The Art of Life (41 page)

               
“Jeremy,” I moan.
 
“I can’t move in with you.”

               
He raises an eyebrow.
 
“Why not?”

               
Feeling very frustrated, I
growl, “I just can’t.”

               
“Where are you going to go?”
Jeremy asks, crossing his arms.

               
Not sure what to say to
that.
 
“I don’t know,” I finally
whisper.
 
Looking up at him, I say,
“Jeremy, I adore you.
 
You are MY best
friend, but I have nothing to offer.
 
I
have no money, no job.
 
I am still in
school.
 
What am I supposed to do, quit
school?
 
Get a job?
 
I don’t know if I can do that!”

               
“You better not quit school! I
would ream you a new one,” he replies, with a smirk.
 
“Isabelle, I will take care of you.”

               
“Jeremy, I have nothing to offer
you.
 
You can’t take me in like some
wayward child.
 
I mean no offense, but
you are part time bike mechanic.
 
I am a
teenage girl.
 
How are you supposed to
support me?
 
I mean, I will get a job.
 
I can do that.
 
I just don’t think my mom will give me any
money.”

               
Jeremy brings his finger up and
puts it against my lips.
 
“Just shush,
okay?
 
I am going to tell you something,
but you have to promise two things.
 
One,
you can’t tell anyone what I tell you, two, you can’t ask any questions.
 
Deal?”
 
I nod my head slowly.
 
He draws his hand back and takes a deep
breath.
 
“I have more than enough money
to support you.”
              

               
“Jeremy,” I cry.
 
“I need food and everything.
 
You can’t afford to support another person!”

               
“Yes,” he replies.
 
“Actually I can.”

               
Glaring at him, I ask, “How?”

               
“Nope, sorry,
no questions.
 
I will just say
this, I have money.
 
Actually, I have an
obscene amount of money.
 
I have never
used it for anything.
 
This, you, is what
it was meant for.
 
Please, let me help
you Isabelle.”

               
My chest heaves as I look at
him.
 
I want to scream no.
 
I don’t want to believe him, but as I look
into his eyes, I see the sincerity in them.
 
“I can’t do this to you Jeremy.”

               
He brings his hands up and puts
them on the sides of my face.
 
“You
aren’t going to be doing anything to me, Isabelle.
 
Let me take care of you.
 
For once in your life, let someone take care
of you.”

               
“You don’t know me,” I say
softly.
 

               
“I know you very well
actually.
 
Just come home with me.
 
Let me take care of you.”

               
I close my eyes and two salty
droplets fall down my cheek.
 
He brushes
them away with his thumbs.
 
It takes
everything in me not to burst into tears.
 
Suddenly, I feel him tilt my head up.
 
I open my eyes, just in time to see him come forward.
 
Jeremy gently kisses me on the lips.
 
It is brief, but it makes me feel so much
better.
 
“Yes,” I finally whisper.

               
“Then let’s go home.”

               
The
ride back to Jeremy’s apartment, well I guess our apartment, is a quiet
one.
 
I took the back seat because I have
a lot to think about.
 
I just stare out
the window at the passing world.
 
Am I
really doing this?
 
Can I live with
him?
 
Turning I look at Jeremy.
 
He is rubbing his temple.
 
Won’t he get sick of me?
 
What will I do if he suddenly doesn’t want me
there anymore?

               
Jeremy
looks in the review mirror at me.
 
I
quickly avert my gaze.
 
I am so
scared.
 
I am scared to see my mom.
 
I am scared to go back to school.
 
I am scared of the world.
 
The only thing that makes me feel safe is
Jeremy.
 
Is that healthy?
 
Am I too attached to him?
 
What am I going to do when he gets a
girlfriend?
 
I will no longer have him
around and be alone again.
 
A tear falls
down my face and I quickly wipe it away.
 
This hollowness in my chest is overwhelming.
 
I just want to disappear from this world.

               
“Izzy,
I am going to call Josh,” Jeremy says from the front seat.

               
I
instantly sit up.
 
“You can’t tell
him!
 
No, please!
 
I don’t want anyone to know!”

               
“I
am not going to tell him hon.
 
We need to
get your stuff out of your mom’s house as soon as possible.
 
