The Art of Life

by Carter, Sarah

  “I didn’t do a whole lot of drinking, just not enough sleep,” he moans, walking into my living room.

  I follow him and point out, “It’s two in the afternoon.”

  “Yeah, the guys didn’t leave until 5 this morning.”

  My jaw drops. “What in the world were you doing until five in the morning?”

  “Ugh, a ton of stuff. We went out to the bars for a while, then went to Kent’s girlfriends. She kicked us out at 2:30. So, we went back to my place, where we played video games and looked up girls on the internet.”

  “Why were you looking girls up on the internet?” I slowly inquire.

  That seems to be funny, because Jeremy chuckles. “Well, we were playing this video game where there is this hot babe as a character, and we were arguing about who would play the live action character. So, we went on the internet and looked up women who could play her. It was such a hard chore.”

  “Oh jeepers,” I groan. “Men, I tell you, only one thing on their mind.”

  “They were clothed!” Jeremy yells, trying to defend himself. “I left the room when they started to look up naked pictures.”

  Snorting, I reply, “Sure you did.”

  “No,” he emphasizes. “I swear I did.”

  “Well, that’s good, but I am going to get ready. Take a nap.”

  Jeremy falls onto the couch and says, “Not a problem.”

  I just shake my head and go back upstairs. I decide to use the flat iron that dries your hair. Much to my excitement, it actually works! I go back and forth on if I want to try and do my make-up. I haven’t done it since I saw Debbie. No time like the present I guess. Very carefully, I put it on. After I am done, I look at myself. Hey, I look pretty good, bonus!

  It’s when I get to my closet that I frown. My wardrobe really needs help. I grab a pair of jeans and a shirt. Hair looks great, clothes look stupid. Awesome.

  When I make it downstairs, I find Jeremy sleeping on the couch. I kind of stand there and stare at him. He looks very peaceful, and ummm cute. I have to stop thinking these things! You don’t need to drool over him Isabelle. He is your friend! Walking over to him, I cross my arms. How do I wake him up? Bending over, I carefully touch his shoulder. “Jeremy,” I whisper.

  Suddenly, he pulls me down on top of him and starts tickling my sides. I scream, because I am REALLY ticklish. He finally stops and just holds me. “So, now I know what I can do to torture you.”

  “I thought you were sleeping,” I state, trying to get out of his grip, but he keeps holding on.

  “I was. I just sensed you when you bent over. I am quick like a ninja.”

  Laughing, I turn and look down at him. “Are you going to let me go now?”

  “Do I smell bad or something?”

  Bending over, I smell his shirt. Oh my gosh…he smells so good. “Nope,” I finally stutter. “You don’t stink.” You smell awesome.

  He lets me go and we sit up, me falling to the side to sit next to him. “So,” Jeremy says, “What are our plans for today?”

  “I didn’t know what you had planned,” I reply. “If we have free time, I am supposed to call Eric.”

  With a look of bewilderment, Jeremy exclaims, “What!? When did this happen?”

  “He gave me a ride home yesterday and asked what I was doing this weekend,” I mumble.

  With a thoughtful look, Jeremy asks, “Would you rather do something with him?”

  I think about that for a minute and then shake my head. “Not really, my mom gave me money to go clothes shopping, so I kind of want to do that.”

  “Oh, sweet, yeah we can go to the mall. I am going to call Cassandra though, if that’s what we are doing.”

  “Who is Cassandra, another girlfriend?” I question hesitantly.

  A quizzical look passes over Jeremy’s face and he answers, “Its Kent’s girlfriend. Why?”

  “I don’t know,” I spit out quickly, shrugging my shoulders. “I am trying to keep the girls straight.”

  “Ouch,” Jeremy says, grabbing his chest. “I am not that bad.”

  That makes me laugh. “I didn’t say you were. If I had your looks, I would probably have a lot of boys to talk to, too.”

  “I know,” Jeremy replies, shaking his head. “I have so many guys to talk to.”

  “You know that is not what I meant,” I snap, pushing him.

  He comes back and pushes me down, pinning me to the couch. “I can’t help that my god given good looks are just too much for people to bear.”

