Page 59 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

I can’t even completely blame him for it. I never asked to lean onhim. It was just simpler to deal with things myself.

“I’m sorry, Alice,” Chase is saying. “You’ve done so much for me, and I was so shitty.”

“It’s fine,” I say automatically, and then correct myself. “Actually, no, it isn’t fine. But you’re just going to have to live with it. And for what it’s worth, you and Selena make a cute couple.”

Chase brightens at that. “Right? She’s so funny and hot and—”

“Dude.”

“Sorry.” Chase grimaces. “I get that it sounds like I’m just trying make excuses, but I really do think you and Daniel are great together. And I—” Chase’s eyes go wide. “I think I’m gonna hurl again.”

I leap out of the way as Chase charges past me, heading for the nearest bathroom.

I take a beat to recover from that conversation. We’re in a crazy situation here, and being separated from Chase feels like I’ve had my legs knocked out from under me. But after that talk, I’m starting to feel more grounded.

Focus. I still need hydration materials. I remember the war room. If there’s a place that would be fully stocked, it’s the place where Dawn Taylor and Peter Dixon have all their big meetings.

At the bottom of the stairs, I see the war room door is open, and I walk in, bypassing the conference setup for the two doors at the back of the room. The first door opens into a fancy, well-lit bathroom with shelves of expensive makeup and a floor-to-ceiling mirror. Dawn Taylor must use this for touch-ups.

The second door leads to a gigantic walk-in pantry. It’s probably bigger than some apartments in New York. I step inside, and wow, the execs have been holding out on us. There’s everything in here. It’s like if you took the entire snack aisle of a high-end grocery store and crammed it into one room. I grab some saltines and survey my drink options—there’s bottled water, ten kinds of seltzer, juice, bottled lattes, and Gatorade.

As I grab several bottles of yellow Gatorade, I hear a pair of familiarvoices—Leah and someone else. Seth, I remember, Selena and Daniel’s producer before they broke up.

It sounds like they’re coming this way. Immediately I shut the pantry door as quietly as possible. Technically, no one said Icouldn’tbe here, but I have a feeling this place is off-limits. Both producers come into the war room, their voices growing louder.

“—hardly in a position to be acting like a saint after the shit I’ve seen you pull over the years,” Seth is saying.

“What I do to motivate my contestants is my business,” Leah says. “This time you went too far.”

“Easy, Gleeson. You think I did it just for kicks?”

“Yeah, Seth, you’re a fucking psychopath.”

“Takes one to know one.” There’s the squeak of a chair. They must be settling in. “Look, I had my marching orders. I was told it was on me to guarantee that we got some grade A vomit shots to go after theFear Factoraudience, or it’d be my job on the line. And I delivered. You’re welcome.”

“You poisoned them.”

“I put a very, very small dose of ipecac in the peppers, plus some homeopathic stuff I got off eBay. That’s it. They’ll be fine. What was I supposed to do, say no, I don’t feel like it today? I would’ve had my ass handed to me. But by all means, if you want to hold the line on ethics, step right up.”

“Whatever. You’ve made it very clear that you’ll do whatever it takes. But if you fuck with my couples again, I’ll rip your head off,” Leah says, her voice steely.

“Same goes for you, cupcake.”

“Go die in a hole.” A pause. “You got any gum?”

“Yeah, it’s in my locker. I left it open.”

They head out the door, shutting it behind them.

I stay in the pantry room for another minute, still reeling from what I overheard. I didn’t expect going on a reality show to be a cakewalk—Cindy and Tara had made sure that I knew what I was getting into. Butpoisoning the contestants? That’s so far beyond anything I expected. And it explains why Chase had thrown up, when normally he can keep down everything he eats.

Trying to win this competition with a brand-new boyfriend that just so happens to be my high school rival was daunting enough. Now I’ve got to do it with the producers going the extra mile to mess with everyone? I might have Leah in my corner, but what if Seth sets his sights on me and Daniel? What if he doeswhatever it takes?

But I’m not scared—I’m mad. I’m here to win, no matter what sketchy shit the producers get up to.

—

I storm back to my room and throw open the door. A bit too late, I remember that Daniel is supposed to be sleeping, but luckily, he’s sitting up in bed, looking slightly better than before. I toss the water and Gatorade on the bed.

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