𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒 𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 || rini au

i'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you

a/n: tw for sexual assault/mature themes, and i recommend starting the music when it starts in the chapter for the full ~experience~

nini's pov

"how do i look?" i yip, walking out of the bathroom in kourtney and i's cabin room and striking a pose for seb, carlos, and kourt. i'm wearing a casual black wrap-around top with tiny red strawberries trickled all over it and black denim shorts.

"okay, once again, you look stunning," seb says.

"agreed."

"maybe a little bit more red?" kourtney gets up and grabs her sheer red lip gloss from her bag and hands it to me.

"thanks, kourt," i say, applying it to my lips. and no, i'm not all dressed up because ricky's going to be there. i just like to look nice. actually, you know what? i am.

no more lying to myself.

i'm wearing this dress and this color because i know ricky loves red. i'm using my essential oil because i know he loves the smell of lavender. i'm leaving my hair down because i know very well that he likes to run his fingers through it. i am done pretending that i don't like him. because i do. a lot. and he might've been terrible to me in the past, but he's changed now. i'm sure of it.

ricky's pov

*start the music!!

i walk into e.j's cabin--his parents got him and his buddies the cabin suite, so it's definitely big enough for the party--with ashlyn and red. it's even bigger than e.j's birthday party--people everywhere jumping up and down to the blasting music in the living room, people playing cup pong in the dining room, and people playing party games upstairs. even with everything happening around me, the one person that stands out in the crowd is nini salazar-roberts. i smile at her as we make eye contact and walk over to her and her friends in the kitchen.

"hey, you," i say, leaning on the table with all of the drinks and snacks.

"you came," she says with the cutest grin, handing me a root beer.

"of course, it's not like i have anything else to do."

"oh my god, i love this song," nini says, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me over to the living room, which is where everyone else is dancing. i look down at nini--with probably the dumbest smile plastered on my face--, who's just jumping up and down to the music. her hair's all in her face while she screams the lyrics, but she doesn't care. i grab her hand and spin her around, the two of us laughing for literally no reason. the last time we danced, it was fake--but this, this is real.

"oh my god, who invited mr. mazzara?" i say, pointing behind her.

"wait, what?!" she whips her head around, actually believing me. i take the opportunity and abruptly pick her up, spinning us around. she wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck in a fit of laughter.

"ricky!! put me down!!" nini laughs into my shoulder. we press our foreheads together and smile wide, soaking in the moment. wait, are we about to--

ring!! ring!! ring!!

nini's pov

"oh, sorry, it's my mom. it's nothing-"

"no, you should answer her. the party will still be here when you get back," i say with a smile. i know he barely talks to his mom anymore, and they could use a nice conversation. ricky agrees and sets me down. he walks out to the back patio, leaving me alone on the dance floor. after a few minutes of waiting for him to come back, i decide to grab a drink. i walk over to the counter and open up a root beer, taking a few sips before i feel a hand in my back jean pocket. i smile, assuming that it's ricky's. that's really bold of him. my face instantly drops when i turn around and see who's actually behind me.

e.j.

"what are you doing, e.j?" i immediately grab his wrist and remove his hand from my pocket.

"showingg you..whaaatt you're missinnG," he slurs. his breath smells like he's had a lot to drink, something i've come to learn is a habit for him.

"leave me alone."

"youu'ree bloowing mee off foor bowenn?! comee onn."

"no, i'm blowing you off because--"

"not this time." e.j grips my wrist tightly, and all of a sudden i don't know what to do. i know what you're thinking--the solution seems so simple. just yell out for someone. but the thing is, i can't. because the words won't leave my mouth. and who could i even call out for? e.j could easily just say that i came onto him, and everyone here would believe him. because they love him. no one can see or hear any of this anyway, because we're alone in the kitchen. he forcefully pulls me by the wrist and pushes me into the wall.

"stop-"

i want to scream--but nothing's coming out.