Page 31 of The Wrong Bachelor

“Good luck!” Hayley called. “I’ll be watching!”

My stomach dipped at her words as I remembered that tonight was going to be aired live. I might have been more nervous, but there was one thing I knew for sure: I was going to be eliminated tonight. And thankfully, tomorrow when I woke up, this disaster I’d been stuck in was all going to be over.

9

Madison

When I arrived at Cole’s house, I was suddenly glad Hayley had forced me to make an effort. All the other contestants were milling about in the backyard, much like they had before the group date, and they were all dressed up. The first person I spotted was Laurie, who was wearing a racy red outfit that had a skirt that reached the floor. It looked like it belonged at formal rather than a school charity event. Her sister was at her side, and Brooke’s outfit was only slightly less extravagant. It was a gorgeous black cocktail dress that thankfully didn’t show nearly as much skin as Laurie’s.

Even Willow had dressed up for the occasion in a pretty summer dress that had flowers all over it. She was probably the most casually dressed of all the girls, and I caught her glancing nervously at her clothing choice more than once.

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.

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