rainbow connection | rini

one

"Higher!"

Nini's feet touched the ground and she sighed. She leaped again and her teacher groaned.

"That was higher, but it was heavy. Not good." The woman told her.

"Can I take a shoe off?" Nini asked. The teacher motioned for her to go ahead, so Nini quickly pulled off her right ballet slipper. She leaped once more and this one was to her teacher's satisfaction.

"Okay, good. And pas de bourree and a front aerial. And pique and pique and-"

"Ms. Jenn, I have your new student. This is Ricky Bowen and he's very excited to be joining you, right Mr. Bowen?" Nini recognized the boy the principal had just dragged in. She detested him. Ricky had pushed her around the last few years. He was the quarterback of the football team and everyone knew why he was being placed in dance class.

Ricky rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. He shifted his weight as the principal exited the room.

"Nini, surely you wouldn't mind taking a break and showing Mr. Bowen around the class," Ms. Jenn said.

Nini began turning again, "And pique and pique and pi-"

"Nini," she warned, "Se comporter." Nini blushed and looked at her feet. She'd never had to have her behavior corrected before. Behave, she repeated in her head.

"Désolé," she apologized. She motioned for Ricky to follow her. "This is a barre. We use it for training and beginners. I can assure you you'll spend a lot of time here."

Ricky scoffed and followed Nini into a room. "Do I have to wear this shit?" He asked.

She groaned, "Yes. Football players are not an exception. You get black tights and a black shirt like the rest of the boys."

"I'm not a boy." He argued.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, ma'am," she said with a giggle. He rolled his eyes again. "I'd suggest finding something that fits in here. I'm going to go clean up my solo."

Nini returned to her spot in front of the mirror. Her teacher was now in another studio room and working with another student, so Nini decided to goof around. She began to do fouettés. She counted them out loud.

"Hey, 32 as per usual," she mumbled to herself. In the reflection of the mirror, she saw someone standing in the back of the room. "Jesus!" She shrieked. She turned on her heel toward the figure.

"You aren't dizzy?" Ricky asked. "Hey, can you stop looking at my dick? I get it, it's huge."

"Oh, I uh, sorry I- I forgot to tell you to put on a belt. They're uh, there's a cabinet. They're in a cabinet," she sputtered.

"A belt?" He asked. He sounded annoyed.

"I'll get one." She quickly moved back toward the boys' changing room and grabbed a belt. She tossed it at him, not wanting to get closer.

"I already own a cup." He said.

"This one's for dancing, it's different," she told him.

"I'm not wearing a thong, nope." Nini sighed and turned away.

"Suit yourself," she said. "It's not like every other girl in the school hasn't seen it anyway."

"Not everyone, just the ones who aren't uptight bitches. Virgins, at that." Nini rolled her eyes at him and began to stretch.

"Oh, the sluts. Like Gina, right?" She laughed bitterly. "Everyone knows you're in this class because you used your study hall to do her in a broom closet."

"Jealous? I think the changing room is open if you're up for it." He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes. "I don't know, that split seems useful to me." Just then, the bell rang and Nini grabbed her bag and ran out.

At lunch, Ricky scanned the cafeteria more than once. He couldn't find Nini.

"Babe, what are you looking at?" Gina asked him.

"Doesn't matter." He told her. She stroked his thigh.

"What do you say we skip out and go to my house? No one will be home." The idea was tempting, but Ricky wasn't in the mood.

Gina was clearly annoyed throughout lunch with Ricky's lack of focus and eventually gave up. He didn't see Nini again until his English class. She seemed focused on the teacher and his lecture but that was nearly impossible.

"Ms. Salazar-Roberts, would you care to read the note you were just passed?" He asked. Nini looked over at Ricky's best friend, her eyes annoyed.

She unfolded the note and furrowed her eyebrows. "I'd prefer not to."

"Ms. Salazar-Roberts, I've instructed you to do something," he said.

"I understand that Mr. Mazzara but it's rather inappropriate and I'm uncomfortable with doing that. I sincerely apologize." He walked over to her and took the note.

"No more notes, Ms. Salazar-Roberts. Continuing on," The man said. Ricky sighed.

Ricky was stopped on his way out of class. He couldn't be any more annoyed.

"Why are your friends passing notes to Nini?" He asked. "I recognized your buddy EJ's writing." Ricky shrugged. "Read this note, Mr. Bowen."

"It says, 'You better not be into that dancer chick, she's weird as fuck. Her body's a good type to smash, but she doesn't have an ass or tits like Gina,' but I didn't ask him to pass me this."

"Do not draw Nini's focus, she's very intelligent and doesn't need to be brought down by your little crew," the man told him.

"Yes Mr. Mazzara, I apologize," Ricky said.

After school, Nini's arrival at her home was no different than usual at this time of year. She'd call out, "I'm home," and no one would answer because no one would be there, then she'd look in the fridge, close it, open it again, and ultimately walk away.

Nini sat at the dining room table and did her homework. She hated the quiet of her house but would rather it be silent than for it to be actually housing her parents. She did get a text from her mom though, letting her know she'd sent a pizza over. Nini told the pizza guy he was looking for the kids next door. He believed her.