Rina

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“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.

Canon

Season 1

During 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 show, 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 he 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. She retorts that he is not one to give relationship advice and that she will ask when she wants his opinion. He 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 her and he 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 she asks why he is making it his business then. He 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 drives Gina home and thanks her for convincing him to stay in the show. She 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 that Nini sing a solo 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. When he is done, 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 made 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 he agrees. He then puts on the hat that she 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. He is visibly crestfallen as she leaves after telling him that there is no point in calling her anymore.

Gina comes back on opening night and tells Ricky that she is back for one night only. He says that he did not think that he would see her again and she says that she thought the same. When he does not know what to say, she tells him not to say anything and urges him to go get ready for his performance.

Ricky is upset when he sees his mother with her new boyfriend in the audience and opts out of the second act of the show. Gina finds him in the hallway and suggests that they go watch the second act together. He agrees and admits that he is glad that she came back. When they return inside, Nini encourages Ricky to get back on stage and Gina watches their performance. Ricky and Nini get back together after the show while Ashlyn offers Gina to stay at her house for the next semester so that she does not have to leave.

Season 2

On Valentine's Day, Gina shows up at Ricky's house and apologizes for not calling beforehand. She tells him that her mother, who is still away for work, usually gives her a gift on Valentine's Day but this year she seems to have forgotten to send her something. Ricky says that he understands what she is feeling and she says that she knew that he would. She admits that there are things that she tells him that she does not tell anyone else and he agrees that they do that for each other. They are interrupted when Nini calls Ricky to tell him that she will catch up with him a little later than they had planned. When she hangs up, Ricky tells Gina that he had this song that he wanted to play for Nini and Gina tells him to call Nini back and play it over the phone. She says that every girl likes a sweet gesture and that she is speaking from experience. He says that she will get hers too and she puts on a smile as she leaves his house. Gina later finds a heart-shaped box of chocolates at her door just as she receives a text from Ricky thanking her for her advice. She thinks that the chocolates are from him and sends him a text to thank him but then she opens a text from her mother informing her that she sent the chocolates.

Although Gina is embarrassed by the situation, chocolates become a running joke between her and Ricky. When Ricky compliments Gina's dance, she is hesitant to believe him so he jokingly asks if he should send her a box of chocolates to prove it. Later, while looking for supplies during the snowstorm, Gina runs into Ricky and Big Red. Despite Ricky's attempts to stop him, Big Red asks for Gina's opinion on a text that Ricky wants to send Nini. Gina is visibly hurt as she listens to Big Red describing the text and she tells Ricky not to send it. He thanks her for her advice and apologizes for dragging her into this. She changes the subject by jokingly saying that the chocolate that she found near her locker must be Ricky's latest Valentine to her, causing him to laugh nervously and say that he goes big.

As Kourtney prepares Gina's outfit for Carlos' quinceañero, Gina tells her that last semester, on the opening night of High School Musical: The Musical, she did something that she wishes that she could take back because at that time she did not know that she was staying. Ricky later approaches Gina to ask for advice on something that he wants to do for Nini behind her back. He tells Gina to imagine that they are dating and asks if she would be flattered if he went behind her back to do something for her. She says that she would be but reminds him that they are not dating and that there are better people to confide in about Nini.

Hurt, Gina begins distancing herself from Ricky. She tells Ashlyn about the thing that she did last semester because she thought that she would never see Ricky again. Gina went to find Ricky after the show and complimented him for his performance. She then started to cry as she confessed her love for him, saying that she would not quit on her and Ricky if she was not moving away. She told him that she would give him a tight hug and then walk away with her head held high. Ricky agreed and they hugged. Ashlyn asks if she and Ricky talked about it since then and Gina replies that he seems happy with Nini so there is nothing to talk about.

Ricky and Nini decide to break up when they realize that they are holding each other back while Gina grows closer to EJ, whom she later dates.

Season 3

EJ takes Gina and their friends to Camp Shallow Lake for the summer. Ricky does not go with them as he plans to go on a trip with Lily, whom he has been spending time with. However, after he discovers that she stole an equipment from their show last semester, he leaves her and decides to join his friends at camp. EJ and Gina are assuring each other that nothing is going to ruin their summer together when Ricky shows up, causing Gina to chuckle nervously.

When EJ expresses his surprise at the fact that Ricky showed up, Gina quickly changes the subject. Ricky and Gina run into each other on their way to have breakfast and after they share an awkward hug, Gina asks if they can start over and be friends again, to which Ricky agrees. Ricky and Gina later audition for Camp Shallow Lake's production of Frozen.

