I got out of Mom’s car and slumped my heavy bag over my shoulder. I felt exhausted. Jake hadn’t answered any of my calls the previous evening, and I’d been up half the night worrying about it. He hadn’t arrived to pick me up from school, and it was lucky Mom had been running late for work, or I wouldn’t have been able to get a ride from her either.

“Have a nice day, Madi,” Mom called out through the lowered car window as she went to pull away. I raised a hand in reply and started heading toward the school.

My heart was a swirling bundle of uncertainty and misery. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d done to make Jake upset, but I already had a bad feeling that we weren’t going to come back from this.

I made my way straight to his locker, where I found him leaning against the wall, surrounded by his friends. I didn’t want to talk to him in front of them, but I didn’t feel like I was left with any choice.

“Hey,” I said, softly. I lightly touched his arm, causing him to turn.

When Jake’s eyes landed on me, I could see disappointment etched in them and my stomach sunk. Jake was always impulsive and emotional, and right now I could feel every bit of his unhappiness directed at me.

“Can we talk?” I asked.

He glanced over his shoulder at his friends and, for a second, I worried that he would refuse. I breathed a silent sigh of relief when he nodded and led me to an empty classroom.

“What’s going on?” I asked, clutching my arms around my waist as he closed the door behind us. I felt suddenly vulnerable and apprehensive about what he was going to say.

He let out a breath and rubbed his face as if he too had suffered a sleepless night. “I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you, Mads. I’m just trying to figure out how to deal with all of this.”

“All of what?” I asked, tilting my head as I watched him.

“You know what I’m talking about,” he replied.

“I can guess, but that doesn’t mean I’m not confused.”

“What’s there to be confused about? Are you really surprised that I don’t want my girl dating another guy in front of me.”

My brow creased at his admission. “Jake, it’s just some stupid charity competition. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not like I volunteered to do it.”

“Yeah, but you are doing it,” he replied, directing his words at the floor.

I walked forward, closing the gap between us. “It’s just for one week. I’ve already spoken with Angus, and he’s going to make sure I’m voted out at the first ceremony.”

“Really?” Jake lifted his head to look at me, a hint of hope in his eyes.

“Yes. And you would know that if you had taken me home last night like you were supposed to. Or if you had answered my calls or picked me up this morning.” I let out a frustrated breath. “I didn’t ask for this, and yet you’re treating me like it’s my fault.”

He lifted a hand to cup my face. “I’m sorry, Mads. I was angry and not thinking straight.”

“Are you still mad?” I asked.

He shook his head and brought me in for a hug. “I don’t like it, but I guess I can handle a week of this stupidity.”

I smiled into his chest. “Thanks, Jake.”

He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “You just have to promise me that you won’t do anything with him. No hand holding or kisses or anything like that.”

“I wouldn’t do that stuff with him even if they paid me,” I replied. “You’re the only guy for me. You know that.”

He nodded, seeming happy enough with my response. Despite his warm smile, I didn’t feel convinced he was all that happy though. There was something in his eyes that told me he was still angry and, despite his words, he still held the competition against me.

I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. At lunch, Hayley couldn’t stop glancing at Jake. Meanwhile, Jake couldn’t keep his eyes off Cole, who was at the other end of the table.

“I feel like I’m watching Bruce Banner and I'm just waiting for him to Hulk out,” Hayley murmured, nodding in Jake’s direction.

“He’s not that bad,” I replied.

“Madi, there’s like a massive throbbing vein on his forehead,” she said. “I really don’t like him when he’s angry, and he’s this close to turning green.” She pinched her fingers together, indicating that she thought he was about an inch away from losing it.

“He’s not going to turn green!”

She shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Jake. He’d barely said a word at lunch, and Hayley was right. There was a rather large looking vein throbbing on his forehead.

“He told me he would be okay with it for a week,” I said, turning back to face Hayley.

“Well, it probably doesn’t help that Cole has spent the entire lunch break looking at you,” she replied.

My eyes jerked in Cole’s direction, and again I found that Hayley was right. He was watching me and he grinned when our eyes met. I glared at him in return before focusing back on Hayley.