  “Oh geez,” I groan, wiggling out from underneath him. I, of course, fall to the floor.

  “Is it so bad to be touching me, that you force yourself on the floor? I am starting to think you feel as though I have cooties or something.”

  Giggling, I say, “Yeah, boy germs, eewww!”

  “Well then,” Jeremy yells, as he climbs down on top of me. He starts to kiss me all over my neck and face. I squeal. Finally, he licks me up my cheek.

  “Gross!” I yell, “Get off of me!”

  He chuckles against my neck. “You taste sweet.”

  “Nasty, Jeremy,” I say, trying to push him off of me. Finally, I give up. “What am I going to have to do to get you off of me?”

  Lifting himself up over me, Jeremy looks to the side like he is thinking. “Kiss me.”

  “What!?” I exclaim. “WHY!?”

  With a devilish look, Jeremy replies, “I haven’t filled my kissing quota for the week.”’

  “You couldn’t find any girls to kiss last night?”

  “Not anyone I would kiss,” he states. “I want to see what you do if you kiss back.”

  I stare up at him, open my mouth and then close it, not knowing what to say. “Do you often go around kissing your female friends?”

  A sad look suddenly passes over Jeremy’s face. “No, I just wanted to see if you were a good kisser. Never mind.”

  “I think it would put me under a lot of pressure if you were like, hey, I am going to kiss you right now, and I want you to kiss back. Then I would falter and would be a bad experience on both sides.”

  Suddenly, Jeremy’s lips are, once again, on mine. This time it is a different kiss. It makes my heart stop beating. Without thinking about it, I kiss him back. I get lost in it. Finally, he pulls away. “Wow, Izzy, you are going to make a guy really happy one day.”

  “Uh huh,” is all that I can muster up after that.

  Jeremy looks down at me. It looks like he is going to say something, but stops himself. He lifts himself off of me, and stands up. I just lay there, staring off into space. Jeremy thrusts his hand out. “Let’s go.”

  “Okay,” I happily sigh. I grab his hand and he pulls me up. “So,” I stammer. “Are you going to call this Cassandra girl?”

  Snapping his fingers, Jeremy says, “Yeah.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone….his really expensive phone. Okay, now I am starting to think he really is robbing banks. Where in the world does he come up with the money for this stuff? I watch him dial a number and wait.

  His eyes drift over to mine. It’s as though they watch me carefully. Suddenly, his attention is snapped away. “Hey Cassandra, its Jeremy. What are you doing right now?” There is a pause, and then he says, “I need your help. Can I borrow you for a few hours?” Another pause, “Really, I am not paying you. So are you in or not?” He looks at me and winks. “Alright good, we will pick you up in fifteen minutes. Okay, bye.”

  “So, are we all set?” I ask.

  “Yup,” Jeremy replies. “Let’s go.” He nudges his head toward the door. I follow, grabbing my house keys as we leave. Turning around, Jeremy tosses me the car keys. “You are driving!”

  With a groan, I say, “Come on! There is going to be someone else in the car! Someone who I don’t know! This is going to be embarrassing!”

  “Isabelle, relax and get in the car.”

  Pleading, I yell, “Jeremy!”

  He turns back around and mocks me. “JEREMY!”
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  “That isn’t funny,” I snap, going to the driver’s door. “I can’t believe you are making me do this.”

  “You need the practice,” he states matter-of-factly. I climb in the car and slam the door. “Hey! Be nice to my car! It’s not its fault that you are scared.”

  My eyes just glare at him. “I am not scared, just nervous.”

  “Don’t be,” Jeremy reassures. “You know how to do this. You will be fine.”

  Now, I am mighty angry. I push in the clutch and start the car. Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I peel out from the curb. Jeremy snaps his attention to me. I just smile, and shift into second and then third. “Worried yet?” I ask.

  “Slow down Isabelle,” Jeremy retorts sternly. “You don’t want to purposefully crash.”

  “I thought you wanted me to practice!” I exclaim.

  Putting his hand on my leg, Jeremy says, “I promise to teach you how to drag race in one of these, just not today. Slow down.”

