Work Text:
Ricky always believed he was made for a small town. He'd never seen the appeal of big cities and the rejection of familiarity. He loved the house he'd lived in his whole life, he loved the friends he'd known since first grade. Hell, he loved the pizza shop he'd been going to since he could eat solids, and the food wasn't even that good there.
Change was a thing that had happened to him a few times, something he'd settled with but something he didn't want to face much more of. In his changing world, he found comfort in the things he'd known his whole life.
Senior year was a change, and the beginning of something that would definitely throw him through a loop. But, he spent his first day happy, because he got to lean against the lockers like he always did, his best friends around him. Things were going to change, but not yet.
Not for the first half of the day, at least.
"There's a new girl," Maddox declared, joining the group of boys crowded around EJ's locker.
"Yeah right," Red said with a shake of his head. "You've been the newest new girl for four years."
Maddox squinted, taking a second to understand his sentence, before shaking her head. "No, I'm serious. I've never seen her around before, she was at the back of my history class."
"Are we going to have to deal with another gay crisis?" Jet wondered, wincing when she punched his arm.
"Don't be an asshole."
"I'm just wondering!"
She bit the inside of her cheek, then shrugged. "I mean, she's pretty. She's really pretty. I can't tell you much else about her, she didn't say a word in class. Her name is... Georgia? No, Ginny. No, it's- oh, look!"
They all turned but Ricky. He didn't care for new people, in the nicest way possible.
"Okay, she looks cool," Jet said, his eyes growing.
"Cool?" EJ questioned. "She looks... powerful."
"She looks like a badass," Red added.
"I told you she was pretty. Ricky, thoughts?"
Ricky kept his eyes on his phone. "I don't think it's nice to stare at strangers."
Maddox tutted. "You're not seriously going to shut her out without even looking at her, right?"
"I don't need more friends, I have you guys."
"Just take a look," Jet said softly. "Maybe you'll change your mind."
He sighed, gave in and glanced up.
He was very grateful to be leaning against something that could keep him upright.
Georgia, Ginny, whoever this girl was, had this untouchable energy as she walked down the hall. She held her head up and walked with power, surprising for a new kid. She was, objectively, beautiful. Ricky would be the first to admit that, and gladly.
She glanced at him, once. Only for a second, but the moment lived on in his mind. The way their eyes met, the way she only looked at him, the way she turned away and kept walking like he'd had no affect on her.
He didn't believe in love at first sight, but he was a firm believer in whatever spell she'd just put him under.
"Oh no, she broke him," Maddox muttered.
Yeah, something like that.
EJ was driving. Whenever they decided to crowd into one car, it was his. A weird choice, considering he was a speeder at heart, but for once Ricky was grateful to be in the passenger seat. He didn't have to think about the roads as they drove to the annual East High campfire party.
He got to think about her.
Gina. Maddox had confirmed it at the end of the day. Apparently, she was quiet, but she didn't seem shy. In the class Jet shared with her, last period, she certainly wasn't afraid to shoot their snobby English teacher a few glares, and he recalled through laughter her muttering insults towards the old man.
Ricky liked her even more when he heard that.
He'd seen her in passing a few times over the week, only in the halls or the cafeteria, and once in the parking lot after school. It was hard not to look at her. She only ever looked at him once, but he cherished the moment. If that was all she ever did, he'd be okay.
Now, on their way up to the trees, he had his head in the clouds, compiling all the moments he had of her and letting his mind wander with them.
He doubted she'd be there tonight, at the campfire. It was a tradition led by high schoolers at the start and end of every year, a big party that dragged through the night. Every student at East High was invited, but that was something that remained unspoken. No one would've invited Gina.
He should've invited Gina.
Even though he doubted she'd show, she was still the first person he looked for when they reached the crowd. It was a hard task with nearly a hundred people sprawled across the forest clearing, drinking by the fire and perching up in trees.
"Time to let loose," EJ spoke up, appearing beside him and knocking a beer bottle to his chest. "Time to stop thinking about Gina for a couple of hours, at least."
Ricky sighed, then nodded, holding his drink up for a sip. "Yeah. Okay, no Gina. It's party time."
"That's the spirit! Let's go."