“This is going to be the longest week of my life,” I said. “Is he still looking at me?”

Hayley laughed. “Yep. He looks really pleased with himself too.”

I squinted my eyes shut and blew out a long breath. “Why do you think he’s so fixated on ruining my life?” I asked, opening my eyes once more.

“Dramatic much?” Haley asked, making me smile.

“Yeah, maybe a little,” I conceded. I let out a sigh. “I just want this week to be over with already.”

She patted my arm. “It’ll be over before you know it,” she said.

I hoped she was right about that as well.

Hayley wasn’t right. The week dragged by so slowly I began to worry I’d been caught up in some kind of time loop. No matter how much I wished the competition would be over and done with, it seemed to trail me everywhere. We hadn’t even started filming, but people were already chatting to me about it in the corridor and wishing me luck. It was like they had forgotten Jake even existed and that he was my boyfriend.

Jake, on the other hand, was starting to act like he’d forgotten that I existed. Aside from driving me to and from school each day, we barely spent any time together, and he hardly said a word to me when we did. I knew he was upset, but he’d taken it to a whole new level. By the time Friday evening rolled around, I was beginning to wonder if there would even be a relationship left for me to save once the competition was over.

Hayley came to my house beforehand to help me get ready for the first group date. Not that I wanted to put any effort in. I could only imagine how Jake would react if he thought I’d tried to dress up for Cole.

“You have to wear this,” Hayley said, coming out of my closet with a short black dress in her hand. Mom was always buying me clothes and putting them in my room for me. The dress Hayley was holding definitely wasn’t something I’d picked out.

“That dress would barely cover my ass,” I replied.

“Exactly.” Hayley’s eyes lit up at the thought.

“Not going to happen,” I said.

Hayley let out a frustrated huff before returning to my closet in search of something else.

“You have so much cute stuff in here,” she called out to me. “How come you never wear any of it?”

“Because I’m pretty sure my mom only put it in there to try and pimp me out.”

Hayley laughed and her head appeared in the doorway. “Why would she want to pimp you out?”

“She’s not the biggest fan of Jake,” I replied.

“Can’t say I blame the woman,” Hayley responded.

I threw a pillow at her head, but she easily snatched it out of the air before it hit her. She poked her tongue out at me. “You know what I mean. He was so sweet when you guys first started dating, but I just don’t think he’s like that anymore.”

My stomach dropped at her comment. Hayley had never admitted that to me before, and it hurt to know that she didn’t fully approve of Jake. The problem was that I couldn’t entirely disagree with her. Not when I’d been feeling something similar for the last few months.

I let out a sigh. “Yeah, he’s changed a lot this last year.”

Hayley slowly came out of the closet, a sad expression on her face as she sat next to me on my bed. “Do you still love him?” she asked.

I’d told Jake I loved him dozens of times in the two years we’d been together. I just wasn’t sure if I really knew the meaning of the word. Was the way I felt about Jake really true love?

“I’m always going to care for him,” I replied.

She tilted her head as she watched me. “You’re meant to be madly, stupidly, crazy about the boy. You don’t sound like you’re any of those things.”

“I don’t, do I?” I replied.

“No,” she agreed. “So, are you going to break up with him?”

I shook my head almost immediately. “No, of course not,” I replied instinctively. The thought of losing Jake made breathing harder. It made me feel anxious and uncertain. I didn’t know how to be without him. How could I break up with him?

She reached out and squeezed my hand. “It’s not fair on either of you to stay together if you’re not happy.”

“I know,” I replied. “I just think we’re going through a rough patch at the moment. Things will get better.”

She gave me a sad smile. “I hope so,” she said. From the way she was looking at me, I knew she wasn’t convinced.

“Enough moping about Jake,” she said, suddenly springing up from the bed. “We need to make you look hot for the big group date.” As she disappeared into my closet once again, I had a bad feeling that whatever I ended up wearing was not going to be Madi-approved.

