Bedroom Games
Page 55

They were shocked. Okay, shocked was probably an understatement. I saw Sunnie and Jayme exchange gape-mouth glances, and Fido blinked at me. Off to one side, Marla clapped her hands and stood up, clearly elated.
“Yes! Jendan’s in the final two!” she crowed.
“Oh my god. What happened?” Jayme asked. “Did Jendan win Power and pick Brodie?”
I realized with a sinking feeling that they had no idea of what had happened. One of the microphones suddenly hovered near my ear, and I wanted to swat it away. “No, Brodie won. He chose Jendan to go to the final two.”
The women gasped.
“But…I thought…”
“You two were so cozy,” Sunnie exclaimed.
I’d thought the same thing. I shrugged, hiding my hurt. “Guess I got played.” I stole a glance over at Marla, who looked utterly triumphant.
“Serves you right for playing both sides,” Marla said in a nasty voice. “You should have known it would come back to bite you in the end.”
“Yes, well, thanks for that stunning piece of input, Marla,” I said. “I told you guys I got played, all right? Can we leave it at that already? Or did you want to sit here and jump on my corpse for a bit longer?”
To my surprise, Sunnie moved to sit next to me on my log and wrapped her arms around me in a sympathetic hug. “I’m so sorry, Kandis.”
Touched, I hugged her back. “It’s okay.”
“Well,” Fido said. “We’re here to talk about the vote tomorrow. Let’s discuss who’s played a better game.”
“Brodie’s certainly played a brutal one,” Jayme said, shooting an apologetic look at me. “I really didn’t think he had it in him to do that.”
I had, though. I’d seen it with my own eyes when he betrayed his sister. So I said nothing.
“Yeah, but what’s the point of dicking over Kandis if he knows she’s just going to head straight to the jury?” Sunnie asked, perplexed.
Trust me, Kandis. I’ll make this work for both of us.
“Well, I think it’s obvious who I’m voting for,” Marla said. “Jendan played a good, clean game.”
“Clean?” Fido snorted. “He was teamed up with this one since day one.” He pointed at me.
“It was strategic,” Marla protested.
“No less than Brodie,” Sunnie said. “He just decided to befriend all of us as his way of getting ahead.” Her hand squeezed mine. “Some of us more than others.”
Jeez, I must have really looked like a sad panda at the moment. “It’s okay,” I said. “Really. I feel a little hurt at how he lied to me, but overall, Brodie did play a good game.” At their skeptical looks, I shrugged. “Think about it. He came in to the house with a huge target on his back and still managed to somehow befriend everyone and wiggle his way to the end. Plus, he won more Power Plays than anyone else. That should count for something.”
“Are you arguing for him?” Marla was shocked.
“It’s not personal, right? It’s just a game,” I said, though inside I felt dull and lifeless. “I can reward good gameplay.”
“You’re a bigger woman than I am, then,” Marla said.
 
 
~~ * ~~
 
 
The outfits Cassie brought for me looked like something that might have come from Sunnie’s wardrobe of glitzy designer clothes. I picked the most normal of the lot—a pale strapless dress with a tight bust and a sharkbite hem. The skirt was a gauzy gray ombre. It was pretty without being over the top, and I liked it. And since I figured why the hell not, I borrowed a huge pair of earrings from Sunnie and fixed my growing-out hair into a fashionable pompadour. I wore a lot of smoky gray eyeshadow and fake lashes, and with the jewelry, the dress, and the hair, I looked like I belonged on a runway. That was definitely not low-key Zumba instructor Kandis Thornton, but she didn’t want to show up tonight, anyhow.
She’d just had her heart trampled on.
I got into the shuttle bus with the other jury members, all equally glammed up, and we were driven back out to The Magnolias for the finale. The parking lot was full, and the audience bleachers were filling up with excited people.
We were ushered to the back of the staging area and given instructions. One by one, Becky would call us out, ask us a question about how we were doing since the vote off (ha), and then we’d take a seat on the five jury seats in the order we’d been kicked off. When it came time to vote, we’d each be given a ballot, and we’d have a chance to say something to Jendan or Brodie before casting our vote. Then, the results would be revealed, and the finale would be over.
Simple enough.
I was in a daze. Sunnie chatted at my side backstage, and the others seemed to be in a great mood. I couldn’t concentrate. This whole sordid affair was about to be over, at least. Then I could go back to reality.
One by one, the others went on stage. I heard them chatting with Becky, the voices booming over the microphones we were hooked up to, and the cheers and applause of the audience. They all seemed to be having a great time. Everyone was so happy, except me.
I was still numb. It seemed a little unfair.
“Kandis, you’re on,” someone hissed into the earpiece I’d been wired with, and I stumbled out onto the stage. This time, I was smart and had worn ballet flats instead of heels, so I recovered quickly and headed out. “Wave to the crowd,” the voice instructed as I walked out onto the stage, and I did.
I was surprised by the deafening roar I received. Had they been so happy to see me last night? I had no idea. I continued to wave, feeling awkward, and then took my spot next to Becky.
The House Mother was dressed in pink chiffon, her big blonde hair in a poofy upsweep. “Now, Kandis,” she said over the enthusiastic roar of the crowd. “Your ousting was just one of many shockers this season. Now that you’ve had a chance to sleep on it, how do you feel?”
I stared out into the crowd. I couldn’t make out faces because the spotlights on stage were too bright. But there were hundreds of people out there, and they all seemed excited to see me. Why? Hadn’t I played like a real bitch at times? “I’m okay with it,” I told her. “It was just strategy at the end of the day, so I don’t have any hard feelings.”
“There wasn’t just strategy going on between you and Brodie,” Becky said in a coy voice. “Do you want to tell us a bit more about that?”
“No,” I said bluntly.
The crowd cheered again, voices laughing as if I’d said something hysterical.
“Well, the cameras don’t lie. I think we know the truth about what was going on, even if you don’t want to say it out loud.” Becky gestured for me to take my seat. I headed over there gratefully.
As I sat down, Becky turned her back to us and hoisted her microphone closer to her mouth. “Now that we’ve caught up with our jury, it’s time for the vote. We’ll let our two gentlemen in the house have a chance to speak before the jury casts their votes.”
The enormous TV screen on stage lit up, and Brodie and Jendan were sitting in the evictee chairs. Both of them were in suits—Jendan in black and Brodie in dark gray. They both looked amazing, and it hurt me a little to see how gorgeous Brodie was. Twenty four hours was not enough time for me to lick my wounds.