folded | rini

📖 to new 📖

wednesday's ap lit class was more of a review for their upcoming quiz, then thursday the actual quiz, which she knew she aced of course, so she didn't have the same sort of verbal sparring with ricky that they'd done during the beginning of the week.

but nini felt that even without the format of the class changing, something was indeed different between them after the morning's events.

so as friday night came fast approaching, and ej's party with it, while she hadn't told her friends about what had happened with ricky that fateful morning, she was notably far more excited to go to the party than any of them had expected.

kourtney just assumed it was something to do with ej- he was notably single, and nini had talked to him after ap physics that afternoon as school got out.

but they'd only really talked about the lab assignment for the most part, namely possibly being partners for it. and she's told kourtney the very same, though it didn't seem to matter what she said on the subject so much.

nini knows for a fact she's not going to convince her friend; and telling her the name of the other person she'd actually mentioned to ej briefly in that conversation would only get her friends concerned rather than excited.

it was like gina said she wouldn't go near him with a ten foot pole. despite those sorts of feelings, feelings she knows gina has for a reason, nini can't help but want to get closer... but she doesn't think admitting to that was the wisest. particularly before she knows what she's actually feeling.

it's better to feel it out- feel him out, before she has to face any sort of judgment.

as she sits in the green room of the theater with lily, the two working on an assigned duet scene together though, it turns out she's not going to be judged for being interested in ricky on all fronts.

"so- i heard you're coming to ej's party tomorrow."

the way the blonde says it doesn't feel judging, just asking more like, and admittedly it surprises nini to even be talked to so casually by the other girl. her bright blue eyes felt so prickly most of the time, but this didn't seem like it came with any sort of condescension. not that lily's judgment could particularly hurt her so much, but still.

"yeah um, i am. ashlyn technically invited me... but i mean ricky's the one who mentioned it so... that's something i guess?"

lily perks up at the name.

"ricky huh? you two are getting pretty cozy." the smile feels like lily is looking for information, but nini doesn't feel like she's being criticized. not the way lily so often comes off.

that surprises her admittedly.

"i don't know if i'd say that... we've talked a few times..."

"well if you want to you totally should go for it. he's like- really good." the blonde tells her a bit matter of factly.

right. because she would know. not just about whatever lily meant by getting 'cozy', but about doing it with ricky.

"only if you want to though. it's only fun it you're totally into the moment." she adds, clearly interpreting nini's silence as discomfort.

"i don't know about me doing anything like that with him but- i think i'll probably try to hang out with him when i'm there. i don't know how my friends are going to like it but i think he's cool."

"he is pretty cool isn't he?" a dreamlike state hovers over lily's gaze for a moment, but then she's focused back on nini again like it never happened. "and i really don't think you need to be scared of your friends. like- no offense but they seem pretty harmless to me."