After an hour of arguing over outfits, I managed to coax Hayley into letting me wear a pair of jeans. They hugged my legs tightly and were nothing like the ones I’d typically wear, but Hayley seemed happy enough. She somehow convinced me to wear a tight top that was far too revealing, but I’d succeeded in covering it up with a leather jacket that I could zip up to my neck if I felt uncomfortable. I finished the outfit with cute wedged ankle boots—the only thing the two of us agreed on unequivocally.

Hayley then helped me with my hair and makeup. We started on my hair, curling it in big loose waves that hung loosely down my back. I wasn’t sure if I wanted the makeup, but Hayley refused to let me leave the house without it. The girl sure knew how to channel the aggressive nature of a cheerleader when she needed to.

“You look so beautiful,” Mom gushed when I finally made my way downstairs. “That Cole Kingston would be crazy not to pick you.”

Dad was standing next to her, nodding in agreement.

“Mom,” I groaned. “I don’t want Cole to pick me. I have Jake.”

“Yes, yes I know,” Mom replied. Though it sounded like she had long forgotten Jake.

Dad gave me a hug. “Have fun tonight kiddo, and don’t forget to take photos so I can stalk them on Instagram.” The scary part was, he wasn’t joking.

“Dad!” I exclaimed. “And on that note, I’m leaving.”

I rushed out the door, dragging Hayley with me, not waiting to see what other mortifying things my dad would say next.

“He can be so embarrassing,” I muttered as we walked down my driveway.

“Really?” Hayley asked. “I think your dad’s hot.”

“Oh my gosh, you did not just say that!”

Hayley laughed and shook her head. “Totally joking, Mads. I like my boys older, not ancient. I’m not going to go American Beauty on you. I mean, maybe if he was twenty years younger and didn’t have such a dad-bod…”

I shoved my friend, laughing. “You’re terrible. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I’m totally going to hell.”

Hayley walked with me as we crossed the street and made our way to Cole’s house. Angus had decided to take advantage of the fact that Cole lived in a ridiculously nice house, by using it for the main parts of the competition. Apparently, all of the selection ceremonies would be happening there and some of the group dates, including the first one tonight. It definitely worked for me, because it was only down the street.

It had been years since I’d visited the Kingston family’s home. I used to play there all the time as a kid, but that felt like a lifetime ago. My mom still visited Cole’s mom, but I hadn’t set foot in the house since high school started. Not even for one of Cole’s legendary parties.

“Well, I should probably leave you here,” Hayley said when we reached the front gate. I glanced at her and nodded, desperately wishing for a moment that she were in the competition with me.

“Wish me luck,” I said.

“Nah,” she grinned. “You don’t need it.”

I smiled warmly back at her, before taking a deep breath in and making my way up to the Kingstons' front door. I pressed the buzzer, and Cole’s mom opened the door almost immediately. Her hair was tightly pulled back, and she was still dressed in one of her work suits. Her eyes brightened when she saw me, and she pulled me in for a warm hug.

“It’s so good to see you, Madison,” she said.

“You too, Mrs. Kingston,” I replied. I was surprised by her reaction, but I didn’t mind the hug too much. Despite her formal appearance, Cole’s mom had always been really fun, kind and she gave great hugs.

She walked me in through the entrance lobby. “I’m so glad Cole’s got you in this contest,” she murmured to me as we walked. “I’m a bit worried some of the girls might be in this competition for the wrong reasons. I don’t want to see Cole get hurt.”

I smiled at how worried Cole’s mom was about her son, but I knew it was much more likely that he would be the one breaking hearts, not the other way around. “You don’t have to be too concerned,” I said in an attempt to reassure her. “Some of the contestants are my friends, and I know they’d never hurt Cole,” I replied.

“You’ve always been so sweet,” she said, a smile returning to her face. “I’ll be secretly rooting for you.”

I laughed and shook my head. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d be out before the week was through.

Mrs. Kingston led me out onto the back patio where most of the girls and half the film club were already waiting. Laurie glared at me as I approached, her eyes moving up and down my body as if it offended her somehow. She turned and started whispering to her sister. Brooke’s eyes flickered in my direction, but there wasn’t the same malice in her gaze as her twin had shown me. She almost seemed uncomfortable as she listened to Laurie’s whispers.

