Page 102 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“I don’t think I want to be Trekayla anymore,” Mikayla says, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “I think I just want to be Mikayla.”

Trevor sinks to his knees, like she’s mortally wounded him. Daniel takes advantage of this moment to swoop in and smack Trevor in the chest.

Trevor makes a “gahhh” sound as the wind gets knocked out of him, and he tumbles down into the pit next to Mikayla.

The producers are loving every second of this. I can see multiple members of the film crew vying to get the best angle as Mikayla reaches for Trevor and he shrugs her off. They’re both completely covered in mud now, and watching them split apart from each other is kind of like watching the tragic breakup of two swamp monsters. Still, I feel for them. Their whole brand was their relationship, but now they’ll be known for how they broke up.

Now it’s down to Selena and Chase versus Daniel and me.

“Looks like it’s the battle of the exes!” Dawn Taylor calls out.

It’s time to end the secret alliance. Chase turns his staff on Daniel as Selena pivots to face me. Taking the initiative, Daniel swipes at Chase, trying to sweep his legs out from under him—but Chase jumps back, his own staff swinging wildly.

“Ow!” Selena yells as one of Chase’s haphazard swings bops her,nearly knocking her off. Getting his balance back, Chase lunges to make a swing at Daniel that misses, and in the process, the back of his staff hits Selena in the face.

“Sorry!” Chase yells, ducking out of range. He stumbles back—which brings him level with me.

He locks eyes with me, and for a split second, I wonder if he’s going to go easy on me. If seeing me reminds him of all our times together. When he watched a viral video about roof running, and then broke his leg trying to do parkour, and I had to leave fourth period to take him to the hospital. When I made him his favorite Jell-O cake, which was literally just Jell-O shaped like a cake, for his birthday. When he proposed to me in an Arby’s.

But it turns out, Chase isn’t experiencing a montage of our past together. His deep-green eyes don’t reveal even a flicker of conflict as he drops to his knees and swings at my legs, screaming, “Witness meeeee!”

I leap over his staff, then pivot back to face him. I swing my hardest at him, whacking him firmly in the chest. He pinwheels for a moment, dropping his staff to keep his balance.

“Nice one, babe,” Chase says.

And then, without missing a beat, his hand snakes out, and he yanks on my outstretched staff, throwing me off-balance.

I can’t help the undignified yelp that escapes me as I plunge off the beam and into the mud. I take some small consolation in the fact that Chase ends up in the mud right after me, thanks to Daniel.

“Oh, hey,” Chase says casually, like he hangs out in mud pits all the time. “No hard feelings?”

I scoop up a handful of mud and chuck it at him, which makes me feel a lot better. Moments later, Daniel lands in the mud next to me with a huge splat. Above us, Selena lets out a victorious cheer.

“Selenagot you?” I ask incredulously.

“Nah, I just thought I could use a facial,” Daniel jokes, and smears a handful of mud over his cheek. “But hey, good work. We stayed in.”

I close my eyes, ignoring the sensation of mud squelching all aroundme, and let the relief wash over me. We made it. We’re still in the game. Hell, we came in second. Now if only we could catch the murderer loose on the set.

—

After we’ve showered back in Villa Paradiso, Leah orders us to put on our swimsuits and come outside for our belated Wrath Challenge prize.

“We didn’t have time to do this after, well, you know,” Leah says. “But better late than never, right?

She leads us over to a gorgeous, secluded spot on the beach where a wood-paneled tub sits nestled in an oasis of greenery. Vines of beautiful tropical blooms twine around the trees surrounding us, and there’s a view of the glimmering ocean in the distance.

The tub itself resembles a gigantic wine barrel. There are two glasses of champagne and half a dozen chocolate-dipped strawberries set out on a tray nearby. My mouth starts to water at the sight of it all.

It’s the picture of a perfect romantic getaway—except for the film crew stationed all around us. I try to ignore everyone, and that goes about as well as imagining everyone in their underwear during a public speech—which is to say, terribly.

We get the go-ahead from Leah and step into the hot tub. Sinking into the water is pure bliss, the heat soothing my aching muscles. Before I started preparing for this show, the most exercise I did on a daily basis was going out for what Tara likes to call “a load-bearing mental health walk.” These physical challenges have been hell on me, and I’ve been so sore.

Daniel hands me a glass of champagne, but before I can take a sip, Leah stops us. “Let’s get a shot of you two clinking glasses and giving a toast.”

“Sure.” Daniel lifts his glass. “To love.”

“To winning,” I add.

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