Page 41 of I Don't Need Your Love

I give her a quick hug, careful not to ruin her hair or makeup.

“Did you notice someone in the bleachers?” she whispers.

“Who?”

She nods toward the section where the popular students are. There, right in the center of the group, is none other than Clarissa Thomas.

I scowl at Addie. “She’s back?”

“Looks like her suspension is over.”

“Ugh. And she had to come to the game? She’ll make fun of our routine for sure.”

“Who cares? Just ignore her. If she was smart, she’d keep her comments to herself. She’s already in big trouble for what she did to me. My grandfatherneverforgets a person who wronged him or a member of his family. Her parents know the kind of power he has and they know how detrimental it would be to be his enemy.”

“So you think she’ll leave us alone from now on?” I ask.

Addie shrugs. “Who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if she still finds a way to make our lives hell. But I won’t let her hold me back from living my life and being happy. She’s invisible to me.”

I smile as I wrap my arm around her. “I love that attitude.”

The game begins. I know enough about football because I always went to Blake’s games before ninth grade. Addie (and Raven and Sophie) doesn’t know football that well, so it’s kind of funny trying to explain it to her amid the shouts and cheers.

It feels like forever until halftime, but when it finally arrives, my stomach bottoms out. Oh my gosh, the moment has actually arrived. Are we going to kill it out there or are we going to make a total fool of ourselves?

We pass the cheerleaders on the way to the field, who wish us luck on our performance. Well, everyone besides for Clarissa’s minions. Addie mutters to ignore Tweedledum Luna and Tweedledee Jemma.

Right before we step onto the field, I tell my team to huddle so I can give them a quick pep talk. “I know it’s super nerve-wracking,” I say as my eyes move from one member to the other, “but I want everyone to have fun out there. Don’t get so caught up in the mistakes you might make. Just enjoy every minute of it and most importantly? Kick major butt!”

We cheer and run to the center of the field. The crowd claps and whoops as we get into position. I smile at my parents and friends, every part of me filling with warmth and joy and every good emotion out there.

The music begins and off we go.

I can feel the nervous energy in the air as my teammates and I start the routine. Many of us have never performed in front of a live audience before. But in a matter of seconds, the nervous energy is replaced by joy and excitement, and in place of anxiety is nothing but fun.

My movements are precise and graceful, athletic when they need to be and soft at other times. Even though I’m focused on myself only, I can see from the corner of my eye that the rest of the team is killing it, too. Naya wears a huge smile on her face and Addie looks like she has light coming out of her eyes. I can’t see Ryder because he’s behind me, but I swear I feel his pure joy, too.

The two minutes fly like the blink of an eye, and it’s not long before I find myself standing in my final pose. The crowd erupts in cheers, whistles, and whoops. I feel like I’m floating up and up as the applause and cheers grow louder, some people calling for an encore. How I wish we could perform again, but the game has to continue.

We wave and run off the field, each of us wearing the largest smile I’ve ever seen before. I throw my arms around Addie. “We were amazing! Did you see us? We were on fire!”

“They loved it,” Addie says as she squeezes me back. “You did such an amazing job, Carly.”

“It’s not just me. It’s all of us.” I grab Naya and hug her tightly. “You remembered to smile!”

She laughs. “How could I not? The crowd went crazy over us. You think that means we’ll win a medal at the competition?”

“It has to!”

“Thanks so much for doing this, Carly.” She hugs me again. “I feel like I finally have a place where I belong.”

I hug other members of my team, congratulating everyone on the amazing job. Then I find myself face-to-face with Ryder. My arms fall to my sides.

He lifts a brow with a crooked smile. “All hugged out?”

“No…I…” I hold out my hand. “Good job, Ryder. I couldn’t see you, but I know you did a great job.”

He frowns at my hand. Then he puts on a smile. “Of course I did.” He winks. “I’m awesome, remember?”