Page 47 of Most Eligible
“Norbert!” Lainey screams. “Unhand her!”
Norbert grunts and sets me on my feet, then looks me up and down. “Are ye hurt?”
Roland rushes forward, takes me by the shoulders, and looks me up and down. “What happened?”
My eyes go straight to Addison, who’s staring at me, her eyebrows knitted together. Nice of her to be concerned. But when she catches me looking, she turns away.
I fix my eyes back on Roland, my hands still shaking from the fall, my teeth chattering violently. He pulls me into his chest. I wish I could stay cocooned in his arms until the entire season is over, but after a few minutes, I step back and try to calm my racing heart.
Glancing at the cameras, I weigh my options. I know what Lainey wants me to say. But I don’t want to play into Addison’s villain angle and cause more drama, so I decide on a middle ground.
“I—I think I slipped,” I say. “I’m not really sure. It felt like maybe Addison pushed me a little, but I might be wrong.”
Roland frowns as Addison takes my place in front of the cameras. In the huddle of producers, Lainey is smirking. Behind her, the sky is quickly turning black with rain.
“To the vans!” Norbert bellows when Addison is done with her interview. Rain starts to splatter the pavement. We head toward the waiting SUVs and Addison bumps my shoulder as she passes. I think I hear her mutter, “Sorry,” before she climbs into one of the black vans with Roland.
Norbert shuffles me toward a different SUV—right, because now that we’re back on the ground, Addison refuses to be in a moving vehicle with me. Classy. As I duck into the back seat, a loud creak comes from across the parking lot, and I look around for the source of the noise.
Just past the fire truck, the Ferris wheel has started to spin again.
The rain comes down in torrents outside the SUV’s tinted windows. When we pull into the mansion’s driveway, I’m drenched as I sprint to the front door and let myself inside.
“Georgia!”
I jump, expecting to see Addison, but their car doesn’t seem to be back yet. Instead, I see Nina, who’s leading Monica down the hall, an arm around her shoulders.
Monica sniffles and wipes her eyes. “Thanks,” she whispers. Offering me a tight smile, she retreats up the stairs.
“What happened to her?” I ask Nina.
She looks at me, her eyes going wide. “What happened toyou? Did Addison actually try to drown you?”
I glance down at myself, realizing I’m soaked from head to toe. “No, no. It started raining on us.”
She glances outside, like she’s realizing for the first time that it’s raining.
“So you won?”
I blink at her in confusion, then it clicks. The date. “No, Addison’s still here. We’re both staying into next week.”
Nina scowls. “Figures. But I’m so relieved you’re back. She really didn’t try anything?”
I shake my head, keeping my mouth tightly shut. She’ll find out when the season airs, but right now, I don’t want to be the victim to Addison’s villain. “What’s up with Monica?”
Nina wrinkles her nose, then glances up at the ceiling cameras. We’re not wearing mics, but they’re capturing our every move. “She asked me not to tell anyone.”
“Oh, of course.” I nod, deflating a bit. But Nina is right not to tell me, because in just a few short weeks, I’ll betray them all.
“Well, I guess it’s okay,” she says.
“You really don’t—”
“No, no, I’m sure she would’ve told you. You’re a house favorite after all.” She smirks and my heart squeezes with guilt.“She had an interview with one of the PAs and he was asking her about her anxiety and I guess she got a little, well… anxious and revealed too much. She takes meds for it—I mean, I do too, but you don’t see anyone asking me about it.” Nina shakes her head, sighing.
“Is that allowed? Since she plays tennis professionally?”
“Think so. I think she just didn’t want it to be so public.”
