can't blame a girl for trying | a rini au

9. (The Party, Part One)

As the click of Big Red's car locking sounds in his ears, Ricky looks up the drive at the admittedly rather imposing house. It wasn't as though there weren't these sorts of people back home in Sonoma County, but as much as he'd been told about how epic this party was supposed to be, that didn't mean he was anticipating this. The curly haired boy turns to his red-headed best friend as they start ascending the driveway from the orange vehicle they'd driven out in.

He notes as he looks around that he doesn't see Nina's little white mustang amongst the collection of cars along the property.

"Who you looking for?"

Aaand he'd been caught. "No one? Just- trying to see if I recognize anyone..."

"Uh-huh." The ginger just laughs, shoving Ricky lightly. "You're looking at cars... mostly empty cars might I add."

"And? Maybe I like cars. Also why are we here so late?"

"Says the guy I've only ever seen on a skateboard. But okay sure. As to our timing, we're not 'late' we're just showing up once things have already started. It's easier to assess the situation that way." Red replies.

"Fineeeeee. I was looking for someone. But it's no big deal her car's not even here."

"Let me guess... Someone's looking for Nina?l"

"I just wanted to see if she was here. It's not a big deal..."

"Trust me, she's here. She probably had Seb or someone drop her, she's not stupid enough to drink and then drive."

"Wait- you're not drinking tonight right? Or do you want me to stay sober?"

"Nope, not going to be partaking tonight. It messes with my meds. I will instead be very sober and very amused by everyone else."

"Okay, okay cool. I mean I don't know if I even want to drink but..."

"It's cool. Just text me if you wind up not wanting the ride home."

"Why would I not-" a few seconds pass as Red gives him a look, and Ricky looks down at his shoes, running a hand through his curls a bit awkwardly as he addresses the implication. "Ohhhhh. Yeah. Yeah I'll let you know."

"It's your first SLE party, no pressure one way or another, but- there's no harm in having fun. She seems into you. Enjoy yourselves. It's her house too, so that's definitely helpful."

Ricky nods, smiling. He's not sure how he feels exactly at this point in the slightest, but it's not bad advice. "Thanks dude. I appreciate it. We'll see what happens."

The music can be clearly heard through the closed doors of the Bradley house, but it wasn't as though this could be seen as much of a surprise, the two don't even bother knocking, which somewhat surprises Ricky, but he follows Red inside, his eyes glancing around the admittedly rather crowded house. It's unclear whether his expression was one of nervousness or anticipation, but for better or worse, a bit of both was understandable to say the least. 

It was definitely going to be a night to remember...

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