This chapter is actually based off of a real group date from the show. Just thought you should know xx

Enjoy

***

I finally locate my room at the end of the hall on the second floor of the mansion. I've already seen at least 5 bedrooms suited for 2 people each, and I haven't even explored the whole level. I have a feeling I may get lost more than once. In general, I have a terrible sense of direction.

I find that my luggage has already been brought upstairs for me, but don't bother unpacking. I just pull out a tank top and a pair of shorts before sitting down on my bed. It's comfortable, and the room is amazing. There are 2 queen sized beds separated by a nightstand. They each are covered in spectacularly white sheets, while a beautiful wooden cupboard and dresser stand on the opposite side of the room. There's another door that I assume leads to the bathroom.

I'm about to go to sleep when my roommate comes in. It's Kiana, thank god.

"Hey." I smile at her, relieved to be out of my uncomfortable attire from earlier in the night.

"Hey." She responds, reciprocating my kind expression. We're silent for a couple seconds.

"Can I confess something?" She asks me. I'm confused for a moment- I barely know her- but I'm guessing it's nothing too serious.

"Yeah, of course." I laugh, trying to disguise my hint of confusion.

"I'm glad you're my roommate." She tells me. Well, it looks like we're on the same page.

"Honestly, me too." I confide in her. It's the first time I've said something genuine all night.

"So, is it alright if we agree to be friends?" She asks me with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Definitely. No talking behind each other's backs. The camera's kill for that kind of stuff." I grin.

"Agreed." She responds.

"Alright, I'm off to bed." I tell her, too exhausted to carry on a conversation even though it might be nice to get to know her more. Kiana nods and waves as I slide into bed and pull the covers over myself. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. The lights in the room go out and I drift off to sleep.

***

"Get up, get up, get up!" There's high pitched screaming coming from somewhere very close to me. I shoot straight up and look around frantically. I see Kiana grumbling next to me in her bed, and a brunette I can't name standing in our doorway.

"What the fuck?" I mumble, disoriented and slightly shocked from my abrupt awakening.

"There's a date card downstairs, we're about to read it out!" She shrieks again. I flinch at the volume of her words and tell her I'll be down in a second. I was not expecting this. Who cares about a date card when you could be sleeping?

I groan loudly and start to pull myself out of bed. It's freezing, and goosebumps immediately arise under my skin, but I'm too tired to change into something warmer. Instead, I just relay the information to Kiana before walking down the spiral staircase into the living room.

I sigh as I step in and see girls huddled on the couches, all focusing on a white envelope in... um... I've got this... -Olivia's! hand.

I feel a presence behind me and turn around to find Kiana. She looks excited, like the other girls, and hurriedly scurries over to join them. I lazily walk over and perch myself on the arm of the sofa.

"Alright, is everyone here?" A girl calls out. She looks around and decides there are, in fact, the correct number of people present. The girls start to shriek as Olivia opens the card. I roll my eyes and huff at the floor. When I look up again, I spot the camera's in the corner of the room. Shit, that won't make me look good. Alright, time to act like this envelope is the fucking ark of the covenant. I look at the card and squeal excitedly, tucking my hands together and jumping slightly. I keep the fake smile on my face as Olivia begins to read out the piece of paper.

"Ok, Amber, Christie, Kiana, Jessica, Tanya, Me, Perrie, Jade, Charlotte, and Karen." She says quickly. I pretend to look excited at the mention of my name. It's so early, and I'm assuming since the card arrived early, we're going to have to be leaving soon. I sigh internally.

"It's time to learn about love." She reads. The girls collectively 'ooh' and 'ah'. I join them half heartedly.

They all start to babble about what they think the date might be when I see Chris Harrison enter through the front door.

"Ladies! Good to see you again, I hope you had a nice night. As I can see, you've just received your date card." He says. Every girl's eyes are glued to him. "Well, if you couldn't already tell, your date starts soon. Get ready, Harry will be here in an hour!" He exclaims, bringing his hands together and walking back out of the house.