Ricky and Gina are cast as Kristoff and Anna, the main romantic pairing in Frozen. At night, after Ricky finds a shrine in the woods, he tells EJ about it so that they can go look at it. Gina hears him and is excited to go see it but since EJ is busy, Ricky and Gina go without him. As they walk in the woods, they comment on how quiet it is and Ricky admits that he is a little scared. He grabs Gina's wrist and places her hand on his chest to prove that his heart is racing. They lock eyes for a moment before she pushes him away and teases him, calling him "chicken". When they do not find the shrine, she suggests that they head back and he asks who the "chicken" is now. They then hear a female voice singing from the barn and decide to see who it is. They find out that it is Ashlyn and after she leaves, Ricky tells Gina that her being Anna is a big deal and that he is proud of her. As they exit the barn, they agree that the night was a blast even though they could not find the shrine. She tells him good night, only to realize that they are walking in the same direction. They agree that it is not awkward at all before starting to laugh.

The next morning, EJ, who found out that Ricky and Gina were together in the woods, makes a comment about Ricky being Gina's "secret late-night hiking buddy" in front of everyone, which Ricky tries to pass off as EJ joking. Ricky later expresses jealousy after watching Gina and EJ's performance, which does not go unnoticed by Corbin, who is directing the documentary about the show. Corbin signals the cameraman, Channing, to film as he asks Ricky what he thought of the performance. Ricky says that Gina is amazing before awkwardly adding that EJ is also amazing, after which he leaves. Gina later runs into Ricky while he is rehearsing his lines and finds out about his list of things that he wants to do before he turns eighteen. She reads it and teases him about it. He manages to take it back but she tries to snatch it again. EJ witnesses their banter and, feeling jealous, he leaves.

While Ricky is practicing slapping EJ, Carlos says that it looks fake so he tells them to imagine a scenario where EJ has stolen the woman whom Ricky loves. Ricky asks if he means Gina because she is EJ's girlfriend so EJ stole her, before quickly correcting himself and saying that EJ would have stolen her in this fake scenario. EJ, however, picked up on Ricky's blunder and continues the scenario, saying that Ricky held a torch for Gina for years but now it is weird because she is in love with EJ and Ricky cuts him off by slapping him. Ricky asks if he did it right since he found his motivation and EJ says that it was pretty convincing. Ricky and Gina then perform "What Do You Know About Love?". The performance is intense and intimate, which does not go unnoticed by the people watching them. After the performance, Ricky and Gina have a heart-to-heart but are interrupted by Channing. Ricky later confesses his feelings for Gina to Carlos but gets caught by Channing who was filming them behind the bushes.

Ricky asks Corbin if he could delete the footage of his confession but Corbin says that it is not possible. Ricky and Gina are in the same team for the Color War competition and he tries to show her how to play basketball but fails in landing the ball in the basket, causing her to laugh. Gina leads the team to win the basketball match and she and Ricky hug. After Gina laughs at a joke that Ricky made, EJ tells Ricky that it has been a while since she laughed at EJ's jokes. Ricky says that the she is probably upset that EJ was not there to see her win the basketball match. Ricky later helps Gina to arrange a promposal for EJ, after which he goes to his room and cries in his bed.

At camp prom, Gina is upset when EJ misses the last dance and confronts him about them having two different summers. She starts listing the activities that he missed out on and he notes that those things have the same person in common. She says that this is not about Ricky but EJ brings up the fact that she and Ricky have history. She says that she was trying to make a future with EJ but that "maybe" is not good enough for her since all her life has been about change and that "maybe" is all that she has ever known. After Gina breaks up with EJ, Ricky sees that she is upset and follows her to the coat check area. He asks if everything is okay and she acknowledges their past encounter at coat check at homecoming. He says that he has something to tell her but when he sees that she has been crying, he says that it can wait if she is going through something, for which she thanks him. She drops her things and he consoles her as he helps her pick them up. They lock eyes but are interrupted and she leaves. Ricky and Gina later run into each other and he says that she looks a little better. She asks him about the thing that he wanted to say to her earlier and he is about to tell her that Channing caught him confessing his feelings for her on camera when they spot EJ in the distance. Gina tells Ricky that she and EJ broke up so Ricky decides not to tell her about his feelings.

While making his birthday wish, Ricky wonders where Gina is. As Val is telling Gina that she will know when the right person comes along because the timing will just make sense, Ricky appears. Gina tells Ricky that she likes to know where she stands with people and that she is done with EJ. After Ricky leaves, she wishes him "Happy Birthday". Before Ricky's performance, Channing comes to film him and Gina. Tired of Channing's antics, Ricky pushes his camera away and says that he and Gina are just friends and asks him to leave. Ricky asks Gina if she is okay, to which she replies that she is, "for the first time in forever". While performing "Kristoff Lullaby", Ricky looks at Gina for a moment and she looks away from his gaze. A month later, at the premiere of the documentary trailer, Gina confesses her feelings for Ricky, telling him that he is a "yes" and not a "maybe". She says that now he knows where he stands with her and so she is going to walk away with her head held high and she is not going to look back again unless he stops her. She starts to walk away but he does not let her go and they share a kiss.

