Justin: I’m impressed with how fast Jen finished the Sudoku challenge. It lessens the sting of second place.
Abram: Jesus was nice to the tax collectors and criminals. I can be nice to one spoiled rich girl who doesn’t have any friends in the house.
The heat wave continued on Sunday. The air conditioning helped, but we basically lived in a greenhouse. No one wanted even the minor physical exertion of playing pool or darts. Finally, Ed and I dug out the decks of cards I’d made what felt like a lifetime ago. We stuck to the basics: Old Maid, Crazy 8s, Go Fish.
At one point, desperate for something to do, I cleaned the fingerprints off all of the glass walls in the house. What a stupid idea. After several weeks of people touching and walking into them, smudges on the walls made them much more visible. Now, we were back to square one.
After the sun set, we ventured into the pool. We lazed for quite a while before Rachel swam over to test the hot tub.
“Oh, guys! It’s nice!” she exclaimed, pulling herself over the wall. “Kind of like a warm bath!”
“I’ll enjoy my raft, if it’s all the same to you,” Ed said. “I’m not moving until I fall asleep and roll into the water.”
“You better not splash me when you do,” Ariana said, floating nearby. “I finally got comfortable.”
The cool breeze brought the temperature low enough to make the hot tub seem tolerable. As I settled myself across from Rachel, she glanced at the pool.
“Just so we’re clear,” she said in hushed tones. “We’re voting for Ariana, no matter who the viewers pick, right?”
Her question surprised me. “Are you worried, Rach? You and Ed are the only ones who’ve never been up for elimination.”
“I know, but I didn’t do great in the challenge. Ed and Justin both beat me. I can’t stay safe forever. Sooner or later, my luck will run out.”
I settled back against the edge of the tub and tilted my face up to the stars. “Well, I’m not choosing between you and Abram. I’m voting for Ariana, even if that ultimately means she’ll be choosing who goes home.”
“What do you mean?”
“If five out of six of us vote for Ariana, and the viewers save her again, then the person leaving is whoever gets that final vote. It will all come down to who Ariana picks. Who knows what she’s thinking? You may have to apologize for that cheerleading camp comment.”
“Like hell!” Rachel said. I raised my eyebrows at her. “Okay, maybe after we see the viewer vote. No way I’m sucking up to her unless my life depends on it.”
“Of course not.”
I’d never been happier to have immunity than when I realized I’d unquestionably be going home without it. The viewers had nominated me for elimination the last two weeks I hadn’t won my safety. If Ariana’s vote had been the deciding factor, I’d have been on the first flight back to Seattle.
The next morning, we gathered to hear the results of the viewer vote. As usual, Bella greeted us as enthusiastically as if we were giving her a quarter of a million dollars.
“Good morning, Fish! How was your weekend?”
“Boring,” I grumbled.
A chorus of, “hot,” “long,” etc., echoed my sentiments.
Ed piped up. “I think I perfected my Joshua impression! That was the highlight.”
Bella gave us a withering look. “Can we try that again for the viewers?” Then she plastered her trademark perfect smile back on to her face.
“Good morning, Fish! How was your weekend?”
I felt like when I was in school and the teacher chastised us for not enthusiastically responding with “Good morning, Mrs. Redding!” But I was here to put on a show, so I responded appropriately with an enthusiastic smile. “Fantastic, Bella!”
With everyone else echoing my sentiments, hopefully the cameras caught something that resembled sincerity. From anyone but Ariana.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. For one of you, unfortunately, this was your final weekend in the Fishbowl. Ariana, Abram, as you know, are up for elimination based on last week’s challenge. Jen, you won immunity.” A smile split my face in two until Bella continued. “The viewers have spoken. I’m sorry, Justin, but you are up for elimination.”
Oh, God. Not this again. Part of me loathed the viewers. I had to remind myself that the only person I wanted to see leave was already up for elimination. She couldn’t be nominated twice, sadly. Still, I gave up on trying to figure out what the viewers wanted.
Before I could speak with the others, the producers called me into the School Room. After I finished my interview, Rachel and Abram lounged in the sitting room with Ariana. I found Justin in the kitchen with Ed and sent him to “confess.”
Ed handed me a cup of coffee. “We’re pretty sure Abram’s going home.”
“Yeah, that was more or less my conclusion,” I said. “I’m voting for Ariana, but since we can’t count on America to actually let her go home, it’ll be whoever comes in second.”
A platter of eggs and bacon sat on the table. My stomach growled to remind me I’d missed breakfast while giving my interview. I made a sandwich.
“Right. Ariana won’t vote for Justin—although, since he couldn’t be expressing less interest in her, maybe she should. If the viewers don’t have a say in the final winner, he could beat her,” Ed said.
“If she thought about it, she’d send him home just to upset me. But she’d rather take another week to make me watch her hang all over him before I get eliminated.”
“You don’t know you’re going home next week.”
“True. But let’s just say that the odds have not been ‘ever in my favor.’” I finished my sandwich and stood, brushing crumbs off my fingers. “Ugh. One thing I can say—all this frustration has been great for my health. I’m going for a run.”
