The Art of Life (22 page)

               
“Why?”

               
Do I really want to answer
that?
 
I turn my head and look out the
window.
 
“Things usually don’t go right
for me.”

               
“Hey, that is the way the world
works.
 
Not everything works out for me
either,” Eric points out.

               
“Yeah,” I almost snap back, “but
you have all the friends and popularity.
 
You have the loving family.
 
Jeremy is all I have.
 
It is a
scary world when that one thing may blow up in your face.”

               
Frowning, Eric asks, “You don’t
have a loving family?”

               
Now, completely put in a corner
and afraid of this conversation, I say, “Sorry Eric, I have to go.”
 
I quickly jump out of the car, and start to
walk down the sidewalk.

               
“Isabelle!” I hear Eric yell
from his window.
 
“I am sorry!
 
Come back here!”

               
I spin around, holding back
tears.
 
“I am sorry Eric, but I have to
go.
 
I understand if you don’t want to
deal with my melodramatic butt, but some things are hard for me to talk about.”

               
Eric backs the car up and looks
at me.
 
“I will not push you, again.
 
Just take a deep breath.”

               
So, I do as he says, breathing
deeply.
 
“See, this is why I hide away
from people.
 
I am crazy.”

               
“Oh please, have you met some of
the girls we go to school with?
 
Now,
they are crazy!
 
They stab each other in
the back every chance they get.
 
You do
not seem to be like that.”

               
A sigh comes out of me and I
say, “No, I am not like that.
 
I think
that is really catty and stupid.”

               
“See, you aren’t crazy.
 
Now, my sister being pregnant with all those
hormones, now THAT’S crazy!
 
Geesh
, you getting upset by a personal question is one thing.
 
Her getting upset about every look, every
breath you take, that makes her certifiable.
  
So, if I can deal with that, I can certainly be okay with you being a
little shy.”

               
That makes me smile.
 
“Thanks.”
 
I nudge my head.
 
“I should still
get going.
 
I want to get my homework
done tonight, so that my weekend is open.
 
I never thought I would actually say that.”

               
“Well, if you have time this
weekend, give me a call.
 
We can get to
know each other and become
friends, which is
something
we should have done years ago, and I am sorry that it is my fault.”

               
“Not entirely your fault, but
yeah, it would be nice to be…..friends.”
 
Okay, friend isn’t what I was looking for, but it will do for now.
 
That is far beyond my expectations
anyway.
 
“I will see what Jeremy has
planned for me and if I can, I will let you know.”

               
Eric smiles, and says, “Sounds
good.
 
See you later Isabelle.”

               
All I can do is wave as he pulls
away.
 
Turning around, I finally
grin
the biggest grin.
 
This can’t be happening.
 
Things
like this don’t really happen.
 
I am
a nobody
.
 
Guys don’t
talk to me, especially Eric.
 
It’s like
Jeremy is my good luck charm.
 
He is more
than a good luck
charm,
he is my closest friend, my
best friend.
 
I would never say that to
him, because he would probably think I am clinging onto him.
 

               
I get to my door and open it
up.
 
Instantly, I hear my mom yell,
“Isabelle!”

               
Oh great.
 
“Yes mom.”

               
“Come in here,” she demands.

               
Dropping my backpack on the
floor, I sigh and walk into the kitchen.
 
“What’s up?” I ask.

               
“Are you still going clothes
shopping this weekend?”

               
Bewildered, I say, “Huh?
 
What are you talking about?”

               
“Your boyfriend Jarrod said he
was taking you to buy new clothes,” she spits out.

               
“Jeremy, mom, his name is Jeremy
and I don’t know if we are still doing that.
 
Right now he is teaching me how to drive.
 
I don’t know if that is one of the things we
are going to do this weekend.”

               
My mom grabs her purse and
starts rooting around in it.
 
“Here, I
got this out for you.”
 
She hands me a
money envelope.

               
“What is it?” I ask, opening it
up.
 
My eyes nearly bulge out of my head.

               
“It’s three hundred and fifty
dollars.
 
I want you to get yourself some
clothes.
 
I don’t even remember the last
time I took you shopping,” my mom mumbles as she goes to the fridge.

               
Stuttering, I go, “Mom, you
haven’t taken me clothes shopping in years.
 
I have done it all myself.”
              

               
She looks at me.
 
“That’s a little obvious.”

               
Deep breaths, deep breaths,
don’t scream.
 
“I will gladly take this
and go shopping.”

               
“Good.
 
I am going away for the weekend with
Howard.
 
I will be
back
Sunday night.”

               
“Who is Howard?” I ask sharply.

               
My mom raises her eyebrow.
 
