Page 15 of 21 Years of Jane

“She’s not my girlfriend! She’s my friend!” he yelled at her.

“Where are your teeth, kid?” one of the boys asked.

“Your mom ate them,” he replied, taking a menacing step forward.

Nolan laughed loudly and even I started to giggle. Xavier looked so fierce that the boy mumbled, “Whatever,” and put his hands in his pockets.

“Xavier! Leave these nice people alone,” a woman who looked just like him said as she approached.

“But, Mom, they’re my friends!” he protested as she started to drag him away.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said to us apologetically.

“It’s okay. Hey Xavier, how about a high five buddy?” Nolan asked with a smile.

That’s all it took for him to rip away from his mother, come running back, and jump up in the air to high five Nolan.

“Thanks for sticking up for me,” I said to him as he walked past me.

“You’re welcome!” he said happily as he ran off to join his waiting mother.

Nolan put his hands back on my shoulders, and before I knew it, the line had moved so fast that we were at the front. I reached into my pocket for my wallet, but Nolan was faster and paid for our admission before I could get it out.

“I’m buying lunch then,” I said.

“No arguments from me,” he replied with a grin. “Where do you want to go first?”

I looked at the map in my hand that we had received for free with our admission.

“The North Pole? I’ve always loved Polar Bears.”

“Sounds good to me!” he said, grabbing the handles and guiding me toward the exhibit. I smiled when I saw the fake icicles and the banner that let us know we had entered the North Pole. In the distance, I heard the Polar Bears muffled roars and I looked up at Nolan with an excited grin.

Of course, that grin faded when I saw that standing in front of the actual Polar Bears was the group of teenagers that had just heckled us outside.

“Just ignore them,” Nolan said quietly. “And tell me how close you want to get to the exhibit.”

“The other end of where they are,” I replied quietly.

He chuckled and we went right past them. He got me as close to the dividing bar as he could and came to stand next to me. I felt the excitement return when one of the Polar Bears stood on its hind legs to look at everyone that had gathered to see them.

“I remember the last time I saw them. When they did that I was so scared that I hid behind my dad,” I said with a laugh.

“And look at you now. All grown up and fearless,” Nolan remarked with a smile.

“I wouldn’t exactly say fearless. Or grown up,” I said, smiling back up at him.

The other Polar Bear decided to roll onto its back and yawn. I nudged Nolan, who nudged me in return. My smile slowly disappeared as I looked at him, and a random question suddenly perched itself on the tip of my tongue.

“Nolan, how old are you?” I asked curiously.

“Younger than that bear, I would imagine,” he said, nodding at it. I raised an eyebrow in response. “I’m twenty-two.”

I nodded.

“Too old to be your friend?” he asked.

“No, I was just curious,” I replied, giving his leg a pat.