Chapter Text
Nina Salazar-Roberts was perfect .
There was no doubt about it.
She had the highest GPA of all of the seniors at East High, she was president of nearly every club, and she was dating Ryder Parks, the Captain of the E.H.S Wildcats Basketball Team. She was the most talented singer in the East High Drama Club, commanding attention from every room she walked into. She owned it, confidence radiating off of her like rays from the Sun, beaming on every single person or thing that it could reach.
Somehow, even though she possessed these talents, she was never cocky, not in the slightest. Nini had one of the purest hearts out there, and was selfless and kind, even though she didn’t have to be. She truly found joy in making others happy, in making others feel accepted and like they belonged.
That’s what Gina Porter loved about her. They’d been best friends ever since Gina moved to Salt Lake in the 8th grade, her 7th move in what had only been 5 years. There was something about Nini’s kind eyes that reeled her in, and made her feel safer than she’d felt in a long time. Nini was someone that she could trust; Gina had never experienced that emotion before. No matter how many times she fell, she knew that Nini would always be there to catch her.
And within the past four years of being her best friend… Gina fell a lot .
Gina didn’t understand how everything Nini touched seemed to turn to gold, yet she, herself, was so flawed. You’d think having a best friend who was the textbook definition of perfection would rub off on you. Yet, Gina couldn’t seem to do anything right. No matter how hard she tried in school, her grades were average, at best. She tried to be involved in the clubs that Nini ran, but often lost interest after two weeks and quit. She’d even tried her hand at dating, hoping that she could attain the picture perfect relationship that Nini had so easily acquired, to no avail.
She’d dated 3 guys since her arrival in Utah, and each one was more shallow than the last. The emotional connection was never there; they didn’t intrigue her or make so many emotions bubble up inside of her until they reached the surface and she couldn’t help but proclaim her love for them. Her relationships felt empty.
She felt empty.
The only thing that seemed to make her feel whole was dance. It was the one constant in her life as she traveled from city to city all of those years. No matter how different her surroundings were, she knew that she could lose herself in the music for hours and it would feel like nothing had changed. When she was dancing, she finally felt free. She wanted to spend her whole life dancing her worries away, secretly hoping that better times would come.
She wished her mother understood this. She didn’t support her daughter’s dreams of wanting to dance in the future, and Gina despised her for it. How dare she have the nerve to tell me what to do with my life when she’s barely even present? Is it really her right to have an opinion when she doesn’t even care enough to come home every night? Gina tried to be understanding when it came to her mother, but it was hard. Why was she never there for her? Sure, work was a priority, but so was she… right?
She felt like she was basically raising herself, and it certain didn’t help that her passion was seen as a disappointment to the one person whose attention she vied for the most. Seen as a hobby rather than an actual career.
But screw that. This isn’t about Gina’s mommy issues or the void that was left in her heart due to lack of connection with her significant others. No. This is about Nina Salazar-Roberts. The girl who was perfect. Emphasis on the ‘ was’.
It’s been two months since the Parks Incident occurred. That’s what Gina always referred to it as in her head. She never mentioned it aloud, as Nini would literally cringe upon hearing the boy’s name. Everything happened so fast that day; Gina sometimes has trouble believing that it actually happened. She remembers it all so vividly, yet the memory seems slightly clouded by disbelief.
It was December 14, 2019: Nini and Ryder’s 3-year anniversary. They’d been the power couple of East High since freshman year, and for some reason, Nini was head-over-heels in love with him (Gina didn’t see his appeal, besides the fact that he was athletic, but Nini claimed that he was not only perfect on paper, but supportive and loving in ways that only she could understand).
Because it was senior year and Nini didn’t know where their relationship would stand come May, she decided to go all out for 3 years, something even grander than the giant teddy bear that Ryder gifted her in the middle of the lunch room last year.
Gina helped her plan it all, from the rose petals scattered in front of his locker to the mushy shrine of the two of them that she’d set up inside of his locker to the group of measly drama club kids who she’d asked to sing backup in her acapella serenade of the song “Lover” by Taylor Swift. Gina thought it was all a bit too much, but Nini claimed that he was worth it and that he would probably have something equally as surprising planned for her.
She wasn’t wrong. He definitely did something surprising.
Nini was bubbling with excitement as a large crowd gathered around her flashy display of affection before 1st period, awaiting Ryder’s arrival. No one expected him to walk into the school with the new blonde exchange student hanging off of his arm. What was her name? Tiffany? Tracy? Gina doesn’t bother to remember.