Ricky let EJ drag him to the fire, sitting him down with their friends. It was a nice hangout spot, it always had been, ever since they were kids. It was easy to forget everything else for a while up there, life reduced to nothing but heat and a repetitive view.
People moved around throughout the night, to get drinks or greet new people or get a look at something else. Ricky stayed put on the bench in front of the fire, burning as bright as it had been when they got there. It was easy to get lost in it. Sometimes it was nice to get lost for a while.
He didn't pay attention immediately to the figure that took a seat beside him, too entranced in his own thoughts following the swirl of the flames. It was only when he glanced at the shoes, Vans doodled with silly pictures and words, that it fell into place. He quickly shifted his eyes up to hers, and found she was looking at him first.
"There we go," she said softly. "I wondered how long it would take for you to notice me this time."
He'd never heard her voice before. It was smooth and low and sweet, and he was sure he felt his heart shake at the sound.
"So, stalker. Got a name?"
She took a sip of her drink. Her eyes never left his. It was new and terrifying and filled Ricky with a confidence he was all too familiar with.
"I'm Ricky. You think I'm stalking you?"
She shrugged. "I've noticed you're always around me, somehow. Always looking at me."
"Maybe you're just nice to look at."
She hummed, turning her head to the fire. He could see the corners of her mouth twitch upwards, noticed the way she tried to fight it.
"What are we all doing here?" She asked.
"We have a party here at the beginning of every year. The end, too, and some in between, but you need a special invite to those. There's not much to do around here, but the one thing we'll never say no to is a party."
"Right. How many special invites do you get, then?"
"What, do I seem like the popular type?"
She looked to him again. He'd missed her eyes.
"I think you're the type of person everyone just knows. You don't hide in the shadows."
He shrugged. "Most of the people here have lived here their whole lives, me included. It's hard to hide from people you've grown up with. I don't see any point in trying."
"What if you just got here, and knew you'd only be here a couple of months? Would you hide then?"
"Not from the right people."
She didn't look away like he figured she would. Her eyes were on him, scanning him. She was trying to figure him out.
"I'm the right people, by the way," Ricky said. Gina raised her eyebrows, then let out a laugh, standing. She looked down at Ricky's look of amusement, of adoration, and shook her head.
"I'm pretty sure you're the worst person I could choose, Ricky."
She strolled away, and his eyes followed until she disappeared into a crowd.
There's no way he'd let her go that easily.
While Ricky's intentions didn't perfectly align with his friends, they all agreed on one thing; they loved Gina.
She just didn't get that yet.
Maddox took the reigns, something about girl power bringing them together. Ricky wasn't sure it would be enough, but the girl had enough eagerness within her to give it a good go.
Gina was nice about it, sure. She was nice to Maddox. They weren't friends, by any means. It was a weak bond that didn't leave their History class.
Jet tried to kick-start something in English, and failed. Again, Gina was sweet, as sweet as anyone would be to a pestering stranger.
Red figured offering his mom's mediocre pizza would win her over. It probably made things worse, actually.
EJ tried to take her under his wing at lunch, scooping her up in the lunch line and directing them to their table. He tried it everyday for a week, and everyday, she'd politely decline, sip her drink, and stroll out of the hall.
It was obvious that there was one specific problem she was facing. She definitely liked Maddox, and tolerated Jet. She wouldn't deny that EJ was welcoming and Red was... eager.
Ricky could feel the wall she'd built between them. He knew she wasn't scared of her, Gina Porter wasn't the type to be scared of anyone. She was scared of something, though, something about him.
He didn't want to scare her. More than anything, he just wanted her to have a friend, even if it wasn't him.
"Mads, we gotta talk."
She hummed, glancing up at Ricky from her locker before looking away again. "I have to get to class, but-"
"Let's go, then."
Ricky hooked his arm around hers, ignoring her eye roll as he dragged her away.
"If you're about to ask me something stupid-"
"How are things with you and Gina?"
She quietened, looking up at him again and slowing her pace. "They're... okay. She still doesn't say much, but I don't think she hates me. I still don't think she's interested in you, though."
He shook his head. "It's not about me, just- look, would you want to be her friend even if I wasn't interested?"
"Ricky, what-"
"Come on, help me out. Do you really want to be her friend, or are you doing it for me?"