I climb the stairs slowly while every other girl races past me to their room. As soon as I'm sure there are no cameras on me, I let out an exasperated sigh. This is going to be a long day.

On account of my nonexistent desire to dress for, or impress, Harry, I spend only 5 minutes picking out an outfit. A pair of denim shorts, a black and white top, and a navy green jacket paired with my favourite adidas. I head to Kiana and I's bathroom and apply a little concealer, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, and that's about it. I see Kiana going through a whole beauty routine next to me. Oh, well. To each their own.

I curl my hair a little and step out into the hallway. I notice it's completely empty, and I can still hear everyone in their bathrooms. If all of them are anything like Kiana is right now, I probably still have a fair amount of time before they'll all be done and Harry will be showing up.

I backtrack into my room and walk over to my suitcase. I originally planned on grabbing my phone, but I remember I don't have it with me... damn. I rummage through my bag and search for something at least a little diverting. The only entertainment I packed are 2 Harry Potter books, which I will not get out with cameras around, and a sudoku book. I grab the latter and a pencil, then make my way downstairs.

It seems most of the cameras are upstairs filming the girls as they get ready. I find my way back to the couch in the main living room and check the time again. There's supposed to be another half an hour before Harry gets here and our 'date' starts.

I begin working through the sudoku book, having completed nearly half on the plane ride to L.A. anyway. I don't have many talents, but I'm good at sudoku.

I ignore everybody who walks by and try to write in numbers to the best of my ability. I wonder if Kiana can play. I'm enjoying myself quite a lot. I wish I could stay in all day and do this instead of going on a date with 9 other girls. Definitely looking forward to that...

I've finished 7 pages when someone clears their throat from directly behind me. I glance up at the clock. it can't be a producer getting mad at me for being late, Harry's not supposed to be here for another 15 minutes.

I turn around and I see the one and only Harry Styles standing behind me, his hands gripping the back of the sofa, positioned on either side of my head.

"Oh my god, Harry!" I exclaim in fake excitement, realizing that's probably the appropriate response given my position. I keep it toned down, not losing my shit like some other girls probably might. Instead, I stand up and hug him across the couch. In an uncharacteristic move, he jumps over the back of the sofa, both of his feet landing on the cushion next to me, before he sits.

"Impressive." I laugh. He shrugs and shoots me a boyish grin.

"That's what I was going for." He chuckles. "Anyways, it's so nice to see you." He tells me as he pulls me into a hug. While I wrap my arms around him once again, I look around. There are no cameras here. Why is he being so nice?

"it's great to see you, too. You know, I think it's almost been 9 whole hours." I comment sarcastically. He chuckles again and throws his arm over my shoulder. I'm lucky he can appreciate the kind of jokes I make. People get offended sometimes.

"I couldn't help noticing your book." He tells me, gesturing to the sudoku in my hand.

"How long were you watching me for?" I ask him, pretending to be creeped out.

"Oh, only half an hour or so." He jokes- I think. "I'm kidding. Just a minute or two." He says. I laugh. "It's just... how were you doing it so fast?" Harry asks me. He looks genuinely bewildered.

"Just a lot of practice." I shrug his question off.

"I think you're like a super genius or something and you're just not telling me." He teases. This time I let out a real laugh.

"Yeah, okay." I respond sarcastically, sticking my tongue between my teeth as I grin at him. I stop myself. I only do that when I'm really smiling. Odd. Since I've arrived at this mansion, every single smile has been fake.

"Can you teach me?" He asks me. I grin wider.

"I don't know if you're cut out for this higher level kinda stuff..." I tease him. I wonder again if he's going to get my joke. I see a smile breaking out across his face. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, of course I'll teach you- I'm not that horrible." I giggle.

"Oh, I know that you're not horrible, in fact, you're the complete opposite." He says smoothly. Is he hitting on me? Just when I thought we were getting on and having a good time. I almost forgot that I'm supposed to be dating him and competing for his affections.

"Is that so?" I respond, trying to flirt. Back to the fake smiles. All of the sudden I see Astrid walking up.

