enough, and i'd forget about them just as fast.

at least, that's what i thought.