Cutting The Teams Off

Selene's

"Sit down, Selene. Ryder, take a seat."

Vice Principal Sterling Miller did not even look up from his big mahogany desk. He just stared at his laptop screen, his face looking totally dark. He was tapping his fingers wildly against the wood, a clear sign that he was about to explode.

Selene didn't sit. Instead, she stood right in front of the leather chairs, crossed her arms tightly over her chest, and stared straight ahead. Next to her, Ryder didn't sit either. He stood with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking completely relaxed. That was the main problem with arrogant people like him. Nothing ever scared them. He was still in his mud-stained rugby jersey, smelling like expensive cologne, and acting like he owned the entire building.

"I'll stand, sir," Selene said, keeping her voice sharp and professional. "Especially since my cheer squad did absolutely nothing wrong. We were just sitting on the benches minding our own business when—"

"Save it, Selene," Sterling interrupted, slamming a thick folder onto his desk. The loud bang made the pens in his holder rattle. He finally looked up, his face a bright, angry red. He spun his computer monitor around so they could see it. "Do either of you want to explain this absolute mess?"

On the screen, the school's media app was playing their courtyard video on a continuous loop. The frame was paused right on Selene's face. She was screaming, her eyes flashing with anger, and pointing her finger right at Ryder's chest. He was leaning in close, his jaw clenching hard, looking like he wanted to snap. The view count at the bottom was spinning like crazy.

15,000 views.

"The camera quality is actually pretty good," Ryder said casually, glancing at the screen with a small shrug. "Our media team really knows how to get the best angles. You have to give them credit for the lighting."

Selene whipped her head toward him, her teeth grinding together so hard her jaw ached. "Are you seriously making jokes right now? Your stupid rugby players started a whole fight because they can't handle sharing a public space with another team!"

"Our players?" Ryder turned his head slowly to look down at her, an infuriating smirk playing on his lips. "If I remember correctly, Selene, your girls were the ones screaming like crazy. My boys were just trying to walk past the benches to get to the locker room. You're the one who turned a simple walk into a giant drama show."

"A drama show?!" Selene stepped closer to him, her blood boiling. She completely forgot the Vice Principal was even sitting in front of them. She jabbed a finger directly into Ryder's arm. "Your guys insulted my girls! They told us to go practice our little dances somewhere else! We are national champions, you arrogant jerk! We aren't just pretty faces or sideline decorations for your dumb games!"

"Well, you definitely don't look like decoration when you're screaming like that," Ryder shot back smoothly. He didn't even flinch when she poked him. Instead, he leaned down slightly, his gray eyes flashing with a smart, mocking glint. His voice dropped into that low, teasing tone that always drove her crazy. "It's actually kind of tiring, Nova. Do you ever speak quietly, or is 'crazy' your only default mode?"

"You think I'm crazy?" Selene hissed, stepping right up to him until her chest was nearly touching his jersey. "You're the one who always looks at me like you want to push me off a cliff! You think you own this whole school just because your daddy buys the scorebooks and funds the training facilities!"

Ryder didn't back away a single inch. Instead, he took a step closer, crowding her space and forcing her to look up at him. "I don't need my dad to buy anything to handle you, Brooks. You just love to complain because you like the attention."

"Attention from you? I'd rather eat dirt!"

"You see that, Principal?" Ryder suddenly scoffed, throwing his hands up in a smart, sarcastic way as he turned his attention back to Miller. "This is exactly what I am talking about. She is always flaring up and getting angry over completely irrelevant things."

"Irrelevant things?!" Selene screamed, turning on him like a wildcat. "You called my squad nothing but decoration! You insulted our hard work and everything we've achieved! How is that irrelevant, you spoiled brat?"

"It is irrelevant when we are trying to run actual sports drills and you are flipping your high ponytail around just to distract my team from across the quad!" Ryder fired right back, his voice getting louder, his jaw clenching hard enough to pop a muscle in his cheek.

"Oh, so now my ponytail is the problem? Maybe your team just sucks at focusing!"

"Enough! Both of you, shut up!"

Miller slammed his hand onto the desk so hard this time that a coffee mug slid an inch to the side. He put his head in his hands, shaking it violently back and forth in absolute disgust.

The room went dead silent. The only sound was the heavy breathing coming from both Ryder and Selene as they glared at each other, their shoulders practically touching.

"This is exactly what I am talking about," Miller hissed, his voice shaking with pure, unadulterated anger. "Look at the two of you! You cannot even stand in my office for three minutes without throwing insults and screaming like street brawlers. This isn't the first time, Ryder. It isn't the second time, Selene. This is the third time this month that your constant, toxic arguments have completely ruined the reputation of Kingsford Academy!"

"Sir," Selene started, her voice tight as she tried to regain her composure. "We won the national cheer title three months ago. We bring positive press—"

"I don't care about your titles, Selene!" Sterling roared, standing up from his big leather chair and leaning over the desk. "And I don't care about your rugby match profits either, Ryder! This school is based on prestige, discipline, and elite standards. Our two student team captains are trending across social media for behaving like ill-mannered children in the middle of my campus!"

Ryder adjusted the strap of his sports bag over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The board will calm down by Friday's game, sir. The media team always hypes up the team rivalry before a big match. It makes people buy tickets. It drives up school engagement."

"Well, there won't be any tickets to buy, and there won't be any engagement to drive," Miller whispered. His voice suddenly dropped into a terrifyingly calm tone that made the hairs on the back of Selene's neck stand up. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at them with completely dead, cold eyes. "I have made my final decision. Since the two of you clearly cannot act like civilized human beings, and since your teams cannot stop causing chaos on my campus..."

He paused, letting the heavy silence fill the room like a suffocating cloud. He looked at Selene, then he looked at Ryder, letting the suspense build until her heart was pounding against her ribs.

"I am cutting off the rugby team and the cheerleading team from the school's sports beat completely. Both of your seasons are officially canceled."

The words hit the room like a physical bomb.

The sassy comebacks instantly died in Selene's throat. Her jaw dropped, and her arms went totally limp at her sides. The fierce, confident attitude she usually carried completely vanished, leaving her feeling hollow. Next to her, Ryder's careless, arrogant smile completely disappeared. His entire body went rigid as steel, his hands locking up inside his pockets, and his gray eyes widening in pure, unadulterated shock.

Neither of them could speak. The silence in the office was so heavy they could hear the rain starting to tap against the large glass windows behind the principal's desk.

Selene's heart didn't just drop—it shattered. "Sir, no! Please! We have the National qualifiers next month! Scouts are coming to the home game on Friday! If you cancel our season, my cheer career is over. My scholarship—"

"And the rugby team has scouts flying in from the premier league this weekend, Vice Principal," Ryder interrupted, his voice dropping all its diplomatic charm, turning sharp and dangerously rigid. "You can't cancel a championship season over a viral video."

"I can, Mr. Kingston, and I just did," Sterling shot back, crossing his arms with a smug sense of finality. "The budget for both of your luxury athletic trips and new gear is being frozen by noon today. Unless..."

Miller paused, his eyes narrowing as a calculating look entered his gaze. He looked at Selene, then at Ryder, clearly testing them.

"Unless you two can prove to me, and to the board, that you can actually get along. I am giving you until tomorrow morning to present a unified, public solution to clear the school's image. If you can convince me that you can cooperate, I will reconsider my decision. If not? Pack up your uniforms."

Miller checked his watch. "You are dismissed. Find a solution, captains. Or say goodbye to your seasons."