"Harry! You're early! Oh. My. God. This is amazing!" She squeals, running over and jumping on his lap. I scoot farther away from them. No need to get in the middle of that, it looks just lovely. I can't tell if he's uncomfortable or not. If he is, like I definitely would be, he's hiding it extremely well.

"Astrid, good to see you." He says politely.

"What were you guys doing?" She asks, looking down at the book in my hands.

"Sudoku." I tell her, smiling and handing her the puzzles. She looks down at them and her eyebrows crease.

"What the hell is this? Man, I never have the time to do this kind of stuff. I'm not too busy working or anything, just too busy having fun, and, you know, being cool." She laughs, as if it's a joke. My smile falters.

She wraps herself around Harry again and he makes eye contact with me. I hope he can't tell that Astrid's comment caught me a little off guard, and not in a good way.

"Awesome." I respond in a monotone. I stand up and grab the book out of her hand lightly, although I would have loved to yank it away from her. I place it on the coffee table. "I'm just going to go grab a glass of water." I tell Harry and Astrid before walking hurriedly towards the kitchen.

Well she was... rude. I lean against the marble island in the middle of the kitchen and sip from my water. So, she was implying I wasn't cool, like a loser or something. She's not far off, and I would have laughed with her, if everyone in high school hadn't also made fun of me for the exact same reason.

I sigh. This is not the time to think about that kind of stuff. I decide not to judge her based on just that comment. It could have come out the wrong way, or something like that, the way my jokes sometimes do.

I shake my head and place my glass in the sink. I head back out to the living room and find it's almost completely full of women. I see Harry practically buried underneath a pile of girls on the couch. He must be enjoying this. A lot.

It's almost comical to watch, and I can't suppress my laugh at the sight. He makes eye contact with me at the exact time I decide to giggle, and I see him raise his eyebrow. I'm aware of the many cameras now in the room, and I'm forced to turn away and cover my mouth so they don't see me laughing at the ridiculous way girls are practically throwing themselves at him.

As soon as I get myself under control Harry stands up -after many failed attempts- and begins to speak.

"It's so great to see you all again, I'm excited to start the date, so lets not wait any longer!" He says, bringing his hands to the air as every girl cheers. I'm reminded that I should be copying them, so I clap my hands a couple seconds after they start.

We follow Harry outside and see a large yellow school bus in the driveway. I'm at the front of the group, with Harry a couple feet away, and begin to grin. I guess the producers are taking the date card seriously. I turn around to find that every other girl's face has fallen ever so slightly. I'm guessing they were expecting a lavish helicopter ride, or something of that sort. I bring my hands together and laugh with glee.

"Let's go!" I exclaim before grabbing Harry's hand and walking with him towards the bus. A camera follows us. The rest of the girls seem to remember where they are and they trail behind us.

Harry looks down at me with an amused expression. I can't blame him- I'm the only one who seems to really want to be boarding this bus right now, because, honestly, I really don't give a shit what I'm doing, as long as I get time with him. The chances of me staying on the show are higher that way. If I act happy, he's sure to keep me around long enough for me to earn some good money.

Harry stops at the door to help the other ladies board and I sit at the very back of the bus, next to the window. Thankfully, Kiana decides to take the seat next to me, and not Christie. I really can't stand that woman. She just talks, and talks, and talks, and her voice is so annoying, sometimes I feel the urge to plug my ears when she speaks. I don't, but it takes a whole lot of self restraint.

I mostly stay quiet during the ride and listen to everyone else's chatter. Harry is sitting with someone up front, so most of the talking is away from me and towards them. I like it better when it's quiet, anyway.

After 20 minutes we pull into a parking lot filled with gravel and lined with a wire fence. I look out the window and find a school building to the right. What else could have been expected? I wonder how they got an entire school evacuated to film today's episode.

"Alright, here we are." Harry says, gesturing to the structure behind him. "Today is going to be about a test of wit, and to see how well you all remember what you did during school." He says, looking at me and winking for a split second when he says it. There it is again, my real smile making a rare appearance. He must remember Astrid's comment. "It's time to learn!" He shouts. I see Chris Harrison walk out the entrance of the school.