His brother has a truck.
 
He also can get boxes from work,” Jeremy
explains softly.

               
“I
don’t know what my mom will let me take.
 
She can get really angry,” I whisper, looking back out the window.

               
Cassandra
turns around.
 
“When does she work
normally?”

               
“9-4,”
I reply.

               
Taking
out his cell phone, Jeremy says, “Then we will do it at eleven.
 
That will leave us enough time, and she can
kiss my…butt.
 
You will take what you
want.
 
What is she going to do, call the
police?
 
It’s your stuff.”

               
“She
probably will,” I grumble.
 
“I just want
my art, clothes, mp3 player and shoes.
 
She can have the computer and everything.
 
Do I need to take the furniture?”

               
“No,”
Jeremy replies.
 
“We will get you what
you need.
 
There is a closet in the
bedroom.”

               
More
of him buying me stuff, how long will that last?
 
“Jeremy,” I sigh.
 
“You don’t need to do this.
 
You will get sick of me sooner or later.
 
Then I will have to go back.”

               
Since
we are at a stop light, Jeremy turns around and looks at me.
 
“Will you please stop!?
 
I am not going to kick you out one day.
 
If you get annoying I will just lock you in
your room.”

               
That
makes me smirk.
 
“Thanks.”

               
“No
problem,” he retorts.
 
“Now, I am going
to call Josh.”
 
He scrolls through his
list and then presses what has to be Josh’s name.
 
There is silence for a few seconds.
 
“Hey, it’s me.
 
I need your help, but you can’t ask
questions.”
 
There is a pause and then
Jeremy sternly says, “Josh, I am dead serious.
 
This isn’t a joke.
 
I need you to
get your brother’s truck tomorrow and some boxes from work.
 
We need to get Isabelle out of her house ASAP.
 
I am going to have Cassandra ask Kent to
help, too.”

               
“I
will text him right now,” Cassandra whispers.

               
Jeremy
nods his head.
 
“What?
 
Well, she is alive, but that’s all you need
to know.
 
Please, don’t ask any
questions.
 
We just need to get her stuff
over to my apartment, and when you see her, just leave her be, alright?”
 
There is silence as Josh talks.
 
“Alright, meet us over at her house at
eleven.
 
Do you remember where it is?
Good.
 
We will see you then, bye.”

               
The
glass is cold as I lay my head on the window.
 
I am so tired, so utterly warn out.
 
I feel tears run down my face, and I didn’t even realize I was
crying.
 
Will the tears ever stop?
 
Will the pain ever stop?
 
My mind starts to draw a blank, as the
emptiness takes over.

               
A
little while later, I feel arms wrap around me and pick me up.
 
My eyes flutter open and I see Jeremy.
 
He is lifting me out of the car.
 
“I fell asleep again?
 
I am no longer allowed to sit in your back
seat.”

“Isabelle,
just rest.
 
You have been through enough.
 
Just close your eyes and sleep.
 
I have you,” Jeremy gently whispers.
 
I just nod my head and go back to sleep.
 
I feel him actually lay me down on his
bed.
 
Why am I so exhausted?
 
I can’t even open my eyes.
 
Jeremy carefully takes off my shoes and
slides my legs under the blanket.
 
It
isn’t long before I am, again, fast asleep.

When I finally wake up, I
see that the sun is almost set.
 
I climb
out of bed and shiver.
 
It’s cold.
 
I grab the throw blanket off the chair and
wrap it around myself.
 
Walking out into
the hallway, I see that the only light on is the one over the table.
 
Jeremy is sitting there with a beer, twirling
it around.
 
“Hey,” I cautiously say.

               
He
turns and looks at me.
 
“How do you
feel?”

               
“A
little better now that I rested,” I reply.
 
Dragging part of the blanket behind me, I walk over to the table.
 
Jeremy stands up and pulls out a chair for
me.
 
“How chivalrous.”

               
“Hey,
I have excellent manners,” he mutters quietly.

               
I
sit down and pull the blanket closer around me.
 
“Drinking I see.”

               
“Do
you want one?” Jeremy asks.

               
Giving
him a look, I snap, “Really?
 
One, I am
underage.
 
Two, why
would I ever want to drink?”