Page 62 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“I asked Anton to get those,” Leah says with a frown. “You can’t keep bailing that kid out. He already acts like he owns the place. It doesn’t help that you’re always jumping in every time he flakes.”

Seth shrugs. “I had a free minute, and we both know Anton wasn’t going to do it. Do you want your contestants to starve?”

Daniel and I lock eyes for a second before we try the drinks, and I can tell we’re both thinking the same thing—did Seth mess with these drinks and are we about to get food poisoning again? But no, that would be way too suspicious, and Seth has no reason to pull the same trick twice. Right?

“Drink! Fast!” Leah barks at us, and we obey.

I only have time to take a few sips of the tropical blend of coconut, pineapple, and strawberries before Leah snatches the cup out of my hand.

“Time’s up. Alice, you go first,” Leah says. “Daniel, you’re going to wait over there inside the trailer.”

Leah guides me over to the barrels.

“What about the other contestants?” I ask Leah as she fluffs my hair.

“Different format today. You’re all going to do the challenge separately,” Leah says.

Several feet away, Peter Dixon perches in a director’s chair, attended to by a handful of producers and production assistants.

“I think we’re good to start the first take. Where’s DT?” Peter Dixon says.

Right on cue, Dawn Taylor emerges from her own trailer, looking stunning in a skintight crimson dress, her perfectly blown-out hair topped with two cute devil horns. The cameras immediately train on her, and one of the producers signals for her to start.

“Welcome to the Greed Challenge! Today we’re putting your greed to the test,” Dawn Taylor says. She turns to face me. “In front of you are—” Fireworks explode behind her in a shower of red sparks. A loud series of pops immediately follows, and she shrieks.

“What thefuck?” She whips her head around, murder in her eyes.

“Dawn!” Peter Dixon jumps out of his chair and rushes over to her. He grasps her shoulders. “Are you okay? Shit, didn’t the PAs tell you we were doing fireworks for this challenge? I told Anton to keep you in the loop.”

She gives him a withering look. “No, he didn’t mention it.”

“I’ll talk to him. This is unacceptable,” Peter Dixon says, shaking his head. “Do you need a moment? Should we cut?”

“No, I’m fine. Keep rolling.” Dawn Taylor pastes a smile back on. She walks back to her mark and nods at the cameraperson.

“Today, we’re putting your greed to the test,” she says again. This time, when the fireworks shoot off behind her, she spreads her arms and throws her head back. “Mwahaha!” She laughs as the sparks rain down around her.

“I’m here to present you with a choice,” Dawn Taylor announces. “If you want to, you can drop out of the competition right here, right now. And I’ll give youtwenty thousand dollarsto do it.”

I can’t help it, I gasp. That kind of money is more than I make in six months.

“Yeah, I know,” Dawn Taylor says. “Here’s the catch. If you take the money, your time here ends, and your partner getsnothing.And if you’re thinking you can do something cute like splitting the cash after the show’s over? Dream on. We’ve built into the terms of agreement that you absolutely cannot share the money. I’m making this offer to every contestant today, and only one lucky person is going to hit the jackpot.”

She gestures to the barrels. “Now I’m about to start a timer. Inside each barrel is a bucket. If you want to stay in the competition, fill the blue barrel up with water from the ocean. If you want the money, fill up the red barrel. Whoever fills the red barrel the fastest will win a cool twenty thousand dollars and leave the competition. Whoever fills the blue barrel the fastest will win a romantic ride on my personal yacht at sunset. Understood?”

I nod. My mind is racing. Twenty thousand dollars. I’m starting to sweat at the thought of pocketing that much money. Twenty thousand would be enough to cover all the hospital bills we owe currently. It would be enough to have some money left over to put toward any future treatments my mom would be facing. It would mean I could breathe easier again.

“Your time startsnow!”

I have to think this through. I know staying in the show and winning would result in a bigger payout. It’s one million dollars compared to twenty thousand. But then again, there’s no guarantee that Daniel and I are going to make it to the final challenge, much less take home the grand prize.

But winning the twenty thousand dollars isn’t guaranteed either. If I’m not the fastest to fill the red barrel, I’ll lose. And I’m doing this challenge alone. I can’t rely on teamwork to carry the day. Even if I try my hardest, I’m not the strongest or the fastest one here. My chances of beating every other competitor who decides to fill the red barrel is low.

Maybe I’m thinking about this all wrong. It’s not just about me. I have to take Daniel into consideration. Sure, we’ve agreed to a truce. We’re even kind of getting along right now. But he’s been my rival since high school, and he has no reason to be loyal to me. Why wouldn’t he go for the twenty thousand dollars?

And to complicate matters, there’s the question of what Daniel thinks I’m going to do. He knows I’m here for the money, and it’s not like we’re in a real relationship. Of all the couples here, we’re the most likely to flip on each other and take the cash. If he thinks I’m going to flip, then he’ll flip too—and try to beat me to the punch.

Part of me wants to believe in Daniel, wants to believe that we’d stick together until the end. I glance toward the trailer where Daniel is waiting.

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