He just looks at me, winks and says, “No.” Within a second, he is quickly kissing me. I pull back and my jaw drops. “Ready?” Jeremy quips with a huge grin.
Oh, now I am mad. I keep my distance from him as we walk into the show. Jack comes up next to me. “What do you want to see first?”
My eyebrow raises, “I have no idea. You guys look at what you want and I will follow.”
“Oh what’s the fun in that? Fine, come on,” he draws out, grabbing my hand. I turn and look at Jeremy and Eric. They both just smile.
Jack pulls me to the left. “Okay, so this is a Ford Roadster,” Jack explains happily.
“1932 to be exact,” Jeremy interjects. “If we are going to be particular.”
I don’t even look at him. Jack and Jeremy go back and forth about the details. I sigh and look around. Eric smirks, as he walks over by me. “You totally are not going to be into this are you?”
“No,” I reply. “I will. Just a little bit overwhelming, and I do not like that car.”
“What about that one?” Eric asks, pointing to the side.
Smiling, I say, “Yeah, I like that one. What is it?”
“Umm, I know it’s a Camaro SS, but I am not sure on the year. Maybe 1964 or 65?” He puts his hand on my back and walks us over to it. “I am not a Chevy guy, but I still appreciate a nice car.”
Not sure what to do, I cross my arms. “It’s pretty cool looking.”
Eric laughs and explains things to me. I swear I can almost feel Jeremy staring at us. When I glance over at him, I confirm my suspicions. I give him a look and he gives me one back. Today is going to be a disaster.
Jeremy and Jack find their way back over to us. Jack is eating up every word that Jeremy says. I can’t help but laugh. We continue through the car show. I am intrigued by the Model A and Model T. It is crazy that these were the first cars.
We look at the old pickup trucks next. I am not over impressed with these. Jack likes the 1952 GMC. I say it’s cute, because it’s yellow. All three boys slap their foreheads. When they show me the El Camino, I actually make a gagging face.
As we are walking over to another car, this very scantily clad girl walks past us. I mean, a very, very short skirt and skin tight top. My heart nearly drops, because all three guys turn to watch her past. What gets me is that I am more upset about Jeremy doing it than Eric. “Why don’t you go get her number?” I ask, staring Jeremy down.
He turns and looks at me. “Me?”
“Yeah you, you haven’t been on a date in a while. She is right up your alley.”
With a perplexed look, Jeremy says, “You want me to go get her number?”
Jack emphasizes, “If I thought I had a prayers chance in hell, I would do it.”
“Why doesn’t Eric do it?” Jeremy retorts, looking at me.
“She is so much older than 18,” I snap, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.
Cocking his eyebrow, Jeremy says, “What? Someone my age can’t date an 18 year old?”
“That is not what I am saying,” I whine. “Ugh.” I turn to Eric. “Do you want to go get that girl’s number?”
“I am not interested in her,” Eric replies, just looking at me.
That instantly shuts me up. “Isabelle,” Jeremy states heavily. “I don’t need you telling me I should go get a girl’s number.” He comes walking over to me. “You are the only girl that I am going to let preoccupy me today.”
Okay, that is sweet. Wait, no, damn it. I am here for Eric’s attention. “Whatever Jeremy,” I groan, brushing past him.
“Hey,” he exclaims, grabbing me by the waist. “Come here.” Even with my slightly struggling, Jeremy pulls me to the side. “What is your problem?”
“Nothing,” I whisper, totally not looking at him.
He puts my hair behind my ear. “You are acting a little weird.”
“Me? You are supposed to be helping me, not hindering me.”
With a slightly appalled look, he asks, “How am I hindering you?”
“I don’t know,” I mumble. “I just feel totally unattractive with all these girls around.”
Sighing, Jeremy holds my head with his hands. “You are beautiful, don’t ever think less. Anyway……Eric seems to be all about you.” There is a twinge in his voice that I can’t quite place.
“Am I being really weird?” I ask.
“No, you are fine. Just relax, come on.” He takes my hand and leads me back to my friends. “We have decided we need to eat.”
