The Art of Life

by Carter, Sarah

  “Wow, you make me sound shallow,” Eric mumbles.

  “No! No! No!” I exclaim. “That isn’t what I meant. I meant…how to put this….I….I don’t know, I am just me and people don’t seem to really care. I don’t have many friends, and have kept to myself all these years. I say no one has noticed me, but I also have never put myself out there to be noticed.”

  Smirking, Eric says, “People notice you now. Your hair has been brought up a few times today.”

  I cover my face. “Oh, don’t tell me that. Is everyone making fun of me?”

  “No, not at all,” he reassures me. “They like it. A lot of the girls were talking about how great it looks.”

  “That is embarrassing,” I moan.

  With a quizzical look, Eric asks, “Why would that be embarrassing?”

  “I am not used to having people’s attention. I am always afraid it’s going to blow up in my face. The only attention I get is….well not nice usually.”

  That seems to make Eric frown. “Is someone picking on you?”

  Scoffing, I say, “Yeah, but I am not going to get into that.”

  “Well, if it’s a problem, let me know,” he replies.

  A little shocked, I say, “Thanks.”

  Suddenly, there is a familiar roar of a motorcycle. Both of us look to the side. Jeremy pulls up and parks the bike. Taking off his helmet, he says, “Sorry I am late. I had to go home and shower. I was quite dirty, of course, you like me dirty.” An evil smirk crosses his face.

  “Jeremy!” I hiss. Turning to Eric, I sigh, “There is no excuse for him. I am sorry.”

  “It’s alright,” he laughs in return. “Well, if you ever need a ride home, let me know. Hopefully, my sister will give me my car back.”

  My cheeks flush. “Thanks.”

  Eric gives me a small wave, and says, “Bye.”

  “Bye!” I respond, as he walks away.

  Spinning, I glare at Jeremy. “Really, you had to make that comment?”

  “Of course I did,” he retorts, with a huge grin. “Get on. We have to get to the DMV before it closes.”

  “I told you, I do not want to learn on your car,” I emphasize harshly.

  Jeremy just rolls his eyes. “Get on the bike either way.”

  I undo the helmet that he has fastened to the back of the bike and put it on. “You are bossy.”

  “Yes, yes I am.”

  Shaking my head, I climb on the back of his bike.

  The DMV isn’t that busy, so it doesn’t take us long to get to the front. The lady gives me the permit test and I go to sit down. Jeremy starts talking to a girl who is filling out papers. Wow, there is a surprise. The test doesn’t take me long. I have read, and reread the manual like a hundred times, and of course, I get a perfect score. I smile broadly as the lady hands me my temps. Spinning, I look at Jeremy. “I did it.”

  “That you did,” he replies. “Now, you need to study this manual.”

  Grabbing the booklet, I look down at it. “Oh, no, no, no! NEVER!”

  “Driving a motorcycle isn’t so hard,” Jeremy reassures me.

  “Are you nuts!?” I shout. “You can’t be serious.”

  He takes my hand. “Just keep the manual. We will tackle a motorcycle another day. We need to teach you to drive a stick first.”

  “Not today,” I state. “I have homework I need to do.”

  “That’s alright, I have plans tonight anyway. I just wanted to make sure you got your temps.”

  As we walk outside, I ask, “What are your plans tonight?”

  With a click of his tongue, Jeremy says, “I have a date with that Vicky girl.”

  “Wow,” I stammer. “That’s good.” My chest tightens a little, but I don’t know why. I knew he had a life outside of me. Of course, he has a life outside of me. Just because he is my only friend, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have others. “Well, I bet you will have fun. She seemed nice.”

  “We shall see,” he retorts. “I haven’t had a good date in a while. I just don’t seem to click with some of these girls.”

  We get outside, and Jeremy gets on the bike. I look at him thoughtfully. “You will find someone you click with. Just give it time. It will happen someday.”

  “I sure hope so,” Jeremy sighs. “It will be a lonely life otherwise.”

  All I can think is I already have a lonely life. Shaking my head, I get on the bike. Jeremy drops me off at home. He smiles and says, “We will start on Thursday.”