I felt a wave of relief when I saw that Teagan and Evan had already arrived.

“Looking good, Mads,” Evan said as I sat down next to him.

“You guys look great too,” I replied.

“I know,” came Evan’s response.

“Thanks, Madi,” Teagan said. Like the rest of the girls, Teagan was wearing a pretty dress. I probably should have listened to Hayley’s advice and worn one too, but at least I felt comfortable, and I knew Jake couldn’t disapprove.

Teagan was playing with the ends of her long blonde hair, just like she did every time she was preparing to go on stage. She always looked so perfectly calm before she performed, but this was her one tell that beneath the surface she was actually nervous. I was surprised that our little charity show even warranted her nerves.

“Any idea what we’re doing tonight?” I asked, trying to distract her.

Teagan shook her head. “I think we’re still waiting on Willow, but once she gets here, the film club said we’d get started.”

I looked around the patio, taking everything in. The film club already had three different cameras pointed at the small groups the contestants were sitting in. Cole was nowhere to be seen, but knowing him, he was waiting to make an entrance.

“You sure things haven’t already started?” I asked, nodding my head at one of the film guys who had a camera pointed in our direction.

“Maybe,” Evan replied. “Hey, Brett, make sure you get my right side. It’s my good angle.” I laughed as Brett gave him a thumbs up and continued filming.

“I didn’t know you had a bad side,” I said to Evan.

“Oh, everyone has a bad side,” Evan replied. “Well, except for you two girls, obviously. You’re both perfect.”

Teagan and I both smiled at his compliment, but then she shook her head and turned to me. “You know we’re both screwed if Evan here uses his charm on Cole?”

I laughed. “Totally,” I agreed. “No one can resist the powerful charm of Evan Anderson.”

“It’s both a blessing and a curse,” he said, nodding seriously as if it was a genuine struggle.

Movement caught the corner of my eye, and I looked over to see Willow emerging from the house onto the patio. She looked so tense as her eyes darted around the group. I quickly waved to her, grabbing her attention.

“Willow, come sit with us,” I said.

She slowly nodded, but the anxious look in her eyes remained as she came to sit beside me.

“I’m so glad to see I’m not the only one wearing jeans,” I said to her as she made herself comfortable.

“Hello, what do these look like?” Evan scoffed behind me.

I waved his comment away with one hand, still focused on the girl before me. She was glancing around nervously, and I wondered if there was a way I could make her feel better. She didn’t have any friends in the group, and from the way she kept stealing looks at Laurie, I had a bad feeling some people here had already made her feel unwelcome.

“How’s your art project coming along?” I asked, trying to distract her.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m not very good at working with watercolors though. I’ve had to scrap my work about six times already.” She looked down at her hands as she answered.

“I’m sure it will come together in the end,” I said. I tried to give her an encouraging smile, but she was still focused on her hands, which were clasped together in her lap.

I frowned as I watched her, not entirely certain what to say. I wanted Willow to feel at ease, but I wasn’t sure if that was possible. I was saved from coming up with a solution when one of the girls from the film club came over to join us.

“Hey, Skye,” I said, as she approached.

“Hi, Madison,” she replied, giving me a warm smile. “Is it okay if I hook you guys up with microphones?” Her eyes moved between Willow and me, seeking our approval.

“Yeah, of course,” I replied, while Willow nodded at my side. Skye was in the year below us, but you would never guess it after seeing how at ease she was talking with everyone. She was also sporting unicorn hair at the moment, which looked insanely cool. I couldn’t stop staring at it while she set me up with my microphone.

“When did you change your hair?” I asked her, still mesmerized by the bright, pretty colors. “It looks amazing.”

Skye smiled up at me. “Last weekend. My mom wants to kill me.”

“Totally worth it,” I replied.

“Totally,” she agreed.

Once Skye finished helping Willow with her microphone, Angus clapped his hands together, drawing all of our attention.

