safety | rini

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* C O N V E R S A T I O N A L
T R I G G E R W A R N I N G *

"so x=cos(y)?" nini asked, pointing her pen down at the equation written down in her notebook.

"perfect!" ricky said, nodding his head at her answer.

"i cant believe i just did that! i'm terrible at math. you know, i read somewhere that i'm a 'non-linear thinker'. you must be a good teacher." nini said with a smile as she closed her math book.

"well, i'll help you anytime." ricky said with a small smile. he enjoyed helping nini. she would get so proud of herself when she figured out the work. he really just liked spending time with her.

"well maybe again tomorrow. if i don't go back to school." nini said, a little reluctant on the second part.

"well don't push yourself, nini. i really don't mind bringing you your homework." ricky said, trying to be casual.

"you know, if i was actually sick, and none of this had ever happened, i wouldn't even be bothering with school work. who knows, maybe i'll be at the top of my class from now on." nini said jokingly.

"are you sure about not telling anyone? you need help nini." ricky said in a more serious tone, he knew he was pushing too hard, but she wasn't going to change her mind if he didn't.

"i'm fine." nini said, slightly annoyed as she got up from the couch and walked over to the big chair in the corner.

"here's your shirt back. thank you for lending it to me, i washed it." nini said, handing the flannel back to ricky. it had been cleaned and nicely folded since the night nini used it to cover s all her bruises from her mother.

"thanks." ricky said as he took it in his hands. "you know i could make you a playlist. on a drive so you could play it on your computer. i know it sounds dumb, but music can really help get you out of your head. i listen to a lot of different stuff, so maybe there's something you would like." ricky offered, he didn't want to get into how much he loved music and how it was important to him.

"whatever you think is good." nini said, visibly tired.

"okay." ricky said as he picked up his coat and back pack. nini walked over to the front door and opened it for him.

"just call me if there is anything else you need." ricky said, turning around to face nini on the porch before he left.

"i will." nini said as she closed the door. she walked over to the big chair where rickys shirt had been sitting previously. she sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, exhaling heavily. after a few minutes, nini heard the doorbell ring. at first she thought ricky might have left something, but she was surprised to see Miss Jenna standing in her door way. nini greeted her and invited her in, out of the cold.

"your mother mentioned today at the hospital that you were home with the flu. i just wanted to let you know that if you took the morning after pill, the symptoms should be gone by tomorrow." Jenna reassured nini as she took off her gloves and slipped them into her coat pocket.

"have you talked to ricky?" nini asked, just a little curious.

"no not today." Jenna replied with a soft smile. nini let out a small sigh.

"he's been really nice to me. so have you." nini said, grateful for the kindness they have shown her in the past few days.

"well you seem like a pretty nice person yourself." Jenna said with a comforting smile. nini admired and appreciated that about Miss Jenna. her smile was warm and open. nini walked over to the couch and sat down. Jenna sat on the door stool directly in from of it.

"nini, i know what it's like to have something so terrible happen to you, you can't think about it, but you also can't think about anything else. and the only thing left to do is take care of yourself however you can. if you want help, i am willing to give it. if you decide you want to get examined and tested, i will make the arrangements. and it can be completely anonymous." Jenna said. she honestly didn't expect nini to jump at the opportunity, but she wanted to let her know that the offer was there.

"i'm okay." nini said, slightly shrugging her shoulders.

"you have my phone numbers?" Jenna asked and nini nodded. "call me anytime." Jenna said as she got up and walked around to the side of the couch to lean down and hug nini. she started waking off towards the door before she turned around.

"nini? take care of yourself." Jenna advised as she opened the door and headed outside, shutting it behind her. nini sat there, trying to take it all in. nini didn't know what decision to make in this situation. was there a right choice? more importantly, is there a wrong one?

-

"hey dad, i got the mail." ricky said as he walked through his front door. mike walked into the room and stopped when he saw the shirt in rickys arms. ricky noticed he was looking at it.

"yeah, nini gave it back." ricky said, setting it down on the back of his couch.

"how is she doing?" mike asked, concerned since he hadn't heard anything since the night of the attack.

"how do you think? not very good, dad. she's afraid, not just of the guy, but she doesn't want anyone to know. she somehow thinks it's her fault." ricky said, shaking his head.

"about the rape, you mean?" mike asked. ricky nodded his head in response.

"well sometimes when things like that happen, you need someone to blame, and sometimes there isn't anyone but yourself." mike said taking in a deep breath.

"but she didn't do anything dad!" ricky said, getting frustrated again about the issue.

"i know she didn't, i know." mike assured ricky.

"it's like she curled up into this little ball. she keeps saying she wants to forget about it, but she never will. i cant even forget about it, how is she supposed to? something like that stays with you forever." ricky said, feeling awful about what nini was going through. all he wanted to do was help her, he just wanted her to be okay again.

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Authors Note : hii! funny story, i was really tired last night, but i decided to write the last chapter before this one literally right before i went to bed, and i ended up having a dream about ricky 😂 anyways, are you guys liking it so far? any suggestions or comments? don't be a silent reader and don't forget to vote for the story!! thank you guys so much for the reads! (p.s., i had no clue what to title this chapter!)
xoxo, jo <3