Beth

The following day, we stand in the Fishbowl and chat with each other.

"Gather around, everyone," David says. "Today, you will work with your mentors to polish your products and present them to the judges. One of you will be eliminated from each group and sent home. The remaining three will move on to the next phase to refine a prototype of your product."

There's a buzz as the contestants eagerly discuss David's announcement.

"Quiet, everyone. Quiet! You will have access to Solaire's R&D department as well as experts we have brought in to assist you. Good luck."

I sit down with Mike and he goes over the app he's been developing based on my specifications. When Cole had first suggested the changes, I had been dead set against them. But since the judges are requiring I take this route, I'm trying to come around. Mike is a miracle worker. He's already completed a lot of the initial programming. I find myself warming up to the idea of the app, although I still think it will be inferior to my initial product.

Cole swings by midmorning to check out our progress. He flips through the screens quickly.

"It's a start," he says. Really? Is that all he has to say for Mike's hard work? I notice Mike rolling his eyes and stifle a smile.

"They should be able to get a sense of it, though," I say.

"Maybe. I just wish you weren't so far behind," Cole says. "Selena already has a completely developed product with a track record and paying customers. Other than sales, you will need to be to that stage to even compete with her. Your app still isn't very good yet."

It's hard not to let Cole's words deflate me, but Mike reassures me that we are making good progress. I hope so.

By the time lunch rolls around, I'm famished. I stand in line for the catered food. Picking up a biodegradable tray, I place a turkey sub, a bag of chips, and a green apple on it. My group has scattered in all directions. I'm not surprised after their bickering all morning. I could sit next to my former teammates, but after my rough morning with Cole and the other night with Greg, I feel like sitting by myself and licking my wounds.

Not far from the fountain, I discover a small table tucked behind a large Palm tree. It's the perfect spot to hid from everyone and regroup. I bite into my apple and lick the juice that bursts onto my lips.

After I caught Greg kissing that girl, I had gone straight to my room. There was no point in sticking around awkwardly all night. Besides, I did truly have a headache from the emotion of the double rejection.

Running through my checklist one last time, I feel fairly well prepared for the judge's feedback. Cole has me rattled, with his criticisms running through my head like a broken record. Could my product really be as awful as he thinks? Does he just not like me? Or is he still mad at me for Sophie being switched out of his group?

I can't let him psych me out. When I'm presenting, I need to exude confidence.

"Let's sit here," I hear Sophie say.

"Sure," Isaac replies.

My hand freezes on the page and I look up. Through the heavy foliage, I can see them on the other side of the tree. There's no way I can escape without them noticing me. At least they can't see me from here. I hope, anyway.

Keep moving, keep moving, I send a silent message their way. It doesn't appear to be working.

"I'm so excited about the changes to the Doggy Diva line," Sophie says. "I think the judges are going to love them! Snickerdoodle certainly does."

"They are unique, all right," Isaac says, setting down his tray and sitting down. As Sophie joins him, my heart sinks. There's no way I can leave without them seeing me. I'm stuck here until they're finished.

"Your idea was brilliant. I would never have thought of it!" Sophie says.

"Give yourself some credit. I think you would have."

"Nope! Definitely not."

I can tell Isaac is pleased, even if he's trying to act casual about it. It's not without pain I remember a time when it had been Isaac and me tossing around ideas together.

"Be sure to keep our idea under wraps. There are a few other clothing based products, and I would hate for them to copy us. We need the edge," Isaac says.

"My lips are sealed."

"Good."

They eat in companionable silence for a minute, then Sophie speaks again.

"It's too bad you couldn't stay longer at the party the other night."

"Yeah. Maybe I should have. Things were just so awkward with Beth, I thought is would be best if I left."

"Don't let her run you off next time," Sophie says. "You'll have to forgive Beth. She's been through a lot with having to move from her home and everything."

"Everything?"

"She's been trying to help her niece, Olivia, work through a nasty bullying situation. Then the other night at David's party, she had to leave early because Olivia got sick. To top it off, it has to be difficult being in a competition with a guy who proposed to her. Isaac, are you okay?"

Isaac is choking, but after a few agonizing seconds and a vigorous pounding on his back from Sophie, he finally wheezes and lets her know he is okay. I am in just as much shock as him. How could Sophie possibly know about our engagement?

"I'm fine. The apple went down the wrong pipe," Isaac barely manages to say.

"Glad you're okay. I've been dying to know more about the proposal. Beth told me about it, but she's so tight-lipped, you can't get a thing out of her. You know the details, don't you?"

There's a long pause.

"I'm not sure I know which proposal you're talking about," Isaac says.

"Why, the one from David, of course? Who else? Don't tell me Beth has a string of jilted lovers a mile long," Sophie laughs.

Another even longer pause.

"Beth was engaged to David?" Isaac asks at last. His voice had a odd, strangulated quality to it.

