concept book

Emergency Contact - Rini One Shot

when she moved to california after graduation, nini salazar-roberts never thought she'd see her ex boyfriend again.

ricky had been great as a boyfriend the three times they were together. things got messy between them, sure, but being so young things tended to happen that way, looking back that's become easier to remember than it was at sixteen.

and technically, the last time they were together, nothing had actually gone wrong.

but when she left for california to try to make music, the day after helping him move into his college dorm room, she'd left him with one last kiss and an apology before she slipped his class ring back onto his nightstand.

she couldn't ruin his college experience with a long distance relationship they weren't prepared to handle.

they said maybe they'd see what happens in the summertime before she walked out his door, but the way he looked like he was going to cry when she sprung her decision on him, told him she was going to set him free, nini knew deep down there would be no summer reunion. she really just couldn't hurt him like this again.

so as much as she pretended she didn't keep up with him on social media, pretended didn't care when she saw him post pictures with girls, pretended that she absolutely could move on from her first love... the fact of the matter was nini never had.

she should've just blocked him and properly moved on with her life. it would be easier than avoiding things their old friends would invite them both to, knowing she couldn't stand to see him and fall in too deep to get out again.

but nini never could. even when ashlyn visited the summer after sophomore year and told her about ricky and big red starting a band together after talking about it all these years, and she invited nini to the show... nini couldn't show up. it would've killed her to watch him play songs she knows wouldn't be about her like they always used to be.

she couldn't go back to salt lake city and give up the distance she created to protect him- or to protect herself, if she were to be more honest about things.

but the world has crazy ways of working, evidently.

she's kept her distance by not going home, yet the big city she now calls home is the one that brought him back into her life.

when the unknown number calls, nini doesn't know why she picks up the phone.

but when she hears what the call is about- she really doesn't know whether to be thankful or upset that she did.