𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 [𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙞 𝙖𝙪]

Chapter Fifteen

When Monday rolled around, everyone was still talking about the party that happened at Ej's house. As Nini walked down the hall towards her locker, she heard a couple girls talking.

"He was so cute!" One of the girls exclaimed.

"I know! What was his name again? Ricky?" The other girl asked.

Nini's eyes went wide when she heard the name. She had forgotten all about him. She felt so carefree at the party, she didn't even stop to think about who might have been there.

Why was he there? Is he literally stalking me? No, he can't be. Wait a minute, he's friends with Ej and Gina! Yes, that's why he was there not caus-

"Nini!' She heard Seb call from behind her. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize she walked past her locker and her friends standing in front of it.

"Neens, you good? We've been calling your name but you didn't hear us." Ashlyn said.

"What? Oh, yea, I'm fine. Just... thinking about the new musical!" The brunette replied, faking a smile as she walked back towards her friends.

"Oh my god Carlos, please tell us!" Ashlyn begged as Kourtney laughed.

"I still don't understand why you guys aren't attacking Kourt. She knows what the musical is going to be too." Carlos fought.

Nini turned around, laughing, as she put her books into her locker, but she was quickly distracted by the thought of one curly haired boy who was everywhere... but nowhere at the same time.

+

Friday:

Tonight was the night Nini was going back to babysit Spencer regularly. All Summer long, she went with her moms to the Philippines to visit her family, so she hasn't seen him in 2 months.

"Are you meeting Miss Jenn's stepson today?" Carlos asked as he drove all his friends home from school.

"She has a stepson?" Nini asked, clearly confused.

"Oh yea, I've heard something about that." Ashlyn spoke.

"Yea, he's our ago, no?" Seb asked.

"Oh, really? Does he go to East?" The brunette questioned.

"I think so, but I haven't seen anyone new recently," Kourtney shrugged.

"There's a new guy in my chem class, I wonder if it's him." Nini remembered.

"What's his name?" Carlos questioned.

"Is he cute?" Seb, at the same time as Carlos, asked.

"Sebby, do we need to have a talk?" The choreographer turned to the passenger seat where his boyfriend sat.

"Oh no, moms are fighting again," Ashlyn rolled her eyes.

"You guys are too much," Nini chuckled, "I guess he's kinda cute. His name's Connor."

"Oh, I've seen him around!" Kourtney pointed out.

"Me too! He is cute," Ashlyn said, nudging Nini with her shoulder, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh my god Ash, nothing is gonna happen, and plus, we don't even know if he is Miss Jenn's son." Nini looked outside her window and saw that Carlos had pulled up to her house, "thanks Los! I'll keep you guys updated on the situation, bye!" She got out of the car and made her way into her house as her friends drove off.

+

Ricky was in his room doing his homework when he heard the doorbell echoing through his house. He knew that tonight his dad and Jenn were going out and that they were going to be getting a babysitter so this didn't come as a surprise at all.

He heard a little bit of chatter and laughter exchange from his stepmom and the person who was at the door. He wasn't planning on going downstairs to meet the babysitter but a call for him told him otherwise.

"Ricky, come down! I want you to meet someone," he heard Jenn yell from the living room, so he did what he was told, and made his way downstairs.

Nini made her way to the Bowen household and was greeted by both Jenn and Mike in the living room. They conversed a little bit about how Spencer had missed her during her time away and how every week he would ask for her to come and read him a bedtime story.

"Oh, by the way," Jenn remembered, "Mike's son came in from Chicago about two weeks ago. You might have seen him around East High."

"Oh, right Carlos was telling me something about that."

"He's the sweetest boy, you should meet him."

"I think I have, isn't it Conn-"

"Ricky!" Jenn cut Nini off, "come down! I want you to meet someone."

Nini's eyes went wide. "Um, Ricky?" The brunette asked.

"Yea! Do you know him?"

Before she could answer Jenn's question, she heard footsteps coming from upstairs, making their way into the living room, where she was.

Then she saw him. And he saw her.

Ricky couldn't believe any of this was real. She was real. And she was inside his house. To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

Two weeks ago, if someone were to tell him that he was going to meet the girl from his dream, he would have laughed in their faces. But there she was.

Nini also stood there in shock, her jaw dropped slightly. Her Joe Goldberg was standing right in front of her. Staring at her. Again. But this time she didn't mind, because she was doing the same thing.

They both snapped back into reality when they heard a small voice yelling at the bruette.

"Nini! You're back!" Spencer exclaimed, running up to Nini and hugging her legs.

At this, Nini laughed. She couldn't express the happiness that rushed through her veins as the boy, who was like a little brother to her, hugged her for the first time in months.

"Spence! I missed you buddy," Nini crouched down to his level to give him a proper hug.

"This is my brother Ricky," he said, pointing up at the tall boy, who was still staring at her.

"Hi," Nini said to him, straightening her stance and extending her arm to offer a handshake. "I'm Nini, Spencer's babysitter. Nice to meet you."

"Ricky," he simply said, reaching out his hand to accept her handshake.