The Art of Life

by Carter, Sarah

  Cassandra sits up. “They are WHAT!?”

  “Yeah,” Jeremy says. “Why? What’s wrong with that?”

  “What do you mean, what’s wrong with that? There are a million things wrong with that!”

  Yanking out her cell phone, Cassandra hisses. “I am going to kill my fiancée.”

  “Uh oh,” I articulate. “Cassandra is calling Kent.”

  Suddenly, Jeremy exclaims, “No, no, no! Stop her! I was kidding!”

  I grab her hand. “He was joking.”

  She snatches my phone away from me. “That is not funny Jeremy!” There is a pause. “Yeah, I didn’t think Kent would, but I don’t know about you and Josh!” She glares at the wall. “I did not find it humorous. Fine,” Cassandra thrusts the phone at me.

  Taking it from her, I giggle. “You are in so much trouble Jeremy.”

  “Yeah, I think I am, but what did you need honey?” Jeremy asks nicely.

  Honey, I like the sound of that. Stop it Isabelle! “I found a dress and it is so pretty and I don’t get excited over dresses, not like this.”

  “Well then, buy it,” Jeremy states easily.

  “There is a problem,” I mumble.

  “What’s that?”

  Biting my lip, I say, “Its 600 dollars.”

  “For a dress!?” Jeremy exclaims.

  With a heavy sigh, I answer, “Yeah, it’s fine. I will find something cheaper.”

  “I didn’t know dresses cost that much, but if you want it, get it Isabelle. You only get to do this once, well other than prom.”

  “This is much more formal than prom,” I reply. “But it’s 600 dollars!”

  Jeremy just laughs. “You have a 5 million dollar spending limit. Don’t go over that.”

  “JEREMY!” I hiss. “You can’t say stuff like that!”

  “Why not? Who is going to take that seriously? Just buy the dress. I bet it is beautiful.”

  Sighing happily, I say, “It is.”

  “Well, I had better get back into the bar. There is a bunch of girls around and I need to keep Josh in check, before he gets into trouble,” Jeremy states.

  A bunch of girls, oh, hmmmm. “Okay,” I whisper. “See you later.”

  “Bye toots,” and he hangs up.

  “Jeremy thinks he is so funny,” Cassandra groans. “I almost had a heart attack. So, what did he say?”

  I hand her the credit card. “Let’s buy it.”

  A few hours later, Cassandra has left and I have my jammies on. I am sitting on the couch, flipping through a bridal magazine. There is the sound of keys in the lock and then the door opens. “Hey,” I say, without even looking up.

  Jeremy comes up behind me, leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “How you doing babe?”

  “Good, did you have a nice time?” I ask, kind of not wanting to hear about the girls.

  “Yeah, we schooled these guys in pool and then we went to a bar and just chilled.” Jeremy comes over and plops down next to me. “What ya doing?”

  Holding up the magazine, I say, “Looking through this.”

  “Planning your dream wedding?” Jeremy chirps.

  “I don’t know,” I mumble. “There is a lot in here.”

  He bends over and picks up another one of the bridal magazines. “This thing is like a book. How much can there be about weddings?”

  “You would be surprised how much goes into weddings and stuff. It’s crazy.” Jeremy just shakes his head and flips through the magazine. Suddenly, he comes to a page. I say, “Hey, stop.”

  “What?” Jeremy asks.

  I take the magazine away from him. “That is so pretty.”

  “The ring?”

  “No, the hand, YES, the ring, you bone head. It’s beautiful.”

  “That it is,” Jeremy replies. I sit there and stare at it for a bit. “Is that what you would like when a guy proposes?”

  Scoffing, I say, “Yeah, if the guy was a millionaire.” Then there is dead silence. “That did not come out how I wanted it to,” I state, closing my eyes.

  “I don’t consider myself a millionaire,” Jeremy retorts, “So no worries. You can marry a rich old man with a heart condition.”

  “Eww, Jeremy, that is nasty,” I giggle. Sighing, I whisper, “No, it doesn’t matter what he proposes with, as long as he will love me forever.”

  Jeremy turns and looks at me. “I don’t think it would take much for a guy to love you forever.”

  My eyes drift over to him. “That’s sweet.”

  “He better ask my permission first,” Jeremy articulates.

