The Art of Life (34 page)

               
Shrugging my shoulders, I say,
“Oh, he will be around.
 
You will see
it.”

               
“So, can I have your number?”
Eric asks, pulling out his phone.

               
“Sure,” I reply, totally
nervous.

               
Jack pulls out his phone.
 
“I am putting it in my phone, too.”

               
“Uh okay,” I whisper in
shock.
 
“Why?”

               
He gets a devious grin, “So when
you call me to pick me up from school, I know whose calling.
 
Also, the next time we have a party, I can
invite you to come.
 
Did you have fun at
the party you went to?”

               
Dumbfounded, I say, “Huh?”
 
Then I remember Jeremy saying that.
 
“Oh, yeah, tons, I felt a little out of place
being the youngest one there, but they were cool.
 
Sunday we all went for a ride, it was nice.
 
Though I rode on Josh’s crotch rocket, and
those things aren’t as comfortable as you think they would be.”

               
“Josh?
 
Is that one of Jeremy’s friends?” Eric asks.

               
“Yeah,” I reply.
 
“He cheats at video games though.
 
He wouldn’t give me a handicap.”

               
Rick snorts.
 
“There aren’t handicaps in video games.”

               
“I was told that,” I laugh.
 
“There should be though.”

               
Eric interrupts us.
 
“So, what’s your number, before the bell
rings?”

               
“Oh, 555-9921,” I reply.

               
“You should put my number in
your phone,” Jack says.

               
I pull out my phone and hand it
to him.
 
“You can put it in there.
 
I have no clue how to do it.”

               
“Here,” Rick says, grabbing it
from me.
 
“My friend has this phone.
 
Okay, go into your contacts here.
 
Then you press this symbol, see the cross?”
 
I nod my head.
 
He continues, “Then you enter the name and
number here.
 
Then
press
save
.
 
If you want it to have a
special ringtone, then you scroll down here.
 
Got it?”

               
“Yeah,” I reply.
 
“Thanks.”
 
Suddenly the bell rings.
 
“Oh, I
have to get to sociology.”

               
“I will walk you there,” Jack
says, “I am going over to physics.”

               
That makes me smile.
 
“Okay.”
 
I have never had someone walk me to class before.
 
I turn to Eric.
 
“See you later okay?”

               
“Definitely,” he replies with a
smile.
 
I think my heart may actually
beat out of my chest.
 
This is
unreal.
 
I am afraid I am going to wake
up and realize I have been in a coma this whole time, and this is just a dream.

               
Jack and I walk to class.
 
He tells me about the party and who was
there.
 
I know some of the people, and
but the other people, I have no clue.
 
When we get to my classroom, I turn and say, “Thanks for walking me to
class.”

               
“Yeah, no
problem,” Jack replies.
 
“See you
later.”
 
I wave and walk into class.
 
For the rest of my morning classes, I can’t
really pay attention.
 
My mind is all
over the place and on everything that has happened this weekend.

               
At noon, I grab my lunch and
walk outside.
 
It is still nice enough to
sit out here.
 
I don’t really go into the
cafeteria.
 
Sonya usually makes my life a
living hell.
 
I sit down under a tree and
start to take my lunch apart.
 
“Why are
you out here by yourself?” I look up to see Eric.

               
“Eating.
 
What are you doing outside?” I retort.
 
“You always eat in the cafeteria.”

               
“I had to go to my car to get
something.
 
You know you can come in and
eat with us, if you want to.”

               
My mouth opens and then
closes.
 
Then I stutter, “Oh, I don’t
want to impose.
 
I don’t really hang out
with your group.”

               
“You really need to stop being
so shy,” Eric says, with a smile.
 
“Just
come eat with us.”

               
It doesn’t take me long to say,
“Okay.”
 
I throw all my stuff into my
bag.
 
Eric sticks out his hand and I take
it.

               
He pulls me up and grins.
 
“You know, I like your outfit.”

               
“Oh, yeah, I went shopping this
weekend,” I reply, looking down.

               
“Well, it’s cute, good choice.”

               
Bashfully, I whisper, “Thanks.”

               
We walk into the school and my
stomach does flips.
 
I am extremely
nervous about this.
 
Eric opens the door
to the cafeteria.
 
I walk in and I am
relieved when everyone doesn’t stop what they are doing to stare at me.
 
Eric gestures to one of the center
tables.
 
I look at him with a dead stare.
 
He laughs and puts his hand on my back.
 
Carefully pushing me, he walks us to the
table.
 
