If they only knew

by emxpheral

Ricky Bowen never really bought into the whole soulmate thing (except he did) but life got in the way and now he's sort of pretending to date new (totally not intimidating) girl Gina Porter to win back the one and only Nini Salazar Roberts. Not a single thing could go wrong. or The one where Ricky and Gina aren't so good at the whole soulmate thing and they fake date.

5. iv Drive

The Porter Residence
October 1st 2019
11:02pm

What the fuck did I just do? Gina stares at her phone blankly thinking about what the hell she just got herself into. Fuck I hope he didn't hear that, she thinks as she paces back and forth on her light pink fluffy carpet. Gina finds that she has to be much more careful with her thoughts now that she...suspects who her soulmate could be. Maybe what Nini said was right, maybe soul marks do come when soulmates are in each others proximity, maybe her soulmark came because she was coming here. Because of that fateful night in June. When her mom had only told her hours prior that they would be moving again. But then she remembers.

Nini, the girl Ricky was doing all of this for. Gina shakes her head at the will of the universe always coming through. The Porter curse just doesn't let up does it? All of this is just...impossible. As she makes her way back to her bed her mind drifts again this time to the unavoidable: the real reason she's doing all this.

It's the tiny voice in her head, the one that pesters her conscious and sounds oddly like her father that tells her this could give her everything she never knew she needed even with the risk of leaving for the billionth time. Even with the risk of getting hurt. For some reason she can't let this go and she has to know for sure. So Gina thinks about how she said yes to Ricky a mere few hours ago and suddenly that part of her self that she swore died with her father, that reminded her of the idea of soulmates just lurched at the thought. Taking her favorite purple plushie and smushing it against her face, Gina screams.

xxx

xxx

East High School
October 4th 2019
9:50am

According to Ricky Bowen everything should be going according to plan (a rare occurrence for him). Only a mere few days ago Gina had accepted his proposal at being his fake girlfriend and everything was going smoothly. Well as smoothly as it can go when your fake girlfriend doesn't really talk to you and you wanna talk to her but don't wanna make things awkward.

Well more awkward then they already are because you also don't wanna talk to her since you don't really know her all that well and just asked her to be your fake girlfriend out of no where. Ricky felt a headache coming on at the thought of him and Gina doing this awkward dance around one another at rehearsals. The hesitance to approach one another when they exchange glances in the hallway and don't know whether to talk each other or go about their day.

So he (maturely) decides its all gonna stop today. Ricky's locker snaps shut with a resounding thud as he turns and looks across to her figure standing in front of her own locker. A swarm of red and white surround her yet she stands out in her dark blue dress. Her hair looks different. Ricky notes, instead of the usual mass neatly coiled curls its a long dark brown cascade of soft waves flowing past her shoulders. He clears his throat and decidedly takes a step forward to meet her when suddenly two very friendly red-heads step in his way. Ashlyn pointedly shoves Ricky. Okay maybe not so friendly.

"Oww!" Ricky exclaims, rubbing the spot on his bicep where he was suddenly attacked so early in the morning.

"Hey skater boy didn't you hear us calling you?" Ashlyn asks as she rolls her eyes at her best friends antics.

"What? You were calling me? I didn't hear you" Ricky says, releasing a rushed breath. He sneaks a glance over Big Red at Gina rearranging books in her locker and hopes she doesn't leave too soon.

"I knew we were gonna have to get you that hearing aid." Big Red states, shaking his head and Ashlyn snorts.

"Dude for the last time, we were high. I just wasn't paying attention. That infomercial would've scammed us, I'm sure of it." Ricky presses as he shifts his focus back to his best friend. Thinking back to that one time in Red's basement when he'd been spilling his guts but Ricky hadn't heard a word because he was faded as shit, too caught up in his own thoughts about their class pet turtle named Emma that died in the third grade. Big Red had proceeded to turn his attention to the TV that was showcasing a variety of prime hearing aids for only 59.99. It took an only semi-high Ashlyn half the night to convince both of them actually purchasing one was an obvious mistake when they could just get an easy bake oven instead. It was a weird night.

"So what were you paying so much attention to?" Ashlyn pointedly questions, while Ricky spares another look at Gina, this one not so subtle. It doesn't go unnoticed.

"What?" Ricky says while still feeling the pressure of time on his shoulders, Gina could slip away at any given moment and he would have to elongate this perpetual state of awkwardness between them for at least another couple of days. and that can't happen.

"Or who?" Big Red's eyes are already focused on the newly found object of the conversation, while Ashlyn squints in confusion.

"Look I'll catch you guys later." Ricky responds fast, his eyes widen a bit as he catches their confused glances; he shuffles through them and hurriedly makes his way to Gina.

"Wait we still need to talk-"about what happened with your parents, Big Red calls out to him interrupted by his quick movements. Red sighs, as the pair watch him go.

"Since when do they talk?" Ashlyn notes both bemused and slightly puzzled. What Ricky was doing and what he was saying just didn't make any sense. One minute he's talking about how he's staying in the play for Nini but how some other girl got him to stay, and now he's really staying because of the friends he made in the play and now Ashlyn has a headache. She squints, looking to Ricky hurriedly making his way through the crowd to get to Gina. Could she be the girl he got advice from? Trying to keep up with Ricky Bowen's thought process was hard.

"I don't know" Now it's Red's turn to squint questioningly. His brain clocks Ricky's weird tweets he's been posting on his private account lately, as he looks to the unexpected pair and his mind notes the possibility of something more happening beneath the surface.

"Hey Gina." Ricky says to a nearly startled Gina, the weight of his body lerches him forward with the combination of momentum of his fast pace and his sudden stop. It's only when she turns and Ricky's senses are taken with the unlikely combination of coconut and lilac?and her hair nearly whips him in the face, does he note the new found proximity between them. Their eyes find one another immediately and it's like they mirror each other with their movements, because lips part and eyes slightly widen. Only Ricky takes a step back nearly the instant it happens. Leaving no time for shoulders to lightly flare a familiar heat or for composures to be reset.

All we do is drive
All we do is think about the feelings that we hide
All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign

"Oh Hey." Gina greets, as she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding in.

There's a silence that settles between them. A tension that encapsulates the space, that's been following them both since the start of their "fake dating" almost as if it was waiting for one of them to crack first. Naturally, it was Ricky.

"Homecoming is happening tonight." He hears himself blurt rather ungracefully. Ricky's hands fidget, nearing his pockets to look any semblance of controlled. smooth Bowen. The plan was simple. Ricky would ask Gina to homecoming, she would hopefully say yes and not kill him (she can be kinda scary), Nini would be there, jealousy and pining ensues. Nini would confront him and he would finally prove she's not as over him as she thinks she is. Simple.

"Yeah I heard about that. I've never been to a homecoming dance before. Or many dances to be honest." Gina admits, clutching her books for her next class to her chest. or one, she thinks to herself. Instead she had endless nights watching awful action movies cuddled up on the couch with her mom, Gina had convinced herself she wasn't missing anything. For the most part she really didn't think she was.

"Seriously?" Ricky looks to her curiously, a new found feeling of guilt bubbles in his stomach. Suddenly she doesn't look so scary in this light. He crosses his arms and leans on the locker next to hers. huh...maybe asking isn't the best way to go, his thoughts reflecting his doubt.

"Well, yeah." She responds, shrugging her book bag back on her shoulder. Moving a million times over the course of your life can make you miss out on a few things, the teen thinks slightly bitter. Slightly.

"Well would you maybe want to go to the homecoming dance tonight?" the words tumble out of his mouth before he can speak otherwise. His eyes momentarily shut and Ricky lets out a quick sigh at the quickness of his words.She's never been to a homecoming dance before you asshole, don't have THIS be her FIRST. Ricky's ready to take it all back when she interjects.

"Umm I figured I probably have to. With you that is. Being your fake girlfriend and all." Gina replies, whispering the last part with a soft squinted glare. "Just didn't know if we were ever gonna get to talk about that." she continues, approaching the subject with caution.

"Right sorry about that it's just been a weird week especially with..." Ricky trails off, avoiding her eyes.

Avoiding, avoiding , avoiding; it's been like that all week and it'll continue to be like that till someone breaks. Again. This time it's Gina.

Screw caution.

"Okay look I know this whole fake dating thing is awkward but we can't stay in this weird dance for ever, because for one thing I don't do weird dances, I do flawless ones. And another, no one would believe we're a couple."