  The touch of his hand so high on my leg makes me tense up. I am experiencing a whole lot of different signs of affection from him today. What was that kiss about anyway? It was so weird. Why would he want to kiss me again? Practice, I guess, and wow it was awesome and felt so good. It still isn’t my first real kiss, as Jeremy calls it. Jeremy is like a practice run, right?

  “Okay, you need to turn right here and then left into those apartment complexes,” he says, pointing down the side road. The task of driving really slow through the apartment buildings is proving to be a daunting task.

  I keep killing the engine. Slamming my hand down after the third time, I sigh. “You need to drive now. I obviously can’t do it.”

  “Isabelle, hon, you have to practice. You are way beyond where you should be driving this car. Going this slow in my car is not easy. Even I kill the engine sometimes. Relax, we are here anyway. See,” Jeremy says, “there she comes.”

  My eyes watch as a cute girl comes down some steps. She is pretty but in that girl next door sort of way. Her smile is beautiful though and she looks really happy. Jeremy hops out and holds the door open for her. She climbs in the backseat and says, “Hi, my name is Cassandra. I don’t believe we have met.”

  “Hi, I am Isabelle. I am one of Jeremy’s friends. He is helping me out right now.”

  Jeremy climbs back in and says, “Let’s head to the mall.”

  Taking a deep breath, I start the car. As I drive, Cassandra leans forward. “So what are we doing?”

  “Well, Isabelle here wants to buy some new clothes,” Jeremy states.

  “Oh fun!” Cassandra shouts. “I do love shopping for clothes!

  Frowning, I say, “It’s a little more than that. I need assistance. I have never gone SHOPPING, so to speak. I have bought clothes, but have no style sense. So, I need some desperate help.”

  “Sweetie, I definitely can do that,” Cassandra replies, with a smile. “You will be a diva when I am done with you.”

  That makes me shake my head vigorously. “I don’t want to be over the top, just nice and normal.”

  “So, what do you usually wear?” Cassandra asks.

  “You are looking at it,” I retort.

  I can see Cassandra in the rearview mirror. She bites her lip and looks at my outfit. “Okay,” she finally says. “Do you wear any skirts or dresses?”

  “No, but I don’t own any either.”

  “Do you wear anything more fitted than what you are wearing?” She asks.

  “See, I don’t know what would look good on me, so I don’t buy anything like that,” I reply.

  Jeremy finally pipes in with, “She needs something more fashionable. No offense Izzy.”

  “None taken, I agree with you,” I snort. “Boy, do I agree with you.”

  “If you want to be more feminine, you need at least a few skirts and dresses,” Cassandra says. “We will get you what you need.”

  For the rest of the car ride, Jeremy and Cassandra talk about people I don’t know. It doesn’t bother me because I need to concentrate on driving. When we get to the mall, I stop the car. “You seriously need to park Jeremy.”

  “Yeah,” he agrees with me. “I don’t need you to be damaging anyone’s car.” He hops out of the door, and I put the emergency brake on. Cassandra pushes the chair forward and follows Jeremy out of the car. He comes around and opens the door for me. “You did a great job.”

  “Thanks,” I reply proudly.

  After he gets in and starts to drive forward, Cassandra comes up next to me. “Are you two dating?”

  “No!” I exclaim. “Why is that the first question everyone comes up with? Look at him and look at me, really?”

  “But, you like him?” She inquires.

  Shaking my head, I stammer, “He is the closest thing I have to a best friend. So no, we are just friends.”

  “I was just curious because all he would talk about last night was you.”

  My head turns to her. “What?”

  Quickly, she whispers, “I have never heard him talk about a girl so much.”

  “That’s because we have been together practically non-stop recently. He had a date the other day.”

  “Well, then I am wrong. He obviously likes you a lot as a friend then,” she mutters, right before Jeremy walks over. I tilt my head and look at him for a second. It surprises me that he would actually talk about me. I mean, what in the world would he say? I really hope it wasn’t anything bad. I doubt if it were, Cassandra would say anything like that. She doesn’t seem to be the type that would be spiteful.

  Jeremy grabs my hand, “Come on toots.”

  We walk into the mall and Cassandra immediately leads us to one of the more popular stores. I walk in and am overwhelmed right away. Turning to look at me, Cassandra asks, “What do you like?”

