Bellamy's Redemption

“No,” said Caj.

We watched her strut up to Bellamy, grab him by the face, and give him a hard kiss on the mouth. Then she grabbed his tie and pulled him right up to her nose and hollered, “Do you like it rough?” He responded by smiling broadly.

“Repugnant,” said Amy.

“I guess we might want to try being aggressive,” said Caj.

Nickie kissed him again, this time dipping him back.

“She is really strong,” I said.

“Look, she brought something with her, too,” said Amy. We watched as she pulled a beer can out from beneath her dress, guzzled the entire thing with foam running out the corners of her mouth, and then crushed it against her forehead.

“Wow,” said Bellamy. I couldn’t really hear him, but I could see his lips form the word. We then watched Nickie tuck the crushed beer can into his lapel pocket, and give it a little tap like Here’s something to remember me by.

“Is she done yet?” asked Caj.

“Yes,” said Amy, nervously wiping her hands on her dress. She was up next. The limo door opened again and she got out. She stiffly walked up to Bellamy, tripped on a cobblestone but recovered pretty well, shook his hand, said a few words, and was on her way.

Next up was Caj. I watched Bellamy’s face light up when he saw her. Ugh. Why hadn’t I planned it better and gone before her? She was a very tough act to follow, and every bit as smooth as I had feared she would be. She elegantly walked up, chatted, laughed, flipped her long straight hair. He looked positively charmed.

Then it was my turn. I took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm myself down. I stepped out and smiled, wishing I had given more thought to this moment. Who was I going to be? The sweet Emma? The sassy Emma? The aloof Emma? Before I could decide, a giant coyote came bounding out of the woods, straight for me. “Aaaaaaaah,” I screamed, turning and trying to make it back to the limo. Suddenly there were people everywhere. Cameramen, producers, people with lights and clipboards. Everyone was yelling and rushing around.

“Scram! Scram! Get out of here,” they yelled at the coyote. As quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. I stood there shaking, confused and stunned. My heart was beating so fast I thought I might pass out. Realizing the cameras were still rolling, I fluffed my crunchy hair, smoothed my dress, and walked up to Bellamy. “Hi. I’m Emma,” I said. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you.”

Bellamy smiled at me. He wasn’t very intimidating. He had an aura of niceness around him. I couldn’t believe it was actually him. He looked so real. So normal.

“Was that your dog?” he asked me, pointing off towards the woods. I realized he was trying to make a joke.

“Yes. I thought you should get to know him too. We’re a package deal.”

Bellamy laughed and laughed, delighted at what he seemed to think was a quick comeback. I felt strangely calm and, dare I say, bored. “I’ll see you inside,” I said giving him a little hug, realizing as the words came out that this was probably his line.

“I can’t wait to talk with you more, Emma,” he said. I nodded, watching another limo come around the corner.

“Can we get the wildlife under control? Geez! I don’t want someone to lose a limb,” yelled one of the producers.

“Quiet!” yelled someone else.

I went inside and was met by the girls from my limo, along with five other girls, none of whom I’d met yet. Champagne flowed like water. A glass was immediately placed in my hand.

“Did you see that?” I asked. “A coyote almost attacked me!”

“We’re not allowed to stand over where we can see, because we would show up on camera and it would be distracting,” said one of the girls.

“What do you mean a coyote attacked you?” asked Nickie. She had a can shaped welt forming in the middle of her forehead.

“A coyote almost attacked me,” I repeated.

“Not fair!” she yelled.

“Huh?”

“That’s not fair. Now there’s no way you’re going home tonight ‘cause he’s going to feel sorry for you. Did you plan this?”

“Of course not. How could I plan something like that?”

“This show is rigged!”