The Art of Life (26 page)

               
“We promised to always tell the
truth, right?”
 
I ask hesitantly.
 
Jeremy nods.
 
“Have you ever robbed a bank?”

               
“No,” he chuckles.
 
“I have never broken the law.
 
Well, okay I have sped but who hasn’t?”

               
Crossing my arms, I inquire,
“And how fast were you going in your car?”

               
“That we will leave in the
past,” he replies, as he walks back to the cashier.

               
“So, these are cute,” Cassandra
says, holding up a pair of flats.

               
“I like those,” I reply.
 
“What would I wear them with?”

               
She smiles.
 
“You can wear them with any of the black
stuff that you got.”

               
“Okay,” I retort, walking down
the shoe aisle.
 
Cassandra and I are here
alone, because Jeremy says he hates shoe shopping.
 
We already have picked out five pairs of
shoes.
 
I told Jeremy I am paying for
these, and I would disown him if he tried to pay for them.
 
He said that was fine.

               
As, I walk I suddenly come up to
a pair of boots.
 
They are black and calf
high.
 
I pick them up and look at the
heel.
 
I wonder if I could wear these and
not break my neck.
 
“Oh, Isabelle, you
should get those,” Cassandra emphasizes heavily.

               
“I think I would probably fall,”
I state.
 
“Though, I have always wanted a
pair of these.”

               
“They would look great with the
skirts and especially with that black dress that Jeremy picked out for you.”

               
Looking at her, I say, “The
dress that I will never wear.”

               
“Oh, you will wear it, trust
me,” she laughs.
 
“Just try on a
pair.
 
What will it hurt?”

               
With a shrug, I reply, “I guess
nothing.”
 
Bending over I grab a size 7.
 
I go and sit down on the chair.
 
When I open the box, I just stare at them for
a second.
 
They are so pretty.
 
I push off my dingy sneakers, and take one of
the boots out.
 
My foot easily slides
into it.
 
I pull up the zipper on the
side and state, “Well, it fits.”

               
“Put the other one on, so we can
see if you can walk in them,” Cassandra urges me.
 
I do as she says.
 
When the other one is on, I just put my feet
out and look at them.
 
“Get up and walk
around.
 
I want to make sure you won’t
hurt yourself.”

               
I stand up and feel a whole lot
taller.
 
“This feels weird,” I state.

               
“Yeah, heels you have to get
used to,” Cassandra replies.
 
“Just
slowly walk around a little.”

               
So, I do, very slowly.
 
At first, I falter a bit, but then I get the
hang of it.
 
“Hey, this isn’t so bad,” I
say.
 
“I think I could handle these.”

               
“Then you should definitely get
them,” Cassandra retorts.
 
“After those,
I think we are set.
 
We should probably
go rein in Jeremy anyway, before he breaks too many hearts.”

               
“He hits on girls a lot around
you, too, huh?” I ask, sitting down to take the boots off.

               
Cassandra leans her head to the
side.
 
“Jeremy flirts a lot, and gets a
lot of phone numbers, but I never really see him with girls.
 
I know he dates, but it’s not like he brings
them around us.
 
Honestly, if you ask me,
I think there is something else going on.”

               
“What, he’s into guys?” I
inquire slowly.

               
“Gosh no, he ogles girls too
much.
 
Not that there is anything wrong
with that, but no I don’t think Jeremy is gay.
 
It’s almost like he has commitment issues.”
                                

               
I put the boots back in their
box.
 
“Jeremy, well, Jeremy is the way
Jeremy is and I think he has his reasons.
 
I won’t get into anything, but he is a really nice guy and I think
someday he will find someone who will make him really happy.”

               
“He seems awfully attached to
you,” Cassandra points out.

               
“That’s because he is helping me
out.
 
Sooner or later, he will get bored
with me and want some real female companionship.”

               
She shrugs her shoulders, “I
don’t know.
 
You are the first girl he
has really brought around me.
 
I mean, he
has brought girls out with us, but never anything like this, not anything so
personal.”

               
“Trust me,” I emphasize.
 
“We are just friends.”

               
“Okay,” Cassandra replies,
though she doesn’t sound very convinced.
 
We take the shoes up to the cashier.
 
“We don’t need the boxes,” she says.
 
“We wouldn’t be able to carry them all.”
 
The cashier just nods.

               
The cashier rings everything up,
and then looks at us.
 
“That will be 242,
please.”

               
“I got that,” I say, grabbing
out the cash.
 
“Shoes aren’t cheap.”

               
“Yeah, girls get
jipped
in that aspect.
 
Guys need like two pairs of shoes, everyday ones and dress up ones.
 
Girls need shoes to match every outfit, and
they are so expensive!”

               
Suddenly, two hands squeeze my sides
and I hear, “Boo!”
 
