My One & Only

Ch 6: The Green-Eyed Monster

Summer after freshman year was the perfect remedy for an awful start of high school for Nini. With Jay gone, she was free to do as she pleased without feeling like she was doing something wrong. One of the first things she did was hang out with all her friends as much as she could to make up for all that precious time stolen from her. Reconnecting with them was a breeze, and it was almost like they never had a brief falling out.

Though she spent plenty of time with the others, she loved to spend her days with Ricky the most. It was like the old days where it was hard to see one without the other. She liked to hang out at his place more since she was sick of staying at her house for most of freshman year with Jay. She'd stay so long that she'd tend to have accidental sleepovers for a week straight. Ricky and Mike didn't mind one bit since they missed her being around.

The summer also granted Nini another gift besides her freedom. Ricky had another growth spurt, and she admits that it was hard not to ogle him sometimes. His arms seemed a little more muscular, and she wondered if he had been hitting the gym while she was too occupied with her relationship. Though she adored admiring him in secret, she couldn't stand the looks some of the girls gave him when they went out.

Ricky being the oblivious person he was didn't realize the impact he had on people, but she surely did. It was making her send death glares to strangers, who took the hint to walk away. Some still approached him, but he'd shy away and politely decline their advances. Nini would always sigh in relief when he did so.

Nini wanted to cherish him as much as possible, and the thought of him being with someone else irked her. Of course, if he wanted to date someone, she wouldn't try to stop him. He deserves happiness too, but she wanted to revel in their moments a little longer before that day comes again.

Ricky loved having Nini around. No really, he did, But she's been rather out of character since May. It wasn't as noticeable at first since she used to always be around him, but he started to pick up on these ticks and habits she didn't have before.

She'd become clingy, which didn't bother him at first. But when she frowned when it was time to go home or when she became anxious when he'd be gone too long, he realized something was off. He assumed that it was a temporary thing, but he knew it was something much deeper than that on one particular day.

They had been at the park, eating ice cream on the bench and joking around. She'd been giggling and was about to respond to something Ricky said before her body goes completely still. Her eyes widened with fear as she looked out into the distance like a deer caught in headlights, and she let the ice cream drip down her arm. Ricky furrowed his brows and turned around to see what on earth got that kind of reaction out of her.

She was staring at a curly haired blond man that was rather tall and around their age. He didn't understand why she was staring so intently and turned his head back to her.

"Neens?"

She didn't respond as she continued to stare at the stranger, not blinking an eye.

"Nini." He waved in front of her face, causing her to snap back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Where'd you go just now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were just staring into that guy's soul for a while. Do you know him?"

She glimpses back at the person who was now passing in front of them. She waits until she's able to get a good look at his face before answering. The stranger finally glances over at her and gives her a polite smile as he walks away. She felt herself relax after he was gone.

"Nini."

She shakes her head. "No, no I don't know him."

"Are you sure because—"