The Bachelor

Nine

By the time I return to the house the chaos has ended. I see two little groups, muttering amongst themselves and glaring at each other. I can't believe these girls. If this is how they're all going to act, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out. Shaun must have heard the commotion because he walks in with Sarah a second later.

"What's going on?" he asks, lightheartedly, probably already assuming correctly that the drama has begun. We all stand in silence for a second before someone saves us and says,

"Waiting for you obviously!" He loosens up with that and sits down on the couch. Some girls immediately sit down, surrounding him. Everyone finds a spot and the group chats for a bit before Chris returns.

"Shaun it's almost time for the first rose ceremony, please come with me," he says. Shaun stands and walks over to Chris, before turning and addressing us,

"I just wanted to thank everyone for being here," he says, and I look past him and see that Niall is filming,

"I am so thankful for all of the amazing women here," Shaun continues, but I'm focused on Niall. He's not looking at me because he's working the camera.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know you and hopefully find my future wife," I look away from Niall to find Shaun looking right at me. I hope he hadn't noticed that I wasn't really paying attention to him.

"Alright Shaun," Chris says, and they walk out of the room. As soon as they're gone Michelle walks in,

"Ok girls, we're just going to touch you up a bit then we'll get you in your places for the ceremony." Multiple women emerge and they grab girls and start fixing their hair and makeup. I'm done up quickly by someone I don't know. I can hear Michelle barking orders, she's calling out names and arranging everyone in rows. Immediately after the makeup person releases me she calls my name.

"Right here," I say. She spins around, grabs my shoulders and walks me over to my spot. I'm in the front row, just off to the right. Pretty soon everyone is in place. There's whispering between us and I feel someone tap my back. When I look I see that Sarah is directly behind me. Miranda is on my left and an unknown is on my right.

"Caroline, where's your rose?" Michelle asks sharply.

"I don't know," I must have out it down and forgotten it somewhere. She sighs in obvious frustration.

"John can you find us another rose?" she barks, and I notice that John is in the room, he must have just arrived. He jogs out of the room and reappears with a rose in miraculous time. He hands it to me without a word.

"Ok, quiet down girls. Shaun's coming in," Michelle says. The noise level suddenly drops to zero and Chris walks in, Shaun trailing behind him. I notice that a few metres in front of us there is a small pedestal with a tray of roses exactly like mine. The two men stand on either side of it.

"Ladies, welcome to your first rose ceremony. Caroline," I shrink a little at the mention of my name,"You received the first impression rose so you have nothing to worry about. Shaun I'll leave it to you," Chris says before leaving. For people watching it would create an illusion that he was leaving us alone. But the room is actually quite full of crew members, all hidden behind the cameras one of which is being operated by Pete, the other by Niall.

Shaun doesn't say anything but reaches over and picks up a rose by it's long green stem. He looks at us,

"Olivia," he says after a pause. I hear a few exhales and then Olivia walks forward from the other end of the front row. She gracefully walks forward,

"Olivia will you accept this rose?" Shaun says. She nods and I think I hear her say something before turning and returning to her spot.

This continues, he calls some names I don't know, Sarah is called about halfway through. The number if roses on the tray slowly dwindles until there is one left. Chris enters.

"Ladies, this is the final rose," he says before walking back out. I almost laugh at how unnecessary it was. I try to figure out who hadn't been called. I remember Mackenzie as Shaun picks up the last flower. She had seemed nice but then she wasn't very nice to Sarah. My thought is interrupted,

"Mackenzie," he says. She walks out from the back row and collects the rose.

Chris re-enters,

"I'm sorry, all of you who did not receive a rose, please say your goodbyes," he says. He looks truely sympathetic. The group looses it's rigid structure as people turn to console the rejected girls. All the ones I have talked to tonight are in. There is a series of somewhat uncomfortable hugs before one by one, the girls without a rose say goodbye to Shaun. No one is overly upset, thankfully.

Once the girls are gone, we all gather around and glasses of champagne are passed around. Shaun returns with a big smile on his face.

"I'm really happy," is what he says first.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you," he looks straight at me, "Here's to making memories." We all raise our glasses and I look around and take in everyone around me. I'm here. I'm scared. I'm in the fanciest dress I've ever worn. I'm surrounded by women way more beautiful than me and now I'm supposed to be fighting them for a man I just met. It seems wrong that the thing that will be the best memory, the thing that I know I'll never forget, is that tonight is the night I met Niall.

A/N:

1) This was really short

2) This has been kind of cheesy so far so sorry about that

3) I swear it will get better

4) Let me know what you think

5) Thanks1 :)