Faking it with Beck Ryder

Forceful Alliance

Nyla’s pov

I stared at his back for a full three seconds after he walked away.

Seriously?

What the hell kind of greeting was that? I wasn’t interested in speaking to him either, but I didn’t mind saying ‘hello,’ for the purpose of this.

I blinked once, still standing where he’d left me.

Other pairs were already interacting, familiar. That’s what was expected. I guess I was expecting too much from his pompous ass.

Apparently, Beck Ryder’s version of social interaction was acknowledging someone like a nineteenth-century duke.

Who does that?

“Okay,” I muttered under my breath. “Good talk.”

It was so annoying how everyone was so cautious around him. He didn’t need to demand attention. It was already given to him.

He acted like the entire room was inconveniencing him by existing too loudly.

He didn’t smile or even pretend to look approachable.

The most annoying part of it all was how calm he still managed to look.

Meanwhile, I was trying not to burst out in anger over a nod.

What was that interaction supposed to mean?

Hello, partner. Pleasure doing absolutely no business with you.

I took a deep breath. Maybe I was overthinking things and he was just awkward. Or perhaps he was just rude or allergic to social interactions.

Vanessa’s voice snapped me out of my mood.

“Alright, everyone, we’ll be distributing your preliminary schedules.”

Assistants began moving around with folders in their hands, handing them over to each individual in a pair.

I stepped aside to let someone walk by while thinking about how I was going to be spending an alarming amount of time with someone who lacked proper communication skills.

An assistant handed me a folder.

“Your filming outline,” she said politely.

I opened the folder immediately. My name was written at the top of the page.

Participant: Nyla Hart

Assigned Athlete: Beck Ryder

Seeing it written down somehow made me feel worse. It was starting to get real.

There was a fully written schedule of interview sessions, media exercises, team activities, one-on-one segments.

I looked closer. There were a lot of one-on-one segments.

No , absolutely not,” I whispered. “Eeew.”

Episode one: first impressions

Mandatory partner interview.

First impressions. Great.

What I’ve gotten so far from him: emotionally unavailable, allergic to conversations, probably communicates through weather patterns.

A girl from the front raised her hand. “How long is this supposed to last?”

“Twelve weeks,” Vanessa replied.

Twelve weeks? I nearly choked. That wasn’t a project. It seemed more like a hostage situation.

It was stated that the filming schedule would vary depending on participation and audience engagement.

My attention drifted towards Beck. He stood at the back, one shoulder against the wall as he spoke to another guy.

He looked familiar, but I couldn’t tell where I had seen his face.

They looked really chatty. It was so weird to see his lips moving. So he is capable of speaking? Must be nice.

I stared back at my schedule immediately. The last thing I needed was him catching me staring. I would literally go bunkers if that happened.

“Dismissed for today,” Vanessa announced. “You’ll receive further instruction by tomorrow morning.”

“Finally,” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t wait to leave. There were too many emotions running all at once in my head.

By the time I got home, my irritation had boiled down.

As I pushed the door open, the smell of instant noodles hit me immediately. That lightened my mood up more. After the whole dramatic meeting, I needed a homemade meal, one I didn’t have to prepare myself.

Tessa was by the kitchenette chopping some vegetables when I entered.

She turned towards me with a smile. “How was it?” she asked with so much curiosity.

The smile on her face faded when she noticed the expression I had on. I didn’t need to tell Tessa whenever I was upset or troubled, she always knew. I mean, aside from the obvious tears I always had on my face, she just had that sisterly instinct.

“You look upset,” she said.

“That’s because I am.”

She turned her back at me to check on the noodles in the pot while still giving me her full attention.

“Did you finally snap and punch somebody?” she asked, laughing slightly.

“No, but I was this close,” I gestured with my fingers. “To do it.”

She let out another laugh.

“Oh, Nyla.”

I pointed at the hoodie she was wearing. “Hey, I’ve been looking for that.”

She raised her hands up immediately like a criminal that had been caught and was now surrendering. I couldn’t even complain much. I had a worse habit of stealing her clothes. I just always act a little upset whenever she does it but the truth was I loved it when she did.

Aside from the fact that she looked annoyingly better in my clothes, it felt more like a bonding thingy.

I squinted my eyes at her while reaching for a bottle of water.

She plated the noodles into two separate plates, stretching one over to me.

“So, how was the mysterious media orientation?”

I stared at her, then laughed.

“You know who they paired me with?” I asked.

Her eyes widened with curiosity immediately. “Who?”

I took a slow sip of water, smiling.

“Beck Ryder.”

Tessa choked.

I sighed. “Yeah. That was my reaction too.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

Tessa stared at me for a long moment.

“This is insane,” she said. “Why is he even a part of this? Shouldn’t he be in…” she paused.

“Jail,” I complained. “Honestly, I would have preferred anyone else.”

“I doubt that. You hate hockey boys.”

“No, I don’t,” I said, defensive, but she was right. I actually did hate hockey boys.

She smiled knowingly. “You called them overgrown energy drinks with emotional issues.”

We both laughed. There was no denying it now.

“So what’s going to happen now?” Tessa asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

I sighed again. “Well, we’ll just have to find out.”