She blinked, taking a second to figure him out and failing. "I want to be her friend. With or without you."
Thank God.
"Okay, good. So you'll keep trying with her?"
Will you tell me what this is about?"
She stopped, wrapping a hand around his wrist to halt him too. He bit at his cheek. Vulnerability was hardly Ricky's middle name. Maybe it was one of many things Gina was changing about him.
"I just want her to have a friend around here. You'd be a great friend to her, and I don't want to get in the way of that. I know she's avoiding me. So, can you do me one favor?"
She furrowed her brows, nodding.
"Be honest with her. Be her friend. Don't involve me in it. Hell, keep us apart if that's what works. Just don't let her be alone."
A smile grew on Maddox's face. "You care about her a lot."
"I just don't want her to hate this place while she's in it. I don't want to be the reason she hates it."
Her smile laced with pity as she nodded. "Okay. No more Ricky and Gina. It's Mads and Gina from now on. I've got it."
"Good. Thank you."
She patted his cheek playfully. "You're welcome. I will be telling the others how in love with her you are, though."
"Okay, I-"
"Yeah, we can do that later. I've got a new friend to find."
With a squeeze of his hand and one kind glance back, she headed into her classroom. He caught a glimpse of Gina as the door closed between them, and forced himself to face the fact that he had to stop looking at her now.
He'd make her happy, even if he couldn't be a part of it.
In freshman year, Ricky and his friends snuck up to the campfire, a week after their first East High party. They stayed until the sunrise, then dragged themselves home before their parents would notice they were missing. It took them three hours to light the fire, and they were fighting sleep on the walk back through the trees, but it was easily the best night of their lives. From then on, it was a pretty regular routine. So regular in fact that everyone at East High accepted that they were simply one of the groups that claimed the spot.
It was a silly thing really, the exclusivity of it all. It was an unspoken rule that only some people had the privilege of spending time there. Ricky and his friends were lucky enough to have that privilege somehow.
There was no chance of the new girl earning that privilege.
Until Maddox.
The pair were officially friends. Gina never spoke to the rest of them, they hardly saw her, but Maddox would talk to them about Gina like they'd known each other their whole lives.
Gina wasn't alone. That was all Ricky had wanted.
He couldn't pretend the urge to look at her had left him, though. He succeeded some days in averting his gaze, but failed most others. There'd only been three times in the past month where she looked back.
The third time, she smiled. Barely, but she did.
Then the unthinkable happened.
"Is there room for one more at the campfire this weekend?" Maddox wondered, joining the group and leaning against the lockers.
Jet lifted his head, turning to her. "Woah, Gina said yes?"
Ricky whipped his head so hard it hurt a little. "Gina's coming?"
"I didn't expect it either," Maddox said. "She said she'd think about it, and I assumed that meant she wouldn't come, but today she said yes. So you have to let her come."
Somehow, Ricky's first thought was to decline. Gina couldn't come. He couldn't spend his whole night trying to keep away.
But it was Gina. He couldn't say no to Gina.
So they all agreed, and on Saturday evening, they drove up to the campfire in their own cars. Ricky took several wrong turns, just to give himself some more time to prepare.
He genuinely thought he'd started to move on from this stupid little crush. Now, at the thought of facing her, he was back to square one, with a rapid heartbeat and a sickly feeling in his stomach.
It was fine. He'd be fine.
He was not fine.
Gina hadn't spoken to him. He hadn't expected she would, but he couldn't deny that he was a little jealous of the way she grew more confident with the rest of his friends, beginning to match their energy as the sun set over them.
Okay, he was very jealous.
But he knew not to cross any lines she'd put in place. She was avoiding him for a reason, a reason he didn't want to press on.
He found the slightest relief in her joy, in her grateful smiles as Red handed out pizza, her laughter as Jet and Maddox's bickering, her cheers as EJ lit the campfire and toasted marshmallows to perfection.
She didn't look at Ricky. But she was happy.
The energy of the group rose as they ate, peaked as they partied around the campfire, and relaxed as the flames died down, late into the night. When they were younger, they fought their sleep, trying to make the most of every second they had before it got to sneaking back into their bedrooms. Now, they fell to sleep one by one, first Jet in Red's car, Red following soon after. Then EJ, totally blacked out on one of the benches.
