Page 39 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“No, we didn’t!”

“Until Alice arrived on the scene. Suddenly, Eastridge started sweeping the competitions. By the time Eastridge faced Exeter, I’d already heard about Alice. Her reputation preceded her.”

“And you were scared shitless, right?”

Daniel looks me square in the eye. “I was impressed.”

“Damn right,” I say, grinning. I turn to face the camera. “The only thing you need to know about Daniel is that he has a tendency to lose when we go head-to-head.”

Daniel snorts. “I’d say we’re evenly matched in most things. Except athletics, where Alice comes up a bit short.”

I’m about to snap at him for crowing about his height advantage—and did he forget the time I outmaneuvered him in the sudden death round of the District Finals with my amazing powers of strategic thinking?—when Leah’s walkie-talkie comes to life with a burst of static and a sharp voice that sounds suspiciously like Dawn Taylor.

“Who’s got eyes on Daniel and Alice?”

Leah fumbles with her walkie-talkie. “I’m here with both of them, Dawn Taylor. What’s up?”

She tries to plug in her earpiece, but she isn’t quite fast enough, because when Dawn Taylor replies, we can all hear her shouting, clear as day.

“Get them to the tiki bar ASAP! And I meannow, or heads are gonna roll.”

STORY NOTES FOR EDITORS: “DAWN TAY’S INFERNO: LOVE IS HELL,” SEASON 1, EPISODE 2: LUST (CONT.)

DAWN TAYLOR, VOICEOVER:The competition heats up during the Lust Challenge!

[B-roll footage: Bacon and Firefly making out at a picnic table at twilight.]

DAWN TAYLOR, VOICEOVER:Who will stay faithful…

[Footage: Mikayla and Trevor soulfully gazing into each other’s eyes over the rainbow shots behind them.]

DAWN TAYLOR, VOICEOVER:…and who will be tempted?

[Footage: Close-up of stylist Matteo’s hands sliding down the hips of a female contestant, but the camera pulls away before her face is revealed.]

DAWN TAYLOR, VOICEOVER:And you’ll never guess the twist ending!

[Footage: Alice puts her hands on the chest of an oiled-up Daniel.]

DAWN TAYLOR, VOICEOVER:Just another day in hell onDawn Tay’s Inferno!

Chapter Eight

Hell Is a Surprise You Didn’t Mentally Prepare For

The tiki bar is near the pool. It’s an intense setup, complete with a wet bar, a built-in display rack, and of course a bunch of tiki torches. You can tell that whoever built this place was serious about having enough liquor to knock out a frat house because there’s a door leading to a storage shed that must contain even more alcohol.

But when Leah positions me and Daniel in front of the shed, arranging us just so, I get the feeling that it’s not to show us the expensive champagne.

“What?” Leah frowns as she presses her headset into her ear. Now that she’s plugged her earpiece into her walkie-talkie, we can’t hear anything. “Really? Dawn, I don’t know. Are you sure you want to do it like this?” From the way Leah winces, I assume Dawn Taylor isn’t happy with being questioned.

Leah grimaces, then sighs and rakes a hand through her curls. She says, “I’m—I’m really sorry about this. Open the door.”

I hesitate, and my gaze goes to Daniel. He widens his eyes at me and lifts his shoulders in a tiny shrug. What kind of trap is this? Is there some kind ofSurvivor-style immunity idol challenge waiting for us behind the door? Is a celebrity preparing to prank us? Have the producers trained a viper to bite our faces?

Finally, Daniel steps in front of me, squares his shoulders, andthrows the door open.

What’s inside is a million times worse than a poisoned viper launched straight at my face. At least maybe I could’ve dodged that.

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