Ricky sighs, she's right. They needed to get started and soon. He already somewhat put the plan in action by being coy with Red and Ash about "a girl" but it was gonna take more than that to get Nini to think they're together. "You're right and you should say it." Gina snorts at his response while closing her locker.

"I think we should come up with some rules. If we follow them it might make them easier for us to know what to do around each other and stuff." The brunette proposes.

"Rules?" Ricky questions. This plan was shaping up to be not as simple as he thought for more reasons than one if he was being honest (which he hasn't been as of late). For one thing he's lying to literally everyone to get this plan to work and for another he's robbing Gina of her first real homecoming experience.

"Well more like guidelines, like what Lara Jean and Peter did." Gina explains, interrupting his train of thought.

"Who?" His brows furrow in further confusion.

No...not you, Gina thinks to herself in half-disbelief. "From to all the boys I've loved before?" She asks incredulously, Ricky shakes his head. A small half smile forms on his face as Gina tries to passionately explain how they're the inventors of the fake dating trope.

"Anyway we'll have watching the movie be one of the rules because duh." Gina states with a tone of finality.

"Okay if we're on the topic of movies I propose a movie rule of my own. It's only fair." Ricky says only half teasingly, leaning forward with his arms still crossed.

"Okay what movie?" Gina curiously asks, subconsciously mirroring his arms by crossing her own. Peter made Lara Jean watch Fight Club and she made him watch sixteen candles, Ricky was right, it was only fair. The only differentiation between the two pairings being Ricky and Gina haven't known each other since they were kids (unless this whole soulmate theory is right, which is crazy) and that absolutely no one in this scenario was gonna fall in love. Like at all. Gina doesn't know why her mind focuses on the parallel so much.

"Scott pilgrim vs. the world. Have you seen it?" Ricky softly asks, eyes hopeful.

"Nope but I've heard of it at least. Not a bad choice, Bowen." Gina answers teasingly calling him by his last name. She doesn't know why she's gotten so comfortable with someone she's known for such a limited amount of time, Is this not our second time talking in person?! Gina thinks to herself nearly never happens this easily but Ricky seems different. It's like she can't help but be comfortable with him and it ironically sets her nerves (and defenses at some points) all the way up.

"Don't think I didn't catch the shade you just subtly threw, but uh thanks Porter." Gina lightly chuckles at his response and he can't help but smile at the clear sound bringing this warmth to his stomach he hasn't felt in years. It makes him feel a little breathless and it makes everything around Gina kinda blur and it's just her.

"We uh can talk about rules and stuff later that doesn't matter right now because you've never been to a homecoming dance. THE high school rite of passage, if anything we have to go ironically to make fun of everything." Ricky rambles looking toward his shoes, anything but Gina Porter.

"Well now look at that, I actually want to go. And look if you're worried about ruining the experience or anything like that don't. We're going to get your girlfriend back and while I hate to admit it...I'm doing this whole thing partly to make f-fri-frien- I can't even say it." Gina says pretending to gag.

Ricky can't help but let out a laugh and the sound sits in Gina's head for longer than she'd like to admit, warmth bubbles in her stomach for a minute. He's stunned that she's able to guess the reason for his hesitance about the whole situation, how did she know that?

He feels a swarm of different emotions hit, among them being an absolution of guilt (partly) for the plan, warmth that hasn't left him since he heard her laugh and a growing curiosity. "What's the other reason?" Questions dart around his head but that one sticks out the most, he settles himself and finds the courage to look her in the eye.

Gina stiffens at the question and the eye contact, her mind automatically answers. Because I think your my soulmate and my dead dad would want me to talk to you and finally make friends. She's hesitant to answer and just as she's about to the first bell signaling second period rings loudly but nothing beats the rampant sounds of Gina's heart the minute it dropped when Ricky asked the question. She braves a smile and instead asks him a question, "Walk me to class?"

"Uh sure. Should we make this a rule?" Ricky asks, half-teasing, half-serious. He wants to be around her all of a sudden and doesn't really get why things were so weird with her in the first place. Then he remembers the skatepark. The warmth he felt in his stomach not even two minutes ago, his shoulder flaring a heat he hadn't felt since that summer day; since he broke up with Nini. Nini, his normalcy, his comfort, all other thoughts solidifying what he feels for her and his parents marriage is back at a forefront. Ricky grips his book bag a little tighter and looks ahead while Gina smiles beside him.

"We could even hold hands too? To make it believable?" Ricky blames the spew of his thoughts purely on the fact that she smiled and that he just had to look at her. Dumbass, he thinks to himself.

"Maybe, eventually." Gina replies, starting their walk toward her class (the closest) trying her damnest not to look so surprised, I mean he's your fake boyfriend, of course your gonna have to h*ld h*nds.

"Yeah you're right, now might be too soon." Ricky nods, looking forward as they walk to her class. Gina visibly agrees by nodding along for the sake of subtly being a quality in their relationship, because that'll make it come off as real right? Gina certainly doesn't oppose to it now because she'll probably combust if she holds his hand. Definitely not.

xxx

xxx

It takes Kourtney a minute to realize what she's seeing before she see's it. The sight being a softly smiling Ricky leaning into a wildly gesturing Gina that turns to mirror his position, arms crossed against the lockers. This of course means it takes Nini a millisecond to see the sight before her, only because she's in shock at the unprecedented onslaught of flirty banter from "Rina" as Carlos now dubbed them. Kourtney blocks Nini's view with a quickness and snatches the phone from the smaller girl.

"Kourt!" Nini nearly yells.

"Nope no, I see that face I know what's coming. You are not gonna start spiraling over things you don't know." Kourtney pointedly tells her, holding the device above her away from Nini's reach.

"Things I don't know? Do you have eyes Kourt?" the shorter brunette answered incredulously. "With that yellow heart he commented he basically just proposed to her on instagram for the world to see." Nini continued, her face scrunched.

Kourtney gave her that mom stare that she always gave her, that told her to watch her tone. Nini always apologetically smiled when her best friend made that face. This time she cringed partly because she realized how much of a hypocrite she sounded and the other because she had seen the view Kourt was trying so hard to hide from her this time not on her screen but on the other side of the hall, in close proximity to one another.

Nini quickly averts her gaze so Kourt doesn't notice her watching, but she does because Kourtney always does and she lets out a deep sigh as she hands Nini back her phone.

"Do you think they know?" Nini subtly whispers, avoiding her best friends empathetic eyes.

"Nini for the last time we don't know that they're soulmates." Kourtney says, with a tone of finality to her voice. Her point bounces around in Nini's head because the sound of her locker closing emphasizes it and suddenly they're on their way to their AP U.S history class.

"Are you kidding me? I thought you said this was making more sense. I mean look at the evidence. Also the fact that they're talking more now?" Nini presses as Kourtney keeps a fast pace ahead of her, I'm not getting another tardy for this mess, Kourtney thinks as her best friend continues to rant about the presumed 'soulmates'.

"Okay I did say that and things do add up but that doesn't make it any of our damn business Nini!" She exclaims as Nini catches up to her fast pace walk to class, nearly out of breath she fixes her another look. Man Gym class is really not helping he out, The short brunette girl thinks to herself while she get's ready to argue in her defense but before she can Kourtney throws her another question.

"Look what's really bothering you about this whole thing?" Kourtney finally asks. After weeks of beating around the bush at the subject, the subject being Nini's almost freaky FBI skills when it came to figuring out Ricky's soulmate situation (that has yet to be confirmed), the way Nini's eyes would hone in on Ricky looking at Gina from across the room at rehearsals (looking almost afraid to approach her? but that's besides the point), at the lowkey pining looks that Ricky's too oblivious to notice because apparently someone else caught his eye.

"I-I don't know Kourt."

"Yes you do. You want him back don't you? Girl we cannot go through the mess that was July over again I'm telling y-"

"I know. It's just..I think I still like him...I don't know what's going on or what I want" Nini exasperatedly explains, suddenly stopping their tread to class, sighing out her frustrations. "I hung out with Ashlyn the other day and she mentioned writing her own music and the feeling of control that I came with that. I just wish I could find it but I feel like it escapes me sometimes." Nini admits, students crowding around them lessen and loud idle chatter is drowned out a bit when the first bell rings.

"You think writing some of your own songs is gonna help with that? Alone?" Kourtney asks, subtly nodding her head toward the door of their class ahead of them.

