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It was finally the afternoon of the Fall Carnival, and Nina was supposed to meet Ricky in less than an hour. But, she'd been helping Kourtney prepare for her date with Ashlyn all afternoon. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked for the fifth time.
"You going on a date with Ashlyn?" Nina scoffed. "Of course it is! Stop freaking out!"
"But I've never been on a real date before," Kourtney argued. "My last one was freshman year, which barely even counts. And it didn't exactly go great. I feel like I have no idea what I'm supposed to do,"
"Just relax, and talk to her," Nina assured, placing her hands on Kourtney's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "And if that goes well, which it will, then you can worry about moving on to other things,"
"But-"
Just then. Dana peeked her head through the doorway. "You two almost ready?"
"Just about," Nina nodded.
"Now," Dana put her hands on her hips sternly. "Tell me everything about this friend you're meeting tonight,"
"He spends a lot of time at the hospital," Nina huffed, knowing her mom wouldn't let up until she got some more details. "His friend EJ has liver cancer, so he visits a lot to keep him company,"
"I think I've heard of him," Dana nodded. "Doesn't he get in trouble with his friends all the time?"
Nina thought about their antics over the last few weeks. "Uh, not that often,"
Dana chuckled. "It's fine, sweetheart. If the worst he does is spend his free time trying to cheer up the kids in the pediatric ward, then I like him already. Kourtney? Anything you'd like to add?"
"Sorry, Mrs. Salazar-Roberts," Kourtney mimed zipping her lips. "I gotta respect the Girl Code,"
Nina's mom's phone beeped. She looked at it and sighed, then wrapped her in a tight hug. "I have to get going, but I'm so proud of the way you're fitting in here, hon," She pulled back, looking her daughter up and down. "You look cute, especially for something that's not a date," She kissed Nina's cheek and dashed out the door. "Have fun and-"
"Be safe," Nina finished. "We will,"
When they arrived at the Fall Carnival, Ricky was waiting at the entrance. He looked up at the sound of Nina's voice, brushing his hair back. His smile was like the sun coming out. "Hey, Nini," Despite reminding herself that this was, in fact, not a date, Nina felt herself flush under his warm gaze. "Kourtney, how did Nini convince you to venture outside on this fine autumn day?" Ricky said, overexaggerated shock on his face. "Do I sense a bribe changing hands?"
