𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 ~ 𝙝𝙨𝙢𝙩𝙢𝙩𝙨 (𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙞)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏.

Nini's moms had left a couple of hours ago and she already missed them. She already missed everybody, actually. She could hardly believe that she'd seen her boyfriend and all of their friends just that morning.

The plan had been for Ricky to drag himself out of bed and walk the short distance to her house to give her one last hug before she and her moms hit the road at six am. Then Red said that, since he's known her almost as long as Ricky, he deserved to see her one more time too, so he was going to come see her in the morning and, unbeknownst to Nini, this soon transpired into Gina and Kourtney spending the night at Ashlyn's, and Carlos and Seb spending the night at Ricky's (Red decided he should probably sleep at his own house on account of his sleep apnea) so that they could all come to see her off.

So this morning, a stressed and slightly teary-eyed Nini stood outside her house, with the car all packed and moms inside triple checking for any missed items. When she saw Ricky her whole body felt as if it were bursting. He was walking quickly towards her and across the street, but she couldn't wait and took off running down her driveway, his face split into a brilliant smile and he ran to catch her in his embrace. Nini wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him tight, and tucked her face into his neck. "Nini," he sighed.

"I'm okay," she said although her aching throat and stinging eyes would beg to differ. "I love you so much," she whispered, running her fingers through his always unruly curls.

"Love you too," Ricky said, his voice cracking at the end. After a moment someone cleared their throat, but it was definitely not Ricky. Nini raised her head to see all of their friends gathered around them.

"Guys!" She cried, prying herself away from Ricky, but as he put her down she twined her pinkie with his. "It's not even six am what are you all doing here?" She sniffled.

"We couldn't let our girl go without a proper send-off" Seb said, blinking back tears with a loving smile. Nini couldn't keep it together any longer, she let out a small sob, and all of her friends smiled pitifully at her. "Why am I doing this again? What I have here is so good here, why am I leaving it behind?"

There smiles turned to concern at her questions, and all of her friends drew closer. Gina was the first to speak, "You're doing this because someone has to go show the Y.A.C. what talent is."

Kourtney followed up, "And you're leaving us behind because it doesn't matter where you are. We'll always be family. We're with you no matter where you go." Nini nodded and tried to smile.

"Come here," Ashlyn finally said drawing everybody in for a group hug. It was a pathetic and tearful event, but Nini had never felt more loved in her life. She hugged each of them individually, saving Red for last. When she hugged Red she whispered to him, "You take care of our guy, okay? I'm trusting you to keep an eye on him."

Red grinned knowingly at her, how many times had they said that to each other over the years? Too many to count, they were the official Ricky protection squad after all.

Her moms came out and Mama C snapped a quick picture of all of the tearful friends. "Nini, your mom and I are grabbing some snacks for the road from the kitchen, then we're heading out, so about five minutes tops."

"Got it, Mama," she said with a nod. Her mother headed back into the house and all of the kids stood and stared at the front door as it closed behind her. Nini could hardly move. After a moment Carlos chimed in, "Alright, I think that our cue to take our leave and give these two a minute alone." Nini heard them all agreeing, a couple of them giggling. Before he left Red said to Ricky, "When you're done we'll be at my house, you can meet us there and then we're heading out to get waffles."

"Alright, I might catch up with you in a few," Ricky said. Once Red's footsteps had faded a bit, Nini finally turned around. She looked up at Ricky, she couldn't help but think that beautiful really was the best word to describe him. Boys weren't 'supposed' to be beautiful, but he really was.

Without a word, both of her hands found his face and she pulled him down into a kiss. She felt her body melt against his and tried to memorize everything about this feeling. After a moment she pulled away from his kiss, resting her forehead against his, "This is so dumb. I'm chasing my dreams not dying. I don't why this feels so big."

She felt his thumbs gently swiping across her cheeks, "I hardly remember what it's like to be away from you for more than a few days. For almost as long as I can remember you've been across the street and three doors away," he chuckled. "But you and me? We can handle anything. Together or apart, it doesn't matter. I'm right there with you."

Nini pulled him into a crushing hug, "Please, just promise me you'll take care of yourself. Go get breakfast with the gang after I leave. I want pictures. I know how you get when you're sad or lonely, so just make yourself go and soon enough it'll stop hurting."

"Are you telling me this or are you talking to yourself?" he said, only half teasing.

"Both." Nini heard the front door open and felt Ricky look up, but she didn't move. "I think it's time to go, love," he said gently. She pulled back to kiss him softly one last time. "I'll call you at some point today," she said to reassure him that she'll still be just a call away. Nini took a deep breath and a small step back, letting her arms fall down so that her hands could catch in his.

"I love you, Ricky Bowen," she said. She hoped he could hear just how sincerely she means it.

"I love you, Nini Salazar-Roberts," he said. Ricky kissed her forehead and then slowly let go of her and stepped back. Nini felt like she was leaving behind the most important piece of her. "We're gonna be okay," he said again, then a cheeky grin came across his face, "Cause my heart is wherever you are." He half sang, half laughed. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She giggled and rolled her eyes, finally turning away to get in the already running car. Nini buckled herself in and heard Mama D calling out to Ricky to remind him of their plans for him to come to dinner on Sunday. Nini's heart settled a bit in her chest at the thought of the village of people she was leaving with Ricky who could look after him.

That was only this morning. Now it was nearly ten pm and her dorm room was almost starting to look like a place where one could live. Her pictures were strung back up, using command strip hooks, her bed was made, and her closet was full of her clothes.

It hadn't really occurred to her until she arrived today and heard people squealing with joy as they reunited with their friends, but the last time Nini was a 'new kid' was in Kindergarten. She immediately texted Gina to ask for some tips. Not only was she new, but also joining the school in the middle of the year. She had been talking with Emily Pratt for the last few weeks, so she knew she could rely on one friendly face among the crowds. But that was it. No one even knew her name.

note:

i hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did, i would appreciate it if you left a comment or even a vote! ty for reading, btw I will be updating every tuesday and friday, and if im busy, i'll only update on friday, so see ya then! : >