rainbow connection | rini

nineteen

"Oh my gosh, that was so awesome!" Nini exclaimed as she sat in the back seat of Ricky's parents' car. She hugged her new stuffed elephant closer to her chest, hoping that she'd always remember the feeling she had when she met a real-life elephant.

"We're glad you enjoyed it, Nini," Lynne told her. "We're very proud of you."

"This is the best way to kick off my trip," she told them with a grin. "I can't believe I have to miss you guys for a month!"

"And I can't believe you convinced us to let Ricky go with you," Mike laughed. "But, I trust at least one of you knows how to behave."

"Hey!" Ricky whined. "I'm trustworthy!"

"You are now," his mother said. "And we owe it all to Nini."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Nini commented. "I think Ricky just needed to get away from his old friends. It wasn't necessarily me."

That was a statement everyone in the car felt comfortable agreeing with. The group was on their way to meet up with Nini's parents for lunch. The adults all felt they had a lot to go over.

"So before we send Ricky to Denver with you for a month, we need to talk rules," Ricky's father said as they all munched on an appetizer.

"I agree," Carol told him.

Lynne eyed Ricky and said, "First of all, Ricky, no sneaking into Nini's room after her grandparents go to sleep."

"Second of all, Nini, your grandparents are still watching you. The bathroom doors are going to be locked after you eat," Scott said.

"How come I don't get a rule about sneaking into Ricky's room?" she asked.

"Because you can't do anything without permission for the life of you," Ricky told her.

Nini nodded and decided, "Yeah, that's fair."

"Lynne and I talked, and we think it's important to remind you both that this trip is for quality family time. Nini needs to make sure she's equally focused on Ricky and her grandparents. So, Ricky, you have to be focused on them too. They're also your grandparents," Carol explained.

"I told you, I would rather bake a cake with Grandma than watch a movie with Ricky," Nini told her mother. She grinned and elbowed Ricky.

"I have a permanent bruise on my ribs because of you," he joked.

"Anyway, Ricky, you need to pack clothes for church, don't forget that," Mike reminded.

"Oh, Nini would never allow me to forget it!" Ricky told them.

"You're absolutely right," Nini grinned.

Later that evening, Nini and Ricky curled up on a chair together in Ricky's best friend, Red's backyard. Aside from them and Red, Ricky's other friends Seb, Carlos, and 'Red's girlfriend,' Ashlyn, and Kourtney surrounded the bonfire Red had started.

Nini had become rather accustomed to these people, as she and Ricky hung out with them frequently. Aslyn was EJ's half-sister who lived with his mother. Even though Ashlyn was born second, EJ's parents were married. Nini found this interesting.

"How was Father's Day, Ash?" Nini asked.

Ashlyn scoffed and said, "Horrible. EJ's mom makes me so uncomfortable. Like, I know she doesn't like me, but she always acts like she does."

"But you love your dad, so that's what's important, right?" She said.

"Yeah, I guess I just wish EJ and his mom weren't such asshats," she said. "How was your Father's Day?"

"Same as usual. Cemetery, gifts for my dad. My mom talks about how great my other mom was because it makes her emotional for some reason. She cries a little," she recounted.

"Oh, shit," Red popped up from his seat. "I forgot the chocolate inside. I'll be back."

Nini adjusted herself to better curl up against Ricky's chest. "I really want a s'more," she mumbled.

Ricky laughed and said, "That's exactly what you're about to get. I'll let you know now, I'm not the best marshmallow roaster so I hope you like them burnt."

Nini groaned and tilted her head back to look up at him. She looked cute with the side of her face squished up against his chest. "I don't," she said.

"Well, then I guess you gotta roast them yourself or tough it out."

Just then, Red poked his head out of the back door to call out, "Does anyone want a snack?"

Nini jumped off of Ricky's lap. "Heck yeah!" She yelled as she ran to the door.

The group laughed, but Ricky could tell that Nini was overcompensating for her still-present emotional distress. He'd found that she would overexcite herself about food as an attempt to make herself feel better about eating. Sometimes, it worked and sometimes she relied on him.

Together, Nini and Red exited the house, him holding chocolate bars and Nini munching on cereal that she was eating directly from the box. She plopped herself down on Ricky's lap once again and gave him a cheeky smile.

"Hey," he said, "You don't even like candy, why do you love s'mores so much?"

"Because they're the best. They've always been the exception," she told him with a shrug.

"Sebby calls first marshmallow!" Seb screamed. His blonde hair bounced as he lunged toward Red.

"Okay, okay," he said, handing a marshmallow to Seb. "Nini gets second because I think she might die if she doesn't get a s'more soon. Or at least, that's what she told me in the kitchen."

"I am dying, Red!" She cried out. Carlos, who was usually quiet, laughed loudly.

"Nini's a theatre kid," he said.

"How do you know that?" Kourtney asked.

"Because, Kourt, she's the most dramatic person I've ever met. Even more so than the flaming homosexual sitting next to you." He laughed as Seb wiggled his eyebrows at the group, a smirk on his face.

"If I get any closer to this fire pit, I really will be a flaming homosexual," he joked. Kourtney used her foot to push him a little closer. "Kourt is trying to kill me!"

Somehow, the entire group managed to miss Nini shove almost an entire s'more into her mouth. With the focus back on her, Nini's chipmunk cheeks blushed red as Ricky wheezed with laughter, causing their friends to wail uncontrollably.

"Do you feel better having had a s'more?" Ricky asked. She grinned at him and nodded enthusiastically and popped the final piece of the s'more into her mouth.