"He asked her to marry him, but she refused. Didn't you know?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. David told me about it and Beth confirmed it. But you know her. She's never one to volunteer details."

"When did this happen?" Isaac asks, regaining his composure. He's recovered much quicker than me. I'm still rattled by the question. For a moment, I was sure Sophie was eluding to Isaac and my brief engagement. I had completely forgotten that I had told her about David's proposal.

Through the foliage, I see Sophie's shoulders raise in a shrug.

"I was hoping you knew. I'm fairly sure it was after you guys sold Solaire, so he would have been loaded by then. If I had a guess, I would bet her controlling aunt was behind it. I was over at Beth's house once and overheard her aunt talking to her father about hoping Beth married some friend of the family on Nantucket Island. Apparently the guy comes from a well respected family and was set to inherit a fortune. I think her aunt discouraged David because her heart was set on Beth being married to this guy."

"Ah," Isaac says with a flash of irritation. "If her aunt was involved, that explains a lot."

"Doesn't it?" Sophie says. "At least she and David have been able to stay friends all these years, though. He even paid for Beth and the family to move. You know how expensive that can be! Wasn't that nice of him?"

Isaac murmurs something unintelligible.

My mind is trying to process this. What family friend could she possibly be speaking of?

"All I know is if I was in love with a man, it wouldn't matter how rich he was or how important his family thinks they are. I would stand by him and not let anyone separate us!" Sophie says. "It wouldn't matter if he wanted to travel around the world and my family discouraged me until they were blue in the face; I would still go with him."

"I admire that, Sophie. Loyalty is everything," I hear Isaac say with a depth of emotion that brings tears to my eyes. I dash them away, wishing my heart wouldn't betray me this way. I wish I could kill this ache. I don't want to want him anymore.

It's clear how weak and spineless Isaac views me, and how Sophie must seem in his eyes with her determined conviction. If only he understood why I made the choices he did, he may not be so judgmental. I can live without Isaac's love; I can't live without his respect.

Isaac and Sophie polish off the rest of their lunch and leave.

Finally! I drop my tray into a chute that spits it outside to a compost bin. It's a slick system—the convenience of paper dinnerware without any waste.

By the time I make it back to my teammates, I'm late. Cole looks at his watch reprovingly.

"Glad you could finally grace us with your presence, Beth. I would have thought rather than wasting a lunch break, you might have made better use of your time developing your product," he says.

I almost tell him I was mentally preparing, but then I decide against it. I had learned quickly from limited experience that Cole wouldn't listen to a word I said. What is the point of trying to get him to change his opinion of me? He has already written me off with this competition anyway.

We set up our products once again in the Fishbowl. As I await the judges, I try not to think about Cole's words, but I'm not very successful.

When it's my turn, I start with a strong introduction. Mike has mirrored the iPad screen to a projector. I pull up the app to talk the judges through it. The opening screen looks fine, but everything goes downhill from there. The app is riddled with glitches. I can't understand it. Mike and I went over and over this. The glitches weren't there before. I look at him in panic. He can do nothing more than shrug.

Flustered, I begin to stumble over my presentation. I probably say the word "um" twenty times. I make the mistake of glancing over at Cole once and, seeing the irritation on his face, it makes me feel even more flustered. By the time I'm finished with it, I'm so upset and disappointed with myself, I can barely stand there. I wish I could sink into the ground and disappear. I can tell the judges are completely unimpressed.

I wait with trembling heart and hands as the judges announce which candidates are going home. All around me, I see disappointment etched on faces. One girl bursts into tears. I imagine my father's reaction after being sent home after only one round. Cole has made it clear he doesn't believe I have it in me to win. I so want to prove him wrong.

Robert is the first casualty in Isaac's group. I'm shocked. The ball that charged batteries was so good. He shouldn't be eliminated already.

His teammates crowd around to comfort him, and as he exits the room, Sophie throws her arms around Isaac in a spontaneous victory hug. I look away.

Our group is the final one to be announced. I catch myself biting my nails and clasp my hands together behind my back.

When they announce Janet's name, I feel a deep sense of relief, trailed by a feeling of shame. Janet must be devastated. I give her a hug to comfort her.

I shudder to think how close I had come to being sent home.

Next time, I vow I'll fix the glitches and get it right.

______________

If you enjoyed this chapter, please hit that star!

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter for you guys. What do we think of Isaac's reaction to the news about David's proposal? And Beth's disastrous first round with the judges? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So I am writing this at my brother's house. I'm getting ready to go to the LDS Storymakers Conference in Provo. I hear it's a pretty cool conference. I am presenting a class on building a Wattpad platform Saturday with a powerpoint presentation and everything. It's the first time I've done this, so wish me luck! 

Next week, we go back to our regular Tuesday/Friday posting schedule. See you next Tuesday!

Dedication for this chapter goes out to ReadingGourmet1. I have so been enjoying your comments and thoughts throughout. Thanks so much for your support of Restless Hope!