  “Oh, yea,” I sarcastically draw out.

  “Hey, you want to get your license. You do need to learn how to drive,” Jeremy retorts.

  Sighing, I moan, “I know.” I fasten the helmet on his bike and say, “Have fun on your date tonight.”

  “I am planning on it…..hopefully.”

  I almost have to force my smile. “She is pretty.”

  “That isn’t everything though. We shall see how it goes. I will pick you up here on Thursday around 5, alright?” Jeremy says with a grin.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I laugh. “Have a good night.”

  “You, too.”

  After I walk into the house, I take a deep breath. I should not be feeling this way. Why am I even feeling this way? It is almost annoying. It’s Jeremy. Jeremy dates. I know this. Maybe I am just jealous that he has a date. Yeah……I think that’s it. Eric did talk to me today, so that’s something to feel good about. I also got my temps! Go me!

  The next day, I sit in art class, trying to decide what to do. My teacher comes up and asks, “Where’s your picture Isabelle?”

  Tapping my head, I reply, “In here.”

  “Well, I would normally have a problem with someone not bringing in part of an assignment, but I know your skill level. I think you will do fine.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” I inquire.

  With a nod of his head, my teacher says, “Of course.”

  “What does it take to get into one of the art schools in St. Louis?”

  A smile spreads across his face. “I was hoping you would ask. I have some brochures and stuff for you.”

  “You do?” I gasp.

  “Yeah, you have real talent and I don’t even think you show us your best potential. Use this project. Use this project to really show what you are made of. Art schools will want to see your best works.”

  A little flabbergasted, I stutter, “Okay, well, I will do my best then.”

  “What are you going to do?” He asks.

  “I think I am going to do charcoal. It’s my favorite.”

  My teacher smirks, “That is great.”

  “I had better get started,” I say, getting up to get a canvas.

  When I sit back down, I just stare at the empty space. How am I going to draw him? I mean, what would be the best way? I tilt my head from side to side and then start.

  Wednesday and Thursday fly by. I am pleased that Eric says hi to me every time he sees me. Sonya is still not in school and that makes everything easier. Of course, I feel as though I care less now.

  After school on Thursday, I find Jeremy out front in his car. A lot of guys are standing around, staring at it. Jeremy just sits in it, obviously ignoring them, bopping his head to his music. I walk up and bend over in the window. “Hey stud, can I catch a ride?”

  Jeremy bursts out laughing. “I don’t know sweet thing, what are you offering?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” I say, with a smile.

  Pretending to think about it, Jeremy finally groans, “Fine.”

  I open the door and hop in. Jeremy leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “Hey toots.”

  Taken off guard a little, I reply, “Hi.”

  “Are you ready?” He asks, with a mischievous grin.

  “I still don’t want to do this,” I state seriously.

  Starting the car, Jeremy says, “Too bad.”

  “I thought you were going to pick me up at five.”

  “Are you disappointed I picked you up early?” He asks.
>
  That makes me smirk, “No.”

  “Good.” He drives us to a large empty parking lot. “Get out!” he exclaims, with way too much excitement. I begrudgingly do as he says. We switch spots and all I do is sit there and glare at him. Jeremy just smiles even wider. “Okay, so there are three pedals. From the left it goes: the clutch, then the brake and then the gas. To start the car, you need to push in the clutch and the brake.

  “I don’t want to do this.”

  “Push…in…the….clutch and brake,” He emphasizes.

  With a scowl, I push in the two pedals. “Now what?” I ask.

  “Start the car.”

  When I do start the car, I instantly lift my feet off the pedals and it dies. “Oops,” I mutter.

  “Okay, I realize there is a lot of power behind this car. It’s going to intimidate you at first, but it’s okay. We are in an empty parking lot. You can just let go of the pedals, hit the brake and the car will die, which will make it stop.”

  “Good to know,” I reply.

