A New Friend

(41) The Beginning of the End

I feel like Wattpad's been dead the last few days. Anyone else?

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3rd POV
My heart was beating out of my chest. It felt like I would stop breathing at any minute. If one of us doesn't say anything, I'll probably faint. EJ and Gina both had the same thoughts going through their heads.

Gina didn't respond at first; she was in so much shock. Her silence started scaring EJ, but she said, "Yes," barely above a whisper.

EJ's eyes widened, trying to register what she said. "Y- Yes?"

Gina shakes her head vigorously and says "Yes," again, only a little louder.

He rushes forward and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her up and spinning her around, her laughter echoing through the room.

When he sets her back on the ground, he says, "Oh my god, my heart felt like it was gonna explode out of my fucking chest." He was breathing heavily because of the fear from only seconds ago.

"I thought someone broke into my house when I walked up," Gina laughs.

He raises an eyebrow at her assumption. "Why?"

"My mom and I always leave a lamp on until the sun goes down. Also, the front door was unlocked."

"I didn't want you to see through one of the windows, even though this is the definition of cliche." He had also parked farther down the street, afraid of her finding out he was here.

"It was perfect. I couldn't have thought of anything better." They both had tears of joy rolling down their faces.

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Gina jumps face-first into her bed, feeling like she's on cloud 9. I can't believe that just happened. She and EJ cleaned up his rose petal and candle path then watched movies for a little while until he went home.

She immediately FaceTimes the girls, not being able to contain her excitement anymore. "Guys!" she squeals. "You'll never guess what just happened."

"Finally," Nini says. "He grew a pair and did it."

"What?" Kourtney asks.

"Wait, you knew?" Gina asks, eyebrow raised.

"Surprise," Nini says, doing jazz hands.

"What are we talking about?" Ashlyn asks.

"Ok, so EJ just asked me to be his girlfriend!!" she squealed. It was probably better that her mom wasn't home right now.

"Wait, I didn't even know you two were seeing each other like that. I mean, it was obvious there was something more, but you never talked about it before," Kourtney says excitedly and with a wide grin.

"We wanted to keep it a secret and figure things out for ourselves," Gina explains.

"I'm so happy for you guys, and I'm even happier that he went through with it," Nini says.

"Wait, how long have you known?"

"Since truth or dare. That's what we were talking about in the closet!" Nini exclaims. She was thrilled they were together.

"Oh my god, I nearly had a heart attack when I got home. The door was unlocked and the lights were all off. I thought there was a murderer in my house," Gina laughs.

"Ehm," Ashlyn fake coughs. "Nini, why didn't you tell Kourtney and me about EJ's plan?"

"Because he asked me not to tell anyone. I'm just ecstatic that he did it."

"Hey, once we kill Jessica, we can go on double dates with you and Ricky!"

"We're not killing her. I'd like everyone to come out of this alive," Nini says.

"Fine, fine," Kourtney sighs. "I suppose she can continue to live her life as an attention-seeking psycho."

Wanting to change the subject, Nini asks, "So, what did you think after you realized you weren't about to be murdered in your house?"

"I was beyond confused, but then the tears started building, and yeah. You know the rest."

Gina continued to gush about her and EJ with a permanent smile on her face. She told them how he wanted to take her on a date to kick off their official relationship, and the four of them squealed.

There was nothing that could make this day better.

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"And she was so happy on the phone call. All of us just lost our minds over it."

"The other's didn't know? I assumed they did."

"Nope, it was just me and you apparently."

Nini and Ricky were talking over the phone about EJ and Gina, avoiding what they needed to talk about. "I'm glad he finally got around to doing it. They've been 'hanging out' for so long that I'm surprised it's just now happening," Ricky says.

A silence falls between them. It wasn't too awkward at first, but it's starting to be. "Hey, look... I know our current situation isn't... ideal, but it's something," Ricky says carefully.

"I... I know. But I wish we didn't have to sneak around. I want to be with you outside of our houses."

Ricky sighs sadly, knowing how hard this is for both of them. "I want that too. But I'm so fucking scared of breaking up with her." Tears were brimming his eyes.

Nini saw the tears and wished she was there with him. "I love you," she whispers.

"I love you too. I can't wait for this to all be over."

"I can't wait either." The sooner the better.

*The Next Morning*
The sun was shining ridiculously bright through Ricky's window. I feel like it's always my window. He reluctantly gets up, and his phone immediately starts buzzing. So many texts from Jessica started pouring in, and Ricky rolls his eyes so many times that he's surprised he didn't get dizzy. He turns off his phone and will use that as an excuse later.

Getting ready for the day was a slow process. More like going to use the bathroom and then getting back in bed. His clock said it was 10, so he wasn't sure who else was awake. Probably nobody. But his phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Ricky?"

"Tyler?"

"I have great news." Please be what I think it is.

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Super short today, oh well😅

Unfortunately, the title of the chapter holds some truth to it. We're nearing the end of this story. There's only so many more parts😭😭