After dinner, we gathered in the living room to hear the results of the viewer vote. Remembering how packed in we were on day one, I was surprised to realize that the remaining contestants all fit on the sectional.
As soon as we sat, Bella waltzed in, looking perfect as always.
“Good evening, Fish. I imagine you’re desperately waiting to hear the results, so I won’t make you wait.” She opened the envelope she carried and read the contents aloud.
“Ariana, my dear, I’m sorry to tell you that, once again, your fellow Fish have voted to eliminate you.”
My ears perked up. Is this it? Finally?
“Luckily for you, the viewers have again voted that you should remain in the house. You’re safe, Ariana.”
ARGH!
It wasn’t until everyone turned to look that I wondered if I actually emitted a growl in my frustration. Based on Ed’s expression, probably. I forced myself to relax.
“Justin, Abram, I’m sorry, but that means one of you will be leaving us tonight.” Bella paused for effect. “Abram, I’m sorry, but you have been eliminated. You must leave The Fishbowl immediately.”
Tears prickled behind my eyes. I refused to let them fall. I’d known his was coming, and I was glad it wasn’t Justin, but Abram was a good guy. He deserved better than to get beaten by Ariana.
“Well, I guess that’s it, guys,” Abram said. “And just when I managed to snag a seat on the tower.”
I grinned at him. I hadn’t paid attention to where he sat, but it was unusual for someone else to beat me to my favorite spot. He climbed to the ground and went to get his suitcase as the five remaining Fish lined up in the hallway.
A few minutes later, I hugged Abram tightly. It was like embracing a slab of granite. “It was great getting to know you.”
“Thanks for teaching me how to play poker,” he said. “Let’s keep in touch. I think you’d like my wife.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “I’d love to take your kids to the Space Needle.”
He continued down the row, saying good-bye to the others. A few minutes later, the front door closed, and he was gone.
Bella called us back into the living room. That was new. I leaned against the wall as she spoke. “There are now only five Fish left. And that means something important: no more immunity! It’s officially every Fish for himself. No one is safe.”
My already low spirits plummeted. The only thing that saved me this week was that the viewers couldn’t nominate me for elimination. If I couldn’t get immunity, I wasn’t sure how to stay another week. When would the rules finally shift away from Ariana’s favor?
I wanted to scream. Ed stepped toward me, but I stopped him with one shake of my head.
Frustrated, I headed for the one place I could be alone: the laundry room.
No one ever used this room. I’d grown very fond of almost all the other Fish, but their housekeeping skills left something to be desired. I was still the only one who spent any amount of time cleaning. The work busied my hands but freed my mind, which was exactly what I needed.
A moment later, Justin’s voice dragged me away from my task.
“Hey.”
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He must have been on his way to the pool. I dragged my eyes away from his bare chest and up to his face. His tanned, perfect bare chest with the finest sprinkling of golden hair.
Nope, not looking. Not looking at the trail leading from his belly button below his shorts, either.
When I’d been with Dominic, I’d thought a hairy chest was sexy, a sign of virility or something. How naive. As my eyes lingered on Justin’s chest, it was his smattering of hair that got my pulse racing.
“Hey,” I said. One of these days, I’d figure out a good opening line. If I didn’t get sent home.
“You okay?”
“It’s just so frustrating,” I said. “I do everything to win, to beat Ariana, and the viewers keep voting her back in. If she’s predestined to win, why do I even bother?”
“Because we don’t know how the winner will ultimately be chosen.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I guess. Sorry to unload on you.”
“It’s okay. I came to talk.” He walked farther into the room and went to the back corner. “This is the magic spot, right?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Birdie told me before she left. Said if I wanted a private conversation, to head in here. Ariana won’t see me?”
“Nope.” I pointed at the camera. “We’re being filmed, but she won’t know you’re here, unless she was in the kitchen when you walked through.”
“She’s in the School Room.” He ran one hand through his hair.
My fingers itched to do the same.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you without everyone else around. I’m sorry, Jen. You were right. I should’ve told you about her.”
I shrugged, my eyes on the laundry pile. “Maybe you were right. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. We’re not dating. I don’t know how you feel about me. When I started to ask, you hurled on me.”
“You know I didn’t do that on purpose.”
Purely so he couldn’t see my shaking hands, I put a load of wet towels into the dryer and turned it on, refusing to meet his eyes. “I know. But, after that, and knowing about Ariana—it felt like I should give up. I couldn’t figure out how to know if I could trust you.”
“No one ever knows, Jen. That’s why they call it ‘trust.’” He paused. “But remember—when you asked, I told you everything. I have no secrets. I made a mistake. I thought I’d never see her again. We were going to go our separate ways and never see each other again. We’d both been drinking. If I could go back and undo it, I would. I hate that this is coming between us.”
“It’s not just that. When we first met, I thought you liked me, but then when we showered together, you wouldn’t even glance my way.”
“That shower was amazing. You looked so hot, I was terrified I’d get a hard-on. I spent the whole time thinking about my sister and my grandma so you wouldn’t realize how turned on I was.”
