The Hating Game (20 page)

In the battle of the exes – and the sexes – single woman Mattie Johns face
s off against four of her former boyfriends in
The Hating Game
, a new reality show on X-ACT. With last night seeing off Charlie after he groped a male dance instructor, three exes remain.

Blah, blah, blah, Mattie thought as she scanned the rest of the article, which explained the public vote and how she had
to spend two weeks alone with one of the exes. She was just about to close the paper when the last paragraph caught her eye.

Psychologist
Dr Willie Wheestle says this type of serial dating behaviour is very common among women whose fathers have abandoned them.

‘
Mattie Johns’ father left the family
when she was quite young,’ Dr Wheestle said at his Harley Street clinic yesterday. ‘So Matilda is leaving her men first, before they can leave her.’

Mattie snapped the paper
shut as if the words burned her eyes. Fathers who abandoned them? Serial dating? And
Matilda
?! She was going to find this Deniz Grady reporter and
kill
her! After she cut off Weasel’s balls – if he had any.

Mattie rested her head in her hands. Everyone would know about her father now. Even
the horrible truth about her real name being Matilda – as bad as it was – paled in comparison to that. People would pity her; see her as a victim of a bad childhood and a woman who wasn’t tough enough to escape the negative influences of her past.

She straightened
and threw back her shoulders. Well, she’d show them how strong she could be. She wasn’t going to let this affect her, not at all. She’d stride onto that stage, ask the men any question she bloody well pleased, and she’d show the nation who she really was. No more nice, smile-into-the-camera, do-as-she-was-told Mattie.

‘
We’re ready f
or you!’ chirped Headset, poking her head into the room.

Mattie glared, pleased to see her recoil. She followed the girl through the corridors towards the studio. As usual, Seamus looked like he was about to keel over, and was holding tightly to the metal podium.

‘
It’s been another day of exciting events here on
The Hating Game
. So let’s say hello to our sexy single lady, Mattie Johns!’

Mattie marched onstage and settled onto her stool. Only two pods stood to her right. She couldn’t wait to have a go at whatever idiots were left in there.

Seamus
patted down his greasy hair and worked his upper lip into a wide smile. ‘Well, well! Two dates behind you, Mattie, and two remaining. And I want to know–‘ he leaned in closer and Mattie instinctively jerked back from the stench – ‘is it true?’ He circled her, nearly knocking her out with the putrid mix of cologne and gin.

‘
Is what true?’ Mattie asked, regretting the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.

‘
About your father.’ Seamus put on a serious look so fake it was comical. He shook his head. ‘I’m so sorry to hear how he left your family. Dreadful, dreadful stuff.’

What was this,
The
Jerry Springer Show
or something? Mattie gritted her teeth. ‘No more dreadful than having to sit here being sprayed by your spit,’ she said quietly, wiping her face.

Seamus
ignored her and narrowed his eyes. ‘And all those debts he left you with, too. Your mother struggled for years, didn’t she? How could a father do that? Terrible, terrible.’

‘
Yup, he was a
bastard all right.’ Mattie tried to sound flippant.

‘
But he scarred you. He tainted your relationship with men, didn’t he? Forever.’

‘
You need to go back to rehab if you believe that rubbish,’ Mattie snapped. ‘You’re obviously still drunk.’

Someone yelled loudly in
Seamus’s ear and he blinked as he tottered towards the podium. ‘Okay, let’s get back to the show. The time has come for you to choose your next date!’

Mat
tie nodded. ‘Let’s get this over with.’ She was shaking with anger now. Bloody, bloody Seamus, analysing her like she was damaged goods. It wasn’t enough that the whole nation had to read about it. No, they had to watch it, too, on national TV! She cringed as she pictured Kyle just lapping it up. Of course their relationship didn’t fail because of his cheating. No, it failed because she was
scarred
by her father!

Seamus
handed her the stack of laminated cards. ‘It’s time to ask your prospective lovers one more question. What will it be, Mattie?’

Mattie’s heart pounded
as she gripped the cards. ‘My question for the two remaining exes is this.’ She turned towards the pods.

‘
Who the fuck
are
you? What pathetic reason do you have for being here?’ she shouted. They’d cut that for sure, but at least she’d show the TweedleDuo and whoever was in those pods she wasn’t a victim of her past.

‘
Cut!’ a voice squealed through the feedback on the system.

Nate burst onto the set, spraying sweat as he ran over to her. ‘Mattie! Just stick to the questions. Please,’ he added when he saw her face. ‘And remember, this is airing before nine, so no profanity.’

‘
Yes, Nate. No, Nate,’ Mattie parroted, wishing she could haul him off and punch his blobby big face until she felt better.

‘
Great, thank you!’ he said, obviously not clocking she was making fun of him. He rushed off the stage. Two hundred thousand pounds, Mattie repeated.
Two hundred thousand bloody pounds
. She remembered the humiliation of the earlier scene with the bailiff and took a deep breath. She had no choice. She had to do this.

‘
Mattie, we’ll start again with your question,’ Nate’s voice boomed through the set.

Mattie flipped through the cards. ‘All right, Ex Number Three. What do you do in your spare time?’ Spare time was for rejects, Mattie thought. Rejects who weren’t good at their jobs.

‘
I don’t have spare time,’ the robotic voice from the pod nearest Mattie came. ‘I’m really engrossed in my job at the moment.’

Mattie cocked her head to the side. Hmm, could that be Stuart? He had been pretty work obsessed. ‘And Ex Number Four?’ she asked.

‘
I like to play video games,’ the voice came.

