The Bachelor - H.S.

Chapter 23

Guess what? I love you guys and I really like this chapter, so here's an early Valentine's Day present!

L

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After the rose ceremony, we're not forced to go home. We're not forced to say goodbye to Harry and wallow around for 3 days without him. Instead, the producers decide to be nice for a change.

"Girls, listen up!" Emily calls as the camera's change their batteries- "We cut the rose ceremony short but the vans aren't booked to come for another 2 hours, so you'll be staying until then. Feel free to do whatever you'd like." She announces. I can feel excitement immediately light up the room and the girls move in to engulf Harry in another round of hugs.

I keep to the sidelines and smile hugely. I know I heard Emily say she would figure something out while I was eavesdropping, but I didn't think her idea would work so well in my favour. Oh, well. I'll take this good news without question.

I'm delighted that I'll have another 2 hours with Harry, especially now that there are 3 less girls present. However, I am a little worried, and rightly so I should think. If Harry decides to act the same way he has been the whole night (constantly clinging to me for attention and affection), I may be in serious trouble. Not only will the limited number of girls, including my friends Tanya and Kiana, begin to become suspicious, but I'm sure Astrid will find a way to murder me in my sleep.

I hope, for Harry's sake as well as my own, that he tones down the drinks and gains a little common sense. However, as people begin to disperse and Harry wanders off, I'm hardly surprised to see him heading for the bar. It looks like my wish will not be granted.

I so badly wanted to take advantage of Harry's mood right now- be the girl he devotes himself to for the night- but I can't. If he's not going to take responsibility for his actions someone must. In the long run, avoiding Harry for an hour or two tonight may help me stay a few more weeks on the show.

If everybody, including the audience at home, thinks I'm an attention whore whose unfair to the other girls, I won't be around much longer. I can't have that. So, sure, I'll spend time with Harry, but to avoid being kicked off and possibly stabbed, I will have to try to maintain some sort of distance. As we assemble around the main couch, though, it appears that my mission will not easily be completed. Harry sits himself down right next to me again.

This time the girls envious stares are glaringly obvious. I sigh with relief when Amber stands and places herself on Harry's adjacent side. Maybe the playing field will seem evened out.

The good news is that now that the rose ceremony has passed, the women don't seem so desperate to gain Harry's attentions. Nobody pulls him off to talk in private and instead they seem comfortable, for once, to sit in a group and hold a conversation with him like normal people.

I do appreciate this for a while and begin to realize that some of these girls aren't so bad after all. There are a few exceptions to this epiphany -of course Astrid is no less crazy and Christie is no less annoying- but I find that when Perrie goes for more than 20 minutes without talking about her trust fund, I don't mind her company at all.

It's nice to feel on equal ground with the women for once, but my mind starts to turn. Some of these girls really aren't so bad- even likeable. Are they more likeable than me? A flicker of doubt starts to form in my chest as I glance around nervously and eye Harry's interactions with the others.

-No. I am not going to do this again. I won't be selfish or jealous, just like I promised myself. Who has Harry been spending all his time with tonight? Me. Who has he pulled off innumerable times to kiss and talk to and spend time with? Me. Not the others. I have no reason to feel scared. My name was called first off the roster during the rose ceremony tonight and there should be no fear within me. I am safe.