Max's locker slammed. "So, you taking anyone to the dance?"
His best friend shook her head. "Boys' choice, remember? Anyway, not likely. Hey, can I come home with you?"
Max blinked, first wondering if it would be possible to use magic to get dates for the dance, then wondering why Jaime wanted to come home with him. "Uhh… why?"
Jaime sighed. "They're having another spat."
Max didn't need to ask who 'they' were. It was always the same. Jaime's mom and step dad argued constantly. "Oh… sure then."
"Great, thanks." Jaime said in relief. "Anyone you wanna take?"
"Yeah."
"New crush, huh? Gimme a hint."
"Okay. Black hair, grey eyes…"
"Oh, really?" asked Jaime, blushing. She tucked a strand of her own short black hair behind her ear, her grey eyes paying much closer attention now.
"… And she is wearing a gorgeous purple and blue striped top."
Jaime's face fell as she looked at her own bright green t-shirt. "Jessica." She looked down the hall at the most popular girl in their grade's long shiny swinging ponytail. She hid her disappointment with a laugh. "Her?"
Max raised an eyebrow. "And give me one good reason why not."
"Because her older sister is Gigi, who regularly tries to ruin Alex's life?"
"So? I'm just having trouble asking her."
Jaime laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day. What if I, you know, tried asking her for you?" She sounded extremely reluctant, but Max didn't notice.
"Really? Thanks!" He high-fived her.
"By the way, shouldn't the, uh, surprise you set up for Mr. Anders be happening in 3, 2, 1…"
Boom. Paint spattered the doors of Room 429, the art room, and Mr. Anders staggered out, waving his hands blindly. The two friends collapsed against the locker doors laughing. Then Max turned to Jaime. "But seriously, will you?"
Jaime stopped smiling. "Um… sure." She walked over to Jessica and mumbled something Max couldn't hear. Jessica replied, and for a second Jaime's face looked hopeful.
Then her expression changed. She looked depressed. Jaime walked back to Max.
"So?" he asked, not really hopeful.
Jaime slammed her locker door. "She'd love to go with you, but Drew's taking her. However, she would take you up on that for Spring Fling."
"Yes!" Max punched the air.
"Come on, let's go." She wove her way through the crowd so fast Max couldn't believe she wasn't using magic. Then Max shook himself, remembering that Jaime didn't even know wizards existed.
They took a subway downtown, and raced into the sandwich shop. They started to run upstairs, but Alex called, "Hey Max, where ya going? It's your turn for the counter."
"No it's not, my turn's tomorrow. Today it's your turn."
"Yeah, but I've got a date with Dean. JUSTIN!"
A muffled reply came from upstairs. "No! I did counter yesterday, and besides, I'm doing homework!"
Max, Jaime, and Alex all looked at each other and mouthed silently "Dork."
"I am not a dork!" Justin yelled from upstairs, knowing exactly what they were thinking.
"All right, Max, you're on counter. I'll do it tomorrow. Besides, you owe me."
"You're gonna call that in after six months?" Max yelped.
"Yup. I'm going to get ready." Alex raced up the stairs. Max walked over to the counter, sat down, and took out his Nintendo DS.
"Hey, Max. Is this your brother's fake Harry Potter wand?" Jaime asked from behind of him.
"Yeah, probably." Justin was a Harry Potter maniac, and Alex left his stuff everywhere. It drove both her brothers nuts, Justin because he could never find his things, and Max kept tripping over them.
"Can I try something?"
"Yeah, whatever."
"You say yeah way too much."
"So what?" There was a flash of light from behind him. Max spun around on his chair. "What was that?"
"Your door lit up. I think it's booby-trapped or something!"
"Great. Dad, Alex, Justin, emergency!" Max yelled. He groaned.
"What?" Jaime asked.
There was a scuffle, and all three of them appeared on the spiral stairs.
"Yeah, what?"
"We left the storeroom door unlocked, and –" Max was cut short as Jaime pulled open the door and stepped inside.
"Cool!" she yelled.
