The Art of Life (100 page)

               
When
6:30 rolls around, I don’t want to get up.
 
I grab Jeremy’s blanket and yank it over my head.
 
He starts to pull it away.
 
“Let me sleep,” I mumble.

               
“You
need to get ready for school,” he replies.
 
“I showered last night.
 
So, I
don’t need the bathroom.”

               
I
yank the blanket back up.
 
“Sleep, need
sleep,” I moan.

               
Jeremy
jumps on top of me.
 
“Don’t make me start
tickling you.”
 
I just grumble in
reply.
 
“I have to get
dddrreeesssssseeeddd
.
 
So you need to get out of bed or close your eyes, or if you want to
watch, you can do that, too.”

               
Now,
there is an option.
 
I throw back the
blanket and whine, “Fine, I will get up.
 
So sleepy.”

               
“I
made a new pot of coffee.
 
The one you
made earlier was kind of strong.”

               
“It
was five in the morning and I was half asleep,” I reply.
 
“Now, get off of me, so I can go take a
shower.”

               
Chuckling
mischievously, Jeremy says, “You didn’t ask nicely.”

               
“PLEASE,
get off of me, before I pee in your bed.”

               
“
Eww
,” Jeremy exclaims, rolling off of me.
 
I get up and go into the bathroom.
 
Obviously, Jeremy doesn’t care.
 
He yells through the door.
 
“Now, what is going on with you?
 
There is something up and you won’t tell me
what it is.
 
Remember, we promised to not
lie about things.”

               
With
a heavy sigh, I shout, “I am not lying.
 
I just don’t want to talk about it.
 
You don’t tell me everything!”

               
“Yes,
I do,” he yells back.

               
“Really?
 
I doubt
that,” I say.
 
“Jeremy, make me one
promise that you will leave this alone.
 
I am fine.
 
I am not hurt.
 
There is nothing to be worried about.”

               
There
is a dramatic sigh from the other side of the door.
 
“Fine.”

               
I
close my eyes and take a deep breath.
 
This is going to be really hard.
 
Time to put on a game face.
 
For the rest of the morning, I keep to myself.
 
Jeremy doesn’t seem to notice, because he
continues to talk to me, no matter where I am.
 
I respond as normally as I can pull off.

               
Finally,
I am ready to go.
 
“Okay, see you later!”
I yell, as I open the door.

               
“Wait!”
Jeremy retorts.
 
I turn and look at
him.
 
“What about my good-bye
kiss
?”
 
My cheeks
light on fire.
 
He gives me a quizzical
look.
 
“Why are you blushing?”

               
“I
am not!
 
I am just warm,” I snap, trying
to come up with an excuse.

               
Jeremy
shakes his head and bends over to kiss me on the cheek.
 
“Have a good day at school.”

               
“
Thanks,
have a good day at work,” I reply.
 
He smiles and winks.
 
I quickly turn and leave.
 
Why is he being so goofy?
 
Can he sense that I am suddenly drawn to
him?
 
Is it obvious?
 
Oh
my gosh
, I have
to talk to Cassandra!

               
When
I get to the café, it is rather busy.
 
I
have never been here before, so I walk in a little lost.
 
As I am standing up by the front counter, I
hear a loud whistle.
 
Half the restaurant
looks in that direction.
 
Cassandra is
sitting at a booth waving her hand.
 
Laughing, I shake my head and walk over to her.
 
“You are crazy,” I say, as I sit down.

               
“You
know it,” she replies happily.
 
“SSSOOOOOO, let’s get down to it.
 
How did you finally figure out you were in the love with the stud we
call Jeremy?”
  

               
I
groan and put my face in my hands.
 
“Eric
is the one who pointed it out to me….on our date, and then he kissed me to
prove his theory.
 
If that isn’t the most
horrible end to a date, I don’t know what is.”

               
“OUCH
to Eric,” Cassandra exclaims.
 
“I hate to
say it to you girl, but it has been really obvious.”

               
“Do
Kent and Josh know?”
I ask, a little worried.

               
Cassandra
shakes her head.
 
“No, they haven’t said
anything to me at least.
 
Josh mentioned
you were cute when Jeremy wasn’t around, but that was about it.”

               
“Josh
said what?” I gasp.

               
“He
thinks you are adorable,” Cassandra replies.
 
“Yeah, if it weren’t for Jeremy, I think Josh would like you, except
there is a major age difference and he would be the dirty older guy.”

               
Rubbing
my temples, I moan, “I have never had a guy like me and suddenly Eric and Josh
want to date me.”

               
“But
they aren’t even in the running, it’s Jeremy.
 
You know he is in love with you, too,” Cassandra states seriously.

