𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐀 [a rini au]

FIVE

CONTENT WARNING: brief mention of self harm!! nothing too descriptive but if it's a trigger for you, skip over the paragraph that begins with the sentence "audrey was nini's therapist." take care of yourselves<33

"So you're going?" Kourtney Greene chirped from Nini's phone. The device was propped up beside the mirror in Nini's bathroom, the brunette singer attending to her makeup as her two best friends, Kourtney and Maddox, conversed with her via FaceTime.

"Yes. I just told you I was!"

Kourtney shrugged, grinning.

"I can't believe you're going to a party while I am currently bored at home watching TV by myself." Maddox groaned.

"How the tables have turned," Nini smirked. "Besides, Audrey told me I should be more social, or whatever. That it'll help me."

Audrey was Nini's therapist. She'd started seeing her almost immediately following her breakup with Brooks. Her self esteem had been at an all-time low and she'd picked up some destructive... hobbies. She glanced down at her exposed thighs then, the distant memories of long, grievous nights spent digging deep lines into them with her kitchen scissors now only visible through faded, tan scars. Now, as 'Folklore' filming had taken her across the country, Nini connected with Audrey via Zoom calls on Wednesday evenings. When she'd told her about the cast hangout at Carolina's, and how she had decided to go, Audrey had been thrilled for her. "It's a step in the right direction, Nina," her therapist had said to her, smiling gently on the other line. "I'm very proud of you."

"Well, I agree," Maddox replied. "With how... how things have been recently. I think this could be a really good thing for you."

"Yeah, it's good to see you getting out again," Kourtney smiled softly.

"As long as you don't let any of these big shot actors replace us as your best friends," Maddox butted in.

"And as long as you don't wear that!" Kourtney made a pointed glance towards Nini's oversized black hoodie.

"Relax," the brunette rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna change when I'm done with my makeup."

"And you better send a picture of your finished look once you do!"

"Of course, Kourt," Nini giggled. With that, she flicked one last stroke of mascara onto each eye, said her goodbyes, and stepped into her room, on the hunt for the perfect outfit to wear.

Nini wanted something casual, but not too casual that it gave her coworkers the idea that she didn't care. She knew she was likely overthinking things as she threw aside a green crop-top with leggings, a red sundress, and a pink mini skirt with a black turtleneck.

"Ugh!" Nini groaned. "Nothing! I have nothing good to wear."

Talking to herself was a habit she'd accidentally picked up recently. With her only two real friends on the other side of the country, it got fairly lonely. Besides, she considered herself to be fairly good company. Sometimes.

As Nini flopped down on her bed, grumbling to herself about a lack of suitable options, her eyes flickered over a pair of black jeans sticking out of her still-partially-unpacked suitcase.

Hmm. Perhaps she could work with that.

The actress paired the loose, black denim pants with a white crop top, finishing off the look with a cardigan, a slight nod to her character, as Betty notably had a thing for cardigans and light sweaters.

Nini studied herself in the mirror, deciding to free her hair from the braids it was tangled into, instead letting her soft curls bounce loosely around her shoulders and down her back. She smiled in satisfaction. Perfect.

As promised, Nini snapped a quick mirror selfie for Maddox and Kourtney, then grabbed her keys and her favorite, small dark blue purse, and made her way out the door to Carolina's apartment.

—

𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙎

𝐡𝐞𝐲!! 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐰𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐰
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝
𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐛𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐭 𝐢 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞
𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧! 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫
𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 & 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲!
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠!!

𝐱𝐨𝐱𝐨 𝐤𝐚𝐲🦋🫀😚❤️‍🔥