“Yup,” I mumble, scared out of mind. “We will see how it goes.”
The next morning I am standing in the bathroom. I can’t stop fidgeting with the scarf around my neck. I am so afraid that the bruising will show through. No matter how I shift the scarf, the bruise doesn’t show, so that makes me feel a little better.
Jeremy comes to the door, “Are you ready?”
“I think so,” I sigh. “I don’t want to be late.”
It is very quiet while we drive to my school. When we pull up, I just sit there and stare at it. “You don’t have to go in there Izzy. I can take you home.”
“No,” I whisper. “I need to do this.” I look at Jeremy and give him a weak smile. “I will be okay.”
“If you need to leave, call me. I will come and get you,” he states seriously.
I grab his hand and squeeze. “I think I will be okay. I should go in though, before I am late.”
“Okay toots, I will see you when I get home from work. Do you have your key?” He asks.
Pulling it out, I jingle it. “Right here.”
“Good, have a great day,” Jeremy murmurs as he leans forward. He gives me a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“Bye,” I say, as I climb out of the car. I shut the door behind me and stand there for a second. Taking a deep breath, I walk forward. I have this overwhelming fear that everyone is going to stop and stare at me. Like I have a big sign on me saying that something happened. But no one looks, no one says anything. The anxiety starts to ebb and I can breathe better.
The halls are bustling with people and I feel better getting lost in the crowd. I go to my locker and open it. I put all my books away except for the ones I need. Suddenly, I hear, “Isabelle.”
I turn to see Eric. “Hey,” I whisper.
“Where have you been? I was going to text you today if you weren’t here. We all were wondering where you were.”
They noticed I wasn’t here? “I had an emergency,” I finally reply.
“Everything alright?” Eric asks.
What do I say to that? “Things have been better, but I am okay.”
“Good,” Eric says, smiling. “Are you going to eat lunch with us today?”
My stomach turns a little. “Umm,” I mumble. “I don’t know.”
Eric frowns, “Are you sure you are okay?”
“Yeah,” I answer quietly. “It’s just been a long seven days. I am not feeling completely social right now.”
“Why don’t you and I do lunch then? We can go into one of the science rooms,” he offers.
I arch my eyebrow. “You want to eat lunch with me?”
“Sure,” he replies. “You don’t need to eat alone, if you don’t want to be around a group of people.”
“That would be nice. Thanks.” I bashfully look away. “Well, I should get to class,” I say. “I will see you at lunch?”
“Yeah,” he retorts. “I will meet you here.”
I smile. “Okay, see you then.” With that I turn and go to class. Even with being scared to be here, I can’t help but smile. I did miss a week’s worth of school, but I am thankfully not that far behind.
When lunch comes, Eric is leaning against our lockers. He smiles. “You ready?”
“Yeah, let me grab my lunch,” I say. He steps away from our lockers. I open mine up and grab my bag. “What room do you want to eat in?”
“Mr. Berd lets people eat in the biology rooms. So, we can go there.” Eric nudges his head down the hall and we start to walk. “So, may I ask what your emergency was? You don’t talk about your private life much. Did something happen to Jeremy?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “No, he is fine. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know where I would be right now.”
There is silence as we walk into the science room. No one else is in there, which is nice. We take a seat at one of the tables. “I am glad to hear that Jeremy is okay.”
A pain starts to form in my chest. I clench my hands tightly. “Me too,” I whisper.
“So, anyway,” Eric starts. “What can you talk about? What did you do this past week?”
The tightness in my chest grows and tears start to well up in my eyes. No, no, no, this can’t happen! Grabbing my stuff, I stand up. “I am sorry Eric, I can’t do this. I have to go home.”
“Isabelle,” he says, grabbing my arm, forcing me to stop. “Wait, stay, I won’t push you. Whatever happened, it’s alright. We don’t have to talk about it.”
Tears trickle down my face and I wipe them away. “I shouldn’t be around anyone right now,” I murmur.
“Hey, relax and sit down. We are the only ones in here. I will even go shut the door. Just sit and eat lunch.”
