a/n - please remember to vote!! 

i hold my phone up, showing nini. "so, remember emily pratt from theater camp?" she asks, "she's my roommate. what are the odds, right?" "is she the one you understudied, who ej..." i do a weird hand thing. "yeah, old drama. it was like, weirdly bonding between me and emily. speaking of... i miss you. like, a lot." "i miss you too. i mean, we all do. it's like... everyone's like 'it's gonna be so weird to audition for the show without nini', and i'm like 'uh, yeah, you think?'" "i know, i can't believe i'm missing it. have you picked out your song?" she asks. i look around. "y/n?" "yeah... um, i was thinking, and i don't know, i... maybe i won't audition for the show this semester." "wait, are you serious?" "i don't know. it's just kinda hard to picture doing a show without you, you know? you were kinda like my rock." "hey! i'm still your rock. i'm sharp, i'm sedimentary... that'll never change," we both chuckle, "um, everyone will be there." "you won't," i shrug. "well... kinda just proves my point," she says, "it'll be fun and distracting. why don't you just think about it, okay? not for me this time. for you." i nod, mumbling an okay.

i walk back and forth. "last minute jitters?" mr mazzara asks. "yeah, or... no? not really jitters this time. i told a couple people i might audition, but honestly i'll probably just bag it." "well, you're y/n l/n, you'd get the lead if you audition, with or without your girlfriend." i nod, and he walks away.

a part of me was a little mad at nini for leaving. i'm happy for her, of course i am. after spending our entire lives together, she leaves for a performing arts school. i mean looking on the bright side, it's not like she moved countries.

nini's pov
i purse my lips, looking around the dorm room. i smile at the photograph of y/n and i, wiping the dust off the glass. "is that your girlfriend?" emily asks, walking in. i jump from the sudden noise, "oh my god!" she laughs, "sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" i chuckle, "it's okay... and yeah, it is. her name's y/n, i love her to death," i say, placing the photograph down. "does she go here? i haven't heard a y/n around," emily says. "no, she's in salt lake, utah." "so you're doing this long distance thing?" "yeah," i say, nodding. "good luck," she says, condescendingly and walking out with her water bottle. i pull a weird face, getting a call from kourtney.

y/n's pov

i run into the theater room, everyone going silent as the door closes loudly. i just pulled a ricky.

i furrow my eyes at the sheet of music, "there goes the baker with his tray like always, the same old bread and rolls to sell," i sing -better- read poorly.

"right from the moment when i met her, saw her, i said she's gorgeous and i fell," i make my voice deeper. "here in town there's only she, who is as beautiful as me," ej sings next to me. "so i'm making plans to woo and marry belle," carlos sings.

i watch the blonde girl who came up to us earlier on sing beautifully. not as near amazing as nini, but still beautifully.

"y/n?!" miss jenn calls out. "i'm here! i'm here!" i walk onto the stage. "i um, didn't have time to prepare anything original, so i hope this is okay," i turn to the band, "do you know bet on it?" 

"you can bet... on me!" i sing, out of breath. there was scattered applause, but better than nothing.

i put back on my jacket on the side of the stage, watching big red tap dance. everyone gasps as he falls over. "seriously?" she blonde girl laughs. big red stays on the floor, and i jog over to him. "you got this, big red," i say, pulling him up, "breathe. just breathe, 'kay? i've got you." i nod, turning him around and walking off the stage.

i clap loudly as big red finishes with a big smile. "whoo! yeah, big red!" i cheer.

i stand up from my seat at big red's pizza place. "guess what?" i say to nini over facetime. "what?" she mouths. "hello? can you hear me?" i ask, bringing the phone to my ear to see if there was any sound. nini picks up a notebook, seeing a note that said 'i'm on vocal rest' with a heart. "okay, you are looking at east high's newest beast!" i say, smiling. nini squeals, smiling too. "are you allowed to make noises on vocal rest?" i ask. "oh whatever this is way more important!" she speaks quickly, "my amazing and talented girlfriend just got the lead!" i smile. "is that nini?" kourtney asks. i turn around, and everyone cheers. i turn my phone to them. "you guys, hi!" nini says, smiling.

i hand the phone to kourtney, sitting down as the pizza got served. "neenerz! we miss you so much!" she says. "kourt! mrs potts? that's the tea!" nini exclaims, making kourtney laugh. "that's funny, she's got jokes." "no but for real, you are going to knock potts out of the park. you have no idea how proud i am of you." "do not make me cry right now, neens! my make-up looks too good."

i watch as my phone gets passed around, eventually coming back to me. "hey, my phone's almost out of juice, and i promised my dad i'd give him a call so..." "oh! no, no, no, i totally get it, yeah. do your celebration thang!" nini exclaims, chuckling. i laugh, "salazar-roberts, i just wanna say thank you so, so much for telling me to-" i cut myself off as my phone dies.

nini's pov, day before valentines day
i tune my ukulele outside y/n's house, microphone in front of me. 

when we were little, i used to show up at y/n's window even though we lived literally next to each other, and she'd open the curtains with this big, goofy grin and it always... okay, this is corny, but it always warms my heart. i miss that smile so, i guess this is sort of a gift for me too.

i start to play the ukulele. "i think of you when the wind blows," i sing into the mic, "i see your face almost everywhere... sure, maybe salt lake is not close, but i'm still breathing you in the air," i sing, staring at y/n's closed window. "because- AHH!" i yell as a girl opens a window. she yells too. "what're you doing?!" she yells. "what am i doing? who are you... being?!" i blurt out. "what?!" "where is y/n?!" we stare at each other with confused and angry faces. the front door opens, y/n's dad being there, "nini?! i see you've met y/n's cousin, jessica! but what're you doing?" "that's what i said!" the girl upstairs says. "i'm singing, obviously! sorry- where's y/n?" "she took a trip to denver, did she not tell you?!"

y/n's pov
i walk the yac school grounds, guitar case in hand. 

yes, i took a last minute drive to nini's boarding school. for valentines day tomorrow, i wanted to surprise her. i don't wanna brag, but i had a pretty romantic idea the other day. i believe the word is... romcom!

"oh, excuse me! i'm looking for a nini salazar-roberts," i say to a girl walking up. "who?" she asks. "new girl, from salt lake." "oh, i'm pretty sure she cut out a day early for the weekend." "oh." she looks down at the guitar in my hand, trying not to laugh, "you weren't gonna do that outdoor serenade thing, were you? you realize this is a drama school, everybody does that." "cool," i say as she walks away.

"y/n?" i shoot up with a gasp, opening my eyes and seeing i was still on a facetime with nini, "hey, at least i get to see you after school." i reposition myself on the school wall. "i just said that," nini says, smiling. i sigh, wiping my eye, "i'm sorry." "i never knew you were close with your cousins," nini says. "oh yeah, about that..." "oh, it's all good. i only had like, three nightmares about the girl in the window," nini says, chuckling. "yeah? well i spent all night driving home to salt lake, so call it even?" "you really went all the way to denver just to say happy valentines?" she asks. "more like, to sing it. i kind of uh, wrote you this song," i chuckle and nini sits up quickly. "i wrote a song too!" "oh, come on!" "i wanna hear yours right now." she says. "y/n! hey, we're starting," ej says, "miss jenn's asking for you. you good?" "after school, okay?" nini says. "okay," i whisper, kissing my hand and putting it in front of my screen, receiving a giggle from nini.