Bedroom Games (30 page)

Touched, I hugged her back. “It’s okay.”

“Well,” Fido said. “We’re here to talk about
the vote tomorrow. Let’s discuss who’s played a better game.”

“Brodie’s certainly played a brutal one,”
Jayme said, shooting an apologetic look at me. “I really didn’t
think he had it in him to do that.”

I had, though. I’d seen it with my own eyes
when he betrayed his sister. So I said nothing.

“Yeah, but what’s the point of dicking over
Kandis if he knows she’s just going to head straight to the jury?”
Sunnie asked, perplexed.

Trust me, Kandis. I’ll make this work for
both of us.

“Well, I think it’s obvious who I’m voting
for,” Marla said. “Jendan played a good, clean game.”

“Clean?” Fido snorted. “He was teamed up with
this one since day one.” He pointed at me.

“It was strategic,” Marla protested.

“No less than Brodie,” Sunnie said. “He just
decided to befriend all of us as his way of getting ahead.” Her
hand squeezed mine. “Some of us more than others.”

Jeez, I must have really looked like a sad
panda at the moment. “It’s okay,” I said. “Really. I feel a little
hurt at how he lied to me, but overall, Brodie did play a good
game.” At their skeptical looks, I shrugged. “Think about it. He
came in to the house with a huge target on his back and still
managed to somehow befriend everyone and wiggle his way to the end.
Plus, he won more Power Plays than anyone else. That should count
for something.”

“Are you arguing
for
him?” Marla was
shocked.

“It’s not personal, right? It’s just a game,”
I said, though inside I felt dull and lifeless. “I can reward good
gameplay.”

“You’re a bigger woman than I am, then,”
Marla said.

~~ * ~~

The outfits Cassie brought for me looked like
something that might have come from Sunnie’s wardrobe of glitzy
designer clothes. I picked the most normal of the lot—a pale
strapless dress with a tight bust and a sharkbite hem. The skirt
was a gauzy gray ombre. It was pretty without being over the top,
and I liked it. And since I figured why the hell not, I borrowed a
huge pair of earrings from Sunnie and fixed my growing-out hair
into a fashionable pompadour. I wore a lot of smoky gray eyeshadow
and fake lashes, and with the jewelry, the dress, and the hair, I
looked like I belonged on a runway. That was definitely not low-key
Zumba instructor Kandis Thornton, but she didn’t want to show up
tonight, anyhow.

She’d just had her heart trampled on.

I got into the shuttle bus with the other
jury members, all equally glammed up, and we were driven back out
to The Magnolias for the finale. The parking lot was full, and the
audience bleachers were filling up with excited people.

We were ushered to the back of the staging
area and given instructions. One by one, Becky would call us out,
ask us a question about how we were doing since the vote off (ha),
and then we’d take a seat on the five jury seats in the order we’d
been kicked off. When it came time to vote, we’d each be given a
ballot, and we’d have a chance to say something to Jendan or Brodie
before casting our vote. Then, the results would be revealed, and
the finale would be over.

Simple enough.

I was in a daze. Sunnie chatted at my side
backstage, and the others seemed to be in a great mood. I couldn’t
concentrate. This whole sordid affair was about to be over, at
least. Then I could go back to reality.

One by one, the others went on stage. I heard
them chatting with Becky, the voices booming over the microphones
we were hooked up to, and the cheers and applause of the audience.
They all seemed to be having a great time. Everyone was so happy,
except me.

I was still numb. It seemed a little
unfair.

“Kandis, you’re on,” someone hissed into the
earpiece I’d been wired with, and I stumbled out onto the stage.
This time, I was smart and had worn ballet flats instead of heels,
so I recovered quickly and headed out. “Wave to the crowd,” the
voice instructed as I walked out onto the stage, and I did.

I was surprised by the deafening roar I
received. Had they been so happy to see me last night? I had no
idea. I continued to wave, feeling awkward, and then took my spot
next to Becky.

The House Mother was dressed in pink chiffon,
her big blonde hair in a poofy upsweep. “Now, Kandis,” she said
over the enthusiastic roar of the crowd. “Your ousting was just one
of many shockers this season. Now that you’ve had a chance to sleep
on it, how do you feel?”