I turn to him and he gives me a gentle look. “Okay,” I whisper. Awkwardly, I sit back down.
Eric stands up and does as he said he would, he shuts the door. When he comes back, Eric says, “See, there, no one else around.”
“Thanks.” We sit there silently for a while. I twiddle with my lunch bag. “Something bad happened,” I whisper. “Something really bad.”
“Okay,” Eric replies. “You can tell me if you want. No judgment.”
My eyes drift to the side. “I don’t know. We barely know each other. I mean, I don’t know if I can….trust you. No offense.”
“None taken,” Eric says. “I am here if you want to talk. Otherwise we can eat lunch. Would you like a cheese puff?” He hands the bag over.
That makes me laugh. “Yes, thank you.” I reach in and take one. “You know we would probably be really disgusted if we found out what this powdered cheese stuff was.”
“What!?” Eric gasps. “It’s not real cheese!? Say it ain’t so.”
Snorting, I say, “Yes, elves make magic cheese dust.”
“They do, my mommy said so,” Eric grins biting one.
I just shake my head. “I will have to find out what’s in that stuff and let you know.”
Eric turns the bag and looks at the side. “Well, in the first twenty things that are labeled, none of them are cheese.”
“Eww,” I whine. “That’s nasty!”
He pops another one in their mouth and moans, “But they are soooo good.” Thrusting the bag over, Eric smiles, “You know you want to indulge.”
Smirking, I reach in and take one. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I pull out my lunch. “Jeremy demanded that I eat healthy, so I have nothing fun like cheese puffs. He wanted to get nothing but chips and cookies for food for the apartment. I told him we couldn’t survive on that, so now he is on a health kick. No junk food for my lunches.”
“Wait, what? He lives with you?” Eric asks skeptically.
“Oh,” I whisper. “Umm, no…..actually…..I live with him. I just moved in there last week.”
With a dumbfounded expression, Eric says, “So, you live with him? Like without your parents?”
“Yeah, please Eric, you can’t say anything to anyone. Please, please, don’t say anything,” I plead.
Shaking his head, he assures, “No, I promise I won’t say anything, but Isabelle, do you think that’s a good idea. I mean how long have you been going out with this guy? I mean, you are only a senior.”
“We aren’t going out, per say. We are roommates,” I state.
“Why would you move in with a guy you aren’t dating? I am so confused.”
Slowly, I put down my lunch. “Okay, I will explain, but I am trusting you not to say anything. It would ruin me if you did.”
“Okay, I am not going to repeat anything,” Eric replies, setting his stuff down. “Now, tell me.”
“Well, the reason I am so shy about my home life is because my mom is an alcoholic. She really isn’t even a mother; she just gave birth to me. Anyway, the other night her boyfriend was over…….and something happened.” I pause and look at Eric.
He furrows his eyebrows, “Did he do something to your mom?” I take a deep breath and shake my head. That’s when I single t
ear falls down my cheek. I wipe it away. Eric looks at me and then gets a look of horror. “Did he do something to you!?”
Choking back my words, I respond, “Yes.” Carefully, I take off the scarf around my neck. Eric’s hand quickly goes over his mouth. “He held me down and tried…..but didn’t succeed. Jeremy wouldn’t let me go back. I don’t want to go back. So, that is why I moved in with him.” Quickly, I wrap the scarf back around my neck.
“I am so sorry Isabelle,” Eric softly says. “Are you okay?”
“I have been better,” I nervously laugh. “Jeremy is taking good care of me, and I felt like I could possibly make it through a day of school.”
Eric reaches across the table and puts his hand on top of mine. “I won’t say a word to anyone, I promise. The kids around here can be ruthless. I can understand why you are so scared. You did nothing wrong, Isabelle.”
“It’s hard to think that way,” I sigh. “Sometimes, it’s like it didn’t happen, like it’s so unreal, that it couldn’t possibly have happened.”
“I am glad Jeremy was, well, is there for you. If you need anything, you can ask me. I realize I am only 18 and still live with my parents, but I am here, if you need me.”
That makes me smile. “Thanks. I wouldn’t mind having a cheese puff.”
