A New Friend

(4) The Fair

Kourtney
Oh hell no, this girl did not just say she was Ricky's girlfriend. I looked around and everyone was just as dumbfounded as Nini and me. I tapped Carlos on the shoulder, seeing if he knew anything about this 'girlfriend'. He shook his head 'no'. Gina and Carlos were becoming equally impatient, so they ushered us inside. Once we were in, I pulled EJ to the side. "Did you know about Ricky's 'girlfriend'?" I said as quietly as possible.

"No, this is the first time I met her," he said leaving me in shock. I'll just pry answers from Big Red.

"How long have you known about Ricky's 'girlfriend'?" I ask very, very annoyed.

"Technically, I've known her as long as Ricky has. But this is the first time I heard they were dating." Ok, so they couldn't have been dating for too long.

"How long has Ricky known her?"

"Almost two months, maybe." I stood there confused. Ricky and Nini broke up about two months ago. Did this waste of space go out and try to get a new girlfriend the moment he broke up with Nini? I'm telling all this tea before I forget the details. Also, we need to make a deal. When we refer to her, use air quotes.

Big Red
Kourtney got me thinking. Why didn't I know they were dating until today? I knew Ricky was heartbroken after Nini. How could he have moved on fast?

Nini
I was walking slowly behind the group, avoiding talking to them. Avoiding talking to Ricky. His 'girlfriend' kept giving me these weird looks. Has he talked about our relationship? How long has he known her? How long has he had a new girlfriend? It couldn't have been long, based on everyone's confused looks. I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice Kourtney coming up next to me.

"I found out something you need to hear but don't wanna hear." Oh god, what could that mean?

"Ok, I'm already freaking out enough. Just say it quickly." She opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted.

"What are y'all in the mood for?" Ricky asked. My heart melted at the sight of him. But it also shattered when I saw his arm around Jessica.

"How about the ferris wheel and then eat after?" Seb suggested. I thought that would be great. One seat could only hold two people, so I can hear what Kourtney was going to say.

Ricky
How bad of a person do I look right now?

I invited my girlfriend, who I've been dating for a while, to a friend's hang out. I know Big Red didn't know about the dating thing, and I shouldn't have listened to him. Honestly, I didn't know we'd be saying that today. I was just as confused as everyone else. But, to avoid causing a scene, I went with it. Seb voted for the ferris wheel which is great. I knew I'd sit next to Jessica, but I wanted to talk to her a little.

"So... what do you think of everyone?" I said, a little nervous about her answer.

"I think they're all nice, maybe just a little pushy." Ok, that brought a little relief. "I mean, any friends of yours are mine too, right?"

"Right."

Nini
"Ok, Kourt, what were you gonna say before?" I've been waiting to know since she said I might not like it. Why not go ahead and add something else to my plate titled 'Things to Worry About'?

"I asked EJ and he said this was his first time meeting this Jessica character." I looked at her confused. Why would Ricky not tell EJ about her?

"Was that it, it sounded a little more serious when we were on the ground?" I asked, hoping she didn't have anything else to say. But of course, there's more.

"I talked with Big Red also. He said he's known Jessica for about two months. But, before more panic sets in, he said he didn't know they were dating until today. It's a little sketchy if you ask me."

"Ok, so Big Red and EJ, two of Ricky's closest friends, didn't know about his new 'girlfriend'?" I said with air quotes. It was beyond confusing. "Wait, did you say they've known her for about two months?" I asked with dread.

"Yeah, unfortunately. I'm sorry Nini." I didn't know what to say. We've been broken up for about two months. I wonder why she was such a secret?

"Oh, I forgot to mention..." Oh god, what else could she possibly know? We've been here for what, thirty minutes? I was starting to spiral. "...whenever we talk about her, we should use air quotes. Something does not add up here." I laughed a little.

"Yeah, I'm very confused. Let's get some other opinions." The ride was over and everyone was starving.

"Where should we eat?" Gina asked. Her impatience from before along with hunger could not be a good combination.

"Look! They have fried Oreos!" EJ said with extreme happiness. Thank God it was loud so no one but us heard him. I laughed at his excitement.

Ricky
And EJ said all I think about is food. We all got a few Oreos each and found a picnic table under a tree.

"Hey, would you take a picture of us?" Jessica asked Nini. Was she trying to make this more awkward? Yes, Jessica knows Nini's my ex, but I've never said anything bad about her.

What does Nini have that's negative? Simple, nothing.

"Uh, sure," Nini said with hesitation, but she put a small smile on her face. I could tell she was nervous. There was no British accent though.

"Smile." I heard the phone click.

"Thanks. You look really cute in this, babe," Jessica said to me, showing me her phone.

"I do? If that's considered cute what's ugly?" I asked, attempting to lighten the mood. By now everyone was finishing up eating.

"Since we just ate, what if we went on the other ferris wheel?" Jessica suggested very happily. The fair had two ferris wheels. The one near the front we just went on and one in the back.

"Good, because I know I'll puke if we go on anything else," Ashlyn said, laughing. That made me smile. Just hanging out with friends, having a mostly good time. I kept glancing at Nini, though.

Was I aware of what was happening? Yes.

Did I try to stop it? No.

Was I ashamed of looking at her? No, never have, never will.

I take it EJ noticed, he lightly punched my shoulder. I went to throw my trash away and he and Red came up behind me.

"Dude, when were you gonna tell us you had a girlfriend?" they said at the same time. Sometimes it's freaky being around them.

"I was going to tomorrow," I said sheepishly. That was the truth. My plan was to invite EJ, Big Red, and Jessica to my house. We'd hang out for a bit then I'd say something. "I didn't expect her to say something today. I told her to say we were friends because of how nervous I was for her to meet everyone."

"I met her two months ago. How long have you two been together?" Red asked. The number one question I wanted to avoid.

"Over a month," I mumbled, barely audible.

"WHAT!!!" they both screamed at the top of their lungs.

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Have you ever had two feelings at once that contradict each other? I want to write, but I don't know what to write. This is more confusing than it needs to be. Updates every Friday

Also, the previous chapters (0-3) were written from 2am-4am. I always have my best ideas after the sun goes down, it's a curse