I stared out into the crowd. I couldn’t make
out faces because the spotlights on stage were too bright. But
there were hundreds of people out there, and they all seemed
excited to see me. Why? Hadn’t I played like a real bitch at times?
“I’m okay with it,” I told her. “It was just strategy at the end of
the day, so I don’t have any hard feelings.”

“There wasn’t just strategy going on between
you and Brodie,” Becky said in a coy voice. “Do you want to tell us
a bit more about that?”

“No,” I said bluntly.

The crowd cheered again, voices laughing as
if I’d said something hysterical.

“Well, the cameras don’t lie. I think we know
the truth about what was going on, even if you don’t want to say it
out loud.” Becky gestured for me to take my seat. I headed over
there gratefully.

As I sat down, Becky turned her back to us
and hoisted her microphone closer to her mouth. “Now that we’ve
caught up with our jury, it’s time for the vote. We’ll let our two
gentlemen in the house have a chance to speak before the jury casts
their votes.”

The enormous TV screen on stage lit up, and
Brodie and Jendan were sitting in the evictee chairs. Both of them
were in suits—Jendan in black and Brodie in dark gray. They both
looked amazing, and it hurt me a little to see how gorgeous Brodie
was. Twenty four hours was not enough time for me to lick my
wounds.

“We’ll let Brodie speak first,” Becky
said.

Brodie stood and straightened his suit. He
grinned at the camera and gave us all his regular, cocky smile. “I
can’t see anyone out there but Becky, but I’m sure you all look
amazing. I can’t wait to hang out with everyone again, and I just
want to say that I had a blast. Marla, Sunnie, Fido, Jayme—we were
friends in the house, and we’ll be friends outside of it. To
Kandis, I just want to say…I’m sorry, and trust me.”

He sat back down.

There it was again—another plea for trust.
Was this a last ditch effort to get me to vote for him? My mouth
twisted into a wry smile. I’d had my vote made up since last
night.

Jendan got up and gave a lovely speech about
friendships made, about strategy, and he detailed all the different
ways he thought he’d played well, and he hoped we voted for
him.

I wasn’t listening. Not really. I was
watching Brodie behind his shoulder, and the way he smoothed the
corners of his mouth with his fingertips, the way the smile on his
face didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was nervous about
something.

About the vote? Or about confronting me after
he’d ruined my chances because he knew he’d fucked me in more ways
than one?

“With the speeches out of the way…” Becky
paused and turned back to us with a brilliant smile. “Let’s get the
voting in, shall we?”

Two assistants rolled out a podium, and the
spotlights changed, shining on the podium itself. There was a big
feather pen sticking out of an inkpot, a stack of ballots, and to
the right, a house-shaped mailbox to put the ballots in. The studio
went dark, the only light on the podium itself.

“All right,” Becky said. “Let’s have our
jury, one by one, go up and vote. Jurors get a chance to say their
final piece to the last two contestants as they vote. Sunnie,
you’re up first.”

The audience was silent as the celebutante
headed to the podium. Sunnie picked up the pen and turned to face
the camera. “Good game, you two. I just wanted to say
congratulations to whoever wins.” She scribbled something down on
her ballot, folded it neatly, and dropped it in the mailbox.

One by one, the others voted. Everyone said
encouraging things, and I watched Brodie and Jendan’s faces. Both
of them were smiling, but neither one looked visibly nervous. Me,
though, I was a wreck. My palms were sweating, and I wanted to wipe
them on my wispy dress, but I was worried about leaving wet
streaks. So I fidgeted instead.

I was the last one called up to vote. I
stood, smoothed my dress, and headed to the podium. Once up there,
I was nearly blinded by the overhead lighting. Squinting, I glanced
up at the direction of the TV screen, but the glare was so bright
that I couldn’t see their faces. I’d thought long and hard about
what I would say to the two guys there. A bitter speech? Lash out?
Take the high road?

In the end, I went with simple. “Jendan, good
luck. I’m glad we became friends. And to Brodie…” I paused,
thinking. “You betrayed me and now you’re asking me to trust you. I
guess we’ll see, huh?”

