The Art of Life

by Carter, Sarah

  “It would probably give me a few more cool points,” I giggle. “PPPLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEE?”

  Jeremy bends over and kisses me on the forehead. “Anything for you baby.”

  “So, what do you want to do for the rest of the evening?”

  “Go make us some tea and meet me in my room,” he replies. My eyes don’t move from him. “Just do it.”

  Okay. I turn and leave the bathroom. While I wait for the water to heat, I kind of fidget with my fingers. The last thing I want to do is get into a bed with Jeremy. I mean, okay, that’s a lie. The drive to get into a bed with him is too strong to ignore, but I can’t do that to myself. No more. I just can’t.

  Finally, I walk back down the hallway, carefully carrying our cups of tea. I find Jeremy with a wide array of stuff strewn across his bed. Setting one of the cups down next to him, I ask, “What’s all this?”

  “Come, sit down, I will show you.”

  I go over to the other side of the bed and sit down. “Okay, what am I looking at?”

  Jeremy takes a deep breath and says, “This is everything I have from Kaitlin. I wanted to show you who she was. I haven’t been able to share this with anyone and I think it’s better if I just do it. Kind of like ripping off a band-aid.”

  “Sounds good,” I say, leaning in closer to him. “Show me.” We go through pictures first. It actually makes me giggle a little bit. “You were pretty cute your whole life Jeremy.”

  “Not as fabulous as I am now,” he says, pushing into me, “but I was alright. I think Kaitlin was pretty, but she never, ever saw it. That always broke my heart.”

  Picking up a picture of her, I say, “Honestly, she was very pretty. Maybe not your typical pretty girl, but she was definitely cute.”

  “Now, if I could get someone else to see how pretty they really are, that would be great.” Jeremy turns and looks at me.

  “Shut up,” I hiss. I pick up another picture. “Is this her parents?”

  With a heavy sigh, Jeremy answers, “Yes.” He pauses and then whispers, “I miss them.”

  “Then write a letter, better yet, make a phone call!”

  “I haven’t even read a letter from them in six months,” he replies.

  Smacking him on the knee, I say, “Be right back.” I jump off the bed and dart down the hallway. A minute later, I come walking back with the stack of envelopes from the kitchen drawer. “We are going to read these.”

  “Isabelle,” Jeremy sternly growls. “I don’t want to read them.”

  Backing up into the wall, I declare, “Fine, then I will read them,” and with that I rip one open. “Dearest Jeremy,” I start.

  “ISABELLE!”

  “We hope this finds you doing well. I am worried that we have not heard from you. I know it’s hard. We think of her every day.” Suddenly, Jeremy jumps off the bed. I spin around and hold the letter against my chest. “You need to read these!” I yell. “Damn it Jeremy, listen to me!”

  He stops dead in his tracks. “Did you just swear at me?” He gasps.

  “Yes,” I snap. “You need to read these and either you do it or I am going to read them out loud.”

  Extending his hand, he moans, “Fine.”

  “No, promise me, you will read them. Swear on my life.”

  “That’s not funny,” he snarls.

  “Jeremy, I am not trying to be funny. You need to do this. I am putting my foot down!” I snap.

  Quickly, I am on the floor. Jeremy is laughing and sitting on top of me. “You are putting your what down?”

  “My foot,” I reply smugly. “It is down and you should be fearful.”

  “Fear the foot.” Jeremy takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes. “Fine, I promise on your life I will read them, but only if you are in my arms as I do it. I need you to do this Isabelle.”

  At that point, I know I have to put everything else that has ever happened aside. “Okay.” He extends his hand and I take it. We get onto the bed and Jeremy opens his arms. I crawl into them and lay my head onto his chest. I hand him the letter.

  I feel him take a deep breath, and then he starts, “Dearest Jeremy….” We lay there and read seven letters. They are all really touching. I end up crying, because I never knew that kind of love existed. You can feel how much they care for him through just their words. Finally, he sets the letter down. I look at him, and he turns to return my gaze. “I miss them.”

  Propping myself up so we are facing each other, I whisper, “Then contact them. It’s not too late. Call. They would be so happy to hear from you.”