"Good to see you all again. Let me explain how this is going to work. There are 3 tests you will all have to pass in order to move further. They will each be based on different school subjects. During the first round 7 girls will move on, in the 2nd round only 3 will. The 3 of you who make it will have to take a special test judged by Harry himself, and the winner will get to spend the remainder of the day with him. The rest of you will be joining him at the cocktail party later tonight." Chris tells all of us. I let a smirk cross my face. I guess being a nerd during high school may pay off after all.

"Let's start." Chris says. We all follow him into the school and enter a classroom. I see beakers filled with different coloured liquids lining 5 different tables.

"First test: Science! Now, each of you will have to make Copper Sulphate using the chemicals here." He tells us. My ears perk up, while the other girl's faces fall. "Now, of course you don't have to know how to do that." He laughs, and is joined by everyone but me. "You can see that each chemical is labeled with different aspects that might contribute to a healthy relationship." He says. I study the bottles further. One of them is labeled 'trust', another labeled 'honesty'. Wow, I didn't know it could get so cheesy. "When you have successfully made copper sulphate, or a 'healthy relationship', you automatically pass. The contents of your beaker will turn green. There are instruction sheets at the back, may the best win!" He says before stepping back, away from the cameras. They turn to focus on us.

I laugh to myself and immediately walk up to a table, while every other girl runs to a desk across the room to pick up an instruction sheet. As they're all walking back, I examine the beakers. They each have the proper chemical name written on them. Thank god.

I hear the other women chatting among themselves as I look at 8 different beakers in front of me. Some of them are blue and purple, while others are yellow and red. I know exactly how to make copper sulphate, it'll be easy. I pick up a red beaker labeled sulphuric acid and pour it into a blueish beaker labeled copper carbonate solution. I swish it around a bit while every girl is examining their instructions sheet and my liquid turns green. I smile to myself and see out of the corner of my eye a camera man step closer to me.

"Chris!" I call, waving my hand. He immediately comes over and can't contain his surprise at my speed. I used to do this all the time in high school, in fact, I pretty much lived in the science labs.

"Wow, Charlotte, this is great!" He says, holding my beaker up and examining it. "Everyone, one contestant is through!" He calls. All the girls turn to look at me. I can tell they're shocked, and they don't look too happy.

I smile at Chris before turning and walking to the head of the classroom. I take a seat behind a vacant desk and watch the rest of them. I would help, but it's hilarious to see them try to make each solution turn green.

I feel a presence next to me and find that Harry has occupied the seat to my right.

"That was fast." He says. He sounds genuinely impressed. I laugh.

"I guess I'm not too busy partying and being cool on my off days." I chuckle, gesturing to the various scientific instruments. I meet his gaze to find a thoughtful look clouding his expression.

"Well, what was it?" He asks, chuckling a bit. "Was it trust plus love? Or maybe honesty plus compromise?" He jokes.

"Well, not to sound as if I don't care about our relationship, because I do-" I grin- "I just looked at the proper names." 

Harry looks even more impressed.

"Go on, then. Tell me how you did it." He urges.

"Oh no, I don't want to bore you." I advise.

"No, I really want to hear." He says, placing his arm around my shoulders. For the first time I'm not completely uncomfortable when he touches me, only a little.

"Well, if you really want to know..." I trail off, examining Harry. He nods enthusiastically and I take a deep breath.

 "It was a basic neutralization reaction. An acid and a metal carbonate make a salt, some water, and carbon dioxide. They used universal indicator for each solution. When it's an acid it's red, when it's basic it's blue, and when it's neutral it's green. The salt and the water are neutral, so the solution is supposed to turn green. I just added the sulphuric acid to the copper carbonate, which gave me copper sulphate. Copper sulphate has a pH of 7, so the universal indicator turned green." I shrug. It's no big deal really, just simple chemistry. I'm sure every girl here learned it at some point.