Ricky didn't want Maddox to leave. She was half asleep on Gina's shoulder, forcing her eyes to keep on the glowing logs. Gina was still wide awake, watching the same glow with a look of peace. Ricky held onto her tranquility. It was a rarity, he felt.
Gina whispered something to Maddox, who had nearly passed out a few times by then. Maddox's mumbles were nearly incoherent, but Ricky could piece it together when she stood, wishing the two goodnight before dragging herself to her car.
Ricky didn't dare to speak.
"How did you meet Maddox?"
She didn't look at him, even if his stare in her direction was painfully obvious. He wondered if she could hear his heart over the quiet crackle between them, feel the sudden heat that blushed his skin.
"Her and Jet moved here when we were freshmen, she crashed into me with her skateboard, and the rest is history."
Gina cracked a smile, and he caught it before she could wipe it away.
"You act like you've known each other forever. She told me most of you practically have, but she seems to fit in with the rest of you perfectly. Jet too. It's hard to imagine you all apart."
It felt stupid to believe there was something more she had to say, but he could see it, so clearly in her eyes. Something sad, envious, was clear on her face, even in the dim light. He was itching to get rid of it, to find the smile he'd seen countless times that night.
"Can I take you somewhere?"
She finally looked at him, at his hopeful face as he waited for her to decline.
"Only if you promise not to kidnap me."
He laughed, not too loud as not to wake EJ. Gina smiled, and kept it there. Ricky's heart skipped a beat or two, and then a few more as she stood with him, strolled beside him in silence.
They headed through the trees, away from the glow of the clearing and into darkness.
"No one knows how it got there," Ricky explained quietly.
Gina's arm brushed against his. He took a breath, kept his eyes ahead.
"It showed up at the beginning of sophomore year, I think," he continued.
She was looking at him. He could feel her gaze, hot on his cheek. He kept his eyes on the path.
"Not a lot of people know about it. People don't usually head to this part of the forest."
"But you do?"
He shrugged. "Sometimes it's nice to escape for a while."
She hummed, and he could swear, just for a second, that her finger looped around his. "I get that feeling."
They walked the last few minutes quietly, only sharing the sound of crunching leaves and a light breeze. It was obvious when she saw the treehouse, pausing for a second and shooting her eyes upwards.
"Wow," she mumbled. "I've never been in a treehouse."
"Well, Gina Porter, today is your lucky day."
She smiled, really smiled, right at him. His grin in return was involuntary, but something he'd never try to fight. When he risked reaching out his hand, he didn't fear the rejection. When she wrapped her hand in his and pulled him ahead, he wondered if his smile would ever fall from his face.
Gina climbed ahead of him, reaching the house at a record speed. She beamed down at him, watching as he climbed, and it felt like they were little kids, like they'd known each other forever.
Ricky had never been willing to share this place with anyone. It felt like the most natural thing to reach the top with her.
"It's a pretty view," she mumbled, dangling her legs over the edge of the platform. "I see why you like it here."
"There's something weirdly peaceful about being up high, away from everything," Ricky responded, eyes only on her. She was a much better view than the silhouette of a town he knew inside out.
"It's nice to feel bigger than it all for once."
He hummed, leaning back on his hands. "You don't like feeling small, then?"
"You do?"
"There's comfort in fitting in somewhere. I'm just one guy living in an infinite universe, and yet I found my place. Billions of people in this world, and we all have a place that's ours, somehow. We're all insignificant and tiny, but we fit."
She shook her head slowly. "I don't think everyone has a place. Some people don't belong anywhere. They just float."
"Maybe they just haven't found their place yet."
With a quiet sigh, she laid flat, looking up at the sky. "I'm glad you found your place in the world. I'm happy for all of you guys. You fit nicely together."
"You fit with us too."
She shook her head quickly. "No I don't."
"You do. It's hard to imagine coming here without you now. I know you felt comfortable, I could tell."
"Maybe I was faking it."
He shook his head, even if her eyes were somewhere else. "You weren't faking it."
"How are you so sure?"
"Because it feels like I know you inside out. It feels like you've always been here."
She pressed her lips together, closing her eyes for just a moment before letting them reflect the stars again. "I haven't been here forever. I won't stay here forever."
"You're here now. You fit in here, even if it's temporary."
