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CHAPTER 14
This isn’t exactly how I expected to feel on an elimination day. Little screams emanate from every pore in my body to go back to bed.
“Coffee?” Reese asks the moment she sees me walk out of my room.
“Black. As in just put the coffee beans in my mouth, I’ll grind them with my teeth,” I tell her, dragging my feet past her.
“That bad, huh?”
A glance at her tells her exactly how I feel. She goes to work on a pot while I get our cereal.
Pouring the strong brew over ice, because I don’t like hot drinks, she hands it to me. The first swig makes my scalp prickle. “Whoa.”
“Strong enough?” she asks.
“To wake the dead. In other words, perfect.”
We sit at the table in silence for a few minutes. From the corner of my eye I can see her chewing on her lip, desperate to say something.
“Spit it out,” I tell her.
“I was thinking, you really need to talk to Dean about this.”
Sighing, I set my cup down. “Kid, believe me when I say it doesn’t matter. This… relationship, if you will, was going nowhere.”
“But you like him.”
“Yes, I do. But the reality of it is that we want the same thing. As there is only one of it, and only one of us will get it. There was already the possibility of things ending after today’s elimination anyway. If not today, then after the competition is won. Finding out he has a past doesn’t change much,” I say looking away from her.
“If it doesn’t matter, why couldn’t you sleep? I heard you up several times. He’s gotten to you. I haven’t seen you like this ever.”
“Nerves kept me up.” Sort of true.
“I heard you call to him.”
“Can we talk about something else?” I beg.
“You need to talk to him,” she repeats.
“I’m letting it go, you should, too.”
“If you let it go, you might regret it. What if he’s the one?”
“Stop it, kid.”
“But what if he is? Are you going to miss out just because you don’t want to talk to him?”
“Reese! Stop.” I drop the coffee cup to the table so hard, liquid pours over the top. Reese’s eyes bulge, but she says nothing. We’re both breathing hard, both twitching. Though I’m glad she did get something from me, wearing her emotions on her face isn’t something I’d want for her. It sucks having people read you so easily. Taking a calming breath, I force myself to relax. “Kid, I’m a little on edge. Can we please let this go for now?”
She nods. I’m glad she can let it go, because the truth is I can’t. It’s impossible. After an entire night of ups and downs, I’m wound tight and ready to pounce.
There’s nothing but silence in the car as Reese drives us, though the noise in my head is deafening. Never mind that I’m about to fight to stay in the competition that will change my life. Dean is all I can think about. And the more I think about him, the angrier I become for allowing this to happen.
“This is exactly why I don’t do relationships!” I tell Reese out of nowhere. She wisely chooses to ignore me.
By the time we get to Maxx Boot Camp, I’m in a terrible state. Reese runs behind me as I make my way past the crowd, and the reporters.
“Miss Eberhardt, could we get a few minutes, please?” a young woman asks, putting the microphone up to my face. I shove it away and push past everyone else, down the hall, to Julie’s office, where I know everyone will be waiting.
