throws her hands on her hips, and glares at Sebastian. “Are you freaking kidding me? We went on that horse ride together. I told you things about me. I opened up to you. I was real. And this is how you treat me?”
“Thank you for doing that, Hayley. I appreciate your honesty and ... enthusiasm,” Sebastian replies.
I hold in a giggle. “Enthusiasm” is one word, but I can think of a bunch of other words for Hayley, some of which I would not repeat in polite company.
“There was one tiny detail you omitted from your conversation with Sebastian, though. Wasn’t there, Hayley?” Johnathan says.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she sniffs.
“We have recently learnt something about you that we found unexpected.”
Hayley shifts her weight, her plumped up lips pulled together. “I can get a divorce,” she spits.
Wait, what?
Hayley’s married?
I turn and gawp at the women around me. Everyone looks as stunned as me, riveted as the scene unfolds before us.
Johnathan’s voice is calm but firm as he says, “All contestants are required to be single, Hayley. Had we known you were married before filming began we would not have been able to have you on the show.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she huffs as she crosses her arms. “It’s a stupid rule.”
I flick my eyes to Kennedy. “It’s a stupid rule that the contestants on a dating show have got to be single?”
She chortles as she shakes her head. “So unreasonable.”
Shelby has been watching along with the rest of us. She sniffs loudly and wipes the tears from her eyes before she collects her card and joins us on the other side of the room.
Meanwhile, Hayley is still fuming that she’s been found out, and I’m not sure she’s going to go quietly. “Sebastian, you should know that you’ve missed a major opportunity here. Major. No one else here comes close to me. I am the full package.” She does a little shimmy to show us all just how full her package is. “And now,” she adds with a waggle of her finger, “you can’t touch this.”
I half expect her to break into that old MC Hammer song. She doesn’t, which is a shame as the mood in here could really use some “Hammertime” to lighten it up.
“I’m sorry, Hayley,” Sebastian replies. “You’re a wonderful woman and I’m certain things will work out for you.”
“You got that straight, mister,” she spits at him.
Johnathan jumps in. “Hayley, rules are rules, and as you have broken one of them, we have no choice but to send you home. I ask now that you say your goodbyes, pack your bags, and leave.”
“All right. I’ll go. This show sucks, anyway.” She scowls at him before she holds her hand in the air and exclaims, “Later, bee-otches!” to us. She turns on her slipper-ed heel and waltzes out of the room, her hips swinging from side to side like a pendulum.
I’d like to say I’m sad to watch Hayley leave, but we all know that would be a bald-faced lie. She's been nothing but horrible to me the whole time we’ve been here. Seeing her sent home has me punching the air. Well, metaphorically anyway. The cameras are trained on The Lizzies so I don’t want to look too happy.
A tall guy from the crew follows her out, probably to ensure she doesn’t set the house on fire or something, and we’re instructed to stay where we are for more filming.
Beside me, Shelby asks, “After what’s just happened, I thought we would definitely be done for the night.”
“There’s a special announcement coming up,” one of the crew replies. “Hold tight. We’ll be right with you.”
I glance over at Sebastian. He’s now on the other side of the room with Johnathan, their heads down as they talk.
“That was brutal,” Kennedy says. “Who knew she was married?”
“I know, right?” I reply.
“She’s an idiot,” Camille announces.
I shoot her a sideways look. “I thought you two were friends?”
“I’m not here to make friends,” she replies scathingly. “This is Dating Mr. Darcy, not Making New Friends. Particularly not when they’re stupid enough to think they can get away with something as big as being married and no one would be the wiser.”
“You’re so right, Camille,” Lori, my sleep-talking roommate says as others around me agree. “It’s good she’s gone now. At least all of us are here for the right reasons.”
I work hard at not rolling my eyes.
“Why do you think they’re going to film some more tonight?” Phoebe asks.
Reggie turns around