Finally, she looked at him. "We can't be around each other, Ricky."
"Why?"
She scanned his face with sad eyes, like she was searching for something, figuring something out.
"No one looks at me the way you do," she whispered. "I can't give into it when I know I can't stay."
"Gina-"
"You're great, Ricky." She took his hand and he held his breath, tightening his fingers around hers until they perfectly aligned. "Trust me, there's nothing I want to do more than spend time with you."
"So-"
"I haven't spent more than six months in one place since I was ten. I won't be here for Christmas. It'll be a miracle if I'm here for Thanksgiving. I've already broken my own heart making friends with Maddox, I don't know why I ever did it. It already hurts, the thought of saying goodbye. I can't even imagine what saying goodbye to you would feel like."
Ricky stared right at her. She scoffed, shaking her head like it would push out her thoughts.
"It's ridiculous to say, I know. We've only had one conversation, I try my hardest not to even look at you, but... well, maybe you're right, about it feeling like we've known each other forever. The more I think about you, the stronger that feeling gets. If I know it'll hurt now, what will it be like if I let myself hold onto you?"
Ricky squeezed her hand, then shuffled closer, looking down at her and waiting until she met his eyes.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to be the one to hurt you. I'm not going to ask anything from you."
She kept her eyes on his a moment longer, then groaned softly and covered her eyes with her free hand. "See? This is why I can't be around you."
"I just want you to be happy-"
"Stop. Stop caring about me. I'm supposed to come and go. I'm not supposed to be holding your hand in a fucking treehouse in the middle of the night. God, what am I doing?"
She sat up, and Ricky's grip tightened instinctively.
"Don't go."
Slowly, she looked back, reluctantly meeting his eyes. "I won't give you what you want. You can't let me be selfish."
It was a terrible idea, a potentially catastrophic leap of faith, but she hadn't rejected him so far. Perhaps she wouldn't start now.
"Be selfish tonight. Just for tonight, and then we'll ignore each other until you leave. Tonight, we're just two insignificant people in a treehouse, fitting together. Just us. Just tonight."
She was silent, face straight, eyes firmly on his. Slowly, she shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to forget you."
"I think we're too late to forget each other."
He was right and she knew it. His words hovered like a fog between them. In the blinded moment, though, he paid close attention to the weight of her hand in his, the feeling of their empty hands finding each other.
"Okay. For the next few hours, we're friends."
He grew a smile, tilting his head a little. "Just friends?"
She rolled her eyes, smiling too, and Ricky felt his heart break out of his ribcage.
"You're impossible."
"I'm just wondering! We've gotta make the rules of this clear, Gina. This is very important."
Slowly, she leaned closer, and Ricky failed to style out his deep intake of breath.
He wasn't used to seeing her so close, admiring every inch of her beauty. Even in the low light, he could make out every golden fleck in her eye, every little freckle on her cheeks. His eyes could trace every perfection, and it left him hypnotised, weak under her power.
Though, he always had been.
"Ricky."
He watched his name leave her mouth with a breath, felt it on his skin.
"Just for tonight," he whispered.
"Just for tonight," she echoed, and then she was closing the gap, kissing him gently. Her hands left his, only to cup his cheeks and hold him closer. Ricky let his arms wrap around her, finally, and took her in, whatever way he could. The clock was ticking in the back of his mind, but it didn't taunt him like he thought it would. He wasn't worried.
Time would run out, but he had this, now, and it would never leave him.
They spent hours talking about everything and nothing, curled up under the stars. Gina drew them onto his chest, he drew them onto her back, and they stuck like tattoos. The feeling of her hand, light on his body, was nothing but unforgettable. Even when the sun rose and the stars faded into light, hers stayed, burned into his skin.
Maybe he'd have to learn to ignore her from now on, but she'd never leave him, not completely. Ignoring wasn't forgetting, and there wasn't a chance he could forget Gina Porter.
She stopped to kiss him once on the way back, and he could feel her taking him in, just the way he always did. It was a strange feeling, to feel something perfectly requited, yet completely unattainable.
As they neared the campsite, her hand dropped his. She neatened her braids, took a breath, and tilted her chin up, the way she did when she walked through the halls, with a painless face and a wall around her.