"Yeah. Just me being in my own space writing about anything but boys. I think I need it." Nini admits, nodding her head along with the words as they both take their seats near the window. Yeah I do, she thinks to herself settling in her seat. The stress of rehearsals, trying her best to earn her role and feel comfortable in it along with figuring out the identity of who you thought was eventually gonna be your soulmate's actual soulmate was, can turn out to be quite a lot to handle. Kourtney smiles at her friends self awareness, now look at growth, she thinks to herself. Though Kourtney's smile starts to fade when she realizes what that means for her tonight.

"So just fuck homecoming I guess." Kourtney teasingly says with a light chuckle. Nini can hear the soft tone of disappointment in her voice in an instant and Nini's hand is on her arm right then.

"Hey Kourt you should still go." Just because she wasn't going doesn't mean she didn't want her best friend to have a good time, Kourtney deserved it. Dealing with my insane 2am rants, yeah Kourt deserves the world, Nini thinks softly smiling to her friend.

"You sure you wanna be alone?" Kourtney asks looking to her skeptically while Ms. Wagner tries to settle the class in when the second bell rings.

She's not. Nini never really wants to be alone.

But she wants Kourt to have a good time at the dance and she may not want it but she needs this time for herself. So she reel's in all her acting prowess she's had to use for the musical and plasters a smile, "Yes I'm sure and do yourself a favor let your sister pick out some stuff for you please. She's not here for long she just wants to spend time with you."

And like clockwork Kourtney's eyes roll at the mention of her older sister, Nini has to stifle a laugh at her expression change.

"I'm sure Kiara would love that!" Kourtney practically sings with a false sickeningly sweet tone.

"Kourtney.." Nini warns with a warm glare. Most times Kourtney could definitely be described as the mom in this friendship but some times when her older sister, Kiara (who goes to FIT, The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, because she has to beat her at everything) is brought into the picture or when she procrastinates, the roles switch. Perfectly balancing the other out since 6th grade that was Nini and Kourtney.

"Fine, fine I'll let the witch pick out an accessory and that's it." Kourtney sassily replies, turning to face forward so Ms. Wagner would get her undivided attention (only given when her and Nini weren't sending each other meme's or passing notes in class, they liked to keep things old school sometimes) as she started lecturing.

Nini lets the laugh slip a bit this time, Kourtney was just too funny sometimes. Ms. Wagner fixes her a look at the slight disruption from the start of her lecture, specifically raised eyebrow that threatens a detention she can't afford with rehearsals in full swing. When she looks away Kourtney can't help but look back at Nini and their stifled laughter nearly chokes them for five minutes. Both their lungs hurt as they quietly grasp for air and when Nini looks to her best friend again, composure reset and all, she could not be more grateful.

That's my best friend.

xxx

The Porter Residence
October 4th 2019
6:48pm

This isn't a good idea. This isn't a good idea. This isn't a good idea.

Ricky Bowen knows a thing or two about bad ideas. This homecoming plan he's cooked up is really not one of his best and everything will probably blow up in his face before anything even happens especially with his luck as of late. We couldn't even talk to each other until a few hours ago how the hell we gonna pull this off?

His fingers tap the wheel nervously, Ricky's eyes drift to the clock on the dash of Red's car. Looking to the key's in the ignition he thinks about ditching this whole plan for the billionth time today. Gina would probably be on board with it, He thinks to himself as his fidgeting stops. With his thoughts running rampant, it comes back to him again like the chorus of one of the hsm songs he's had to rehearse again and again these past few weeks.

This isn't a good-

The thought is interrupted when Gina steps outside and decides to unknowingly take his breath captive, something he didn't know she was capable off. His eyes don't leave her as he fiddles with the car door handle because apparently those things could be tricky when your hands felt as weak as your knees. When he finally gets (stumbles) out of the car, Gina stops and their eyes meet.

Neither know if the warmth that flares from their soul marks when ever they look at each other means something or if it will ever stop. Ricky wonders if his face is as red as his tie he had to wear so he could match her dress because the electricity held between their gazes travels like a live wire and it snaps when Ricky looks to his shoes and ask's if she's ready to go.

"Oh uh yeah, Let me just um let my mom know I'm leaving hang on."

He hears shuffling coming from inside as he composes himself, readjusting his tie and taking a deep breath. What the fuck was that?

The minor scuffling he hears when Gina comes out with her mom greets him with an onslaught of phrases consisting of "No mom it's really not necessary" along with "sweetie don't be ridiculous". They both make their way to the final steps, he stands by the freshly planted azalea's where the 'just sold' house sign used to be by the driveway. Ms. Porter holds a camera and an awkward smile while Gina seems to look anywhere but Ricky and purses her lips.

"Hi Ricky is it?" Ms. Porter greets holding out her hand.

By now Ricky's finally taken his gaze away from Gina, as impossible as it seemed to be, and shakes her mothers hand with a firm grip. "Hi Ms. Porter. uh yes its Ricky. Um Ricky B-Bowen." He manages to stutter out finally.

At the mention of his full name she fixes Gina a meaningful look, it's quick but he still notices the way her eyes now bounce between them before she comment's on his handshake, "Nice grip." Ms. Porter smiles again but this time it's more natural as she continues to look from Gina back to him. It sets him at ease and so he gives her one back. Gina takes real interest in the way her red high heeled shoes look in the now orange sun's glare.

"Would you mind if I got just a quick photo of you both before you go?" She asks bringing the camera up at a better angle to capture them both.

"Mom we have to leave soon I don-"

"Sure I don't mind a few pictures. It's actually still pretty early. I was thinking we'd get something to eat first?" Ricky lets out a small laugh, spots of red appear on his face while he slightly nervously scratches the back of his neck. Gina's eyes widen, she shifts more toward the side toward the car.

"Oh" Gina breathes out. Admittedly, she was used to being the one that came up with all the plans. The one that made the dust and was left when it settled and that was usually alone but now Ricky's literally beside her and she doesn't really know how to handle it because she's going to her first real dance and when he looks at her (sometimes) it makes her feel warm. It travels from that spot on her shoulder where the initials are right down to her toes and-

Oh my god is his hand on my waist?!

Gina lets out a deep breath, thoughts running rampant in her mind. She hope, prays, that if he is who she really thinks he is he can't hear her thoughts right now. Ricky looks to her profile almost as if he was checking if she was okay while his hand ever so lightly settled on her waist and they can't look each other in the eye. They still can't have the conversation about electricity, warmth that travels from marks, and anything else relatively close to what happens when they lock eyes and neither are ready to ask why either.

"It's her first dance, I figured I'd get as many as she'd let me." Ms. Porter nearly whispers the last part teasingly. It's enough to bring Gina back into the moment, she furrows her brows in annoyance and confusion. Since when does she have jokes? especially about this kinda thing? Normally it would be her father trying to get her out with friends, to dances, and birthday parties that were outside of the family because it was "healthy" but now ever since they moved here it was like her mom was taking on a different role and Gina's not sure if she likes it.

"Mom!" Gina exclaims in rebuttal.

Ricky chuckles and Gina shakes her head slightly, he hears the camera click a shot. "Oh Genevieve honey don't shake your head this time."

"Genevieve?" Ricky questions with an all too amused grin that Gina wants to smack off his face but also keep ingrained in her mind forever.

"Yeah that's my name please don't bother wearing it out."

This time he laughs and its more than a chuckle or stifled movement, its full and that warm feeling is back again. Blooming from a place deep within her, the expanses of her skin from the very start of that mark to the end of her toes, she feels his laugh and is all too caught up in the sound. The way a stray curl sort of falls in front to his forehead. All leading to his eyes, looking at her with mirth and new found interest like he wasn't expecting her to say what she did or be who she was.

The camera clicks again while the gaze holds and hums out an approving tune. "Yep that's the one."

Gina's breath hitches and Ricky stiffens next to her, his eyes nearing bugging out. She would be making fun of his reaction, if her mom hadn't completely lost her mind and just implied the first boy to ever take her to her first dance was "the one". Is she okay in the head? Gina questions to herself, mouth agape.

"Mom!" She calls to her again.

"What? It's the photo. It came out nice! I know you're not talking to me crazy." Ms. Porter responds innocently shrugging her shoulders, eyes narrowed at her daughters tone. Ricky breathes out what sounds like a sigh of relief combined with a short chuckle. Gina starts to count the seconds Ricky's hand leaves her side as he lightly shakes, looking down to his black shoes again.

"Well mom we're gonna head out." finally, Gina thinks that last part to herself not wanting to test her mothers patience with her tone.

