cruel summer. [ rini au ]

chapter sixteen.

Ricky walked into the dining hall on Wednesday morning, seeing Nini at a table with various folders and papers surrounding her. He grabbed his eggs and toast, then slide into his usual spot across from Nini, noticing her breakfast was barely touched.

"What's all this stuff?" Ricky asked, gesturing to all the folders on the table. He regretted the question when he saw the smile on her face. "Maybe i don't want to know."

"My prized possession." Nini said, picking up the folder. "The charity ball guidelines, I have to finish up my proposal that has to be in next week."

"What's the idea for it?" Ricky asked.

"We're having an auction."

"Neens, that's boring. No one wants to buy things at an auction, it's supposed to be a student event," he pointed out.

"That depends on what we're auctioning."

"Fine, I'll bite. What are we going to auction off?"

"Dates to the ball," she declared and everyone at the table stopped in their conversations and turned to look at her.

"Dang girl, you are brilliant." Madi told her, pulling the folder towards her to read the proposal.

"You're going to let students bid on other students so they can buy their dates to the ball? It's going to be a free for all. Every girl at the school is going to want-" he trailed off, realizing something. "Neens, you're going to auction me off?!"

"Not just you, E.J. and the rest of the basketball team agreed, so did Big Red and a couple of the guys from the football team. Gina was taking with the cheerleaders and they agreed to do it and I'm sure I can get some others to join in on the fun." Ricky tried to ignore her pleading eyes as he fought to settle his discomfort that she was willing to sell him to someone.

"How do I get out of it? Anything, please don't make me do it," he begged.

"Be my MC. You run the evening and I'll take your name off the list," she told him.

"Done," he told her, then he caught the smirk on her face and his heart jumped.

"That's what you wanted! You little-,"

"You think I didn't realize the chaos that would be caused if you were put on that stage. Girls would pull their hair out to go with you." He sighed when he realized she really thought it out. "Besides, I need you to make sure I don't get bought out by some creep like Matthew Davidson."

"Buy you? Oh, hell no, not happening. You're not going on that list." Ricky told her, crossing his arms across his chest.

Despite their grudge at school during the previous years, Ricky was not blind to the effect Nini had on the male population at East High. Not only was she gorgeous and beautiful, she knew almost everyone in their class and was kind to all. If it was a known fact that girls would go crazy over buying Ricky as their date, he knew that Nini would create the same reaction from the opposite gender. She, of course, would be oblivious to that possibility, knowing how she thought.

"We can argue about this later, will you just please sign here saying that you'll participate?" Nini asked, sliding the paper and a pen across the table as Ricky scrawled his signature across the line. "Thanks."

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For Nini, the next few days rushed by with lifeguarding shifts, Hairspray rehearsals and other camp activities. On Friday, Nini had received an email saying she was good to go ahead and plan the charity ball with full approval. It was later that night, after Nini left her girls in the cabin for quiet time before heading to bed, that she found Ricky alone on the basketball court.