  “Oh really?” I laugh. “Why’s that?”

  His eyes get a twinkle to them. “Why do you think?”

  I shake my head and look back at the magazine. “It is pretty though.”

  “Do you want a big wedding?” Jeremy asks.

  “I don’t have anyone to invite to a wedding, so that would be a no,” I answer.

  He puts his arm around me. “By the time you get married, you will have loads of people to invite. You aren’t getting married tomorrow.”

  “True,” I sigh.

  “So, small wedding then,” Jeremy states.

  Looking up at him, I say, “No, big wedding.”

  “Really?” He retorts, looking a little shocked.

  That makes me grin. “Surprised, huh?”

  “A little,” Jeremy replies. “Tell me.”

  “I want it to be in a big, white church, with beautiful stained glass windows. I want hundreds of flowers, all white. Tulips in my bouquet. I want my groomsmen to be in tuxes with tails. My bridesmaids will be in elegant floor length dresses. I want the fairy tale dress and decorations. I want it to be perfect.”

  There is a soft chuckle from Jeremy. “I would never have guessed any of that. You will have a gorgeous wedding, and be a stunning bride.”

  “Will you be there?” I whisper, putting my head on his shoulder.

  There is a sudden tension in his muscles, but it quickly goes away. “Of course, I will be wherever you need me to be.”

  We are just quiet for a little bit. Finally, I say, “I should go to sleep. It’s late and I am tired.”

  “Want some company?” Jeremy whispers.

  I turn my face to his. “Are you going to have nightmares tonight?”

  “Maybe,” he murmurs back, with a grin.

  “Mmmhmmm, I bet,” I retort. “Yeah, come on stud. Go get ready for bed.” Jeremy smiles and bends down to kiss me on my nose.

  The next two weeks are kind of funny. All the girls talk nonstop about the dance. They ask me what my dress looks like, and I tell them they will see. I kind of want it to be a surprise to Eric. He does buy my ticket and keeps mentioning that we need to dance together. I tell Jack that he is going to be driving my car, because I don’t think my dress is going to work for that. That seems to make his week.

  Then comes the Saturday of the dance. I wake up in an awesome mood. Practically skipping, I go into the kitchen to make coffee. I am pleasantly surprised to find Jeremy there. “Do you know what today is?” I chirp.

  “How could I forget?” Jeremy says. “What time is Cassandra picking you up?”

  “One,” I reply. “What’s wrong?”

  Jeremy looks at me and doesn’t really give a facial expression. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Okay,” I articulate hesitantly. “Are you coming to see me before we go to the dance? Of course you are, stupid question.”

  “No, actually I am not. I have a date.”

  My heart couldn’t drop any farther into my stomach. “Oh,” I squeak. “Okay, well then………”

  “Take a picture and send it to me,” he says.

  I turn and look away. I don’t want him to see the tears welling up in my eyes. “Sure.”

  There is just silence for a minute. “You don’t need me there anyway. This is a girl thing and you will have Cassandra.”

  “Yeah, totally, I hope you have fun on your date.” I stand there for a se
cond and then walk away.

  “Where are you going?” Jeremy yells.

  Not turning around, I say, “Shower.”

  Of course, I cry my heart out in the shower. I shouldn’t be this affected by him not being there. The hot water calms me, and I just let it fall on me. I go into my room afterwards and stay there. Jeremy knocks on my door later and asks, “Are you okay?”

  “Yup,” I reply. “Just doing girly stuff.”

  “Okay,” he sighs. When one o’clock rolls around, I finally leave my room. Jeremy is standing in the living room. “Do you have everything?”

  “Cassandra has it all,” I whisper. We had the dress sent to her house. That way nothing happened to it. My closet isn’t big enough here.

  “Here,” Jeremy says, thrusting his hand out. “This is for you.”

  I reach over and take it. It’s a credit card. “What’s this for?”

  “It’s a prepaid credit card, since you had such a coronary about having a debit card to my account. This is how you will have money. You can get cash off of it or use it as a credit card. There is 500 dollars on it. So, you can pay for your hair and stuff with that.”

  “Thanks,” I murmur.

  He comes over and puts his hands on my arms. “What’s wrong?”

