Chapter Twenty-Six
Carly
I wake up with some black and blue marks over my body the next day.
I don’t mind them, really, since bruises are normal for dancers, and it kind of feels like a badge of honor.
Even though Ryder dropped me, my new pain reminds me of how thrilled and eager I am to add our dance sequence to the routine.
Even if we don’t do well at the next competition, I know that it’ll be lots of fun, despite the hard work.
Addie has a breakfast date with Caleb, so it’s just Sophie, Raven, and me at our usual table. I think I overworked myself too much yesterday because my plate is piled to the ceiling with all different kinds of goodies. I certainly worked up an appetite!
As my friends and I dig in, I say, “I got an email from Principal Harrington this morning.”
“Ooh, are you in trouble?” Sophie teases.
“Nope.” I take another bite of my chocolate waffles and sigh like I just floated to heaven.
“She wanted to tell me how proud she is of my progress. I managed to put together a successful team, and I’m keeping up with my classes, especially my advanced English class.
Based on the tone of the email, I think she thought I couldn’t do it. ”
“Feels good to prove people wrong, huh?” Raven says. “I never once doubted you could do it. When you put your mind to something, nothing can stop you.”
“Thanks. I was a little cheeky and asked if I could have some extra credit, you know, because I’m such an awesome student and everything. She has yet to respond to my email.”
Sophie laughs. “I bet she never will.”
“Yeah, don’t hold your breath,” Raven adds.
“I’m not. It was worth a shot, anyway.”
As we continue to eat this delicious food and talk about random things, I catch sight of Ryder strolling into the dining hall.
He makes a beeline for the buffet tables and starts loading his plate, just like I did like five minutes ago.
I guess he’s starved after yesterday, too?
A group of girls surrounds him, like usual, but he doesn’t pay them much attention.
He acknowledges them because he doesn’t want to be rude, but he doesn’t engage in conversation.
That leaves them confused and lost. When he’s done filling his plate to the max, he joins the jock table.
Before he sits down, though, his eyes spring to me.
I freeze for a second, totally embarrassed that he caught me watching him, but he smiles and waves.
I wave lamely back before tearing my eyes away and focusing on my food.
Ugh, does he think I’m a total loser for staring at him? I’m sure his ego loves that.
“Speaking of Ryder,” I tell my friends. “Moreno wants to add—”
“Who exactly was speaking of Ryder?” Raven asks.
Sophie raises a brow at me before sliding a book out of her backpack and placing it on a clean spot on the table. It looks like a horror.
“Oh, weren’t we talking about Ryder?” I ask.
“Maybe in your head,” Sophie says, and then she and Raven laugh.
“Okay, fine. My bad. Anyway, Moreno asked—”
“Is Ryder on your mind like twenty-four-seven?” Sophie flips through her book.
“ No .”
“Seems like it.”
“It so does not.”
“I’m with Sophie,” Raven tells me. “It seems all we talk about lately is Ryder.”
“Not that we mind!” Sophie playfully jabs her elbow into my ribs. “We love seeing you get close to him.”
“If you guys don’t quit it with me and Ryder, I won’t tell you about the new project I have with him.”
“New project?” Raven’s eyes are shining with intrigue.
“Too late. You guys lost your chance once you started teasing me about Ryder.”
Sophie and Raven glance at each other and shrug. “If that’s what you want,” Raven says.
“Yep. I’ll just focus on my book.” Sophie finds her page and starts to read. Raven scrolls on her phone.
My shoe taps on the floor. “Are you guys trying to use reverse psychology on me?”
“What do you mean?” Raven asks, all innocently. “Is there something you’re dying to tell us about you and Ryder?”
I press my lips together and glare at her.
“Looks like it’s bursting to come out,” Sophie points out, even though her eyes are glued to her book.
I tap my shoe again and fold my arms across my chest. Then I drop them to my sides. I pick up my fork to take a bite of my omelet, but I drop it and throw my hands up. “Okay, fine! You guys win. I am dying to tell you about what happened between me and Ryder.”
Raven grins. “I knew you wouldn’t last long.”
“So predictable,” Sophie says with a chuckle.
“You guys want to hear about it or not?”
“Well, since you’re so eager to tell us,” Raven teases.
I give her a look before saying, “Moreno thought our team needs some oomph, you know? Something that will take us straight to the top. So she suggested we add a pair sequence to the routine.”
“You mean, you and Ryder?” Raven asks.
“How did you guess that?”
“It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?”
“Wait, so you and Ryder are going to perform a romantic dance?” Sophie asks with huge eyes.
“Yeah. We danced together yesterday and Moreno said we have good chemistry. I have no idea if that’s true, but look.” I show them some of my black and blue marks. “He dropped me during practice.”
“Ouch, that looks like it hurts,” Raven says.
“Battle scars.” I shrug. “I’ll probably see more of that during the next few days. Unless Ryder can hold me up for more than five seconds before crashing to the floor.”
Sophie’s brows crease. “Did you want to be paired with him?”
“I mean, Moreno said I’m the best dancer on the team, and he’s the only male dancer…”
Her face lights up. “You know what this means?” she gushes.
“Um…no?”
“This is a forced proximity trope!”
Raven and I roll our eyes. “Not again, Soph,” she mutters.
“Guys, this is like one of the best tropes ever. Two people who don’t want to spend time together are forced to be together, maybe for a school project or event, and then…BAM! They fall madly in love and live happily ever after.”
“As if that happens in real life.”
“Of course it does! Think about it. You have two people who are meant to be together, right? But how can they possibly get together when they don’t know each other, or if they hate each other’s guts?
Cue the forced proximity trope. They are forced to spend time together, maybe even rely on each other. And then… BAM! They fall—”
“Madly in love and live happily ever after,” Raven finishes for her.
