Chapter 3
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Wally thought he had her pegged; all figured out. He thought that she was playing hard to get. Well, he smiled wryly, he thought wrong. When he saw her hand coming toward him, he knew he could have blocked it. He had reflexes the speed of light, but he didn't. Why?
He guessed that he simply couldn't comprehend the idea of a girl slapping him.
Him, being slapped? It was purely impossibility. Or, it used to be anyway.
He rubbed his cheek ruefully. That girl slapped hard. He guessed, that slap proved that she was insulted to hear that she was playing hard to get, but if she wasn't, what was she doing? She sure didn't impress him with that attitude. Very…female doggish.
He finally noticed the cameras, the contestants, and most of all, the girl that started it all. When she had slapped him, his mind had automatically put everything on pause, but now, seeing the looks on everyone's faces…how humiliating. His cheek was throbbing, and he could feel his ears pulsing, felt them turn red, as red as his hair. Nobody made a fool out of Wally West, especially not...not…who was she anyway? She hadn't even told him her name.
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Jade noticed the shocked silence after the sound of her slap resounded throughout the room. She glanced at the cameramen, pity they didn't get this on film. She grinned; they were probably kicking themselves for missing this moment on the show. It would have brought huge public attention. Too bad, she was going to have to leave in the first cut; she made sure that West would absolutely hate her. A blow to anyone's ego was tough. Especially, his.
Seeing him still gaping, she began to study her fingernails. Hmm…she needed a new paint job.
"What's your name?" She looked up at one ticked off Wally West. "And even more, what are you even doing on this show? And I'll let you know," Wally decidedly mentioned, "You're not giving me a good first impression."
Jade looked at him with a smirk. He was still rubbing a red handprint on his face. She knew she slapped hard, and she was proud of her handiwork. He would never admit that it hurt, male pride, but, knowing that it did, was good enough for her.
"Jade Hex." She answered simply. The bachelor didn't have to know that her friends blackmailed her into this mess or that she was glad she didn't give a good first impression. It was truly none of his business. She saw him visibly pause, his mind in concentration, then as if he was thinking better of it, he shook his head and remained silent, choosing instead, to turn around and walk out of the room.
Hah. Jade thought, triumphantly. Giving up already, pretty boy? It didn't matter though, it was all the better for her. She smirked right into the cameras. She had won; she had beaten her friends in their little game with some added publicity. Not bad, not bad at all. Unfortunately for Jade, she didn't know Wally West enough to realize he was giving up too easily. His ego was damaged enough, and he was going to make her pay.
Out of the room, the bachelor grinned. Miss Hex had dropped him the obvious. She didn't want to be here. What, did she think that he was brainless? She didn't want to win; she wanted to get off the show. He'd send his buddy Gar out to where she lived, to find out for himself why she was on this show in the first place. He did notice that she never answered his question. But in the meantime, he wouldn't cut her. Cutting her out of the show would be what she wanted, and he wasn't going to give her that satisfaction.
Tomorrow night, at the ceremony, he would offer Jade Hex a rose. He rubbed his hands in glee; he couldn't wait to see the expression on her face. It would be a classic.
Wally looked up at the clock. Only a couple hours before he could deliver that rose. He grinned, and opened his wardrobe, full of identical black tuxedos straight from the laundromat. He dressed in a random tux, and adjusted his tie. He glanced at the hands of the clock. Suddenly, waiting for tonight's ceremony became hard. Difficult, even. Since he wanted time to go by fast, it automatically moved slower. Wally groaned. Why was life so ironic? How was he supposed to blow off two hours?
He walked out of his room sullenly, and was greeted instantly by twenty-four women. All the contestants he noted, except the slapper. He noticeably perked up and flashed a smile to all the women. With all of them clamoring for his attention, the two hours would be up quickly. Now where was Miss Philips?
