Free Runner Up by Leah Banicki Page A

agenda,
to spend time with Anthony. Because I already had an individual date with him, every time I tried to talk with him
we were interrupted, most of the time it was rudely done.
    I tried to keep my composure after being interrupted, usually it involved praying. I tried to imagine how
Anthony would see me if I tackled the next girl in some kind of girl-like ninja, hair-pulling style warfare that we girls
are born knowing how to do. Not that I have ever been in a fight in my life, but I could imagine it after being
interrupted repeatedly.
    The best moment Anthony and I shared all day was when I held his hand for a half a minute. He sat next
to me and said four words before another girl came and took away our private moment.
He said to me, "Hannah I had so..."
I loved how he said my name while holding my hand, but that was not much to build a hope on for a whole
week. I spent six hours in the hot sun with eight girls to get twenty seconds of time with my potential boyfriend. I
felt my annoyance meter starting to percolate.
    I always had a slow to anger personality but perhaps this show would put that to the test. I seriously
needed to journal, pray or something. My head was hot, my nerves were frazzled and I felt dehydrated. Today felt
like an enormous waste of time.
    Tomorrow was another group event and all I could think of was ibuprofen and an enormous glass of ice
water.
As I strolled through the sand, near the resort, I saw the remaining girls killing time in some of the many
amenities of the place. There were plenty of outdoor and indoor activities. The cool blue-stone pavers felt good
on my bare toes as I reached the veranda. The beige accents created a peaceful haven. I had to admit this resort
was one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I had ever seen.
There was soft cultural music playing nearby, the sound drifting on the breeze. I wondered if the resort
hired musicians to just play all day to create the environment. It was working on my nerves; I made it to my suite
and ordered my water and a light snack, grabbed my carryon and dug through until I found my headache pills. I sat
on my bed and stared out the sliding glass door that faced the ocean. The waves coming in and out had me
mesmerized for a few minutes.
What in the world am I doing? What makes me so special that this isn't gonna be some colossal waste of energy?
All these girls are so beautiful and a few are very aggressive. I am not sure how anyone can get enough attention to make
this worthwhile . Normally, I talked myself through things but I had lost my perspective.
"Come in." I said, breaking the static noise in my head, hearing a polite knock on the door.
The woman brought me a tray with water, fresh fruit, and an envelope. I ignored it for a minute, took my
ibuprofen, and ate the fruit, while I tried to go back into my ocean-watching trance.
I stayed that way until I remembered the envelope. I ripped it open slowly along the edges, the white card
was blank but inside it simply stated.
Hannah, please come to room 32.
    It was hand written. I wondered who sent it. The only people, that I knew at the resort were part of the
show.
I figured it was another interview so I touched up my melted off makeup and put on a little mascara and lip
gloss. It only took a minute to find room 32; I didn’t see anyone around so I knocked.
I could not have been more surprised. Anthony, grinning and laughing, quickly grabbed me and dragged me
through the door, in a split second. Before saying a word he plastered me with a kiss and shot down every
objection I had for the day.
He broke the embrace and gently pushed me away after thirty seconds of bliss.
"That was what I have wanted to do every day since Scotland. I miss you already, is that bad?" He asked
and grinned like a naughty schoolboy.
I gulped, a little shocked and affected by the kiss. "It's not... a bad thing." I stammered a bit idiotically.
"I have no desire to ruin your reputation, but I have to say