“Good evening, lovely ladies,” he called, holding his hands up above his head. Evan loudly cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows.

“And gentleman,” Angus added with a smile before bowing apologetically at Evan. “Welcome to the very first group date of Lincoln High’s very first True Love charity dating contest.”

Some of the girls giggled and clapped, along with some of the film club who weren’t manning equipment. Evan simply lifted one eyebrow at me, causing me to smother a laugh.

“Tonight’s date will be made up of several different rounds. You will be competing against one another to gain alone time with our one and only bachelor, Cole. But, before we begin, let’s bring him out here.”

Everyone clapped, and some of the girls started squealing again as Cole walked out of the house and came to stand at Angus’ side. He was wearing dark jeans and a navy button-up shirt. He had his sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms and the shirt clung tightly against his full chest and large biceps.

His eyes were practically sparkling as he scanned the scene in front of him. He paused for a brief second when he caught sight of me. My eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me, but he quickly continued surveying the contestants who sat before him, the corner of his mouth now raised in a smirk.

“Damn, Cole is fine,” Evan whispered to me. I couldn’t help but nod. Who knew the jerk could look so good?

“Over to you, Cole,” Angus said. “What is the first activity you have planned for our contestants tonight?”

The film crew was split into groups, with one camera focused on Cole’s face while the other two were focused on the contestants. I felt really uncomfortable as Brett focused the camera on Willow, Evan, Teagan and me. No one else seemed to notice, as they were all watching and waiting for Cole to speak.

Cole rubbed his hands together and smiled at everyone. “I’m looking for someone who has a healthy appetite,” he said, his grin growing wider. “So, for our first activity tonight, we’ll be having a donut eating contest.”

I spluttered out a laugh before raising a hand to my mouth to silence it. It was difficult to contain myself though, especially when I caught the look on some of the other girls' faces.

“Cinnamon donuts are almost impossible to eat without licking your lips,” Cole continued. “The first eight people to finish a full donut without licking their lips will advance to the next round tonight. The last two contestants to finish will, unfortunately, be eliminated from the group date.”

Laurie cleared her throat and lifted her hand in the air. Angus nodded, indicating for her to ask her question.

“I can’t eat donuts. I’m gluten intolerant,” she said.

I was pretty sure she wasn’t, but I also wasn’t about to call her on it.

“That’s okay,” Angus said. “We brought a couple of honuts for people with intolerances.”

Evan laughed out loud. “Honuts?” he asked.

Angus smiled knowingly at the question. “Yes, a healthy donut. What did you think I was talking about?” he asked Evan, making us all laugh.

“All right kids, please follow me. The donuts await,” Angus called.

Angus led us away from the undercover patio, where we’d all been gathered, and further into Cole’s massive backyard. Mrs. Kingston was obsessed with gardening, and her backyard was her pride and joy. It was beautifully manicured, with multiple sectioned off gardens that had different themes and secret pathways that wound through the property. I might not have visited the Kingstons in years, but I suddenly remembered how much I loved to explore the vast garden as a kid. I’d always thought it was magical. Plus, Cole had a pool, which meant I had spent whole summers at his house when we were younger.

We followed a narrow path that cut between two hedges before arriving in a small, walled-off garden. I recognized it immediately as the place I used to call the Beauty and the Beast garden. The cozy secret garden was covered in blooming red roses that surrounded a perfectly trimmed square lawn. In the middle of it all, a long table waited for us.

Ten plates of donuts were arranged along the length of the table, and I tried not to cringe when I saw the tabletop had also been covered in hundreds of tiny glittering hearts. I focused instead on the donuts and was already licking my lips at the sight of them. I had decided that I wasn’t going to try to win any of the challenges Angus set us, but the competitor inside of me suddenly wasn’t so willing to throw in the towel. Especially not when there were donuts involved.

I actually felt kind of excited to take part, and I found myself wondering if it would really be so bad if I put some effort into the challenge. I could always make sure I lost the next one. Besides, so far I’d had zero interaction with Cole on the group date. Perhaps the True Love competition wouldn’t be so bad after all?