I picked up the ballot marked with my name in
the corner, and wrote a name down before I had a chance to change
my mind. I folded it carefully, paused, and then placed it into the
house-shaped ballot box before I took my seat again.

“When we come back,” Becky intoned, “the
results of our vote!”

The air felt cooler as I stepped out of the
bright lighting, and I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead,
sweating with anxiety. I was so nervous that I wanted to twitch
right out of my chair. Did I make the right choice?

Minutes ticked past with agonizing slowness.
My knee bounced with nerves, and I was unable to help my nervous
fidgeting. It must have been pretty bad; Fido gave me an irritated
look and scooted his chair a little further away from mine. It
didn’t make me stop, though. I only twitched harder, and then I
began to bite my nails.

The lighting in the studio changed, and I
sucked in a breath.

“We’re back,” Becky said. She stepped to the
podium and flipped open the top of the little house-shaped ballot
box. “I’ll read the votes.”

I glanced at the screen showing the interior
of the house. Neither Jendan nor Brodie were smiling now. Their
gazes were intent on the screen, and I could see tension vibrating
from both of them.

“The first vote is Sunnie’s.” Becky read, and
then she opened the folded paper and displayed it to us. BRODIE had
been written in curling letters. “One vote for Brodie.”

The audience cheered wildly.

“The next vote is Fido’s.” A pause, then a
turn. JENDAN. “That’s one vote for Jendan, and one for Brodie.”
More clapping punctuated the vote.

“The next vote is Jayme’s. Jayme has voted
for…Brodie. That’s two for Brodie, one for Jendan.”

“The next vote is Marla’s. Marla has voted
for…” A dramatic pause, and then a slow turn of the card. “Jendan.
We’re at a tie. Two for Brodie, two for Jendan.”

I felt ill. My vote was going to be the
deciding one. I tugged at my dress’s skirt, hoping it wouldn’t
stick to me with the nervous sweat that was pouring off of my
body.

“Last vote, and it’s from Kandis,” Becky
said. How could her voice be so coolly monotone at a time like
this? I was practically sliding off of my chair with nerves. Time
slowed as she opened the folded vote.

“Brodie.” Becky smiled and held my vote into
the air. “You’re our winner!”

The audience exploded into cheers.

I burst into tears. It was drowned out by the
fact that everyone had leapt to their feet. I barely saw Brodie
jump in the air—on screen—and throw a fist up in jubilation. The
crowd went wild, and people were cheering and clapping and rushing
forward. It was mad chaos as balloons and tickertape fell from
above.

I just sat in my chair and wiped my eyes. Why
was I crying? It was stupid, really. It wasn’t sadness or
embarrassment as much as it was sheer relief. At least the game was
over. I’d held up my end. Brodie had told me he loved me, and he
asked me to trust him.

And even though my every instinct told me I
was being played, I went along with that trust. I wanted to believe
he was a better person than that.

So now, I was just waiting for him to show me
that my trust in him was well-placed.

Brodie emerged from the house a moment later,
and all spotlights went on him. He raised his hands in the air,
grinning broadly, and was immediately tackled by several people—I
noticed one was his sister Katy, who was bouncing up and down with
excitement. It was mass chaos in the studio.

And still I sat in my chair, hoping and
waiting for him to turn to me.

He scanned the room, squinting at the glare
of the lighting and tickertape. My heart hammered in my chest as
hope rose. Was he looking for me?

A second later, Becky Bradley went to his
side, all smiles. “Let’s take a moment and talk with our winner,”
she said. “Or do you need to get more hugging out of the way?”

He laughed, a dazed look on his face. “No,
I’m good.”

I’m good.

Just like that, my hopes crumpled. I felt
deflated, like a balloon left out in the sun for too long. I’d
trusted and I’d gotten burned.

Brodie had just been playing me, after
all.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Do I feel like a winner?
Not if Kandis doesn’t forgive me.”
– Brodie
Short, Finale

The celebratory party went on for hours, and
I did my best to make it seem like I was genuinely happy. I chatted
with the other House Guests who’d been voted off, did my after-show
interviews, and tried to keep upbeat. Over and over, I was asked,
“Why did you vote for Brodie? Why’d you give him the money even
after he screwed you?”