The Art of Life (36 page)

               
Sonya softly screams and turns
to walk away.
 
My teacher gives me a
little smirk, and that makes me smile broadly.

               
I walk out of school later, with
a skip in my step.
 
I have NEVER felt
this good.
 
It’s like a guardian angel
has come down and changed my life.
 
When
I get to the curb, I stop dead in my tracks.
 
“What in the world are you doing here?”

               
Cassandra sits in her little
convertible Bug.
 
“I thought we could go
shopping.”

               
“I have absolutely no money on
me,” I say, walking up to her car.

               
She just smiles.
 
“You can pay me back.”

               
“I can’t do that Cassandra.”

               
“Fine, Jeremy gave me the
money.
 
He wanted us to go out
together.
 
The boys and him are going to
do guy stuff tonight and wanted us entertained,” Cassandra replies with a grin.

               
Groaning, I whine, “Why does he
keep spending money?”

               
“He says if you complained, he
wanted you to know he expects to be paid back….someday.”
 
That makes me roll my eyes.
 
She pats the seat.
 
“Come on, get in.”

               
I throw my backpack in the car
and get in.
 
Like I am going to pass this
up?
 
Really?
 
She cranks up some dance music and pulls away
from the curb.
 
I see Sonya and her
friends.
 
I wave and then flick them
off.
 
I realize that isn’t very mature,
but I have put up with her crap long enough.

               
We drive to the mall once
again.
 
This time it’s nice to just have
a girl to talk to.
 
I have never had
that.
 
We talk about cute actors and who
makes us drool.
 
Our music preferences
aren’t the same, but I pretty much like everything.
 
Well, except country, I can’t do
country.
 
We buy me some sweaters that
were just put out.
 
“You will need these
for winter.
 
Okay, now onto why we are
here.
 
We need to get you some real
bras.
 
We will go over to the lingerie
store.”

               
“I have never even thought of
going in there.
 
I mean, that stuff is
really…..”

               
“Sexy,” Cassandra finishes.
 
“Yes, I know that, but that is for the girl
to feel pretty.
 
You better not be
showing your underwear to any guys.
 
I
think the boys would beat the crap out of him.”

               
I snort.
 
“I doubt that Kent or Josh would do
that.
 
Jeremy, yes.”

               
“No, seriously, they are all
about you.
 
They had a blast the other
day.
 
It’s nice to have another girl
around, let me tell you.
 
I was
surrounded by too much testosterone.
 
We
definitely needed more estrogen.
 
Come
on.”
 
She ushers me to the lingerie
store.

               
When we get in there, I just
stop and look at her.
 
“I have no idea
what to do in here.”

               
“Well,” she starts.
 
“What would you like?
 
Something feminine?
 
Something simple?
 
Something sassy?”

               
“All three of those,” I retort,
smiling.

               
She giggles.
 
“Good answer, let’s go.”

               
We find me six bras.
 
Cassandra reassures me that it is fine that I
have sexy bras.
 
It’s for me, not any
guy.
 
“I will feel awkward at first wearing
these,” I say.

               
“A girl has to feel pretty, and
I am sorry, I feel pretty with cute things on.
 
We need to get you matching panties.”

               
“That is something I need,
different underwear.
 
I have never really
worn anything that wasn’t in a package,” I sigh.

               
Grabbing yet another bra for me,
Cassandra smiles, “We will get you enough to last you from laundry day to laundry
day.”

               
“Good,” I reply.
 
When we are done shopping for me, Cassandra
starts looking around for herself, and
my oh
my, she
buys some sassy stuff.
 
“So, are you
getting this stuff to wear for Kent?” I ask slowly.

               
Cassandra smirks at me.
 
“Actually, no, I come from a religious family
and I am still a virgin.
 
I plan to stay
that way until I am married.
 
TRUST ME, I
have a hard time staying that way, but I think it’s better to wait.
 
I mean, we make out like crazy, but never
anything beyond that.”

               
“So, it’s not bad that I feel
that I should wait.”

               
“Who are you planning to sleep
with?” Cassandra asks, a little wide eyed.

               
Waving my hands, I exclaim, “No
one!
 
Oh
my gosh
,
no one!
 
I have never even kissed anyone
but Jeremy.”

               
Her jaw drops.
 
“You kissed Jeremy?”

               
“More like he kissed me,” I
reply quietly.
 
“It’s not what you
think.
 
I had never kissed anyone and was
talking about how I didn’t want to fumble around my first time and then he
suddenly kissed me.”

               
“So, he was your first kiss!”
Cassandra squeals.
 
“That is so cute!”