She wasn’t focused on the words that were coming out of Ryder’s mouth as he explained that he had fallen for someone else. The excuses and empty apologies that he gave Nini, probably followed by that classic line: I hope we can still be friends. The only thing she was focused on was her best friend, who appeared more and more broken by the second. The light that consistently emanated from her was suddenly put out as her face paled and tears began to pool up in her eyes.
That light never reignited. It’s February now, and Nini hasn’t been herself. Her grades have been slipping, she rarely shows up to her club meetings anymore, and she quit drama club, much to Miss Jenn’s demise. She barely even smiled that warm smile that could make anyone feel like everything was right in the world. Gina didn’t understand how a teenage boy could completely change a person, a person who has spent their entire life being so consistent and content with who they are.
This time, Nini was falling, and Gina wasn’t sure if she knew how to catch her.
Until she saw him.
That dorky kid who had been crushing on Nini since Gina moved to Salt Lake. God, he made it so obvious. He always looked at Nini from across the room like she was the most important person there, like he would kill to give her the world and so much more. Like she was his sunshine, his moonlight, every single star in his galaxy. Gina swears that if the heart-eyes emoji was a person, it would be him.
But he was silent. The look never went away, but he never acted on it either. Gina couldn’t imagine pining from afar for such a long time; that has to tug on the heartstrings a bit. Wanting someone so badly and knowing that their heart belongs to another.
But now? Nini’s heart belonged to no one. It was broken, scattered into millions of tiny pieces, and she couldn’t seem to put them back together by herself. She needed someone who could be there for her, someone that could love and appreciate her in a way that Gina and her moms couldn’t. Someone who would give her the world.
She needed him. And Gina was going to give her that. Whatever it takes to get her best friend back.
He was sitting in the library, his head buried in a textbook. As Gina moved closer, she realized that his phone was inside of the book, and he was actually watching skateboard videos on Youtube. So maybe he’s not an intellectual, but neither was Ryder.
She pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, analyzing him slightly. He was cute, in a dorky, skater kind of way. His auburn curls were messy and scattered upon his head, and his jaw was clenched as he focused intently on the video in front of him. He hadn’t even noticed that Gina sat down, until she cleared her throat loudly to get his attention.
He jumped slightly, obviously taken aback by her presence. His golden brown eyes widened, as he snatched his single earphone out of his ear and stared at her. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Gina bit her lip to hold in her laugh, amused by how frazzled he suddenly appeared.
“Calm down, kid. I don’t bite.”
She sent a tight-lipped smile in his direction, hoping that it would calm down the evidently nervous boy. He sent one back, pulling his eyes away from her.
“Yeah, y- yeah, I know. I’m sorry, you just, you surprised me, is all.”
He sat up slightly, running his hand through his hair before both of his hands settled in his lap. He looked down at them, suddenly very interested in fiddling with his fingernails. So he’s shy. Noted.
“So… what’s your name?”
“Ricky,” he said nervously, still playing with his fingernails. Gina noticed a small pink tint on his cheeks, and was almost pleased by the fact that her presence was enough to fluster the boy in front of her.
“Nice to meet you, Ricky. I’m Gi-”
“Gina. I- I know who you are.” Huh. Did she have a bit of a reputation that she wasn’t aware of? Maybe that’s a part of the perks of being best friends with the previous most popular girl in school.
“Right. So, I’m just gonna cut to the chase. This might seem a bit forward, but being forward is kind of my thing. Maybe you already knew that since apparently you know who I am,” she made quotation marks with her fingers, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his statement. She didn’t appreciate people making assumptions about who she was. Hell, she barely knew who she was, how could anyone else? “Tell me, do you have a girlfriend, Ricky?”
His fingers froze, head snapping up in surprise. If Gina thought his eyes were wide before, she was wrong. They looked like they were about to pop as he looked up at her, increasingly filling with panic.
“Dude, dude! Chill! I didn’t mean to freak you out. It’s just a simple question. A yes or no answer will suffice.”
“Well, I- No, but- why are you asking me this?”
He sighed as he stumbled over his words, obviously off put by her question. Perhaps it was a bit invasive coming from a stranger, but she was a girl on a mission. It was finally her turn to be there for Nini and return the favor for all of the times she had been there for her. He was the answer. He had to be.
“That’s perfect! And you like Nini, right?”
“What?! N- no, I don’t like Ni- that’s ridiculous, I mean, why would I-” His cheeks took on an even brighter color as he struggled to come up with something convincing to say. His denial was almost admirable, adorable, even. She placed a hand on his shoulder, cutting him off as he continued to ramble.
“It’s okay. I may not have known your name, but I’ve seen you around. And I’ve seen the way you look at her. There’s no point in denying it.”
