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“Want one?” Avery offered, smiling at her. She saw Stella watching their interaction over her shoulder.
“She makes the best smoothies,” Elizabeth called out, pulling her headphones off. She climbed off her stool to grab a few cups from the counter. “Come sit with us.” She offered Quinn a glass, who took it with a smile.
With Quinn in the kitchen, many of the women trickled in. As they gathered, Avery felt her chest tighten. Something she needed to work on was being around a large group, especially if she wanted to get more time with Quinn.
“There’s plenty.” Avery waved to the pitcher. People rushed forward, leaving Avery to retreat quickly.
Walking towards the living room, Avery heard voices. She was about to continue to her room when she caught her name.
“Avery’s hot as fuck, but it’s a huge turnoff that she doesn’t have her shit together. Like, how does she not have a career yet? From what I hear, she’s like government-cheese-poor.”
“Come on. It’s not that bad. She’s for sure hot but also nice. It sucks because she’s probably only here for the money. I feel bad for Quinn because you can tell she’s into her. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
Avery couldn’t tell who the first person was, but the second voice was definitely Riley.
Her stomach rolled at hearing the remarks. She dug her sneaker into the carpet, noticing for the first time the scruffy marks that marred the dingy off-white surface of her shoes. Never one to care about materialistic things, mostly because she couldn’t afford to care, it was a punch to the gut hearing her greatest weakness being talked about. And to hear it from someone she thought was her friend was the sucker punch she didn’t see coming. Even though her financial strain wasn’t anything she could control, she was trying to help herself by putting herself through college. Still, she couldn’t help but feel inferior somehow.
Would Stella care? Avery had been open with her in voicing her anxieties about money. Stella didn’t seem to mind, but she also ran out without giving her number.
Avery felt a sting behind her eyes. She sprinted to the bathroom, not wanting the cameras to capture the vulnerable moment. This wasn’t a Cries for Eyes screen grab. She didn’t want to have the attention on her right now. Her emotions were too chaotic to handle.
In the safety of the toilet—one of the only places she knew didn’t have a camera—Avery rested her elbows on her legs, putting her hands under her chin. It took a few moments, but she gathered her bearings and walked to her room. There would be cameras there, but at least her room had a comfortable bed to curl up in. The space provided a bubble of solace, a place to catalog her thoughts and straighten out the jumbled string of feelings that wrapped around her heart.
Shouting woke Avery from her nap. Her neck creaked from the odd angle she’d fallen asleep in. Instead of getting her shit together, she’d hidden away, not unlike how she usually handled challenging situations.
Another round of shouts echoed down the hall. Groaning, Avery twisted off the bed and grasped the doorknob. Debating for a second if she wanted to see what the screaming match was about, she stretched out her neck before tentatively opening the door to her room. She peeked into the hall, sighing when yet another shout came from the kitchen.
Following the sound, Avery took in the scene. Most of the contestants were to the side, trying to stay out of the way. Ocean was in Denver’s arms, while Tanya and Echo were on the other side, pointing and yelling. Quinn and Stella were further back, taking in the match.
“You’re a predator and need to be stopped. Just because we’re in a house full of queer women doesn’t give you the right to grope me!” Tanya screamed. Denver flinched, and Ocean cowered further back.
Avery looked to Stella, who had stepped up to Tanya. Stella’s no-nonsense attitude quickly took over. “Want to start over? That was incredibly rude.” Tanya started talking again, but Stella held up her hand. “I think you’ve said enough. Ocean, why don’t you tell us your side?”
Ocean’s face was pale as she shook in Denver’s arms. Denver said something to her, calming her down enough to take a breath and begin speaking. “I was using the gym. It’s a way for me to relax and unwind. Afterward, I took a shower. I don’t like walking down the hall naked, so I brought my clothes to the bathroom. Tanya and Echo were there, but I grabbed my clothes and changed in the stall. As I was leaving, Denver came in, so I had to stand aside to let her pass. I admit I accidentally brushed against one of them, but it was only to move out of the way. There wasn’t any groping involved.” Ocean swallowed at the end of her story.
“Exactly. This is bullshit. They’re just making up some lie for drama.” Denver pointed to a camera in the kitchen that was turned their way.
“How dare you. You’re saying I’m lying? We’re the victims in this.” Echo’s voice bounced off the walls as she lunged towards the group. Stella and Quinn moved to stop the attack, but Avery stepped in when she saw Stella was in harm’s way. Her quick reaction found her cheek on the wrong end of a fist.
Avery’s hand flew to her cheek. Shock kept the pain at bay as pandemonium broke out around her. Denver, Ocean, and Riley were quick to reach Avery’s side.
“Break it up, everyone!” Stella’s voice thundered in the small area. The group quieted. “I need to talk to Monica, who will review the tapes to determine what went down. It’s imperative to protect everyone in the house.”
Denver mumbled something Avery didn’t catch, then she touched Avery’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked gently.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” Avery shrugged like she got socked in the face every day.
Stella was still talking, although Avery couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying. Riley handed her an ice pack that she took gratefully but found the ‘thank you’ stuck in her throat. Apparently, the nap hadn’t dissipated her complicated feelings over what she had overheard. Gasping at the cold on her cheek, Avery wished she’d never opened the bedroom door.
Stella was tucked in her room on a conference call with Monica and the rest of the producers. After reviewing the tape, Ocean and Denver were quickly cleared of any wrongdoing. However, the discussion for the past half hour was about what to do with Echo. Violence wasn’t condoned, and it was written in the contracts that any intentional physical harm to a contestant would cause immediate dismissal from the show.
Everything in the contract was clearly laid out, which was why Stella was pulling her hair out in frustration. Echo should get the boot, but the producers were pussyfooting around because Echo’s mom was a prominent lawyer. They wanted to ensure all angles were looked at to cover their asses. Forget about the fact that Avery was down there with a busted face.
Why were they considering Echo’s actions and giving her family more weight than the safety of the contestants? Avery could have had a busted orbital bone or a broken nose. Luckily, the medics on standby gave her the all-clear, but still, the injustice was nearly as frustrating as talking to this stick-in-the-mud lawyer of the show.
At her wit's end, Stella unmuted herself. “I don’t know why this is even a discussion. Echo is in the wrong and needs to be removed from the house immediately. You all poured over those contracts and know they are watertight. Get off your ass and do the right thing. Echo needs to leave.” Stella’s accent came out full tilt, especially at the end of her tirade.
Silence ensued, leaving a moment of second-guessing to wiggle its way into her brain.
