sorry for being gone for literally like forever- im back 🤪 and here's a chapter for your night or day! hope u enjoy! i'll try to get back to getting a good amount of chapters out- but also- MY CHRISTMAS STORY IS BEING PLANNED RN- ITLL BE PUBLISHED DEC 1ST WITH THE FIRST CHAPTER COMIN OUT HOPEFULLY DEC 4
Nina...y-your mom...she's...she's got a week left..."
Nina's pov
I nervously chuckle, "Uh- what? Y-you're joking...right?"
As the words roll off my tongue, I feel my eyes stinging and that annoying lump forming in my throat. My eyes blink quicker with every passing second, trying to push the tears away. I could feel my breathing get shaky and inconsistent. My world is spinning, and my mind feels lost.
"Neens I- I wish I was...I'm really...really sorry...", Ricky sighs.
My lower lip quivers and I half-blink, sending multiple tears down my face. It's like everything was in slow motion. The tear droplets plop onto the kitchen counter, creating a puddle. My head's pounding as I try to get my thoughts straight. As I try to figure out what I was just told.
"Neens? Neens! Nina!", I hear Ricky calling.
My head jerks to the side and I'm swept back into reality. My tears stay falling from my eyes as I let out sobs that gradually become louder and louder, soon turning into pure screams that contain all the pain I'm feeling. I can no longer see clearly out of my eyes, the tears were pooling and making my vision blurry.
"I-I'm gonna be all alone!", I scream, throwing my head down into my hands.
"W-what am I supposed to do!", I shout, letting out sobs. I soon felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me from behind and I collapse.
"Hey, hey, hey...shh...", I hear whispering. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and turn my head to the side to see Ricky's face lowered, and close, to mine.
"Hey Neens...can you hear me?", he softly talks. Through all my unsteady breathing, tears, and screams, I nod my head.
"Okay, listen to me. I'm right here with you...right here. I'm not going anywhere...I'll stay with you forever...through anything.", I carefully listen to him say.
Through all the pain, I felt my heart warm up. I felt a small jolt of pure happiness. Knowing there's somebody who's going to stay with me throughout all of this...it makes me feel...comfortable. Hearing those words come from Ricky's mouth made my tears slow down. Made my breathing settle down. I still felt terrible pain, of course, but with Ricky...it'd probably calm down soon.
"Okay...let's...go upstairs and watch a movie?", he suggests. I wipe my eyes again and slowly nod my head.
I get up from the kitchen island chair and we walk up the cold wooden stairs and enter his bedroom. I stand in the doorway as I watch him pull out his TV remotes, gather blankets and pillows to throw on his bed, and grab snacks from his mini fridge. As soon as he finished setting up, he looks up at me and I meet his golden-brown eyes.
"You coming?", he sweetly asked.
I pull the hoodie sleeves over my hands and look down, smiling to myself. I look back up at him and nod my head as I make my way over towards him. I take a seat on his bed, and he turns his bedroom lights off, also shutting the curtains so it's comfortably dark. Then, I feel weight on the other side of the bed, and I see him sitting right next to me. I face back towards the TV screen and let out a sigh that was louder than I had intended.
"You okay?", he asks after a couple seconds of silence.
I look up at him and shrug, "I'm still kinda in shock...but, I-I'll be okay..."
He chuckles, "I know."
I furrow my brows at him and let out a small chuckle, "You...know? What is this? Some movie where you can see the future? You got some superpower you haven't told me about Bowen?"
He tilts his head back, laughing a little, "Nah...I just know. I mean, hello? You're Nina Roberts. You're...the strongest girl I know..."
He really said, butterflies attack on Nina. Yeah, okay...nobody's ever made me feel like this. My heart warms up...I couldn't help but smile at him. It's safe to say...I have a growing crush on this kid.
Ricky's pov
Nina was staring up at me, smiling that wonderful smile of hers. I smile back at her and pull a blanket over. I scoot closer to her and lay down a little more, but not to the point where I wasn't sitting up higher than her.
"Alright, what movie?", I ask her.
I watch as she playfully taps her chin with her index finger and thinks.
"Hm...how about...Twilight?", she replies.
I raise my brows at her, "Ah...you're a twilight kinda girl?"
She proudly nods her head, "Sure am. It's one of my favs, besides Highschool Musical of course."
I give her a slight smile, "Noted."
I grab the TV remote and go to Netflix, turning on the first Twilight movie. I watch as Nina positions herself so she's comfortable, and then we begin to watch the movie.
