Page 18 of I Don't Need Your Love
“No,” I say at the same time he says, “Yes.” I throw him another glare.
“Your captain is being sexist,” he accuses.
“Oh my gosh! I so amnot.” I turn to Coach Moreno and throw my hands up. “He’s just here to annoy me.”
“No I’m not—”
“He destroyed my Lego when I was six and—”
“Again with the freakin’ Lego—”
“And one time he dressed up in a lion costume and hid in my closet. When I walked in, he burst out of it and jumped on top of me, scarring me for life.”
His brows shoot up. “Did that really happen?”
“Yes, you sick individual.”
“I was like seven!”
“And the worst part is that just this morning, he called dance club—”
“Carly.” Coach Moreno holds up her hands. “I have no idea what this drama is about, and I honestly couldn’t care less. But if Ryder is here to try out, we need to allow him to try out.” She takes my arm and pulls me aside. “What’s wrong, Carly? We don’t have the biggest turnout and we can’t afford to tell people to leave.”
“You don’t get it, Miss Moreno. Ryder’s not serious about dance. I doubt he evencandance. He’s just here to mess with me.”
She sighs and shakes her head, as though she didn’t sign up for this. Shoot, the last thing I want is for her to quit on me. But what else can I do? Allow the cretin to ruin something that means the world to me?
“Carly, we have to give him a chance. If he’s here just to annoy you like you claim, then he’ll bomb his audition and we won’t have to accept him on the team.”
“I guess that’s true,” I admit. “Still, the idea of allowing him to try out gives me hives.”
I exchange a glance with Addie and then Raven. Both of them seem perplexed as to why Ryder is here, but I sense a hint of a smile on Addie. She, for some strange reason, is under the impression that there’s some sort of vibe between Ryder and me. Well, the only vibe we have is one of hatred.
Coach Moreno and I return to the table and she tells me to call the first person to audition. I ask Addie to come forward and write down her name on my paper. She puts on her music and starts her routine. I’m super nervous because I want her to do well, but after a few seconds, my worries fly out the window. Because she’s killing it! I’ve seen her dance before, but it’s obvious she worked really hard on this routine because it’s the best dancing I’ve ever seen from her. She’s so determined and focused, and she even steps out of her comfort zone. My cheeks hurt from the humongous smile on my face.
When she’s done, I force myself to remain planted in my seat because all I want to do is rush over to her and give her the biggest hug in the world. Shenailedthat routine. Raven and Caleb are on their feet, cheering loudly. Addie blushes as she tries to hide a smile.
“Great job, Addie,” I tell her. “Okay, next we have Naya Jani!” I call.
Naya’s dark eyes grow big, like she wasn’t expecting to be called one of the first ones. She hesitantly walks over to the center of the gym, standing before our table. After she nods at me to play her music, she begins her routine. She’s a little stiff at first and she stumbles a few times. She’s obviously very nervous. But I have a good feeling about her. She makes a few more mistakes and her worried eyes flit to mine. I offer her an encouraging smile, letting her know she’s got this. That seems to raise her confidence and she does a better job on her routine.
Even though she still makes a few mistakes, I know she has a ton of potential and raw talent. With every step she takes, her confidence grows and she does a very good job at the very end.
Her head is lowered in disappointment and I can see her berating herself.
“Great job, Naya!” I say.
She lifts her head in surprise.
I offer her another smile, and she relaxes. Then I lean to Coach Moreno. “She’s a diamond in the rough.”
“I agree.”
We continue with the tryouts, and I try my hardest to keep my focus on the dancers and not on the uninvited guest. But it’s kind of hard to ignore him. He’s tall and big and commands the room, not to mention the fact that he’s the only guy in here. No matter how much I try to jerk my eyes away, they slowly find their way to him. He watches the dancers with a thoughtful and serious expression, one I can’t seem to decipher. What’s going on in that head of his?
Unfortunately, most of the hopefuls don’t have a good tryout. Addie was amazing and Naya has the potential to turn into one of the best dancers in the world. Another girl, Miriam, does a decent job, but everyone else…I’m sad to say they don’t have what it takes.
“This sucks,” I mutter as I squeeze my hands over my face.