When I turn back to Harry his eyes are wide and his mouth is open slightly.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that." He tells me. I know he's being honest. "You know, this just contributes to my theory that you're a super genius." He chuckles. I shrug again and smile.

"Again, I was too occupied not being cool and everything." I laugh sarcastically, before excusing myself, getting up, and walking away. I need some more water. I can feel Harry's eyes on me as I exit the room to find a producer.

In an... extended amount of time, 6 other girls are finally through, including Kiana, Christie, Amber, Astrid, Perrie and Jade. Chris and Harry lead us back out of the classroom into the hallway lined with green lockers, and into another room just down the way.

As I step in I see a globe, and large maps covering each desk.

"Alright ladies, next class: Geography!" Chris exclaims. All the girls clap, so I join them. I have nothing better to do. "Now, I know you might be expecting geography of the United States, but today we're really going to be testing your limits. You're going to have to locate different countries in Asia." Chris says. Again, all of the girls faces fall except mine. I lived in Asia for 15 years. It's like these tests were made for me.

"Take a seat at your desks. You'll find there's a map of Asia, just write in the correct country names from the selection listed at the front of the classroom. Raise you're hand when you're finished." He instructs. Everyone nods and races to their seats. I take one towards the very back of the classroom. I can feel Harry watching me and I'm beginning to get uncomfortable, again, under his relentless gaze.

"1, 2, 3, go!" Harry says. I smirk to myself so the camera's can't see, and immediately start labelling countries. China, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. It's incredibly easy, and I finish within a minute. Before calling Chris over I examine the other girls. I can see their heads are hung in frustration. I notice a camera focused on me out of the corner of my eye, and decide it's time to call Chris over.

We were instructed to raise our hands, so I do. Might as well participate fully. The camera man walks closer.

"Um, Chris?" I say, a little anxious. I know the other women are going to hate me. A lot.

"Charlotte? Again? Lets see what you've got!" He grins before walking over. He's got a cheat sheet in his hand, and compares my map to his. "Wow, excellent, everything's correct!" He says, a little bewildered. The entirety of the room is staring at me and I shrink back a little. No, I won't be intimidated. Fuck them, if I'm good at something, I'll win.

He tells me to stand up and join Harry at the front of the classroom. I listen, and take a seat next to Harry once again.

"Hello super genius." He greets me. I chuckle and nudge his shoulder.

"Stop calling me that. " I tease him.

"I can't, I know I'm right. How did you get this so quickly, too?" He asks me, even more surprised than he had been previously.

"Well, I lived in Asia when I was little. Until I was 15." I reveal. There are several different camera's focused on us, so I scoot closer to him. I don't want to give him more opportunities to touch me, but I have to if I want to stick around.

"Wow, really? That's amazing! Which country did you live in?" He asks.

"How about you come and find me tonight and I can tell you the full story." I say, trying to act enticing, and probably failing. I can tell some of the girls are almost finished, and the story is too long to divulge at this moment. He smirks and nods.

"I'm looking forward to it." He tells me, placing his hand on my thigh. I glance down at the contact quickly, and notice something I haven't before. A small cross, tattooed just below the beginning of this thumb. He's wearing long sleeves and pants now. I wonder if he has any other tattoos.

Just as I'm about to ask him Astrid shouts out from across the room. Chris pulls Harry out of his chair to join him as he walks over to her, and I'm relieved, although I don't show it. I was actually interested to find out more about his tattoos, and that's not a good sign. I don't want to get attached to him. At all. How am I supposed to remain uninterested if I have to act as if I'm in love with him all the time? This may be harder than I thought. If worst comes to worst, I'll think of him as a friend, and nothing more, by the time this is over.

Eventually the 2 other girls finish. Sadly, Kiana didn't make it. Now it's just me, Astrid and Amber. I wonder how Astrid made it. I didn't take her to be quite so knowledgeable, but what do I know?

We're escorted to yet another classroom even further down the hall. There are three desks, each adorned with a piece of lined paper and a pencil.

