“Okay, okay, I hear you,” I said, glancing at the car behind us as it honked again. “If I say I’ll think about what you’ve said, will you start driving again?”
Hayley watched me closely. She must have believed I’d taken her advice on board because she nodded and started driving again like nothing had happened.
I let out a breath as the car took off. I swear, one of these days the person in the car behind her was going to get out and come after her with a baseball bat. She really needed to stop doing that.
The group date that night was minigolf; a sport I was usually not bad at when I was focused. I couldn’t seem to get the ball to go where I wanted it tonight though—that’s if I hit the ball at all. Whenever I lined myself up for a shot, everything felt wrong. And I swear that each time I went to hit the ball, Laurie’s annoying laugh would ring out and throw me off my game.
At least I wasn’t the only one who struggled. Willow was also taking her time getting around the course. The winner of our little tournament would be going for ice cream with Cole at the end, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be either of us.
Teagan was surprisingly good at the game and was quick to pull ahead of everyone, much to Laurie’s disgust. When it was clear that Laurie wouldn’t be winning any alone time with our bachelor, she started focusing less on the game and more on flirting with Cole.
She appeared to be having a great night, which only seemed to get better as a group of kids I didn’t recognize walked up to her and Cole and asked if they could take a selfie with them.
“Of course we can,” Laurie gushed. “Come on, Cole.”
“Sure, no problem,” he agreed.
I watched on as the group arranged themselves. It was moments like this when I realized just how big our little competition had become. It wasn’t just our school involved now. Thousands of people were watching. Even the barista at my local coffee shop had told me he was cheering for me. I wasn’t a fan of the attention, but Laurie certainly loved it.
Cole and Laurie were in the center of the group, all cozied up to one another. They smiled warmly for the camera, looking every bit the perfect couple. I tried not to be jealous, I really did. But I could feel the green monster swirling inside of me, and I had to turn away. I focused instead on the golf ball I was somehow meant to hit into a small hole at the base of a windmill.
“Is it just me, or is it super uncomfortable watching Laurie throw herself at Cole?” Willow asked me.
Hearing Willow be so opinionated made me utter a muffled laugh.
“It’s not just you; it’s weird,” I replied. The two of us had been playing our own game at the back of the group. Every time I looked at Cole my stomach dipped, and I still wasn’t sure what to do about it. I still liked him, but I was upset after finding out about his kiss with Laurie. I knew it was all part of the competition, but I didn’t know how to make my feelings understand that. It felt far safer to keep my distance.
“I really don’t like her,” Willow added. “I hope Cole doesn’t end up with her.”
She sounded completely sincere. “Do you…” I frowned as I tried to gather my thoughts. “Do you like Cole?”
Willow lifted her brows and turned to me, a broad smile on her face. “Of course I do,” she said.
“Oh,” I replied. She was so happy to admit it. Did he feel the same for her in return? I hadn’t sensed any romantic vibes between the two of them, but maybe I was wrong.
“But not like that!” Willow said, laughing at my reaction. I wasn’t really sure what was so funny though.
“You know he’s my cousin, right?”
I stopped trying to line up my golf ball and turned to her. “What?”
Willow’s grin grew wider. I swear I’d never seen her face so animated before. “We’re cousins. I thought you knew that.”
“No. Was I supposed to? Who else knows?”
“No one really, but Cole’s mom and dad brought you to some of our family functions when we were little. We met at least a handful of times.”
“Huh,” I responded. “You have a good memory.” The last time I’d gone to a family event with the Kingstons must have been years ago. I could barely remember any of them, let alone who else was there.
“More like I have a cousin who never shuts up about you.”
My eyes darted to hers, and I tried to figure out if she was telling the truth. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know though, so I didn’t press her.
“Isn’t it weird being on a dating show with your cousin?” I asked.
“Not really,” she replied. “No one at school knows we’re related and Cole begged me to stay once we were both nominated. I couldn’t say no to him.”
“Why did he beg you?” I asked.
“Because Cole doesn’t want to date a bunch of people,” she said.
“But he wanted to be the bachelor.”
“Did he?” Willow said. “He just got voted in like you and I did.”
“Then why is he still doing it?”
“There’s obviously something keeping him here,” she said, flashing me another wide smile.
I fell silent as I tried to understand what Willow was hinting at with the way her eyes were glinting at me.
“How’s it going back here?” Cole asked, breaking my train of thought as he walked over. Brett was following him closely with a camera. It had been a relief to hang with Willow for most of the night without the lens focused on us.
“Well, I don’t think either of us is going pro anytime soon,” Willow said.
I wanted to smile at her joke, but I was still processing what she had said before. Was I the girl Cole wanted? It didn’t make any sense. I wasn’t even single when this contest started, he’d kissed one of the others, and he hadn’t asked me on one date. Willow must have been mistaken.
“Maybe you both need some help,” he suggested. He glanced at me, but it was only for the briefest of seconds. He didn’t even meet my eyes.
Laurie called out Cole’s name, pleading for him to come back over.
“Just a sec,” he called over his shoulder.
