P.O.V: Alejandro

"Get off of me!"

"He's right there! He's so close I could smell him-That's how I always DREAMED he would smell!"

"Would it kill you to be quiet?"

"And I was like, yes I'll sign up for your rewards card! I'll save so much on lipgloss!"

"Girl, I don't know how anyone uses as much lipgloss as you do. Not a clue."

"Dude, keep your ass quiet for once, won't you?"

"Hahaha... Sorry!"

"Ugh, you're seriously rank; consider talking to a doctor"

I don't know what I expected when I agreed to this.

I sat alone in one of the back seats of an old rusty bus, voices of which were only faintly familiar to me ringing through my head. I had watched the first two seasons of the show in a binge session in order to prepare myself for what my brother had signed me up for, though there were only fleeting moments that I could actually pick a tone from the flurry of speech and put a face to it.

I do not think that anyone had noticed me at first. But, then again, why would they? Too much was happening around them involving the reuniting of each of them to their friends and rivals. I was hunched in the back, eyes plastered to the street that sped by at top speed. The three in the seat across the aisle were too busy arguing to worry about a suspicious face.

They were all talking to one another. There was not a single person that seemed out of a conversation or not gleefully sharing stories or gossiping with anyone who cared to listen.

...Except for me. I was new, mysteriously thrown in with the cast in a last minute decision by Chris. Everyone around me had relationships and stories with one another, but I did not. I did not know these people, nor their stories. I did not deserve their conversation.

But it did not matter that I was at such a disadvantage to these strangers. This was show was going to be mine—something that my brother would not be able to steal from underneath me at the last moment. He was nowhere in sight, an entire ocean between us by now.

Maybe, just maybe, I had my last minute arrival working in my advantage. Yes, I had minimal knowledge on what had already happened between practically any these people, but they had no idea as to who I was. I could be anyone... Absolutely anything that I could imagine because they hadn't the slightest of ideas as to who I was...

And I wanted to be the kind of person that wins a million dollars.

A grin slid across my face when the bus lurched to a sudden hault. With the force, my head (along with many others by the sounds of mutual groaning) took a hard hit to the seat in front of me. "Ai..." I groaned, rubbing the now tender spot on my forehead.

I glanced up and across the aisle, the reflective sunglasses across my face making my existence on this bus even more... Sketchy. Alas, my noise of pain must have attracted the three sitting in those seats to me, because their eyes drilled immediately to me.

A skeptical, darker skinned boy spoke to me first, voice nasally and piercing—one of those voices that you could instantly pick out in a crowd. "So are you planning on keeping up the mute act or are you hoping that when the bus stops, you can hide out back here and wait for the plane to take off before running to freedom?"

So he had noticed me. I wondered why he didn't say anything before. He did not appear to be someone particularly antisocial by the way he had been speaking to his two friends. "I plan on introducing myself, yes, but I did not plan on doing such a thing before the show introduction." My words were carefully chosen and perhaps a bit sharp. I needed to figure out how to be the kind of person

"Ooh, look at Mr. Edgy over here," he crooned again, smirking condescendingly. "Mysterious."

"Dramatic effect! Yo, I totally get it!" A dirtier and much paler boy with a beanie pulled over locks of greasy hair spoke then, and I had to force a look of disgust from seeing the light of day. I was not looking to make enemies. That is the absolute worst thing to do in such a situation.

The last one spoke, voice wavering a bit, "I can respect that." He seemed nervous and every few moments would peek over the high seat in front of him. I hadn't the slightest of ideas as to why, but if I'm being truthful, I did not care either.

There was a strong but muffled voice that caused the entirety of the bus to shush itself as high school classroom would, along with a hushed voice that instructed all of us to get off one at a time. The filming had begun and that strong voice I was hearing was Chris outside, doing an intro for my season.

Everyone had become orderly in a way that you wouldn't expect as they pushed through to the front, with me trailing second to last. It was likely routine to them by now... My bag on my back, I got to my feet alongside of them, second to last in line. I could feel my heart speed up in my chest as my confidence blossomed even further as I came closer to the slight breeze entering through the bus door.

I could not help but smile to myself. I was the kind of person that wins a million dollars, and I had to begin to prove that to the world-starting with the first step I took off of the bus!

...Which was into a group of people on the ground.

Interesting.

"He's an honor roll student with a diplomat for a dad, and an amazing ability to charm the pants off most species."

My confidence only continued its momentous climb of narcissism at the way he talked me up. I believe that introduction suited me. I stepped off of the bus and to the right was Chris gesturing towards me. "Alejandro."

That was when I had my first glimpse of the camera, and it only took a look down to the pile of bodies at my feet that made me realize exactly the kind of person I needed to be for the million dollars... And luckily, such a façade was easy to pull off.

With the most sincere smile I could manage at that moment, I reached to the two young ladies and offered them each a hand. "Perhaps I can assist?" Not the most convincing tone, but apparently that did not matter. They looked at me with bright eyes and splitting grins-embarrassing grins.

"Wow-wee..."

"I-I...I-I I have a boyfriend!"

Good start, but I did not want to seem like someone only looking to have the attention of girls. I did not hate such a thing, but that was not the angle I needed to work. Close but no dice.

"And amigos," I said gently, grin starting to fade into something more genuine (or convincing). "Please, allow me."

"Wow, eh."

"I like girls."

Once on their feet again, my eyes drifted off of those who had already arrived, and nearly all of their eyes were right on me—such a gentleman in a game they had known to be so ruthless and cold. The gentleness in my voice and motive to selflessly help these strangers was practically a foreign concept to a majority of them. They thought I was soft and naive.

They thought I was weak.

Everything seemed to click in their reactions. I knew that I was, within moments, already on the right track to being successful in this game... And that's all it took to secure the gut feeling I had before. I knew exactly how to win this. My heart fluttered in my chest once again; this was all mine. This was going to be MINE.

This game is all about trust from what I had learned, and I knew how to provoke that in anyone. That in my ability to charm was one thing, but the extensive experience I have in many areas of athleticism and knowledge would push me straight to the top... But of course I would not flaunt such abilities early on—one who wins a million dollars would not put a target on their back so early.

Dios mio, if only being the kind of person that wins a millions dollars would be difficult.

I almost felt bad...


A/N: I hope you enjoyed the introduction to my new project! Thank you so much for the read and a review/follow/favorite would be greatly appreciated! I'll be going back and forth between writing this fic and Please Don't Tell, so thank you in advanced for your patience!

-FP