The older wizards and their father ran across the room toward Max and Jaime, Jerry already muttering under his breath, "So we'll need to wipe her memory, report this to the council, and change the locks. Jaime, could we step in there with you?"
"Sure, why?" All five of them stepped in the wizard's den.
"Justin, you do the honors." Jerry said gruffly.
Justin pulled out his wand and pointed it at Jaime. "Memoralia remo–"
"Hey wait," Max said. "Why do we have to wipe Jaime's memory?"
Justin looked at him with a "You can't really be that dumb" face. "Because she's mortal, and she'll tell everyone."
"Harper knows."
"Harper is different," Jerry said. "Max, we're talking about a thirteen year old girl who --"
"Is right here, listening and not appreciating being ignored." Jaime finished. "So you're wizards, right? That is so cool! But I won't tell."
"Really?" Justin asked sarcastically.
Jaime gave him a withering look. "I'm not stupid, and I'm not a blabbermouth. If Max didn't tell me, then it has to be a really huge and important secret. Besides, Harper is sixteen. If we're going to be prejudiced about age versus gossiping level, Harper takes the cake."
"Fine, fine." Jerry relented.
"Do you have pocket dimensions?"
Max laughed. "With the whole world of magical opportunities, Jaime goes for pocket dimensions. Yeah, we have them."
"Sweet, can I see?"
"I don't think that's -" Jerry started, but Max was already showing her them. There was a squoosh and a nasty sounding crack, and they were all sucked in.
"Max, what did you do?" Alex yelled.
"I just opened the stupid book!" Max yelled back.
Jaime started cracking up. Max had landed them in a giant white nowhere.
Max scowled. "Oh, shut up."
Then there was a boom, and Jaime started jetting around the room at top speed, actually flying, but with no control. "Max, is this part of the pocket dimension?" she yelled.
"No," Jerry yelled back. "Max, how did the storeroom door get opened?"
"I traced it with a wand I found on the counter." Jaime shouted at him.
"But only wizards can unlock the storeroom." Justin said, confused.
"Max, I think Jaime is a wizard." Jerry said.
"WHAT?!" Both Max and Jaime yelled.
Alex laughed. "Okay, I did not see that one coming."
"Alex, this is serious." Justin scolded. "She needs to have a teacher, and we need to find out where she gets her powers from and get her registered and –"
"Registered? You guys have government or something, a Minister of Magic?"
"Government, yes, Minister of Magic, no." Jerry answered. "And you're one of us now. Where did you get your powers? Is your mom a wizard?"
Jaime looked at the floor. "No. But my dad…" Silence fell: everyone knew what had happened to Jaime's dad. He had died when the fireworks he had been making had accidentally been set off and they were too strong. Three buildings were destroyed and 207 people died.
Jerry broke off the silence. "All right then, I'll teach you. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 3:30. Don't be late."
Jaime's phone rang, and she flipped it open. The sound of screeching filled the room. "The sandwich shop… I guess so… uh-huh, as fast as possible." Jaime hung up "Guess that's my cue to leave."
As she was going out the door, she looked back and smiled slightly, her previous grin having been wiped of by the memory of her father, and her mom's phone call.
"Dude, why don't you ask her out? She's totally into you!" Alex said.
"No she's not!"
Alex smacked her forehead. "Remember Miranda?"
"You mean you destroying my sandwich's chance to be the official sandwich of the Mets so Justin could kiss her?"
"No, my knowing that Miranda wanted to kiss Justin, I still have trouble believing she's human."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with Miranda, and anyway she broke up with me!"
"Yeah… not surprised. Anyway, Jaime's into you!"
"No way. Forget it, 'Kay? Hey, anyone want to help me with my portal to Mars?"
"What is it with you and Martians?" Alex demanded. "That girl is nuts about you and you're obsessed with the seventh planet in the solar system?"
"Alex, Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system."
"Like I care!" Alex whirled on Justin. "Come on, tell him, isn't it obvious?"
"Um…"
"Oh, that's right, you're pathetic with relationships. Max, she's into you!"
Max looked at her weirdly. "Give it up, Alex."
"Ugh."