  Gesturing, Jeremy tells me, “Start the car again.” So, I do. “Now, put your hand on the shifter.” I do that, too. He puts his hand on top. “Okay, first, second, third and fourth. You start in first, then shift into second and so on.” I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay,” he starts slowly. “Now, we are going to take the emergency brake off.” He reaches over and pulls the release by the side of my leg.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” I squeak.

  He just laughs. “You are going to damage my car if I don’t. Okay, now carefully take your foot off of the brake but keep the clutch in.” I do it really slowly, but I do it. “Now, press on the gas.” I do that, and I rev the engine, which makes me pull my feet off the pedals again. Jeremy hangs his head. “Isabelle, don’t take your foot off the clutch unless you are moving.”

  “It’s not that easy!” I yell.

  Obviously finding it humorous, Jeremy continues to laugh. “Relax Izzy. Just take it easy. Push in the clutch and brake and start the car.” With an angry scowl, I do as he says. “You know what, forget it. We are going to do this the easy way so you can feel the clutch catch. Press down on the accelerator as hard as you want, not to the floor and then just release the clutch.”

  “Are you nuts!?” I snap.

  “Oh just do it. You can slam on the brakes after you do if you want. The brakes are always the first option if you aren’t comfortable. To actually use the brakes, you push in the clutch and the brakes at the same time.”

  I roll my eyes. “Okay, to get the car to move, I push the accelerator and release the clutch?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then to brake, I push in the clutch and brake at the same time.”

  “Yup.”

  Looking at Jeremy, I ask, “What happens if I don’t do that?”

  “You hurt my car,” he replies, winking at me.

  Appalled, I shake my head. “I am not doing this.”

  “Yes, you are. Just push in the gas as far as you feel comfortable and let up the clutch. We can master doing it slowly afterwards.”

  Easier said than done. I take a deep breath, and press on the accelerator. I feel the engine rev and I grimace. Looking at Jeremy, he waves his hand forward. So, I just bring my foot off the pedal and the car takes off. I scream and slam my feet down on the pedals. The car screeches to a halt. Jeremy doubles over laughing. “Shut up, you jerk!” I yell.

  “It’s alright,” he reassures me. “I couldn’t even get the car to move when I first tried learning stick. That is why I wanted you to feel it catch. You felt it right? Where the gear caught?”

  “Actually,” I reply, “Yeah.”

  With a gentle smile, Jeremy says, “See. Now, we work on you doing it slowly. What you are going to do is as you press on the gas, you are going to release the clutch at the same time. You will feel the clutch catch, but it may take you a while to get it. So, don’t feel discouraged.”

  “I have no confidence in myself,” I reply. “I get discouraged easily.”

  “You will be fine,” he sighs. “Just take it easy.”

  Nodding, I try to do it at a normal pace. Of course, I kill it. Feeling a little determined, I try again and this time it catches. “I did it!” I exclaim.

  “Okay, yes, but we are going ten miles an hour and you are going to kill it if we don’t go any faster. So, what you want to do is press the gas a little more.” I do that, and I hear the engine rev higher as we pick up speed. “Do you hear the engine? When you hear that, you need to shift gears. Also, that little meter is the tachometer, when it goes to 3.5, you shift then too . So, you want to press in the clutch and shift gears. Give me your hand.” I give to him and push in the clutch. He pulls back on the shifter and I feel it go into second. “Now, you can go faster.”

  “I don’t want to go any faster,” I state.

  Jeremy just chuckles. “Fine, then stop the car. First, press down the clutch and then the brake.”

  I do that, and the car stops. Squealing, I leap across the car and wrap my arms around Jeremy. “I did it!”

  “Yeah, you did,” Jeremy returns, laughing. I pull back and our faces are inches apart. We kind of stare at each other for a second, before I sit back down quickly. “So, you want to try again?” He asks.

  “Yes!” I yell.

  We spend about two hours having me practice. I have it down pretty well at the end of it. “What now?” I happily ask.

  “You drive on a road,” Jeremy replies.

  That makes me frown. “You want me to do this with other people around? I am going to get into an accident, or kill someone, or WRECK YOUR CAR!”

