The Art of Life

by Carter, Sarah

  “Isabelle,” he replies softly. “I don’t need to do this.”

  “YES, you do!” Josh exclaims. “Go. Isabelle can pick the girl.”

  Cassandra and Jeremy shout, “No!” at the same time.

  Josh gives them a bewildered look. “Why not?”

  “I wouldn’t know who to pick,” I reply. “You know, it would be like him picking a boy for me to kiss.”

  “I bet you could get a kiss out of a guy. We should do that instead!” Josh says cheerfully.

  Jeremy stands up straight, “No, I am going to do it. It will be funny. Pick the girl.”

  Scanning the crowd, Josh points to a girl. “The blonde.”

  I turn and look. She is gorgeous: perfect hair, perfect body, beautiful blue eyes. Great. Jeremy sighs and looks at me. I advert my gaze, looking out into the crowd. He turns and walks over to the girl.

  As he takes each step, my heart falls farther and farther into my stomach. Finally, Jeremy comes up to her at the bar. He leans against it in front of her. She eyes him up and then smiles. They converse a little bit and then Jeremy leans in by her and whispers one line. The girl hesitates, which makes me sigh in relief, but like a kick to the stomach, she leans in and kisses him. I think I am going to vomit, because it’s not just some little kiss.

  You can hear Josh and Kent start cheering in the background. I have to look away. I grab the table to steady myself. You can’t react this way! YOU CAN’T!!! You need to breathe, just breathe. Looking up I ask Josh, “Where is the bathroom?”

  “Downstairs,” he replies. “Do you need to visit it?”

  “Yeah,” I reply, a little shakily.

  Cassandra steps forward and says, “I will take her.”

  “No!” I say, probably too harshly. “I will go find them.”

  “Nonsense,” Josh interjects. “We use the private bathroom, not the club one. I will go with ya. It seems that Jeremy will be preoccupied for a while.”

  I can’t even look over there. The images running through my head are bad enough. “Let’s go then,” I declare, trying to be cheery.

  Josh comes around the table and takes my hand. He pulls me through the crowd. I didn’t realize we would walk right past Jeremy and this chick. I make sure I don’t look at him, so I press myself against Josh, and we walk down the steps.

  When we get down to the first floor, we push through the crowd on the dance floor. I hold onto Josh for dear life. I just need the touch of someone right now. We get to the other end of the club and I stop. There is a very, long, long line outside of the girl’s bathroom. “I don’t have to wait in that, right?” I ask.

  “Pffff, no,” Josh replies. “Down the same hallway is the door that leads to the back offices. There is a really nice bathroom back in my brother’s office area.”

  “Oh good,” I sigh.

  We start to walk forward. As we pass the line, I suddenly hear, “Hey! No cutting in line.”

  I turn and groan. Sonya is standing there with Jessica and Daniella. Sonya’s eyes suddenly get huge. “ISABELLE!”

  “Yup,” I reply, standing up straighter. Yeah, I look good, what are you going to say now?

  Josh turns around. “Friends of yours?”

  “No,” I articulate harshly.

  “That isn’t Jeremy,” Jessica says.

  I roll my eyes, “What an astute observation.”

  “My name is Josh!” My friend interjects.

  “You are as cute as Jeremy,” Daniella states.

  Getting a big grin, Josh replies, “Thank you, that’s a compliment.” He leans in by my ear. “Who are these chicks?”

  Turning around, I wrap my arms around his neck and whisper, “They are my tormentors. They make my life hell.”

  “Got it,” he murmurs back. I turn back around, but Josh keeps his arms on me. “Well, Isabelle and I are going to go to the bathroom.”

  “You can’t cut in line,” Sonya snaps.

  Kind of bouncing, Jessica moans, “Yeah, I have to go and am not letting ANYONE in front of us.”

  “Umm, we don’t need these bathrooms,” Josh replies. “We have a private bathroom, which we will be going to use now.” He pulls me against him and bites my neck. That makes me squeal and giggle.

  “What private bathroom?” Sonya snarls.

  Josh rolls his eyes. “My brother owns the place, so we will be using his bathroom.”

  “Your brother owns the place?” Sonya asks, looking dumbfounded.

  “Yup,” Josh retorts. “But, WE have some things to go do.”

