Hi! Thanks again for the kind words on the reviews. Here's chapter five. I've always wondered what Ryder's house would be like.

CHAPTER FIVE

Knock, knock.

"Hey, there you are," Ryder grins as he opens the door. Gina Halim steps into the Lynns' living room with fidgeting hands. Ryder notices and immediately says, "Stop fidgeting. No one here's going to eat you."

Gina shoots him an angry look, but the edges of her lips are curled into a smile. She had agreed to Ryder's invitation to do a duet with him, but had insisted on coming to Ryder's house to practice. "My house is still a complete mess," she reasoned. "We haven't really unpacked everything."

Ryder leads her up to his bedroom on the second floor. "It's a bit messy," he warns as he opens his bedroom door. "I mean, you know, the typical boy's room, but I hope you don't mind –"

"A bit messy?" Gina repeats, her eyes widening with disbelief as she takes in the sight in front of her. Ryder's room is a compilation of dirty clothes, empty plates, scattered papers, and tangled wires. Everywhere she looks, she can see torn or wet paper, a jacket or t-shirt, empty Coke bottles, and broken headsets lying around. There is a half-eaten, grilled cheese sandwich lying on the bed.

"You've got to be kidding me," Gina says. "Did Godzilla just storm by this place?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Ryder says, pouting. He quickly closes the bedroom door. "I tried cleaning it up, you know, since you're coming and all. Have a little sympathy."

"If by 'cleaning it up' you mean shoving your dirty socks under the bed, then no, I won't give you any credit," Gina says, giggling to herself. "So where are we supposed to practice, macho man?"

"The garden," Ryder suggests. "It's really pretty, and my Mom takes really good care of it, so I think you'll like it." He jumps down several stairs at once, and lands on the bottom a second later. When Gina yells at him to wait up, he just laughs and says, "Try to keep up, slow poke!"

"We should choose songs," Ryder says. They are both in the garden now, sitting down on a small wooden bench, surrounded with colorful flowers and a towering apple tree. An old tire is hung on one of the apple tree's muscular branches. "So the theme is confidence. What song makes you feel confident?"

Gina shrugs. "I haven't really given it much thought," she admits. "Maybe some of Kelly Clarkson's? Or a few of Madonna's, if you want to go all legendary. Hung Up used to make me feel really good about myself, and it got me through a really messed up relationship."

"Nu-uh, not Hung Up. Tina sang that during Diva week and trust me, you would be making a new enemy if you ever sing that on Glee club." Ryder is silent for a moment. "What are you most confident of about yourself? We can start with that."

Gina blushes as she goes silent. She finds that she can't answer this question. "I don't know," she finally admits.

"Aw, come on," Ryder prompts. "Where is the snarky girl who tells everyone to lay off her? That's confidence, right?"

"Of course that's confidence," Gina says, taking a deep breath and trying to look tough.

"So, what, you're confident about your attitude?" Ryder says, trying to figure this weird new girl out. "Or, maybe, you're confident about who you are?"

Gina sighs and shakes her head. "I'm not," she says, and she stares off into space for a minute or two. Ryder doesn't know what to say to this new attitude, so he just keeps to himself. "I feel confident when I'm performing," she finally says. "Singing and dancing and hopping around like when I did Rockin' Robin? Best moments of my life." She smiles at the memory, and Ryder smiles with her.

"I think I've figured out one more thing about yourself," Ryder says, looking at her right in the eye. "You're confident about your talent. You know you're talented, and when you let other people know that you are, that's when you show true confidence."

Gina stares at him as if he had grown two heads. But then, she explodes into laughter. "What are you, Dr. Phil or something?" she grins. "Ryder Lynn, I still believe that you have a psychic third eye hidden somewhere underneath that Bieber haircut of yours."

"Not sure if that's a compliment, but, thank you," Ryder says. "Listen, so we need a song that showcases how amazing of a performer you really are. You're a good dancer, right?"

Gina blushes, hard. "I don't know," she says quietly.

"You are," Ryder insists. "I saw you, remember? You killed it during Rockin' Robin. We need an upbeat song that can make you feel good about yourself." He thinks for a moment before smiling widely. "I think I know a good song."

What song do you think they're going to perform? Any guesses?