𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮|𝙍𝙞𝙣𝙞 𝘼𝙪(𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙)

Thirty-three

TW//Abuse

"So what's next?" Ricky asked the girl. She had both sides of the story but he knew that there were still certain parts of the story that didn't make sense.

"We go on about our day, and we imagine we never came here or saw my mother"

"Neens—"

"That's what we're doing Ricky. I don't want you to try and convince me otherwise. I just want to forget any of this ever happened" Nini said but Ricky knew that she wouldn't be able to do that. There were too many missing pieces to the puzzle that she needed solved.

"Okay" ricky started the car knowing that he wouldn't be able to change her mind, at least not right now.

As the two rode back into Salt Lake City there was a silence between them. It was neither comfortable or uncomfortable, but neither of them wanted to say anything to break the silence.

Ricky was too scared of saying the wrong thing and Nini was trying to process everything that happened to her within the past 2 weeks.

Tears slipped from her eyes as she thought about everything that he said. She didn't understand how he could raise someone else's daughter like that but he just abandoned her. It just added to her notion that wasn't enough for anyone. That she couldn't be loved and everyone just leaves.

She found herself going down a hole that she hadn't been down in a while.

Ricky looked over, and saw the girl's tears falling. He pulled over to the side of the road and placed the car in park.

"W-why did we stop?" Nini wiped the tears from her eyes

"Because you're not okay baby. Talk to me please" Ricky used one of his hands to hold the side of her face and his thumb grazed the side of her cheek.

"Nothing, I'm fine" Nini lied

"No you're not. Neens it's just me, talk to me" Ricky used his index finger to life her eyes from her lap to those big brown eyes of his . He noticed a few tears fall and used his thumb to wipe them away"what's wrong?"

Nini took a breath before answering "I just—she called him dad. He was everything to her that he was supposed to be to me. He left me to go raise her. How is that supposed to make me feel? When he left my life it- it went downhill and he didn't even attempt to reach out to me. Like I told you before, I'm incapable of being loved. Everyone just leaves me-everyone" Nini said and Ricky's expression saddened. He felt a slight bit of guilt

"Nini take out the picture I painted for you"

"Ricky why—"

"Just take it out please" he begged and she sighed taking it out. A small smile grew on her face as she saw the picture of her and Ricky. "Now read what it says in the corner right there ."

"I'll love you forever, no matter what" she read

"Exactly. And I meant each of those words with my entire heart. No matter what happens, or what you think ,I love you. So I promise you're not incapable of being loved. Don't think that because your parents were too idiotic to realize the amazing girl they had right in front of them"

"It's just I'm scared Ricky. I'm really scared. What happens when you get tired of me, when Lisa and Jorge get tired of me, when Gina and Kourtney get tired of me. What do I do then Ricky? I'll be all alone. Maybe that's just how it's supposed to be."

"We'll never get tired of you Neens. Just because two people weren't able to love you that they should've doesn't mean everyone else won't. You mean the world to all of us and I promise you, we aren't going anywhere."