Jack says, “YES! Horrible car show food, greasy burgers and all the good stuff. Sweet, my mom makes only healthy food.”
“Maybe you need to bring him the cheese poofs,” I laugh, looking at Eric.
“I think you are right,” he replies. “Is this why you eat so much junk food when we are out, Jack?”
Nodding, Jack answers, “Yup. Tonight my family is having tofu burgers. I would much rather have a meat burger.”
“Well then,” Jeremy chuckles, “let’s go eat.”
We get to the stand and Eric pulls out his wallet. “I got you Isabelle.”
“No,” Jeremy states. “I have her.”
Eric looks at him. “Really, it’s fine.”
“No, I have it,” Jeremy re-emphasizes. “What do you want Izzy?”
I would kick Jeremy in the shin right now if I could. “I don’t care,” I growl. “Why don’t you pick for me?”
Totally, ignoring my tone, Jeremy replies, “Don’t be silly. If I am going to order for you, it’s going to be something you hate.”
“And what do you I hate?” I ask.
“Well, I have noticed that you don’t eat ketchup. So, I would make sure to cover everything with it,” he says, smirking.
Okay, maybe he has been paying attention to me. “Fine, I just want a chicken sandwich. I am not that hungry.”
“Alright,” Jeremy grimaces. “It’s your life you are staking on chicken at the car show.”
Throwing up my hands, I say, “Then get me a burger!”
Jeremy wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “Babe, calm down. I was only picking on you.”
I place my face into his chest. “I hate you. No better, I loathe you.”
“You love me,” he says. “Don’t deny it.”
We stand there for a few seconds, with me in his arms, when it suddenly dawns on me that we are doing that. I quickly pull away. “So, yeah, chicken it is then.”
“Sounds good,” he murmurs, looking me in the eyes. He smiles and then walks up to the stand.
When we get our food, we actually find a table to sit at. Luckily, it’s a square table, so I don’t have to pick who I sit next to. The guys talk cars and I try to pay attention. Really it’s just Jack and Jeremy going back and forth. Eric and I kind of look at each other from the corners of our eyes. Finally, I pick up a French fry and chuck it at Jeremy. He looks at me and glares. “Do you remember the last time we got into a food fight?”
“Yeah, we had to order out, I know. You dumped the spaghetti on top of my head, and then held me back so I couldn’t return the favor,” I snidely remind him.
“You guys get into food fights?” Jack asks. “Like, what do your parents say?”
Jeremy coughs. “I live on my own. So, if we destroy the kitchen, it’s alright. Isabelle and I tend to get into trouble when we are together.”
“That’s because you are a horrible influence,” I retort.
Suddenly, getting a wicked smile, Jeremy looks at me. “You asked for it.”
“No, no, no!” I yell, standing up really quickly. I dart behind Eric, so the table is between me and Jeremy. “I have no idea what you are going to do, but don’t you dare do it.”
“WHATEVER are you talking about Isabelle,” Jeremy chuckles in a very evil voice. “I am innocent.”
Scoffing, I say, “Oh, that is such a lie. If you are innocent, I am the Queen of England.”
“Well your highness, come here for a second.”
“No,” I giggle. “Don’t you dare do anything.”
With that Jeremy stands up. “Come here, Isabelle.”
“NO!” I yell, darting away. I am not quick enough. In a second, I am in Jeremy’s arms. He picks me up and carries me back to the table by my waist. “Put me down!” I laugh.
“Sure,” Jeremy replies, sitting down, pulling me onto his lap. He holds me tightly against him. “Did you tell the guys how ticklish you are?”
My jaw drops. “You wouldn’t dare!?”
“Are you going to apologize?”
“If you do anything you are guaranteeing yourself that you will be sleeping alone for the next month!” I shout. Then it’s as if the whole world quiets down. I slap my own forehead. “That sounded horrible.”
Laughing hysterically, Jeremy shakes his head. “No, that was awesome. She does not mean that the way it came out. Isabelle and I have never had sex.”
The looks on Eric and Jack’s faces are priceless. Jack says, “Good to know….I think.”
“Jeremy and I have slept in the same bed, but as in sleep,” I sigh. “He made me watch this horrible scary movie and I was going to have nightmares.”