"It was nice to meet you Ms. Porter." Ricky says, nodding to her and Gina's already got the passengers seat door open.

"You too Ricky. Hope to see you around more." answers with an elegant smile, Gina's hand freezes on the door handle while she fixes her mom an incredulous look. cut the cameras..deadass, The curly haired teen thinks to herself taken back by her mothers openness.

"I'll have her back by 11:30." Ricky replies, a small smile rests on his lips.

"I'll hold you to that young man." Mr. Porter teases with a final wave to them both, she settles on the steps and watches Ricky turn back to the car door. Gina decidedly ducks her way inside the orange car, and shrinks herself into the seat, disassociating herself from whatever parallel universe scenario was playing out outside of the car. She feels a little better when she hears Ricky put the keys in ignition and they pull out of her driveway, away from her mothers gaze.

Ricky's eyes shift from the road ahead to her profile and the cheeky grin that slowly grows on his face starts to grate on Gina's nerves, the feeling impossibly still alights this giddiness and she has to fight a smile because his smile might just be that infectious. Men really are a disease.

"What?" Gina finally questions, her face burning as he seemingly turns to her for the billionth time with the smile still plastered on his face he keeps his eyes on the road, thankfully.

"Nothing...Genevieve." Ricky says her name teasingly while he keeps his eyes trained on the road.

"Okay-" here it comes, Gina thinks to herself waiting for his onslaught of teases on the name. The night hasn't even really started and she's sick of him.

"Are you living a double life? Have you actually been Hannah Montana this entire time we've known each other?" Ricky asks, an eyebrow quirked. He's not gonna lie learning her real name threw him for a loop. He wasn't expecting Gina Porter, or Genevieve 'Gina' Porter to be so interesting yet here he is asking her questions about herself at a mile a minute and he doesn't really want to ask himself why.

"Which has been what? like 5 days" Gina has to interject at least to get him to catch his breath, she casts a look to his profile just to be sure he has as the questions keep coming.

"Are you a secret agent? Not gonna lie Red, might totally be into that." He asks like he didn't hear her, and his face spells a curious desire for whatever it is she has to say. It makes her want to throw up every vulnerability she's ever known right then and there. It's terrifying.

"My dad gave me that name... When he taught me how to write it out when I was little I always complained it took too long to write and that I wanted something shorter so we came up with Gina and yeah..." It's like a dam breaks. Yeah Gina at the first chance you get share your vulnerabilities with someone (that's in a car with you and has no choice but to listen) because you haven't done it in years and sure it might be used against you or blow up in your face but hey he might be your soulmate? The thoughts in her head pester at her and she wants to shrink back into the passengers seat again but something inside her doesn't let her.

Ricky notes the sadness that drips from her voice now as her eyes shift from the dash board to her deep red high heeled shoes, for some reason he feels like he has brace himself for what she's about to say.

"He died a couple years back." Gina admits, she whispers the words like their forbidden and she'd give anything to take them back.

"Oh...I'm sorry." He says it and means it. Gina knows after years of false smiles, pitting looks, and "Everything is gonna be okay's" when it's genuine, when it's real. When Ricky say's it, there's nothing but sincerity coated in his words. His hands curiously itch to take her freshly manicured palm and stroke the pain etched across her face away, so he grips the wheel tighter while the silence in the car settles.

Ricky chances another look at her before he hears the words come tumbling out of his mouth. "Your mom seems pretty cool" He says breaking the silence, she blinks.

Gina lets out a groan, "I'm so sorry about her. It's my first dance so that's why she was so...excited?" she says questioning the words as they even come out of her mouth.

"Which isn't like her?" Ricky asks keeping her questioning tone in mind, Ms. Porter seemed kinda dope.

"Not really. Being excited about this stuff, that was more my dad's thing." Gina says, looking out the window to the mundane salt lake city houses.

"Well I thought it was cute and for what it's worth I don't even think my mom knew I was going to this dance tonight or even cares. I haven't really talked to her in a while..." Ricky doesn't know why his entire life story nearly spills out of him but it does. Hi wow let's scare Gina off with our abandonment issues why don't we?

"Do you want to talk about it?" She broaches the subject like she's carrying a heavy vase, swerving every possible direction to maintain its balance just as she wants to keep the air in the car from being snuffed out by this conversation.

"Not really no." Ricky replies lowly, his eyes fixated on the minimal traffic ahead. The silence isn't exactly uncomfortable and right about now Gina wishes she was that person with the adept social skills her father pushed her to be. Sometimes she is, she can't help it her charm sort of just shines through. This is not one of those moments.

"Your mom seemed pretty normal about this whole thing to me." Ricky pointedly says, breaking the silence with a slightly teasing tone.

"You saw her, she was more excited about this than I was." Gina breathes, eyebrows scrunching at the observation.

"Wait so you're telling me you're not completely over the moon to be color coordinating with me?" Ricky gestures to his red tie and just like that the atmosphere changes it almost gives them both whiplash.

Mike Bowen was stubborn man, to put it simply it was difficult getting him to give his only son his lucky red tie but Ricky did it because tonight was important. Tonight his plan was gonna finally be put in action and Gina was going to her first dance. Everything is gonna be fine.Ricky thinks, his eyes shifting from the red light to Gina. The light bounces off the deep shade of velvet that is her dress and he has trouble remembering what he was going to say next.

Gina feels his eyes on her and even though the chill from the October air hadn't found its way inside the heated car since they stepped in, she slightly shivers. "That was a really last minute decision, I should've left your ass in the dust." she teases him, brushing off the feeling and it comes easily.

"But you didn't." Ricky nearly sings out in response.

"I didn't, and you know what Bowen we didn't do half bad." This time she's the one that lets her eyes wander his frame. His black suit rests in contrast to the deep shade of red from his tie and Gina decides the suit fits him well with the cheeky grin he wears at her response.

"You know Red's gonna be excited about this by the way. The fact that were color coordinating. His puns only get worse and worse whenever I wear red." Ricky replies, hoping his cheeks have regained their pale disposition.

"I can only imagine. You bring him up a lot...are you sure this whole thing isn't just to make him jealous? hmm?" Gina asks an eyebrow quirked. She's half teasing and she's half serious. Of course Gina knows that Nini is definitely the end all be all considering her place in this whole plan but she can't help but wonder about him. Ricky Bowen is a disastrous mystery that she has to decode. God help me.

"...much to think about." He slowly responds and Gina laughs.

Looking to her smile Ricky can't help but think about the endless nights playing video games with his best friend, pudding eating contests that would make their stomach's hurt and left Red scarred from ever looking at the tapioca pudding flavor, and pre-made lunches given to him by his mom, a snack always packed for the red haired boy that for a time made his heart stutter in his chest. Before the whole soulmate thing became a concept, before Ricky thought about anyone else there was Red. Not Minnie Mouse like he'd told Nini before he'd come out but his closest friend, the reason for his disastrous Bisexual awakening that thankfully his parents were very accepting towards later on. His dad being the most hesitant at first, but quickly catching on thanks to his mom. Twisting the knife further, making it all the more difficult to reconcile that his mom, one of the first people to accept him was the first to go.

Of course eight year old Ricky Bowen being the chaotic Bi mess he was could not keep this momentous secret from his best friend, so he told him. Red in return tells him about the butterflies in his stomach when they accidentally touch hands and how he doesn't know what it means and Ricky feels closer to him than anyone. But the sketch of a basketball that rests on Red's left upper thigh that he's had since he was four and Ricky meeting Nini changes things again. Feelings fade and fate wins but Red and Ricky remain the best of friends. Red constantly reminds Ricky that he's out of his league nearly everyday since then.

"He's way out of my league." He says looking back to the road with a fond smile.

"I agree." Gina hums, nodding.

Ricky hesitates in what to say next. He's been out as of two years ago and yeah its not something that's outwardly just sitting in all of his social media accounts so coming out over and over again is always a bit of an unsettling thing in the Salt Lake area where everyone knows everything about everyone. He wants her to know, the urge to spill his guts rises by the minute and its not an unfamiliar feeling thanks to Red so he runs with it.

"Red never fails to remind me that ever since I told him I had a crush on him in the second grade." He tries his best to keep his voice from cracking. Ricky grips the wheel a bit tighter with both hands this time, steadying himself from a given reaction.

Gina's glossed lips part slightly before a small smile rests there, "Well if it's any consolation I don't think anyone has ever had as much of an obsession or massive crush as I had on Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Sky High"

"She was so hot." Ricky exclaims excitedly, the tension in his shoulders immediately dissolving. Not us both being bi disasters,the curly haired junior thinks to himself shaking his head, this time with his lips lightly parted in awe.

