Common Sense • drivers license

13 ~ Impulse

Nini returns to Salt Lake for senior year and is quite surprised by all the changes... some more than others.

Started: August 9, 2023
Finished: August 26, 2023

🍪🍪🍪

Nini grins brightly as the Salt Lake City airport comes into view. She has just completed her very first EP with Jaime, and her moms surprised her with plane tickets to SLC earlier than expected.

Once they have all their bags, Nini steps outside the busy building and takes a deep breath of the Salt Lake summer air. She couldn't believe that she was back; LA was a nice escape from all the chaos the spring semester brought, but she's so thrilled to see everyone again, especially since she has kept her arrival a secret.

They call an Uber and are at the house in the blink of an eye. When all of their luggage is in the house, Nini goes to her room to call Kourtney. It doesn't take her long to answer. "Neeners! What's going on?"

Nini can barely contain her excitement and ends up blurting out, "I'm in Salt Lake!!"

Kourtney's eyes pop out of her head. "Wh- What!?! Where? Since when? Why? When were you gonna say something!?"

"I'm in Salt Lake; at the house; landed less than an hour ago; just 'cause we wanted to come early; I just did!"

"Holy shit, we need to get everyone together."

"Yes, oh my god. You're the first person I told by the way."

"Ooh, bragging rights for days then."

"Ok, catch me up on everything real quick after Shallow Lake."

"Um, ok, uh..." Kourtney is beginning to blank now that she is on the spot.

"It wasn't that long ago!" Nini says.

"Hush, I'm thinking." After a moment, Kourtney begins speaking: "Ok, there was this cameraman that was annoying as hell. He wasn't taken off the project at the end despite all of our protests and begging, so he was part of the editing team for our Frozen trailer. He clipped different conversations and shots together to make it out that we hated each other and were terrible people, which none of us agreed with. Um... the whole Disney+ debut ended up getting canceled because of how terrible he was to us, and we claimed it was not a safe work environment since he was wanting us to do stuff that we didn't agree with. I think they're kicking off the platform with some other documentary or show; anyway, not the point. Ahh! Oh god, I'm blanking more now."

Nini just laughs at how panicky this explanation is. "No, you're doing great. Keep going."

"Um... I think that's all the general stuff though. I mean, there's obviously more for you to know, but they're kinda... personal stories that probably don't need to be told by me."

"Well, sounds eventful. I can't wait to see everyone again."

"Oh, as far as noise level goes, you know Ash or Carlos are going to flip the most when they see you."

"Yeah, totally."

Kourtney begins mentally checking off boxes to make sure Nini is fully caught up. Another bullet point crosses her mind, and she audibly gasps.

"What?" Nini questions.

"Ok... so there might be one more thing. Well, technically two."

Kourtney doesn't say anything else. "And that would beee?" Nini drags out. She makes a hand gesture telling Kourtney to just spit it out.

"So... EJ and Gina broke up."

"What!?!!? Holy fuck, when!??"

"I don't remember all the specifics now, but there was this, uh, disco dance thing at Shallow Lake, and when Gina came back to the cabin at the end of the night, there were tears in her eyes and she said she broke up with him."

Nini's heart shattered for both of them. "Oh my god, how is he taking it?"

"Not the greatest. I think there's some family stuff going on at home too that's not helping him either. Ashlyn has been giving the occasional update, but he has asked her not to say much of anything."

"Wow, that really sucks. They were so great together."

"Yeah," Kourtney agrees sadly.

"How is she doing?"

Nini sees Kourtney's face completely change. "Well... she's doing better than he is."

"That's good. I wonder if she's putting up a front though."

"I don't think so."

Nini's perplexed. "Really? I remember how devastated she was when he canceled their first date. She was just as crazy for him as he was for her."

Kourtney hisses and makes a strange face. "I, uh... I wouldn't say that."

"Are you kidding? They were great together. I think they did a lot for each other as far as opening up. Also, you look like that one emoji; hold on, let me find it." Nini scrolls through the various faces and then texts it to Kourtney: 😬.

Kourtney chuckles. "Well, it's appropriate for the situation."

"Wait, why?"

Kourtney debates telling her but knows she'll just find out eventually. Better to give her a heads up. "Gina has a new boyfriend."

"Already?? It hasn't been that long, has it?"

"A little over a month."

"Who is it?"

Nini can see Kourtney visibly cringe. "Oh, um... it's, uh... Ricky," she answers delicately.

Nini's whole face drops in shock. She can feel her knees grow weak. "Wh- What?"

"Yeahhh," Kourtney stretches. "Right before we demanded that the Shallow Lake documentary be forgotten."

"Wow, I... wow."

"You gonna be ok when you see them?"

Nini nods quickly. "Mhm, yeah. I mean... we've been broken up for months... and I have no say in how they should live their lives."

"Although true, you can have an opinion on this."

Nini sighs. "I sometimes hate how well you know me."

"It's my specialty," she says, flipping her hair away with her hand.

"I guess... I guess I just thought that there was still a chance for us. You know, after we took some time apart."

"Don't you dare pull the we-were-on-a-break card. He already did that a year ago, and you said no."

"Not helping."

"Well, I don't know how many dates they've been on, just that this has been going on for a while."

"I know I ruined us last time, but I still had some hope," she says sadly. She takes a deep breath. "I guess there's nothing more to say if they're happy together."

"So you still want to see everyone?"

"Of course! I'm not gonna let my mopey feelings prevent me from having a good time with everyone."

"That's the spirit! I'll set it up, and you can surprise everyone."

The best friends quickly say their goodbyes, hanging up with smiles on their faces. Nini's face drops once the call ends. Maybe it was just false hope. She already thought it was bad enough that he was starting off his summer with dates with Lily, but she never would've pictured this.

Nini ponders the idea of talking with EJ and getting a full picture of what happened between him and Gina, but if he is as crushed as Kourtney says, then it would be wildly inappropriate for her to say something first. She knows though that she's just going to have to deal with it once she sees everyone again; if all nine of them are together, there should be enough people to distract her. Well... shit's about to get real.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That weekend, everyone is gathered at Ashlyn's house for a movie night. Nini arrives after everyone on purpose; she doesn't want to give away that she was back too soon. As she parks on the street, she recognizes each car, preparing herself to see everyone's face. Kourtney texts her to go to the door, and she takes deep breaths before getting out of her car.

Meanwhile, Kourtney is buzzing since she is the only one who knows Nini's back. Once everyone is settled into their places around the living room, she texts her best friend to go ring the doorbell. "Guys," she says, standing up. Everyone's attention turns to her. "I have a surprise for everyone." She stands at the door, waiting for it to ring. Once it does, Kourtney proudly opens the door and does jazz hands. "It's Nini!!"

Everyone cheers and stands to greet her. Nini is instantly swarmed by her friends, and she is just as excited to be seeing them again. Everyone approaches her. Gina hugs just as tightly as everyone else, which throws her off some. When she pulls away, she asks, "Will you be auditioning for the musical?"

"Oh, um, I'm not sure yet. Do we know what it is?"

"Oh, only HSM3!" Carlos reveals. "It's perfect too since it's your senior year!"

"I- I'll think about it."

Nini peeks through the crowd and sees Ricky standing behind everyone. She moves past everyone and approaches him. A wide grin grows on his face as she stands in front of him. "Hi," he mumbles.

"Hey." Nini wraps her arms around him first, and he soon does the same. The safety she feels in his arms is unmatched to any other shelter. He doesn't hold her as tight as he used to, yet she couldn't blame him; she knows she hurt him worse than when he broke her heart the first time. God, I've missed you so much.

"Alrighty, everyone," Gina says, clapping her hands. "Who's ready to get this night started?" Once everyone is settled back in position, Big Red starts the movie.

Nini surveys everyone from her place in the couch corner. Seb and Carlos are cuddling on a beanbag; EJ is in the armchair alone; Kourtney is on the other side of her; and Big Red and Ashlyn are on the other end of the couch.

Her gaze falls and stays on Ricky and Gina. They are on the floor sharing a blanket. Her head is on his shoulder, and his arms are around her; she couldn't help but think about all the times she was like that with him.

They are clearly not trying to hide the fact that they are together, even if they don't explicitly say something. Nini looks over at EJ and sees his jaw clench every time he accidentally peeks at the couple. She can't blame him and assumes their feelings for their exes are similar.

About twenty minutes in, she catches them sharing quick pecks in the darkness of the living room. It stings much more than she would've liked, so she goes into the kitchen for a moment alone.

How could I be so stupid? I fucked this one up; it's on me this time. She believes this is the universe's cruel way of handing karma to her on a silver platter. She hears shuffling behind her and prepares to tell Kourtney to leave. "Kourt, I-" She stops in her tracks when she turns around. "EJ? Did you, um, come to get a drink too?" she says, quickly grabbing a plastic cup.

"I know what you're thinking," he says, stepping closer.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on, Nini. It's so obvious."

"Look, it doesn't matter what my feelings are, ok? If they're happy, that's all that matters."

"It really fucking sucks though," he whispers. His voice cracks in the middle. "Can I tell you something?"

Nini pulls the two stools out at Ashlyn's island. "Sure."

EJ sits next to her and takes a deep breath. "I've never told anyone this... not even Ash." He begins fiddling with the ends of his jacket sleeves. "I- I love Gina," he says quietly.

Nini's frozen. She isn't even sure if she hears him correctly; his voice is so hushed. "Wh- What? Really?"

He nods, not wanting to say it again and risk someone hearing. "Yes, but you have to promise not to say anything."

"Then why would you tell me?"

"Because I know you're the only person who can actually relate to the situation. I screwed up so badly with you that I thought my relationship with Gina was my chance to prove that I could do it right. I did nothing but turn it into a hot mess again."

"What exactly happened between you two?"

He sighs and slumps down even more. "I pushed her away. I built up how much fun we were gonna have at Shallow Lake together and then got stuck directing the musical. I- I turned her down every time she wanted to do something and ditched her to go reread scripts. On top of all that, my dad has basically cut me off."

"Oh, EJ, I'm so sorry."

"I just... I can't believe I screwed up so badly."

"Well, no one was poisoned, right?"

He chuckles humorlessly. "No, I didn't do anything like that. She did get mad at me for lying to her though, which I didn't necessarily lie."

Nini gives him a pointed look. "EJ, what did you do?"

"I wanted to do a gap year since I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to go to school for, and my dad responded with a letter saying he had already enrolled me in the Caswell Success Training School... in Saint Louis."

"Gosh, that's kinda harsh."

"Don't have to tell me about it. That stupid fucking letter is where I think the downfall started. I didn't tell Gina about it because I already knew I didn't want to go and would find a way out."

"But you didn't?" Nini guesses.

"Well, I technically did. He hung up on me when I tried confronting him about it, and I've been avoiding all messages. He hasn't tried to see me in person yet, so I don't think he cares all that much anyway. B- But at the time, I didn't know how to get out, and I didn't want to disappoint Gina since her mom moved back-"

"Wait, her mom's back in town?"

"Yeah, and she's only a few houses down from me. I'm kinda living with Ashlyn now though, so it's not like the location matters anymore. Anyway, that's not the point. I didn't want to tell her about the letter since there was no way I was going to that school. I- I don't even remember how she found out about it, but she was mad that I didn't tell her."

"You mean kinda like how you didn't tell me about Ricky's voicemail? And the whole, um... egg thing?"

EJ rolls his eyes. "I thought we were past that."

"Sorry, yes, you're right."

"I just thought that... what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. And then I practically threw her into the arms of Ricky fucking Bowen. I'm so sick of losing to him."

Nini feels guiltier for him. "I'm sorry this is all happening at once."

"Yeah, me too."

They talk for a few more minutes before Nini sees Kourtney come around the corner. "You guys coming back?" she whispers. The pair nod and get off the stools.

When they walk back, a few heads turn and watch as they sit back down. Nini accidentally makes eye contact with Ricky; he shies away quickly. Gina looks between her and EJ, and her gaze disappears even faster. This is going to be an eventful semester.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They are halfway to fall break, and everything has been... different. Nini has to stomach seeing Gina and Ricky act like a couple during rehearsals, in classes, and everywhere else. Everyone is playing the same part as when they did this the first time; the only difference was that EJ obviously couldn't be a part of it. (Miss Jenn is letting him help direct though.)

Nini's daydreaming would sometimes get away from her when it was a Troy and Gabriella scene. It's too much fun to play pretend with him; the pain comes when the scene is over, and she is forced to remember what she lost. She sometimes regrets auditioning and being forced to spend more time around the couple than she does already.

Rehearsal for the day is nearly over. Nini already has all of her belongings back in her backpack, and she's just waiting for Miss Jenn to let everyone go. Twenty minutes later, they're actually done; usually, Nini is the first one to go, but she actually has a reason to stay back this time.

She is fiddling with her backpack strap as she slowly builds the courage to speak. She approaches Ricky as he's packing up his stuff. "Hey," she says, already feeling her hands grow sweaty.

Ricky looks up and a small grin forms. "Hey."

"So, um, do you have a minute?"

He opens his mouth to answer just as Gina locks her arms with his. "Ready?" she asks him.

"Yup," he nods. "Just give me one minute." Gina's eyes quickly flick between the pair before reluctantly leaving. "So, what'd you need?" Ricky asks, slinging his bag over one shoulder.