  Jeremy brings his hand up and pushes my hair behind me ear. “You are saving me, you know that right?”

  “No,” I murmur, shaking my head. “I am just being your friend.”

  Suddenly, Jeremy pulls me down and kisses me ever so gently. I should pull away, but it feels so good. When we pull apart, Jeremy says, “No, I can thank God for you. You are bringing me back to life.”

  “Call them,” I command. “I will get your phone.”

  “Okay,” he sighs in return. I jump off the bed to go get it. When I return, Jeremy is sitting up on the bed. “I want to do this alone.”

  Part of me feels sad about that. “I understand. Here, take your phone. I will shut the door.” He nods his head. I give it to him and turn to leave. “I am here if you need me,” I say, as I shut the door.

  Not sure what to do, I go and lie down on my bed. There is so much swarming around in my head. So much, I want to scream. Last night still weighs heavy on me. Having so much fun with Eric makes it feel better, but now this whole thing, brings me down again. I just want to be there as much I can for Jeremy.

  A long while goes by, with no sign of Jeremy. I get up and make a sandwich. I think out of nervousness. Finally, I hear his door open. I quickly start doing the dishes, so he doesn’t think I was just standing here waiting. When he comes around the corner, I ask quietly, “How did it go?”

  “Good,” he replies. “We are going there for Christmas.”

  “Oh,” I squeak. “Well, Eric invited me over to his place for the holidays, so don’t feel bad. I will have someplace to go.”

  Jeremy just laughs. “Isabelle, I said WE are going there for Christmas, as in you and I.”

  I quickly turn around. “Why are you taking me?”

  “They want to meet you,” he replies, opening the fridge.

  “You told them about me?” I inquire, totally shocked.

  He smiles at me. “Of course, if you hadn’t entered my life, I wouldn’t have been talking to them. They think I should marry you, which I told them, the man who does get to marry you, is going to be the luckiest man in the world.”

  “That’s sweet,” I whisper. “They know we aren’t a couple right?”

  “Well, I tried to explain what we are and it came out to be a mess, so I just said that you are the closest thing I have to a significant other right now.”

  My jaw drops open a little. “What are they going to say when you find a real girlfriend?”

  “Mmmm,” he hums. “I haven’t really thought about that. We will tackle it if it happens. Let’s not rain on my parade. Part of me is really happy and part of me is really sad. I miss her parents, but it is a reminder that she is gone. So, I am not sure what to feel.”

  “Boy, do I understand that feeling,” I mumble to myself.

  “What did you say?” Jeremy asks, with a confused look.

  Shaking my head, I reply, “Nothing. I am happy that you are at least somewhat happy. This is a good thing.”

  “And I have you to thank for it,” he says, as he comes over and wraps his arms around me. I clench my eyes shut. My body fights flinching away. I can’t help it. The pain from last night is still very apparent. “Will you sleep next to me tonight? I need you close by.”

  “I don’t know,” I softly retort.

  Jeremy looks down at me. “What’s wrong?”

  No words come out of my mouth. Finally, I sigh, “Nothing, nothi
ng is wrong. Of course I will stay by you tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Jeremy says, kissing my on my head.

  This is going to be an interesting night.

  Chapter 20

  The night isn’t really that awkward. It is just like falling into place. I crawl into Jeremy’s arms and we go to sleep. Maybe I can get over this, maybe.

  In the morning, I am scrambling to get ready. I want to look perfect. Jeremy just watches me in amusement. “What are you doing?”

  “I want to look good,” I state. “There are going to be a lot of pretty girls there and I want to at least be noticeable to Eric.”

  “If he is interested, he will notice you,” Jeremy says quietly. “I definitely notice you.”

  Turning, I go, “Aww, that’s sweet.”

  He winks at me and then laughs. “You know this is a car show right? You are going with a bunch of guys, to look at cars……most likely our attention will be on the cars. It’s a male thing.”

  “Great,” I groan. “Is there a point of me going?”

  “Yes, because I want you there. I don’t care about the other two. You must learn about cars.”