“You should go to her,” I said. “I’m pretty sure we’re both lost causes back here, so there’s no point wasting your time with us.”
He looked at me, and this time our eyes locked. I couldn’t tell if he was reluctant to return to Laurie, or hesitant to speak with me. There was definitely something he was holding back though. I just wished I knew what it was.
“Cole!” Laurie moaned. The sound was so annoying I wanted to pull off my ears and chuck them at her head. Cole must have felt the same because I saw him visibly wince.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and give you some pointers?” he asked.
I could see Laurie tapping her foot with her arms crossed as she waited for him. She was scowling in my direction, and it seemed like I was getting the blame for every second she was parted from him.
“You go,” I said.
He nodded, but I swore there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he turned to leave.
“She doesn’t deserve him,” Willow murmured to me.
I couldn’t have agreed more.
20
Madison
It was no surprise that Teagan ended up winning minigolf on Friday. The girl was miles ahead of the rest of us. It had been hard to watch her walk off with Cole as they went on their date. Teagan was such a great person, and I felt a wave of worry rush through me as they departed. It’s not like I didn’t want her to have fun. I was just terrified that Cole would realize how amazing she was. How much better she was than me.
I found myself tempted to watch the show on Sunday night. A sadistic part of me wanted to see Cole’s kiss with Laurie, and I was wondering how his night ended up with Teagan. I sat in front of the computer, my mouse hovering over the play button.
I squinted my eyes shut as I pressed play, only peeking them open when I heard the intro music begin to play. The opening credits consisted of
a montage of shots that blended together dates and moments from the show so far. Each shot flashed across the screen for a second before moving onto the next.
There were sweet smiles from Cole and happy laughs from contestants. They showed Evan stuffing an entire doughnut into his mouth, then Willow shyly offering Cole a bite of her pizza. They even showed the moment when I’d fallen on Cole on the ice. A part of me wanted to pause on the video because the moment looked so different on film, but I was too anxious and nervous about the upcoming episode to do it. The montage ended as a cursive “True Love” logo was scrawled across the screen.
“Good evening and welcome to tonight’s episode of True Love,” Angus said, beaming down into the camera lens. “And boy do we have an episode for you this evening.”
The shot cut away from Angus, and a red background appeared with the words “coming up on tonight’s episode…” written across it. I swallowed as I waited for the first preview to show. My palms were sweating, and I found myself wishing I hadn’t eaten dinner earlier. It was sitting uncomfortably in my stomach, which was tensing as I prepared for the worst.
Footage of Teagan sinking a winning shot came on screen. She threw her arms and golf club up in the air as the group around her squealed in celebration. The next moment shown was Cole and Laurie sitting in a horse-drawn carriage. Then it flicked to them having a romantic picnic.
I tensed in my chair. They were looking into each other’s eyes so sweetly that it felt like a dagger to my chest. Was this the moment when they kissed? It was dark, and Laurie and Cole were on a rug with candles all around them. Their faces were close and their bodies were pressed against each other. It was anguish to watch them, but I couldn’t look away. I waited to see their lips touch, but the clip suddenly ended and Angus’ face returned to the screen before anything happened. I may not have seen the kiss, but I already knew that must have been the moment.
I slammed the lid of my laptop shut, my hands trembling as I hugged my knees to my chest. A part of me was hoping that Laurie had been lying. That I would watch the show and there would be no connection between her and Cole. And there would be no kiss. I’d been foolishly hoping it for days, and I felt like an idiot.
My phone screen lit up with a call from Hayley, but for once I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to be given a breakdown analysis of what she’d watched. It hurt enough to know what had happened and to see the moments leading up to it; I didn’t want her to paint me a full picture.
I was so desperate to avoid hearing about the episode that on Monday morning, I had Mom call the school and tell them I was feeling sick. I knew I’d have to face Cole and everyone else that night, but the weekend hadn’t given me enough time to gather my thoughts. I was upset and confused by Cole’s kiss with Laurie, and I didn’t know where to begin when it came to deciding what to do about my own feelings for Cole.
Liking Cole had hit me unawares. It was like a summer rainstorm; sudden and intense, appearing completely out of nowhere. I was still trying to catch up with the feelings, which was hard to do when I was worried he liked someone else. Trying to fit them into the messed up situation we were in was like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube—impossible for someone like me who’d never tried it before.
I’d never felt this way toward Jake. His smiles hadn’t hit me in the stomach, and his words hadn’t lifted my spirits. We’d been friends, but there had never been the crazy connection I felt with Cole between Jake and me.
By the time I arrived at Cole’s house for the selection ceremony on Monday night, I was a bit of a mess. I had hoped that taking the day to clear my thoughts would make things better, but I only felt more confused.
It was drizzling with the lightest misting of rain as I approached the front door. I usually hated the rain, but it seemed to match my mood this evening.
Rather than the usual spot out in the backyard, they were hosting the ceremony in the Kingstons’ living room tonight. When I entered the room, everyone was already there and gathered around as they waited for Cole to come out.
Evan had his back to me and was telling Teagan how cute her date with Cole had been on Friday night. The sickness in my stomach intensified as I listened.