  “Oh my gosh, can I please go with you?” Jessica gasps. “I really need to use the bathroom.”

  Josh scoffs, “No.”

  “Yeah,” I sigh. “I am not going to be mean.”

  “Thank you!” Jessica screams. Josh tilts his head and we follow him down the hallway. The noise is almost instantly shut off when we walk into the back.

  We walk through a few hallways and then come to a huge office area. “It’s right there,” Josh says, pointing to the bathroom.

  Jessica doesn’t even say anything, but darts into it. Now, I just awkwardly stand there with Josh. He pulls me up against him and I feel a little relieved. This is just tense for me. I can practically feel Sonya staring at me. “So, you two came down here together?”

  “Obviously,” Josh retorts, sounding annoyed.

  “Well, I am just surprised to see you with another guy,” Sonya says to me.

  I shrug, “I don’t have to explain anything to you. We are just here to use the bathroom.”

  “Mmmhmmm,” Josh says, pulling me tight against him.

  Laughing, I push away from him. “Stop it, you perv.”

  “You know I can’t help myself when I am around you,” he quips back.

  “So, that’s how you get the guys,” Sonya snips.

  Confused, I say, “HUH?”

  “Didn’t take you one for bouncing between guys, but why am I not surprised? An easy target is an easy target,” she slyly replies.

  That makes me burst out laughing. “If you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting, you are way off course, I am a virgin, you idiot! No bed hopping here.”

  “Okay, now THAT doesn’t surprise me at all,” Sonya retorts. “Why could I have possibly thought that someone had sex with you?”

  “Hey!” I snap, stepping forward, but Josh grabs me.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s all take a breath. Are you implying that being a virgin is a bad thing, that her not being with a guy is a bad thing? That’s funny. Let me explain something to you, a girl that sleeps with guys is a good time, sure. A girl that saves herself, that means something, because you know what, if she chooses you it means something. If I were SO lucky to have Isabelle love me and choose me, that would make it beautiful. She is what guys like to date, not just fool around with.” Josh declares sharply.

  Sonya stands there for a second, just staring at us. Jessica opens the door a few seconds later. “Thanks,” she says, stepping out. Jessica stops and looks around. “What’s going on?”

  “Now that your friend has used the restroom, I am going to escort you out of here. Izzy, you can use the bathroom now,” Josh says firmly.

  “I haven’t gone yet,” Daniella chirps.

  Getting a very angry look on his face, Josh retorts, “I don’t care.”

  “Just let her use it,” I sigh. “They are back here. I am not going to be as shallow as them.”

  “You are a much better person than me,” Josh replies.

  We all stand there silently as Daniella uses the bathroom. Josh looks at Sonya and she shakes her head. “I don’t have to go.” With a pointed finger, Josh gestures down the hallway.

  Turning to me, he says, “I will be right back.”

  I go into the bathroom and shut the door. This is too much. All of this is too much. Maybe I should have let Cassandra bring me down here. I turn and look in the mirror. Hey, at least I still look good.

  When I am done, I open t
he door. Josh is standing there. “Oh my gosh,” he exclaims. “That is what you put up with!?”

  “That, oh that was nothing,” I reply. “It gets much worse than that. I get called a freak and a loser. You guys wonder why I view myself the way that I do.”

  “I am saying this as a dude and not your friend. Isabelle, you are beautiful. I mean, a guy would be so lucky to have you as his girlfriend. Girls like that, we see them for who they are. They will realize that acting like that won’t get them anywhere with guys. It is really unattractive.”

  Wrapping my arms around him, I say, “Thanks Josh.”

  “Now,” he says, swinging his hips from side to side. “Me and you are going to hit the dance floor. Let’s go.” He grabs my hand and leads me back out into the club.

  I am smiling because Josh made me feel so much better about myself. We are walking past the tables downstairs, when I hear, “Isabelle!” again. I groan and turn around. Then I quickly smile. “Hey!”

  Holly smiles at me. “We didn’t know you would be here.”

  “I am here with Josh,” I reply, pointing to him. “Josh these are my friends Holly, Rose, Walt and of course Jack.”

  “Are you having fun?” Josh asks.

  “Yeah,” Rose replies. “Where’s Jeremy?”

