People turned and watched me as I walked over to join the group. Laurie and the other cheerleaders looked me up and down with judgmental eyes, while others in the group seemed curious as they studied me. The smug reactions on some of the girls’ faces made me question my outfit for a moment. It was only for a second though, because I knew that Hayley would never let me down. Her words from earlier came rushing back to me, and I felt a wave of confidence that had me holding my head high.
“I heard about your fight with Jake this morning. How are you?” Teagan asked as I came to stand with her and Evan.
“I’m fine,” I replied, with a tight smile. I didn’t really want to go into any details. Tonight was not about Jake.
Evan shook his head and pulled me in for a hug anyway. “That raging steroid of a boy doesn’t deserve you,” he said, making me laugh.
“I’m secretly rooting for Cadi anyways,” he added with a whisper in my ear.
I thumped him on the arm. “Evan, don’t say that!”
He grinned, mischief twinkling in his eyes.
“What about Cevan?” I asked.
“Alas, I fear that Cevan will come to an end tonight,” he said. His eyes still sparkled with laughter. “That boy doesn’t have a gay bone in his body, but thanks to him, I might find someone who does.”
I laughed, shaking my head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Apparently people at our school weren’t the only ones who watched the first episode. I heard that some of the kids over at Westbrook have been sharing the link around. I’ve even had a few DMs this afternoon. I may not walk away with our bachelor, but I’m pretty certain I’m getting out of this with one or two hot dates.”
I smiled warmly at him. “Well, if anyone deserves a hot date, it’s you.”
“I know,” he agreed.
“Well, well, well,” a voice came from behind me. “One little fight and you’re moving on already, Madi?”
I turned to find Laurie standing there, staring at me with a smug look in her eyes. My heart was racing, and it took everything in me not to raise my arms across my body and shy away.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, you’re already dating one of the hottest guys in school,” Laurie said. “What now? You’re dressing up to try and snag the hottest?”
“I’m not trying to snag anyone. I’m just here doing my part to help out with the charity,” I replied. Thankfully, my part in all this would be over tonight, but I wasn’t about to tell Laurie that.
She seemed so superior and sure of herself as she looked down her nose at me, but I couldn’t help but remember Hayley’s words from earlier. That people said mean things because they were insecure. Looking at Laurie now, I began to wonder if perhaps that was true.
Laurie laughed. “That’s not what it looks like to me.”
Brooke suddenly appeared at her sister’s side and tugged on her arm. “Come on, Laurie, they’re putting everyone’s microphones on now.”
Laurie shot me one last disparaging look. “That sweet little act you put on might be fooling people now, but they’ll all see the truth by the end of this competition. Jake deserves better than a girlfriend who’s chasing after another guy.”
Her words felt like a slap across my face. When she saw my reaction, her lips curved upwards in a satisfied smile and she finally allowed Brooke to pull her away.
“That girl is such a biatch,” Teagan said, once Laurie was out of earshot.
I didn’t have a response. I couldn’t even agree. I was speechless and felt frozen to the spot. Did people really think I didn’t care about Jake? That I was fixated on Cole instead of my own boyfriend?
“Don’t listen to her,” Evan said. “She’s just saying hurtful things because she’s jealous.”
Did that make Laurie's comments any less valid though?
“Microphones, guys,” Skye said, grinning as she came over to us.
I didn’t say a word as she set mine up, and I could see my friends looking at me with concern in their eyes. I knew that Laurie was just deliberately trying to hurt me, but a part of me worried that what she was saying was true. I was more than ready for my time in the True Love competition to come to an end.
Angus clapped his hands, and everyone turned his way. “We’re going to start the selection ceremony in a few minutes, contestants. We need you to get lined up.”
Several of the film club rushed forward and started arranging us in positions they’d apparently decided on earlier. I ended up standing with Laurie, who let out a small grunt in disgust when she discovered she was next to me. Thankfully that was the only response I received, and she didn’t continue our conversation from earlier. I wasn’t sure I could have stayed beside her if she came at me again.
Once we were all in place, they brought Cole out to stand before us. He was wearing a dark navy suit that molded to his body perfectly. His hair was combed back, though I kind of missed the messy way it usually fell across his face. Several of the girls sighed as they looked at him, and I found I didn’t blame them. That guy really did make a suit look good.
His eyes skimmed across the assembled contestants, and when they met mine, he grinned. For the briefest second, his gaze lingered on my outfit, and his eyebrows lifted slightly, like he was surprised. It was only when he looked away that I let out a breath. There was something about the way he had stared at me that made my stomach twist with a strange buzzing of nerves.
Angus went to stand next to Cole. “Remember, team, this show is live. Let’s have some fun and make it a good one,” he said, addressing us all. He then nodded at the one camera that was directly facing him and Cole. Skye was standing right behind it.
“We’re going live in three, two, one,” she announced.
The light on the camera went red, and Angus began to speak.
“Good evening everyone, and welcome back to True Love for the show’s first selection ceremony. I’m your host, Angus Fable, and tonight we will watch as our bachelor selects eight contestants to continue on in his search for true love.