Once Angus had us all lined up, he began a countdown from three. When he shouted “go," everyone launched on their donuts like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Almost immediately, I heard students from the film club yelling at the other contestants to drop their donuts and start again for licking their lips.

I couldn’t stop giggling as I tried to make my way through mine. A thick layer of cinnamon sugar rimmed my mouth and the temptation to wipe it away was almost unbearable. Teagan was having the same issues as me, and we both had tears in our eyes as we tried to control our bouts of laughter.

Evan, on the other hand, shoved the entire donut in his mouth at once and was crowned the winner before most of us were even halfway through. He stood next to us while he waited for us to finish, shouting words of encouragement.

Teagan finished hers before me and punched the air with her hands in celebration. I was still two bites away from finishing and struggling to contain my laughter.

“You’ve got this, Madi!” Teagan shouted encouragement to me.

“Come on sugar-lips,” Evan added at her side, almost making me choke on my mouthful of food as I laughed. I was only one bite away from completing the challenge though, and as soon as I swallowed the final piece of my donut, Teagan and Evan let out a cheer.

I smiled at their enthusiasm. That had to go down as one of the weirdest experiences of my life.

I turned and focused at the rest of the competitors. I’d been so caught up in my own donut eating that I hadn’t noticed who else was still in the race. There were still a few girls left. Laurie’s face was wrinkled in a cringe as she finished the last bite of her honut, while Brooke had a whole bunch of discarded donuts in front of her and looked like she was only halfway through her current attempt.

Anna and Zoe were both in the same boat as Brooke. They were going through donuts like crazy and seemed to be unable to stop themselves from licking their lips and having to start again.

I felt a twinge of disappointment when Laurie squealed as she finally completed the challenge. The cheering from the rest of the contestants grew louder as we watched the final three battle it out for the last place. Brooke was already ahead, but Zoe seemed to be finally getting the hang of it and was catching up quickly.

When Brooke had the final piece of her donut in her mouth, we all fell silent, holding our breath as we waited for her to finish without licking the sugar that was caked around her lips. When we finally saw her swallow, a cheer rose up, and the contest was over. Anna and Zoe had lost.

Anna didn’t look too bothered, but Zoe looked annoyed. It didn’t take her long to get over it though, and I soon saw her take out her notebook and start asking some of the girls questions about the competition so far. I had to give it to her; even in the face of defeat, she was still determined to focus on a story for the newspaper.

Everyone was on a bit of a high after the rush of the competition. There was laughter as people tried to wipe the sugar from their mouths and loud chatting as people lamented over how impossible it had been to avoid licking the sugar away.

I noticed Cole making his way from contestant to contestant, congratulating them on making it to the next round. Each girl's face lit up when he focused on them, and I could practically see them melting into piles of goo at his feet. He was hot, I got that, but I couldn’t understand his effect on them.

I decided not to watch him. Instead, I turned my back on him and listened as Evan replayed his glorious win.

“It’s not much of a challenge when you can stick a whole donut in your mouth,” I told him.

Evan laughed. “Jealous?”

I went to respond but found Cole standing at my side. He smiled when he saw that he’d caught my attention. Without hesitation, he reached out and wiped the corner of my lips with his thumb. It lingered there for the briefest second, and my stomach pulled tight as my skin tingled under his touch.

“You missed some,” he said, lifting his thumb to show me the sugar.

“Maybe I was saving it for later.”

He laughed and lifted his thumb to his mouth, slowly sucking the sugar off the end of it. “Well, I guess your sugar’s mine now.” He strode off without another word, and I scowled after him.

“How are you not swooning right now?” Evan asked, coming to stand beside me as we watched Cole leave. He waved his hand close to his face as if he was trying to cool off.

I shrugged and we started after the rest of the group as we returned to the back porch. The truth was, I kind of was swooning a little. Cole’s brief touch against my lips had felt electric. I’d never felt anything like that with Jake before. The feeling left me riddled with guilt though. I shouldn’t be feeling that way and I certainly shouldn’t be reacting to Cole’s touch. So instead of responding, I stayed silent.