Quotes

Main article: Rina/Quotes

Behind the Scenes

Interviewer – “The Ricky and Gina pairing really surprised a lot of people. It certainly surprised me. When did you get the initial thought that it'd be fun to see these two characters together?”

Tim Federle – “We started the show with this traditional love triangle with Nini and these two boys [Ricky and E.J.] and I think that one of the techniques of trying to keep an audience on their toes is simply to surprise them by introducing somebody new. In this case it was Gina. To me, the real surprise of it was Sofia Wylie, and the depth and range and access she has in her life as an actor is phenomenal. When she shot that first scene with Joshua in the car outside her house at homecoming, I saw such a tenderness but also so much going on behind Sofia's eyes that made me say, "Oh my gosh, we have to keep writing. We have to keep writing toward this." Something as simple as Ricky singing her a song in episode 6 can mean so much. And that is another thing musicals give you, which is the power of song, which is so inherently emotional and can tell so many stories that the script never could. I know we've got some Rina stans out there, and I'm hoping this show has five or seven seasons so we'll see where they all end up.”

Interviewer – “Gina and Ricky had sprinkles of looks and glances in season 2, and they did have that one flashback confession. What are your thoughts on the Rina fandom?”

Tim Federle – “Sofia has chemistry with like a lamp. She's just that kind of actor. That's an incredible fandom. Man, they are passionate, and I really respect the passion that they have for that couple. I guess what I would say about Rina is, I think the reason people go to their high school reunions, even 50 years later, is because you never really graduate from high school. I do think there's a lot between these two characters that is very much still on the table, even if they're not quite ready to see what that actually means.”

“Josh [Bassett] and Sofia [Wylie] are incredible actors. Ricky and Gina are so fun to write for, and these two characters understand the other one like nobody can. They both share a lot. They actually have a lot in common. Cliffhangers are fun, but sometimes you also have to breathe. I felt that, for what the fans have gone through over these last three seasons, at least for the Gina-Ricky fans, it was time to give the world a little bit of a win.”

— Tim Federle

Interviewer – “Gina has a line where she tells Ricky that this wasn't the original plan, that this wasn't exactly something that she expected to happen between them. Was this pairing expected from the perspective of the writers' room?”

Tim Federle – “There's a lot. If you go back and rewatch the series, I think Gina and Rick are so coded throughout. There's a lot of false starts and there's a lot of timing is everything and their timing has never been good, I think, until this moment. But look, when I wrote the pilot, I don't think Gina and Ricky were a big plan. I think "Homecoming" changed everything and the performance of Josh and Sofia in that car changed the trajectory of the show forever.”

“And then there's good-ol', reliable Ricky in the background, making Gina laugh and being there for her while respecting their boundaries.”

— Tim Federle

Interviewer – “Great segue, because we left Ricky and Gina in a pretty definitive place in the development of their budding romance. Are you excited to explore them as an actual couple next season?”

Tim Federle – “Gina and Ricky have been a slow burn since season one. There was a forbidden element of their relationship that suddenly is not forbidden. These actors are so compelling and powerful and can play all this material. There's a world of opportunity for them to explore.”

Fanon

Rina had a devoted following since the first season of the series and many were hoping that the two would end up together in later seasons, which eventually happened at the end of the third season. Although Ricky and Gina had seemingly buried their complicated feelings for each other in previous seasons, it did not deter fans from rooting for a romantic relationship between the two as they firmly believed that those unresolved feelings would eventually resurface.

Interest in the pairing increased considerably following the third season and Rina became 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 one of the main reasons for the pairing's popularity. The fact that they bonded over their emotions of similar situations and understand each other in a way no other character ever could also deeply contributed to the intense love for the pairing. Their love story took inspiration from one of the most loved ships of the early 2000s, Jacey, and were shown to have intentional parallels to Troyella and Kristanna.

On AO3, Rina is the most written ship for both Ricky and Gina. It is also the most written ship in the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV) tag.

Fandom

• Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter tag on AO3
• Ricky Bowen & Gina Porter tag on AO3

• ricky x gina tag on Tumblr

• rinaedit hashtag on Instagram
• rickyandgina hashtag on Instagram

• Ricky and Gina on HSMTMTS Wiki

• Ricky & Gina | Their Story [1x01 - 3x08]
• the full story of ricky and gina (1x01-4x08)

Lists

Fandometrics

12th	SEP 19th 2022
18th	SEP 12th 2022
20th	AUG 29th 2022

Gallery

Main article: Rina/Gallery