  Forcing a smile on my face, I answer, “Nothing. Just nervous, I guess. I haven’t done this before.”

  “You will be beautiful,” Jeremy reassures me, “And you will have a lot of fun.”

  “I know,” I murmur, nodding my head. “Have fun on your date okay?”

  Jeremy nods. “I will.”

  “Can I ask where you even met this girl?” I ask. “You haven’t said anything.”

  “The last night the guys and I went out,” Jeremy replies. “I didn’t tell you because it really wasn’t anything.”

  My chest tightens and I want to puke. “Well, it will be nice. You haven’t been on a date in a while. Maybe you can fill that kissing quota.”

  There is an almost sad look in Jeremy’s eyes. “Yeah, maybe.”

  Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. We stand there for a second and then I move to go and answer it. Cassandra is on the other side. “Are you all set? I am probably more excited about this than you!”

  That makes me laugh, “Probably.”

  “Isabelle,” Jeremy says, “I have something for you.”

  I turn around, “What’s that.”

  “Hold on a second,” he requests. We watch him go into his room. Cassandra raises her eyebrows at me. I shrug. Jeremy comes walking back a few seconds later, with a garment bag. “This is for you. It’s going to be cool tonight.”

  I furrow my eyebrows. “What is it?”

  “Open it later,” Jeremy answers. “Promise me, you won’t open it until later.”

  “Okay, I promise,” I say.

  Cassandra points to the doorway. “We should go Isabelle. Your hair appointment is at 1:30.”

  “Alright,” I sigh. Turning back to Jeremy, I smirk. “See you later. Stay out of trouble.”

  He smiles back, “Never.” I go on my toes and kiss him lightly on the cheek. Jeremy quickly grabs me into his arms and hugs me fiercely. I return the affection. When I pull away, he whispers, “Have fun.”

  I nod. With that, Cassandra and I leave. We go to Debbie to get my hair done. As, she is fussing with my hair, Cassandra claps her hands. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  She grabs her purse and reaches inside. I watch in confusion. Suddenly, she pulls out a beautiful flower clip. “This goes great with your dress. I checked already.”

  “That will be perfect,” Debbie says. “I will put it on the side, right here.”

  “Thank you Cassandra,” I gleefully giggle. “It is perfect!”

  An hour and a half later, my hair and make-up are done. When I look in the mirror, I tear up. “I can’t believe that’s me.”

  “Don’t you dare start crying,” Debbie commands. “You can’t have your make-up running.”

  Quickly, I take a deep breath and nod. “Thank you so much Debbie.”

  “Not a problem,” she replies. “Have lots of fun.”

  “I will, thanks!” I exclaim, as we leave.

  It is a little nerve racking getting my dress on. Cassandra laces up the corset in back. I feel as though I may vomit from being so nervous. Finally, I am completely dressed and I look in the mirror. I can’t help but gasp. “I look so pretty.”

  “You are gorgeous,” Cassandra chirps behind me. “We need to take a picture and send it to Jeremy.”

  “I don’t want to bother him,” I say. “He can see the pictures later.”

  Cassandra just stares at me. “Are you serious?”

  “He is going on a date. Maybe he is already on it,” I reply. “I don’t want to interrupt him.”

  Giving me a quizzical look, Cassandra inquires, “Jeremy has a date tonight? That is where he is?”

  I have to look away. “Yeah, it’s okay. This would all be boring for him.”

  “Are you sure you are okay with that?”

  “Yeah,” I insist. “We should get downstairs. Jack will be here any minute.”

  And a few minutes later, he does appear at the door. “Awww,” I laugh. “You look so handsome in your tux.”

  Jack pulls at the collar. “These things are so uncomfortable, but you looking amazing Isabelle. You really do. Oh,” he chirps, “This is for you.” He thrusts forth a box.

  Inside is a corsage. I look back up at him. “What’s this for?”

  “My mom thought it was a good idea. She knew we weren’t technically going together, but she thought you should still have a corsage. I thought it was a sweet gesture,” he replies.

  “Thanks,” I say. Cassandra takes it out of the box and places it on my wrist. “Well, are you ready?” I ask Jack.

  He nods, “Yup.”

  “Wait Isabelle!” Cassandra yells. “Jeremy’s present.”