Nini swallows nervously. "Oh, um..." She sets her backpack on the ground, struggling to unzip it. Embarrassment floods her as it takes an absurd amount of time until the small pocket is open. Once she does, she pulls out two tiny envelopes and hands them to him.

Ricky flips the first one over and sees his name written in fancy calligraphy. "What's this?"

"O- Open it."

Ricky carefully opens it and skims over the text. "I- I thought your moms were already married," he says, confused.

Nini puffs air from her nose. "They are. They're renewing their vows," she explains. "It says so right there." She points to the middle of the card, and he blushes.

"Oops, missed that part."

"Anyway, it's next June, so save the date. The second card is for your dad."

Ricky reads the invitation over one more time to make sure he is not missing anything. "Wait, it says family only," he points out, showing her the card and pointing to the bottom.

"Yeah."

"Are we allowed to then?"

Nini looks at him with a duh face. How is this boy a senior? "Ricky, you can't be serious." His face doesn't change. "Ricky, you and your dad are more than family. Plus, you should know by now that between the two of us, you're their favorite child."

Ricky chortles. "Well, we know Dad puts you first," he counters.

"So... you'll be there?"

A beaming smile grows on his face. "Yes, of course."

Nini squeals and throws her arms around him without thinking. He stumbles a bit and wraps his arms around her to stabilize them. "They're gonna be so excited!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. So is anyone else allowed to know about this?"

She nods against him. "Yeah, but they don't want tons of people, so they're planning for a small venue."

"Really? Hasn't it been, like, twenty years of marriage? You'd think they'd want as many people to know."

"It's more intimate if it's smaller."

Ricky shrugs slightly, agreeing with her. "I suppose."

They stand there in a hug for longer than they expect. When they finally pull away, Nini speaks first. "Ricky, I'm so sorry for the way things ended between us."

"Nini-"

"Wait, I just... I'm not asking for forgiveness or to forget what happened, but... I miss being friends. I- Is there any way we could... go back to that?"

Ricky quickly nods. "Yes. Oh my god, that would be amazing."

Nini smiles. "Great."

"I'm so sorry for hurting you," he says. "It's not easy to let go, but I don't think it's fair to either of us to try and be together and just be miserable."

"You still mean the world to me, Ricky," she admits quietly. "I- I know I haven't been the best at showing it, but I hope you know... I'll always have your back."

"Yeah. Yeah, I, uh... I've got you."

They smile at one another and then hug again. If being friends is the only option, then so be it. Nini pulls away first and adds, "Oh, and before I forget-"

They both look up when there's a knock on the door. "Hey," Gina says with a small grin, stepping into the room.

Nini takes her hands off Ricky and swings her backpack back on. "H- Hey," he says.

"I thought you said you were ready." She stands next to him, reaching for his hand.

"Y- Yeah, hold on." He lets Gina take his hand and turns back to Nini. "What were you gonna say?"

"Oh, um." Nini looks at the couple and loses her words. "I- It can wait."

"Are you sure?" Ricky wonders. "You said you didn't want to forget."

"Mhm. Yeah, it'll be fine. See you guys around." She takes off from the bomb shelter before there's a chance to embarrass herself.

"What was that about?" Gina questions.

"Oh, um, h- her moms are renewing their vows."

"Aww, I love that for them."

"Y- Yeah. Yeah, me too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, Nini is sitting in her room going over her lines. She is way more nervous this time and isn't sure why. Maybe because she knows her heart is struggling to handle Ricky and Gina.

Nini debates texting him because she really does have an important question. It would be best in person. She picks up her phone and opens her messages with him; it stings that they're last conversation was so many months ago. She begins typing yet deletes it, thinking it's too personal to say over text.

It isn't until the next day that she decides to try again. As she stops at her locker, she catches him by his... with Gina. Nini knows that she hurt him too much to deserve another chance, and she believes that he would be happier with anyone else, but... her heart is selfish... and still wants him.

Gina kisses his cheek and then heads off to her first period. Nini takes a deep breath and then begins walking toward him. She's cut off halfway through, jumping from surprise. "Hey!"

"EJ? What are you doing here? You know rehearsals are in the afternoon."

"Yeah, I know, but I was bored in the empty house, and Miss Jenn never dismisses extra help."

Nini glances over his shoulder, seeing Ricky close his locker. "Look, I'd love to talk, but I really-"

"It'll be quick; I promise."

She peeks at Ricky again, only to see that he's gone. She sighs under her breath. "Alright, what is it?"

EJ takes a backpack off and pulls out a bunch of paper. "So, I've been thinking a lot about the 'Scream' scene and what we could do for that-" Nini nods along with him, yet his voice trails off. She begins thinking about how she missed her opportunity... again.

After first period, Nini takes a detour to her locker (not at all hoping to see a certain curly-headed boy). When she rounds the corner, she smiles that it's just Ricky and Big Red there. Big Red takes off after a few seconds, fisting bumping Ricky before leaving.

Nini goes to stand next to Ricky, and he smiles when he sees her. "Hi."

"Hey."

"My dad is so thrilled about your moms. He's already started looking for tuxes for us."

Nini chuckles. "Well, it's not like your closet has the most formal options."

"Hey, I can dress appropriately when necessary."

"Not without help."

"Have you just come over here to patronize me or...?"

Her face flushes as she remembers the real reason she wanted to talk to him. "Ok, so I have this idea for the ceremony, a- and you can totally say no if it's too much..."

Ricky smiles brightly. He still thinks it's cute when she rambles.

"But... I want to surprise them with an original song."

"Neens, that's fantastic!" he exclaims. "Why would I say that's too much?"

She blushes at the nickname. He said it so easily. "Well, I'm not quite finished. I- I was hoping you'd want to sing too... a- and maybe help write it." His face falls, and she regrets asking. "I- If that's too weird, then you of course don't have to," she quickly adds.

"No no, I'd love to. Those two are basically my moms too, and I feel like I owe them something for all that they've done for me. I'm just a little... surprised."

"I just think it'd be a nice gesture. And great, I've already started. Just, um... let me know when you'd be free to, you know... work on it together."

He grins brightly at her, which makes her blush. "D- Does today at my place work?"

"Perfect. Oh, and please do not tell anyone about this, not even our friends."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"I seriously do not want to risk Moms knowing. This is too special of an occasion for it to be ruined. They think I'm just giving a speech. C- Can we keep this between us? Please?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." The bell for class rings, which forces them to go their separate ways. "See you later, Neens."

"Bye, Ricky."

On her way to class, Nini jumps when someone taps her shoulder. "Uhh... what was that?" Kourtney questions.

"What was what?"

"I thought you said you wanted to avoid him."

"No, I want to avoid them together. Alone is easier."

"Ok, but don't get back on Gina's bad side."

"We're way past all that stupid drama from last year."

"Boyfriends are a whole other territory."

"Trust me. Everything will be fine."

"What'd you guys talk about anyway?"

"Oh, um... he said he'd come to my moms' renewal. It's literally all I can think about, even though it's so many months away."

"Well, I hope you'll share a video. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful ceremony."

"I know it will."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yeah, it really stings. I didn't think it would be this bad, especially since we haven't talked in months, and I've been away for so long."

EJ shrugs. "Well, I'm spending my gap year depressed and lonely while my ex runs around with yours so..."

Nini chuckles. "Thank you for trying to lighten the mood."

"Oh, right... totally intentional. Definitely wasn't me being bitter for both of us."

Nini and EJ have bonded more since school started; the main topic: their exes getting together. She thought it was strange at first, but he was actually a terrific rant buddy. "So, any updates about college?" Nini asks.

EJ sighs. "No, not really. Gosh, I just miss East High more and more every damn day."

"You know you're still at the school, right? Every damn day."

"Yes, but it's not the same. I'm not with you guys; I- I have to really be thinking about my future now. I..." He takes a deep breath. "It's all so different."

Nini nods. "Yeah, it's insane. I- I've been looking at schools, but I am nowhere near ready to truly start applying."

EJ shrugs. "You could look at places in California," he suggests. "It'd give you an opportunity to possibly work with Jaime again."

"Are you crazy? Out-of-state tuition is insane."

"Yeah, and some people think it's insane to go and pursue dreams in the arts, but you have a real shot at it!"

Nini turns red. "Thanks, Eej, but I don't know about all that."

"Just think about it. Your name would look really good on a billboard," he says in a sing-song voice.

"Well, I've got to go," Nini says.

"Aw, boo!"

"Hush. Ricky's gonna be over soon, and-"

"Wait, what?? Why? Does Gina know?"

Nini shrugs, trying to play it off cool. "I don't know if she does," she answers, ignoring the other question. "Besides, we're just friends now."

"Oh god, if he screws it up with her, then that's two great mistakes."

"Hey, then you'll have something else in common!"

"Ouch, damn. Didn't know little Nini could be that harsh."

Nini then receives a text from Ricky saying he was at the door. "Ok, seriously, I need to go. He's here."

"You seriously don't think it's a bad idea?"

Nini sighs quietly. "We were friends first before everything else; now should be fine."

"Well, good luck! And don't let that bastard do anything either of you will regret!"

Nini smiles at him, and they say their goodbyes. She quickly jogs down the stairs and to the front door. When she opens the door, she's surprised by Ricky holding flowers along with his guitar case. "Uhh... what are those for?"

Ricky's face reddens. "I, uh... I- I brought these for your moms. A- As a small congratulations gift."

Nini grins, loving that he thought of this. "Come inside." She moves out of the way to let him in, closing the door behind both of them. "They're out right now searching for venues." She goes into the kitchen, motioning for him to follow.

"Woah, isn't it kind of early?"

"Hey, you can never be too prepared. Besides, they're not actually buying anything yet. Just trying to visualize it all." Nini grabs a vase from below the sink and fills it with water.

"I forgot about their weird vase collection," Ricky jokes.

Nini blushes and says, "Yeah, well, they don't use it as much." Nini places the vase on the kitchen island, and Ricky props up his card, so they'll see it.

"Why's that?" he asks.

Nini blushes deeper, hoping he doesn't notice. Because you always brought flowers around. "Don't know," she shrugs. "Come on." She quickly heads upstairs to avoid somehow embarrassing herself.

Afterward, they head upstairs and quickly begin working on the song. "Ok, so I love what you've done so far," he says, "and I want to know what you think of this." He sets the case on the floor and opens it, pulling out a spiral notebook. Nini has to stop herself from gasping when she realizes it's the same one she gave him. It started as a joke because Ricky disliked theater and musicals yet ended up being the lead. She was incredibly touched when she discovered he had actually been using it.

Ricky flips through a few pages before folding it over and handing it to her. "What do you think of this?"

Nini reads over the lyrics, and her heart swells. She knew that he had gotten into writing yet had no idea he had such a way with words. "Ricky... this is incredible."

Ricky's face flushes at the compliment. "R- Really? 'Cause I thought that this might be too cheesy. O- Or over the top. I also wasn't sure where it would work. I- I've only ever written stuff for myself, a- and-"

Nini giggles at his rambling. "Ricky, it's ok. Here, let's try putting our parts together." Ricky wipes his hands on his jeans as he joins her on her bed.

They work away at the song for hours. It's not until Nini's moms come back that they realize the time. "Nini, we're home!"

Nini is suddenly wide awake despite working for nearly three hours on this. She and Ricky begin scrambling around to hide all the papers. Ricky places all his ideas in his guitar case, and Nini crams stacks into her desk drawers. Once all evidence of a song is gone, Nini goes over to the door and hollers, "Be down in a minute!"

Ricky smiles and says, "I had fun working on this."

Nini blushes deeply. "Yeah, me too."

"Wh- When, um, when do you want to do this again?"

"I'm free whenever."

His smile widens. "Great. I'll text you."

*A Few Weeks Later*
Ricky and Gina were together at his place after school. Ricky was down the hall, waiting for the popcorn to finish for their movie. She smiles as she adds a framed photo of them to his dresser. She glances over the others, and her grin falters when she sees one of him and Nini. He was hugging her from behind, and their smiles were so wide.

She doesn't hide it but changes the angle, so she can't see it as well; she doesn't understand why it's still up. She goes to sit back on his bed and grabs her phone to entertain herself until he's done. She groans when the 20% warning appears. Gina begins looking around for a charger, not shocked that he doesn't appear to have one. She opens the drawers of his nightstand and doesn't find anything. There's got to be one around here somewhere.

Gina moves onto his desk, pulling the top one open. She doesn't find a cord but something much more interesting. It is a page ripped out of his notebook; the top just says lyric ideas. The whole page is full of lines that are clearly not meant to go together because of how much space is between each one.

She skims over the writing and begins to wonder what it could be for. Each line has so much passion and emotion in it; her heart swells as she reads more. She starts becoming excited at the idea. Is this... about... me? It was such a heartfelt song; she wasn't sure where he could've gotten the ideas from.

Gina hears his footsteps and quickly puts it back where she found it. She goes back to lying on his bed. "Alright, I've got all the favorites," he says, plopping next to her.

"You are the best person in the world," she says, taking the bowl of popcorn from him. "Oh, and do you have a phone charger?"

"Yeah, it's right-" He turns around to grab it off his nightstand and freezes when it's not there. "Huh... that's, uh... interesting. I swear it's usually right here."

"Yeah, I, uh, couldn't find one."

"Um... I'm not sure. That's the only one I have, so I'm kinda in trouble."

"Why would you only have one charger?"

"Uh, because I only have one phone."

"Yeah, but you don't save all your old chargers?"

"Yeah, usually."