  Pointing, I say, “Upstairs.”

  “Right there actually,” Josh retorts.

  We all look up and see Jeremy on the dance floor with that blonde. Okay, I am going to hurl in front of my new friends.

  There is a moment of silence and then Rose asks, “I thought he and you were together.”

  “What?” Josh says, looking rather confused.

  “Isn’t he your boyfriend?” Rose asks.

  Reaching behind Josh, I pinch him really hard. “I never actually said that. We aren’t exclusive. He can dance with who he wants.”

  Josh catches on. “Yeah, he is preoccupying himself because I stole Isabelle away. Right babe?”

  “Yeah,” I laugh, feeling a little relieved.

  “Wow, you get to kiss Jeremy and hang out with another cute boy, you are now my idol,” Rose sighs.

  Suddenly, Josh pulls me against him. “Actually, since Jeremy is preoccupied, I am going to keep us busy.”

  “Huh?” I reply confused, turning to him. Suddenly, his lips are on mine. I am taken so off guard, I actually freeze, but you know what, it feels good, and Jeremy is obviously having his own fun. We kiss each other for a minute and then pull away.

  “Wow Isabelle,” Josh stammers. “You are a phenomenal kisser.”

  Blushing, I say, “Thanks.”

  With a grin, Josh looks at my friends. “Alright, that was fun.”

  “Won’t Jeremy get mad?” Jack asks slowly. “Do you all just kiss each other?”

  “Gosh no, I do not kiss Jeremy!” Josh exclaims, and then laughs. “This was Isabelle’s and my first kiss. She is really bashful actually, and Jeremy is probably going to chop off my manhood.”

  I shake my head, “You are ridiculous.” Josh just grins at me.

  The song changes and Rose yells, “I love this song! Let’s go dance.”

  “Definitely, let’s,” Josh replies. He grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor. The beat is fast and a lot of fun. Josh holds himself against me, which makes me just giggle uncontrollably.

  Cassandra and Kent are suddenly next to us. “What are you doing down here?” I shout.

  “We wanted to find where you were,” she replies. “I actually got Kent out on the dance floor.” I smile and wave at him.

  For an entire song, I forget about Jeremy. Who cares right? At one point, Josh and Kent pin me between them dancing. I push one with my hands and the other with my back trying to separate them, but it fails. So, I give up and laugh. Cassandra finally pulls me out and she and I dance together. It feels incredible to be with so many people that I can actually call my friends.

  When the next song comes on, I feel hands wrap themselves around me. I turn around to find Jeremy standing there. A little perturbed, I glare at him. “What? You are no longer amused by the blonde.”

  “I didn’t want to do that,” Jeremy replies.

  “Bull,” I snap, probably too harshly. “But that’s alright, I had my own fun. Josh is quite entertaining.”

  An angry look passes over Jeremy’s face. “Yes, I saw.” He looks at me for a second and then says, “I am sorry.”

  That takes me a little off guard. “For what?” I ask, a little nervous.

  He opens his mouth and then shuts it. “I only wanted to dance with you tonight, and I let that pass by, which was just dumb of me. I am sorry. That meant nothing.”

  “So did kissing Josh,” I state, looking into his eyes.

  Jeremy bends over and whispers in my ear, “Dance with me.” His hot breath sends shivers down my spine. I wrap my arms around his neck and he pulls me toward him, putting our legs between each other’s. At that point, I kind of forget about the rest of the world.

  We dance for a while. It has a different feel to it this time. A little while later, a really heated song comes on. I mean, really heated. I take a step back from Jeremy, and am about to walk to the table, because….yeah……but I don’t get anywhere. Jeremy grabs my waist and pulls me against him. My back is to him, and he slides his hands around me. As we dance, he pulls me tighter against him. It takes my breath away. I never knew dancing could feel this way. At some point, he takes my arms and brings them up to go around his neck. Jeremy gently slides his hands back down them and my sides. My breath actually gets caught in my throat.

  He brings his lips to my ear and whispers, “Isabelle….” It’s then that it all comes swarming back, the night we spent in each other’s arms. It’s like a punch to the stomach. I can’t, I can’t do this again. I pull away from him and start to push through the crowd. I hear Jeremy yell, “Isabelle!”

