COMPLETED! Gina is now beginning to work on Romeo and Juliet in Salt Lake City while juggling friendships, family drama, relationships, school, and the Spring musical. It's Winter break, and this is my take after season 4 of the show!
August 9th 202...
Ricky's POV A week later, and it's my graduation day. Gina and I have had a lot of great conversations this past week about our future together.
Today we're going to have a party at Ashlyn's house before any individual parties we have.
"Hey, Rick, can I come in?" I heard my dad knock on my door.
"Yeah, come in, Dad!"
"Hey, kid. Wow, I can't believe I'm seeing you in that. I'm so proud of you, Ricky."
"Thanks, Dad."
"You ready? Mom's here, she's driving us over."
"Yeah. Yeah, let's go."
Kourtney's POV I can't believe it. It's my graduation day, and I'm valedictorian.
I'm very nervous, but I've been working towards it, and talking with a therapist this year has really helped me find strategies that work for me.
Big Red "Big Red! You REDy to go?" I heard my mom yell down the stairs. That had been our joke since I was six years old and said it to her.
"Yeah, I'm coming!"
Graduation day.
Gina's POV Today is Ricky's graduation. I'm so proud that he's made it this far, and I'm a little jealous to be honest.
I'm happy for him, believe me, but I just want to be done with high school already.
But I'll still have Ashlyn, Maddox, Carlos, Seb, Jack, Jet, Emmy, and Andy.
Right now I'm getting ready to go to the school, and I'm hoping my outfit looks good.
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I'm planning on doing my box braids for the summer the day before camp. I'd do them much sooner if it weren't for the movie, believe me.
•••At the graduation•••
"Hey, Mr. Bowen, Ms. Bowen. Is this seat taken?" I felt my voice shaking.
"No, Gina, it's all yours." Lynne said. "Ricky will be so happy you're here, thanks for coming."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything."
"Gina, never tell anyone I said this, I mean, I guess you could tell Ricky if you wanted, but..." Mike cleared his throat. "Between us four, you are a hell of a lot better for Ricky than Nini was. And though we love her so much, I'm happy to see them as friends. Just that."
"It's true. Gina, you're younger and haven't been in as long relationships as Nini, but somehow you're very smart about yours, and you know how to keep it healthy."
"Thank you. It means so much more than you both could ever understand. I guess I just...I saw my parents relationship growing up, and I guess five year old me knew more that I thought. I saw that there wasn't good communication and I saw what it was lacking, and I guess I tried to bring the opposite into my relationship."
"Well, thank you. You've been so good for Ricky, he's had a hard last three years. High school in general has just been hard for him, and Mike and I didn't make it better, to be honest."
"No one's perfect. I definitely am not. But I love your son a lot, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as I possibly can."
•••
"Thank you, Kourtney, for that inspirational, beautiful speech. Congratulations to all of our graduates! We wish you luck with all of your futures, whatever they hold. And I must say, instructed in writing, 'once a wildcat,... always a wildcat."
"Oh my gosh, Ricky! Congratulations!" I ran up to him the moment I saw him through the crowd.
"Hey, Bubs." He put his hands on my cheeks, pulling me into a short kiss. He lowered his hands down to my hips after that, bringing me back to hug him.
I heard people walking over and talk to him. I recognized Ashlyn and Carlos's voices, but I just laid against his chest, eyes closed and listening to his heart beat. Part of me hoped it was beating faster because of me.
"Gina, are you here?" I heard someone chuckle, and opened my eyes. It was Nini.
"Sorry. Yeah, hey, Nini." I felt my face beating up once again.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Yes, yeah. I'm just really proud of this guy." I leaned back into Ricky's arms.
"You two are too cute." Seb said, walking over.
"Ready to head to Ash's?" Ricky asked me. I knew that everyone's eyes were on us, but they weren't looking where Ricky hand was. He slipped his hand under my shirt a bit, rubbing my warm back.
"Yeah. Let's get going."
•••
"So what are the car arrangements going to be for camp?" Carlos asks. EJ had just arrived at Ash's house with us all.
"Well, there are eleven of us going. My car can seat five and Ricky's can seat five. I don't really know what we can do about the last person..."
"Gina can sit on my lap."
Gina slapped Ricky's arm. "Not if you're driving, stupid."
"Fine." He sighed. "I can try."
"Wait, guys! I'm actually going to just fly there with my dad. Being a pilot's son has its perks." Jack pipes in.
"Oh, good." We all smile. "So who where?" Jet asks.
"EJ, take your pick." Ricky says.
"I've got Kourtney, Carlos, Seb, and Emmy."
"Cool." Ricky says. "Then I'll take Jet, Maddox, and cutie, I mean Gina!" He was bright red.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I say.
Suspicious timing indeed...
Ricky's POV "Gina! You okay in there?" I ask. She'd been in the bathroom for ten minutes.
"I'll be right out!" I hear the sink turn on and she walks out.
"You okay? You were in there for a while."
"Yeah, sorry. I just have a headache, and I thought some air could help."
"I'm sorry. Can I help?"
"Cuddles on the couch from my boyfriend always seem to."
"Absolutely."
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will be the start of summer camp! Please keep the comments coming and I'm in desperate need of one shot request! Make sure to save all three of my books to your libraries!
