Finding Belle (a Ricky Bowen fanfiction)🌹

Chapter Forty-Six

Author's Note: Please remember that this is a fanfiction story. None of this is real.

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Ricky Bowen

"Hey Ricky, I'm going to stay back and help Ashlyn with her solo. You know the lighting and all with her scene. I'll skate with you another time okay?" I heard Big Red say to me as we finally finished tech rehearsal on this very long Saturday afternoon.

"Ok, see you at school on Monday, Red." I said to my best friend as I walked to the student parking lot.

As I drove home, I turned on the radio and Harry Styles' song "Sign of the Times" came on. I immediately started singing to myself as I focused on the road, since I am a big Harry Styles fan.

Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you're wearing your best clothes
You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky
You look pretty good down here
But you ain't really good

If we never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets

Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
It'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here

"Hey son, how was tech rehearsal?" I heard my dad say from the kitchen.

My dad was never in the kitchen unless he was making a microwavable meal or talking on the phone.

He can't cook toast to save his life.

"It was good. Really tiring. I'm going to to take a nap." I peeped into the kitchen and saw my dad eating a bag of Cheetos then walked up to my room.

When I got to my room, I dumped my backpack onto the floor and sat on my bed staring at my phone.

 I needed to call Nini but she might be in rehearsals right now or doing some homework.

I decided to take a chance and call her anyway, and sat on my bed against my headboard running a hand through my curls as I pressed the call button.

"Hey Ricky! How are you? I heard from Kourtney that you guys had tech rehearsals today. That seems exciting. I can't wait to come back to East High and see the show." I heard Nini say cheerfully through the phone.

She must be in a good mood.

A better mood than I am right now.

"I'm good just tired. Do you have a few minutes to talk? I need to ask you about something." I said while biting my lip hoping she didn't catch onto my nervousness.

"Yeah. I'm actually in my room by myself. My roommate is out on a coffee run. If this is about our relationship, it's all my fault. Again, I'm sorry for over reacting at the dance. Long distance is really hard for both of us. I'm sure it will be hard at first to be just friends." Nini said with her british accent.

"I actually wanted to talk about something else..." I said nervously though the phone.

"Oh what is it?" Nini said taking a pause in her breath.

"You know that girl in those pictures that E.J blackmailed you? I've kind of been hanging out with her lately. Well I did for a while... but I want to finally tell you the truth. I kind of have feelings for her. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen." I said biting my lip as I waited for her response.

"Oh." was all that Nini said to me.

"I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean for this to happen. I fucked up real bad. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me." I said as I started to cry I didn't even realize that my eyes were watering.

"I don't hate you, Ricky." Nini said through the phone in a calming tone.

She could probably sense that I was crying. We knew each other like two peas in a pod.

"Oh." Was all I could say as I wiped my tears.

"I don't hate you Ricky. I think that this spring semester gave both of us time to think about what I really wanted in life. I want to be on Broadway and study at YAC. You want to be with your friends at East High. I'm sorry that things didn't work out between us relationship wise, but like I said before I'm willing to try to be friends again. Yeah, I am hurt that you like another girl that's not me, but I think I need to focus on myself and my career, not a relationship right now." Nini said calmly through the phone.

I bet that she's been thinking about what she's going to say to me for a whole month, whereas here I am breaking down crying to her on the phone.

"Are you sure there's no bad blood between us? No pun intended. I mean we dated for what a few months broke up and then got back together for two months." I said through the phone while biting my lip.

"I'm sure. No bad blood. I've been thinking about this for a while now. I think that we should just be best friends. Maybe we were just young and in love. I don't know. I found my place at YAC and I'm happy. I'm sorry if you don't want to hear that." Nini said with her British accent again.

"No, it's fine with me. I'm proud of you. You've been dreaming about being on a Broadway stage forever and you deserve to go to a school to achieve your goals. Ummm would you mind if I asked that girl in the pictures, Bella if she wants to hang out after the musical you know as friends? Ah. Never mind. She hates me anyway." I said biting my lip again.

"I wouldn't mind just don't do something stupid. Take it easy on her. She seems like a kind person from those photos I saw. I mean I have been hanging out with Hamilton and Luke a lot. They are just friends too. You have probably been seeing it on my social media pages. I'm sorry if that made you jealous. If you don't mind me asking, why do you think that this Bella girl hates you?" Nini said calmly through the phone.

I don't know how she could be so calm right now when I had just told her that I like another girl and I just want to be friends. She must have been thinking about this moment for a long month.

"I actually don't know." I said running a hand through my curls.

"Have you tried asking her why? Sometimes girls ignore guys for a specific reason. I know that from past experience." Nini said through the phone.

I'm surprised she was still talking to me and not crying herself.

"Yeah the other day, she ran out of school ignoring me and said something about how we used to be on good terms or something like that. Then she said goodbye. I don't know what I did." I said running a hand through my curls.

"I think that she needs time to think. Sometimes girls do that and ignore boy problems. No offense. Maybe you can talk to her on Monday? Hey, Ricky I got to go my roommate is back and we're studying for a class. I'm glad that we got a chance to clear things up." Nini said through the phone.

"Ok goodnight Nini. Thanks for understanding and listening. Once again, I'm sorry we didn't work out." I said as I hung up.