"My dad nearly grounded me because he didn't want me to watch it anymore since he was sick of hearing me talk about her so much." Gina laughed at the memory. The thought prickled like a rose thorn and her mind bleed another thought, another memory. Suddenly she smells the awful scent of anti septic and she feels her fathers hand cold in hers telling her he already knew who his daughter was and that he loved all of her anyway, stopping the tears streaking down her cheeks. Of course he knew, dad always knew. Her straightened hair blocks the view of her face, her smile dissolving into something much sadder, she looks down to her red shoes again. Wishing that if she clicked them together it would take her back, back to the feeling of her dad's arms around her, the only home she's ever known.

Ricky feels the air of the car shift again so he hopes that what he does next doesn't make matters worse. He switches on the radio and hopes that the music will take them to a comfortable space. He hopes that tonight everything doesn't just go well for him but that everything is perfect for Gina tonight because he's coming to realize it might be what she deserves.

The cars suddenly filled with the blaring horns and prominent of singing an iridescent melody all too familiar to Gina. 'Try a little tenderness' by Otis Redding plays and Ricky reaches to change the station to something a teen from this century might want to hear but her head snaps up and her hand follows the same pattern in reaching for his to stop the motion. The small soft smile resting on her lips at the song becomes apparent. "No leave it. I like this song."

"Yeah?"

Gina can't trust the words to come out because she's feeling all too much. Sadness that her father wasn't there to take her picture, confusion at her mothers sudden involvement in her life that wasn't centered around her ambition and that she'd already found a friend in Carlos despite years of work she'd put into being alone, and a vulnerability like she's never known with Ricky right in this moment. Because of Ricky? Gina's never felt more exposed. So she nods and wraps her arms around her frame as much she can in the passengers seat.

It's only when Ricky after a couple seconds of just letting the music play, starts bopping along and playfully singing the lyrics like only a theater kid would does Gina feel a laugh and serene feeling that blankets over her soul arise. Her father puffing his cheeks and mimicking Armstrong's movements on the trumpet as they sing along flashes in her mind but now in the drivers seat Ricky remains waiting for her to finish the next line in the song.

So she does.

It's the first time in a while Gina thinks of her father and it doesn't make her sad. They sing, they laugh and the warmth from both their shoulders spread all over.

xxx

East High School
October 4th 2019
9:04 pm

Red is not used to school dances.

Standing by the punch table with his plastic cup half full and an endless stream of lights, people, and bright colors, Red was ready for the night to finally start. This dance was gonna be different from all the other ones that have otherwise ended in disaster. The first time the stinky's (except ash)✨ group chat (Ashlyn a pansexual princess, Ricky the bisexual disaster and himself, a chaotic gay) went to their first dance was freshman year, all of them were pretty much out and ready to experience their very first homecoming. The only thing impeding what otherwise would've been a great night was the fact that they had all decided they would get high together for the first time a half and hour before Red's dad was going to drive them all there. Ricky somehow ended up in Red's bath tub a giggling mess, Ashlyn was playing with the decorative marbles, considering eating them while Red sat on his toilet and had an existential crisis. Needless to say it was a weird night.

However tonight (not like other nights they decidedly skipped the dances) was supposed to be the standard normal high school dance experience. Which is why the appearance of a certain curly (now waves?) haired brunette and his also curly haired best friend threw him off. He notices the color of Ricky's tie matched the long length of her red dress. But it wasn't just any tie. it was Mike Bowen's lucky tie of all tie's, the one that he let big red borrow at their eighth grade graduation because his anxiety about going to high school was through the roof so he gave it to him for good luck, yeah that tie.

They're starting to pose for pictures together, just as Ricky is about to subtly place his hand on Gina's waist when Ashlyn approaches him where he stands by the punch table.

"Wow they sure clean up nice." She comments immediately taking sight of "Rina" as Carlos had fittingly dubbed them this afternoon, taking pictures together. Ricky makes a silly face at the camera and Gina looks at him strangely before throwing her head back in laughter. That'll probably make for a nice picture, Red thinks to himself as they watch the pair. Ricky continues to pester her to make a face with him and it surprisingly works because she huffs yet smiles into their next picture, posing a silly face.

"I don't think I've ever seen Gina laugh. Have you?" Ashlyn asks him, her eyebrow lifting with question at the pair. Gina Porter was definitely the intimidating type. She made it clear the first couple of weeks at school with her unprecedented showcase of her talent and ambition. Which of course there wasn't anything wrong with being ambitious...when it doesn't get in peoples way. Or when it works to isolate yourself so that no one really knows who you are outside of this intimidating shell shown to the world.

"You think she convinced him to stay in the show?" Red outwardly asks.

The question had been building up for a few weeks now. Ever since Gina had oddly approached him and Carlos on the day Ricky swore he would leave the show. It sat on his tongue when Ricky talked about a mysterious girl getting him to come back, when the pairs eyes met earlier in the day in the cafeteria and it bounced back and forth in his mind when he saw the pair together this morning again.

"What?" Ashlyn blinks looking away from the pair, her smokey eye shadow glimmering in the colorful lights.

"I've been thinking since we saw them together this morning and all the cryptic tweets and stuff...maybe they're like together now and Ricky wanted to keep it a secret."

"I get why'd he'd wanna maybe keep it a secret, considering this crazy theory is real but why would he not tell us? Also what about Nini?" Ashlyn carefully broaches setting down her cup on the table.

"I don't know." Red replies looking away from her and back to the pair. His eyes squint in suspicion as the pair make their way over, Ricky's jittery in that way that he always is but there's a glimmer in his eyes that matches Gina's and it's all happening so suddenly. Sumn isn't adding up, the red haired boy thinks to himself.

"Seb I told you, you'd wanna get that drink after we dance." Carlos energetically says interrupting Red's musings, with a worn looking Seb trailing behind him.

"I figured we're not at rehearsals maybe you were gonna cut me some slack for a night." Seb replies slightly out of breath from his soulmates desire to dance to more than 6 tracks, one after the other, all of them not consisting of slow songs. Sharpay demanded the best of the best in all areas, singing, dancing, and acting so Seb was used to the physical exhaustion but for tonight he thought it was just gonna be his chance to hold Carlos close to him and laugh at the cliches they were bound to spot tonight. This was not that kind of night. At least not yet.

"Oh honey." Carlos replied to him in a sweet tone as he pours Seb the drink he needed. It's cute that you thought that, he finishes in his head.

Ashlyn giggled at the pair and Red tried to stifle a laugh, Seb's hands firmly planted on his knees as he took a breath and stood. Grabbing the cup from his hand he shakes his head at Carlos with a small grin planted on his lips. All the while Carlos looks at him with innocent eyes and a soft smile of his own asking for all to be forgiven.

It seems it is when Seb peppers his face with kisses and Carlos is reduced to a giggling mess.

"Oh no, no, no none of that soulmate shit here please." Ashlyn whines at the affectionate pair.

"Ash don't be bitter." Seb pouts, wrapping his arm around Carlos and placing his head on his shoulder.

"Please like you aren't our biggest stan." Carlos readily replies with a teasing smirk.

"You got me there." Ashlyn replies, her lips fighting a smile at her friends happiness.

"You guys are adorable." Red observes with a nod.

"You've always been my favorite Red." Carlos says.

Red proudly beams in response while Ashlyn lets out a small huff, the tiniest pout painted on her face. Seb rubs her arm reassuring her of her place as their favorite. Carlos looks to the incoming pair his eyes nearly bulging, he realizes her has to talk with his hands so he lets go of Seb, "Speaking of faves oh my God, Gina you look gorg!"

"Thanks you don't look too bad yourself. This blazer is kinda giving me life." Gina smiles, taking in his dark suit.

"Uh hello what about me?" Ricky chimes in, grabbing his own beverage from the table. He takes sip and nearly gags at the overload of sugar and surprising lack of alcohol. How have they not spiked it yet? he thinks looking down at his cup.

"What about you?" Carlos asks looking to him

"I'm serving." Ricky confidently responds as he drinks. Carlos' eyes nearly pop out of his head but Gina beats him to a response, it's almost too easy. "Me punch maybe" She tells him with a nod to the punch bowl. Ashlyn agrees while Red's eyes pace back and forth between them now noticing their both wearing red and the billions of puns he's cataloging in his brain at the moment. Seb tries to contain a laugh again while Carlos gives her a high five.