“My new boyfriend, anyway we are going to his
cabin.
 
So, make sure you lock the doors
at night.”

               
“You are leaving me here alone?
 
I have never been alone in this house!” I
snap.

               
“You are 18.
 
Really Isabelle, you shouldn’t be afraid of
the dark.”

               
Seething mad, I slowly retort,
“I am not afraid of the dark.
 
I will be
just FINE without you.”

               
“Good,” she replies.
 
“Have fun shopping.
 
I am going to go pack now.
 
I am leaving in an hour.”

               
“Great, have fun,” I snarl, as I
turn and leave the room.

               
When I walk into my bedroom, I
slam the door.
 
She is so incredibly
annoying!
 
Ugh, I just want to be
somewhere else right now!
 
I would call
Jeremy, but he is out with the guys creating a ruckus, and I would look way too
desperate if I called Eric already.
 
This
would be a nice time to have a female friend.
 
I throw myself on my bed, and cover my face.
 
Well, at least I have money for the
weekend.
 
We don’t even have food in the
house.
 
What would I have done if she
didn’t have money out for me?
 
I need to
get out of here, that’s what I need to do.

               
I get up and get my mp3 player
out of my backpack.
 
Putting my
headphones on, I disappear from the world.
 
It isn’t until a little later that I wake up.
 
I shoot up in bed.
 
The sun has already set and my room is dark.
 
I turn on my lamp and rub my eyes.
 
“Shoot, I was going to do my homework,” I
mumble to myself.
 
“Must
obtain sustenance first.”

               
My house is empty, dark and
quiet when I walk out of my bedroom.
 
Okay, yes, I am not afraid of the dark, but who wouldn’t be
creeped
out by a giant, vacant house.
 
As I walk through the rooms, I throw on every
light.
 
My mom can just deal with electric
bill.
 
Teach her to leave me alone.
 
I make a sandwich and sit down in front of
the television.
 
It is reruns.
 
I am bored after only 15 minutes.
 
Groaning, I put my plate on the coffee
table.
 

               
What in the world can I do?
 
I bite my lip and think about it.
 
I have an idea.
 
Checking the doors, I want to make sure they
are locked, and of course the front door is open.
 
Thanks mom.
 
Now, I have to go check every room of the house, with a knife in my
hand.
 
All the rooms are clear.
 
Taking a deep breath, I go into my room and
shut the door.
 

               
My computer is on my desk, and I
go and turn it on.
 
When I go on the
internet, I type in fashion.
 
Of course,
a million sites pop up.
 
I click on one
of the well-known designers.
 
My eyebrow
arches.
 
“I am so not wearing that,” I
mumble.
 
And why do the guys in these
pictures look dirty?
 
It’s that a new
trend, not bathing?
 
I really hope Jeremy
knows what he is doing.
 
I mean, he is
always dressed nicely, but he is so attractive, I barely look at his
clothes.
 
Wait, did I really just think
that?
 
I shake my head and look back at
the pictures.

               
I spend a good hour going
through site after site.
 
Finally, I
can’t do it anymore.
 
I sit there and
look at the clock.
 
It’s eleven.
 
I guess I could go to bed.
 
As, I turn to click out of the browser, a
thought suddenly occurs to me.
 
I could
search for Jeremy’s name and see what pops up.
 
Should I do that?
 
Isn’t that
wrong though?
 
I mean, shouldn’t I wait
for him to reveal his past to me?
 

               
Tapping the keys, I think about
it for a minute.
 
Finally, I turn off the
computer.
 
I can’t do it.
 
That would be invading his privacy and that
is not something I want to do.
 
Part of
me is curious to what I would find though.
  
Is he a criminal?
 
Doubtful.
  
Where is
his family?
 
What is he hiding?
 
I just shake my head as I get ready for bed.

               
The next morning I clean like a
crazy person.
 
I even clean my mom’s
room, because she will never do it.
 
My
house is finally sparkling clean.
 
I look
at the clock and realize I really need to get into the shower.
 
While I am rinsing the conditioner out of my
hair, I hear the doorbell ring.
 
“Shoot,”
I exclaim.
 
Shutting the water off, I
jump out of the shower.
 
As I am drying
off, the doorbell rings again.
 
I grab my
robe and throw it on.
 
I nearly sprint
down the steps to the front door.
 
I yank
it open to find Jeremy standing there.

               
He looks at me and frowns.
 
“Why in the world would you answer the door
in your robe?
 
You had no idea it was
me.
 
I could be some scary killer.”

               
“Next time, I will answer the
door with a knife then,” I retort with a smile.
 
“Come on in.”
 
I open the door
wider.