  “Oh jeepers,” I sigh sarcastically. “Anyway, how do I look?” My eyes look down at my outfit. I have on nicely fitted pants and empire wasted silk top. “I think I look good.”

  Jeremy replies, “You always look good to me. So, I think you look wonderful.”

  “You will make a girl blush,” I giggle. “I want Eric to think I look wonderful, too.” Though my mind is more centered on the fact that Jeremy thinks I look nice. Stop it Isabelle! You like Eric, Eric, not Jeremy, Eric. Caring about what Jeremy thinks is stupid. It will get you nowhere.

  “You are putting a lot into impressing Eric,” Jeremy states, just looking at me. “You really like him, huh?”

  My mouth opens, but I don’t know what to say. “I have to like someone, right?” I finally ask.

  We stand there for a minute just staring at each other. “Yeah,” Jeremy responds quietly, “I guess you do.” He quickly looks away. “If you are preoccupied with Eric, maybe I can get a few numbers.”

  With those words, my chest tightens into a knot. My breath is actually caught in my throat. I spin around and squeak out, “Yeah, that would be good for you. You haven’t gone on a date in a while.” I pause for a second and then say, “And you probably haven’t filled that kissing quota you always talk about. Now, I need to finish getting ready.” I walk into my room and shut the door. My knees start to give out and I crumple to the floor. “Stop it Isabelle,” I barely whisper to myself. “This is stupid.”

  My mind is just racing. Sighing, I decide to get up and look at the art on my wall. It has always calmed me. A little while later there is a knock on the door. “Isabelle?”

  “Yeah,” I reply.

  “Can I come in, or are you naked, and then can I still come in?” Jeremy says from out in the hallway.

  Crossing my arms, I reply, “I had clothes on to begin with, why would I be naked?”

  “Maybe you were changing your clothes, I don’t know. I was joking. Can I come in or are you mad at me?”

  “I am not mad,” I sigh. “Just needed time to myself. You can come in if you want.”

  Jeremy opens the door. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I say, trying to put a smile on. “Just nervous.”

  “There is nothing to be nervous about, just be yourself.”

  I look away, “That’s what Eric said.”

  There is just silence as Jeremy stares at me. “What are you looking at?”

  “A dragonfly I drew,” I reply. “I did it after an extremely bad day at school. It is such a beautiful creation and I wanted to be like it. I wanted to be pretty, to be wanted by someone.”

  “You are wanted…..I mean you will be wanted. You know what I mean. You are beautiful and you need to see that,” Jeremy stutters awkwardly.

  My eyes turn and look at him. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he retorts, “Of course I am. It’s me. When am I not okay?”

  Shaking my head, I look at my clock. “We should go pick up Eric and Jack.”

  “Okay, are you driving?” Jeremy asks.

  “Uh, no,” I answer. “That will NOT be happening.”

  He rolls his eyes and counters, “Come on then.”

  We leave and I smile. It is a gorgeous day. I have to follow directions that Eric texted me. When we finally pull up to a nice blue house, Eric is standing outside. I wave, as I get out of the car. “Hey,” I say, maybe a little too happily.

  “Hello,” he replies, with a big smile. “You look very pretty today.” Instantly, I blush, “Thanks.” I look at him and ask, “Did you tell Jack we were coming?”

  “Nope,” Eric laughs. “He is going to freak out. It will be awesome.”

  “Here, I will get in back,” I state, pulling the seat forward.

  Eric grabs my arm. “No, I am not going to make you get in back. If you sat in back, you would have to deal with Jack.”

  “Jack better not do anything that she needs to deal with,” Jeremy says from inside the car.

  I bend over and glare at him. “Shut up Jeremy.” He just smiles in return. Standing back up, I look at Eric. “Sorry.”

  “Oh!” He exclaims. “I have something for you.” Eric pulls out a bag of cheese poofs from his jacket. “For your addiction, since I am your dealer and everything.”

  “YES!” I scream. “Awesome! Thank you!” I jump over and give him a hug. I quickly realize what I just did and back up. “Oops sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Eric replies, “That was a great thank you.”