It makes me jump in
the air.

               
I spin around to find Jeremy
standing there.
 
“You jerk!
 
You scared me!”

               
“That was the whole point.
 
Are you done yet?
 
I am hungry.”

               
“Here is your change,” the
cashier says, handing over money.
 
I take
it and she gives us the bags.

               
Jeremy picks up the clothes bags
and nudges his head.
 
“Let’s go.”

               
“Did you find anything?” I
ask.
 
“You did go to the men’s section
right?”

               
“Yeah, I bought a shirt and
that’s about it,” he replies.
 
“We aren’t
here for me today.”

               
Cassandra looks at her
watch.
 
“I have an hour before I need to
be home.
 
Kent is coming over after
work.”

               
“Alright, to the food court we
go!” Jeremy exclaims dramatically.

               
“Jeremy, you are so weird
sometimes,” Cassandra says.

               
Scoffing, Jeremy counters with,
“Sometimes?
 
I am losing my touch.”

               
We walk out into the mall.
 
It’s then that we pass the phone store.
 
“Oh!” I shout.
 
“Can we stop here quickly?
 
I want to get one of those pay as you go
phones.
 
I think it’s time I have a cell
phone.”

               
“I am not going to let you get
one of those phones,” Jeremy states.

               
“Excuse me,” I stammer, “You
aren’t going to let me?”

               
Jeremy sighs.
 
“I didn’t mean it that way.
 
I meant that those phones are expensive to
use.
 
I will just put you on my plan.”

               
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I
snap.
 
“Why would you do that?”

               
“Because,” he emphasizes, “you
can pay a whole bunch of money for minutes or ten dollars a month to be on my
plan.
 
Which one do you think is better?”

               
With a bewildered look, I reply,
“Yeah, but don’t you have to sign like a two year contract?”

               
“I think
so,
”
Jeremy answers, “But I know where you live to get the money every month.
 
Anyway, it’s ten dollars.
 
I can handle ten dollars.
 
We will stop at the cell phone company after
we drop of Cassandra.”

               
Groaning, I say, “Jeremy, I
really don’t feel comfortable with you doing that.”

               
“Isabelle,” he mocks back, “
It’s
ffffiiinnnnneeee
.”

               
I look over at Cassandra, who is
behind Jeremy.
 
She just cocks her
eyebrow and gestures with her hand, obviously, pointing out that he is doing
even more for me.
 
That makes me
frown.
 
“I really feel like I am taking
advantage of you,” I state.

               
Getting a wicked grin on his
face, Jeremy says, “Do you want to take advantage of me?
 
I am all for that.”

               
“You are such a guy!” I laugh, “
Geesh
Jeremy, that
is NOT what I
meant!”

               
“Oh darn,” he sighs.
 
“I am so lonely.”

               
Pointing to the crowd around us,
I say, “Pick a girl.
 
There are so many
to choose from.”

               
“Eh,” he retorts, “Nothing that
is striking my fancy.”

               
Just as he says that, two really
pretty girls walk by and eye him up.
 
As
they pass, I whisper to him, “They were pretty and obviously into you.”

               
“I am more concerned about
getting food right now, than I am getting numbers.
 
Food now, girls later.”

               
“Now, that is a typical guy
thing,” Cassandra adds in.
 
“You will
learn this Isabelle.
 
When a guy is
hungry, that is where his mind is set.”

               
That makes me smirk.
 
“Good to know.”

               
We finally make it to the food
court.
 
Jeremy picks a table and sets
everything down.
 
“What do you want to
eat girls?”

               
“I don’t care, but I am
buying.
 
No arguing with that Jeremy!” I
articulate strongly.

               
“Fine, fine, fine,” he
replies.
 
“I can handle you buying
lunch.”

               
I pull out money.
 
“Go get us something.
 
I am going to sit down.
 
Shopping is tiring when you have to try a
million things on.”

               
“A million things that I didn’t
get to see,” Jeremy growls playfully.

               
“It’s not like you aren’t going
to see me in it anyway,” I retort.

               
He gives a thoughtful look.
 
“Good
point,
it will
be a surprise every day.
 
Okay, I am
going to get food.”

               
As he walks away, Cassandra
smiles at me.
 
“Every
day huh?
 
Hmmmm
.”

               
“Oh, will you stop,” I
laugh.
 
“It is so NOT like that, at all.”

               
“You never know.
 
I have known Jeremy for a while now.”

               
Having a sudden odd feeling, I
say, “No, trust me, he isn’t into me.
 
I
mean, really?
 
Have you looked at
him?
 
He dates pretty, cool girls; not
dorky girls he is trying to make over.”

               
“You don’t give yourself enough
credit,” Cassandra states, sitting down across from me.