According to Evan, Teagan had gotten ice cream on her nose and Cole had wiped it off for her. Cole had done a similar thing to me when I had cinnamon on the edge of my mouth on the first group date, and it had made my heart race. Did he do things like that with everyone? Had he made Teagan’s heart race too?
I didn’t want to get involved with the conversation, so I went to wait with Willow, who was standing alone. Still, Evan’s voice carried, and it was a relief when he started talking about his own Saturday night date.
“I heard you were sick today. Are you feeling any better?” Willow asked.
“Not really,” I replied. I felt just as confused as I had this morning. Worse, even. My feelings were a mess, but one thing was becoming abundantly clear. Even though Cole had kissed Laurie, and even though he’d had an amazing date with Teagan, I still liked him. I was hurting because I wanted it to be me he shared those moments with, and that would never happen if I were eliminated from the contest.
It was then that I realized I didn’t want to leave the competition anymore. In fact, I was now dreading the thought of being eliminated. But Cole didn’t know that. He still thought I wanted out.
I swore under my breath and my cheeks grew flushed with worry as my pulse started to quicken.
“What was that?” Willow asked.
“I have to find Cole,” I said. The words were barely out of my mouth when Skye walked up to us.
“I need to get you guys in position,” she said to Willow and me, nodding her head toward where the other contestants were starting to line up.
“I need a moment,” I said, turning and looking for any sign of Cole. He was nowhere to be seen though. He hadn’t come out for the ceremony yet, which meant I still had a chance to find him before it was too late.
“Sorry, Madi, there’s no time,” Skye replied. “The cameras are going live in less than a minute.”
“I’m sure you can talk to him later,” Willow murmured. “Come on.” She took hold of my wrist and started guiding me toward the others. I let her pull me along, but I was still hoping that Cole would appear before the episode went live so I could tell him I wanted to stay.
Feelings of dread started amassing in my stomach as I watched the doorway and still there was no sign of Cole. Skye gave us a thirty-second warning, and I could feel my hope slipping away with each and every second that passed.
When the two of us were arranged in line with the other contestants, I resigned myself to the fact that I had no chance of talking to Cole before the ceremony began. My shoulders slumped with the knowledge. I tried to keep the disappointment from showing on my face, but I could feel my sadness brimming in my eyes.
“What do you need with Cole?” Willow murmured, as we waited for the signal that the cameras were live.
I shook my head. It was too late and no longer mattered. A sudden pelting of rain started hitting the roof loudly. It almost seemed fitting that a storm should coincide with my own tumultuous elimination from the show.
“We’re going live in three, two, one,” Skye announced, before nodding her head at Angus. In the blink of an eye, Angus’ serious expression transformed. He grinned widely at the camera pointed at him and launched into his introductory spiel. His one-on-ones with the camera had been growing longer each week, and I suspected he was enjoying the increased attention True Love was getting. He sounded somewhat reluctant when he reached the end of his monologue and announced Cole’s entrance.
Cole looked so handsome as he strode out to stand at Angus’ side. He usually seemed so confident in himself, but tonight he appeared slightly nervous. His gaze swept across the group and lingered on mine for a second. His eyes became more intense, and it felt like he was trying to tell me something with them, but Angus started speaking and Cole looked away b
efore I could figure it out.
“We’ll start by announcing the audience pick for the week,” he said, turning to face Cole.
My body went still as I watched Cole reach for the first heart. I’d never wanted to win the audience vote, but I was suddenly desperate to hear Cole calling my name. If the viewers hadn’t voted for me this time, I knew I would be gone, and I wasn’t ready to give up. Not now.
Cole picked up the first half-heart cut out. “The first piece of my heart goes to Laurie.”
The warmth rushed from my skin as I heard the words, and I couldn’t look away as Laurie bounded forward to receive her heart. Their kiss must have really been something for the audience to choose her. But it wasn’t the kiss that had me worried; it was the realization I would now be eliminated that made me suddenly feel queasy. I felt like I was going to throw up.
“Teagan.” Cole announced the first of his personal selections.
If there had been any warmth left in my skin, it was now gone. I felt ice cold as I watched Teagan walk forward to receive her heart. The two of them exchanged such warm smiles that I felt like I’d just been dealt a physical blow to my chest. Cole was going to end up with one of these other girls, and I could only blame myself.
I felt a hand grab mine and give it a squeeze. I looked at Evan who was standing beside me. He gave me an encouraging smile, like everything was going to be all right. But I wasn’t sure if it was.
“There are only four contestants left,” Angus said. “Cole, with just two choices remaining, who would you like to continue on your journey to find true love?”
Cole’s eyes roamed over all of us, but it felt like his gaze passed right by me. His eyes finally settled on Willow. As he called out her name, my heart sank.
There was only Evan, Zoe and me left now. I wanted to cry. I’d been so stupid to insist on leaving the contest. I’d continually thrown it in Cole’s face. And now I was finally going to get what I thought I wanted and I wasn’t sure if my heart could take it.
The Wrong Bachelor Page 19