I laughed.
He said, “And when I had my arms around you during the archery challenge, I just wanted to close my eyes and hold you, timer be damned.”
The dryer was loud. That’s why I took a step closer. To hear him better. Yup. The only reason. And probably why he stepped closer to me.
“I really like you. Ever since we met. And I thought you liked me, too.” He reached out and pulled me toward him, into the hidden corner.
My arms went around his waist as he hugged me. It felt so good to lean into him. I wanted to believe him.
“I like you, too,” I said. “Does every relationship have to be so difficult?”
“No. It can be very easy.” He whispered in my ear. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks. It just feels cheap to put something so personal on national television. I want to take you on a real date, walk you to your door, and give you a proper kiss good night with no one watching except your nosy neighbors.”
Although every inch of my body screamed that other eyes didn’t matter, I understood what he meant. “Want to go into a changing room?”
He laughed. “For fifty-nine seconds? God, that would be awesome. No, let’s just sit here for a bit. Let me hold you.”
Justin sat in the corner on a pile of clean towels. I sat, snuggled against him, and put my head on his shoulder. He put his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head. We stayed there, hidden from the other contestants, until the dryer buzzed.
* * *
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. Justin and I played footsie under the kitchen table while Rachel made breakfast. When the producers called us into the living room to hear about that day’s mini-challenge, we held hands.
As we sat on the couch, Ed’s gaze went from our still linked hands to our identical ear-to-ear smiles. He winked at me. Blushing, I grinned back at him. Ariana stumbled in behind us, scowled, and climbed to my old spot on top of the tower, her back to us. Rachel arrived a second later, sitting on the couch between me and Ed.
Usually, Leanna explained our mini-challenges, so Justin and I exchanged a glance when Bella entered the room instead.
“What’s going on?” he whispered.
I shrugged.
“Good morning, everyone!” Bella said.
“Good morning,” we chorused back.
“We’re down to the final Final Five Fishes! Isn’t that exciting?”
The group cheering became noticeably less impressive each time we lost a Fish. The room felt muted without Abram’s booming voice.
“Excellent,” Bella said. “To congratulate you on making it this far, the producers have arranged a surprise. We know that you’ve been cooped up here for a long time, with no access to the outside world. You all miss your friends and family.”
Her gaze moved around the room, locking eyes with each of us. One at a time, we nodded.
“Who do you miss the most, Justin?” Bella asked.
“My twin sister,” he said promptly. “Being here without her is like half my brain’s missing.”
“Well, luckily, you might get a chance to see her. Today, you will compete for a chance to have a private lunch with someone very special to you. There are five people, right now, waiting in a hotel room nearby to see who will be chosen—including Sarah.”
A huge smile split Justin’s face in two. I gnawed my lip, wondering if they’d paid to fly Adam in from Montreal. More likely, though, it was my mom. I missed my mom. All I wanted was to pour my heart out and get some advice. The idea of seeing her again—and introducing her to Justin—sent a wave of excitement through me. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, the show did something like this.
“Ariana,” Bella said. “Your best friend, Veronica, is here, hoping to see you.”
She squealed and clapped.
“Rachel, your mother, Jacqueline, is here, living it up in the spa.”
“Oh, wow!” Rachel clapped her hands over her
mouth, beaming.
“Ed, we’ve brought out your best friend, Jerome.”
“Jerry,” he said. “And that’s awesome. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You still have to win the right to see him,” Bella said. “And last but not least, Jen. If you win today’s mini-challenge, you’ll earn the right to have a one hour romantic lunch with your serious boyfriend, Dominic!”
My jaw dropped. What the hell? I opened and closed my mouth, but no sounds came out. Someone gasped, and I didn’t even know if it was me. Three heads swiveled toward me. But I focused only on the fourth one, the blond head that bolted off the couch at the word “boyfriend” and stormed out of the room.
Justin.
CHAPTER 23
More scenes from the School Room, Week 7:
Rachel: Nuh-uh. Nope. No way. She’s totally into Justin.
Ed: Jen’s not a cheater. She was in love with some asshole before the show started, but she dumped him when she found out he was married. How did the show even find him? And why would they bring him here instead of her mom or brother?
Ariana: Oh, this is amazing. This is so fantastic! *laughing* This is the best thing that possibly could’ve happened to me. Thank you so much, producers! Thank you.
Justin: I don’t want to talk about it. Sorry.
Ignoring everyone around me, I tore after Justin, Ariana’s laughter floating up the stairs behind me. At the top of the stairs, I paused for a split second, trying to figure out where he went. The bedrooms weren’t terribly private, so I turned toward the bathroom.
The stall door slammed shut just as I got to the doorway. I banged on the door. “Justin! Come on, open the door.”
No response.
“Please talk to me. It’s not true.”
Silence.
Why would the show do this to me? How had they even found Dominic? Why would they think I wanted to spend an intimate lunch with him? Wearily, I leaned my head against the door, tears sliding down my face.
“I’m sorry, Justin. Please open the door.”
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