"And where are they?"

He shrugs. "Who knows?"

Gina sighs and shakes her head. "There is no way you'll be able to live on your own."

The movie begins, yet those lyrics are all Gina can think about. She debates asking him about it but isn't sure if he would think of it as an invasion of privacy. It was innocently discovered. She decides to leave it alone, imagining a surprise with it now. I need to stop getting my hopes up.

The next day at school, Gina is walking in with Carlos and Seb. They say their goodbyes as the couple heads to their lockers. Gina's smile widens a little as she heads over to her boyfriend's locker, yet she's almost instantly disappointed when a certain brunette is standing with him instead.

Their smiles are wide as they laugh. Gina repeatedly sees Nini telling Ricky to hush; she even jokingly slaps his arm a couple of times. Gina speed walks over to the pair, tapping her boyfriend's shoulder. "Hey, what's up?" she interjects.

The laughter quickly fades; the two blush and look down. "N- Nothing," Ricky stammers, shying away.

"EJ has started planning this semester's production poster," Nini explains. "I think Ricky should wear the Troy Bolton wig again."

Gina smiles, remembering what he looked like the previous year. "Oh my god, yes! That would be amazing!"

"That's what I said!" Nini exclaims. "He said no."

"Babe, you have to!"

Ricky squints his eyes and glares at the two girls. "What if I don't want to?"

"Who said you had a say in this?" Nini adds.

Gina giggles at her comment, her disappointment from before fading. "Exactly. So... what do you say?"

Ricky huffs in defeat. "I'll... I'll think about it."

"Yay!" Nini cheers. "I'll let EJ know." She whips out her phone and texts him the great news.

"I can't wait to see how this one turns out," Gina says. She loops her arm with Ricky's, smiling at him.

"It was fun the first time, but is it really necessary? I mean, I didn't even wear it during the full production."

"That's because we had fifteen different character switches," Nini deadpans, watching for EJ's reaction.

"Hey, we got there in the end," Gina adds.

In her peripheral vision, Nini sees their arms locked around each other as Gina twists Ricky's ring around his index; it was a gesture she used to do so often. That same stupid ache in her heart comes back out. "I- I'll let you know what he says," she mutters. "See you guys later."

Ricky watches her leave, wondering what suddenly spooked her so badly. Gina catches this and clears her throat to get his attention. "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," he answers quickly. "Yeah, I'm... fine."

Gina sighs. "Are you actually?"

Ricky finally turns to face her. "Yeah, of course I am." He shuts his locker and pulls his backpack on.

As they walk down the halls, a question keeps jumping to the front of Gina's mind. "Are you over Nini?" she asks bluntly.

Ricky stops in his tracks and stares at her. "Wh- What?"

"It's just... now that she's back, I feel like you wish everything would go back to how it was last year. Well, back in January."

"Gi, no, I'm over Nini. She... didn't prioritize our relationship to the same extent I did. She made it very publicly clear that I- I was smothering her a- and 'keeping her under glass' in our relationship. It took so much energy to make us work; she couldn't even meet me halfway," he rants. Ricky sighs when he's done talking. He never told anyone just how badly he was hurting after their breakup, but people could see it in his face and actions. Finally saying everything aloud feels like a weight has been lifted.

Gina feels content with his answer yet doesn't say anything. Ok, good... good.

"Clear your calendar for tomorrow," he says.

"What? Why?"

"Just 'cause. I'll see you tomorrow night." Ricky kisses her cheek and then takes off to class. Gina feels her face heat up as she begins painting a picture in her head of what the night could look like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rehearsals are beginning to give everyone deja vu. The microphones have stopped working; too many people have nearly broken their ankles from falling off the tiny practice stage; the props are going missing; and some costumes are destroyed by spilled coffee.

A classic East High production, Nini thinks. Miss Jenn is on the verge of her traditional musical psychotic break, so she ends rehearsals early.

Ricky is packing his guitar back into its case, and he catches a glimpse of his lyric ideas for her moms' song. He becomes distracted and reads them over. He feels a presence behind him and quickly stuffs the page away, slamming the case shut. "Woah, what's got you all scared?"

"N- Nothing. Um... just worried about Miss Jenn."

Gina sits in front of him. "Well, just wanted to say I can't wait until tomorrow."

He smiles at her and says, "Yup, it's gonna be great."

Gina's phone buzzes, and she perks up when she reads the message. Ricky glances over at her, and her face seems to go through the five stages of grief. "What is it?" he asks.

"My mom is free to take me to dinner."

His face lights up for her. "That's amazing, Gi! You both deserve time together."

"Yeah, but she's asking if tomorrow night works."

His smile falters. "Oh."

"You know what? It's fine; I'll just tell her I already have plans."

"Woah, wait a minute. She just came back to Salt Lake. I mean, I know she is able to work from home now, but you should still take advantage of the time."

"I- I don't know. I mean, you were so excited for our date-"

"Your time is better spent with your mom," he cuts her off. "Trust me."

She has a small smile on her face. "Thank you." She kisses his cheek and stands. "I'm gonna go call her. I'll be outside."

When she's gone, Ricky opens his guitar case again and pulls out the pages, straightening them out against his leg. A shadow on the floor comes into view, and he scrambles to hide the pages under his leg. Ricky beams brightly when he looks up and sees who is standing there. "Woah, why are you so jumpy?"

He grins, uncovering the papers. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Is that someone else a ghost?"

He chuckles. "I want you to hear my new additions."

Nini's face drops a little. She hasn't worked on their song in almost a week, taking a creative break and focusing on school work. She was partially surprised that he was still going. "Oh, um... sure. H- How about tonight? O- Or tomorrow?"

"No, I really want to know what you think now."

"Ricky, what if someone else hears?"

"I mean, this is safer than our homes. My dad is worse at secrets than our friends."

"I don't completely agree with that, but I understand where you're coming from."

"So... can I play it now?"

Nini smiles at him. He was practically bouncing like a little kid. How do I say no to that face? His adorable boyish side is one of her top favorite characteristics about him. "Fine," she caves. "But if Moms find out about this, you will never see the light of day again."

"I can live with that." Ricky swiftly gets his guitar out of the case before she can change her mind. "I promise to take all the blame if they hear this."

"Good, because you were going to whether you knew it or not."

Ricky chuckles and places the strap over his shoulder. He decides to stand and ends up pacing a bit, suddenly growing more nervous than excited to play. Last time I sang in front of her was, like... nine months ago.

Nini sets her bag down next to his and sits on one of the tiny plastic chairs dotted around the room. She can see that he's anxious and mumbles, "It's ok. It's just me." Ricky takes a deep breath and begins singing yet doesn't face her yet. Despite sitting, Nini could feel her body becoming weak from his angelic voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gina has just finished her phone call with her mom. The conversation took longer than expected as Gina ended up informing her of her whole day, even though they'll see each other in less than 30 minutes.

Gina ends up on TikTok to entertain herself while she waits for Ricky. She begins growing impatient, wondering what the hold up could be. She double-checks her messages on her way back into East High, thinking that she somehow missed something from him.

She blows past his locker when there is no one in the halls. When she rounds the corner to the bomb shelter, she's thrown off by music; she knows it's Ricky's voice. She stands right outside the open door, focusing on his voice. She recognizes the lyrics he's singing... it's the song she found in his desk drawer. Finally hearing it made her grin from ear to ear.

She allows herself to enjoy it for another moment before peeking her head inside. As she watches him sing, her whole body shatters when she sees who else is in the room: Nini... Salazar... Roberts.

Gina feels her blood boil with jealousy as she watches her boyfriend serenade his ex with a love song. She wants to scream and cry and vomit all at once. She continues to watch and suffer, wondering where this is going to lead; she presumes cheating. When he turns to face Nini, there is an obvious spark in his eye that Gina's seen before... just not with her.

The singing ends, and Ricky has the brightest smile on his face that Gina has ever seen. Nini claps wildly for him and then stands. Ricky takes his guitar off, and Nini throws her arms around him. "Oh my god, that was incredible!" she praises.

"R- Really?" He turns, grabs the papers with the lyrics, and starts pointing to different lines. "Be- Because I thought that maybe these could be switched. O- Or there's a better word for this one. Ooh, and I don't know if this aligns well-"

Nini shuts him up by placing a hand over his mouth. "Richard Bowen, shut up. This is magnificent. Stop beating yourself up over it. I- I love it."

Ricky grins widely again. "Y- You do?"

She nods quickly. "Yes, absolutely. It's beautiful."

Gina has had enough by now. She storms out of the school, groaning loudly when she remembers that Ricky is her only ride.

Meanwhile in the bomb shelter, Ricky throws his arms around her much tighter than before, which throws her off for a moment. "Thank you," he mumbles into her shoulder. Nini almost doesn't comprehend what he says. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this."

Nini reciprocates the hug, holding onto him like her life depended on it. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ricky feels his brain go into overdrive. His emotions were all over the place. It feels like the vow renewal has only just now dawned on him somehow; not only are they allowing him to witness the ceremony, but Nini has invited him to help her with a special song for them. The women who helped raise him.

Nini hears him sniffle and begins rubbing his back. "You ok?" she mutters.

He nods against her. "Mhm. I just... I can't believe what's happening."

The two break apart and have beaming smiles on their faces. Ricky still has a couple of tears in his eyes, which makes Nini concerned. He sees her face contort with question and says, "They're happy tears; I promise."

Nini smiles at him, which makes him mirror her expression. They're both frozen in place, yet Nini is the first one to say something. "Well, I will definitely send you an updated version of my work. I, uh... I've put a temporary pause on the song 'cause homework was starting to pile up."

"No worries. I can't wait to hear yours."

"After that, I'm not sure if I want to."

"What do you mean?"

Her jaw drops in shock. "I can't beat that!"

"Are you kidding?? Neens, you've been writing songs since elementary school."

"So? That doesn't mean they're good."

"Hey, the cloud song is concert-worthy."

Nini chortles and turns crimson. "Yeah, maybe for a crowd of parents in an elementary theater!"

"That still counts as a concert!"

Nini playfully rolls her eyes and grabs her backpack, handing him his. "C'mon, we should probably head out." Ricky packs up his guitar and takes his backpack from her.

On the way out, they continue to talk about the ceremony, imagining what it'll look like. Once they're outside, they go their separate ways in the parking lot. Nini feels all giddy as she replays his new work in her head. She knew he had a growing talent in songwriting yet wasn't expecting something so... romantic and soulful.

And god, the way he looked at her once he finally turned. Her heart melted from her own brain's images. She wants to scream from excitement. She sits in her car and sighs, thinking about the boy who never leaves her mind.

Her smile falters and her thoughts disappear when she catches sight of Gina leaning against his car. Nini starts her own and quickly pulls out of the parking lot. You need to stop these stupid dreams. He's not yours anymore... and you don't deserve another chance.

Meanwhile on the other side, a pissed Gina stands at her boyfriend's car. "Hey!" he greets cheerily, unlocking the car. "So where are you going for dinner with your mom?"

"It's a surprise," she answers shortly, throwing her backpack in the back seat and getting into the car.

Ricky's thrown by the semi-hostile attitude. "Oh, well... do you know what time?"

"Why does it matter?" she grumbles. She gets her phone out to avoid looking at him.

He shrugs, starting the car. "Just curious."

"Need a date idea for Nini," she mutters to herself.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," she sighs, "let's just go."

Ricky turns on the radio, deciding to not say anything else. What the hell?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the next week, Nini has a whole new verse to present to Ricky. She was giddy as she read it over. Her feelings toward him make it easy to write a semi-cheesy love song. They have so many ideas now that it is going to be a challenge to cut it down for the actual song.

When she told him her next contribution was complete, he was ecstatic to hear it and responded to her text immediately. They ended up in his apartment after their quick conversation since Nini's moms were home. (Mike was also working late, so nobody would hear them.)

Nini sits at the end of his bed with her keyboard, deciding it would sound better if she actually played it. "You know, I think this should primarily be on guitar," she says as she prepares.

"Why's that?" Ricky wonders, suddenly nervous about singing and playing.

"I feel like it'll sound better."

"W- We can talk about it closer to summer."

Nini chuckles. "Well, here we are working on it now when this ceremony is still so many months away."

"Yeah, because they deserve perfection. Now, let me hear it." Ricky flops onto his bed on his stomach with his arms wrapped around a pillow.

Nini smiles at how adorable he is and accidentally begins reminiscing about how this situation used to be a regular thing: the two of them spending time together without so many complications. She shakes herself out of her daydream and rests her fingers on the keys.

She begins playing, and Ricky is instantly hypnotized by the sound of her voice. He stares at her in awe as she sings with such emotion and passion. He always knew she had a gift. Yeah, we're definitely using this. It lasts only a minute yet feels like a lifetime. He could listen to her sing for eternity.

When she's done, Nini looks at Ricky. He has a blank stare on his face, and she isn't sure how to take it. "Well... what'd you think?"

Her question pops him out of his trance. "Oh, um..." All his words are gone. "That was incredible. We have to use it."

"Are you sure? I still like yours better."

"M- Maybe there's a way to combine some lines."

"Maybe," she agrees.

That's what they work on for the rest of the time: mixing their work together to create the perfect song. Once they become tired, Ricky notices that Nini almost falls asleep a few times while leaning on her hand. "Neens? Neens? Nini!"

