Leaving My Fingerprints

The summer was my favorite time of the year. My best friend Maxie came to stay with us. She was the coolest girl ever. We always had the best time. Whether we were hanging out, going crazy, or just watching a movie, we always had fun. Maxie was my exact opposite, yet we were so alike. She understood me, she knew me, she loved the real me, not the rock star. We were like brother and sister, two peas in a pod. And every summer we were together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We were inseparable. Maxie was the one friend I had truly made an effort to keep in touch with when we moved to California, because I knew she liked me for me and not because I was Nick Jonas. Plus I didn’t think I could not. I didn’t think she’d let me live if I forgot about her.

“Yo fro,” Joe said, coming into my room and hopping onto my bed. I nodded in recognition at him from my computer where I had been checking our myspace. “When’s the Maxinator heading in?”

I smiled. Maxie had managed to charm everyone in the family. She was like one of us. “Tomorrow,” I said. 24 long hours and she’d be here.

“Oh sweet,” he grinned. “Mom said you and I are going to pick her up from the airport.”

“Oh no,” I groaned. “Joe, we don’t want to kill her on the way here. Isn’t Kevin available?”

He glared at me. “Need I remind you that I passed my driver’s exam too? I have my license. I can get her here alive.”

“Wasn’t your driving instructor a devout Jonas fan,” I smirked at him.

His face turned slightly red, probably remembering the girl who had basically threw herself over him while he was driving. I laughed, remembering. Joe needed absolutely no distractions, and the hot driving instructor who was throwing herself on him definitely constituted as a distraction. Joe composed himself and smirked. “Hey, good looks can get you far in life – not that you’ll ever know Nick.” He paused for like two seconds. “Jay Kay.”

“Wow,” I said. “Okay, time for the dork to get out. I’m busy.”

“Waiting for a call from Maxie does not count as being ‘busy’ Nick,” he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, what’s up?”

“Maxie’s bringing her friend, right,” he questioned.

I felt the color rising to my cheeks. Emma, Maxie’s friend had been all Maxie had been talking about her a lot for the last few years. At first I was a little jealous because they seemed so close, and I felt like she would replace me. It was such a girly thought, I know, but still. But then I met Emma when we visited Maxie during her Christmas break. And it was easy to see why Maxie would like her. She was like another version of Maxie. She was so beautiful, and so cool. I liked her. I mean, not like liked her, but I thought I might. I immediately suggested Maxie bring her when she came in the summer. Maxie, of course, jumped at the idea. “Yeah,” I answered Joe who had been staring at me the whole time.

“She’s hot,” he observed.

“She’s too young for you,” I quietly groaned. If Joe was after her, it was over for me. I’d have no chance. Joe got every girl he wanted.

“Relax,” he rolled his eyes. “You know I’m all about Christine right now.”

Christine, right. The ‘girlfriend’. Well she would be soon enough. “Oh,” I said.

“But you know she’s not available to you either,” he added.

“What,” I asked, confused. “She’s my age.”

“I don’t mean age wise,” he rolled his eyes again. “She’s Maxie’s best friend.”

“And,” I asked, even more confused.

“Getting with her will kill all chances you have with Maxie,” he shrugged.

I groaned. This was something I heard too often. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this. Maxie and I are just friends. Best friends.”

Joe laughed. “Right, just friends my ass. Face it bro. You and Maxie have love tension written all over you.”

“It’s sexual tension,” I rolled my eyes at the incorrect phrase.

“Yeah, but purity rings, remember,” he wiggled his finger. “So there better not be sexual tension.”

I groaned. “Just get out.”

He laughed, getting up and walking to he door. “Fine, fine,” he said. “Just be careful Nick. A guy and girl can never stay just friends when they’re as close as you and Maxie, and when she’s so hot too.” He left, laughing.

I’m so hood. I wear my pants below my pants and I ain’t gonna dance in this place cause you and your man is planning to hate, I’m so hood.

I smiled at the ringtone Maxie had set for herself over Christmas. “Hello,” I picked up.

“Finally,” her voice rang out. “Way to take your sweet old time answering your phone Nick. Cause I’m not getting any older here.”

I laughed. Good old Maxie. “What’s up Max?”

“Nothing really,” she said, her tone not convincing. Or maybe I knew her too well.

“What’s up,” I asked.

She sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“You can tell me.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“Tell me,” I said. “You know you will eventually anyway. Might as well save us both some time.”

“Just cause you’re a damn rock star doesn’t give you the right to be a nosy smart ass,” she grumbled.

I laughed, though I was getting worried now. Maxie wasn’t really one to get upset so quickly. She let things slide, like I did. “True, but as the best friend, it is in my job description to be nosy.”

She sighed. “It’s just – I can’t decide what to get you.”

I stared at the phone. This was like Maxie. To finally let something like this get to her. Someone stealing her money, she’d let go. What to get me, she’d have a heart attack. But something was off in her tone. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t really believe her. “You don’t have to get me anything,” I assured her.

I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Ignoring that. At first, I thought salt water taffy, cause the shore has this new one. But I tried it and it was a little gross. And then I thought Rita’s water ice because you were complaining how you don’t have any in L.A. or Texas now. But I think it’ll melt by the time we get there. Then I thought a box of candy, but then I felt like the biggest douche because of the whole diabetes thing. And then I thought Jonas Brothers tickets, because that’s what I got Emma for her birthday, remember? But then I remembered – you are a Jonas Brother, so unless they make you get a ticket to your own show, that would be beyond stupid and pointless, and—“

I laughed, cutting her off mid-rant. “Maxie, stop. Breathe, breathe. Listen, I really don’t need anything expect you coming here.”

“That’s not enough,” she groaned. “I have to bring you something so you can pretend to like it and put it in the box under your bed that you think I don’t know about.”

“W-w-what box,” I asked, surprised she knew about that.

“Joe told me,” she told me.

I cursed softly. “I’m going to kill him.”

She laughed. “It’s okay, really. It’s kind of cool actually. But now I have to bring something to put in the box this year. And then in the future, you can open it and remember what an annoyance I was.”

I laughed. “I think that already. I don’t need 80 years of you to figure that out.”

“You’d be surprised,” she said quietly. She sighed. “Anyways, I’m going to get you the best worst gift ever.”

I grinned. “You don’t have to.”

“Yes I do. And I will.”

I sighed. “I don’t doubt it.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I won’t.”

“Nick,” Joe called me from the other room.

“I got to go Max,” I said into the phone.

“Yeah me too,” she said. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” I hung up and walked over to Joe’s room. He was sitting on his computer. “What’s up?”

My voice sounded off. He looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said.

“What is it,” he asked again.

I sighed. “It’s Maxie.”

“Did you realize you guys secretly love each other,” he smirked. I glared at him and turned to go. “I’m kidding Nick. Jeez. Seriously though, what happened?”

“I think --,” I sighed. “I think she’s lying to me.”