Of course you do, Mattie said inside her head. Big loser. Had she really dated someone so lame? ‘Seamus, I’ll go with Ex Number Three.’ After Charlie and Giovanni, maybe she would actually have
something
in common with this ex. She’d leave the computer geek until last.

Ex Number Three, come and meet Mattie Johns . . . again!’

Mattie fidgeted as the door opened and a blond head emerged. He turned and Mattie’s heart clutched as she took in the familiar features.

It was him.

The man
she never wanted to see again, as long as she lived.

The man who’d taken her heart and stomped on it.

Kyle.

He was walking across the stage in a dark suit with paisley tie – the paisley tie she’d bought him, what a nerve! – and carrying the same bunch of
poisonous purple flowers the other men had. He strode with confidence, but his normally relaxed face looked tense.

Mattie stared as he got closer
and closer. Kyle leaned down to kiss her and she jerked away when his designer stubble grazed her face.

‘
Don’t touch me,’ she hissed.

Kyle moved to her side and Mattie tried to breathe. She couldn’t believe it was
him. He had come on the show . . . for what? To mock her, to make the audience believe she really
was
scarred? Hadn’t he tortured her enough already?

‘
So Mattie has chosen Ex Number Three, Kyle, the former love of her life! Tune in tomorrow at eight, to watch Mattie and Kyle’s date, then make your Date Rate! And see who the last ex is!’

Seamus
grinned at the camera. ‘The lines are open now for your Date Rate of Mattie and Giovanni! Call the number on your screen and key in your vote from one to ten. See you tomorrow on . . .
The Hating Game
!’ The lights went dim and
The Hating Game
’s
logo flashed up behind them.

‘
W
e’re out!’ a voice boomed. Mattie turned to leave the stage as fast as she could, far from Kyle and the scent of his cologne. But Kyle caught her elbow.

‘
Mattie, wait.’

She spun around and met the familiar blue eyes. A slight beard poked out of his chiselled jaw – the jaw that made him look like one of those hunky romance heroes she always used to tease him about – and she noticed he needed a haircut.

‘
What
? You want to humiliate me some more?’ She tore her gaze away and looked over his shoulder to where
The Hating Game
logo was flashing like it was a strobe light at a dance club.

‘
I just want to answer your question. The reason I’m here.’

A giant hand pressed down on he
r chest; was this what a heart attack felt like? ‘And?’ She wanted to run, to pretend she didn’t care, but her legs were numb.

Kyle
moved his head so their eyes met again. ‘I want you to know what
really
happened that day in the office. I want–‘

‘
Save it, Kyle,’ Mattie burst out, unable to keep her emotions checked any longer. ‘You don’t go on a show called
The Hating Game
to try to clear your conscience. I was an idiot to trust you the first time around. I’m not so stupid as to trust you now.’

‘
I didn’t know this would be called
The
Hating Game
!’ Kyle replied in a rush. ‘Nate told me it would be
Second Chance for Romance
! I’m not here to make your life more difficult, or to get revenge, or whatever they’ve told you. I just wanted a chance to really explain what happened, and maybe–’

‘
M
aybe nothing, Kyle!’ What the hell was he thinking? Had he been swigging Seamus’s gin? She lowered her voice. ‘I know
exactly
what happened with you and Chloe. So don’t you worry about filling me in. I’ve got more than enough details to keep me away from you. Forever!’

Confusion
covered Kyle’s face. Mattie turned and forced herself to walk calmly from the set.

*

Silver swivelled her chair back and forth
up in the control room, then grabbed a cocktail sausage and swallowed it in one gulp. Nate had seen her do that so many times it didn’t even faze him now. The control room was hot and stuffy and he stifled a yawn. It had been a long day, and they still had to finalise the storyline for tomorrow.

Thank God they’d been able to pull something out of the bag for Giovanni’s date. Baz had suggested mudwrestling, thinking Mattie would tear Giovanni to shreds. When they’d seen how much fun Mattie and Giovanni were having, Baz had freaked and immediately pulled the plug. Luckily Nate had come up with the pizza, he thought proudly.

‘
Mattie will refuse to cook since she’s a feminist or Giovanni will play the macho Italian. Either way, we have a guaranteed conflict on our hands,’ he’d said to Baz. And Baz had to agree.

Baz bustled in. ‘Sorry I’m late,’ he huffed. ‘I was just goin
g through some lighting changes on set.’

Nate s
hifted in his chair. Baz always managed to look as if he’d been doing something important, but Nate happened to know Baz had actually been in the toilet re-gelling his product-packed hair.

Silver swallowed another sausage whole. ‘We’ve got our first ratings, boys.’

Nate and Baz
sat up straight in their chairs.

Silver let the silence stretch. ‘Congratulations,’ she said finally. ‘
The Hating Game
was the most watched programme in its time slot last night.’

‘
Yes!
’ Nate pumped a fist in the air and turned to high-five Baz, only to see both him and Silver watching with raised eyebrows. He quickly lowered his hand.

‘
That’s great,’ Baz said calmly. ‘Now we need to think how we can keep this going.’

‘
My thoughts exactly,’ Silver said. She turned towards Nate. ‘So, Nate. What do you have planned for Kyle tomorrow?’ Her laser eyes pinned him to the chair.

Nate swallowed. With everything that was going on, he hadn’t had a chance to talk through tomorrow’s storyline with Baz. All he knew was Kyle would take Mattie to Castle Combe, the small village in Wiltshire where they’d gone on their first date. Baz had thought heading back would surely cause some tension and a few arguments, too.