She jumps from his voice, feeling embarrassed. Ricky chuckles at her startled expression and receives a glare in return. "Shut up," she mutters, feeling the redness spread around her face.

Ricky's smile doesn't disappear. Her exhausted expression triggers memories of times when she would be the first to fall asleep while watching movies/TV shows. He allows himself to go down memory lane for a moment before remembering that they aren't like that anymore. "Um... d- do you wanna go home? I- I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but you just seem a little tired."

Nini giggles at his rambling once again. "It's fine. I probably should head home before I'm too drowsy to drive."

"You go ahead. I'll bring this out," he offers, going to grab her keyboard.

"Oh no, it's fine. I can-"

"I insist," he says, snatching it away before she can protest anymore.

Nini smiles at him. "Thank you," she murmurs.

She grabs her keys off his desk and goes ahead of him. Ricky carefully places her keyboard in the case and follows behind her. Nini unlocks the car and opens the back seat for him to place the case on. "Thank you again," Nini says. "You know I could've done it myself though, right? It's not like this stuff is crazy heavy."

Ricky grins. "Yeah, but, I don't know... I just wanted to."

Nini shuts the door. "Thank you... for wanting to do this song."

"Are you kidding?? There's no way I'd turn this down."

"Well, I'm glad." Nini could feel her breath getting caught in her throat. "It's been really, really fun to do this with you."

Ricky blushes and shies away. "Yeah... yeah, I feel the same. I- I love hearing you sing."

She knows her face is as red as a beet. "Your voice has gotten even better," she compliments.

"Th- Thanks." He rubs the back of his neck.

Nini steps closer to him and wraps her arms around him, Ricky swiftly doing the same. They don't say anything, not needing words to be together. She holds onto him tightly, biting back tears. I can't do this whenever I want anymore.

"A- Are you ok?" Ricky asks. "N- Not that I don't appreciate Nini hugs, but..." This one feels different.

She chortles; she doesn't understand why he has been so rambly recently. "I'm fine," she mutters, afraid of sounding like she's crying.

"You know you can talk to me. We both said we would."

She nods against his shoulder. "I know."

They stand there for another minute. Nini is the first to pull away; as much as he wants to, Ricky knows he can't hold her forever. "Thanks again, Ricky. F- For everything."

"I should be the one thanking you."

"For what?" Breaking your heart and ruining everything despite still loving you.

"For being in my life."

Nini blushes and looks at the ground. "Goodnight, Ricky."

"Night, Neens."

She goes around to the driver's door and gets in, starting the car. She pulls away from the apartment complex a moment later. Nini smiles to herself when she sees him in her rearview mirror watching, something he always did when they were together.

Once Ricky sees her car turn the corner, he heads back inside. When he shuts the door, his heart absolutely swells. The feeling he gets when she is around tops just about everything else; there is nothing that compares. Oh shit... fuck. Ricky forces himself to stop thinking this way. It isn't right; she doesn't want to be with you, and you shouldn't want to be with her. She broke your heart... twice. His mind knows all the reasons they shouldn't be together... yet his heart doesn't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opening night is in full swing, and everyone continues to shake with happiness and anxiety. They've made it through half the production without anything going terribly wrong, which was out of character and only worrying everybody more.

Nini begins growing nervous as she rehearses lyrics and lines in her head. As she's pacing off to the side, she sees Ricky and Gina arguing. She sighs to herself, feeling slightly guilty; she obviously knows by now that she isn't exactly at the top of Gina's friend list anymore.

Nini has heard their arguments plenty of times by accident, especially over the phone. Last time, she waited it out in Ricky's bathroom, feeling like her presence would only make things worse; Ricky didn't tell her what Gina was going off about, but she had her guesses.

Nini obviously doesn't do anything about her feelings because she would feel disgusted with herself if she tried to wreck any relationship. Those guilty feelings are making her palms sweat as she prepares for "Can I Have This Dance."

She sees Gina throw her hands in the air and storm off, and Ricky runs his hand through his hair. Nini wants to help him calm down but knows it'll only make it worse.

They are soon called to the stage and move to stand next to each other. They don't say anything as they step into the spotlight.

"I really need your help," he starts. "Which one do you think I should wear?" He pulls a couple of jackets and shirts from behind the set.

"Because?" Nini tries subtly clearing her throat.

Ricky can't contain his chuckle at the British accent. "You're gonna have a pretty dress. So I wanna look right."

"Well, I've never been asked to prom, but... this almost sounds like an invitation."

Ricky clicks his tongue as he thinks. The accent is adorable, but she's clearly nervous.

"Th- This one," she states, grabbing the black jacket.

Ricky quickly changes throws it on, and they stare at each other for longer than necessary. "I've never been to a dance," he says. "Much less a prom." They lean together against the fake railing. "But I was hoping these might be a good start."

He whips out two lookalike prom tickets. Nini smiles back at him, not knowing what to do. "Do you think we're gonna have to waltz? 'Cause I have no idea how to do that."

"All I know is what my dad taught me when I was a little girl." The accent was disappearing, but she was still clearly nervous. "I'd stand on his toes, and he'd waltz me around the living room." She grabs his hand as the script says, but they become stuck once again for longer than instructed. "Come here, I- I'll show you."

"What?"

"Come here!" They move away from the railing and to center stage. Here we fucking go.

"We're on the roof." Ricky wipes his hands on his pants as she stands in position.

"Come here, you'll love it."

She begins singing, and Ricky is immediately thrown off. He pulls her close as with the line, and feels his breath catch in his throat. They place their arms around each other and internally prepare for the rest of the scene.

Smiles break out as they sing and twirl around the stage. It is a magnificent performance, and the grins are wide while the audience cheers them on.

Nini's mind becomes clouded as she can only focus on the boy in front of her. She can't stop herself from getting lost in his hazel eyes. She is incredibly impressed by his dancing skills, swiftly remembering how he was just a year ago.

Ricky can't wipe the smile off his face. Holding her this close again only happens in his dreams, and he's slightly surprised that he hasn't tripped yet.

Just as it started, the song is coming to an end. Nini places shaky hands on his shoulders as his rest on her waist. Their beaming smiles are bright as the audience claps.

"So is that a yes?" he mumbles.

Nini forgets her lines for a moment before mildly recomposing. "I- In every language." She feels like she can't breathe with him looking at her like this.

The pair receive a standing ovation but don't even realize. It isn't until EJ pushes them off the stage do they start moving again.

Once Nini has her brain back, she runs off to the dressing room.

Ricky opens his mouth to say something yet no words come out. Was that too weird? Did I make her uncomfortable? He steps forward to chase after her, but EJ stops him.

"But-"

"No buts. Besides, you've got bigger problems." EJ points behind Ricky with his script, and there stands an angry Gina.

Ricky quickly approaches her only for her to storm off. "Gina. Gina! Gi, wait!" He chases her down the hallway.

"Wait for what, Ricky?" She turns to face him. "Wait for you to decide who you want to be with?"

"I'm with you, Gina. D- Don't you see that?"

"Don't you see that?"

"It was just a scene. For the musical. W- We've all seen the movie; we know what it's supposed to look like."

"But it's not just the musical, Ricky. It's- It's every day since she came back. You... You miss being with her and don't want to admit it."

"Gina, you've got it completely-"

"Wrong? Yeah, nobody will agree with you."

"I don't miss her-"

"No, you just think about her all the time and fantasize about what it would've been like if you never broke up." She storms off, and he just stands there. Watching them finally step into their characters is her last straw.

Ricky leans against one of the lockers and rubs his hands over his face, slowly sinking to the floor. What the fuck have I done??

*April*
The first semester of their senior year was complete, and the second was nearly over; more steps closer to graduating.

Ricky and Nini only continue to grow closer during their songwriting time. By the time spring break rolled around, they were convinced that it was complete. Occasionally, they would pitch minor ideas to each other if they felt something was off. Eventually, they give it a rest and look at their work proudly.

Nini and EJ are still the best rant pair ever. EJ would ask every time how things were going with Ricky; he could tell that Nini was going down a familiar road again but gave up trying to warn her after the first couple of months. Nini asked him about Gina, and he was at least feeling better about himself. He isn't sure if he forgives Gina yet though. His relationship with Val was also blooming.

EJ and Val stayed in contract better this time than last year. She was a great support system for him, especially with college hanging over his head. EJ has admitted to Nini before that their conversations weren't always about school. Nini joking said he was repalcing her as his rant buddy, which he denied. Nini's main point was about their growing bond.

The school year coming to an end meant that his gap year was almost done too. But Nini did help him pick a school last semester (that wasn't influenced by his dad), and he was pleased with his decision: the University of Utah. It wasn't a crazy decision, but after looking at a few out-of-state options, EJ eventually decided that he didn't want that. UofU was his first choice after Duke way back when and didn't take much convincing. He would be extremely close to home and could still see everyone every day if he wanted.

Ricky and Gina... are something else. They continuously fight now, sometimes accidentally in public. Their arguments always started and ended the same. Gina doesn't however bring up that she caught him singing to her, waiting for the right time to drop that bomb.

Their production of HSM3 was a hit! (With the classic issues.) It felt more successful since there were fewer character changes. Nini found Ricky in a dressing room afterward and congratulated him on his performance, thrilled that he was enjoying being on stage.

However, this time didn't end like the first. They said awkward goodbyes to each other before ending up at Ashlyn's house for the classic after-party. They still talk almost every day... but it never feels like it used to.

Prom tickets are officially on the market, and everyone is buzzing about it, especially the seniors. The school rented out a venue in downtown Salt Lake, which was shocking when their drama department has been threatened multiple times before for not having a budget. "Come on, Neeners!" Kourtney begs. "You have to go. I'll even pay for your ticket!"

"Kourt, no. If I end up going, I'll do it myself."

"But you're not?" Ashlyn questions.

"I... I don't know yet." The truth is that Nini doesn't want to feel left out. Everyone had a date, and she didn't want to ruin their fun.

"Nini, this is your senior year though," Seb encourages.

"Yeah, and none of us went last year because of all the crazy shit with the Menkies," Carlos adds, rolling his eyes.

"All of us will be there," Ashlyn tries.

Yeah, that's the problem. All of us are going. Nini knows it will only upset her to see Ricky and Gina at prom as a couple... dancing together and being romantic. She had always dreamed of going to prom with him, and reality stung. "I'll think about it," she mumbles.

"Well, think quickly," Kourtney adds. "We need to go shopping!" Nini chuckles at her friend's excitement.

A few minutes later, Ricky and Big Red join the table. "Hey," the redhead greets, sitting next to Ashlyn, "has everyone bought their tickets?"

"Yup," Carlos nods. "Help us convince this one to join."

Nini blushes deeply. "Look, I just... I don't know."

"Oh, come on, Nini!" Big Red joins. "You can't miss senior prom!" She doesn't even bother to answer anymore.

"You've been talking about this for years," Ricky chimes in. "Plus, it wouldn't be the same without you." Nini knows her face is crimson, so she continues to look down.

Gina then comes to the table, and everyone notices that she doesn't sit next to Ricky; she sits next to Kourtney and leaves a gap between her and her boyfriend. "Ok, what is your prom look?" Ashlyn asks her.

Gina has a small smile on her face. "I don't have anything together yet, but I've saved, like, a dozen pictures," she says, getting her phone out. She passes it over the table to Ashlyn, and she squeals from excitement.

"Holy crap, sis, these are outstanding choices!" Ashlyn then looks over at Ricky. "What are you wearing?"

Ricky's looking down at his plate, trying to think about how to apologize to Gina (with the wrong brunette occasionally crossing his mind). He doesn't hear Ashlyn as he just moves his food around his plate.

"Yo, Bowen!" Kourtney hollers.

Ricky jumps and drops his fork on the table. "Hmm?"

"What are you wearing to prom?" Kourtney repeats for Ashlyn.

He shrugs. "I don't know." He glances over at Gina, but she avoids his gaze.

"Well, I think we," Ashlyn begins, pointing to the girls, "should all get ready together and then surprise everyone!"

"Oh my god, yes!" Carlos agrees. "Wait, where should we get ready?" he wonders, looking at Seb.

"Rock paper scissors," Gina suggests.

They agree and play best of three. Seb ends up winning. "Choose who you want to go with," Big Red says to him.

"Girls, obviously!" he says.

Carlos frowns. "Seriously? You know how awkward it is with them," Carlos says, gesturing to Big Red and Ricky. "And EJ's not even here, so now the conversation will be even more dull."

"Hey!" Ricky and Big Red say together.

"Hey, last time we hung out, we wrote a pretty damn good song, if I do say so myself," Ricky prides himself.

"You two wrote a song?" Gina wonders, pointing between them.

Ricky, Carlos, and Seb's faces turn red. "Yes, and no, you're not allowed to hear it," Seb instantly responds. The table then proceeds to beg to hear it.

"Look what you've done, Bowen," Carlos scolds.

Ricky shrugs. "Don't blame me."

"I can; I will; and I am!" They all laugh at the antics, and then Carlos and Seb grab their phones to show everyone their outfit ideas.

"Seb, your phone's almost dead," Big Red tells him, handing his phone back to him.

"Ooh!" Nini perks up. She begins digging through her backpack while everyone else watches her, wondering what made her mood change. "You forgot this," she tells Ricky, passing him his phone charger over the table.

Ricky takes it from her and looks confused. "When did I leave this?"

Nini shrugs. "I don't know, but I've been meaning to give it back forever."

"You're sure it's not yours?"