"I thought we didn't do half bad, Porter." Ricky says eyes squinting in her direction.

"I think I was mainly taking about me." she replies and it's all too natural, all too easy. Gina doesn't know how he makes it that way, if he has anything to do with it at all.

"Well that I can't disagree with." it's all Ricky says with a confidence that came from a place all too foreign to him. it's enough to momentarily make his brain short circuit as he brings the cup to his lips and takes the normally curly haired brunette's breath away.

The girls are flirting! Carlos thinks to himself, eyes wide, he and Ashlyn share a look that practically reads "right in front of my salad?" Gina's head snaps to meet his gaze but Ricky's relaxed now, lightly smiling into his cup looking into the crowd already forming. girl in red blares a familiar song.

The theater kids are seemingly caught in a staring game and Carlos is about to break it when he reaches for Gina's arm. Seb looks him in his eyes, asking him to tread lightly but Ricky beats Carlos to it. His lightly flared cheeks no longer slightly covered by a red solo cup are on full display when he settles his cup down and grabs Gina's arm for a dance.

"I love this song!" He exclaims and Gina's mind reels at the contact. She looks back to the group they've left behind. A smiling Ashlyn, Bashful Seb, Red whose eyes are squinting slightly and Carlos who looked like he was gonna explode if he didn't get answers. Their eyes lock for a moment while Gina's being pulled in a different direction, promising the answers to the question she doesn't even know the answers to. "we fell in love in October" plays out all around the gymnasium as the pair make their way to the dance floor.

"Umm...what was that? Also since when does Ricky dance?" Seb says the words present in Carlos's mind and the group seems to take a collective breath.

"It's new to us too believe me." Ashlyn states, shrugging her shoulders. She looks to Gina, resisting a smile as she tries to get Ricky, to do more than one basic dance move at a time all while trying to contain laughter.

"I can't believe Gina didn't tell me." Carlos sighs. Yes the dancers had been friends for a limited amount of time but there was an understanding there regardless. A pact forged in loneliness they both recognized within one another that he knew she would understand.

"Yeah." Red responds. He notices Ricky spare looks around the room as if he was looking for someone, waiting for something to happen. Red notes how his expression changes when Gina looks back at him though, now it's like she's all Ricky can focus on. Interesting.

"I can't believe it either."

xxx

East High School
October 4th 2019
10:28pm

Ashlyn Moon Caswell has always loved the idea of soulmates. They were basically all around her. Most of her family consisted of soulmate pairings, people that brought out the best in each other. Carlos and Seb had just found out they were soulmates and it was like everything fell into place. Soulmates were everywhere. Except for hers.

It's not like it bothered her...much. She wasn't like EJ. Someone willing to compromise a soulmate rather than wait for the real thing. Ashlyn knew better than to rush life. So for right now she dances with her best friends because she's gonna make most of her night.

"Oh no honey we're not done yet, once you get that drink you're coming back here." a dancing Carlos calls out to her as she makes her way from the crowd. She turns to face him and starts walking backwards, facing an exhausted Seb and fully energized Carlos from a distance Ashlyn calls back, "Only if you can catch m-"

And she's suddenly falling. Ashlyn doesn't really consider herself considerably clumsy but being at such close proximity to her disaster of a best friend and Red, she wouldn't necessarily say they've rubbed off on her in many ways but maybe in this moment, she would say they did. Stumbling backwards the red-haired girl grabs for anything to regain stability. It stops when she's caught and her back is sort of on fire. Woah, Ashlyn thinks to herself, eyes wide.

She turns to find her self in a trust fall stance of sorts with Kourtney, "Woah, hey you okay?" Kourtney asks, with her eyebrows furrowing in concern. Ashlyn starts to straighten herself from her current position and the warmth of Kourtney's hands leave her back. More than that, this heat at the pit of her stomach that developed when she was caught, lingers.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine." Ashlyn stutters out a breath. It's now that notices Kourtney give her a small smile in response, while holding open her clutch in her hand.

"Sorry for sort of bumping into you I was looking for my lip stick I'm pretty sure it fell out of my bag and now I have no idea where it is."

"Oh hey don't worry about it. I should've been watching where I was going instead of walking backwards like a maniac." Ashlyn responds with a shrug. Kourtney gives her another small smile and her eyes drift toward the ground again to find the dark plum shade. The heat at the pit of Ashlyn's stomach swoops like a tidal wave. Whatever is happening she's not sure she want's the feeling to leave so she follows it like she's walking through garden.

"I-I can help you look for it." Kourtney's eyebrows raise in question. "It'll make make it easier to find in this crowd of people if we look together," They both take note of the increasing mass of people now hitting the dance floor and newly empty seats. "Besides I guess I kinda owe you for saving me from completely embarrassing myself at this thing." Ashlyn finishes, getting closer to Kourtney.

Kourtney's stills at the action but lets out a laugh and when she looks up her gold eye shadow and her eyes shine when it's caught in the light from the disco ball. "You made some points." She says as she lifts the the snack tables plastic covering a few inches, looking for the small tube of lipstick.

Ashlyn lets out the breath she's holding now that the other girl is looking away and proceeds to look down to the ground to find it. What the hell is happening? she now proceeds to ask herself as she spells a bunch of apologizes to people walking off the dance floor. They'd known each other forever and hung out for the same reason everyone that went to middle school hung out with each other, because their friends were dating. After the break up it was kinda like their friend group faded with it. Nini off to theater camp, Kourtney in New York with her sister, Red away to see his uncle in Florida and herself off to the Hamptons with her parents, Ricky was the only person in salt lake for the summer; their friend group was sort of on pause.

Now with the play the gang was sort of back together again. she'd noticed Kourtney in rehearsals, bright and eager about costumes. Her smile basically shining brighter than any spotlight she'd seen there and- OH MY GOD I HAVE A CRUSH ON KOURTNEY? Ashlyn suddenly asks herself, her eyes now wide as they'll ever be. A small plum shade just as quickly makes it way to her sight, it's near a pair of silver shoes so she quickly grabs it before its destroyed in admits the chaos. When did that happen? Her thoughts continue as she stands pin straight when she hears Kourtney call her name. "Ashlyn" she calls again and it startles her so much that she drops the lipstick in her hand.

"Oh you found it." Kourtney says.

"I got it!" The fiery haired girl exclaims. Kourtney's eyebrows furrow as Ashlyn ducks below her to grab a the plum colored small tube. Her eyes quickly look past sleek black pair of high heeled shoes to a point above her ankle, a small detailed drawing of a sword lied. In that moment Ashlyn has trouble taking her eyes away from the drawing she'd seen since the 7th grade on her own ankle. She's so caught up in it she doesn't notice Kourtney calling her name again.

Ashlyn snaps back up again and Kourtney staggers a bit at their new proximity, while she hands her back the lipstick. "Are you sure you're okay?" Kourtney slowly asks her before she takes it from her hand. "I'm fine" Ashlyn says, taking a breath, gesturing her friend to take the lipstick. Their hands brush as the object and a small current passed through them.

She hears Kourtney let out a small gasp while Ashlyns own lips part and suddenly her throats dry and she could go for some punch again. So she clears her throat, "Nice tattoo."

"Oh um thanks it's my mark." Kourtney responds a little awkwardly, their gazes hold for a beat. It can't be a coincidence, Ashlyn thinks to herself, she feels her head nodding at its own volition.

"I-I'll see you in a beat. A bit! I meant a bit." The Red haired girl says, nervously laughing. Where the fuck is Red?

xxx

"You know Red hasn't made a single pun like you said he would."

Ricky wants to listen to the words coming out of Gina's mouth he really does.

But the pink, red and golden lights, the length of her dress and big doe brown eyes aren't enough to distract from the fact that another pair of brown eyes haven't made their appearance for the night.

This was supposed to be a night where the plan was supposed to be set in motion. Where Nini was supposed to see how stunningly gorgeous Gina looked, Ricky pauses at that thought.I'm definitely not the only person that thinks that she looks amazing, Carlos brought it up too. right. exactly. He shakes his head of those thoughts. Im definitely not gonna think of about what any of that means. His brain short-circuits again when he looks at her, sipping on her punch.

Tonight was supposed to be Nini reacting to how they looked together, all couple-y and reveal the truth. That she still had feelings for him. That those little moments they still had sometimes still meant something and weren't all in Ricky's head. When he came to get her and Ashlyn from the auditorium, or when he left her that voicemail or when he went to her house and they almost kissed that it all meant something. Nini has no reason to ignore everything now that she's not with EJ, he thinks looking toward his own cup of punch dejectedly.

