Page 56 of The Wrong Bachelor

“I told you! You're famous!” Hayley squealed. She was practically bouncing at my side. “They love you!"

I swallowed and tried to remain calm, but I clearly didn’t share her enthusiasm.

“Don’t look so glum,” Hayley said. “Is it really so upsetting that people like you?”

“I just don’t love the attention, but you’re right I shouldn’t let everyone’s support upset me.” I shook my head and laughed at how much I was overreacting. People cheering for me was a good thing, even if I did find it slightly overwhelming.

“You shouldn’t,” she agreed, linking her arm with mine.

As we continued down the corridor, I began to feel a little better about the attention. I didn’t exactly want it, but at least it all seemed positive. Perhaps I really could handle this competition.

The two of us slowed when we saw people up ahead gathered around my locker. Hayley kept to my side as we moved through them. But I stopped, frozen to the spot, when I finally set eyes on what they were all there to see.

Words were scrawled across every part of my locker in black permanent marker. Horrible words. Words that made tears gather in my eyes and my whole body start to shake. I couldn't stop staring at the two largest ones in particular.

Slut.

Tease.

I swallowed, trying to take a deep breath and remain calm, but the air was caught in my lungs and my chest felt tight. I could feel people crowding around me, and I felt suffocated by their presence. I clutched my arms around me as I tried to block them out. I could hear them whispering though, and I could hear their laughs. Had one of them done this? Had several of them? Were the things they had written true? Was this who people really thought I was?

Hayley bristled at my side. “Will you stop staring?” she yelled at all the kids gathered around us. “Put that phone down or I will break it!”

A tear ran down my cheek, and Hayley grabbed my arm, pulling me to the nearest bathroom. As soon as we were inside, she hugged me tightly.

“I’m going to find out who did this,” she said. “And I am going to make them wish they had never existed.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I murmured.

She pulled back from our hug and looked me in the eye. “Uh, yeah, I do. Nobody messes with my bestie.”

“They’re just words,” I said.

“I don’t care. They made you cry, so they’re not just words.” She shook her head, her eyes still wide as though she too was reeling from what had happened. “If it makes you feel any better, I doubt the culprit is going to graduate. They spelled fake with a y.”

I let out a small laugh and rubbed some of the tears away from my cheek.

“Why would someone do something so horrible?” I asked.

“They’re obviously jealous,” she said.

“Because of the competition?”

“Yeah,” she replied, with a nod. “You and Cole are really cute together.”

“Maybe it was Jake,” I said, barely whispering the guess aloud. “We only broke up last week. He must be upset if it looks like I’m already moving on.”

“Jake’s pretty self-involved and can be a total jerk, but I don’t think he’d write crap on your locker,” Hayley responded.

“He spread rumors about me last week though,” I said.

“Yeah,” Hayley agreed. “So, I guess we can’t completely rule the guy out.”

I let out a sigh. I wished I’d never been a part of the True Love competition. I hadn’t wanted to do it in the first place, and it felt like every week it was making my life worse.

“Madi?” a boy's voice called into the bathroom. I turned to find Cole standing at the entrance.

“Cole, this is the girls' bathroom. You can’t be in here.”

---