"Nope, because none of mine are falling apart," she says, noting the inner wires sticking out of one of the ends.

Ricky chuckles and shrugs, tossing it into his backpack. "Thanks. I've been having to borrow Dad's."

"You didn't just get a new one?"

"I forgot!" he defends.

"This boy," Carlos mumbles, shaking his head.

Gina watches the interaction carefully. She had completely blocked out that day after hearing Ricky sing to Nini since that was when she discovered the lyrics. So that's where it went. Gina knew that they would hang out just the two of them outside of school, but this was a painful reminder. She abruptly grabs her tray and heads over to the trash cans before stacking it with other students' dishes.

The others take note of her hasty exit yet don't say anything regarding it. Ricky sighs to himself, knowing he's going to get an earful later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That day after school, Nini falls into her bed. She of course already has some dress ideas saved on her phone, but she just isn't feeling the best about going. The whole table has a date except her, and the last thing she wants do to on her Saturday night is watch everyone be lovey-dovey with their partners while she's stuck pining for someone she's already fucked up with too many times.

In the middle of her suffer-shopping, her phone screen is taken over by an incoming call from EJ. "Hey, Eej!" she greets.

"Hey! So I hear prom season has returned." EJ is spending the semester shopping for college, wanting to not think about it at all during the summer.

"Yup," she nods.

"You don't seem excited," he observes.

She clicks her tongue. "No, I totally am. How else would I spend my night than watching all my friends be happy in their relationships while I reminisce on a past one that isn't the healthiest for either of us."

"I'm sensing a little sarcasm."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Ok, ok. Well, say you don't go... what would you be doing instead?"

Nini shrugs. "I don't know. Probably accidentally see everyone's Insta photos and mope around some more while scrolling."

"I mean, that's what I did my junior year."

Nini chortles. "You're not helping."

"Ok, what about this then? Nini, will you go to prom with me?"

Nini's eyes go wide. "Uhh... what?"

"Not in a romantic way," he says. "Just as friends. We can even awkwardly slow dance together when those songs come on! I'll also obviously pay for my own ticket."

Nini chuckles once again. "You're ridiculous."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Might be better than sitting in bed all day."

"Ok, nothing beats lazy days."

EJ playfully rolls his eyes. "What do you say though? You get to experience all the fun of getting ready that I hear girls talk about, and... I get to have one last memory at East High."

Nini smiles at him, gradually loving the idea. "You do know that you're moving, like, right down the road, right?"

"I know; I know. And even though I plan to stay in contact with everyone, I know everything is going to change."

Nini groans. "You're right."

"I know! Now, what do you say?"

"Wait, what about Val?"

EJ waves her off. "No big deal. She knows we're friends, and she and I... we aren't much of anything right now, so it's fine!"

Nini gives him a pointed look. "EJ, if you have feelings for her, then you don't need to go to prom with me."

"But it's not like I like you! Wait, sorry, that came out wrong."

"No, it's fine."

"Come onnn!" he whines. "It'll be fun!"

Nini ponders for a moment before softly sighing. "Fine, it'll be a friend date."

"Great! Can't wait, rant buddy! I promise it'll be the most platonic date you've ever been on. You're like a sister to me now-"

"Ew, gross. Can I retract my yes?"

"Nope! You're stuck with me, sis."

"Stop!" she demands, despite the smile on her face.

They hang up a little while after, and a small smile grows on Nini's face. This isn't how she pictured going to prom, but she is actually kind of glad she's going. She texts the big group chat a few minutes after and gives them the good news; they all respond immediately with various emojis and exclamations. She then receives a text from Kourtney on the girls' chat talking about where they should go shopping. This is definitely going to be eventful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gina is at Ricky's place trying to figure out how to match with him. In the back of her mind, she imagines settling for a classic black suit, but it is still fun to try to add some color.

"You literally have nothing," she comments, pushing hangers out of the way in his closet.

"Yeah, I know," he says from his place on his bed.

"Have you at least been looking online?"

"Mhm. I just... don't want to spend tons of money on it."

"Well, it doesn't have to be a three-piece tux. Forget the jacket part; I'm sure it'll still look good." Ricky just shrugs. Gina huffs, tired of his disinterest. "Alright, what's up?"

He's thrown off by her harsh tone. "What are you talking about?"

"You literally have zero interest in preparing. Prom is in a week, and we don't have anything planned!"

Ricky sighs. "I'm sorry. I've just been a little distracted recently."

By what? Nini? Gina doesn't bother to say anything else and just sighs deeply. "Can I use your laptop to look for stuff?"

"Sure," he nods.

Gina sits at his desk and opens the computer. The tabs that are still open are images of formal outfits and tuxes. "Wait, you have been looking?" she asks, turning to face him.

Ricky stands and looks over her shoulder. "Oh yeah," he nods. "I forgot about those."

Gina begins scrolling through what he has open. "Damn, Bowen, since when did you have taste?" Ricky chuckles and looks at the outfits with her.

The truth is that he has been bombarding Nini with questions about her moms' ceremony. Now that they were essentially done with the song, he began worrying about his appearance. She revealed way back when that they had their theme down, which prompted him to ask what he should wear. Ever since she sent him pictures of their venue decor and colors, he's been helping his dad search for what they should wear. He has obviously been asking Nini's opinion on each piece that he found.

He of course wasn't going to let Gina know that; she was already quite angry with him over his semi-rekindled relationship with Nini, and there was no way he was going to tell her that these clothes had something to do with her.

"What about this one?" he asks, pointing to a simple black tux. "I mainly saved this one 'cause I could wear it to anything. Plus, it's a great deal."

"You have all these outfits saved, and you want to go with the plainest one?" she questions.

Ricky shrugs awkwardly. Well, the better options I'm saving. "Look, Gi, I've still got my blue tux from last year. I'm sure it'll still fit-"

"Ricky, honey," she starts, looking up at him, "I love that you and I have a similar mindset when it comes to money, but if you're talking about the suit you wore to homecoming last year, then it's a hard no. I would rather not think about that night." She turns back to the computer and continues browsing.

Ricky isn't sure what vision she has in mind for this prom, but he's hoping it's nothing crazy.

"Besides," she continues, "why do you have all these bookmarked if you're not actually going to get any of them?"

I will... just in the summer... for an event that has nothing to do with right now. Ricky shrugs again, not knowing what to say. "But black is a classic," he tries again.

Gina huffs. "You're not letting this go, are you?"

"Nope," he says, popping the P.

The following day during lunch, everyone raves about Nini joining them. "Wait, so what made you change your mind?" Seb wonders.

"Well, um... it's actually a funny story."

"Why does that not sound good?" Ashlyn comments.

"No, it is; I promise. So I was on the phone with EJ-"

"You lost me already," Carlos says.

"Hush, I've barely said anything. Anyway, I was on the phone with EJ, and he asked me-"

"Woah woah woah, what?? Talk about a plot twist!" Kourtney says. Nini's face turns red.

Ricky's jaw clenches. He asked her?? EJ Caswell... asked her to prom? He doesn't say anything though; his brain is suddenly spinning with images of them dancing together... slowly... and holding each other close. He knows this is unnecessary anger. I'm with Gina, and Nini doesn't want anything to do with me romantically. She can do what she wants with whoever. His brain kept saying that, but his heart couldn't believe it.

Gina sees Ricky's reaction and fights the urge to roll her eyes. He's so fucking jealous; it's ridiculous.

"How did that happen?" Big Red wonders.

"I'm trying to tell you!" Nini hollers. "As I was saying, he said it'll just be like a friend date. He wants one more memory with everyone together before going to college, and I... yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Well, I'm glad he's going," Ashlyn says. "It'll be great to have us all together again."

"Um, hellooo?" Carlos says. "We were basically still together the whole time last semester. He helped Miss Jenn direct, remember?"

"Yeah, but that's different," Kourtney says. "He wasn't really with us since he didn't have a role. Make sense, yeah?"

"I suppose."

They continue to chatter about prom, now excited that everyone was going. Ricky remains quiet for most of the discussion; despite what Nini says, he can't get the idea of her and EJ getting back together out of his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is the night of prom, and everyone is ecstatic as they put their outfits together, imagining what they'll look like. EJ and Nini are wearing green; Kourtney and Howie have blue; Big Red and Ashlyn are going with red (for obvious reasons); Gina and Ricky chose black; and Carlos and Seb decided on purple.

The girls were getting ready at Kourtney's house because she was obviously going to be doing everyone's makeup. Seb was the first to arrive, followed by Ashlyn and Nini. Gina texted saying she was running late, so they went ahead and got a head start on makeup since it was going to take a long time for everyone's to be done.

Kourtney screeched as loud as Carlos with excitement. Ashlyn screamed even louder when she saw what EJ would be wearing. "Holy shit, how did you get him to dress!?"

Nini shrugs. "I don't know; he was super enthusiastic about it though."

Kourtney begins working on everyone's makeup while they excitedly talk about how this is going to be a night to remember.

Meanwhile, the guys are in Big Red's basement getting ready. Carlos is in the bathroom, wanting to do a big reveal. Everyone is facing away from each other while they get dressed.

"So... you and Nini?" Ricky asks.

EJ rolls his eyes and quietly scoffs. "What does it matter to you?" he spits. "You're with Gina, alright?"

"Just asking," Ricky murmurs.

"You know, Ricky," EJ begins, turning and stepping toward him. "Why is it that whenever I lay my eyes on any girl, regardless of what my intentions are, they are... suddenly of interest to you?"

It is Ricky's turn to roll his eyes. "I don't know why I even try with you," he mumbles. "Just be quiet," he retorts louder.

"Really?" EJ continues. He deserves a little reminder of all the chaos he's caused. "Because if I remember correctly, the main reason you're involved in theater at all is because you wanted to win Nini back last year."

"Shut it," Ricky mutters.

"No, I won't. We were perfectly fine in our own little world, and then you had to come along and ruin it."

Ricky finally turns to face him. "Really? I was the one who ruined it? If I remember correctly, you took her phone and deleted a voicemail I sent to Nini, and she was furious with you," he pokes his chest, "for going through her messages behind her back."

"Well, at least I didn't hit on anyone's girlfriends knowing they had a boyfriend, mister I think we shared a moment."

"I never poisoned someone with a rotten egg!"

"I didn't smother my girlfriend so much that she avoided me and wrote a song about it!"

"Alright!" Big Red interrupts. "Cut it out. This is supposed to be a fun night."

"I thought we were cool," Ricky says.

"We were." Then you started making out with the one girl I actually love. The two stare at each other for a minute before huffing and turning away. EJ whips out his phone and opens his messages with Nini.

"Are you guys ready?!" Carlos shouts from the bathroom.

"Yup."

"Sure."

"Let's see it."

"So... what do you think?" Carlos comes out from his hiding place in the bathroom wearing a shimmering purple jacket with matching eyeshadow, white pants, and a white shirt.

"You look cool, dude," Ricky compliments. The others nod in agreement.

Carlos's smile drops. "Ok, this is why I'd rather be with the girls. Their compliments are much more uplifting."

Ricky shrugs as he struggles to tie his tie. He eventually gets it down yet accidentally overtightens it. Fuck it, it's fine.

"Are we ready to head to our dates?!" Carlos says happily.

"Yup," EJ says with a smile, glaring at Ricky.

As the boys head upstairs, Ricky's phone buzzes. It's a text from Gina:

Ricky's mind starts circling, not knowing what to think. When he gets in his car, he flies out of Big Red's driveway. What's up?

The other three quickly arrive at Kourtney's house. When they get out, they question where Ricky went. "I don't know; I just saw him take a different turn," Big Red says.

"You think he forgot something at his place?" Carlos wonders.

"Wouldn't doubt it," EJ scoffs.

"Be nice, remember?" Carlos scolds. "We're gonna be in public."

"Yes, Mom," he grumbles.

As the three approach Kourtney's porch, another car pulls into the driveway. Howie steps out. "Hey, guys!" he greets.

"Oh yeahhh," Big Red draws out. "I forgot you were coming." EJ nudges him.

"Look, I know we haven't spoken in a long time since the whole... Beauty and the Beast drama, but... I hope we can put that behind us and... start over." He says it more as a question than a statement.

"Sure," EJ says. "Blank slate."

"Cool... cool." Howie wipes his hands on his pants and joins the other on the porch. Carlos rings the doorbell, and Kourtney's mom answers. "Oh my god, you all look so handsome!" she gushes.

"Mom, wait!" they hear Kourtney scream from upstairs.

"Hurry up!" Carlos hollers.

"We all know you were the last one to be ready!" Ashlyn retorts. "I'm surprised you're even here on time!"

The four of them stand at the bottom of the staircase in classic romance film fashion as they wait for their dates. "You guys excited?" Howie asks.

"Yup," Big Red nods with a smile.

The four upstairs appear on the staircase one by one, each person getting their own spotlight moment. As all the dates compliment each other's outfits, Kourtney's mom snaps a few pictures. Once all the poses are captured, everybody heads outside to the cars.

"Wait, where's Gina?" Carlos wonders.

Kourtney shrugs. "No clue. She told us she'd be late, but she stopped answering our texts a while ago."

"Weird," Big Red adds. "Ricky stopped following us shortly after leaving too."

"You think they're ok?" EJ wonders.

"Have you seen those two recently?" Ashlyn blurts.

The group continues to talk, and then Seb announces, "Alright, we're officially past fashionably late and heading into late-late territory."