  “So, wrecking my car comes above killing someone? I mean I love my baby, but it’s not worth running someone over.” Jeremy taps the dashboard. “She will take one for the team.”

  “Why would you even run the risk of it getting wrecked for me? You don’t even know me that well! I will probably start to get annoying any second now. Don’t let me ruin something you are so proud of.”

  Jeremy suddenly looks mad. “I am your friend and I haven’t even been annoyed by you once. I think you are absolutely adorable. So, drive my car. That is what we are here to do, have you learn to drive. No one else but Joshua and Kent has ever driven my car. So, that I am teaching you in this car, shows what you mean to me.”

  “Awww, that’s so sweet,” I say, giggling a little. “You are my first true friend. Thank you so much for having so much faith in me.”

  “No problem, now, let’s go drive on a street.”

  We take it slow, but I don’t do too badly. When at lights, I tend to kill it or squeal the tires. Jeremy finds that last part humorous. Finally, the sun is starting to set. I look at Jeremy. “I think I should get home.”

  “Okay,” he replies. “Drive over there.”

  When we pull up to the house, I put the car in neutral and turn it off. Jeremy says, “Put on the emergency brake.” I do and then take a deep breath. “You did well today. I am very proud of you. You caught on pretty quickly. It took me a while to learn to drive stick.”

  “I think it will take me time to master it,” I sigh. “Now, I am tired. This was stressful.”

  “Well then, I will let you go,” Jeremy retorts, as he gets out of the car. I climb out and can’t help but smile. He returns the grin. “So, are you more excited now than scared?”

  I nod. “Yeah, when can we do it again?”

  “I work tomorrow night and then have plans, so maybe Saturday.”

  Teasing, I say, “Oooo, do you have another date with Vicky?”

  The best expression ever passes over Jeremy’s face. “Oh gosh no.”

  “What, why?” I ask.

  “She was….well….really shallow. Honestly, I think she was only interested in me because of my looks. So, I made an excuse and left. I did pay for dinner, not that I just left.”

  Crossing my arms, I inquire, “And what excuse did you give?”

  His mouth turn
s into an evil smirk. “I said I had diarrhea.”

  “Jeremy!” I yell, trying not to laugh. “How could you actually say that to a girl!?”

  “Oh easily,” he retorts. “It was actually funny.”

  My eyes roll and I respond, “You are awful.”

  “I am awesome you mean.” This must be really humorous because he just laughs as he climbs into his car.

  Grabbing ahold of the door, I say, “Thank you Jeremy. Thanks for being a great friend. This means the world to me.”

  “Oh, there is going to be payback,” he replies. “You still have to clean my apartment.”

  That makes me smile. “I will happily do that.”

  “Good. Why don’t I pick you up at like two on Saturday? I will probably need to sleep in. I am going out with the boys Friday night, lots of debauchery and craziness.”

  “Debauchery, you know what that means right?” I ask.

  Giving me a perplexed look, he responds, “No, not really.”

  “It’s like saying you are going to have sex with a whole bunch of people or have an orgy, and I hope that isn’t what you have planned.”

  Jeremy suddenly bursts out laughing. “I have totally been using that word wrong. So, we are going out for a night of revelry, not debauchery. Of course, I am speaking for myself. I have no control over the other guys.”

  I laugh. “Well, try and behave yourself. Don’t kiss too many girls.”

  “What’s the fun in that,” Jeremy retorts, with a grin. “Alright toots, I will see you Saturday.”

  “Night Jeremy.”

  “Sleep well hon. I will see you Saturday.” He shuts the door and I wave good bye as he leaves.

  Chapter 7

  Friday flies past and thankfully Sonya is still not in school. It is a nice reprieve. I take my time in art class, because I need to do a really good job on this project and of course, I don’t want Jeremy’s portrait to look ridiculous. I wonder if he will even see it.

  That afternoon, I walk home with a smile on my face. When I get about three blocks from school, I hear a car horn honk. I turn around and see Eric. He rolls down his window. “Do you want a ride?”

  “Umm, sure,” I reply, hesitantly.

  “Get in,” he retorts.