El knew it was wrong to have a favorite friend, but she couldn't help it. Max was just different. She wasn't like the boys, and she taught El that she didn't have to be like them either. She didn't have very many girls in her life to look up to or learn from, so she was grateful for Max's friendship and all the things she was patient enough to teach.
El was staring at Max's hands as she talked, gesturing wildly. The glittery blue polish caught the light just right, and she couldn't take her eyes off of the way her fingers sparkled with every movement. Max noticed, furrowing her brows.
"What?" she asked, looking around, then down at her hands. She smiled as she connected the dots. "Oh, you like my nails?" She nodded, scooting closer.
"They're pretty."
"Thanks, they're a little chipped though. I can never keep them looking nice for more than a day."
"What is it?" El asked, taking Max's hand in hers. She held her fingers out delicately, looking them over thoroughly.
"It's nail polish. You just paint it on and it dries like this. Do you want me to paint your nails?" Before she could even finish the question, El was nodding furiously, a wide grin stretching across her face. Max smiled and leaned across her bed, digging in the drawer of her side table.
"Alright, I have a few colors to choose from," she started, spreading out the choices on the mattress. Eleven hummed as she decided which to choose, settling on a forest green.
"I like this one," she said, picking the bottle up. Max took it from her, shaking it up.
"You gotta mix it up real good so it's not all clumpy," she explained. "Okay, now hold your hand out like this," she demonstrated, fanning her fingers out. She copied her, watching intently as Max glided the brush over her pinky.
Max worked fast, especially considering El was too transfixed to carry on much of a conversation. After finishing both hands, Max pulled away.
"Okay, now blow on them."
"Blow on them?" she repeated, giggling slightly. Max nodded, chuckling.
"Yes, it helps it dry faster! Or you can flap your hands around, that works too," she shook her hands in demonstration. Eleven mimicked her, shaking her hands all around. When they locked eyes, they burst into laughter, leaning on each other for support.
"Can you paint my toenails too?" El asked, already reaching for the purple nail polish.
"Of course!" Max reached over to the table, grabbing a few magazines. She opened them and spread them out on the bed. "Put your feet on the magazines, my mom would kill me if I got any on the quilt."
She complied, resting her chin atop her knees as she watched. She started with her big toe and moved on from there, pausing when she heard giggling.
"Sorry, ihit tickles," El apologized, looking away to hide her grin.
"Hey, don't apologize. I know it can be pretty ticklish, but I'll try and be fast," Max assured her. Then, just because she could, she scribbled over her knees.
El squealed, falling over to the side. She sat back up, hesitantly letting Max continue painting her nails. She didn't bother hiding her giggles because it made it a little easier to sit still. At one point she snorted, her hand flying up to cover her mouth, eyes wide open in shock. Max laughed too, finishing the last stroke on her pinky toe.
"And done! Now you just have to let them dry," she said, screwing the cap back on the nail polish. El leaned forward to inspect her now painted nails.
"It's pretty. Thank you," she said, looking up to meet her gaze. "But... how do I walk?"
Max clapped her hands and sprung up, "You have to learn the walk! So to keep your nails dry and away from the carpet, you have to walk on your heels and shuffle around. Like this," she said, walking around her room to demonstrate. El laughed at her, tentatively standing up and trying it herself.
There was still a lot that El didn't know, but with every new discovery, she felt alive. And she was thankful that Max would be there every step of the way.