She hoped that her tone was comforting. She kind of felt bad for him, in a way. He seemed painfully shy, which explains why he never even tried to talk to Nini. He could barely speak to Gina without stumbling over his words, she can’t imagine how nervous he would get trying to talk to the girl of his dreams.
“I want to help you.”
“Help me? Help me what?” He looked genuinely puzzled, as he cocked his head slightly to the side.
“Help you get the girl.”
He scoffed quietly, gathering his things off of the table. He pushed his chair from under it, and looked in her direction.
“Help me get the girl ? Nini? Look, I- I’m not sure why you want me to… get Nini, but it’s a fat chance. She’d never go for a guy like me.” He stood up and began to walk away, but Gina was not going to give up without putting up a fight. She quickly walked after him, matching his pace as he headed towards the entrance of the library.
“Come on, Ricky, just hear me out,” she pleaded, walking on his right as he looked forward, avoiding eye contact. “I don't know how closely you look after Nini, but if you’ve seen her at all recently, you know that she’s changed since the breakup. It broke her heart, and Nini deserves to be with a good guy for once, okay? That guy could be you!”
“She dated Ryder Parks. I’m an absolute nobody compared to him. And how do you know that I’m a good guy?” He stopped walking and turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since their conversation had started.
Wow. His eyes were stunning as hell. They were a honey brown shade with flecks of gold shining in them. They looked like they were actually sparkling, and Gina found herself getting lost in them. Her breath hitched in her throat as she gulped, shaking her head slightly to clear these thoughts from her mind. She realized that she and Ricky had stopped right in front of the library entrance, so she grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the side of the doors.
“I just- I have a gut feeling. Look… I know it sounds crazy, trust me. But I have a really good feeling about this. Nini is my best friend, I wouldn’t be bothering with this if I didn’t think it would end well, for the both of you. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“She rejects me and I embarrass myself? She calls me a loser and laughs in my face?” Or maybe, she will-”
“Ricky,” Gina interrupts, laughter lacing her voice due to his incessant rambling, “you’ve known Nini for years. You know exactly what kind of person she is, and you know she would never do any of that.” Gina didn’t know if that was 100% true; Nini was different nowadays. But she needed to take a chance for her best friend’s sake, and convincing Ricky was the first step.
“But I- I don’t even know the first thing about t- talking to girls. I’d make a fool out of myself.” He looked down at his feet, and Gina hated that she missed looking into his dazzling eyes.
“You’re talking to me right now, and I don’t think you’re a fool!”
“That’s… that’s different. I- I’ve never even been on a date before, how do you expect me to-”
“I know I’m not Nini, but I am her best friend. I have been for 4 years. I know everything about her, and I know that she’d like you. Just give me a chance. Please.”
His eyes met her pleading eyes once more and Gina noticed a slight release of tension in his shoulders. She smiled at him encouragingly, tilting her head to the side in a teasing manner.
“Give me 4 weeks. I’ll help you out. Like… a crash course, if you will. How to be the perfect boyfriend for Nini Salazar-Roberts: A class taught by yours truly.”
He laughed a bit, a small smile gracing his features. “You’re sure about this?”
“100%. I feel like you two could be really good for each other. So… are you in?”
She grinned as he nodded, feeling a sudden rush of excitement. She would finally be able to do something to support Nini after all of these years. She could catch her for once and be a good best friend, one that was deserving of having someone like Nini by their side.
“Perfect! Now follow me, we’ve got work to do. May as well get started now.” She pushed past him, walking towards the library’s double doors. He followed behind her, but quickly rushed past to open the door for her.
“Oh, wow, who knew skater boy could be such a gentleman?” A small laugh escaped her lips and she smiled when she heard that he was laughing too.
“So, where exactly are we going? I’m supposed to meet up with my friend, Red, in a couple of minutes… when the last bell rings. I was just waiting in the library to pass the time. I think we are going to the skatepark.”
“Works for me.”
“Works for- you’re going to come with us?” He stared at her, confusion taking over his features. Gina hummed as she nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye.
“Yep. Today is your first day of class, Ricky… what’s your last name?”
“Bowen.”
“Right. Today is your first day of class, Ricky Bowen. Lesson #1, Flirting. ” She winked at him and his cheeks flushed red. He audibly gulped, opening his mouth and closing it a couple of times, seemingly at a loss for words.
“What?” he finally squeaked out, hugging his textbook closer to his chest.
“Aw. You’re kinda cute when you’re speechless.” Gina placed her hand on his shoulder and batted her eyelashes fondly. She nearly snorted, laughing when she noticed how that simple action made his cheeks burn even hotter.
“Meet you at the skatepark, Bowen.”