Ricky Bowen and Nini Salazar-Roberts have been inseparable since they were in diapers. Not only are they next door neighbors but they are also BFFs.
When Ricky and Nini start their junior year of high school, Ricky is determined to stay in love wit...
"She's probably in the bathroom. Can't you two be apart from each other for a minute?" Big Red rolled his eyes at Ricky while they stood by the lockers looking for their friend.
"I can't help it if I worry about her sometimes. Freshman year we had no classes or lunch together. And last year, I had one class with her which was Choir and we didn't get to talk because all we did was sing." Ricky leaned against his locker and stared at the girl's bathroom waiting for Nini to come out and hug him.
"At least you guys have a few classes together." Ashlyn walked out of the bathroom and heard the end of their conversation. She joined in anyways though.
"What's up with you two?" Ricky looked at Big Red who looked like he was going to faint then at Ashlyn who was blushing.
"Nothing! Let's head to the cafeteria to claim a table." Ashlyn put her hands up in the air and looked at Big Red to see if he was okay.
"Where's Gina? I want to introduce her to you guys." Ricky said excitedly looking around for the new girl who was a sophomore while everyone else was a junior.
"Oh. The new girl, she's in my Digital Art class. She said she forgot her lunch at home and was buying the school lunch. I'll look for her when we get to the cafeteria." Ashlyn exclaimed happily while her cousin and a few other jocks walked past the juniors standing in the hall waiting for a sign of Nini.
"Okay." Ricky believed Ashlyn and followed his friends to the famous East High cafeteria.
Ricky surveyed the cafeteria tables while standing at the top of the stairs with his lunch bag and didn't see any sign of his girlfriend's bright fuchsia sweater and colorful collar top. He sighed to no one in particular and then followed Red down the stairs to find a table.
"Talk to me me, this is Nini." Ricky hit the call button on Nini's contact in his phone and heard her cute voicemail message while walking down the stairs not watching where he was going.
"Dude, chill. She'll be here." Big Red noticed his friend lagging behind him on the stairs and dragged his hand as he spotted a table near Ashlyn's baking club table.
"Ricky, I've been looking for you. Can I sit with you guys? I don't really know where to sit since it's my first day here." Gina walked up the stairs and stared at Ricky who was composing a text to Nini.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Hmm. Yeah sure." Ricky nodded his head barely making eye contact with her while Big Red went to take a seat at the table
+
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Nini, have you been watching Grey's again without me?" Kourtney pushed the door to the back stairwell as open as quietly and discretely as she could. Nini, was sitting on the floor beneath the stairwell crying her eyes out while propping her phone against her knees and wearing airpods.
"Maybe." Nini sniffled as she pat a space for her best friend to sit on the floor beside her. "Don't analyze everything. Just do it." She mumbled while repeating the quote from the show that was playing on her phone screen letting her tears fall.
"I don't think your period mood swings made you cry. What's wrong Neeners?" Kourtney leaned over to side hug Nini who was a mess of tears watching Grey's Anatomy.
"It's nothing. I'm crying over nothing." Nini told Kourtney who was not believing this huge lie.
"You're not crying over a death because no one has died in this scene." Kourtney tapped on Nini's phone to pause the show so that the sound wouldn't come out of her air pods.
"Gina saw me in the bathroom." Nini mumbled a bit too quietly for Kourtney to hear.
"I need more context Neeners."
"Gina saw me pressing buttons on my insulin pump in the bathroom. She said and I quote 'Sandy Olson wasn't diabetic or skinny and anorexic.' and then she left while glaring at me." Nini finally spoke up and told Kourtney what happened in the bathroom before lunch while crying some more.
"Oh Neeeners. I told you not to listen to people like her. Freshman year, you called me after school because E.J found out about your diabetes. And Last year, Jessica Ferris said something about you having cancer and you came crying to me because her minions kept teasing you. Look at you now, crying over one girl instead of 4. Come on, you can't seriously believe Gina. Maybe she doesn't know what diabetes is? You can teach her what it is, during lunch or a free period study hall." Kourtney rubbed Nini's back and handed her some tissues to cry into.
"I don't think she's that dumb. She's right though. Sandy wasn't diabetic or sick in Grease. Maybe I shouldn't audition for a lead. I'm just mean to be a background dancer or choir girl." Nini sighed while blowing her nose and throwing the used tissue on the tile.
"But Sandy is a fictional character in a movie. You are a talented superstar who is stronger and better than an actress from 70's. And you can't audition like this, let me do a makeover for you at my house this weekend. You'll be audition ready with a touch of Kourtney glam by Monday. Have you told Ricky about this?" Kourtney watched Nini cry a bit more while she placed her phone on the ground.
"Not yet." Nini sighed while throwing another tissue on the floor.
"Nini, you haven't told him about any of your bullies or eating lunch alone and isolating yourself for the last two years while texting me. When are you going to stop pretending to be happy Nini and Ricky? Just because you didn't have classes together the last two years besides Chorus, doesn't mean that you can't tell him about the things that happen during that time. Your life in-school is just as important as your life in school. It's okay to feel emotional pain but it's not okay to hold it in especially when you love someone and trust them." Kourtney said while Nini started giggling from Kourtney being so smart and positive.
"Damn, Kourt. You've been talking to Ash too much."
"When are you going to tell him about the bullying Neens? I can't be your emotional support best friend running to save you during situations like these if you aren't going to at least do something about the bullying." Kourtney sighed and got a pair of makeup gloves out to pick up the gross tissues.
"Soon. I promise." Nini sighed because she knew that she was right.
*
*
A/N: Nini's insulin pump is a t-slim tandem if anyone was wondering. I have a different one.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
