Page 9 of The Wrong Bachelor

I fell into place beside Willow. Up close, she looked even more terrified at the prospect of being on the stage than I had first thought. I could feel her trembling at my side. I wanted to reach out and squeeze her hand, but I couldn’t do it while all the vultures in the audience were watching. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to her if I could avoid it.

Instead, I looked across the bleachers, searching for Jake. I needed his reassurance right now. Even just a nod of his head to tell me everything was okay. When I finally spotted him in the crowd though, he was scowling and refusing to look in my direction. My stomach lurched at the sight. I kept watching him, waiting for him to turn my way, but he kept his focus on Angus, the frown at his forehead growing more pronounced with every minute that passed.

The next contestant to be announced was Teagan. She jumped to her feet, and I swear I saw her clench her fist in celebration. I wondered if it was because she liked Cole, but I also knew how much she would enjoy being on camera. She was so bright and confident as she came to stand next to me, and I felt a twinge of jealousy as I watched her. She’d made it look so easy to be in front of a crowd. All I wanted was to completely disappear.

The loudest cheer of the afternoon rattled around the gym as the final name was called and Evan began to descend the staircase. I looked down the line to see Cole’s reaction. He was laughing and gave an exaggerated shrug of his broad shoulders. Evan blew him a kiss and Cole playfully pretended to catch it. The show had already started, and the students seemed to love every second of it.

Everyone was still cheering as Evan moved to stand on the other side of Teagan. He took a grand bow, lapping up the adoration.

“Well folks, that’s our bachelor and our ten contestants,” Angus announced, waving a hand down the line at us. “Our very first episode will be airing this Sunday, so don’t forget to tune in, open your hearts, open your pockets and vote for your favorite!”

He flipped the microphone up in the air and caught it before he jumped off the stage and handed it back to Principal Green. She dismissed the assembly but asked all the contestants to stay behind for a briefing. As students began to file out of the gym, I tried to catch Jake’s attention, but he disappeared through the door in a flash. He didn’t look at me once, and I felt a surge of disappointment and rejection in my chest.

I let out a breath and walked over to Angus. He’d gotten me into this mess; surely he could get me out of it. We’d always gotten along well enough, and if there was anyone who could help me out, it was him.

“Hey, Angus,” I said, as I approached.

“Hey, girl,” he said, drawing me up in a hug. Angus was a hugger. Some people said he hugged his way to student council president and it was almost believable.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, as he dropped his arms from around me and noticed my expression.

I pulled him slightly aside so the others couldn’t overhear. “I can’t be a part of this,” I said.

“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown.

“Your True Love contest,” I said. “I have a boyfriend, it wouldn’t be right for me to compete.” Not to mention the fact that I hated the idea of fighting for a guy’s attention, especially when said guy was such a jerk.

Angus hesitated as he considered his response. “I know you and Jake are together, but it’s not like this is real. It’s just a bit of fun for charity. Plus, you’ll get extra credit for taking part.”

“I understand that, but I still don’t think it’s right,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Look,” Angus said. “The people in our school voted for you for a reason. They like you and they look up to you. Do you really want to let them down?”

I chewed on my lower lip. Would I really be letting the rest of the school down if I didn’t play along?

“At the end of the day you have to remember that this is just another charity fundraiser,” he continued. “And it’s for an excellent cause. We both know people who lost everything in those fires last year. I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t try to do everything in my power to help them out and I think that this will work.”

I suddenly doubted my own convictions. I knew Angus was just trying to make me feel guilty, but everything he was saying was true. Was I really so selfish that I would back out because of Jake?

“What seems to be the problem?” a voice asked behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Cole.

“Madi doesn’t want to take part in the competition,” Angus said.

I glared at him. Traitor.

Cole came to stand at my side. His eyes appeared to be filled with concern, but I could never be sure when his expressions were genuine. “Is this true, Madi?” he asked.

“It just doesn’t look right when I have a boyfriend,” I replied. However, I was beginning to have doubts about whether that was a good enough reason to back out. Angus really knew how to load on the guilt when he needed to.

Cole huffed out a breath and ran a hand through his messy hair. He watched me carefully for several moments, his eyes calculating. I began to feel uncomfortable under the intensity of his stare, though I’d never admit it aloud.

“Can you give us a minute?” Cole eventually asked, glancing at Angus.

Angus nodded, leaving the two of us to talk. I really wished he’d stayed. Cole was still staring at me with those penetrating eyes.

“I understand why you’re worried,” he said, surprising me.

“You do?”

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