You can tell the head prick is sick of my shit too, though. He lets out an aggravated sigh, then snaps, “If you don’t participate, I will have you removed from the island. You signed an agreement, and confessionals fall under that, so look into the goddamn camera and start talking.”
An idea pops into my head. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, right?
“I’ll tell you everything you want to hear if you do something for me.”
The guy scoffs. “This isn’t a negotiation. You have no leverage here. I hold all the power, motherfucker.”
I nod but don’t react as a woman bends down and whispers into his ear.
The man’s face twists into a snarl before he looks to me. “Fine. What the fuck do you want? An on-staff masseuse? Chocolate chips in your pancakes?”
“A letter,” I say.
This catches him off guard. “What?”
“A letter. I want you to allow Courtney to send a letter to her sister. She’s sick, and Courtney needs to know that she’s okay.She doesn’t need to talk about the show or anything to do with what’s happened here. It won’t spoil anything, but she needs to check on her.”
The man sits back into his chair like he’s too stunned to speak. Then he says: “And I suppose you expect us to allow her sister to write a letter back?”
I dip my head in agreement.
That same woman whispers into his ear once more, and he shakes his head in disbelief before giving me a quick nod.
“Fine. One letter to her, one letter back.”
“Your word?” I ask and hold out my hand to shake.
He looks down at it like it offends him before shaking it begrudgingly. “Now, what happened last night?”
I tell him everything that happened last night, down to how eagerly I’ll beat the piss out of Noah if he ever threatens Courtney’s safety again. They don’t have much to say in response to that before they hand me a piece of paper, a pen and an envelope, then explain that it’s of the utmost importance she doesn’t disclose anything about the show, the island, or who’s here. After I agree about a thousand fucking times, they finally let me leave, and I go off in search of the woman herself.
She isn’t hard to find. She’s usually on a daybed by the pool with Luna at this time of day, lounging in the sun. I try my best to fight my amused smile at how she happily pops a chip into her mouth, doing a little shimmy as she chews.
“Hey,” I say as I tuck the supplies behind my back.
Luna and Courtney turn to face me, a softer smile on Courtney’s face than I think I’ve ever seen before.
“Hi.”
Something in me lurches at that softhi, and I have to blink fora moment to gain my bearings. Then I clear my throat and gesture to the side with my head.
“Damn, Landon, if you two wanna fuck, all you have to do is ask nicely,” Luna says, grabbing her bag of chips as she stands.
“That’s not what I want,” I say.
Luna looks me up and down with a knowing grin, then winks. “Liar.”
I roll my eyes at her, but she happily ignores me and skips away towards Shane, who’s hanging out with a few others in the pool.
I take Luna’s seat, keeping my back to the group as I pull the writing materials out from behind me.
Courtney sits up curiously and leans closer to me. “What’s this?” she asks.
“I made a onetime deal for you to write a letter to your sister. One letter to her and one letter back. Only condition is you can’t discuss the show, the island, or… anyone here,” I say. “So just keep it simple. Tell her how much you love and miss her. Ask her how rehab is going or went. What she’s up to, whatever.”
Courtney’s head is angled down slightly, her eyes practically burning a hole into the paper and pen in my hands. I wait for her to respond, but when she stays silent, I try to get a glimpse of her face.
“Are you alright?”