Everyone gets in their cars and takes off. "What do you think is going on?" Nini wonders.

"I don't know, but I'll never forgive that idiot if he hurts Gina," EJ says through gritted teeth.

"I feel like it's my fault," Nini murmurs.

"What are you talking about?"

"EJ, I hear them fight all the time over the phone. And sometimes after rehearsal when they think everyone's gone; hell, others even hear it during rehearsals in the corner. Not to mention the quiet bickering at the lunch table. Gina thinks Ricky's not over me, which is completely false-"

"Wait, why do you say that?"

"Say what?"

"That Ricky's over you."

Nini gives him a duh face. "EJ, you cannot be serious. I already blew my chance with him; there's no way he'd ever let me back in."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

She eyes him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Nini, I see the way he looks at you during rehearsals. And on stage. Neither of you are over the other, which I already knew you weren't, but it's quite obvious you guys are on the same page. Plus, his little spiteful self tonight."

"That's such a stretch of a guess."

"Dibs on the right to say I told you so!"

Nini chuckles. "You're ridiculous."

"You won't be saying that when it turns out to be true."

"I thought you said he was a bad idea."

"I did say that," he nods, "and I'm not convinced otherwise yet. But if that fucking dumbass is who will make you happy, then... who am I to stop that?"

Nini lightly hits his arm. "He's not a dumbass."

"Well, in my eyes he is."

Nini reaches over and squeezes his shoulder. "Thank you for being so great these past months."

"So I wasn't great before or...?"

She shoves him again. "Just accept the gratitude."

"Fine. And thank you for... being such a great listener."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ricky arrives at Gina's house with shaking hands. He has zero clue what is going on, but he assumes something has happened with her mom. He goes up to the door and knocks gently.

There is no immediate answer, but her mom eventually does. "H- Hi, Mrs. Porter," he stutters. "Is Gina home?"

"Yes, why?"

"Sh- She texted me, um... to come here. She wasn't with the others getting ready for prom, a- and her message seemed urgent."

Gina appears at the bottom of the staircase a few moments later. "Mom, it's fine," she mumbles, stepping into the doorway. Her mom moves out of the way, and Gina steps outside and shuts the door.

"So what's going on? Is everything ok?" Ricky asks. He takes in her disheveled appearance: she was wearing sweats and a long-sleeved shirt with dried tears on her face; she obviously hadn't put in any effort toward getting ready for prom, and he didn't know why.

"Ricky... I can't keep doing this."

"What?"

"This." She gestures between the two of them. "I have put so much of myself into this relationship, and I just... I don't feel like you're as into it as I am."

"Gi-"

She puts a hand up. "I have been hoping for months that it would change. I- I pretend that watching you and Nini on stage as Troy and Gabriella doesn't hurt. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for all the... all of the longing looks a- and giggling and singing and spending time alone with her-"

"Gi, you know all that stuff was just for show. I've already tried explaining it, but that's just what happens in the movie. And what are you-"

"I know you two spend time together outside of group hangouts... alone."

"Yeah, but she-"

"No buts, Ricky," she says. "And no... she's not just a friend to you."

"Gina, Nini doesn't see me like that."

"Doesn't matter what her feelings are. You still love her, and I can't be with you anymore if she still has your heart."

Ricky's face drops, and he sighs. He runs his hand through his hair, not knowing what to say anymore. "I- I'm sorry."

Gina crosses her arms as tears build behind her eyes. That's all you have to fucking say? "I heard you singing to her last semester. Not for the musical; it was after rehearsal, and you two were the only ones in the bomb shelter. You- You were singing some love song. I should've just ended things then and there, but I- I don't know. I let myself live in the fantasy a little longer."

"Wait, what are you talking about? What song?"

"I found lyrics to a love song in your desk a while back. I- I didn't know what it was for, but... now I do."

Ricky looks puzzled until a lightbulb goes off in his head. "The song you found... does have to do with Nini, but it's not what it looks like."

Gina scoffs, her arms falling away from her. "Not what it looks like? Ricky, it was a passionate love song that you've been keeping a secret. I'd really appreciate it now if you'd just admit-"

"It's for her moms," he blurts. Gina is perplexed, so he continues. "Remember how her moms are renewing their vows? Nini wanted to surprise them with an original song and offered me the chance to write some of it. I couldn't say no to that; those women are my family. That is what the song is for. Not some big grand gesture of feelings. It's part of my gift to them."

Gina stares at him and doesn't say a word. Ricky assumes her silence means she doesn't believe him. "You can even ask Nini if you want," he adds. "We kept it a secret 'cause she was afraid of her moms finding out too soon. M- My dad doesn't even know about it."

She nods and looks at the ground. "I believe you about the song, Ricky. But I don't believe that we should stay together."

Ricky's shoulders fall now too. "B- But what about prom? A- And all the plans we had for the summer."

She shrugs. "Plans change. Clearly." She mumbles the last part to herself.

"C- Can we talk about this?"

"There's nothing else to say."

"Gina, Nini wants nothing to do with me. We- We already tried the whole relationship thing, and it blew up in our faces. Twice!"

"And yet you still want her. After each heartbreak, you still want her." She sniffles and the first tear falls. "I appreciate the time we spent together, Ricky. But I am not going to sit around and be someone's backup plan a- and... temporary entertainment." Her lip quivers as she speaks.

Ricky is entirely speechless. He has no more words for the girl in front of him. "I'm sorry," he repeats.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nods. "Sure."

"Why did you kiss me? That day when we watched the Frozen trailer."

"Because Gina... I like you... a lot."

Gina nods and looks at the ground. "But not as much as you love her. It'll always be her for you, Ricky." She sniffles and wipes her eyes before speaking again. "We jumped into this too fast. Just... stupid impulsive teenage thoughts."

"Gina, I don't think this was stupid."

"Then what would you call it?"

"Two people who had feelings for each other and decided to give it a shot."

Gina takes a deep breath, crossing her arms again. "Remember how you said you were tired of Nini not taking your relationship as seriously as you? Yeah, well... you were right... it is draining doing all the work."

Ricky tries to step toward her, but she backs away, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. Fucking fuck! "I'm so sorry, Gi."

"You go have a fun time tonight. Tell the others what you want about this conversation; I won't be looking at any messages until Monday. Oh, and I don't hate Nini; this isn't her fault." Gina turns to go back inside; she shuts the door without looking back. Her porch light turns off too, and Ricky is stuck standing in the dark.

Ricky goes back to his car and leans his head against the steering wheel. He doesn't cry yet huffs, not believing that he screwed up another relationship. The worst part of it all is that she's right... 100% right.

Ricky has known for a while that he still loves Nini. He began falling for her again when they were writing their song. All the lovey-dovey verses and heartfelt lyrics made his imagination run wild, and he would picture them together. All the Troyella moments they had to recreate certainly did not help. He has no idea when he truly started loving her again, but he wonders if he ever stopped. He hates that Gina wound up in the middle of his complications; nobody ever deserves to be or feel used.

Ricky starts his car and sees all the missed texts on his phone asking where he and Gina are. He ignores all of them and heads to the prom location anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The whole place has tables scattered around with roughly ten chairs each; color-changing lights flash across the walls; there are two tables with various finger foods; music is blasting as more students file in. It is definitely the most East High has ever put into any event.

The eight of them dance like nobody's watching to whatever song is playing. They lose track of how many songs have played, but the girls soon find their table and sit for a moment. "Holy shit, I have not moved that fast since trying to keep up with Gina at dance rehearsal," Ashlyn laughs.

"No kidding," Nini agrees.

"These heels were not made for exercise," Kourtney says, slipping hers off under the table.

Their dates eventually show up at the table standing next to their respective partners. "Tired already?" EJ asks, nudging Nini.

"You try dancing in heels," Ashlyn retorts.

"We are!" Carlos says, gesturing between him and Seb.

During their moment of rest, a slow song begins to play. The couples squeal as they grab their partners. Nini remains seated, and EJ sighs and sits next to her. "You wanna dance?"

Nini shrugs. "Not really."

"Nini, I thought we agreed we weren't gonna mope tonight."

She jokingly rolls her eyes. "I'm not moping!"

"Then what is this?"

"Just... relaxing."

"Mhm, come on." EJ stands and grabs her hand, pulling her out of her chair.

"EJ, what are you doing?" She leans away from him to make it more difficult.

"What does it look like!? Having fun with my best friend sister date!"

"I will leave."

"Shush, we're siblings now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

EJ finally drags her onto the dance floor. He waits for her to place her hands where she wants, keeping a bit of a distance between them. Nini eventually places one hand on his shoulder and holds his other; he carefully rests his free hand on her waist. "Are you sure this isn't weird?" Nini asks.

"No," EJ shrugs. "Not unless you're uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine. Just... not exactly how I envisioned this night."

"Yeah, it's definitely unexpected."

"Well, since we're stuck here for at least another four minutes, how are you and Val doing?"

EJ groans. "Hush!" he quietly scolds.

"You can't run away now, so answering would make this go by a lot faster?"

EJ looks at the ground and begins whining like a child not wanting to go to bed. "Do I have to?" he mumbles.

"Yes, you toddler! Now, have you asked her out yet?"

Meanwhile outside, Ricky only just arrived at the prom. He sees flashing lights through the window as he steps out of his car. He enters the building, giving his name at the door. "Leave it to Ricky Bowen to be one of the last to show up," Mr. Mazzara says, putting a check next to his name.

"I'm very surprised you are a chaperone here."

"Well, nobody else wanted to do it, and I am a fan of discipline so... here I am."

Ricky just nods, not knowing what else to say.

"Wait, where's Gina?" he questions, glancing at the roster again.

"Not coming," Ricky mutters quickly, walking away before it becomes more awkward.

Ricky surveys the area, trying to find his friends. Carlos and Seb stick out the most with their glittery outfits, and he quickly spots everyone else. His heart deflates to nothing and goes through the five stages of grief when he sees Nini and EJ dancing together. You probably deserve this. They were smiling brightly and laughing. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but it was apparently the funniest damn thing in the world.

Ricky quickly makes a beeline to the bathroom to avoid watching it anymore. He splashes his face with cold water, hoping that the slow dancing won't last much longer. He pulls at his tie, cursing when it doesn't budge. Great, couldn't get it on the first place, and now look!

Ricky looks at himself in the mirror, realizing how ridiculous he's being. Nini doesn't want you; Gina got sick of you; you're hopeless. He quickly leaves the bathroom, almost running someone over. "Sorry," he murmurs rapidly, not turning around. He ends up on the rooftop where other couples and friends are taking pictures in front of the large light-up sign. Ricky sits on a bench, taking deep breaths and wondering where it all went wrong.

Back on the dance floor, everyone sits around their table as they talk and laugh, munching on the food. "Damn, why didn't we eat before coming here?" Carlos wonders out loud.

"We never would've showed up if we tried to add a meal into it too," Kourtney says.

"Oh, Ricky's here," Big Red reveals, eating cake. Everyone stares at him. "What?"

"When?"
"Where?"
"Is Gina with him?"

"Woah, woah, slow down," he says. "Now what?"

"When did he show up?" Seb asks.

"I don't know. He nearly bulldozed over me and Kaden though when we went to the bathroom."

"Is Gina here?" EJ wonders.

"No clue."

"I'm calling her," Ashlyn announces, getting her phone out of her purse.

They wait for a moment, watching Ashlyn's face for a reaction. After trying three times, she says, "No answer. Voicemail every time."

"He's obviously avoiding us," Carlos says, "or he would've said something by now."

"If Gina's not here, I'm surprised he showed," Kourtney says. "Can't wait to hear what happened."

"Wait, they're a thing?" Howie questions.

Kourtney rubs his shoulder and whispers, "I'll explain later."

Nini remains silent, unsure how to feel. She wants to go find Ricky to see how he's doing, yet she feels guilty too. What if they broke up? Is it selfish to assume Gina's mad at me?

After they sit for a while, "Party In The USA" plays, and everyone runs to the dance floor, creating a blob of jumping students. Nini stays in her seat though, checking her phone for any messages. "What did we say about moping?"

She chuckles as EJ comes back to the table. His face is red, and he's panting. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Phew, haven't moved that much in a while."

Nini laughs again. "Didn't you play water polo for years? Not to mention the craziness of rehearsals and everything else the theater department brought."

"Hey, I'm out of practice." He sits next to her and then turns serious. "Stop thinking about what you're thinking about."

"Hmm?"

"You need to stop thinking about Ricky."

"Well, it's kinda difficult when he and Gina have been nonstop fighting and now he shows up here alone."

"Just go talk to him."

"You were practically begging me to stay away from him last semester, and now you want me to go talk to him?!"

"I told you," he shrugs. "If the dumbass makes you happy, then so be it."

"Be nice."

"He's not around right now! I can say what I want."

Nini chuckles and moves her seat closer to him. She wraps her arms around him, and he does the same. "Thanks for being supportive, Eej."

He squeezes her arm. "Consider it a thank you for helping me."

After wallowing in guilt a bit longer, Ricky finally decides to come back downstairs. When he rounds the corner to the dance floor, he sees EJ and Nini hugging at the table. Her head is on his shoulder while his cheek is pressed against her head. They both look so relaxed in each other's arms. Ricky takes a deep breath, preparing to finally face the music. If she's happy, then that's all that matters. He puts his hands in his pockets and walks over to the table. "Hey," he greets quietly.

