The Art of Life (18 page)

               
Suddenly,
the door opens and Jeremy walks in.
 
Turning, he looks down at me and furrows his eyebrows.
 
“Are you going through my stuff?”

               
“No!”
I exclaim.
 
“I was looking for the broom
and then found this.
 
Oh
my gosh
, oh my gosh, I am so sorry.
 
Please, don’t be angry with me!”

               
“I
am not…..angry.
 
I just…well…I don’t
share much with people.”

               
I
quickly close the case and put it back.
 
“Please, I am sorry Jeremy.
 
I
promise I wasn’t looking through your stuff.”

               
“Isabelle,
calm down, it’s fine.
 
It’s not like you
were going through my drawers.
 
Wait,
were you going through my drawers?” He inquires with a smile.

               
“No!”
I gasp.
 
“I don’t do things like that!”

               
Jeremy
sets the pizza down.
 
“I don’t think
anyone has looked at that violin except me for years.”

               
“It’s
gorgeous,” I reply.
 
Hesitantly, I ask,
“Do you play it?”

               
“Yes,”
he responds, “just not for anyone.”

               
Frowning,
I go, “Oh, that’s a bummer.
 
I love the
violin.”

               
“
Mmm
,” is the only reply he
gives.
 
Jeremy walks into the kitchen and grabs two
plates.
 
I shut the door quietly.
 
“I am not upset with you Isabelle,” he says,
sitting down at the table.
 
“You just
caught me by surprise.
 
I am not use to
having company in my apartment.”

               
“Don’t
you have friends over, girls over?” I ask.

               
There
is a pause as Jeremy looks at me.
 
“Well,
not really.
 
I am a very private
person.
 
I have my friends Joshua and
Kent up here all the time, but they don’t ask questions, and as for girls, I
don’t bring girls home.”

               
“Why not?”

               
With
a somewhat surprised look, Jeremy replies, “I need to answer that?”

               
“NO!
 
I am stepping over boundaries.
 
I am sorry,” I stammer, covering my face.

               
Laughing,
Jeremy says, “Calm down.
 
You don’t have
to say you are sorry for EVERYTHING.
 
You
need to relax.
 
I don’t mind you asking
questions.
 
Other people I do, but you,
it doesn’t bother me.”

               
“You
don’t have to answer them,” I reply, slowly sitting down in a chair.

               
“Some
questions I won’t answer, but most I will.
 
I don’t bring girls home because none of them have mattered that much.”

               
Quizzically,
I look at him.
 
“But you have had girlfriends
right, not just girls you are seeing?”

               
“Yeah,
I guess you can say that.”

               
I
grab a piece of pizza.
 
“Aren’t you close
to anybody?”

               
Jeremy
takes a bite of pizza and just stares at the table.
 
Swallowing, he replies, “I wouldn’t answer
that if it was anyone else, but I will answer it for you.
 
No, I am not close to anybody.
 
I haven’t been close to anyone in a long,
long time.”
 

               
Eating
my own pizza, I don’t say anything.
 
“I
have never been close to anyone in my entire life,” I finally whisper.
 
“So, you have another one up on me there.”

               
“I
am sorry for that.
 
You will one day.”

               
“Maybe
it will be you,” I say cautiously.

               
He
looks at me and the corner of his mouth twitches.
 
“Maybe.”

               
We
are silent for a while as we eat.
 
After
I finish, I sigh.
 
“I better get
home.
 
I have homework to do.
 
Can’t let my grades start to slide because I
met a cute boy.”

               
With
a big grin, Jeremy says, “But I am such a nice distraction.”

               
“That
you are, but I am still in high school.
 
I also have to get up for school in the morning, which isn’t easy.
 
I am not an early riser.”

               
“Me
either.
 
I do have to work tomorrow but I
will be off in time to pick you up from school.”

               
Curious,
I ask, “Why?
 
Not that I don’t want you
to, but we just spent two days together, are you not sick of me yet?”

               
“Nah,”
he replies with a sheepish grin.
 
“Anyway, we are going to the DMV tomorrow.
 
I am so getting you your temps so that I can
teach you to drive.”

               
“I
said no!” I exclaim.
  
“Borrow someone
else’s car so I can learn!”

               
Dramatically
shaking his head, Jeremy articulates, “You are going to learn to drive in my
GTO.”

               
“That
is ridiculous!
 
You don’t even know me!”

               
“I
have kissed you, I say we know each other,” he replies, with a huge smile.

               
Crossing
my arms, I say, “You have kissed a lot of girls and it meant much more than kissing
me, so what did they get to do with your car?”

               
“Your
kiss meant something, who said it didn’t?”
 
Jeremy asks with a bewildered look on his face.

               
“You
didn’t kiss me like you would a girl that you like.
 
I didn’t expect you to.”

               
Jeremy
walks over to me.
 
“Isabelle, the kiss I
gave you meant something.
 
You are a
beautiful girl both inside and out.
 
I
felt drawn to you.
 
I think we are going
to become great friends, as long as I don’t mess that up.”
              

