Page 19 of I Don't Need Your Love

“We still have one more tryout,” Coach Moreno reminds me.

“He’s wallpaper.”

“Carly, please be mature about this. If you want this team to be successful, you can’t behave like a child.”

I know she’s right. After all, my policy was that anyone could try out. And I have no idea what I’m worried about anyway. It’s not like he’ll do a good job.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask the coach to tell him to try out because I have no desire to talk to him, but I have to be mature about this. So I say, “Ryder Bennett, you’re up.”

He seems shocked, like he thought I wouldn’t let him have a go. And then he smiles widely and runs to the center of the room, appearing very excited. For some reason, I have this strange feeling that his smile and excitement are genuine. Like he wants to try out because he wants to be on the team. But that’s crazy. I know he’s only here to irritate me.

He stands there with a mix of excitement and joy, but also nervousness and anxiety. It kind of makes him look cute…

Wait, what?

“Carly?” Coach Moreno says.

“What? Oh.” I nod to Ryder. “Ready?”

He releases a breath and nods curtly. “Ready.”

I play his music and he starts his routine. My eyes bug out and my mouth falls open as I watch him move his body around the gym. He’s so graceful and fluid, but also powerful and sharp. He matches the beat of the music perfectly and he has great form. Even his jumps are perfect.

Since when does Ryder Bennett know how to dance? Most of his routine is a mix of various styles, including hip-hop, tap, and even ballroom. Has he been taking classes all these years? How the heck did I not know about this? Then again, I don’t actually know Ryder Bennett. I know him as the guy who was always annoyed with me and destroyed my Lego and rejected me as a kid, but I realize I don’tknowhim.

All that about dance club being corny…was that his way of ticking me off?

Coach Moreno leans closer to me. “He’s really good.”

That’s an understatement. I can’t keep my eyes off him. And it seems like everyone else in the room feels the same.

When he’s done, everyone claps, including the coach. My friends seem just as shocked as me.

Coach Moreno must realize I can’t seem to use my vocal cords because she thanks everyone for trying out and tells them they’ll hear from us soon. I watch as a few girls surround Ryder and gush to him. He loves the attention. A part of me wants to race over to him and ask him how the heck he’s such a good dancer, but I force myself to remain in my seat. That’s all he needs, for me to compliment him. His head is far too big already.

“Carly, I don’t think we have enough applicants,” Coach Moreno tells me. “We might have enough to keep the team alive, but we won’t win competitions with such a small group or have great performances at halftime.”

My heart sinks. “So we should just quit before we make a fool of ourselves?”

“No, of course not. I think we should extend the tryouts to tomorrow.”

“Why would people try out tomorrow when they didn’t try out today?”

“You need to get the word out,” she tells me. “Let the students know how much they’ll miss out on if they don’t join the team. Sell it to them.”

Sell it to them? How can I possibly do that?

“We can make a video and post it on the school app,” Addie says as she approaches the table. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I have the perfect idea for a video.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Coach Moreno says. “I know you girls can do it. I have faith in you.” She squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She leaves the gym.

“We can record ourselves doing one of your best routines and make it look really fun,” Addie tells me with bright eyes. “Add some lighting and some special effects. Kids will feel major FOMO.”

“You think so?” I ask.

She grins. “Don’t you believe in my skills?”

“Of course! Yeah, it sounds like a great idea. I just hope you won’t work too hard.”