The Contestant#4

Wait! Before you start reading this story, have you read And That’s Final?  

“You knew! This whole fucking time you knew! And you didn’t fucking tell me?” Corey said as they shoved Roger. 

 

Roger let out a laugh, mixed with a grunt, as he stumbled backwards a little. 

 

“I fucking knew it! Grandpa doesn’t even know how to take a selfie, there’s no way he could’ve uploaded that fucking video all by himself.” Corey said, shoving their friend once again. 

 

Roger laughed as he stumbled backwards a few more steps. 

 

“But he did it because he loves you Core. We all do.” Roger said as he rubbed his chest. 

 

Corey scoffed, rolling their eyes as they put the last of their things into their suitcase. 

 

“Oh please, the man just loves to meddle in the lives of his family.” Corey said. 

 

“No, he did it because he wants you to be happy. At first I wasn’t gonna do it. I told him no, I told him that signing you up for this thing was crossing a line. But then he gave this heartfelt speech about how much he loved you, and how he didn’t want you to die alone. And I just had to help him after hearing all that.” Said Roger. 

 

Corey rolled their eyes. 

 

“Die alone? Really Roger? That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?” They said with a scoff. 

 

Roger held up his hands. 

 

“Oh I agree, but you know how your grandfather is.” He said. 

 

And Corey did know. Vinson was a certified drama king, and overexaggerating was the name of his game.  

 

“It was his words that won your grandmother over. She used to say everything he said sounded like poetry.” Victoria would often say.  

 

Corey rolled their eyes as they turned from Roger to their open backpack. 

 

“Don’t forget to mention me in your wedding vows.” Vinny said as he wheeled himself into the room. 

 

Corey looked over at their grandfather and shook their head. 

 

“Everything can’t be right up there.” They said, tapping their temple. 

 

Grabbing a towel from the bed, Vinny whined it up before whipping it at Corey, causing them to laugh. 

 

…. 

Corey dropped the last stack of clothing into their suitcase before flipping it closed. After zipping it up, they set it down on the ground and wheeled it out of their room. 

With the help of their grandfather’s stairlift, Corey brought their bags downstairs and placed them in the foyer.  

After making sure that they had everything they needed, Corey and Roger joined Victoria, Alex, Vinny, and Victoria’s youngest brother, at the dinner table. 

 

“Now you be on your best behavior, you hear me Corneilius?” Vince said, wagging his fork at them. 

 

“Always am grandpa.” Corey said. 

 

The text messages and phone calls about Vinny having signed Corey up for this competition had been rolling in like crazy over the last few days, and Corey couldn’t wait to get away from their phone. 

 

Though the competition wouldn’t be filmed, it was being run quite similar to the bachelor/bachelorette. Corey would be living in a house with twenty one other people, and they would all be competing for the heart of Adriana Romano, a first-generation half French, half Italian model, turned modeling agency owner.  

 

Dinner ended, and after thanking their mother for the food, Corey and Roger said goodbye to Corey’s family, and the pair hopped into Roger’s car. 

 

…. 

“Nervous?” Roger asked as he turned onto the main road. 

 

“Not really. I don’t feel anything to be honest.” Corey said. 

 

“You don’t feel anything as in you don’t care, or like it doesn’t seem real?” Roger asked. 

 

Corey shrugged. 

 

“I guess I feel like there aren’t any stakes. I’m just gonna go there and see what’s up.” Corey said. 

 

Roger gave a small nod. 

 

“I think that’s a good way to look at things. No pressure.” He said. 

 

And he was right; before she died, Corey’s grandmother used to say ‘there’s no need to rush, just take in the information as it comes, and base all your thoughts and feelings on the information right there in front of you’.  

 

Maria, Corey’s grandmother, was the ice to Vince’s fire, the calm to his hyper, excited personality. They balanced one another out, and up until the day she died, Corey always saw their grandparents as a unit, one solid force that could with stand anything. There wasn’t a day that went by that Corey didn’t miss their grandmother. 

 

After about an hour and a half, Roger and Corey arrived at the airport. 

 

“Well, this is it kid, off you go.” Roger said as he pulled up to Corey’s gate. 

 

After getting their bags out of the car, Corey loaded them onto the luggage cart before turning back to Roger. 

 

“Make sure dad and papa don’t kill each other while I’m gone.” Corey said as their body collided with Roger’s. 

 

“I’ll try, but you know how they are. If they decide to kill each other, no one will be able to stop them.” Roger said. 

 

Corey pulled back from the hug and looked at their friend for a moment. 

 

“You know what, you’re right. Just make sure you console mom after.” Corey said, causing them both to laugh. 

 

“And make sure you actually do this thing Smiley. Don’t go in there and piss this competition away.” Roger said. 

 

Corey held up their hands. 

 

“I make no promises. If the woman’s a horrible person then I can’t do anything about that.” Corey said. 

 

Roger looked at Corey with a look of un-amusement. 

 

“You know what I mean Smiley.” Said Roger. 

 

“Alright, alright. I’ll give it my all.” Corey promised.
 

“Thank you.” Said Roger as he pulled Corey into another hug.  

 

After squeezing the life out of one another, Roger released Corey, allowing them to turn to the cart that held their luggage. 

 

“Good luck Smiley.” Roger said, earning a thumbs up from Corey. 

 

Leaning against his car, Roger snapped a photo of Corey heading into the airport and sent it off to Victoria. Then, hopping back into his car, he took off.  

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Well Corey’s off! Thanks for making it to the end. If you like this story so far, consider hitting like. Also, if you know someone who might like this series, share this with them! 

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