               
“Why
would you mess it up?” I ask, slightly confused.

               
“I
tend to subconsciously sabotage things.
 
I like you, a lot, and I don’t want to lose you because I do something
dumb, and push you away.”

               
I
walk up to him and put my hand on his chest.
 
“You will have to push really hard to drive me away.
 
I don’t plan to let you go easily.”

               
“Good,
I need someone to fight for me,” he replies.
 
“I am a little bit of a challenge.”

               
“Well,
I am always up for a challenge,” I return.

               
He
grabs me and picks me up in a hug.
 
“Good.
 
Let’s get you home then.”

               
When
I get home, my mom isn’t there, which makes me sort of happy.
 
I am so tired from the last two days but I
have homework I need to do.
 
That night
when I go to sleep, I fall asleep with a huge smile on my face.

               
The
next day at school, I feel slightly uncomfortable.
 
Everyone keeps staring at me.
 
I realize I look different, but I didn’t
think I would become a spectacle.
 
I
haven’t seen Eric all day, but I didn’t realize that until right now.
 
All that I have been thinking about is my
weekend with Jeremy.
 
I have never had so
much fun.
 
It is great to finally have a
real friend.
 
I know he is my friend; I
just want it to be true on his end, too.

               
I
walk into art class in my own little world and sit down.
 
Everyone is still talking, because class
hasn’t started yet, so I take out my sketch book.
 
I start to draw the lilies again, wondering
what’s behind them.
 
What do they mean to
him?
 
What happened in his past that he
has to hide from so bad?

               
“Oh
my gosh
,” I hear.
 
“What did you do to your hair?”

               
Groaning,
I hang my head.
 
“I got it done.
 
What does it look like?” I growl.

               
“No,
it’s great!
 
Who did it?”

               
My
eyes look up.
 
I see Jessica and
Daniella
standing in front of my desk.
 
Sonya is nowhere to be seen.
 
“I got it done at the salon on Fifth
Avenue.
 
I don’t remember the name.”

               
“Salon
Sharique
!?”
Jessica
gasps.
 
“I wish I could go there.
 
They are expensive.”

               
Great,
ugh Jeremy, I knew should have helped pay.
 
“Well, I got it done by Debbie there,” I reply.

               
“It’s
awesome!
 
It has definitely made a huge
difference.
 
What prompted the change?”
Daniella
asks.

               
Raising
an eyebrow, I retort, “What do you care?”

               
She
shrugs awkwardly.
 
“Just curious, I
guess.”

               
“I
have my reasons.
 
It seems to have
brought me a lot of attention though.”

               
“That’s
because it looks so good,” Jessica says.
 
“I am going to have to beg my mom to go see your stylist.”

               
That
makes me want to smile, but I hold it in.
 
“Debbie is good.
 
I wish I had
taken one of her business cards.
 
Next
time I am there, I will grab one for you.”

               
“Thanks,”
Jessica giggles.

               
“So,”
I sigh.
 
“Where is her highness today?”

               
With
a slightly confused look, which suits her,
Daniella
says, “Who?”

               
“Sonya,
who else would I be talking about?” I sarcastically moan.

               
Looking
over at Jessica,
Daniella
says, “She is going to be
out of school for a while.”
 
Jessica just
starts to giggle.
 
Daniella
is obviously trying not to laugh.
 
I look
at them a little bewildered.
 
Daniella
looks at me.
 
“She, um, got her deviated septum worked on.”

               
“She
got a nose job?” I gasp.

               
“
Shhhh
,” Jessica hushes me as she laughs.
 
“No, she got her deviated septum worked on.”

               
That
makes me burst out into hysterics.
 
“Oh,
that is great!
 
I can’t wait to see what
people’s reactions are.”

               
“You
can’t tell anybody.
 
We shouldn’t even
have told you!”

               
“The
only person I would even remotely tell is Jeremy,” I retort.

               
Jessica
gets a big grin on her face.
 
“He is
gorgeous.
 
Oh
my gosh
,
so yummy.”

               
“Yeah,”
I reply.
 
“He is a great guy, too.”

               
Daniella
giggles.
 
“Sonya has a big crush on your Jeremy.”

               
“She
doesn’t even know him, and only has seen him a couple of times!”

               
“I
think it is how good looking he is, and then you throw on the flowers,”
Daniella
says.
 
“He
has her attention hard core.
 
So, are you
two an item then?”

               
What
do I say to that?
 
“I spent the whole
weekend with him, and he is picking me up from school.”

               
“You
are so lucky!” Jessica squeals.

               
Suddenly,
the bell rings.
 
Daniella
walks backwards to her seat.
 
“Well, your
hair looks good.”

               
“Thanks,”
I reply, somewhat in shock.
 
Those two
have never talked to me or have ever been remotely nice to me.
 
It’s majorly weird.

               
My
art teacher walks up to the front of the room.
 
“Alright, we are going to start our semester project.
 
Everyone needs to bring in a picture of
someone that you want to use as your inspiration.
 