               
“He
said that?” I yell.

               
She
shakes her head.
 
“No, but the way he acts
around you, it’s really obvious.”

               
“I
don’t think it is,” I snort.
 
“Jeremy
goes for gorgeous girls, who giggle and flirt.
 
He sees me every morning with messy hair and crumpled pajamas.
 
Not something you get attracted to.”

               
“I
would like to point out, that he saw you dressed up like a breathtakingly
beautiful princess on the night you went to formal.
 
How did he act at the dance?”

               
I
think about it for a second.
 
“He was
really touchy.
 
Like he held my hand
under the table and danced with me.
 
Jeremy stated that we have to have a song and it was a horribly cheesy
love song.
 
Wait,” I say, pausing.
 
“He was going to kiss me.
 
At least I think he was.”

               
“See!
 
Told you so!
 
How has he been reacting to Eric?” Cassandra inquires with a grin.

               
“Way
over protective, but Josh and Kent would behave the same way!
 
Josh and Kent are like the older brothers I
never had.
 
Jeremy could view himself the
same way…..though that would be gross because he kisses me on the lips.
 
Wait, Josh kissed me on the lips, too.
 
No
more older
brother analogies,” I declare solidly, grimacing.

               
“Stop
over thinking everything,” Cassandra says.
 
“Look at the way Jeremy is around you.
 
I have never seen him act that intimately with a girl before, and I have
seen him with a ton of chicks.
 
He is
NEVER that open or affectionate with ANYONE.”

               
Frowning,
I sigh, “Yeah, but we said we loved each other, but it was specifically as
friends.”

               
“Did
he say that or did you say that?”

               
That
makes me think for a second.
 
“I don’t
remember.
 
I think maybe me.”

               
“Isabelle,
you need to tell him.
 
You need to come
clean with the whole thing.
 
You should
tell him about that night and that you love him.
 
If he is your best friend, he will
understand.
 
If he loves you back, then
he will REALLY understand,” Cassandra states.

               
With
a groan, I articulate, “He is not in love with me!
 
I am totally not someone he would fall in
love with.
 
Look at me!
 
I remind him too much of….well, I just remind
him of someone and I don’t think that is going to help put me in the running of
girlfriend material.”
               
“That is the other thing,
he told you about himself.
 
As far as I
know, he has never told anyone anything about his past,” Cassandra points out.

               
I
shake my head.
 
“No, he has never said
anything to anyone.
 
I am the first, but
that doesn’t mean he is in love with me.”

               
“Tell
him Isabelle.
 
You need to at least be
honest with him.
 
Jeremy deserves that.”

               
“I
am too scared to.
 
I am so afraid of
rejection.
 
If he doesn’t feel the same
way, it’s going to be awkward.
 
I will probably
have to move back to my mom’s,” I mumble, hanging my head.

               
With
a moan, Cassandra rolls her eyes.
 
“He
isn’t going to make you move out and definitely not back to your mom’s, and if
he is a jerk for some reason, you can move in with me.
 
You will have to get a job, but we would make
it work.
 
I cannot imagine Jeremy doing
that to you.”

               
There
is silence for a while as I twiddle with my napkin.
 
A waitress suddenly appears, “Can I get you
something?”

               
“Do
you have vodka?” I ask.

               
“Isabelle!”
Cassandra yells, roaring with laughter.
 
She turns to the waitress, “We will have two coffees and two
danishes
, please.”

               
The
waitress nods her head and gives me a weird look.
 
I just smile.
 
Looking back at Cassandra, I ask, “What should I do?”

               
“Tell
him,” she answers.
 
“Tell Jeremy the
truth.”

               
“How?”

               
Cassandra
looks off to the side and taps her chin.
 
“Do something nice but not super, over the top romantic.
 
Make a nice dinner.”

               
“I
will make him lasagna.
 
He loves it,” I
say, nodding my head.
 
“I can do that.
 
Then he can eat and I will keel over from
nervousness.”

               
“You
will be fine.
 
Just take deep breaths and
tell him.
 
When do you think you should
do this?” Cassandra inquires hesitantly.

               
My
eyes get wide, “I have no idea.
 
I guess
today.
 
I mean, why put it off, right?”

               
“Probably
sooner the better,” she replies.

               
“So
tonight,” I whisper, trying to pump myself up.
 
“Tonight is it.”
 
I pause and then
say, “If I don’t die of a heart attack, tonight I will tell Jeremy that I am in
love with him.”

               
With
a curt nod, Cassandra retorts, “Good.”

               
We
eat and go over what I am going to say, and how I should say it.
 
I finally have a finite plan, as long as
Jeremy goes along with it.
 
Hopefully, he
doesn’t try to change the subject.