Page 14 of 21 Years of Jane

“Thanks,” I replied suspiciously through narrowed eyes.

“You’re welcome,” he said with a genuine smile. “Now let’s get in there and see what kind of shows are going on today.”

With that he opened his door and hopped out. I pulled down the sun blocker and flipped the small lid so I could watch him in the mirror as he opened the trunk and pulled out my wheelchair. He looked so happy that I still couldn’t tell if it was a joke. He opened my chair and closed the trunk. I closed the blocker and opened the passenger door.

“How?” he asked with a grin.

I shook my head and smiled, “Out of the way amateur.”

Nolan stepped back and I used my hands to grip the roof of the car and pull myself halfway out. I looked over my shoulder at him and my sheepish look told him that I would need help from there.

He slid an arm around my waist and cradled my lower body carefully as he lowered me into the wheelchair. I got comfortable while he closed and locked the doors.

“Ready?” he asked cheerfully.

I looked up at him and nodded. As I put my hands on the wheels, Nolan moved behind me and began to push me.

“Um, what are you doing?” I asked in confusion.

“Showing off my hot date,” he replied breezily as he continued to push the chair.

I blushed and laughed. I looked up at him and he gave me his mischievous grin, so I consented and folded my hands in my lap. It would be nice to rest my arms for a day.

We got in line to purchase our admissions. The line was moving slowly, so Nolan rested his hands on my shoulders and used his body to roll me forward whenever the line moved.

That’s when I noticed a group of teenagers who ranged from at least fifteen to seventeen staring at us. Three boys and three girls were looking at us oddly; almost as if trying to figure out what someone like me was doing with someone like Nolan.

I slumped a little in my chair.

“What’s wrong, Jane?” Nolan asked.

“Nothing,” I replied quietly.

I watched Nolan’s shadow as he turned his head to see what had hampered my mood.

“You know, Janey, people only stare when they’re jealous of what they see. Don’t let it bother you,” he said loudly.

“Yeah, I wish I had those nasty scars all over my thighs,” one of the girls scoffed, causing the others to snicker.

If I had been alone, I would’ve rolled into her with everything that I had to knock her down. But since I was with Nolan, I couldn’t even muster the anger to combat her words. I only felt ashamed for having embarrassed him just by being there.

I put my hands on the wheels and tried to turn around, but Nolan put himself firmly against me and used his foot to stop one of the wheels.

“Any idea what age makes you legally an adult in this state?” he asked me.

I shook my head and blinked back tears, “Why?”

“Because I wonder if I’d go to jail for slapping a child,” he replied through clenched teeth.

“You don’t have the guts,” the girl jeered.

Nolan took an angry step around me but stopped short when we heard our names being called.

“Starr! Nolan!”

I wiped the tears away from my face when I saw Xavier running toward us with a big smile on his face. He had his arms stretched out wide and threw himself against me when he reached us.

“Oh look! She’s got two boyfriends!” the girl said as I hugged Xavier. He pulled away instantly.