Getting on Love Fairy had been a dream of Carmen’s since she was in middle school. They’d rejected her once—apparently a sixteen-year-old wasn’t allowed on the show, lame—but they’d given her a call back the second time she auditioned at twenty-two. It might’ve been because she forced her dad to make some calls, but whatever. If the other losers in line didn’t have enough money to get on that was their problem, not hers.

The attention from the show was what she craved. She loved smiling for the camera, being flirted with and the competitions. This was what she lived for. Now, though, she needed to couple up, and the guy she wanted was taking his sweet time to make a move on her. Ugh. How hadn’t Jonas gotten the hint? She’d even let him hand her her towel to dry off.

She needed another plan. One that would push Jonas into asking her to couple up. You, unfortunately, were a willing (maybe) participant in said plan. Because while she pretended to not care about the finding true love, that was really why she was on Love Fairy. Wasn’t that the point, though? She just didn’t want to admit it.

Carmen did a poor job of pretending to care about what you were saying. She was nodding along, smiling and batting her eyes, but her gaze was glued beyond your head. On Jonas, the guy she was definitely interested in. The issue? He hadn’t spared her a second glance. Which was rude, by the way. Everyone did a double take when they saw her. She was Carmen Zapata, how could they not? Even that quiet loser Malcolm had, but Jonas was too busy doing handstands in the pool to realize she was on a date with you.

“Do you think I’m ugly?” she found herself asking, cutting you off. Oops. That wasn’t polite. “You can be honest.”

She did not want you to be honest. What she really wanted was for you to make her feel better. Surely you realized that. She was doing you a favor by agreeing to a date.

Carmen looked down at the picnic blanket you’d set up. The sandwiches were cut into little hearts and you’d dipped strawberries into chocolate. Wait. Did you remember those were her favorite? Carmen completely forgot about Jonah as she looked back at you with new eyes.

“This is the nicest date I’ve ever been on,” she said, hands covering her mouth. She hadn’t made a single friend on the show, too stuck on trying to woo Jonas, but you’d listened to her. If they weren’t being constantly watched by cameras, she would’ve squealed and hugged you.