Throughout the entire movie, I couldn't stop thinking about her. How she looked when I told her about her mom. I hated that. Her screams were...heartbreaking and painful. I really wanted to do more to help, but I didn't know how. I just...hope I'll be good enough for her.
"Ricky?"
I look down at her, "Oh uh- yeah?"
"Are you okay?", she asks me.
I nod my head, "Yes, sorry...just thinking about stuff."
She scrunches her brows, "You sure? I mean, you're there for me...so I uh- I wanna be there for you..."
I nod my head again and give her a smile, "Yes Neens, I promise I'm good."
She sighs in defeat, "Fine, if you say so. But, if you need anything I'll be right here."
As she says this, she scoots closer to my side, smiling. I smile at her before we both continue to watch the movie.
{Two months later}
General pov
The last two months have been quite the rollercoaster for Ricky and Nina. There was good news...and bad news. Good news, Nina's mom was still here with her. The doctor's worked hard that week and were able to stabilize her with a medication, which Nina was greatly thankful for. But, the bad news, was that she could...go...at any moment. The medicine they're giving her to stabilize her can only last so long with this quick spreading sickness that they can't fully cure.
Other than that, Ricky helped Nina get back on track with school and the two took their end of year exams and were now on summer break. They were both happy about that because Nina can fully focus on her own mental health, and the health of her mom. And Ricky, can focus on...the love of his life.
Ricky's pov
I stand in the corner of the hospital room, watching as Nina talks to her mom.
"H-hey mom...", she whispers, holding her hand, "I uh- I passed junior year...um R-Ricky helped me out with that."
She sadly chuckles as she talks about her days with her mom. I just stand there and admire her. She truly is the strongest girl I know. I can't help but feel the small smile that forms on my face.
"I love you mom...forever...", she whispers as she gets up from her seat.
Nina makes her way over to me and I can see her eyes a tad glossy. She sadly smiles at me and wipes her eyes quickly.
I give her a comforting smile, quietly saying, "Hey it's alright"
She sighs and stands in front of me, turning her head to look back at her mom.
"For now...", she sighs.
I let out a breath and poke her shoulder, "Hey...what'd I say about being negative"
She chuckles at me and turns back to face me, "I know, I know. But...I'm just worried. I mean, it's been two months Ricky. They said she had one week left...I just- I feel like her time is nearing."
I sigh and pull her into a small hug to comfort her. She wraps her hands around me as well. Once we release, she looks up at me and a small tear falls down her face. I use my thumb to quickly wipe it away and she slightly smiles at me.
"You ready to go?", I ask her.
She hesitantly nods and we both take our time walking out of the hospital. Once we reach my car, we both get in and buckle. As I start driving, I see Nina typing away at her phone. I can't help but notice how tense she looked. My thoughts were confirmed when she angrily sighed and dropped her phone onto her lap.
"Everything okay?", I ask.
She runs her hands through her hair, "No- not really. Kourt, Los, and Seb won't stop bugging me about what's happening. They wanna know where I've been and why I've been so quiet."
I press my lips together, "Right...forgot they didn't know. Well, I mean...are you ready to tell them?"
She shrugs, "I don't know. I know nothing bad will happen but...it's just a lot, you know?"
I nod, "Yeah...I mean, take your time. Don't stress yourself out about it."
She smiles at me, "Thanks Ricky..."
"Always."
{The next day}
Nina's pov
"Ricky I'm leaving!", I shout, slipping on my shoes.
He runs from the corner and smiles at me, "Alright. Remember, don't stress and call me if you need anything at all."
I chuckle, "Yes I know. You tell me this every time leave the house without you."
He shrugs and laughs, "Just gotta make sure you remember."
I smile at him and walk out of the door. I get into my car and begin to drive to Salt Lake City's beach. I'm meeting Kourt, Los, and Seb...to hang out and...I'm gonna tell them everything. I'm...very scared...but like Ricky said...don't stress.
I arrive in the beach parking lot and pull into an empty spot. I get out and grab my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I walk around my car to the other side and see the three of them getting out of their car. Once they saw me, they rushed over and showered me with warm hugs.
"Ah Nina! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!", Kourtney squeals.
"I'm glad you're okay!", Seb smiles.
"So...spill the tea? Where've you been sis?", Carlos chuckles.
I sigh and shrug, "Uh- c-could we go find a spot first? And...chill for a little before I tell you guys?"
They all look at each other and nod their heads. With that, we walked down the pathway and found a nice spot on the white, fluffy sand. We set up our things and sat down in the sun. It felt nice to get out in the fresh air and sun. It wasn't too busy either...so it was calming.
