common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

second chance

(nini returns from la after recording her debut ep, ready to reunite with ricky, only to learn he's moved on with lily)

East High looks bigger than she remembered as she stands outside, the first day of senior year finally here.

after spending all summer in los angeles, it's strange being home. for three months she avoided her life back home in salt lake but now, it's time to face the music. and the one true love of her life.

pushing open the doors, her brown curls float over her shoulders as she walks through the hallways, looking for her curly haired best friend. people greet her and want to talk about her summer but there's no time for that right now, she needs to find him and tell him what she figured out over the summer.

as she rounds the corner to his locker, she freezes. there stands the petite blonde backstabber, her tiny hand holding onto Ricky's torso, a wide smile on his face. slowly, Nini feels her heart begin to shatter. tears build up in her eyes, one slowly slipping down her cheek.

"Nini?"

she jolts upon hearing her name, frantically wiping at her face as she turns around to face the red headed boy, "o-oh, hey Red. how was your summer?"

his face softens and he takes a step closer to her, "Nini, are you crying?"

the girl shakes her head, wiping at her face before plastering a fake smile on, "no, i'm fine! just first day jitters!"

he doesn't believe her but he lets it go for now. he makes eye contact with his best friend over her shoulder, a stern look on both their faces. before anybody can say anything, the bell rings, the brunette girl running off to her first class.

***

"did you know Nini's back from california?" Red asks his best friend while they walk to the lunch room.

the curly haired boy sighs, "i saw her this morning. i think she saw me and Lilly."

"did you never tell her?" Red stops them in the hall, turning to look at his friend.

"why should i have to? we're broken up, she made it very clear that she didn't want to be with me, remember? i kept her under glass? she didn't even come home to be with me, even though that's what she let me think. i wasted too much time trying to make us work when she didn't put in the effort. i'm happy with Lilly now, that's all that matters."

the redhead looks at the taller boy with shock on his face, he never thought he'd hear him speak of Nini that way, ever.

Ricky scoffs and shakes his head, "you know what? i'm not hungry, go without me."

he turns around, leaving his best friend in the hallway, rounding the corner to the practice room.

he drops his backpack on the floor and kicks the leg of a chair, huffing in anger at his own behavior. he pulls at his hair for a moment before he hears the soft sound of piano keys.

"she's so sweet, she's so pretty. does she mean you forgot about me?"

he makes his way to the auditorium through the side door from the practice room, peeking through to see Nini at the piano in the center of the stage.

"oh i hope you're happy, but not like how you were with me, it's selfish i know, i can't let you go. so find someone great but don't find no one better, i hope you're happy but don't be happier."

she plays a few more notes on the piano before bursting into tears, her fingers stopping the keys, her hands coming up to cover her face.

even after all this time, there's still a part of him that wants to hold her in his arms and tell her everything will be okay, to take her pain away.