Penny
James and I were ushered into a room after we returned from the third challenge. I would specify exactly where we returned from, but oddly, I couldn't remember a single thing. I couldn't remember where we had been, what we had been doing, or who was there. All I knew was that James had saved me.
We found Gale stretched out on a couch, relaxed and smiling. Nico and Kate were sitting down, faces stricken, Kate leaning into Nico. Normally I would have felt subconsciously jealous. I was one of those girls who dreamed about finding true love in their life. And to be even more honest, the perfect couple in my mind has always been my parents, despite their separation. But now I realized with pride that I felt no negativity whatsoever, with someone as amazing as James holding my hand...
James turned to me and smiled, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Want to go sit down?" he asked. I nodded distractedly, and James led me over to a loveseat. Man, he was sitting pretty close to me, our thighs slightly touching. Not to mention James's arms around the couch, one of them almost behind my neck…
Renesmee ran into the room, breaking me from my thoughts. Mr. Firdango followed behind her, smiling. Renesmee looked at him uncertainly, then went to go sit down, looking down at her feet. I frowned; her eyes looked weird. Maybe she was having an allergic reaction, or she had been crying. I wondered what would have happened to provoke that, and if what James had saved me from had been nearly as bad…
"All right, everyone, welcome back," Mr. Firdango said as we all settled down. "Now, all of you but CJ made it back." We all turned to Gale, and he shrugged.
"I don't care what happens to her," he said.
"As Gale made it back first, normally, he'd be given the free pass to the next round. But as CJ didn't make it back at all, well, as I said before, she's automatically out." Smiles passed around the room. Mr. Firdango looked back up at us through his twinkling eyes, a stern amused look in them.
"But, if you want, we could allow her back in for the voting…."
"NO!" we all practically shouted. He smiled, and straightened.
"Good. I knew you would choose well." I looked up at James, and he smiled down at me.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," I whispered back, a smile spreading on my face. Around the room, everyone was smiling, cheering, and celebrating their victory.
"We got through," he grinned.
"Guess I'll have to try again next round." James gave me a queer look.
"Try again to what?"
"Get you out, of course," I winked at him. James smiled at me devishly.
"You would never want to do that," he reprimanded teasingly.
"Oh? What makes you think that?"
Instead of actually answering me, James kissing me.