               
I grimace.
 
“Well, it’s not like my first kiss, first
kiss.
 
It’s not like it meant
anything.
 
The first time I didn’t even
kiss back.”

               
“The first
time?
 
There was a second time?”

               
“Yeah,” I mumble, suddenly
shy.
 
“He wanted to see if I was a good
kisser, or something along those lines.”

               
Clicking her tongue, Cassandra
grins.
 
“I will just keep my two cents to
myself.”

               
“It’s not like that!” I
yell.
 
“Oh please, don’t tell Kent or
Josh, or even let onto Jeremy that you know.”

               
“I won’t, don’t worry.
 
When a girl tells a friend something, that
friend better not repeat it to anyone else.”

               
With a breath of relief, I say,
“Oh, thank you.”

               
“Let’s check out and see what
the damage is,” Cassandra giggles.
 
“Then
we should get something to eat.”

               
“Actually, I have a paper I need
to work on.
 
Do you mind if we skip
dinner?” I ask.

               
A snort comes out of
Cassandra.
 
“Man, I do not miss high
school.
 
Yeah, that’s fine.
 
Let’s pay for this stuff.”

               
When we leave the store, I blush
a little because I see some guys from school.
 
I know they probably don’t know who I am, but I am a girl walking out of
the lingerie store.
 
It just makes me
want to giggle.
 

               
A little while later, we pull up
to my house.
 
“Thank you,” I say, “I had
a really good time.
 
It’s nice to have a
girl to do something with.”

               
“No problem,” Cassandra
replies.
 
“I had a good time, too.
 
We need to get together for dinner sometime
soon.”

               
“Definitely,” I retort, smiling
broadly.

               
Getting a thoughtful look,
Cassandra exclaims, “Oh!
 
I want to see
your art!”

               
“Next time my mom’s gone, I will
invite you over.
 
I don’t let anyone see
her.”

               
“Alright, I won’t ask,”
Cassandra laughs.
 
“Well, have a good
night girly.”

               
I nod, “You too.”

               
As I run up to my house, I feel
a stiff breeze brush past me.
 
I look up
to see storm clouds start to roll in.
 
Oh
boy, it’s going to be cold tonight.
 
Thankfully I am home now.
 
I throw
open the front door and hear my mom talking in the kitchen.
 
Great.
 
I sprint upstairs to put my stuff in my
room.
 
The less my mom sees the better.

               
I throw on a sweater to keep out
the chill and go downstairs.
 
Like it or
not, I have to go in the kitchen and get something to eat.
 
I turn the corner to see my mom and her “boyfriend”
Howard sitting at the table.
 
They of course
have glasses of liquor in front of them, vodka to be exact.
 
“Hey mom,” I mumble.

               
“Where have you been?” She snaps
slightly.

               
“With my friend,” I reply,
opening the fridge.

               
Obviously finding humor in my
comment, she just laughs.
 
“Suddenly you
have a boyfriend and friends.
 
What
happened?”

               
“Nothing happened,” I sigh.
 
“I just made some friends.”
 
I grab a yogurt and some fruit and say, “I am
going upstairs.”

               
“Bye,” my mom giggles.

               
Brushing past her, I run up to
my room.
 
Gosh, I hate her sometimes.
 
She just has to show off in front of
guys.
 
Who cares that I am your
daughter.
 
Whatever.
 
I slam my bedroom door close.
 
Grumbling, I sit down on my bed and pull out
my text book.

               
At least working on my paper
keeps me sidetracked.
 
A while later I get
up to go to my desk.
 
I am trying to find
some note cards.
 
I start going through
my desk drawer when I hear my door open.
 
“Go away mom,” I growl.

               
“I am not your mother.”

               
I spin around to see Howard
standing in my doorway and my heart drops.
 
“What are you doing?”

               
“I was trying to find the
bathroom,” he replies slowly, just staring at me.

               
“Well this isn’t it,” I
snap.
 
“It’s across the hall.
 
There is a bathroom downstairs, too.
 
Now, please leave my room.”

               
He just smiles and walks farther
into my room.
 
My whole world stops in
that moment.
 
It’s one of those times
when you know something bad is going to happen, something very, very bad.
 
Howard turns and looks at my wall.
 
“Pretty art, did you do it.”

               
“Leave my room!” I snarl.

               
Obviously ignoring me, he keeps
walking along my wall.
 
I slowly make my
way in the opposite direction.
 
My phone
is on my bed.
 
I just have to get to it.
 
Howard comes to my closet and looks down at
my bags.
 
“Lingerie?
 
What is a girl like you doing in a lingerie
store?”