  Bashfully shrugging, I reply, “I don’t know.”

  “Well, first let’s start with the basics. What size pants are you?”

  I answer, “Umm, I usually buy a size 8.” Cassandra furrows her eyebrows at me. She quickly comes over and pulls up my shirt a little bit. “Hey!” I yell.

  Cassandra looks up at me. “You are so much smaller than an 8. You are using a belt to hold up your pants.”

  “Gosh,” I hiss, pulling my shirt back down. “I just buy what fits.”

  “It doesn’t FIT you Isabelle, you just wear it. Come on, I am having you try on smaller sizes.” She walks over and looks through some jeans. “Here, a size 4 and 6. We are going to see which one fits you, because you are way, way, way smaller than an 8.”

  Jeremy comes over and lifts up my shirt, too. I smack his hand away. “What are you doing!?” I scream.

  “Isabelle,” he says, “You have a nice body.”

  “Don’t lift up my shirt! Are you nuts!?”

  He just smiles. “I am here to help you buy clothes. I need to see what I am working with.”

  “She can see! You can’t!” I hiss. “I am not walking up to you and taking your clothes off.”

  “You are welcome to if you want,” Jeremy retorts, with a devious grin.

  Groaning, I roll my eyes and follow Cassandra to the fitting rooms. She hands me the jeans. “Start with these. I am going to look for shirts.”

  “Alright,” I moan, taking the pants. I go into the dressing room and stare at myself in the mirror. Curious, I lift my shirt up to check myself out. I have a nice body? Really? Hmm, I guess I never thought about it. I have never really compared myself to anyone, and nothing I wear really shows off anything. Finally, I shrug and take my pants off.

  Of course, I try on the size 6 jeans first. They actually fit. I am not trying on the size 4 pair. I don’t want them painted on my body. I spin and look in the mirror. Wow, having a pair of pants that actually fit makes a huge difference. Huh, who would have thought?

  Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. “Did you try on both pairs?” Cassandra asks.

  “No, just the size 6’s. They fit,” I reply, opening the door
. “See.”

  Cassandra looks me up and down. “You could probably fit into the fours.”

  “I don’t want to have to peel off my pants, thank you very much,” I retort.

  “Well, when it comes to skirts and dresses we may have to go a size down.”

  Shifting my weight uncomfortably, I mumble, “Alright.”

  “Okay, can I come in there with you? Or are you super shy?” Cassandra asks.

  “I, well, no you can come in. Just don’t laugh or anything.”

  With a look of bewilderment, Cassandra gasps, “Why would I laugh?”

  “Because people usually do,” I reply quietly.

  “That’s ridiculous,” she snaps. “Come on. I will make sure no one laughs at you.”

  I let her in and we try on a lot of tops. Jeremy finally comes up to the dressing room door and knocks. “You know, I should probably come in there, too.”

  “No, you perv,” I retort.

  “It would be strictly objective, no perversion whatsoever.”

  “Yeah right,” Cassandra replies. She looks at me, “Okay, I am going to get you some skirts and dresses. Do you want to come with, or do you trust me?”

  Emphasizing, I plead, “Nothing pink please!”

  “Got ya,” she assures, as she leaves the room. I turn and look in the mirror. I have on a pair of black pants and a red button up shirt that is formed to my body. I don’t look too bad actually.

  There is a soft knock on the door. I shout, “Yes?”

  “How are you doing in there?” Jeremy asks.

  “Fine,” I answer happily. “How are you doing?”

  All I hear is a groan. “I am so bored. You guys are having all the fun, and I am standing out here having no input whatsoever.”

  “Get me an outfit then,” I reply, rolling my eyes.

  He is silent for a minute and then replies, “Will you promise to try on what I give you?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Remember that you just said that,” I hear Jeremy say, as he walks away.

  Uh oh. I think I am going to regret this. A little while later, Cassandra reappears. She has three skirts and two dresses. One skirt is a pleaded, red plaid skirt. That one I try on with the shirt I am already wearing. “Wow,” is all I can say. “I didn’t know I would look like this in a skirt.”