"So, who's up for a swim?", Seb asks.
We all raise our hands and cheer. I take my jean shorts off and as I'm taking my shirt off, my friends look at me oddly.
"What?", I laugh.
"Is that- Ricky's shirt?", Kourtney asks.
I look down at the piece of clothing and mentally slap myself. Great...just...great.
"Uh- n-no...", I stutter.
Kourtney's face grows a huge smile as her hand flies over her mouth. Carlos and Seb's eyes widen as well while they look at me.
"Have you been hangin out with him?", she smirks, "Are ya'll-"
"No! Nope...we're not. We are...close friends.", I interrupt.
"Yeah...close friends with a little...crush?", she teases.
I roll my eyes, "Maybe...but I don't know if he feels the same way. He's just...super nice."
"Mmmmhhhhmmmm.", Kourtney hums.
I playfully slap her, "Last one to the ocean is a rotten egg!"
We all laugh as we dart towards the clear, blue water. One by one we dive into the ocean. The water felt cool on my skin, and it was refreshing.
I laugh, "You're last, Kourt!"
"Oh whatever", she whines, swimming over to us.
The four of us swam around in the ocean for a little before eventually getting out and racing back to our spot. We all took our seats on our towels as we dried off in the sun.
I clear my throat, "So...guys...I think I should update ya'll..."
They all sit up straight and are staring at me. I laugh at them as I sit up too.
"Alrighty...so um...this is a kinda a lot for me. But, my mom- she's sick...in the hospital...with a sickness the doctor's can't cure. They said she had a week left to live a couple months ago, but they got this medication that was able to stabilize it...so she's just...chilling. But, they said she could give out any minute. And since my dad's passed away, it's been super stressful, trying to keep the house and trying to have money so I can...live.", I quickly explain, blabbering on and on.
They all stare at me. Their eyes wide. Their jaws dropped open. I nervously fidget with my necklace and look around the area, avoiding eye contact with any of them.
"Oh my gosh! Nina!", Kourtney exclaims, hugging me, "Why didn't you tell us before! How long has she had this?"
I take a deep breath, "Like five years...and it's only gotten worse."
Seb places his hand over his heart and gives me a tight squeeze, "I'm so sorry..."
"How're you doing?", Carlos asks.
I shrug, "I'm alright...I've had some help with everything."
Kourtney smirks at me, "Ricky, right?"
I bite my lip and nod. She squeals and hugs me once more.
"So...how's...that going?", she asks.
I laugh at her, "It's good. I mean- he's so nice. I've practically been living with him. His parents are very kind and loving as well...but they're like never home, so most of the time it's just Ricky and I. Which...I'm not complaining about. I mean- he's so sweet...he just...knows me so well. He knows my favorite things, he knows how to comfort me...he knows how to make me happy."
Kourt, Los, and Seb are all staring at me with cheesy smiles and my face turns red. I look down at my lap in embarrassment.
"Nina...that's adorable. You are so in love with him.", Kourtney claps her hands together, happily.
Seb gasps, "I have an idea!"
"Spill!", Carlos exclaims.
"Since Ricky's our friend too...what if we talk to him to see if he loves you back!!", Seb squeals.
The rest of my friends squeal, and I laugh at them, "If you want to...but don't make it obvious I l-like him..."
Carlos smirks, "We won't..."
I laugh at them and smile as we begin to pack up our things. After a couple minutes we walk back into the parking lot and put our stuff away in our cars.
"Thanks for telling us Nina! We'll be here for anything you need!", they all smile, giving me one last hug.
"Thanks you guys! Talk soon!", I smile, getting into my car.
I see them pull out of the parking lot and I follow them out. As I'm driving down the road, Ricky calls me. I answer the call and it connects to my car.
"Hi!", I greet.
"Hey there! I take it, it went well?", he chuckles.
"Mhm! I'm on my way home right now."
"Alright...hey uh- you wanna have dinner out tonight? Or order in?", he asks.
I stay silent for a moment, thinking.
Does he want me to say we should go out? Is he asking me out on a date?
"Uh- we can go out!", I reply, smiling hard, even though he can't see me. I could practically see him smiling through the phone though.
"Alright! Sounds good. Drive safe!", he replies, hanging up.
Once the call ends, I rest both my hands on the steering wheel, and I let out a happy sigh.
"I love him."
Ricky's pov
I take my phone away from my ear as the call hangs up. I fall back onto the couch and smile to myself.
"I love her."