She stares at him as she shakes his hand. “You used to be friends with my sister?”
“Yeah. We were great friends at camp. And we’re great friends now.” He turns to his grandparents and introduces them as Arthur and Sylvie Barrett.
His grandmother smiles as she moves closer and encloses me in her arms. “I’m so glad to finally meet you, Raven. Kylen has told us so much about you. We’re very glad the two of you are good friends.”
“He told us you helped make his transition to a new school much easier, and we’re thankful for that,” his grandfather adds.
“Thanks. I’m so glad to meet you, too. And I’m really thankful to have him as a friend.”
We exchange a few more words, mostly about how life at school is, and they’re also curious about our history project. I don’t know why I was so nervous to meet them. They’re such sweet and amazing people. Now I see why Kylen is such a kind and good-hearted guy—his grandparents did a wonderful job with him. And the way they smile at him with nothing but pride and love in their eyes, it’s obvious he’s the most important person in their life. I know it couldn’t have been easy for them after Kylen’s parents died, so it’s nice to see that they’re super close and happy.
His grandparents focus their attention on my parents. Now that the adults are occupied with their conversation, Robin hisses to me, “Kylen’s really cute. Do you like him?”
“Robin,” I grumble.
“What?”
“We’re just friends.”
She’s about to respond, but Kylen sticks his hands into his coat pockets and moves closer to us. “So how’s Parents’ Day treating you so far?”
Did he overhear our conversation? I don’t think so because he was standing quite a distance away, and our parents and his grandparents aren’t exactly speaking quietly.
“It’s great,” I tell him. “I missed my parents and sister so much.”
“Same. It means the world to me that I get to see my grandparents.”
“Kylen is an interesting name,” Robin says.
He grins. “Sure is. You want to know why my parents named me that?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. It’s actually a funny story. So you know how some parents don’t want to know the gender of the baby before it’s born? Well, my parents were so impatient, they wanted to know as soon as possible. Because they wanted enough time to choose the perfect name for me.” His eyes get a faraway look, and I note the pain in them. “Dad liked the name Kyle. Mom liked Ryan. Neither of them would compromise. Like, they didn’t even want one to be a second name because they argued which name would be the ‘real’ one, you know. But they loved each other like crazy. It wasn’t like they argued, really. Just neither of them would budge. So you know what my grandma said? She was like, ‘Well, you know you can combine the names.’ So that’s how they decided on Kylen. A combo of Kyle and Ryan. It’s a symbol of my parents’ love for each other, that no matter how hard life gets, they could always work through their problems with love.”
I smile. I loved that story when he told it to me at camp.
“Mega cool,” Robin gushes. “I love unique names. Robin isn’t very popular, either. Some kids think it’s a boy’s name. You know, Batman and Robin.”
“That’s why some versions have a woman or girl playing Robin,” I tell her as I play with her hat. “Makes it more awesome, doesn’t it?”
“Heck yeah. Hey, Kylen, what is your favorite animal? Or which animal do you think represents you the best?”
“Hmm…good question. Is it lame if I say a dog?”
“Why dog?”
“Well, dogs are great friends, and I think I’m a great friend, and loyal. Plus, I tend to be a little goofy sometimes, and some dogs are known to be playful and goofy.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
Kylen glances from my sister to me, then back to my sister. “Can I ask why you asked me that?”
“So I know what to make for you.”
“Make for me?”
“Robin sews stuffed animals. You should see what she made for my friends and their boyfriends. She’s so freakin’ talented.”