He missed her as she walked ahead, watched her as she slid into Maddox's car. He sat on the ground, in front of the cold, black logs, and held onto the stars etched into his heart.
"Good night?" EJ mumbled, laying on his side on one of the benches. Ricky looked over, then sighed, nodding slowly.
"The best I've ever had."
EJ watched him for a moment, face blank. "We're never going to see her again, are we?"
Ricky shook his head, and said nothing more. There was nothing else to say.
Gina was missing on Monday, and on Tuesday, Maddox confirmed she was leaving. In twenty four hours, her house would be empty, and she'd be on a plane to somewhere else, somewhere he'd never know.
On Wednesday, Maddox didn't show either. Jet said she was helping Gina with the last of the packing, and saying goodbye. Ricky wasn't jealous. He didn't want to say goodbye.
"Did everything go okay with Gina?" Red asked Maddox on Thursday. Ricky was trying to tune them out, but that was impossible at the sound of her name.
"Uh, yeah, it was fine. As fine as it could be."
He could tell Maddox hadn't been doing too well with it either. She'd been totally miserable the whole week, keeping quiet and disappearing for hours at a time. Jet told them she was okay. Ricky preferred to distract himself with worry for her.
But, surprisingly, Maddox was a really good actor. She was fine, totally fine, perfect even, and he saw the moment she dropped the act, come Friday. He watched her sad eyes widen, her frown morphing into a grin as she looked over his shoulder.
"I have good news and bad news. What first?"
Ricky's heart dropped to his stomach. Maddox smirked, then stepped away, strolling down the hall. The others followed, only glancing back to grin.
He wasn't ready to face her. He wasn't ready to believe this.
He looked to her anyway. Never did he think he'd see her again, but there was Gina Porter, right in front of him, wearing the biggest smile he'd ever seen.
"Bad news," he whispered. She nodded, taking one step forward.
"I had to tell Mads about the treehouse. It's not your little secret anymore."
"And the good news?"
Another step. "Well, it's good news for me, bad news for you. You know the spare room at her house, the room you claim as your own?"
He nodded, much too distracted by the closing gap between them.
"You lost it. It's mine now."
Hers.
"You're staying."
She nodded. "I'm staying, right up to graduation."
The whole year. She was staying. She was getting closer.
"So, Ricky, I have to ask you something."
She was close now, like the way she was in the treehouse, the was she was before she kissed him.
"Do you think we should keep what we had that night?"
She was staying. She could be with him. He could hold her and kiss her and love her and never have to worry about her leaving. They could be together, no distance. It didn't end at the treehouse. That was only the beginning.
"I don't know," he teased, arms finding her waist and pulling her in the rest of the way. "What if kissing you isn't the same down here?"
Her eyes glowed, her smile beamed, and Ricky was sure she could feel his heart beating against hers. He hoped she knew what she did to him. Though, maybe that had always been obvious.
"I guess you have to kiss me now to find out," she said softly.
His grin got in the way as he pressed his lips to hers, but he didn't care. Clearly, neither did she, giggles tickling his skin as she pulled him in for another and another.
"You're really staying," he whispered, feeling the warmth of her blush against his own, the light brush of her lips as he spoke.
"I'm really staying," she repeated. "So, one more thing, before I give you back to your friends-"
"Our friends."
She smiled, grinned, and let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, our friends."
He tilted his head, finding his eyes and holding a smirk on his face. "Go on. Ask me. I know you've been dying to."
Knowing her the way he did, he knew she'd want the last word, knew she'd want to throw it right back onto him, that he'd fallen first and much, much harder.
She stepped back, smirked, and when his hands dropped from her waist she held out her own hand to him.
"Hi, I'm Gina Porter."
He stared at her for a moment, then down at her hand. He took it, met her eyes, and shook gently.
"Nice to meet you, Gina Porter."
She raised her eyebrows, stepped closer again. "And you are..?"
He pulled her in the rest of the way, arms around her waist again, back where they belonged. "You're gonna have to ask me on a date first."
Her hands rested on his neck, fingers looping the curls at the bottom of his head. "Ricky Bowen, my favorite stalker. Will you please-"
"Yes, can I kiss you again?"
With a bright laugh, she nodded and let him kiss her once more, their hearts beating perfectly in time.