𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 [a rini au]

one hundred and thirty-five

"nini, come on! let's see!"

nina didn't need warning to know that prom dress shopping would drain both her emotions and her wallet. when her, kourtney, and ashlyn arrived at their last boutique for the day, nina was certain that she would never find the dress of her dreams. according to her friends' reactions at the other shops they visited, she had already found the perfect dress multiple times. yet, whatever nina put on failed to satisfy her. while her friends gawked at her appearance, she simply frowned, said "it's not right," and sulked back into the dressing room. by time she tried on four dresses at this final boutique, nina was over it all. she wasn't going to find what looked best to stand next to ricky bowen in, and it brutally killed her spirit. nina vowed she would give one more dress a try, so when kourtney appeared to her with a dazzling, champagne colored gown, nina took it hesitantly and headed for the dressing room.

when she slipped the elegant, floor-length dress onto her small frame, nina felt the slightest glimmer of hope. it hugged her in all the right places, the shimmering material radiating the perfect amount when it hit the light correctly. nina took a few spins as she stared at herself in the mirror, hands fiddling with the thin straps. she wasn't used to wearing anything with open sides like these, but it wasn't turning her away from the dress. it was the eager voice of ashlyn calling out for her that made her realize she had been in the dressing room for an abnormal amount of time. with a deep breath, she pulled the curtain and exited while delicately holding the long skirt.

kourntey and ashlyn's faces sparkled far more than the dress when they laid eyes on nina, the shy girl making her way onto the room's circular podium so she could look at her appearance in front of the giant boutique mirror. kourtney held her hands over her heart while ashlyn clapped with glee. "my god," ashlyn breathed, snuggling into kourtney. "marry me."

"that's it, nini," kourtney grinned, feeling like a proud mom. "i really mean it. that's the one."

hearing kourtney say that followed by a series of more compliments made nina start to second guess her initial love for the dress. she brushed the bedazzled skirt on her skin, uncertainty setting in on her features. she no longer could focus on how good she looked to herself in the dress, but rather how she would appear to the media with a famous singer on her arm. she had been working on getting less anxious when she saw her name tied to ricky's in featured news outlets. but, nina was certain prom night would be ricky's way of confirming that they were dating. what scared her almost more was the fact that she was becoming gradually more willing to tell the boy that she would be his girlfriend officially, and the idea of that label sticking to her in the media was frightening. if she didn't look the part, how would she carry on?

"nini, hello?" ashlyn was evidently repeating herself. nina perked up slightly, turning around to face the two girls. "are you gonna get it or what?"

nina shrugged shamefully, arms going limp at her sides. "i–i don't know," she embarrassingly admitted, ashlyn and kourtney's faces falling as a result. "i'm not sure if it will do."

kourtney scoffed, borderline ready to yell at the girl. "do you seriously not like it?"

"no, i do. i really do," nina rebutted. "it's just, i don't know if it's right, you know? i have to look my best with ricky and a–"

"hold up," ashlyn rose her palm. "did i just hear you say a man's name? in regards to your opinion of your dress?" nina opened her mouth in attempt to defend herself, but ashlyn continued to vent.

"nini, you look absolutely beautiful in that dress, and you know it, too. who gives a fuck what ricky thinks? you don't have to cater to him. it's your dress for your night. if you love it, you should get it."

kourtney jerked a thumb towards ashlyn. "ash is right. i bet ricky is gonna love whatever you wear, anyway."

"i know," nina whined, running her hands across the front of the glittering gown, "i just don't want him to look bad if i do. i was gonna tell him i'm ready to be his girlfriend for real, and if that gets coverage, i have to look my absolute best, for his sake and mine."

kourtney and ashlyn smiled at nina's news regarding her relationship status, but what she followed with that disheartening. ashlyn took it upon herself to hop on the platform with nina, taking the girl by the shoulders and spinning her around to face the mirror again. kourtney joined them on the elevated surface as well, proceeding to mess around with nina's straight hair until it rested elegantly over her shoulders.

"can you look at yourself?" ashlyn asked as more of a rhetorical point than a query. "for real, nini. just look."

nina did as her friend insisted, eyes trailing from the train of the dress to the top of her head. "you don't have to look like anything to fit ricky's image," ashlyn elaborated. "all you have to be is you."

"and i think you want yourself to wear this," kourtney tried to read nina's mind, but nina would never admit to her that she was accurate. "as you should, though, because you look like an absolute queen."

ashlyn nodded in agreement. "oh, and if you're for some reason worried about ricky himself, you're insane. that boy is such a simp, and i know the second he sees you in this he's going to melt."

nina laughed quietly, kourtney and ashlyn giving her side hugs. "thanks, guys," nina appreciated their advice and embrace. "i'm gonna go with this one."

"yes!" ashlyn cried, jumping up and down. "kourt, what do we do with the hair?"

kourtney pressed her lips lips together with a nose scrunch. nina eyed her nervously before the amateur beautician beamed.

"the possibilities are endless, but i have some ideas."