  “Oh yeah,” I say, turning to the garment bag. “I nearly forgot.” I walk over to it and slide the zipper open. “Oh my gosh,” I gasp. Inside is a gorgeous pea coat.

  Cassandra pulls it out of the bag. “This is part cashmere. Wow, it’s beautiful.”

  My hand goes to my chest. “I can’t believe he remembered I wanted one.”

  “Well, you better put it on and get going. Your dinner is starting soon,” Cassandra urges. I put it on and it is feels like heaven. “Okay, you two stay out of trouble.”

  “What’s the fun in that?” Jack chuckles. Cassandra just rolls her eyes and ushers us out the door.

  Jack has a little too much fun driving my car. When we get to the hotel, he is a gentleman and opens my door. “Thank you,” I giggle.

  He just smiles and gives me his arm. “Let’s go milady.” We laugh and walk into the hotel. It is very extravagant and Jack and I just look around for a minute. The coat check is right when we walk in and we hand over our stuff. A few minutes later, we find our classmates waiting in the grand hallway. It takes us a while, as we say hi to everyone. Of course, I keep looking for Eric. Finally, we come up to the little group. I see Eric and smile. His eyes seem to brighten and it makes me blush.

  I walk over to him. “You look very handsome,” I say, smiling.

  “You look dazzling,” he replies.

  Suddenly, I see an arm weave through his. “Yes, I see you dress up nicely.” In an instant my world comes crashing down. Sonya is standing there. “Where’s Jeremy?”

  “Not here,” I whisper in shock.

  Sonya puts her hand on Eric. “My date fell through and Eric was nice enough to bring me.”

  “Well, I….” he starts, looking at me.

  “That’s nice of you,” I choke out.

  “He is sweet, isn’t he?” Sonya sighs, staring right at me.

  My heart is in my stomach and I feel like I want to die.

  Chapter 24

  Eric looks at me and says, “I just brought
her…..”

  “I know, you are so sweet,” Sonya giggles.

  I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I am going to hurl and I can’t breathe. Suddenly, I hear, “Sorry, I am late.” With my chest swelling, my world starts to spin again. I turn to find Jeremy standing next to me. My heart bursts and I jump into his arms. He pulls me into the tightest hug he has ever given me.

  Finally, I pull away and whisper, “You are here. What about….?”

  “I am where I am supposed to be,” he replies, stroking my face with his fingers. Tears start to well up in my eyes, and Jeremy murmurs, “No, no, no, no crying.”

  “Happy tears,” I whisper ever so quietly.

  He bends over and kisses me gently, and then breathes, “Those, too.”

  “We didn’t think you were coming,” Jack says.

  “Well, actually, I am late,” Jeremy chirps back. “I had to run back and get Isabelle’s present.”

  Looking at him curiously, I say, “My present? You gave it to me already.”

  “No, not that present, this present.” He reaches into his inside pocket, and pulls out a necklace. “The jewelry box wouldn’t fit into my jacket, so sorry it’s missing that.”

  It’s a VERY sparkly necklace. “It’s beautiful.”

  Jeremy reaches around and puts it on my neck. “It’s an heirloom.”

  That makes my heart drop. “Jeremy, you shouldn’t.”

  “It’s where it should be,” Jeremy declares in my ear.

  “It’s pretty for cubic zirconia,” Sonya snidely retorts.

  Sighing, Jeremy says, “Nope, sorry, it’s real.”

  “What!?” We all gasp at once.

  Sonya starts to stutter. “If that’s real, it’s worth….”

  “Around 35,000 dollars, yeah I know,” Jeremy states, with a huge grin. “I have it insured.”

  There is just stunned silence as we all stare at Jeremy. Finally, I murmur, “Umm, I think you have lost your mind.”

  “I have never had it more clear,” he replies. “She would want you to have it.”

  “Dude, that is awesome,” Jack says. “I need a girlfriend like you.” That makes me laugh. “Personally, I want to know where you rented your tux from.”

  It’s then that I actually look at Jeremy. Oh my, dear lord have mercy on me. He is dressed in a black tux. It’s all black on black, and form fitted…..to his perfect body. Okay, I need to check if I am drooling. I look up at him and he notices my facial expression, which causes him to grin broadly. “I didn’t rent it. I own it.”