“So……you stay at his house?” Jack asks, looking perplexed.
Eric suddenly interjects, “Yeah, Isabelle’s mom is gone on business a lot and Isabelle stays at Jeremy’s so she doesn’t get into trouble. Her mom would kill her if we threw a party at her house.”
I look at Eric and give him the most thankful eyes ever. Jeremy grabs a hold of me even tighter and says, “I watch out for her. She’s my girl, can’t let anything happen to my Isabelle.”
“Awww,” I say, “You are so cute.”
“I know,” Jeremy replies, wiggling his eyebrows. “So, are you guys done eating?”
Jack points to my fries, “Are you going to eat those.”
“No,” I answer, “But Jeremy usually eats the rest or most of my food, so he may want them.”
Suddenly, Jeremy starts tickling me. I scream and try to twist out of the way. He laughs in my ear, “I warned you.”
“Stop it,” I gasp, “Or I swear I am going to do something horrible, like key your car.”
That makes everyone stop. “I may actually be angry with you if you did that,” Jeremy states. “It would take a lot for me to be angry with you, but I think that might do it.”
“Or if I fail out of high school, you would be mad at me then,” I comment.
“Yes, well, you are a good student and I can always help when needed,” he replies.
Eric looks at him. “Were you a good student?”
“I graduated with a 3.95,” Jeremy says. “So, yeah, I was a good student.”
“Did you go to college?” Eric asks.
Jeremy lets go of me a little bit. “No, but I think we are going to go together,” I reply. “Jeremy wants to me to go to art school. That is if I can get in and can get some uber big scholarships.”
“You already have a scholarship,” Jeremy mutters. “You just need to find a school.”
“How do you get such a big scholarship without you getting into a school?” Jack asks.
Clearing his throat, Jeremy says, “My family has a trust for scholarships and we feel that Isabelle is a good candidate.”
“Jeremy,” I whisper. “Don’t do that.”
“We aren’t talking about it right now, my dear. When we get home. Eat her French fries, so I can school my girl on some cars,” Jeremy articulates to Jack. Jack eagerly eats the rest of my food and we go back to the show.
There are a few cars I like. The Barracuda was pretty awesome looking. Jeremy loved that one. He even said he wanted one someday, to put into his collection. The other one he wanted was a 1964 mustang. Eric goes, “Hell ya, I want a mustang Shelby….in my dreams of course.”
“I like these mustangs,” I say, looking into one. “I just like newer cars.”
“I think we should get you an older mustang, get it all customized just for you,” Jeremy states, looking at me.
My eyes drift to the right and then get huge. “I like that car! That is AWESOME!”
All three guy’s eyes turn and look. Jack actually grabs at his heart. “Isabelle, that is just wrong!”
“What?” I ask confused. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s an import baby. There is a slight rivalry between the groups,” Jeremy answers.
Ignoring them I walk over to the car. “Is it fast?”
“Oh yeah, they are superfast,” Eric replies. “You can get nitrous oxide in it. That’s like bursts of a jet engine in your car.”
“Why would you want to do that?” I ask.
“For street racing,” Jack answers.
Finally it dawns on me, “Oh like that movie.”
“There are a lot of movies about street racing. This is what you are into?” Jack asks. “That hurts my heart. Jeremy, tell her she is wrong in her ways.”
“I would never tell her what to do. If she is interested in imports, then I will educate her on them. Come here hon,” he grabs my hand and leads me to the car I like. “See, these are usually equipped with a lot of electronics. Such as killer stereo systems, ambient lighting in different colors, a lot of bells and whistles so to speak, and engines that put a lot of cars to shame.”
I sit down in one. “Now, this is me. Maybe I can ask Santa to put one in my stocking. I don’t think my mom will go for it though,” I laugh. “This is awesome.”
“You like it huh?” Jeremy asks.
Smiling, I say, “Yeah, maybe one day if I become a famous artist, I will get one.”
“You will be a famous artist,” Jeremy assures me.
“I want to see your art,” Eric declares.
“Yeah, me too,” Jack interjects.
