common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

running for your heart

Ricky pants as he skids to a stop on the outdoor track behind East High. his curls are matted to his forehead and sweat drips from him as he raises his arms over his head in an attempt to catch his breath.

his listens and nods his head as his coach gives him pointers ahead of this weekends meet. he's currently holding a title in track for the school and he doesn't intend to lose that any time soon.

coach ends practice at exactly 3:30pm and he jogs back to the gym to shower quickly and head home to get his sister off the bus.

"yo Bowen! your girlfriends outside!" EJ yells as he enters the locker room.

Ricky rolls his eyes, "you know she's not my girlfriend."

"but you want her to be," the taller boy says.

"whatever."

he wasn't wrong.

Ricky's had a crush on Nini since he could remember. the two had known each other since kindergarten, now in their junior year of high school. he'd been crushing on the petite girl since the start of high school, maybe a little before that, and it didn't help that she came over to tutor his sister every day after school. the two weren't particularly friends but they seemed to enjoy each other's company.

the boy finishes getting dressed and grabs his backpack and track duffle, racing out of the locker room. he looks around the hallway, seeing the petite brunette leaning against the wall, scrolling through her phone.

"you could've waited by the car," he says as he approaches her.

Nini puts her phone in her pocket and begins to walk side by side with him, "eh, it's hot out so i decided to stay in here today."

they make small talk about their days until they get to the car, Nini plugging her phone into the aux as soon as he starts the car. this is how it always goes, Ricky gives her a ride back to his house after school and her moms pick her up when she's done. it was just simple this way.

the breeze blows through the open windows as they drive, Harry Styles blasting through his car radio. Ricky chuckles as she sings along, her hair blowing in the breeze.

he glances over at the girl as they turn into his neighborhood. her hair is blowing wildly, a smile on her face and her eyes closed as she sings the lyrics. he can't help but think she's one of the cutest things he's ever seen.

he often thinks about how much Nini has become a part of his life. she is a fixture in the Bowen home five days a week, she encouraged Ricky to start playing music again, the two of them sometimes sharing the songs they've written with each other. she's opened a whole new side of him.

they pull into the driveway and shut off the car, both getting out and grabbing their bags from the backseat. Mike is standing in the kitchen when they enter through the front door.

"hey dad, where's Clara?" Ricky asks as he sets his bags down by the front door.

Mike smiles at the teenagers, "she'll be right down, she had to grab a textbook from her room."

as he says that, a small brunette girl with ringlet curls comes down the stairs, her hair bouncing with a wide smile on her face, "hi Nini!"

"Hi Clara! i've got some new practice sheets for history that we can work on today." the junior says to the middle schooler.

the two girls head on into the dining room to get started on work as Ricky heads into the kitchen to get a drink. Mike stares at him as the teen boy pours a glass of soda, "what?"

the older man shakes his head, "nothing, just waiting for you to act."

"act on what?" Ricky furrows his brows.