It can be anyone, but the picture needs to be
appropriate.
 
These works will be
displayed at the school art show at winter formal.
 
You may choose any form of art you want,
painting, sculpting, whatever avenue you want to take.
 
Today, we are going to go over some pointers
that will help you on your project.
 
I
will also show you some past works from students.”

               
I
bite my lip.
 
The only person I would
remotely sketch is Jeremy, but will he find that weird?
 
I don’t know.
 
The rest of art class is a breeze because most of this stuff I already
know
, so I sketch instead of paying attention.

               
When
class is done, I head outside.
 
It is
warm again, but you can feel the cool breeze that means fall is going to
start.
 
When I get to the street, I don’t
see Jeremy.
 
Hmm, well I will start to
head home, maybe something came up.
 
Turning, I start to walk.

“Isabelle, hold up!” I hear
yelled.

               
Turning
around, I see Eric jogging up to me.
 
“Oh
hi,” I say somewhat bashfully.

               
“Where
are you heading to?” He asks.

               
“Home,”
I reply.

               
He
smiles, “And that would be where?”

               
“I
live on Harmony.
 
It isn’t that far
away.”

               
Eric smiles.
 
“I live
on Jackson.
 
Can I walk with you?”

               
“Sure,”
I reply, somewhat in shock.
 
“Don’t you
have a car usually?”

               
“Yeah,
but my sister needed it today, and she didn’t want to pick me up, pregnancy
hormones I think.”

               
That
makes me laugh.
 
“Well, yeah, let’s
go.”
 
We start to walk.
 
“So, how was your weekend?” I ask, somewhat
nervous.

               
“Good,
and how was yours?” He responds.

               
“Great,
Jeremy and I did a lot.”

               
Looking
at me, Eric says, “Do you two do everything together?
 
I mean, he is always with you when I see
you.”

               
“No,”
I retort, “I think you have only noticed lately.
 
No offense, but I wasn’t really on your radar
to notice.”

               
There
is an awkward silence for a little bit.
 
“I am sorry if I have been a jerk to you all these years.
 
You seem really nice.
 
I don’t know why I haven’t talked to you.”

               
“Because you are in a different league than me.”
 
Oh
my gosh
, did I
really just say that?
 
Isabelle!

               
Eric
turns his head and looks at me.
 
“What do
you mean I am in a different league than you?”

               
“Well,”
I say slowly.
 
“You are in the popular
clique and everyone likes you.
 
I am
unnoticeable, quiet and pretty dorky.
 
That doesn’t normally socially mesh well.”

               
“Wow,
you make me sound shallow,” Eric mumbles.

               
“No!
No! No!” I exclaim.
 
“That isn’t what I
meant.
 
I meant…how to put this….I….I
don’t know, I am just me and people don’t seem to really care.
 
I don’t have many friends, and have kept to
myself all these years.
 
I say no one has
noticed me, but I also have never put myself out there to be noticed.”

               
Smirking,
Eric says, “People notice you now.
 
Your
hair has been brought up a few times today.”

               
I
cover my face.
 
“Oh, don’t tell me
that.
 
Is everyone making fun of me?”

               
“No,
not at all,” he reassures me.
 
“They like
it.
 
A lot of the girls were talking
about how great it looks.”

               
“That
is embarrassing,” I moan.

               
With
a quizzical look, Eric asks, “Why would that be embarrassing?”

               
“I
am not used to having people’s attention.
 
I am always afraid it’s going to blow up in my face.
 
The only attention I get is….well not nice
usually.”

               
That
seems to make Eric frown.
 
“Is someone
picking on you?”

               
Scoffing,
I say, “Yeah, but I am not going to get into that.”

               
“Well,
if it’s a problem, let me know,” he replies.

               
A
little shocked, I say, “Thanks.”

               
Suddenly,
there is a familiar roar of a motorcycle.
 
Both of us look to the side.
 
Jeremy pulls up and parks the bike.
 
Taking off his helmet, he says, “Sorry I am late.
 
I had to go home and shower.
 
I was quite dirty, of course, you like me
dirty.” An evil smirk crosses his face.

               
“Jeremy!”
I hiss.
 
Turning to Eric, I sigh, “There
is no excuse for him.
 
I am sorry.”

               
“It’s
alright,” he laughs in return.
 
“Well, if
you ever need a ride home, let me know.
 
Hopefully, my sister will give me my car back.”

               
My
cheeks flush.
 
“Thanks.”

               
Eric
gives me a small wave, and says, “Bye.”

               
“Bye!”
I respond, as he walks away.

               
Spinning,
I glare at Jeremy.
 
“Really, you had to
make that comment?”

               
“Of
course I did,” he retorts, with a huge grin.
 
“Get on.
 
We have to get to the
DMV before it closes.”

               
“I
told you, I do not want to learn on your car,” I emphasize harshly.
         

               
Jeremy
just rolls his eyes.
 
“Get on the bike
either way.”

               
I
undo the helmet that he has fastened to the back of the bike and put it
on.
 
“You are bossy.”