Page 64 of I Don't Need Your Love
“Everyone, gather around,” she calls.
There’s so much cheering and excited chatter around us from the other teams. Some of them congratulate us on qualifying, and we return the congratulations, although it’s obvious we’re all pretty down by the results.
“I know this feels like a setback,” Moreno says once we’re gathered in a circle. “But don’t be hard on yourselves. You did a wonderful job and qualified! That’s a cause for celebration.”
“But I thought my routine was good,” I say, my chest feeling like it’s full of lead. “I worked so hard.Weworked so hard. And we barely made it?”
“We’re a young team,” Moreno explains. “You all did a stupendous job and the routine was great. We’re slightly behind the other teams in technique, and unfortunately, the judges saw that during the performance. We have some kinks to work out, but don’t worry, we’ll get there.”
I scan every member of my team, noticing how upset and broken they all look. As captain, it’s my job to make them feel better. So putting on a smile, I say, “This is what we need to light a fire under our butts. We just became a team two weeks ago while other teams have been together for months, maybe even years. Look what we accomplished! We qualified for the next dance competition. Our hard work and determination have paid off. If we could achieve this in only two weeks, imagine what we could accomplish in the next month!”
I can see the confidence growing in most of my teammates’ expressions. Our coach’s words are true, and so are mine. We might be behind other teams, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat them. All we need to do is push through and push each other. We can achieve anything we put our minds to.
We smile at one another and congratulate each other on our fantastic performance. After a group hug, we disperse to meet with our families and friends.
As soon as I see my parents, I rush into their arms. They and my brother tell me over and over how awesome I was and how proud they are of me. They can’t wait to see our next performance. Dad gives me an extra hug, as though he’s telling me that he wishes he could give me the world, but he also needs to be practical. I kiss his cheek, letting him know I understand.
And then my friends squish me to death.
“You all were like goddesses on the stage,” Sophie tells me and Addie. “And a god,” she says with a laugh, nodding to Ryder, who is exchanging hugs with my parents and doing a dude hug with Blake.
“I recorded the whole thing,” Raven tells us with a grin. “I need to rewatch it because it went by so fast.”
“Thanks, Raven. We’ll need to study and analyze our performance to figure out what we did wrong,” I say.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Raven says. “I don’t know why you were last place. In my opinion, you were better than many of the other teams.”
“Thanks, but the judges look at the technical side of the routine, too,” I inform her.
“We’ll get there,” Addie says with a reassuring smile. “The whole team has confidence in you.”
“Thanks.”
It suddenly dawns on me that I didn’t have a chance to congratulate Ryder. I was able to catch a glimpse of him here and there during the performance and I saw that he was doing a phenomenal job. But when I look around, I don’t see him anywhere.
“Have you seen Ryder?” I ask my friends.
They raise their shoulders, telling me they don’t know where he went. When I ask my brother, he tells me he has no idea where he is, either.
Hmm, strange. But I’ll have a chance to congratulate him later. In the meantime, I celebrate with my friends and family.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Carly
As my team and I make our way to the bus that will take us back to school, we can’t stop gushing about the competition.
It was hard to bid goodbye to my parents and Blake. I miss them so much, even though we video chat often. But I’ll see them at the next competition.
We’re gathered outside the bus, waiting for the driver to return from wherever he went. Maybe he grabbed some food? Everyone continues to chat about the competition, and I find my eyes traveling to Ryder. He’s talking to a few girls, smiling and nodding without saying much. The smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, though. Is he upset that we made the cut by the skin of our teeth? We’ll do better next time.
When the driver finally returns, we all gather to board the bus. Before Addie and I get on, I say, “Hey, Addie? Do you mind sitting with Naya again?”
Her eyebrows lift before she glances behind her at Ryder. A slow but wide smile forms on her lips. “Okay.” She pokes me in the ribs with her elbow. “Sure thing.” After glancing at Ryder one more time, she gets on the bus and drops down next to Naya.
When I pass them on the way to my seat, they throw me grins, and Addie even winks. I playfully roll my eyes and lower myself on a seat toward the middle of the bus. So if a certain dude who’s the only male on the team sees a vacant seat next to a certain captain and decides he wants to occupy it…
Ryder remains outside for a few minutes before following the others onto the bus. My hands wring in my lap as I wait for him to approach my seat.