My eyes drift to Jeremy. He grimaces slightly. “Her mom doesn’t like people in her house.”
Eric adds in, “Yeah, she is a really private person.”
“I have a great piece that is going to be at Winter Formal,” I say. “You will see that.”
“Very cool,” Jack replies. “Ugh, can we please get away from the imports.”
Jeremy shakes his head. “Isabelle likes these, so I am going to explain them to her. If my girl is actually showing interest in a car, I am going to take advantage of that.”
I kind of roll my eyes. He keeps calling me his. How is that not going to intimidate Eric? I get out of the car. “Okay, EDUCATE me then sir.”
We walk through the cars and he explains the difference between the engines. Goes over what everything does and is. It is actually interesting.
Finally, we are done. I turn to the guys. “Did everyone have fun?”
“Yes,” Eric replies. “Jeremy taught me a thing or two.”
“I do what I can,” Jeremy adds. “What do you guys want to do now, or do you want to go home?”
Jack shakes his head. “I don’t want to go home, remember, tofu burgers. What do you want to do?”
“Do you play pool?” Jeremy asks.
Raising his hand, Eric replies, “I do, very well. We have a pool table in my basement.”
“No offense, but I don’t want to hang out with your parents,” Jeremy retorts.
“Jeremy!” I hiss.
He just smirks at me. “We will go to Side Pocket. I have my cue stick there.”
“You have your own pool stick?” I inquire.
“Yup,” Jeremy answers. “So, do you want to drive?”
Exasperated, I exclaim, “No!”
“Wasn’t talking to you baby,” Jeremy says, with a smile.
“Oh, please, tell me you were talking about me!” Jack yells.
Jeremy nods his head. “I will get it out of the parking lot, but then you can drive to Side Pocket.”
“SWEET!” Jack shouts.
“You will have to sit in back with Eric,” Jeremy instructs me. “I want to keep an eye on at least one of my babies.”
I can’t help but smile
. We get to the car and Jeremy opens the door. Eric gets in first and Jack goes to the other side of the car. “Thank you,” I whisper to Jeremy.
“Don’t say that I hinder you babe. I just want you to be happy, so go sit in back, while I cringe in front.”
Getting up on my toes, I kiss him quickly on the lips. He smiles, and I get in back. Eric gives me a weird look. “I am sorry,” I sigh. “He and I do that. I know it seems weird.”
“Why would it be weird? Hell, I would be happy if I had my cute girl friends come and kiss me all the time. I need to get Jeremy’s looks and body….and car….and motorcycle…..and my own place, and then I can get girls to do that,” Eric says, with a humored look.
“You could get girls to kiss you. I bet all you would need to do is ask,” I whisper awkwardly.
Eric looks at me. “Really, you think so?”
“You have a lot that attracts girls. I think if it’s what you wanted, many girls would give in.” My eyes just stare down at the seat in between us.
There is silence for a minute, and then Eric says, “If all I need to do is ask, then…..”
Suddenly, Jeremy gets in the car and yells, “Everyone ready?”
I close my eyes and sigh, “Yup.” When I look back at Eric he is smiling at me. I instantly blush and turn my head.
Jeremy drives us out of the parking lot and onto the street. After a ways, he pulls over and looks at Jack. “You know how to drive stick right?”
“Totally,” Jack eagerly replies. “My mom’s car is stick and I use it all the time.”
“Well, my baby here has a lot of horsepower so take it easy at first, but come on, get out of the car.”
We watch them switch sides. Jack looks like he is going to have a heart attack. “Alright,” he says, “Are you ready?”
“Yup, if you crash her, I will give you a pretty big bruise on your face,” Jeremy states, patting Jack on the back.
“I will be really careful, I promise,” Jack replies.
He guns it a little in the beginning but then does fine. I can’t help but laugh. I have never seen anyone so excited about driving a car before. It must be bothering Jeremy a little bit, because he grimaces a few times. I hope he knows how much I appreciate this.
When we get to the pool hall, Jeremy gets out to park the car. He doesn’t trust Jack enough to do that. We all walk up to Side Pocket talking about how of a good job Jack did driving.
The Art of Life Page 37