Just Play Along

Thirty-Seven & Thirty-Eight

PART THIRTY SEVEN

The afternoon went on much the same, with the boys taunting me and intentionally trying to get me wet. I was fuming, but at the same time, it was kind of fun. Maybe not the kind of fun I would normally sign up for, but by the end I was laughing like everyone else, my mind completely off my report.

“So we’ll all go get changed and go for a meal in the hotel restaurant?” one of the guys asked.

“Yeah sure,” Aston said, grabbing my arm and dragging me towards the elevator, “Meet up down here in an hour?”

“Yes!” Everyone chorused.

The pair of us took the elevator up to our room, a silence hovering between us as the elevator started up.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Aston asked me as we passed the fifth floor.

“I can’t believe you chucked me in the pool.”

“Oh Princess Jessica, learn to live a little,” he laughed.

“I’m not a Princess.”

“You could be,” he grinned.

“Stop it,” I sighed.

“Just admit it was kinda fun.”

“It was alright,” I said, as the elevator dinged open. We went our separate ways once we’d gotten to our room, off to get ready for our meal and a potential night out. I grabbed out a summery dress and laid it out on my bed as I had a quick shower. Once rinsed off from the pool, I pulled my dress on and then dried my hair, digging around for a hair band to tie it back with.

“You almost ready?” Aston called, knocking on my door.

“Yeah! Just doing my hair,” I replied, as my door swung open.

“Your hair looks fine like that,” Aston said, “Let’s go.”

“I want to put it up.”

“I like it down,” he shrugged, “Come on.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but gave in and left my things as they were in the bathroom. To be fair, I just didn’t have the energy to argue with him. I was feeling rather exhausted at this point, having not slept the night before and then messed around in the pool all afternoon. All I really wanted to do was eat something and go to bed.

I grabbed my bag and slipped on some sandals, and then followed Aston out of the hotel room.

“You ok?” he asked me, as we waited for the elevator.

“Yeah.”

“You look pale,” he said.

“I’m just tired,” I shrugged, “I just need to eat and I’ll be ok.”

“You should have slept on the plane,” Aston scolded me, “You’re too much of a workaholic.”

“I know,” I sighed, avoiding an argument again. I was saved by the elevator as it dinged open, an older couple already standing in it. I went over and stood in the corner, leaning against the wall as we made our way downstairs. My head starting to spin slightly at the motion of going down.

I stayed quiet throughout the meal, my head feeling light as I picked at my food.

“You sure you’re ok?” Aston whispered to me at one point, his arm around the back of my chair as he whispered quietly to me.

“Yeah,” I lied. In all actuality I felt pretty horrible, and was quickly getting worse. But I wasn’t the kind of person to admit weakness; I’d never been like that. Aston seemed to read right through it though, as he shook his head at me and turned to speak to the others for a second.