"Hi," Nini responds, sitting up properly. "Pick any seat." He chooses the other side of Nini. He is wearing a simple black tux, but Nini still thinks he looks amazing. His curls are their usual mess, which wraps it all together.

"Where'd you disappear to?" EJ asks. Nini subtly nudges him.

Ricky looks at the ground and sighs. "Gina broke up with me," he murmurs.

"What?"
"What'd you do?"

Nini glares at EJ for his comment. "Be nice," she whispers.

"It's nothing important now," Ricky answers.

Tension grows between the three. Soon, the rest of their friends come back to the table. "Ricky!" Big Red greets. "There you are."

Ricky chuckles, quickly hugging the redhead. "You ok? You look like you've seen a ghost," Carlos says. Seb elbows him.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's... fine." The others obviously see that Gina is nowhere near and silently agree to not say anything.

"The DJ is taking requests," Ashlyn says, "and we're trying to get as many HSM songs in the queue as possible."

"Just wait until we perform 'Fabulous' in front of everyone!" Carlos cheers.

Everyone rushes back to the dance floor with their dates when "Start of Something New" begins. Once again, the awkward trio sits at the table. Nini tries to think of a conversation topic yet fails. "I'm going to get a drink," she mumbles, standing and going over to the tables of food. "Play nice!" she calls back.

"Ok, Mom!" EJ answers. He chuckles, but the smile fades quickly. "Ok, what'd you do?"

Ricky rolls his eyes. "Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," EJ insists. "What did you do?" he says more sternly.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing always means something."

"If you want to know so badly, ask her your damn self!" Ricky snaps.

EJ opens his mouth to retort, but he sees Nini coming back. She sits back down, and EJ flips him off over her shoulder. Her little break didn't help her figure out what to say.

EJ grabs his phone and opens his notes app. He types something and then passes it to Nini: This is like last year all over again.

She eyes him, unsure of what he's talking about. She types, ??

EJ looks at her wide-eyed. You don't remember how awkward rehearsals were?

Nini laughs after reading it. Ricky eyes the pair as they giggle together; he turns to face in any other direction to avoid them.

This is nothing like that, Nini types.

EJ grins as he types his next comment: Well, Ricky is sitting over there seething over us being together while you're madly in love with him, so I'd say it's pretty similar.

Nini gasps as she reads it, turning her head to him. "Elton John Caswell!!" She's instantly crimson, and her face is hot.

Her voice knocks Ricky out of his daydreaming. "What?" he asks.

Nini knows her face is as bright red as the large E on the wall. "N- Nothing." She exits the note and deletes the whole conversation.

"You know deleting a note doesn't get rid of it," EJ whispers. "Just places it in a different folder."

Nini slaps his chest. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope. I am perfectly fine right here."

Nini lowers her voice. "Tell that to Val." It's EJ's turn to be red.

After a few more minutes of banter between the best friends, EJ takes off to the bathroom. Ricky quietly sighs of relief; he isn't sure he could've stomached much more of them being cute and coupley. While he's gone, they make small talk, which is more awkward than either expected; the conversation mostly consisted of graduation, and the topic quickly died out.

A slow song soon comes on, and Nini's gaze flickers to each of their friends. They are all so happy as they dance with their dates. Ricky shamelessly stares at Nini as her eyes are fixed on the couples swaying together. His heart is beating out of his chest, and the words are out of his mouth before his brain can protest. "Come on."

He stands and steps in front of Nini, blocking her view and extending a hand. "What are you doing?" she asks.

"This is our senior year. And I know you've been dreaming about prom for years, and you deserve to have good memories of this night."

"Ricky, I-"

"No buts. You are having fun tonight."

Nini looks around anxiously, waiting for a sign telling her to not do this. You can't do this to Gina; they broke up less than an hour ago! The boy she loves wants to dance with her at their senior prom, just as she had imagined... if only it had been different circumstances. "I... I can't... I'm sorry, Ricky." Without another word, she takes off toward the bathroom.

Ricky stands there and sighs deeply, pulling at his hair. If he wasn't in public, he would've screamed curses at the top of his lungs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When EJ comes out of the bathroom, he's surprised to see just Ricky at the table. He stands behind his seat and looks into the crowd, not seeing her. "Where's Nini?"

Ricky's slumped in his seat. "I don't know," he mutters.

EJ has a much harder expression on his face. "What the fuck did you do?"

Ricky looks up. "I don't know," he repeats.

"Don't give me that shit, Bowen. What did you do this time to chase off a girl?"

Ricky rolls his eyes and stands to look the older boy in the eyes. "I didn't do shit!" Their bickering begins to attract attention.

"Really? Tell that to the fact that you've ruined the night for two girls, jackass!" Ricky shoves EJ out of the way and heads upstairs to the rooftop. EJ stumbles for a moment and just stares at where he ran off to.

"What the hell just happened?" Ashlyn asks, running back over to their table.

"He's a fucking dumbass is what the hell happened."

"We could've told you that," Carlos says.

"Babe!" Seb scolds.

"Do you disagree?"

"Where'd Nini go?" Kourtney asks.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing that one had something to do with it," he answers, gesturing to the staircase.

Kourtney gets her phone from her purse and calls Nini while Big Red tries to reach Ricky. She answers on the second call. "Girl, where did you go?" Kourtney heard her sniffling on the other side.

"B- B- Bathroom," she mumbles. Kourtney grabs Ashlyn's arm and pulls her toward the restroom.

"No luck," Big Red says, putting his phone away.

"Leave him," EJ says. "Let's just see if Nini's fine."

When they enter the restroom, only one stall has a person in it. "Neeners?" Kourtney says delicately, going to the stall door.

"It's just us," Ashlyn says.

"It's the women's restroom," Kourtney points out. "Who else would be with us?"

Nini comes out of the stall, a few dried tears on her cheek. "Good thing we went with waterproof," Ashlyn murmurs.

"What happened?" Kourtney asks.

"My head feels like it's gonna explode," Nini admits.

"What do you mean?" Ashlyn wonders.

"Ok, would it be completely selfish if I think it's my fault that Gina and Ricky broke up?"

"They broke up!?" both girls screech at once.

"Yeah, tonight actually."

"Holy shit, that explains so much," Kourtney says.

"Wait, why do you think it's your fault?"

Nini looks at the ground. "Well, I've overheard a few of their arguments, and I'm sure you guys have too. Gina kept accusing him of not being 100% about their relationship, and I can guess what happened tonight."

"Well, I mean, they didn't have the same spark that most couples do," Kourtney comments.

"As harsh as it is," Ashlyn nods, "they seemed quite rocky since we started school back. But that doesn't answer why you're in here crying."

Nini keeps her gaze on the ground. "Ricky... He was trying to be nice to me and asked to dance-"

"Really? Damn," Kourtney mutters.

"Anyway, he asked to dance since it's our senior prom and all that, and I just... I ran. I can't do that to Gina."

"What are you talking about?"

"It feels wrong since they just broke up tonight." The trio stays in the bathroom for a while to talk through the situation.

Meanwhile outside, the guys are concerned as they wait for their return. "I'm gonna go find Ricky," Big Red announces, pulling out his phone to text him while searching.

"Well, this is about as eventful as homecoming," Seb says.

"You missed most of homecoming," Carlos responds.

"Guys, that's not important right now," EJ says.

The couple stop talking, not knowing what they should be doing. "I'm very confused," Seb mumbles.

"In short, Ricky's a dick," EJ answers.

"Wait, what actually happened?"

"Gina broke up with him."

"What!?" they both exclaim.

"You know, that actually makes a lot of sense," Carlos says.

"I'm extremely confused now," Seb adds.

"I've told you everything I know," EJ says.

"Yeah, but none of it explains that."

Carlos looks in the direction his boyfriend is pointing, and his jaw drops too. "Holy shit."

"What?" EJ turns around and is shocked as well.

At the check-in table stood Gina Porter. She was in a gorgeous black dress with a slit on the left side; it sparkled whenever a beam of light passed over her. "You're here," Carlos says, trying not to sound surprised.

The girl nods. "Yup. Mom said I should go despite events since it was senior prom for some of you guys. Plus, 30 bucks for a ticket shouldn't go to waste."

"Well, one of us is gone yet came back, and four more graduate in a month," Seb says.

Gina looks around the table, seeing three purses. "Where's everyone else?" she asks, surveying the crowd. The other three look at each other, debating whether or not to say anything. "There's no way this night can get worse, so just tell me," she says.

"Honestly... we're not entirely sure," Seb says.

"What do you mean?"

"Long story short: Nini's in the bathroom most likely having some kind of breakdown," Carlos explains. EJ elbows his leg.

Gina's eyes widen. "What? Why?"

"Ricky," EJ scoffs.

Gina swallows harshly and then heads to the restroom. Seb calls after her, yet she doesn't turn around. "Well, can't wait to hear how this goes."

Gina goes up to the door and bursts in, making occupants jump. All of their jaws drop when they realize who is standing in the doorway. "G- Gina?" Ashlyn stutters first.

"Hey, yeah, I'm here. Now what the hell is happening?"

Nini has just completed fixing her makeup, and she feels like crying all over again. "I'm sorry about Ricky," she murmurs.

"Hmm?"

"R- Ricky told us."

Gina remains silent for a moment; Nini thinks she's going to scream. "Well, I should've expected this since I decided to come tonight. Wh- Why are you so distraught by it?"

"I- It's nothing now. It's stupid. Let's just go back out there." She's the first one out of the restroom, quickly running over to the table.

"Hey, you ok?" EJ asks, standing.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am now."

"You're sure? This night has kinda turned upside down."

"Yup, what more can you expect?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere."

"This place isn't that big. Where have you been looking?"

"Not the point. Why'd you run off?" Big Red finally finds Ricky on the building's rooftop.

"I came up here to be alone," Ricky mutters. It was later in the night, and most of the people had left; Ricky thought he was lucky to be the only one on the rooftop.

"You can't scream in EJ's face and then assume we'll leave it be."

"I can't do anything right."

"Can you be more specific?"

"I asked Nini to dance-"

"Why?"

"Red, please."

"Sorry. Continue."

"I asked her to dance 'cause... I could tell she was feeling left out watching everyone, and EJ finally stepped away, so I took a chance... and it didn't work."

"Did she say why?"

"Nope."

"Well, the girls are in the bathroom now with her-"

"Yeah, can't wait to have them shitting on me too."

"What about Gina? Why'd you ask Nini-"

"Gina broke up with me!" he snaps. Ricky begins pacing and pulling at his hair.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry, dude. What happened?"

"It's my fault. I love Nini too fucking much and put Gina through hell."

"You love Nini!?" Big Red has wide eyes.

"Yes, alright, it's true. I- I still love Nini, even though my heart is barely put back together after last time."

"Wasn't last time mutual?"

"Verbally, sure. I didn't want it to end though."

"Why did you?"

"It's what she wanted. Anyway, none of that matters now though."

"S- So you tried to make a move on Nini when you just broke up with Gina?"

Ricky sighs angrily. "No! I just... I... I'm tired of... not being honest."

"But you weren't-"

"Dude, don't even." Ricky leaned against the stone wall edge of the building, looking over the lights of downtown Salt Lake. "I've lost the most important girl in my life too many times to count. High school is over in a month, and I may never see her again."

Big Red doesn't say anything as he stands behind Ricky. He eventually decides to leave his best friend to his thoughts. Ricky hears the door shut and doesn't have to turn around to know that Big Red left. Ricky feels tears prick his eyes, and he lets them fall now that he is truly alone.

When Big Red makes it back to the ground floor, he's shocked to see everyone gone from the table. He is even more stunned when he sees Gina on the dance floor. He quickly finds Ashlyn. "What the fuck?" he hollers over the music and gestures to Gina.

"Yeah, we don't know either," she answers. She pulls him onto the dance floor with everyone else. He's confused, especially since everyone seemed to be on the brink of exploding only moments ago. Now, they're all dancing to One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" like nothing happened.

Big Red soon makes his way over to Nini; it's much easier now that most of the people are gone. "Hey!" he shouts over the music.

"Yeah?" she responds.

"Go upstairs!"

"What? Why?"

"Just do it! You'll thank me later." Big Red scurries away before she can try protesting.

Nini ends up next to EJ again and begins to think over what Big Red said. "What's on your mind?" he asks.

"Well... I know where Ricky is."

EJ stops himself from rolling his eyes. "Ok."

"Big Red wants me to go see him."

EJ sighs. "Are you going to?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Do I think it's a good idea? Probably not. But like I said before, I'm not gonna stand in your way of being happy with the dumbass."

Nini chuckles. "If I do... what do I say?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Well, a little guidance would be nice."

He huffs. "Fine, let me think."

Nini smirks. "Just think what would Val do."

EJ glares at her. "Not helping."

"Are you sure?"

EJ's mouth forms a line. He is not going to admit that she is right. "Just... do what makes you happy, Nini. Seriously. I won't judge."

"I feel like I need to at least talk to him."

"Ok then. Your mind is made up."

"But... is it though?"

"God, Nini, you're killing me!"

"Fine, fine. I guess... I guess I'll go."

"Woohoo, she made a decision!"

Nini hugs him tightly. "Thank you."

"No problem, sis."

She pulls away from him. "Ew, I'm leaving."

"You can't escape me!" Nini sticks her tongue at him (too many faculty to flip him off) and heads to the staircase.

