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

Chapter Forty-Three

*define wedding*

The night before her wedding, Elle was staying with Cassie, Ryan and Robbie, and they were having night at the spa. Elle was lying in the bath with jasmine flowers, and Robin was quietly splashing the water around her in the warm pool. Ryan had her eyes closed in the same pool, and Cassie was in the sauna.

"This is nice, isn't it?" said Elle softly to Robin.

"It's kinda boring, but it's relaxing," said Robin, looking at her fingers under the water. "I'm tired, so it's nice."

She looked sympathetic. "You okay, kid?"

Robin nodded with a sigh. "I'm fine. Really damn tired, but I'm fine. Honest."

"You're not tired for no reason, right?"

"Kinda."

"Maybe get one of these jasmine baths, like me. They smell amazing."

She stood up, getting out of the pool and Elle said to one of the women, "If we could just get another jasmine bath-"

"Actually, I prefer rose petals," said Robin, and the woman smiled.

"Here's your robe," said the worker, and Robin draped it around herself, as she watched the bath get pulled slightly closer to Elle's, before being filled with hot water, rose petals, and having essential oils and a bath bomb dropped into it. She took off her robe again, leaving only her swimsuit, and lay in the water. It felt silky, almost, and smelled wonderful. She sighed, closing her eyes. Elle had been right, this was nice. 

"What's up?" asked Elle.

She sighed, swirling the water in front of her. "It's nothing, really. It's the stupidest thing-"

"It's not stupid if you're upset," said Elle. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It's school," she said. "Nothing else. The kids aren't really friendly, you know me. I can't really make friends with kids my age anyway."

"That's not true."

"My best friends are the church study group."

"Right, but you don't really sign up for things, either. Have you considered maybe joining like, the drama club?"

"Oh, god," she muttered. "I'd rather die."

"I've heard you sing, and I've seen you act, you're fantastic at it!"

"Yeah, but I'm not like- I'm not a performer, y'know?"

"Rich words from the daughter of Hunter Hayes," said Ryan, her eyes still closed.

"Hush, Ma, I can't have you agreeing with her," said Robin, and she chuckled, opening one eye.

"Really though, sweetheart, if it's being alone at school that you're worried about-"

"I'm friends with the kickboxing team," she said. "It's just annoying because they're kinda their own group and it's the same with all the people I'm friends with. Like, I have plenty of friends, but no group to call my own except the church kids-"

"And they all go to a different school, got it," said Elle. "Well... what are you gonna do about it?"

"I dunno."

Elle was quiet for a moment, then stood up, her skin positively glowing as she stepped out of the bath. "It's your choice, in the end," she said, taking her robe. She wrapped it around herself as Cassie came out of the sauna, looking very shiny and red. She slipped into the cold pool nearby and sighed, her skin colour returning to normal.