"Ricky? Ricky?!"

"What?" He snaps. Ricky didn't realize how frustrated he was with the whole situation until his comment registers and Gina literally takes a step back. He closes his eyes and lets out a quick breath, his brain already coming up with a thousand ways to apologize.

"Nothing...You just looked spaced out."

"I-I'm sorry, It's just-"

"Nini hasn't shown up yet and by the looks of it I don't think she is."

"And how exactly would you know that? I mean no offense but you don't know Nini." At least not like I do, His mind finishes for him. It's the bite in his tone that takes her back again only this time she squints a glare at him.

"I may know enough to check her instagram story and see that she's at home watching Toy Story with her mom's" of course this is about Nini, this whole night was supposed to be about her. The thoughts ring out in her head and make her want to take another step back, draw as much space between her and Ricky as could she forget? how could she let herself forget and let her walls down? Then Gina thinks about singing in the car with Ricky driving, memories of her dad resurfacing because of it and laughing while eating greasy diner food.

"Oh" It comes out of Ricky's mouth but it's exactly what she's thinking in that moment, at the realization. It brings her back to the moment, the awkward silence and bite in Ricky's tone from before reminds her of why her walls existed in the first place.

Ricky looks down to his shoes, he's ready to try to apologize for being an idiot. He doesn't pay attention to the fact that Nini is at home watching one of her comfort movies that she only usually watches when she feels lonely, instead he looks back up at Gina and the way her face changes, he thinks he can read a twinge of sadness on her expression before it becomes unreadable.

"You know tonight isn't shaping up to be what I thought it was gonna be like at all." Gina was thinking about telling Ricky that earlier in the night while they were dancing. Well she was dancing and he was doing whatever he was doing. It was supposed to reflect her light and happy feelings being there with him, but now when she says it its venomous and glib.

"Yeah and whose fault is that?" Ricky doesn't know why he responds the way he does, something about the way she says it. The way she's completely dismissing him before he even has the chance to say anything. It just makes him want to stutter out apologizes more but her tone stops him. now all he want's to do is spells out his frustrations at her, at the fact that his careless plan didn't work, that Nini wasn't even here, that Gina was all of a sudden mad at him and there was nothing he could seemingly do about it.

"Definitely not mine." Gina snaps back, the annoyance in her tone evident. Ricky scoff's in response,did she forget why we're even here?

"Why are you even doing this?" Ricky asks the million dollar question. She'd somewhat answered it before in not so many words but nothing too direct. Is this just all a ploy or some type of game to her?

"What?" It's like he's cornered her into a wall, she feels it in real time when she feels the colorful streamers on her back. Probably from taking so many steps back, she thinks and he's in front of her now. They're glaring at each other and once again Gina is frustrated because it's not like she can tell him the real reason why. She doesn't think "your completely caught up on someone else but I think your my soulmate and I have to know for sure because my dead dad would want me to know and open myself to new possibilities here" would go over well with Ricky, it infect would probably make him run away. Even though she's mad at him now she's not sure she wants him to run from her. So she crosses her arms with her response, still guarded as ever.

"You know maybe you really are what people say you are" Ricky accusingly states and there's nothing really holding him back. Just the endless questions and possible scenarios in his mind tat wouldn't leave him alone.Maybe she has some kind of stake in this? but what would that even be? Didn't she want the part of Gabriella?

"Oh yeah and what's that?" Gina says, her chin slightly raised. She's been everywhere, she's heard the whispers in the hall. She could all jagged edges like her mom too if she wanted to be. There's nothing she hasn't heard before.

"A little too ambitious for your own good or anyone else" He's looking at her at the start of when he says it but not by the end. He's looking away from her glare and drinking the last of his punch but Ricky finds the liquid is hard to swallow. His throat burns with hurt that he finds doesn't have the right to feel considering he was the one doing the hurting.

Gina constantly caught in a state of always wanting more more more ever since she was little doesn't know what to say in rebuttal. This time for some reason it stings worse than anything else she's ever heard from anyone.

"Well glad I can count on your honesty Ricky." Gina just barely gets out before she feels a light weight in her eyes that she just needs to blink away. She didn't want Ricky to be the one running but that doesn't mean she thought it was gonna be her that was leaving.

She leaves, he hears the clink of her heels against the wooden gymnasium floors and he's grasping for air trying to get her arm in his reach, but it's too late. Ricky feels a bit empty after that.

xxx

Ricky Bowen is an idiot. He's reminded of this fact when his feelings of guilt double at the exact moment that Carlos, who'd been looking for her most of the night, unknowingly reminds him of the fact that it's her first dance. Fuck that's right, this is her first dance, this was supposed to be perfect for her too. Ricky's mind overwhelms with his thoughts from the car ride earlier, how he didn't just want things end up well with Nini in the end but for gina too, because it's what she deserves, at that thought Ricky sighs at how monumentally he fucked up.

"So do you know where your date disappeared to?" Carlos asks with a pointed look.

Ricky scratches the back of his neck and looks around the room, "Uh no actually."

Carlos looks at Ricky and slightly squints his eyes, "Okay well you should fix that I'm gonna text her."

Ricky decides then and there that he's gonna make everything right again. Fuck plans, nothing ever really worked out for him anyway but that doesn't mean the same thing has to happen to Gina. he scourges the dance floor looking for a long red velvet dress and long wavy locks to turn up with nothing. Then he spots Red and Seb at the table and treads his way to them.

"Hey have you guys seen Gina?"

Red slightly tilts his head at the question, while Seb nose scrunches pondering the last thing the brunette beauty had told him. "I think she said something about needing some fresh air, Carlos has been trying to look for her. She seemed kinda upset."

"She looked like she was ready to leave" Red chimed in, his arms crossed on the table.

Ricky sighed, "Thanks guys." He rushes off again this time making his way to the double doors. The halls hummed the tune blaring from the gym, a fast paced beat mirroring his heart rate. He looks around the halls, Please don't be gone please don't be gone please don't-

She interrupts his thoughts for the millionth time tonight when he opens the main entrances and his eyes automatically find her figure, in her long velvet dress sitting on the bench in the moonlight. Ricky approaches her, and her eyes roll at his seemingly worrisome appearance.

He looks down toward the ground and shoves his hands in his pockets before he starts, "I'm glad you didn't call an uber." Gina scoffs. Ricky wants to punch himself in the face, why is it so hard to say what I wanna say?

"I found I rather take a bus than spend another minute in that dance with you or worse in your car."

"Well that's fair." a little unfair to buggsy (Red's car) but overall fair, his mind corrects, eyes now moving from his shoes to hers.

Gina sighs this time breathing out her frustrations at the night, "Okay things have a habit of not working out for me anyway so I think we should just call it. I don't just mean tonight with the whole dance and everything but I mean this whole plan. Me being your "girlfriend"... I just don't know-"

"Look I'm sorry I lashed out at you the way I did. The only reason why I was frustrated was because Nini didn't show up and things weren't going my way but it was unfair to you especially with this being your first dance. In the car I sort of promised myself that I would give you the best first dance ever and I failed and for that I'm really sorry." Ricky says, finally meeting her eyes. She stands up so that they're face to face in front of the red bench now.

"You didn't have to make that promise, things were going pretty great until you came for me."

"Again I'm sorry about that I guess I just sort of lashed out because I got in my own head about why you really wanted to do this, not just come to the dance but do this fake girlfriend thing when you've been nothing but honest with me so far, when I thought we sort of got each other. you know outsiders?"

"...gotta stick together?" Gina finishes for him, while biting her lip. The guilt at the pit of her stomach rises when he brings up her motives in all this, he still doesn't know what she really wants out of all this, only the surface.

"Yeah I guess I didn't really think about it before but with me being an outsider to the theater and you being an outsider to east high maybe we sorta...need each other." Ricky breathes out, his hand finds its way to his shoulder, the light heat flaring with their gazes. It gives him the courage to finally say, "There's also the fact that there's no one else I'd rather do this with. So please Genevieve Porter come back inside with me?"

"It's Marie" Gina softly replies, breaking the eye contact. The warmth still sits, golden at the pit of her stomach as she moves around him.

"Huh" Her perfume lingers as she moves, Ricky has to move his head to try and meet her gaze again.