She takes deep breaths with each step, beginning to pick at her nail polish too. It's gonna be fine; you got this. She makes it to the door and tries to quietly open it, but the creaking old building gives her away. She turns the corner and sees him leaning against the wall looking at the city. She approaches him slowly, assuming he heard the door open already.

Nini stands next to him and looks out at the city too. She doesn't know what to say, but he beats her to it. "Red told?"

"Y- Yeah."

Ricky turns, and Nini can tell he's been crying. "I'm sorry," he mumbles. "I- I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Ricky, i- it's fine."

"No, it's not. It's not fine that I keep... pushing away the important people in my life."

"Ricky, I... I didn't say no because of you."

He chuckles dryly. "Why else? I'm a fucking mess."

"I said no... 'cause of Gina."

He raises a brow. "Gina? What about Gina?"

"Ricky, you two broke up, like, two hours ago. I can't do that to a friend."

Ricky turns away from her. "So what made you come up here then?"

"We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about?" he scoffs. "I love you; you hate me. Enough said."

Nini's jaw hits the floor. "Wh- What?"

Ricky faces her once again but with hot tears in his eyes. "I'm so fucking head over heels for you that- that Gina got sick of me. I- I can't get you out of my head no matter what I do. Your laugh and smile and everything about you is so damn alluring. My mind is completely clouded whenever I'm around you. I dream about you despite knowing I shouldn't; I relive moments of when we were together; I kick myself every fucking day for being a piece of shit to you! My- My heart hasn't even healed from our last breakup, yet I'm willing to do it all over again because I love you too much!!"

Nini is absolutely stunned. She is beyond speechless as she attempts to respond. Ricky collapses on one of the benches and puts his head in his hands. She sits next to him and tries pulling his hands away from his face; he resists and moves away from her. His tears are coming down much faster.

"Ricky... I don't hate you. In fact... I love you just the same."

He laughs humorlessly. "Yeah, right. Because I deserve your love."

"Ricky, I'm serious. I've loved you since middle school, and I don't think I'll ever stop."

He peeks at her and sees her glassy eyes. "You're serious?"

"Oh my god," she groans, "yes! Why would I joke about something like this?"

"I don't know. Maybe 'cause I screwed us up."

"I'm sorry for pushing you away," she blurts. "A- And you didn't screw us up. I-"

"Yes I did," he interrupts. "Nini, I know now that you deserve more time to yourself. We've just always been by each other's side that I was... I was afraid of losing that connection with you. I wasn't honest with how I felt about you the first time, but when I was completely open, everything just blew up."

"Ricky, the bond we have will never go away. It's my fault for waiting until the last second to tell you about YAC.

"I shouldn't have asked you to come back though."

"I had already changed my mind when you called, remember?"

"It was still selfish of me to admit."

"Still, I shouldn't have pushed you away when you just wanted us to be together," she admits softly. "I wish we never broke up," she murmurs to herself.

It's quiet between the pair. Neither know what to do. "So... what happens now?" Ricky mumbles.

Nini thinks for a moment and then asks, "Do you have your phone on you?"

He looks at her questioningly. "Yeah, why?" She puts her hand out, and he gives it to her. Nini opens Spotify and finds the HSM3 soundtrack. "What are you doing?" Ricky asks, peeking over.

She sets his phone on the bench, and the intro to "Can I Have This Dance" begins to play. Nini extends her hand to him "Come on."

"Neens-"

"Senior year," she says sternly.

"I thought you didn't want to hurt Gina."

Nini takes a deep, shaky breath. "It's just one song."

A smile slowly breaks out on his face. He takes her hand and stands, placing his hands on her waist. Nini rests one hand on his shoulder and uses the other to brush his curls away. "Jeez, Ricky, you're burning up!" she exclaims, beginning to feel his face.

"Well, I just screamed that I love you." She blushes. "Plus, this tie is not helping my case."

Nini tugs at it with one hand and gasps when it feels like a rock. "What the hell did you do?" she asks, giggling and bringing her other hand down to undo it.

"I was struggling, ok! I couldn't get it to stay, and when I did... I couldn't get it off." Nini quickly unties it for him in seconds, and his jaw drops. "Ok, how did you do that? I've been trying for hours!"

Nini takes the entire tie off before lifting his collar to put it back. "Lola taught me," she says. She moves his head with his chin to make him look forward.

Ricky chuckles as she begins to tie it back into place. "Well, thank you. It's been choking me out the entire night."

Nini giggles as she works. "In her small bit of old-fashioned thinking, she used to say that one way to a man's heart is through formal attire because they'll never learn how to properly do it themselves until they have kids. The first way is through his stomach."

Ricky laughs brightly. "Yeah, well, she's not wrong. I always have Dad do it for me."

Nini presses her hands to his chest once she's done. "There. Handsome as ever."

Ricky touches it with one hand, amazed. "You really are incredible at everything."

Nini giggles and places her arms around his neck, twirling a curl around her finger. She sighs as she stares into his eyes. "I love you, Ricky. I should've been more honest with you about everything. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for smothering and pushing you away. I love you too much to truly let you go." Ricky pulls her closer to him, and she rests her head on his chest. Nini smiles while listening to his heartbeat. He closes his eyes and rests his cheek on top of her head.

This moment right here... is what they've been dreaming of.

*June 4, 2021*
The day has finally arrived. Nini recites the lyrics in her head repeatedly, not wanting to forget a single word. She and Ricky have been nonstop texting since the sun came up, both feeling jittery. Ricky has already tuned his guitar multiple times, immensely afraid of something not sounding right. As for as they both know, Carol and Dara are completely clueless of their plan.

The pair grew even closer after prom night. Very few details were shared with their friends when they ended the night at iHop. Nobody but the two of them know about their little dance on the roof, and nobody knows that they confessed their feelings once again. They haven't put a label on it yet either, deciding to just enjoy the time together.

One of Nini's biggest concerns was that Gina was going to be angry when she found out. That also influenced her decision to wait a while before telling anyone.

Her moms' speeches about their love for each other made her heart go crazy. It certainly didn't help that the boy she loves sat next to her the whole time. He was wearing black jeans with black high-top converse and a maroon button down; the cherry on top was a pair of black suspenders. Out of the dozens of photos he sent her about potential options, she loves his choice. It complemented her yellow floral dress oddly well.

Nini's hands shake as she fixes her makeup. The ceremony was beautiful, and they were only moments away from family members being allowed to speak. She has already cried a gallon of tears and knows that the waterfalls will only continue once she and Ricky perform.

Time appears to move faster, and before she knows it, it's their turn to be in front of everyone. Nini nervously takes the microphone from one of her aunts and grips her dress with the other hand to stop herself from fidgeting. "Uh, hello, everybody." All eyes are on her, and she has to stop her voice from shaking. "I- I'm Nini, the very proud daughter of Dana and Carol." The family all clap and whistle while she nervously chuckles. "Um... when my moms said that they wanted to renew their vows, I immediately asked them to speak today. I started writing what I was going to say the second I came home from school but then decided that a simple speech just wasn't going to be good enough. So, with the help of a very important person, here is a song that we have written especially for them. Please join me up here, Ricky Bowen."

Everyone claps as the boy goes to stand next to Nini. He places his guitar over his shoulder. "I've never heard of most of these people in my life," Ricky whispers to her.

She chuckles. "Don't worry. I don't recognize some of them either."

The two quickly hook up Ricky's guitar to the speakers. They ultimately went with the choice for their song to only be on guitar. Ricky constantly protested the idea, insisting that Nini should either play the keyboard or that both of them play an instrument. Nini felt that the song sounded better like this though.

You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You'd be like heaven to touch
And I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived
And I thank god I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you

Pardon the way that I stare
There's nothing else to compare
The sight of you leaves me weak
There are no words left to speak

So if you feel how I feel
Please let me know that it's real
'Cause you're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you

I love you, baby
And if it's quite alright
I need you, baby
To warm those lonely nights
I love you, baby
Trust in me when I say

Oh, pretty baby
Don't let me down, I pray
Oh, pretty baby
Now that I've found you, stay
And let me love you, baby
Let me love you

"Key change," he mumbles. Ricky's smile is wide as their secret song is finally revealed. He knows he has already messed up a handful of the lyrics, but there is no way that they could stop now. He is actually thankful for playing the guitar because it was helping him be less jittery (that and having Nini at his side).

Nini has a beaming grin on her face as she watches him sing. Music looks good on him. She never would've thought that her Ricky would be so into performing. She has to stop herself from giggling though every time he seems to forget a lyric.

You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You'd be like heaven to touch
And I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived
And I thank god I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you

I love you, baby
And if it's quite alright
I need you, baby
To warm those lonely nights
I love you, baby
Trust in me when I say

Ricky forgets the final line of the verse for a second and looks at Nini with an ounce of panic. She just grins and continues singing, which helps him pick back up.

Oh, pretty baby
Don't let me down, I pray
Oh, pretty baby
Now that you've found me, stay
And let me love you, baby
Let me love you

You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You'd be like heaven to touch
And I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived
And I thank god I'm alive
You're just too good to be true

Ricky becomes distracted as Nini sings the last of the lyrics. He almost misses his cue to join and sing the final line.

Can't take my eyes off of you

The whole audience is clapping, cheering, and shouting. Nini sets the microphone down and runs over to her moms, throwing her arms around them in tears. Mike stands to hug his son, mumbling words of praise to him.

Once the applause dies down, the party moves, and the women of the night slow dance in front of everyone. Nini is at a table with her lola, Ricky, and Mike. They all lovingly watch the couple celebrate twenty years of marriage.

When the first song ends, other pairs are asked to join the women on the dance floor. Ricky hesitantly taps Nini's shoulder. "C- Can I have this dance?" he stammers.

Nini's face flushes as she takes his hand. He guides her onto the floor and holds her hand the whole time, resting his other on her waist; she places her free hand on his shoulder. "You look stunning by the way," he murmurs.

Nini looks at the ground for a moment and then compliments him too. "Thank you. You look very handsome."

He blushes too. "I- I, uh... I spent more time trying to figure out an outfit than I'd like to admit."

"Well, you look especially attractive like this. Never thought Ricky Bowen would wear suspenders though."

He shrugs. "Dad thought it would look good. Plus, I didn't feel like dealing with a tie."

"He is very correct."

Ricky leans his forehead against hers, grinning when she doesn't move. "So, Neens, I got to thinking-"

"Uh oh."

"It's good; I promise. At least I hope so."

"That does not clear anything up."

"So... we've been, um... I guess 'seeing each other' for almost two months now." Ricky could feel his neck, face, and ears heating up. He felt like he was fifteen again and trying to ask her out on their first date. "A- And I was wondering... if you wanted to... you know..."

Nini giggles at his fumbling. "Ricky?" she interrupts.

He freezes. "Hmm?"

"What are you doing next Friday?"

"N- Nothing," he mumbles. "Why?"

Nini moves her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, gently caressing his face with her thumb. Ricky leans into her touch and unintentionally smiles. "Will you go out with me?" she asks with a cheeky grin.

Ricky's eyes light up. "Yes. Oh my god, yes!"

"Shh!!" Nini tosses her head back in laughter as she hushes him. His excitement catches the attention of other family members. His face is red though because of her question, not because of the onlookers.

"Are you serious?" he asks.

"Yes! I've been wanting to ask for a while."

"M- Me too. I just... Every time we talked, it seemed like you didn't want to."

"I'm happy without the labels, but... I think it's about time we give us another... proper try."

Ricky smiles widely, kissing her forehead; the gesture makes her blush. "What made you want to ask now? N- Not that I'm not thrilled or anything, b- but it just never seemed like the right time."

She holds his face between her hands. "Because I love you. A- And we both deserve a happy ending. I'm still scared of what everyone will say, especially a certain someone, but... I love you. And I don't want to be afraid of loving you in public."

Ricky is incredibly close to giving into his impulses and just kissing her without thinking, but he instead says, "Would a week before the first date be too soon to kiss?"

Nini's face flushes at his bluntness. "Not at all-"

The words are barely out of her mouth when his lips capture hers. They stop swaying to the music as he brings her close by the waist. Nini's fingers tangle in his hair as their lips work against each other. She starts smiling too much, which in turn breaks the kiss.

"I love you," Ricky murmurs against her. "I love you so much, Neens."

"I love you, Ricky."

"I promise this time... this is our time. No more do-overs."

Nini kisses him sweetly one more time. "We're gonna make this work."

🍪🍪🍪

This turned out wayyy longer than I expected (my longest story to date). I have wanted to put this story out forever, but I had to finish the plots that I had promised/already started first.

I thought of this the second S3E8 was released (before S4 was even announced). I was outright flabbergasted by Rina and could not believe that T*m completely killed Rini.
I would genuinely take RJ or Gini over Rina.
(Remember the Nini/Gina moment in S2E12 after EJ called their date off? Yeah, that brought me more joy than S3 and S4 combined!!)

I wanted to write this before S4 came out, but that clearly didn't happen. I finally gave in and started watching it right before writing my prom scenes. (My review is also out.)

I didn't want the episodes to influence what I did, even though they are obviously entirely different storylines.
The only thing about S4 that affected my story was EJ and Val.

This is my first mostly-original story in a while. What did you think?

I don't have another one-shot planned after this, so suggestions would be great!
(The last 4 one-shots have been about getting back together lol. I didn't even notice until I finished this one.)

P.S. Yes, this video. Just yes.

22417 words

Published September 1, 2023