“The voting has now closed, so we’ll be handing over to our bachelor, Cole, for his selections. In true Lincoln High tradition, Cole will be handing out pieces of his heart to the contestants he wishes to stay. For those of you not versed in our biggest Valentine’s Day tradition, every year Lincoln High students give their chosen Valentine a half-heart cut-out. It’s to symbolize the fact that they are giving a piece of their heart to their Valentine and hope to get a piece in return. There is no better way then for Cole to let the contestants he’s chosen know they’ve got a piece of his heart.”
I smiled as Angus explained the selection process. The half-heart Valentine’s tradition was one I’d always loved. It was a silly, but fun way of giving each other sweet messages. I’d received one from Hayley this year that said, “You guac my world.” We were both obsessed with avocados, so it was a true testament of love in my books.
“I know we’ve all been dying to find out, so let’s not delay this a moment longer,” Angus turned to Cole before he continued. “The audience has voted. Cole, if you could please tell us who they have chosen to continue on this journey of true love…”
Cole cleared his throat and looked over the group standing before him. His face was a little paler than when he had first arrived and his eyes a little wider. It almost seemed like he was nervous, which was totally unlike him. “The first piece of my heart goes to…”
Angus handed him half of a paper heart and Cole looked down to check it. He immediately started to smile.
“Madi.”
The blood drained from my skin and my hands started to sweat. Cole was beaming as he looked up at me. He seemed so happy to have just called my name. It had to be an act.
I walked forward, trying to remain calm and not give away how shocked I was that the audience had actually voted for me; that I was still somehow stuck in the competition. What was I supposed to do?
“Madi, will you take a p
iece of my heart?” Cole asked as I came to a stop in front of him. He was still smiling at me, and it was so genuine that I found my heart beating a little faster. I was supposed to be upset, but I actually found myself matching his smile in return.
“I will.”
He grinned as he passed me my heart, and I walked over to stand in a separate area that Angus was pointing to. I felt a rush of apprehension as I walked away from him. Had I really just agreed to stay in the contest?
I knew I should have been thinking about Jake, but I couldn’t seem to get Cole’s smile out of my mind. It had been so open and sincere, and the way it lit up his eyes had made him even more handsome. I could totally see why he managed to get all the girls when he had a secret weapon like that.
Once I was standing in place, I turned to face the cameras and the rest of the participants once more. Angus was riling up the audience at home with another suspenseful speech, while the constants all stood nervously waiting for Cole’s next announcement. I glanced down at my heart and was surprised to find Cole had actually written on it.
“Madi," it read. "You donut know how much it means to me that you’re still in the competition.”
I chuckled at the pun and looked up to find Cole still watching me. He seemed happy with my reaction, but it was hard to tell as he looked away as soon as Angus called on him to announce the name of the next contestant.
“Teagan,” he called, with a soft smile.
Teagan appeared shy as she nervously closed the distance between her and Cole and looked up at him through her long lashes. Something unsaid seemed to pass between them as he handed Teagan her heart and her mouth twitched as she fought a grin when she accepted it.
From the way they looked at each other, it seemed like there was the fragile beginning of a connection between them. Watching them together, I was somewhat surprised there hadn’t been “vote for Teagan and Cole” posters all over the school that morning. They were both gorgeous, so it seemed natural that people would ship them together.
Laurie was called next, and it was painful to watch her bat her eyelashes at Cole. He didn’t seem too averse to her shameless flirting, which definitely put him down a couple of pegs in my books. I was tempted to look away as she flung her arms around Cole’s neck and accepted her heart. Cole was annoying as hell, but it irked me to think of him ending up with Laurie.
As Cole went to make the next announcement, I noticed Angus making small jerking movements with his head and giving pointed looks with his eyes. I had to smother a laugh as I realized he was attempting to direct the actions of the film crew despite the fact he was on screen. Skye shot him a dirty look, which seemed to stop the strange head jerking and overdramatic eyes. Angus really needed to learn to trust his crew, but it was pretty funny watching him struggle not to micromanage. He looked like he was busting at the seams, and it was clearly killing him to keep quiet.
I gave a small shake of my head and focused back on the contest as Zoe’s name was called. Brooke and Evan were the next two selected, leaving only four contestants left standing in front of Cole. This was the part of the competition I was going to find difficult. Willow, Anna, Maria and Sally stood in a line, glancing at each other, wondering who was safe and who would go.
There was already a hint of defeat in Willow’s eyes, while the others simply looked worried. It seemed so unfair that I was selected when there were obviously other girls who cared about the contest. I wished that I could trade places with one of them, but it was too late for that. I certainly didn’t envy Cole who was starting to look a little worried himself.
“Maria.” Cole called out the name with a deep breath and she stepped forward, a relieved smile covering her face.
I didn’t watch as Cole handed Maria the heart though. Instead, my eyes were fixated on the three girls who were still waiting. If Willow had looked defeated before, now she looked utterly hopeless.