Wally saw her, and made his way over, to the envy of all the other contestants. He smiled appreciatively at the new dress that she wore. It flattered her figure very nicely. At his smile, Jessica looked up at him demurely. She was a favorite! She guessed that she was a shoo-in for tonight. She smiled happily back at him, pleased to be in his company.
In the midst of the bachelor flirting, two eyes narrowed in anger. She would show Wally that she could be just as fine company as that blonde. Pushing rudely past the other women, she approached Wally, her low-cut dress bringing his attention rather easily.
"I'm Mara Rouge." she smiled, presenting him with a small gift. "I hope you enjoy this. It's a cologne from Manhattan," she winked, "my particular favorite." It didn't take long for her to begin some full on flirting with the current bachelor. She wanted for him to give her a rose tonight. She was determined, and she would stop at nothing to win this contest, and get his money. When she wanted something, she was described by her peers as forceful. She contemplated this thought. Well, forceful or not, she would do what it would take to win. She would do anything.
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Jade was in her room with her sketchbook out. In the peaceful tranquility of a personal suite, and a comfortable window seat that looked out over a gorgeous view, it was the perfect time to draw.
"Let's see," Jade thought out loud, "watercolor or pencil?" She decided on pencil as she normally did; it brought out only the colors of black, white, and various shades of gray. It added a moody atmosphere to all her portraits. Deciding on what to draw was easy. Her latest obsession was unicorns, surprisingly. It wasn't something she would usually go for, but unicorns it was.
In her mind, she had already lain out the type of unicorn. Bashful, and sweet, a gentle dappled gray mare. Now the setting. Jade closed her eyes in concentration. This was harder; it had to match the personality of her main focus. There. Her pink eyes opened. An unfenced field on a starry night. No moon.
Now that she knew what she was doing, Jade started on her new drawing with gusto. In half an hour, she was finished. She stood back to admire her new unicorn, then collapsed back onto her comfy bed with deep satisfaction. She was always in a better mood after she drew, and, Jade looked at the clock cheerfully, she would be out of the show, and on her way home by tomorrow. She grinned. Now, what to wear…
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The rose ceremony. It was both dreaded and anticipated for all the contestants. For Wally West, he was unbelievably eager; he could hardly stand still. He had seen Jade Hex walk in, late as usual, wearing another one of her Jade originals: a long black dress which was ripped at the bottom into a shaggy design with torn sleeve ends, and of course her beloved combat boots, which were mostly hidden under the folds of her dress. Her hair, he noticed, remained in their pigtails. Best of all, she had a confident smirk on her face which he couldn't wait to personally wipe off.
Jade noticed his noticeable contentness surround the room. She wondered what he was so happy about. Whatever. It was time for the show's traditional 'sorry I cut you' speech.
As the other Bachelor seasons, Wally West delivered the same speech on how it was very difficult to choose the girls, and they all had held a special place in his heart. When he was finished, the contestants eyed him. He held ten roses. Ten roses for ten girls. Fifteen would be cut, unfortunately. Wally decided to set his mind on the task before him. The first rose he would give to…
"Jessica Philips." Wally grinned. "Will you accept this rose?" She nodded, her eyes shining. "Yes."
Nine roses left.
"Mara Rouge." After all, he did appreciate her little gift. Miss Rouge consented, although she seemed to be brooding. He thought maybe it was because he picked her second. He shrugged it off.
Eight roses.
He gave a rose to Katherine, Annabelle, Lina, Ahn, and Clarissa in that order.
One rose left. He could feel the tension in the room, thick and muggy. He looked at Jade, no expression. He made sure that wouldn't last. With a smirk he announced his final choice.
"Jade Hex. Will you accept this rose?" He smiled in clear amusement when her nonchalant demeanor dropped. Jade frantically replayed his words in her mind, shocked to discover she had heard him correctly. What had just happened here?
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A/N: I guess you guys didn't expect the part about Madame Rouge? Just pretend she's only a couple years older…say 27.