Page 61 of I Don't Need Your Love

“You’re looking at me funny. Is there a bug on my face or something?”

“You’ve changed,” I say.

“Of course. I got more handsome.” He tucks his fingers under his chin and bats his eyelashes. “And I’ve got muscles.” He flexes.

“Never mind,” I say with an eye roll. “You’re still the same annoying person.”

“But more handsome, right?”

“Meh.”

“Meh?”

“Yep.”

He clutches his chest. “That stabbed me right through the heart.”

“Ryder, Carly? You kids plan to get off the bus or hang out here all day?” Moreno asks.

I survey the area and realize that we’re the only kids left on the bus.

“Sorry.” I stand and grab my backpack. “We were, um…”

“Just leaving.” Ryder gets up and throws his backpack over his shoulder. “After you, ma’am. I am a gentleman, after all.”

With another eye roll and fighting a smile, I make my way off the bus and outside, where the rest of the team is waiting. Naya and Addie are grinning as they glance from me to Ryder. I join them and fold my arms over my chest. “Before you guys say anything, nothing happened,” I mutter.”

“It sounded like you were having fun,” Addie points out with a knowing smile.

“He’s more tolerable now. But still annoying. How are you guys doing? Are you nervous, Naya?”

“Totally! But I’m so pumped, too. I think we’ll be amazing out there.”

“We sure as heck will be,” I say. “What about you, Addie? You good?”

“I’m oddly calmer than I thought I’d be. I think it’s because we know the routine inside out. As long as we keep calm, there’s no reason why we should choke.”

After Moreno makes sure we’re all set, we enter the building and head to where the competition will take place. The area is swarming with so many dancers. Ryder was right—their uniforms are amazing. But like him, I love ours best.

“Oh my gosh,” Naya gasps.

We all turn to her.

“It’s my mom! She’s here. She said she wasn’t sure she could make it, which is usually code for she won’t be coming. But she’s here! Mom!” She waves.

The woman, who is on her way to where the audience is seated, spins around. She waves and blows a kiss to her daughter.

Naya’s eyes shine in a way I’ve never seen before. “She does care,” she says in a low voice.

I wrap my arm around her. “How can anyone not care about you? You’re awesome.”

“You’re the awesome one, Carly. Because of you, my mom is here. Now I know that she does support me. She does care about what I love.”

We won’t be performing for at least half an hour, so we hang out backstage, practicing our routine and chatting with the other teams. And of course we watch the other performances. They allhave such mind-blowing routines. Each and every one of them is good enough for first place. It makes me a little nervous—okay, a lot—but I know we have a solid routine, too. There’s no reason we can’t reach the top.

After a bit, Addie and I sneak off to peek into the audience to look for our families.

“Yay, he’s here!” Addie says. “My grandfather’s here. I’m surprised he’s not impatient. I thought he would get bored and bribe the people in charge to let our team go first.”