Groom Wars

27. Diego and Honey

On the third day of Groom Wars, Uncle Charlie vanished. The staff gathered the participants on the front lawn for a meeting. The mansion waited behind us, sunlight filtering through the large glass windows. Towering trees mantled the house; ancient western hemlock and Douglas firs glowed in the sun.

Diego was the last to slip out the front doors and treaded jovially towards where I stood near the back of the crowd. He tugged the visor of his red baseball cap, tilting it closer to his eyes. "Spiderman," he said with a smile.

"Diego." We hugged briefly, and when we parted, he checked our surroundings, frowning. "Don't see the boyfriend." He stood on his toes to see over the heads of the players. "Oh. There he is. Le—"

I slapped his shoulder and said, "Shut up."

He chuckled. "Okay, I'll stop. By the way, I was thinking about nicknames for us."

"Nicknames?"

"Yes. After last night, I've decided that you and I will make a good team. Every good partnership needs nicknames. I'll be 'Diego', and you'll be 'Honey'."

"But your name is Diego, so that's not really a nickname, is it?"

Errand boys made their way through the crowd, handing out phones to the participants and instructing them on how to use them for voting: "Send a text with the names of the pair you want to send into tonight's elimination to the contact called 'Groom W'."

Diego said, "But there are so many Diegos, you know? It may as well be a nickname. It's hardly a proper first name for an individual of my calibre. As for you, you have a laugh as sweet as honey, so I'll call you 'Honey'. Matches your skin too." He winked.

"You're weird," I said, accepting a phone from a wiry boy with a black cap.

Diego received a phone as well. He voted for Leandro and Steven and smiled at me. "Sorry, nothing against them, but I joined the marquesses."

"After all we've been through—after I saved your freaking ass, you decide to join the enemy?"

"I thought your boyfriend saved us."

I subtly stomped his toe and spoke through gritted teeth. "It was my idea to tie the pig up."

Diego hunched over, groaned, then, peeping at me with one eye, straightened his curled form, laughed, and said, "That didn't hurt at all. Protected by the sneakers. Bam!"

"Next time, I'll do it when you aren't wearing shoes."

His face paled, and he shielded his eyes from the sun. With my hangover past, I felt mildly embarrassed about the whole episode, but I was also prepared for whatever would happen next. We returned the phones to the runners walking around with boxes a moment later. We weren't allowed to have phones (outside of voting) until the shoot ended—that meant we had to wait until we were eliminated or until eight months expired to talk with our families and loved ones.

Director Chen had Diego, me, and the rest of the shorter contestants move to the front of the crowd. I saw Leandro standing in the third row. He smiled as I walked past. A blush warmed my cheeks. I was around average height, so I wasn't short; the people cast for the show were, for the most part, unfairly tall.

At the front, I recognized the lady with blonde hair and grey eyes, speaking to a handful of producers. She had a lean, hourglass figure which she showed off with a tight-fitting leather jumpsuit. She had interviewed me the day prior. Cara Johnson.

Diego removed his hat and combed his flattened hair with his fingers to make it more attractive and livelier. He whispered, "Aye-yi-yi! I'm in love. I've been struck by Cupid's arrow, Adriel. It pierces straight through me. I think I've forgotten how to breathe." He held his chest; pain contorted his face.

I elbowed him in the stomach, and he drew in a sharp breath. I smiled. "Well, now you remember."

He glared.

Excited whispers spilled from the lips of the players behind me.

"Damn."

"I'm going to marry her."

"Dude, you're here for the princess. We're all here for the princess. Shut up."

"Yes, but is the princess hot? None of us have seen her face. But, this lady, this lady is hot."

I glanced behind me and saw a guy bite his finger to restrain his animalistic desire. I avoided the urge to roll my eyes. These boys acted as if they had never seen a proper woman before.

Cara walked over to the crowd, smiled at Diego and me, and then addressed the assembly. "Unfortunately, Uncle Charlie has been sent home due to ill health."

Next to Diego's ear, I whispered, "Does sexually harassing people make you ill?"

Diego whispered, "Man, when you're rich, you can do anything."

A cameraman shushed us. Cara stared at me. I gazed at the grass; it was lime green and recently trimmed. Pretty.

Cara said, "As I know Uncle Charlie's vision best and have a good relationship with his contacts, King Victor has asked me to temporarily take the position of executive producer. I know I'm a woman, and it's not my place to govern men. I have no intention to order you around. I will simply make recommendations here and there that I deem helpful, and you may choose to follow them or not."

Murmurs buzzed like the constant flapping of hummingbird wings.

Cara continued, "And one more thing, I and the rest of the staff would like to ask contestants not to set furniture on fire. It poses a great safety hazard. And while a couch may be easy to replace, your lives are not."

Diego was looking at her with a dreamy expression. "Ella es muy hermosa," he whispered.

She was beautiful. She had a kind, small face and pink lips. But we were there for the princess, and I reminded Diego about that. He nodded distractedly. His ears existed only for Cara's voice.

Cara completed her speech and told us that we would meet again during the elimination round. Someone howled, creating a ripple of laughter. I looked over my shoulder and saw Leandro watching me; his countenance was grim.

I turned to Diego and asked, "Why did you join the marquesses? Why not try to strike out on your own? Why play by the same rules you do outside and suck up to them?"

A sad smile played on his lips. "I'm either with them or against them."

"Then be against them."

He shook his head. "I can't. I guess I'm not as brave as you. The fact is the marquesses promised us riches in exchange for their support. I need the money. I think I'm safe from elimination as long as their enemies exist, but I'm not so sure about you.... If Lord Columbia hates your boy, then after getting rid of him, he's going after you next."

"It would be a waste to get rid of a weak player like me this early on. They should get rid of stronger enemies; leave me for last."

"I say the same. They should leave me for last too; I'm an easy target to get rid of." Diego wrapped his arm around my shoulder and stared ahead of him, a severe expression seizing his visage. "But from now on, let's meet in private."

"Sure. We're sworn enemies after your betrayal."

"Adriel, Adriel, my dear Adriel, don't think of it as a betrayal. Think of it as having an ear in two different camps. It's better like this, no?" He flashed a dazzling white smile that could make a girl swoon, but I simply sighed.

***

A/N: I'm so happy someone other than me likes this XD

Thanks for the support, Mabinda