Rina

"He said we all saw this coming. But I didn't. Not that night in your car after homecoming. Or when I made you that hat at Thanksgiving and the floppy little ears looked so dumb, but it was, honestly, the cutest thing I've ever seen. God, Ricky Bowen, you have been a surprise since the day we met. You weren't the plan. You were never the plan. Plans change. And if you want me to shut up, I'll shut up, but I don't have "maybe" feelings about you. You aren't a maybe. You're a yes. And I like to know where people stand with me. And so now you know where you stand with me. And so I'm going to walk out of here with my head held high. And I'm never gonna look back again. Unless you stop me."

- Gina to Ricky

Rina is the het ship between Ricky Bowen and Gina Porter from the High School Musical fandom.

Season 1
During the auditions for East High School's production of High School Musical: The Musical, Gina is visibly intrigued as she watches Ricky's performance. While Ricky is cast as Troy, Gina is cast as Taylor and the understudy for Gabriella.

After Gina hears Ricky telling Carlos that he is going to drop out of the musical, she goes to see Ricky at the skate park to convince him to stay, in the hope that his ex-girlfriend, Nini, who is playing Gabriella, will quit because of him and allow Gina to assume the role of Gabriella. Gina tells Ricky that she was glad when he got cast, since he is an outsider like her: she is a transfer student while he never did theater before. She says that Ricky does not need Carlos to tell him how to move since he has his own style.

When Ricky sees that Gina has brought EJ as her date to the homecoming dance, he tells her that she can do better. Gina retorts that he is not one to give relationship advice and that she will ask when she wants his opinion. Ricky says that he thought that she was classier than this but it turns out that she really is what people say she is: a little too ambitious for her own good. This hurts Gina and Ricky regrets what he said. Ricky later sees Gina storming off after pouring a drink on EJ's head and goes after her. He finds her in the coat check area and apologizes for what he said earlier. He says that it is not any of his business who she hangs out with and Gina asks why he is making it his business then. Ricky replies that he does not know but says that because he is an outsider to theater and she to East High, he thought that they sort of got each other. Ricky then gives her a ride home and as they sit in his car, he thanks her for convincing him to stay in the musical. Gina says that she meant what she said at the skate park about him having his own style but admits that she did not know how much she meant it when she said it. She then kisses him on the cheek before heading inside.

When Ricky suggests an acoustic version of "When There Was Me and You", Gina is the only one who votes for it. She later asks him if she can hear the acoustic version of the song and he plays it for her. She says that she wishes that she could play guitar like he does and he says that she is good at everything else like acting, dancing and throwing drinks in people's faces, referring to when she poured a drink on EJ at homecoming. When she says that she was hoping that he forgot about that, he says that he cannot forget about anything that happened at homecoming.

On Thanksgiving, Gina goes to Ricky's house so that they can walk to the party at Ashlyn's house together. She gives him a hat that she knitted for him because of the cold. Ricky is, however, upset that his mother has a new boyfriend and Gina says that she understands him: he is mad at everyone and everything because just when he is getting used to things changing, they change again. She says that she knows what he is feeling because she had to move multiple times due to her mother's job. She suggests that they ignore their problems and go to the party, to which Ricky agrees. Ricky then puts on the hat that Gina made for him and she laughs at how big it is on him. At the party, Gina learns from her mother that they are moving away again, which deeply saddens her. Ricky asks her if she wants to talk about it but she refuses to. Ricky is visibly crestfallen as Gina leaves after telling him that there is no point in calling her anymore.

Gina comes back on opening night and Ricky says that he did not think that they would see her again. He does not know what to say and Gina tells him not to say anything, urging him to go get ready for his performance.

After seeing his mother with her new boyfriend in the audience, Ricky opts out of the second act of the musical. Gina finds him in the hallway and suggests that they go watch the second act together. Ricky agrees and admits that he is glad that she came back. Gina later watches as Ricky and Nini sing together.

Fanon
Rina had a devoted following since the first season of the series, and fans were hoping that the two would end up together in later seasons, which eventually happened in the third season. This came as a surprise to some people who did not think that Rina would happen because Gina began dating EJ at the end of the second season, and also because they were expecting Ricky and Nini to get back together. Fans have, however, stated that since Ricky and Gina's feelings for each other were left unresolved in the first and second seasons, they were bound to resurface eventually.

Interest in the pairing grew considerably after the release of the third season, and Rina went on to become a beloved and fan-favorite couple. People who had never watched the series were drawn to the pairing after coming across fanworks involving the pairing and became so deeply invested that they started watching the series.

The chemistry between Ricky and Gina is often cited as the primary reason for the pairing's popularity. Fans point out that Ricky and Gina understand and trust each other deeply, which showed when they bonded over their similar situations. The slow burn nature of their romance allowed their relationship to develop and their bond to deepen as they connected emotionally but later fell apart and eventually grew close again before rekindling their buried feelings for each other.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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YOUTUBE
 * Ricky & Gina | Their Story {1x01 - 3x08}