“Exactly!”
“Except, that won’t happen with me and Ryder—”
“Didn’t we already establish that he’s in love with you?” Sophie says.
“ We didn’t establish that. Your deluded mind established that.”
“I am not deluded—”
“Are we talking about me again?” a voice says.
I cringe when I realize it’s Ryder. Did he overhear our conversation? I’m going to murder Sophie.
I turn to him. “Why do you say that?”
“Remember you get a look on your face when you’re talking about me?” He drops down on the seat next to me and tugs on my ponytail. “You look cute in a ponytail.”
“I wear a ponytail during practice and performances,” I point out.
“I know. That’s why you look cute when you wear it outside of them. I mean, you always look cute, even when you want to put me on a spit and roast me over a fire. But you look extra cute now.” He tugs on my ponytail again.
“Stop,” I mutter as I take hold of his hand and throw it away. “You’re too annoying this early in the morning.”
“Check out that delicious pile of grub.” He nods at my plate, which has most of the food still there. I guess I overestimated how much I could eat.
“Look who’s talking.” I nod back at his plate, which is basically half empty.
“Most of mine is gone and in here.” He pats his belly.
“You’re an animal.”
“I’m a growing boy. And I need my strength to lift our precious captain without causing her damage.”
“Oh, you definitely damaged her,” Sophie says with a teasing grin. “She loves it, though. She calls them battle scars.”
“Wait, what?” Ryder asks as he focuses on me.
I lift my shoulders. “Just some black and blue marks. Nothing a dancer can’t handle.”
“Can I see where I hurt you?”
“If you insist.” I roll up my sleeve and show him.
His face changes from carefree and playful to serious and guilty. “Oh. I’m sorry about that, Carly. I hate that I dropped you.”
“And then fell on top of me,” I remind him.
He squeezes his eyes shut and sighs.
“It’s okay,” I tell him with a laugh. “This sort of thing happens in our line of business. You can’t tear yourself up over it. We just need to move on and do better.”
He watches me for a few seconds, searching my eyes like he’s making sure I really am okay, and then he nods. “I guess you’re right.” He picks up his fork and digs into his remaining food. The three of us continue to eat as well.
We talk about a few topics, with Ryder adding in here and there, but then the football team calls for him to return to their table—actually, they demand it.
He doesn’t look too happy about it, but the guys are getting rowdier by the second, which is very cringey.
Ryder gives me a cross-eyed look before dragging himself off his chair, grabbing his tray with his almost-empty plate, and hauling his unwilling self to the jock table.
I watch as the guys fist bump him and welcome him like he’s the president or something.
But he looks back at my table like he’d rather be here than over there.
“That was really sweet of him, Carly,” Raven says.
“Hmm?” I tear my eyes away from the jock table and look at her. “What?”
“That he was concerned about your bruises.”
“He knows Blake would stab him with hot pokers if he hurt me.”
She gives me a look. “Do you really think that’s the reason?”
I press my lips together. Because while it’s true that my brother would throw him before a moving train if he hurt me, I also know that Ryder would sooner hurt himself than allow any harm come my way. Which makes my stomach get all twisted.
“He falls first, she falls harder,” Sophie mutters as she turns another page in her book.
“What did you say?” I ask.
“Mmm? Oh, nothing at all. Or maybe it’s she falls first, he falls harder?” she mumbles to herself. “I guess time will tell.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I have no time or patience to figure it out.” I try to eat more from my plate, but my stomach feels like it might explode. “I think I ate too much.”
“No such thing when it comes to Harrington Bay Academy’s food,” Raven says.
“Yep. Calories are thrown out the window the second we walk through these doors,” Sophie adds.
“Tell that to the popular girls.” I nod to the table in the center of the room, where Clarissa and her lackeys sit.
The table is filled to the max with girls, and even some guys have joined, too.
Ugh, how can she still be so popular after what she did to Addie?
I guess people like them don’t care about being decent human beings.
“More for us, then,” Raven says with a shrug as she sticks her fork into my pancake. “I’m stealing some of your food.”
“Be my guest.”
Sophie digs into some of my food, too, and we manage to finish most of it by the time the bell rings. I feel like a whale as I get up and slip my backpack onto my shoulders. After throwing out our garbage and discarding our trays, we make our way out of the dining hall.
Ryder is a few feet ahead of us, walking with the football team. Even the back of his head is good-looking. His hair is just the right amount of messy and neat.
The football players slow down to chat with some other jocks, and my friends and I pass by. When Ryder notices us, his face lights up and he hurries to join us. “I think we’re all headed in the same direction,” he says. “Let’s walk together.”
“Actually, Sophie and I need to stop by the office,” Raven says as she grabs Sophie’s arm.
“Et tu, Brute?” I say. Addie also took every opportunity to leave Ryder and me alone.
“See you later, Carly!” They scurry away.
Ryder chuckles. “Are your friends trying to push us together or something?”
“Ignore them,” I say as I continue heading toward my class.
“I’m glad you found a group of friends you’re so close to,” he says softly as he stays at my pace. “I remember you telling me how hard it was for you when you were younger because you didn’t have friends.”
My first reaction is to shut him out. This conversation is way too personal. But I realize I like the idea of being open with him. He’s shown me that he’s nothing like the person I thought he was. He’s much sweeter and more sensitive, and he really tries to make the people around him happy.
I stop outside my classroom and play with my backpack straps. “Yeah, it was hard when I was younger. I was lonely a lot. I’m thankful for Addie, Raven, and Sophie every day.”
He smiles in this sweet way that makes my insides melt. “I’m really so happy for you.” He makes a move like he wants to hug me, but then backs away because he’s not sure I’ll welcome him. “I’ll see you later, Captain.”
Before I have a chance to decide if I do want to hug him, he waves and walks away.