“Cole has only one piece of his heart left to give,” Angus announced to the remaining contestants. It somehow made the whole situation feel even more tense, and if a camera hadn’t been trained on my face, I probably would have glared at him. Did he really want these girls to feel worse? “Cole, who would you like to give the final piece of your heart to?”
Cole hesitated for several, painstakingly long seconds before he finally spoke.
“Willow.” He said her name with a long exhale, and I felt just as relieved as he seemed. Willow’s eyes widened with shock, and her gaze darted to the two girls beside her. They were both giving her tight smiles, annoyance flickering in their eyes.
“Come on, Willow, it’s okay,” Skye whispered, from behind the camera, when Willow still hadn’t moved. She gave Willow an encouraging smile as she beckoned for her to approach Cole. I wasn’t close with Skye, but the gentle way she looked after Willow made me want to hug her.
Willow went to Cole to receive her heart, stumbling toward him as though she were still stunned. I hated being in front of the camera, but it seemed to make Willow completely lose her feet. Cole chuckled as she practically fell into him, catching her by the arms and righting her before he handed her the last paper heart he was holding. Willow gave him a grateful smile before joining the rest of us.
Once she was in place, Angus turned his attention on the two girls who had been eliminated. “I’m sorry Anna and Sally, but you have not been chosen to continue in Cole’s search for true love.”
The girls nodded their acceptance. They seemed annoyed about their dismissal but unwilling to display their disappointment for the camera. They gave us all waves in farewell before traipsing after one of the film crew who was gesturing the two of them to follow him into the house.
“There’s one more announcement before we leave tonight,” Angus said, directing his words to one of the cameras. “Cole needs to pick his first single date for this week. Who will it be, Cole?”
Cole looked over our group. I could have sworn his eyes were drawn straight to mine, but I gave a small shake of my head, desperately hoping he wouldn’t pick me. If I had any chance left of saving my relationship with Jake, a date alone with Cole would completely shatter it. I was already starting to worry about how Jake would react to the fact I was staying in the competition for at least another week. It’s not like I had any choice though. People had paid to vote for me. I couldn’t just ignore that.
A tiny crease formed between Cole’s brows as he continued looking over the group of contestants until his gaze landed on Willow.
“Willow,” he said. “Will you go on a date with me?” The frown on his forehead had disappeared and was replaced by a warm smile.
The rest of the room audibly gasped. But Willow was smiling as she nodded in reply. I let out a breath of relief. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d become in the last few moments, but I could feel my body physically relaxing at the news I hadn’t been picked.
“Great,” Angus said, with a clap of his hands. He turned to face the camera that was focused on him. “Well, that rounds up the selection ceremony for this evening. Join us again on Sunday to see Willow and Cole’s first date and the fun group date we have planned for the rest of our contestants. Good night and we’d truly love to see you next time.”
The camera in front of him dipped to the floor, signaling that filming was done for the night. Everyone relaxed as the film crew started to pack their equipment away.
“Great work tonight, everyone,” Angus said, beaming as he looked around. “Still a few little kinks to work out, but brilliant effort for the first try.”
I definitely felt like one of the kinks, and I wondered if Angus already knew that I was going to be the audience’s choice when he had tried to convince me to stay in the show earlier today. He could have warned me if that were the case.
“That’s all for this evening,” he continued. “Don’t forget to check your emails for your next call times, but I’ll see you all later this week.”
Everyone started to leave, but I hung back, wanting to
catch Cole for a moment.
His eyes brightened when he noticed that I hadn’t left and he walked over to stand with me as the others took off. It felt awfully quiet without everyone else gathered on the patio. The atmosphere had been buzzing with excitement and anticipation, but now everything felt so still.
“You look beautiful tonight, Madi,” Cole said, his voice low and his eyes appreciative as he looked at me.
“You clean up alright yourself,” I replied.
“Was that a compliment?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” He grinned, and I struggled not to smile in response. “You know, I had a hard time focusing on anyone else tonight. But, then again, you could have been in sweats and I would have had a hard time focusing on anyone else.”
His confession made my smile falter for a brief second. Why did he say that? I liked hearing it way more than I should have; just like the words on the half-heart he gave me had made me happy in a moment when I should have been furious.
I suddenly noticed how close he was standing; how our bodies were almost touching and how electricity seemed to spark between them. He opened his mouth to continue speaking, but I interrupted him before he got a chance to say any more. My feelings toward him were becoming muddled, and I was reacting to him in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I had enough confusion in my life without him adding to it, so I needed him to keep his thoughts to himself.
“So, before I leave I just wanted to say that I understand why I had to stay in the competition,” I said, the words coming out in a rush as I cut him off. “If the audience voted for me, I could hardly back out,” I added.
He looked confused, so I hurriedly continued. “So, yeah, I just wanted to say that I get it and you can eliminate me next week instead.” I was rambling, and I never rambled when I spoke with Cole.
He frowned and looked away from me. Until now, his eyes had been fixed so intently on my own that the loss of his gaze on me left me feeling cold.
“You still want to be eliminated?” he asked.
The Wrong Bachelor Page 9