"Alright ladies, this is your third and final test, that will be judged by the one and only Harry Styles." He says, gesturing to Harry standing at the front, who flashes us a large smile. He speaks instead of Chris.

"For this task, you must write an essay about our relationship. How you feel, what you're excited for, what you want me to know. I'll read all of them, and the one that touches closest to my heart will be spending the rest of the day with me." He announces. I smile at him as he finishes. An essay? About our relationship? Our non-existent one? Alright, I can do this, I wasn't that bad at English back in high school, it'll just be like writing fiction.

I sigh and take a seat at a random desk while the rest of the disqualified women look on from the back of the classroom. Astrid is to my left, Amber to my right.

"Your time starts now." Harry says. I don't know how much time we have, but I start writing.

'Harry, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but I can already feel the connection between us, and I know you can, too. From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you were special, and I knew that I could envision a proper future with you. From what I've seen so far, you are kind, caring, intelligent and genuine, all the qualities that I'm looking for in a partner that I can spend the rest of my life with. I want to continue this journey with you, and learn everything about you, in hopes that we'll be spending even more time together. I wish you the best of luck in the decisions you are about to come across, and hope we  find our way together when you're finished.

Love,

Charlotte'

Just as I finish writing I hear beeping and realize my time is up. I frown discreetly at my paper in disgust. I've never lied so much in my life.

All of the sudden the cameras lower.

"Alright everyone, you have a 10 minute break before we have to continue." One of the producers tells us. It's odd, they've never sent us on 'break' before. In all honesty, it was starting to feel more real instead of a produced show, but I'm brought back to reality again. Of course it's not real.

"Ladies writing, please hand in your letters to Harry so he can read them." The same producer, who I don't know the name of, tells us. I suddenly have an overwhelming urge to pee, so I hand my letter to Astrid to give in.

"Hey, can you take this up to him? I've gotta go to the washroom." I tell her.

"Of course." She says, extending her hand and grabbing my note. I grant her a small smile before locating a washroom. When I get back, the notes are all in and there's 2 minutes before we're supposed to start again.

"Everyone back to your places, we're announcing the winner!" A producer shouts. I sit back down in my seat graciously and wait for him to announce the winner. I probably won't be triumphant, but at least I made it this far. I must be in Harry's good graces by now.

"Alright, I've chosen... Astrid's letter!" Harry announces, holding up the letter. I smile and clap for her as she beams and stands up, runs, and jumps on top of Harry. Again, it takes everything in me not to laugh as he's nearly knocked to the ground.

"I loved your letter, it was heartfelt, and I could really tell how much you cared." He says. No doubt that comment was scripted. Her eyes light up and she hugs him again.

"Thank you." She says.

"Read it out!" All the girls exclaim from the back. Why would they want to hear a letter written by another girl proclaiming their love for Harry? It's odd, but I don't object. I could care less either way. I join the rest of the girls at the back and watch him.

"Alright, alright." He laughs and starts: "Harry, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but I can already feel the connection between us, and I know you can too-"

What the fuck?

"-From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you were special, and I knew that I could envision a proper future with you." He continues. I can't believe this, Astrid stole my letter. I immediately glare at her, knowing that I'm hidden by the other girls from the camera's. She just shrugs at me, smirks, and turns back to gaze in awe at Harry. I can't believe this. She stole my fucking letter.

Believe me, I'm not upset that she won, and she gets to spend more time with Harry. I'm pissed off that she downright stole my writing and claimed it as her own. She's fake, and I was entirely right to pass judgement on her earlier when she made the snide comment about being cool. What. A. Bitch. She knows I'm not going to call her out on national television and embarrass myself. I'll just look like the sore loser, the girl who's too desperate for Harry to pick them and not the others.

I can feel my cheeks heating. My entire letter may have been a lie, but I would never deceive and cheat to this degree. I am no longer subjecting her to any of my kindness. I will ignore her, and I will stay away from her.

I cross my arms and take a deep breath to calm myself down. Might as well move past this. I'll get her back some day, but not now. I have no other option but to stay quiet and force a smile as Harry reads out my letter.