“Hey guys,” he says, “Isabelle is
going to eat with us.”

               
The six other people at the
table kind of give me weird looks.
 
I
turn to dart away, because this is my worst nightmare.
 
Eric snags me before I can get anywhere.
 
Suddenly, Jack comes walking up.
 
“Hey Isabelle, are you eating with us?”

               
“Yes, she is,” Eric says.
 
He pulls out a chair and looks at me.

               
I sit down in it.
 
Jack takes the seat on the one side of me and
Eric takes the other.
 
Okay, that makes
me feel a little better.
 
Nervously, I
take my lunch apart.
 
“So, you are
Isabelle?” One of the girls asks.

               
“Yeah, sorry
if I am intruding.”

               
The girl laughs.
 
“Intruding, why would you be intruding?
 
We don’t bite.
 
Well maybe the boys do, but we girls
behave.
 
I am Holly.
 
That is Rose and Ashley.
 
These three numbskulls are Leo, Jeff and
Walt.
 
I think I have a class with
you.
 
Honors Psych?”

               
“Oh, yeah, I think you are
right,” I reply.
 
“I
kind of zone out in class.”

               
“Yeah, I have a hard time paying
attention in that class, too.
 
Some of it
is so incredibly boring,” she retorts.

               
Leo snorts.
 
“You can’t pay attention in any class.”

               
“Hey,” Holly snaps.
 
“I get better grades than you, so I would
keep my mouth shut!”
 
She sticks her
tongue out at him.

               
“They are really mature,” Eric
whispers.
 
That makes me laugh.

               
The rest of lunch is pretty nice.
 
I am surprised how much they involve me in
the conversations.
 
Suddenly, I hear my
phone go off.
 
I quickly pull it out of
my pocket.
 
It is a text from
Jeremy:
 
How is it going toots?

               
I can’t help but smile.
 
Eric looks at me, “Jeremy?”

               
Nodding, I say, “Yeah, he must
be on lunch break, too.”

               
“That guy is so flipping cool,”
Jack says, with a grin.
 
“I want to be
his best friend.”

               
“You just like his car,” I
retort.

               
Snapping her fingers, Rose goes,
“You are the girl!”

               
I shake my head in
bewilderment.
 
“I’m the girl?”

               
“Yeah, your boyfriend is
GORGEOUS.”

               
“Jeremy?
 
You know him?” I ask, confused.

               
She pulls out her phone, “No,
but I have a picture.”
 
Rose hands it
across the table.
 
I take the phone and
look at the picture.
 
My jaw drops.
 
“That’s your boyfriend, right?
 
You were the girl at the coffee shop?”

               
“Someone took a picture of
Jeremy?” I gasp.

               
“Yeah, look at him.
 
Someone needs to show him off,”
Rose
giggles.

               
My hand comes up to cover my
mouth.
 
“Oh
my gosh
.
 
He is going to flip.”

               
“He will be mad?” Eric inquires,
sounding concerned.

               
That makes me laugh.
 
“No, it will pump his ego until next year.
 
Jeremy knows very well how good looking he
is.”

               
“Well, it’s true,” Rose sighs.

               
“Do me a favor,” I say to her,
“forward that to
me.
 
I want to send it to him.”

               
“Okay, what’s your number?” She
asks.

               
I lean forward, “555-9921.”

               
A few seconds later, she
exclaims, “Sent!”

               
Picking up my phone, I wait for
it to come in.
 
When I get it I lean over
to Jack.
 
“Okay, show me how to forward
this to Jeremy.”

               
“That’s easy,” he laughs.
 
“Just go into here and press forward.
 
Then scan to Jeremy’s name.
 
You can put a comment in with it.”

               
“Tell him it’s the school’s new
wallpaper.”

               
Ashley interjects, “He can be my
background.”

               
“He is pretty, I know that, but
he is such a great guy, too,” I say.
 
“Did it send?”

               
Jack nods.
 
“Yup, he should get it momentarily.”

               
Sitting back, I finish eating my
lunch.
 
Suddenly, my phone rings.
 
I pick it up and answer, “
Yyyyesss
.”

               
“Where in the world did that
picture come from?” Jeremy laughs hysterically.

               
“Someone took it at the coffee
shop.
 
They think you are hot.
 
So hot, they needed to take a picture.
 
I don’t understand their fascination.”

               
There is a shout of, “Hey!” on
the other end.
 
That makes me
giggle.
 
“I am quite handsome,” Jeremy
boasts.

               
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t we all
know it?”