  Smiling, I bashfully look away. “Well, we should go get Jack.”

  “Okay.” With my cheeks on fire from blushing, Eric brushes past me and gets into the car. “Hey,” I hear him say to Jeremy.

  Jeremy replies, “I don’t think we have been properly introduced, I am Jeremy.”

  “Eric.” He states, extending his hand out to Jeremy.

  With a devious grin, Jeremy shakes it. “So, what is with the bag of junk food?”

  “Nothing,” I smugly say. “It’s an inside joke.”

  That makes Jeremy stop and look at me. “Well then,” he quips, “don’t let me get in the way.”

  “Shut up,” I growl under my breath.

  “Where does Jack live?” Jeremy asks.

  Eric replies, “Over on Cleveland, right next to the hardware store.” Jeremy nods and we take off down the street. It is an air of awkward silence as we drive. Finally, Eric asks, “So did you tell Jeremy about your awesome trick shot?”

  “Nooo,” Jeremy replies. “She didn’t. Please elaborate.”

  “That was great. She hit the ball from the start of the first course and made a hole in one on the next course. It was great. We gave her only one stroke, because it was so awesome.”

  Looking at me out of the corner of his eye, Jeremy smirks. “That’s my girl, always showing off. You should see the other things that she can do.”

  “JEREMY!” I yell. “That sounds horrible! You tell him that was nothing dirty.”

  “It wasn’t anything dirty,” Jeremy laughs, “Or was it?”

  I spin and look at Eric. “He is being an ass, it did not mean anything dirty.”

  With a smile, Eric replies, “He is just trying to embarrass you. I got that.”

  “Oh, this isn’t even me trying yet. I can really embarrass her if I wanted to,” Jeremy snidely remarks.

  “Do we need to go home?” I ask hotly.

  Jeremy reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I promise, I will be a good boy.” He doesn’t let go of my hand, so I have to yank it away. I see him give me a look. He quickly draws his hand away and shifts to the other side, farther away from me. I sigh and shake my head.

  When we pull up to Jack’s house, Eric says, “I give it about ten seconds before he comes out of the house, screaming like a little girl.” That makes us all laugh
.

  And a little bit later, Jack comes running over to the car. I get out to meet him. “No way! Eric did not tell me that you were coming! This is freaking sweet! Can I drive?”

  Snorting, Jeremy replies, “No. Isabelle can show you her mad driving skills though.”

  “No,” I hiss. “You are driving!”

  Jack sighs, “I would drive if I had the chance.”

  “Enough, I am not doing it! Get in the car please, Jack,” I sigh.

  The guys talk all about the GTO on the way to the car show. They make me giggle. When we get there the guy at the entrance bends down by the window. “You should have been here earlier to set up. What’s your name?”

  “We are just here to look at the cars. My baby isn’t in the show,” Jeremy replies.

  “Why not? It’s gorgeous.”

  With a slight grin, Jeremy retorts, “I like to keep my women to myself.”

  That makes me roll my eyes, “Jeremy.”

  Ignoring me, Jeremy states, “We just want to see the show.”

  “Well, here is a pass for VIP parking, you need to park there, so people can actually see it,” the attendant says.

  “I guess,” Jeremy sighs, shaking his head. “Thank you.”

  The guy hands him the pass. “Have fun.”

  Jeremy nods and puts the pass on the dash. He looks at me. “I like to keep things to myself, right Isabelle?”

  If I could shoot daggers out of my eyes, I would be doing that right now. Jeremy laughs and drives forward. I run my fingers through my hair in annoyance. “So, what can I expect at this thing?” I ask.

  Jack leans forward. “Like EVERYTHING! From the original Model A to a modern day stuff. We will definitely educate you.”

  “I will see how much you know,” Jeremy says, as he parks the car. “We could do a competition to see who knows the most.”

  “That would be you,” Jack replies. “I know better than that.”

  When Jeremy gets out of the car, I turn around. “I really am sorry for anything he says today.”

  Both Jack and Eric laugh. “It’s all good,” Eric counters.

  Jeremy opens my door and I get out. Leaning by him, I hiss, “Behave.”