home ➝ ricky bowen

9- dinner

tw; ed
At 6:30 pm exactly, everyone had made their way to the parking lot of East High.

Alexis glanced around at everyone's outfits. Kourtney and Nini stood next to her, Kourtney in a beautiful black dress and Nini in a stunning seductive red one.

Alexis felt a pang of jealousy when she saw Nini. She was so beautiful, and she herself was so... boring. Plain. Just like Nini said.

But Alexis always tried to see the best in everyone. Maybe she was just having a bad day when she said all those things. Alexis thought to herself. I mean, I would be upset with me too, for getting the lead when I didn't even really want it. I can see where she's coming from.

Before she could stop herself she tapped the girl on the shoulder. "I love your dress!" She told her sweetly. "Yours too, Kourtney. You guys look gorgeous!"

Kourtney smiled. "Tha—"

"I know," Nini cut her off rudely while glaring at Alexis and shooting a glance at Kourtney. She looked at her judgmentally. "Your dress looks a little big."

Alexis frowned and walked away. Well. I guess she's just always mean after all.

"Okay, everyone. Listen up!" Miss Jen called. "We're all going to have to split up so just, you know, find someone with a car and follow me. Or use google maps, or something. I don't know. Just don't get lost!"

Carlos, Seb, and a few others decided to go with Miss Jen. EJ, Nini, and Ashlyn went to EJ's car and Alexis decided to drive in her Volvo. 2 underclassmen appeared next to her, one of them being the girl who did her hair. "Can we ride with you? Pleaseeee!"

"Yeah of course." She unlocked her car and everyone piled into the backseat, her up front. Just as she turned the car on, the passenger side opened.

Alexis assumed it was Gina. Who else could it be?

"Hey, I was looking for you but—"

She looked up to see that it was not, in fact Gina and it was actually Ricky.

"Oh," she said. "You're not Gina."

"She went with Ashlyn because she didn't want to be alone with EJ and Nini." He replied.

Alexis nodded, "right."

She stared in Rickys eyes for a long second, neither of them breaking eye contact.

One of the girls, Maya, reached up and and tapped her on the shoulder. "Um, everyone's leaving."

Alexis snapped her attention back to the parking lot. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." She quickly started the car and pulled out of the space,?following Miss Jen.

The two girls in the back, Maya and Dominique, talked and laughed and whispered while Ricky and Alexis remained silent. Alexis shivered and turned the heat up. Even on full blast she felt chilled to her bones.

Ricky noticed her still shaking so he quickly pulled off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She pulled her arms through while at a red light. "Thanks," she whispered, grateful for the warm jacket.

Then more silence.

And more.

And more.

This is ridiculous, Ricky thought, she wasn't exactly this quiet last night. And I like talking to her, she doesn't like talking to me? This is an hour car ride we can't sit like this the whole time!

He decided he would have to be the one to make the first move. "So, um, about last night..."

He trailed off quietly, not exactly whispering but also not speaking as loud as normal.