The Art of Life (75 page)

               
“Yeah, we had to order out, I
know.
 
You dumped the spaghetti on top of
my head, and then held me back so I couldn’t return the favor,” I snidely remind
him.

               
“You guys get into food fights?”
Jack asks.
 
“Like, what do your parents
say?”

               
Jeremy coughs.
 
“I live on my own.
 
So, if we destroy the kitchen, it’s
alright.
 
Isabelle and I tend to get into
trouble when we are together.”

               
“That’s because you are a
horrible influence,” I retort.

               
Suddenly, getting a wicked
smile, Jeremy looks at me.
 
“You asked
for it.”
 

               
“No, no, no!” I yell, standing
up really quickly.
 
I dart behind Eric,
so the table is between me and Jeremy.
 
“I have no idea what you are going to do, but don’t you dare do it.”

               
“WHATEVER are you talking about
Isabelle,” Jeremy chuckles in a very evil voice.
 
“I am innocent.”

               
Scoffing, I say, “
Oh, that
is such a lie.
 
If you are innocent, I am the Queen of England.”

               
“Well your highness, come here
for a second.”

               
“No,” I giggle.
 
“Don’t you dare do
anything.
”

               
With that Jeremy stands up.
 
“Come here, Isabelle.”

               
“NO!” I yell, darting away.
 
I am not quick enough.
 
In a second, I am in Jeremy’s arms.
 
He picks me up and carries me back to the
table by my waist.
 
“Put me down!” I
laugh.

               
“Sure,” Jeremy replies, sitting
down, pulling me onto his lap.
 
He holds
me tightly against him.
 
“Did you tell
the guys how ticklish you are?”

               
My jaw drops.
 
“You wouldn’t dare!?”

               
“Are you going to apologize?”

               
“If you do anything you are
guaranteeing yourself that you will be sleeping alone for the next month!” I
shout.
 
Then it’s as if the whole world
quiets down.
 
I slap my own forehead.
 
“That sounded horrible.”

               
Laughing hysterically, Jeremy
shakes his head.
 
“No, that was
awesome.
 
She does not mean that the way
it came out.
 
Isabelle and I have never
had sex.”

               
The looks on Eric and Jack’s
faces are priceless.
 
Jack says, “Good to
know….I think.”

               
“Jeremy and I have slept in the
same bed, but as in sleep,” I sigh.
 
“He
made me watch this horrible scary movie and I was going to have nightmares.”

               
“So……you stay at his house?”
Jack asks, looking perplexed.

               
Eric suddenly interjects, “Yeah,
Isabelle’s mom is gone on business a lot and Isabelle stays at Jeremy’s so she
doesn’t get into trouble.
 
Her mom would
kill her if we threw a party at her house.”
          

               
I look at Eric and give him the
most thankful eyes ever.
 
Jeremy grabs a
hold of me even tighter and says, “I watch out for her.
 
She’s my girl, can’t let anything happen to
my Isabelle.”

               
“
Awww
,”
I say, “You are so cute.”

               
“I know,” Jeremy replies,
wiggling his eyebrows.
 
“So, are you guys
done eating?”

               
Jack points to my fries, “Are
you going to eat those.”

               
“No,” I answer, “But Jeremy
usually eats the rest or most of my food, so he may want them.”

               
Suddenly, Jeremy starts tickling
me.
 
I scream and try to twist out of the
way.
 
He laughs in my ear, “I warned
you.”

               
“Stop it,” I gasp, “Or I swear I
am going to do something horrible, like key your car.”

               
That makes everyone stop.
 
“I may actually be angry with you if you did
that,” Jeremy states.
 
“It would take a
lot for me to be angry with you, but I think that might do it.”

               
“Or if I fail out of high
school, you would be mad at me then,” I comment.

               
“Yes, well, you are a good
student and I can always help when needed,” he replies.

               
Eric looks at him.
 
“Were you a good student?”

               
“I graduated with a 3.95,”
Jeremy says.
 
“So, yeah, I was a good
student.”

               
“Did you go to college?” Eric
asks.

               
Jeremy lets go of me a little
bit.
 
“No, but I think we are going to go
together,” I reply.
 
“Jeremy wants to me
to go to art school.
 
That is if I can
get in and can get some
uber
big scholarships.”

               
“You already have a
scholarship,” Jeremy mutters.
 
“You just
need to find a school.”

               
“How do you get such a big
scholarship without you getting into a school?” Jack asks.

               
Clearing his throat, Jeremy
says, “My family has a trust for scholarships and we feel that Isabelle is a
good candidate.”

