Page 7 of The Wrong Bachelor

“No one,” I said. “It’s not really my thing.”

“It’s for charity,” Teagan said with a tsk. “It’s everyone’s thing.”

“I for one hope you all voted for me to be one of the lucky ladies,” Evan said, coming to sit on the other side of Hayley.

“You going to sweep our dashing bachelor off his feet?” I asked.

“Oh, no. He’s the one who’ll be doing all the sweeping,” Evan said, making us all laugh. If whoever was picked to be the bachelor swung even slightly that way, I had no doubt Evan would win. Evan looked like he belonged in a boy band. He was gorgeous, funny and had a heart of gold.

“I think we all know it’s just going to be a lineup of girls in cheerleading uniforms,” Teagan said, her shoulders sinking. “No offense, Hayley.”

“None taken,” Hayley replied. “Just as long as it’s not me. No boy here has enough chest hair to get a date with me.”

“You and me both,” Evan agreed. “We should really go out together one night, Hayles. I know a great uni-bar downtown that rarely IDs. Lots of hot older guys.”

“You had me at uni-bar,” she grinned.

The room began to quieten as the principal stepped onto the platform erected in the center of the basketball court and stood in front of the microphone stand.

“Many of our lives have been affected by the fires that came through here last year,” Mrs. Green began, her monotone voice vibrating softly through the speakers around the gym. “As a way of giving back to the community and helping those who lost so much in the devastation, your student council has set up a contest to help raise much-needed funds. Please welcome your student council president, Mr. Angus Fable, to tell you more.”

The room erupted in a cheer as Angus leaped onto the stage. He pulled the microphone from the stand and strode around the small stage, soaking up the applause. He grinned brightly at the crowd, not an ounce of nerves showing on his face. I’d hate to have to speak in front of the whole school, but Angus thrived on the attention.

“Thank you, Lincoln High!” he shouted into the microphone, causing the speakers to screech awkwardly. It didn’t throw Angus off his game though.

“You have all voted, and it means so much to this community,” he said. “I can’t wait to get this contest started. The film club is ready to record every romantic minute, and you’ll be able to watch a new episode every Sunday night. And, of course, you can vote for your favorite contestants each week, for a small fee, all for a good cause.”

There was a smattering of applause, led by Principal Green, who was beaming proudly at Angus. I really seemed to be the only person who wasn’t excited about the True Love contest.

“Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Angus called, waving a piece of paper above his head. “I have the results!”

The room went wild again, and Angus grinned broadly at the reaction. Looking around me I could see eager anticipation on every student’s face. I’d really underestimated how much interest there was in this competition.

“When your name is called, please make your way down to the stage. I’ll start with our bachelor. Drum roll please…”

The students began slamming their feet against the ground, and the stands rumbled with the sound.

“And your bachelor is…none other than Lincoln High’s star football player, Cole Kingston!”

Screams erupted and people jumped to their feet at the announcement. I slowly stood so I could see over everyone’s heads. There was no cheering or clapping from me though.

“Why the hell would they pick him?” I asked Teagan.

She shook her head at me but smiled. “Have you seen Cole? Why wouldn’t they pick him?”

I looked back toward where Angus was standing to find that Cole had joined him. Cole was grinning broadly as he stood on the stage and lapped up the attention. Tilting my head, I tried to understand what everyone else saw in him.

As I watched him shake Angus’ hand, Cole seemed to have a genuine smile on his face. He had a nice smile—I had to admit that. But he usually reserved a cruel smirk for me. His dirty blonde hair was also always messy. It was constantly hanging in his eyes, and he looked like he needed a good haircut. He was ripped, which I guess all the girls loved. His face must have been what really pulled them in though. He was unbelievably handsome. Even I couldn’t deny that.

Still, there had to be sweeter guys out there; kinder, more considerate boys, who wouldn’t enjoy the opportunity to break nine girls' hearts into a million pieces. Cole was like a god this school worshipped, and that was fine, but he was also a jerk and obviously not the right person for this contest. Lincoln High had picked the wrong bachelor.

“Alright, alright,” Angus called into the microphone. “Settle down, kids. We still need to announce our lovely ladies.”

The crowd quickly fell silent, but a few whispers remained as people tried to predict whose name would be called first.

“Our first girl is none other than the captain of our cheer squad and the captain of our hearts, Miss Laurie Wilson.”

People clapped as Laurie jumped to her feet, an unconvincing look of shock covering her face. It didn’t take long for her to gather herself before she skipped up onto the stage.

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