Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

❝stars (pronounced stɑːz or stahrz), noun
fixed points of light in the night sky, burning balls of dust and ice that create an aesthetic, romantic atmosphere.❞

Friday night rolled around, and Phoenix was wearing his favourite red checked shirt, his leather jacket over the top, and black jeans. He kept trying to style his hair, eventually giving up and leaving it in its usual curly state. Ryan walked in and watched him staring at himself in his mirror, trying different ways of standing. "You okay there?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"You seem a little nervous, bud," said Ryan, sitting on his bed. "What's the matter? I thought you said you were going out with a friend tonight?"

"Yeah. She-"

"Oh. It's a she, now?" asked Ryan, raising her eyebrows.

"Ma," he whined, and she laughed.

"Alright, I won't ask. But you seem a bit nervous. Do you want a cup of tea to ease your nerves?"

"No, that's okay," he said, looking back at the mirror. "Do you think I look okay?"

"You look very nice."

"Thanks." He looked in the mirror again, and sighed. "Do you think she likes me?"

"She asked you to tag along, right?"

"I guess." He sighed. "I really like her, Ma."

"Just see what happens tonight. No matter what, sweetheart, you've made a friend. That's enough, right?"

"I guess so. I dunno."

She kissed the top of his head. "Let me know when you're ready to leave. She said five?"

"Yeah. We're going to a movie, then we're grabbing dinner, and then to a museum, I think."

"Sounds good. No later than 9:30, okay?"

"Yep." He nervously adjusted his collar. "I think I'm ready."

"Let's go."

They left the house together. Phoenix was watching out the window, before turning to his mother. "Ma, I was following the case on the Internet. Did... did all that stuff really happen to Elle?"

"It did, yes."

"Is that why she wakes up screaming sometimes?"

Ryan nodded, then sighed. "Nick... this world is full of evil things. But you need to remember, there's beauty, too. The bad parts will always be there, but the good parts are, too. Just don't stop looking for the good."

He nodded.

A moment of silence passed between them, before he said, "Ma, Ebony has this really big scar on her face."

"A scar?"

"She hides it with her hair. She thinks it's ugly, and it kind of is, but she's pretty, so it doesn't matter. Should I bring it up?"

"Not unless she does," said Ryan. "She seems self-conscious about it, if she's hiding it with her hair."

"Okay," he said, nodding. "I don't know anything about her, Ma. Should I ask her?"

"That's what things like this are for," said Ryan, very conscious not to use the word 'date'. She didn't want to push the idea on him that this was a date. "You get to know the other person."

He was shaking slightly, and Ryan didn't draw attention to this fact. Instead, as they pulled up to the cinema, she said, "Don't worry, okay? You're friends. She obviously wants you to be there with her, and it'll be good for both of you."