Nothing Left But Scars

My mom pulled up to the front of the school.

"I'm gonna go park, and I'll be inside soon. Everything will be fine; I promise." She looked at me, and it gave me confidence in myself.

I walked into the building, to the auditorium, and up behind the curtain on the stage to find Joe and Kevin. Kevin found me first.

"Mindy!" he yelled, and I turned around to see him standing there with his arms open for a hug. I welcomed the offer.

"I want to go on stage today," I told him when he finally let go of the hug.

"I think that's an excellent idea."

Nick had always tried to get me on the stage with him. He would tell me that he was ready to introduce me to his fans every time that I went to a show with him. He told me that I belonged on the stage, yet I took his offers for granted, and now I was doing as he had asked.

I heard the crowd begin to fill the room on the other side of the curtains. I squeezed the paper that Nick had left for me that way he had squeezed my hand to give me comfort on so many occasions. The words that I wanted to say to the people in the crowd played in my mind like a broken record as I practiced keyboard.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around to see Joe was standing behind me.

"You're going before us, so you're first," he said. "We planned it that way." He winked at me.

"You knew I'd want to do this, didnt you?"

"I figured, after reading what Nick wrote for you," Joe said with a small laugh.

"Thirty seconds and I'm pulling the curtain!" Kevin yelled.

"Good luck," Joe whispered and ran off.

I positioned myself in front of the microphone, and Kevin pulled the curtain, revealing more people that I had expected.

The room fell silent so I took in a deep breath and spoke:

"Hello. My name is Mindy, and a little over a year ago, Nicholas Jonas died. He was my best friend, boyfriend, and hero; he was one of the strongest people I've ever met. His talents exceeded any and all expectations, and his heart was big enough to hold the world. There wasn't a thing that he couldn't or wouldn't do. His diabetes began to get the best of him, but I do believe that now, as I speak, he watches over me from his special place in Heaven. His brother Joe gave me something that had been found, left for me, under the pillow in Nick's bedroom. I'd like to share it with you."

I took another very deep breath as I unfolded the paper. "Mindy. I don't feel well lately. It's really not like me at all. I don't believe I can take it much longer, and I beg for you to forgive me for leaving you in this harsh world without me. When I'm all alone in my room, I think of you, sitting on your bed with the phone in your hand as you wait for my call that doesn't come. I feel myself get weaker as the days pass. I want to ask one final favor of you: Bring together a group of so many different types of people, and watch them as they become one. I hope that I brought you the same happiness in life that you brought me ever since that day in Pennsylvania when you stood there, waiting for your mom. Love, Nicholas."

I folded the paper up and put it back into my pocket as I walked towards the keyboard. "So, I'm going to play this special song."

I began to play the only song that would fit: A Little Bit Longer.

"This song was written by Nick Jonas as he pushed through life and diabetes with everything he had. He knew that when hundreds and thousands of people sang one song together, it was something very rare and special. For anyone who has ever had a hard time, cried, or been hurt, this is for you."

So, I sang. I sang for Nick, Joe, Kevin, the rest of the Jonas family, anyone who had ever knew nick, and for myself.

As I sang, I realized that time continues no matter how hard you try to stop it. Things must go on in life even though the pain will eat at you every second of the day.

But the pain will stop, and the cut will heal.

The memories will fade, but they will not disappear.

And you will be left with scars, but having nothing left but scars is better than having nothing left at all.