  I just continue to push through the crowd, suddenly I smack into someone. “Sorry,” I snap.

  The guy turns around and I feel like my world has stopped. Howard grins at me. “Why if it isn’t you, I see you dressed up this evening.”

  Suddenly, I can’t breathe and my eyes start to fill up with tears. I instinctually grab my throat. “No, no, no, no,” is all that comes out. I spin to run and fly into Jeremy’s arms.

  He looks down at me. “Isabelle, why did you run away?” Jeremy pauses and looks at me. “Isabelle, what’s wrong?”

  “No, no, no, I have to go, we have to go,” I cry.

  “Isabelle, what is wrong!?” Jeremy yells.

  All I can say is, “Howard, I can’t, I can’t see him. Please!”

  A look of fury passes over Jeremy’s face. “Where!?” Turning I point straight at him. Jeremy pushes me to the side and in an instant has Howard by the shirt. “You piece of trash, you think it’s alright to assault girls, why don’t you pick on someone your own size!”

  Howard sneers at him. “Whatever that little witch told you is a lie. She threw herself at me.”

  “You are mine,” Jeremy growls. He suddenly pushes Howard back. There is a wall there. They impact into it at full force. Jeremy grabs him by the throat and lifts him off the ground. “How does it feel to have no control, to have hands choking you? Does it feel good? I dare you, take one swing at me. I want you to. Swing at me, one free shot. I give that to you. After that you are mine.”

  “Jeremy!” I yell, “Stop!”

  He ignores me. Jeremy practically screams, “Come on punk, take a shot. I dare you!”

  I turn to push back to the crowd to Kent. He meets me halfway with Josh. “What in the world is going on?” Kent shouts.

  “It’s Howard!” I scream. “Get Jeremy before he kills him!”

  “Who?” Josh asks.

  “The guy who assaulted me,” I cry.

  Josh says, “Oh no, come on Kent.”

  We run back to Jeremy. The whole club has stopped and is staring at us. When we get back to the wall, Jeremy is still screaming, “Come on,
punch me, come on! You think you can push yourself on women! Try to pick on someone that can defend themself! Come on, I DARE YOU!”

  Quickly, Josh grabs Jeremy and pulls him back, and Kent goes over to Howard. Jeremy just screams and struggles against Josh’s grip. Within a second, Howard is stepping forward to punch Jeremy, but Kent is too quick. He grabs ahold of his arm, and flips him completely upside down, slamming him down on the floor. Security comes up behind us. Josh looks at them and growls, “Call the police!”

  The one bouncer takes out a walkie talkie. He starts to talk into it. Jeremy continues to fight Josh, but Josh has a tight grip on him. I push and step in front of him. “Jeremy, Jeremy, calm down,” I whisper. Putting my hands on his face, I say, “Jeremy, look at me. Come on, look at me.” He finally does. “Baby, just leave him be. The police are coming. I need you, I need you with me. If you hurt him, you will get arrested, and I need you. Stay with me.”

  Jeremy stops struggling and looks at me. “I want to kill him,” he states harshly.

  “I know, please, I need you with me, okay?”

  He nods and stops struggling. Josh lets go of him. Jeremy steps forward and wraps his arms around me. I let him, because the tears are about to come.

  Kent picks Howard up off the ground, with his arm pinned behind him. “We should take him in back. This is a big enough spectacle.”

  Josh nudges his head. “We will take him to my brother’s office.”

  We make our way through the crowd. It’s like the parting of the red sea. Jeremy doesn’t let go of me the whole time, which I am really appreciative of. When we get into the office, Josh rips open one of his brother’s drawers. I am not sure what he pulls out, but Kent spins Howard around. Josh wraps something around his wrists and pulls it tight.

  “What are you those?” I ask.

  “Zip line hand cuffs,” Josh replies, “we use them to subdue people.” I nod in understanding.

  I watch as Kent pushes Howard to the ground, “Sit down you piece of…..”

  “Kent!” Cassandra snaps, “Don’t!”

  Rubbing my arms, I am suddenly chilled. Jeremy looks at me, “Are you cold?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I whisper. Jeremy unbuttons his shirt and takes it off. Carefully, he slides it on me. I put my arms through and pull it tight against me. “Thanks.” He just wraps his arms around me, holding me gently.