Smiling, Eric says, “I can do that.”
We sit through the rest of lunch just quietly talking. He doesn’t bring up what I told him again. It’s nice to not having someone pry about it. There is actually a few times where I laugh. As we walk out of the room, I say, “Thanks Eric. This was nice.”
“Hey, I am going to sneak you your own bag of cheese puffs tomorrow. Just don’t tell Jeremy. I have a feeling he wouldn’t be too happy with me. I am being a bad influence, trying to get you hooked on a fake cheese carb snack.”
With a giggle I retort, “Are you going to be my cheese poof dealer.”
“Yeah, I am going to get you hooked on them and then charge you double. A buck ninety nine versus ninety nine cents.”
“I don’t know if I can handle such a steep mark up,” I sigh sarcastically. “Jeremy may wonder where all the money is going.”
Eric laughs. “Oh my gosh, I bringing you a bag every day now, just because it’s funny.”
“Awesome,” I retort. “Well, my class is the other way. So, I will see you later. Thanks for hanging out with me.”
“No problem young lady. Have fun in your classes, or at least, try to. I know mine are pretty boring.”
Shrugging, I say, “I actually like my last classes.”
“Well, now I am jealous,” Eric sighs. “Well, then you can have fun. See you later.” He waves and turns to leave.
I watch him walk away and then I go to class. My mind actually stays attune with class. When last period rolls around, I am feeling pretty good. I walk into class and smile at my art teacher. “Hello.”
“Miss. Nimon you are back! Excellent. You just missed a small project, but I can give you a day or two to finish your project in the time being,” he chimes.
With a nod of my head, I reply, “Thank you. I think I can finish it today.”
“Wonderful,” my teacher exclaims.
Smiling, I go get my project and supplies. Sitting down, I take a deep breath. Now this, this is what makes me feel whole. Picking up a pencil I get to work. I don’t know if it’s because I have known Jeremy longer, but there are certain things that I know now about him, that I missed before. That makes drawing him a lot easier.
A while later, I hear, “Nice scarf.”
I carefully set down my pencil and look up. Sonya is standing there. With a smile, I retort, “Shut up.”
“Excuse me?” She snaps.
“SHUT….UP,” I emphasize. “Go bother someone else, I am busy.” Picking up my pencil, I go back to work.
She steps closer to my desk and seethes, “Don’t think you can talk to me that way and get away with it.”
“Excuse me,” I growl. “You are in my light. Your big head is in my way.”
Sonya’s jaw drops open. “I never!”
“From what I have heard, you have…. a lot,” I reply, smiling. What in the hell am I doing? She is going to jump across this table and choke me. Okay, bad thought. “Sonya, just go sit down and leave me alone.”
“Listen to me,” she whispers, bending over. “You have now opened a door that can’t be closed. You thought I was bad before, you just wait.”
Oh crap. “Whatever,” I grumble. “Just go away.”
With one last glare, she turns and walks back to her desk. I just close my eyes. What in the world did I just do? Why in the world would I even do that? If she finds out, my life would suddenly be over. Maybe I could be home schooled. Jeremy seems smart. Ugh. Looking down I go back to my work.
At the end of the day, I get my books and sigh. Part of me feels really tired. I know I didn’t do much today but still, I am warn out. Throwing my backpack on, I walk out the doors. I am not paying much attention, but when I look up, I stop in my tracks. Laughing, I roll my eyes. Josh is standing next to his bike, and there are a bunch of girls from school standing around him.
I waltz over to him and raise an eyebrow. Josh sees me and exclaims, “Isabelle!” He comes and wraps his arms around me. Whispering in my ear, he says, “Help me, there are a bunch of underage girls hitting on me. I refuse to be the dirty older guy.”
That makes me giggle. “What? You don’t want a girl that much younger than you?”
“Jail time is not a good time,” Josh says with a smile. “You are 18, so if I flirt with you, it’s different.”
“What are you even doing here?” I ask.
He puts his arm around me and pulls me to the bike. “Jeremy wanted one of us to pick you up from school, and I happily said I would do it. I figured we could spend some time together, and I can show you how to properly play a video game.”