"My middle name it's Marie." Gina tells him with a small smirk planted on her lips, she's already making her way back to the double doors. "You coming Bowen?" She asks, head tilted toward the double doors. Ricky smiles a cheeky smile she wouldn't mind seeing more often.

xxx

When the pair find their way back to the gym, it's like they come back to a different planet. before it was packed, you could feel the heady sweat in the air, teenagers grinned, danced and jumped alongside each other to fast paced music. Now the music was slower, pairings all around were holding each other, and the air felt cooler.

Ricky snuck a glance at Gina wondering if it was too soon to ask her for a dance. Gina, noticing these looks, clears her throat and about to say something until Ricky blurted out a rushed "Do you maybe wanna dance?"

Maybe it's because she doesn't want to spend the rest of the dance in this post resolved fight energy with Ricky, or this was her first dance and she wanted to experience the cliche slow dance, sue her or that he could possibly be her soulmate and she for some reason wanted to hold him close. Whatever it was Gina couldn't help but meet his somewhat nervous gaze and out stretched hand and say "Yes."

'Big jet plane' plays, this version a slowed acoustic sound that pulls the pairing together. This time instead of just the one hand she feels wrapped around her its both his arms, so she hesitantly brings her own to loop around his neck.

"I forgive you." Their eyes hadn't met until she said it, Ricky has to lean in closer because she says it so softly. Her cheeks heat up in response to their new found proximity, he eyes her curiously. "I didn't get the chance to tell you outside but uh yeah, Im sorry for snapping at you too."

Ricky's holding her close, it's like there's a lightness to the air now. She smells really nice, it's the faint scent of lilac and coconut that he recognized from earlier in the day. The calm and warmth building within him brings him back to the feeling he had in the car, the one ready have him spill his guts to a practical stranger. But Gina, Genevieve Marie Porter isn't a stranger to him anymore. They get each other.

While swaying Ricky admits, "I haven't talked to my mom in nearly two months." It's low and soft but Gina hears him all the same, he feels her stiffen then relax in his hold when he continues. "I've only been really speaking to her through my dad and I think he's noticed but he doesn't really know what to say to me." Gina plays with the curls at the back of his neck, and he closes his eyes and breathes out. "This wasn't part of their plan, then again I guess Bowens aren't really good at the whole plan thing huh."

A laugh tumbles from her lips and she moves her hand from his neck to try to contain it but given their proximity and the warmth expanding like an ocean in his stomach, it gives her away. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to laugh."

Your laugh, echoes down the hallway
Carves into my hollow chest, spreads over the emptiness
It's bliss

"No you can laugh, I'm an idiot Red and Ash would agree." Her smile widens and her laugh rings out a sweet sound again. It's like he's 12 again and wants to chase that feeling, the feeling bubbling at his core whenever he looks at her, really looks at her. She's on the verge of apologizing again (that's been happening to many times tonight, she thinks), when he interrupts her "It's okay I don't mind" Ricky's looking at her, wide eyed grin and all and a look of understanding that overwhelms them both lingers.

Ricky's cheek faintly rests on top of hers while she hesitantly tucks her head at the crook of his neck.

All from the cheaply plastic covered table, Red sits watching the pair from a far.

xxx

The Porter Residence
October 4th 2019
11:15 pm

"So this is my stop." Gina says as he parks the car in her driveway. He looks around and scopes the area from the fresh bed of azaleas to the brownstone roof. Ricky didn't really let himself look until now, caught up in meeting her mother, pictures, and that weird feeling he gets when they lock eyes. "I didn't get to tell you this before but I know it's probably not what you were picturing, if you were picturing anything...Let me guess you were probably thinking we'd go for gargoyles and barbed wire."

"Nah you're not that scary." you might be the first to think that, she says in her mind fiddling with her hand. He gives her this crooked smile and for a second she forgets how this is supposed to go, that she's gonna wish him a good night and go inside without turning back.

"Thanks again for coming out with me tonight, well to the dance with me. And thanks for doing this whole thing for me to, if I haven't said it enough I do appreciate it."

"Don't sweat it. I've never really done dates or relationships but I know its hard." Gina down at her red shoes again, the million dollar question burning in her mind. "Soulmate marks are probably supposed to make it easier but for some reason I think they might do the opposite." she finishes, sneaking a glance at him.

Registering his sudden silence at the topic of soulmates the question sits on her tongue and weighs on her mind by the minute, he's looking at her porch light, "Do you have a soul mark?" Gina anxiously asks. His eyes snap from her porch back to her and he's a little breathless not just because of the question but because she seems so much closer than she was before.

"I don't have one." The lie passes easily enough between his lips, sometimes he wishes he didn't but something stops him from saying that. Maybe it's because it not all entirely true, maybe it's because he hasn't really heard from his soulmate since they started this fake dating thing. What she said to her earlier in the evening comes back to him that moment,"Glad I can count on your honesty Ricky" He can't really look her in the eye right now.

Of course he doesn't have a mark, even if he did it would probably spell out Nini's name because the Porter curse does not falter. "Sorry for asking, I didn't mean to-"

"Hey don't worry about it." He interrupts with an easy smile. She motions to open the car door and when he hears the click something else clicks in his mind. "I also uh wanted to thank you, If I haven't done that or apologized enough tonight," Ricky says with a nervous huffed laugh, her lips twist to an easy smile of her own as a response. "For talking to me that day in the skatepark, I didn't know how much I needed it then but you're the reason I stayed with the show. You set me straight and it's been a big deal for me."

"Well it suits you." It's the only thing she can say when the twinge of guilt she suddenly feels outweighs the warmth pooling in her stomach. He doesn't know the real reason why she went to that skate park or agreed to do any of this, he'd only scratched the surface when he'd offered her friends here. It makes Gina nervous when she thinks about how she could lose it all if he found out the truth, especially knowing he doesn't have a mark.

Ricky's gaze softens at her remark and makes a realization. It's one that makes him breathe through what he wants to say next. "I'm glad Miss Jenn thought to take a chance on me, everyone deserves a chance every once in a while," Gina can see where this is going, so she looks for a safer space than his eyes now. At the moment it's her red door. "Maybe your mom deserves a chance too? At least she's trying." He finishes, her eyes can never really stay far from him too long and that is entirely too dangerous to think about.

"Your right. I guess it's always a little easier when someones trying?" It's so obviously pointed at his situation with his mother, he huffs out a laugh and now he's the one whose looking away. Maybe it wasn't easier just being the one to point fingers all the time, and yeah it's his mom's responsibility to be the parent and she shouldn't need the reminder to be a mom but all of that doesn't make Ricky care about her any less. So maybe it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Did you just admit I was right about something?" Ricky's voice is both questioning and teasing, his eyes squinted in that playful smug way that people did when they knew they were right about something.

"Of course that's what you got out of that." Gina resists the urge to laugh, she want's his head to fit in the car and it's already big enough.

"Sorry can't hear you I'm too busy being right about something. Wow, is this what that feels like?" His thoughts are spilling out of his mouth and he feels that familiar feeling tug at the pit of his stomach that he wanted to chase when he was younger, all at the sight of Gina laughing.

"Don't get used to it Bowen." Gina pointedly says and it's punctuated by a smile she couldn't stop wearing on her face if she tried. His expression matches hers with a toothy grin she wants to kiss off his face. Huh, that's new the wavy haired brunette thinks to herself, with slightly widened eyes. So before she can really think about it further, she does.

"Goodnight Ricky" Gina softly says to him, she leans in close and plants a kiss on his cheek.

Fuck she's so close to my lips, am I shaking? Ricky can just as easily lean forward as she moves away from his cheek. Her eyes falling to his lips and making their way up to his eyes, his insides are melting, his cheeks burn and the air feels charged. His eyes immediately widen, sparkling in her porch light and are captivated by the small proud smirk she wears on her cheek as she leaves Red's car.

Gina walks down the pathway, toward the azaleas. When she gets to the red door she finally turns back to look at him. He's already looking at her, the live wire, the electricity returns. It isn't until Gina finally turns back and makes her way inside that he looks away and lets out an incredulous laugh, his breath isn't being held captive anymore.

Ricky shakes his head and asks himself a question he's been asking himself a lot lately, what the fuck was that?

And California never felt like home
And California never felt like home to me
Until I had you on the open road

xxx

Rina nation, How we feeling? Good I hope. Sorry this chapter is so broken up, I had a lot of social media inputs I wanted to add. Again sorry this took me so long, I hope the length makes up for it 3 I'll see y'all soon!