               
“Jeremy,” I whisper.
 
“Don’t do that.”

               
“We aren’t talking about it
right now, my dear.
 
When
we get home.
 
Eat her French
fries, so I can school my girl on some cars,” Jeremy articulates to Jack.
 
Jack eagerly eats the rest of my food and we
go back to the show.

               
There are a few cars I
like.
 
The Barracuda was pretty awesome
looking.
 
Jeremy loved that one.
 
He even said he wanted one someday, to put
into his collection.
 
The other one he
wanted was a 1964 mustang.
 
Eric goes,
“Hell
ya
, I want a mustang Shelby….in my dreams of course.”

               
“I like these mustangs,” I say,
looking into one.
 
“I just like newer
cars.”

               
“I think we should get you an
older mustang, get it all customized just for you,” Jeremy states, looking at
me.

               
My eyes drift to the right and
then get huge.
 
“I like that car!
 
That is AWESOME!”

               
All three guy’s eyes turn and
look.
 
Jack actually grabs at his
heart.
 
“Isabelle, that is just wrong!”

               
“What?” I ask confused.
 
“What’s wrong with it?”

               
“It’s an import baby.
 
There is a slight rivalry between the
groups,” Jeremy answers.

               
Ignoring them I walk over to the
car.
 
“Is it fast?”

               
“Oh yeah, they are superfast,”
Eric replies.
 
“You can get nitrous oxide
in it.
 
That’s like bursts of a jet
engine in your car.”

               
“Why would you want to do that?”
I ask.

               
“For street racing,” Jack
answers.

               
Finally it dawns on me, “Oh like
that movie.”

               
“There are a lot of movies about
street racing.
 
This is what you are
into?” Jack asks.
 
“That hurts my heart.
 
Jeremy, tell her she is wrong in her ways.”

               
“I would never tell her what to
do.
 
If she is interested in imports, then
I will educate her on them.
 
Come here
hon
,” he grabs my hand and leads me to the car I like.
 
“See, these are usually equipped with a lot
of electronics.
 
Such as killer stereo
systems, ambient lighting in different colors, a lot of bells and whistles so
to speak, and engines that put a lot of cars to shame.”

               
I sit down in one.
 
“Now, this is me.
 
Maybe I can ask Santa to put one in my
stocking.
 
I don’t think my mom will go
for it though,” I laugh.
 
“This is awesome.”

               
“You like it huh?” Jeremy asks.

               
Smiling, I say, “Yeah, maybe one
day if I become a famous artist, I will get one.”

               
“You will be a famous artist,”
Jeremy assures me.

               
“I want to see your art,” Eric
declares.

               
“Yeah, me too,” Jack interjects.

               
My eyes drift to Jeremy.
 
He grimaces slightly.
 
“Her mom doesn’t like people in her house.”

               
Eric adds in, “Yeah, she is a
really private person.”

               
“I have a great piece that is
going to be at Winter Formal,” I say.
 
“You will see that.”

               
“Very cool,” Jack replies.
 
“Ugh, can we please get away from the
imports.”

               
Jeremy shakes his head.
 
“Isabelle likes these, so I am going to
explain them to her.
 
If my girl is
actually showing interest in a car, I am going to take advantage of that.”

               
I kind of roll my eyes.
 
He keeps calling me his.
 
How is that not going to intimidate
Eric?
 
I get out of the car.
 
“Okay, EDUCATE me then sir.”

               
We walk through the cars and he
explains the difference between the engines.
 
Goes over what everything does and is.
 
It is actually interesting.
 

               
Finally, we are done.
 
I turn to the guys.
 
“Did everyone have fun?”

               
“Yes,” Eric replies.
 
“Jeremy taught me a thing or two.”
    

               
“I do what I can,” Jeremy adds.
 
“What do you guys want to do now, or do you
want to go home?”

               
Jack shakes his head.
 
“I don’t want to go home, remember, tofu
burgers.
 
What do you want to do?”

               
“Do you play pool?” Jeremy asks.

               
Raising his hand, Eric replies,
“I do, very well.
 
We have a pool table
in my basement.”

               
“No offense, but I don’t want to
hang out with your parents,” Jeremy retorts.

               
“Jeremy!” I hiss.

               
He just smirks at me.
 
“We will go to Side Pocket.
 
I have my cue stick there.”

               
“You have your own pool stick?”
I inquire.

               
“Yup,” Jeremy answers.
 
“So, do you want to drive?”

               
Exasperated, I exclaim, “No!”

               
“Wasn’t talking to you baby,”
Jeremy says, with a smile.