Page 76 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“Nah,” Chase says, “Bryan told me they get put up at a fancy hotel on the other side of the island.”

“Wish we were there,” Jaxon grumbles. “I bet they have power. And room service.”

“What I wouldn’t give for my mom’s chopped salad right now.” Selena sighs dreamily. “She makes the best salad dressing.”

“Forget salad. How about real food? After these past few days, I’m starving for a sausage pizza and an IPA,” Zya says. She smirks. “I just can’t stand girls who don’t eat real food.”

“God, you’re so hot,” Dominic says, caressing her thigh.

“We get it, you’re ‘not like other girls,’ ” Selena says acidly. “But you know, hon, you don’t actually have to put other women down all the time. There’s no cameras here. What are you trying to prove?”

“Sorry, I don’t do girl drama,” Zya says, waving a dismissive hand at Selena, who looks like she wants to strangle Zya. I shoot Selena a sympathetic look, and she widens her eyes at me.

“I’m not sure how anyone can eat anything after the Gluttony Challenge,” Brittany says, redirecting the conversation. “Are y’all feeling better after yesterday? That food poisoning was so intense.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever had it that bad. I’ve eaten sidewalk fries before, and nothing happened to me,” Chase says.

“Sidewalk fries?” Brittany tilts her head. “Like, street food?”

“Like he picked fries up off the sidewalk and ate them,” I clarify.

“I bet it was because they didn’t store the cow eyes properly. I mean, how do you evenstorecow eyes? Isn’t there a food safety person on staff?” Brittany wonders.

“Probably not,” I say. Given what Lex has told me about how short-staffed the crew is, I seriously doubt it. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think it was the cow eyes. I ate the eye for my team, and I was fine.”

“I reckon it’s gotta be the peppers, then,” Jaxon puts in.

“Can’t believe I was betrayed by one of my favorite foods!” Selena says mournfully.

“I get the feeling there’s more going on here than we’re seeing,” I say quietly.

“Elaborate, please,” Ava says. All eyes are on me suddenly. My hand goes to my hip, just to triple-check I’m not still wearing my mic pack.

“Well, things keep going wrong,” I say. “The fireworks. The food poisoning. The backup generator blowing out. It just doesn’t seem…” With Lex’s warning echoing in my head, I choose my words carefully. “Well managed.”

“My money’s on the tight production schedule,” Noah says. “You can’t create a good end product without sufficient resources.”

“Do you think the set is cursed?” Brittany asks, darting a look around the room. “Because this hascursewritten all over it.”

“What are you, five? Don’t be stupid,” Zya says, and Brittany glares at her.

“Well, I just hope our luck turns around,” Trevor says firmly. “Mikayla and I need this show to be a hit.”

“You’re not the only one,” Ava says. “But I wouldn’t worry. Doesn’t matter how badly this show is run, it’s going to do numbers with Dawn Taylor on board. That’s why Noah and I applied.”

“Eh,” Jaxon says with a shrug. “I didn’t even know who Dawn Taylor was before we came here.”

“Nuh-uh, you know who she is,” Brittany interrupts. “She’s Krista fromCocktails & Confessions!”

“Hate to break it to you, honey, but I didn’t watch that show for the plot. I was just hoping a certain sorority girl would give me the time of day—and it worked, didn’t it?” Jaxon says, and Brittany cuffs him lightly on the shoulder with a laugh.

“I can’t believe you’re here forDawn.She’s so old,” Zya cuts in.

“She’s only in her forties,” Ava says, and it’s clear by the sneer on Zya’s face that she does not find that a compelling counterpoint.

“Exactly, she’s basically decrepit,” Zya says. “There’s a reason she’s clinging so hard to this show. When was the last time you saw her in anything?”

“But that was because of the whole thing with her stalker,” Selena points out. “She stepped back from public life for her safety.”

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