Page 10 of The Wrong Bachelor

“Yeah,” he replied. “But I know Jake trusts you and will understand if you want to take part. If you’re willing to give it a try, I think you’d be a really great addition to the competition.”

I’d expected him to joke around or try to goad me into committing to the contest. A part of me even expected him to say he didn’t want me in the competition anyway. I certainly hadn’t expected him to be supportive, and I didn’t know how to respond. He thought I’d be a great addition? What did that even mean?

My eyes narrowed as I considered his words further. There was no way he could actually mean that. Knowing Cole, he probably just wanted to watch me make a fool of myself in front of the whole school.

“Nice try, Cole,” I replied. “But is your vendetta against me really so important that you’d drag me into this competition when it’s clearly not fair to me or Jake.”

Cole frowned, and his eyes dropped to the ground. For a brief second I thought he looked sad, but when he lifted his eyes again, his usual confidence had replaced whatever ghost of an emotion had appeared in his gaze.

“Think what you want, Matthews,” he said, before taking a step closer to me. “But, just so you know, if you back out of this, I’m going to know it’s because you’re scared.”

“You think a little competition scares me?” I asked.

“I know it does,” he replied.

“Well, you’re wrong.”

“Prove it,” he said.

There it was. The goading I’d initially been expecting from him. I didn’t feel the need to prove anything to him, but I’d already begun to consider joining the competition. I’d only been thinking of myself when my name had first been announced, but I was starting to realize we’d be doing a lot of good for charity. Showing Cole that I wasn’t scared would also be a bonus.

“You don’t have to prove anything,” Angus said, re-joining us and shooting Cole a dirty look. “But if it makes you feel any better, we can script it so Cole dismisses you in the first round,” he added. “We really want you to be a part of it though.”

Cole frowned at him. “That doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of the competition,” he said, his words rigid and unyielding.

“It works for me,” I said, butting in before Angus could decide to take the offer back. I was still uncertain about the whole thing, but it felt wrong to back out of the competition entirely. This seemed like a good alternative.

“Then we’re agreed,” Angus said with a smile.

Cole looked pissed, but I let out a breath, feeling a sense of relief. I could take one week of this. I just hoped that Jake would understand.

4

Cole

It was hard to maintain a guise of happiness as Angus ran through the logistics of the competition. My face was pretty much impassive by this point, but at least I wasn’t showing the irritation boiling beneath my skin. Madi had taken my words completely the wrong way when I’d tried to convince her to stay in the contest. I honestly thought she’d be great at it and I wanted her to stay. I’d tried to be nice, but what was the point when she just assumed I was purposely acting like a jerk, even when I wasn’t.

I was certain that the only reason she’d agreed to stay on was because Angus had assured her she could be the first to leave. But the more I thought about it, the less inclined I was to give in to her wishes.

I couldn’t keep a grin from forming on my face when Angus started describing the rules, knowing that one way or another I’d be able to find a way around his and Madi’s arrangement.

“You guys will get an email with the filming schedule at the start of each week,” Angus explained. “There will be a live broadcast of the selection ceremony on Monday evenings, a single date on Thursday nights, and a group date on Friday nights.”

They weren’t messing around with this competition, and it seemed like we were going to be busy. If it were football season, I’d never have time to be the bachelor.

“The show will go up on the school’s website on Sunday nights,” Angus continued. “As soon as it airs, voting will begin and the audience can pay to vote for their favorite contestant to stay in the competition. So, everyone, when you’re on camera, let’s try to make things interesting! We want those votes streaming in, and whoever gets the most audience votes will be safe from elimination. That’s your best chance of winning the competition.”

I heard a giggle and noticed Laurie giving her sister a knowing look. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know how she was planning to make things interesting. The scary part was, it was only a matter of time before I found out.

“The voting will close on Monday, right before the live ceremony,” Angus added. “The audience’s chosen contestant will advance to the next round. Our bachelor, Cole, will then select the rest of the contestants he wants to stay.”

I tried not to give Madi a smug look as I heard the rules. It didn’t matter what arrangement she had with Angus; I would get the final say on who stayed and who went.

“The competition will end the night of the formal with the bachelor and his selected winner attending the event together. Any questions?” Angus asked.

Madi cleared her throat and I let out a low groan, much more loudly than I had been expecting. She whipped her head around and glared at me with her piercing stormy eyes before turning to Angus.

“What if we have a clash with the schedule?” she asked. “I work some nights after school and on weekends.”

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