“No cheating this time,” I respond.
Exasperated, Josh yells, “I did not cheat!” He lets go of me. Looking at the gaggle of girls, he winks, “See you ladies later.” They all giggle. Josh climbs on the bike and starts it. I take the helmet and put it on.
Climbing on back, I say, “You don’t want them to hit on you, but you wink at them?”
“Oh come on, that was just for fun. Now hold on babe.” With that he speeds off.
When we get back to the apartment, we make some popcorn and then sit down on the couch. Josh gives me a controller and proceeds to tell me all the awesome moves I can do. He actually lets us take our time, so I know what I am doing. It is a lot of fun and we laugh a lot.
Around 5, Jeremy comes home. He walks in, looks at us and rolls his eyes. “Why am I not surprised to find you guys doing that?”
“Hey!” Josh exclaims. “Someone has to teach her.”
“Whatever,” Jeremy groans. He walks over and kisses me on the head. “How was your day toots?”
Shrugging, I say, “Alright, I had lunch with Eric and Sonya is going to kill me now. Overall, a slightly eventful day.”
“Okay, explain both of them,” Jeremy says, looking at his mail.
“Well, Eric asked where I had been and I said an emergency came up. Then he asked if I was going to eat lunch with them and I shied away, so he suggested we eat in one of the science rooms. Then, well, I told him what happened,” I say, moving my gaze away from Jeremy.
“You did what?” Jeremy slightly snaps.
“Well, without thinking I kind of let on that we were living together. So, I had to explain why, because obviously moving in with a guy is a big thing. He was very understanding,” I reply nervously.
Jeremy sighs heavily, “It’s your life sweetheart. I just want to keep you safe. It is your life to tell to whomever you feel the need. Please, just keep me out of what you say!”
“Jeremy! I would never tell anyone your business. I am sorry if you are angry with me!”
Standing up, Josh awkwardly says, “Alright, I am going home now.
You two have a nice evening.” He walks to the door.
“Thanks Josh for picking me up,” I mumble.
“No problem, I will see you guys later,” Josh retorts as he leaves.
I spin on Jeremy. “You realize you just scared him off!”
Turning, Jeremy seems to ignore me. Great. He sets the mail down on the counter and takes a deep breath. “Isabelle, I am just very private. You easily telling Eric what your secret is, makes me uneasy.”
Quickly, I jump off the couch. “Jeremy,” I groan. “I would never tell anyone what you tell me. You can trust me. I swear, I only told him that we are living together and that you are super protective of me. I am sorry.”
He turns to me and gives me sad eyes. “Don’t say you are sorry. It is your life Isabelle, I am not here to say what you can and can’t do. It’s just hard for me to trust people, and I want to trust you.”
“I didn’t go tell Sonya. I told Eric and he is a nice guy.”
“Isabelle, he seems like a nice guy, but we don’t know that for sure.” Jeremy pauses. “I am super protective of you, maybe too protective. I just want to keep you safe from the world, and I have no control over other people. So, I worry.”
Walking over, I wrap my arms around him. “Thank you for being protective of me. I don’t plan on telling anyone else.”
“I just think it’s best for now,” Jeremy replies, hugging me back. He kisses the top of my head. “I don’t want you hurt.”
“Me either,” I whisper. We stand there for a while, just holding each other.
Finally, Jeremy lets me go. “I need to go take a shower.”
“Okay,” I say. “I am going to do my homework. Luckily, I have only one assignment. I kept up on the rest.”
“Good, well, I am going to go get clean.”
Jeremy goes into the bathroom and I go into my room. I sit down and do my homework. It doesn’t take me long to finish. When I am putting it away, Jeremy comes walking into my room. He is tucking in a shirt into a pair of black dress pants. I look at him. “Are you going somewhere?”
He fixes his nice button up shirt and pulls down his cuffs. “Yes, I have a date. We are going to this really nice steak house. It is a little upscale.”
“Oh,” I squeak. My heart falls a little, which is stupid. “Well, have fun.”
The Art of Life Page 30