AN: Time for nominations, and boy, are you in for a shock…

                                                                                                                                               

Mush

            I knocked lightly on the bedroom door, and Skittery's voice came from inside, telling me to come on in. I closed the door behind me, and then I sat beside him on the bed as he lay on his back, staring as the ceiling.

            "I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday." I said, and he shrugged.

            "No problem."

            "You were in more danger of eviction than anyone."

            "Is that a threat?"

            "No, that's a statement of fact."

            He looked at me in a brief hesitation. "Your welcome."

            I smiled. Finally, some civil conversation. He must've been in a good mood.

            Now was the time to try.

            "Listen, Skitts…I wanted to ask you about something."

            He cringed. "Look, Mush, I know I'm dashingly attractive, but I'm just not that way. And what would Blink say?" He said in mock despair.

            "Haha, very funny. I'm being serious, Skittery."

            He just laughed and rolled over onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. "What?"

            "The scars on your arms. How did they happen?"

            He cringed again, but it was real this time. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, moving to stand up. I reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him back onto the bed.

            "You aren't going anywhere until you answer the question."

            He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's none of your business."

            "Don't give me that shit."

            His eyes widened as he looked back up at me, obviously surprised that a curse had just left my lips. But I was honestly frustrated, and I was probably picking up a few bad habits from the other guys.

            "Keep your nose out of it."

            I sighed in frustration. I hadn't wanted to resort to this, but he wasn't giving me a choice.

            "Skitts, Blink has head of household. He wouldn't think twice about nominating you, much less evicting you. However…I can make sure that does not happen. I can guarantee that that doesn't happen. If…"

            "Are you blackmailing me, country boy?"

            "Yes. I won't deny it. I'm blackmailing you."

            He burst out laughing, slapping me on the back. I was confused now.

            "We finally did it! We truly corrupted you! Cursing, blackmailing, gambling, turning gay…this is priceless, man." He said in the midst of his laughter.

            "It's not funny…" I muttered. "What's your answer?"

            He stopped laughing abruptly, his smile not so wide now. "I don't know if I can."

            "I don't want you getting hurt anymore." I insisted.

            "No one…no one's ever cared."

            "You just weren't looking hard enough."

            A silence fell that lasted a full minute. He clenched and unclenched his fists, not looking me in the eye. You know how they say that the eyes are the windows to the soul? That didn't apply here. I may as well have been trying to look through a brick wall.

            "Alright. I'll tell." He finally said, and with that, he began to tell his story.

            And by the time he finished, he was crying silently and I was wondering when the world went so wrong.

Blink

            When Mush sat down beside me on the couch, I thought his favorite dog had just died. Wait…maybe his favorite chicken…well, he does live on a farm!

            "Mush, what's wrong?"

            He smiled at me, a weary smile torn between sadness and relief. "Nothing. I'm fine."

            "Yeah right. Come here."

            I pulled him close and he curled up against me, and I kissed his forehead before just letting him stay there, sharing warmth between us. I knew that whatever it was, if he didn't tell me right off what it was, it wasn't my place to ask. So I just had to be there for him, help him through. Even if I didn't know what was wrong.

            "You know you can talk to me, right?" I whispered, rocking him gently.

            "Yeah. I know."

            And that was all we said. That was all we needed to say.

            But eventually the nomination meeting came, and we both had to get ready. And I had to face the other guys and nominate two of them. And I wasn't even sure I was doing the right thing.

            "Hi guys. As head of household, I had to nominate two of you. And it's nothing personal." I said, watching the apprehensive looks on the faces of my friends. I pulled out the first key, the one everyone knew would be there.

            "Mush, you're safe."

            He took his key with a small smile, and I pulled out the next key.

            "Skittery, you're safe."

            He didn't look surprised, but then again, he doesn't show emotion, so I probably wouldn't be able to tell if he was surprised even if he was.

            Next key. "Race, you're safe."

            There was definite surprise there, and several raised eyebrows. Race looked relieved, but also suspicious. Time for the last key.

            "Dutchy, you're safe."

            I handed him his key and dropped my head, collecting my racing thoughts before I spoke.

            "Specs, Spot…just strategy. You know that, and I know that. And I'm sorry."

                                                                                                                                               

Dutchy

            It had finally happened. I knew it would happen eventually, but actually having Specs nominated was nauseating. My mind was reeling, the sick feeling tearing through both my mind and body.

            At least he was up against Spot. Everyone in their right mind would choose Specs to stay over Spot. And I still had a chance to get the veto and save him for sure.

            I had to get the veto. I couldn't stand the idea of losing him now.

            He didn't seem too worried on the outside, but I saw right through that façade. He was scared to death. He didn't want to go back, have to face his family. His father. It was like a nightmare coming true. We'd had so much freedom here, stealing kisses in the hallway, staying up late and living off coffee the next day, living with people who didn't mind us being the way we were, and even having another 'couple' to talk with about it who knew exactly how we felt…

            But in the blink of an eye, that would change. It would be different. And not a good different either.

            They say that this is a 'reality show'. I've got news for whoever believes that.

            This was a paradise compared to what we would have to face in the real world.

Skittery

            I was safe. And surprisingly, I felt better. Mush didn't have to say a word- he only sat there, nodded occasionally, and listened.

            I told him all about mom dying. About my dad turning alcoholic. About him beating me, and about my suicide attempts. I thought he would think I was insane, but he didn't. He understood. Him, of all people.

            Never would've guessed it.

            But now I just felt awful. Sure, I felt good about opening up, but the look on Dutchy's face when he found out Specs had been nominated was enough to make Hitler cry. I guess he needed to face the fact that they would get split up eventually, but I just don't think he was ready. In fact, Specs is handling it better than him.

            I wondered how long I was going to 'slip through the cracks', so to speak. I had one stroke of luck after another, and I felt like my nine lives were wearing thin. This couldn't last forever. Nothing does.

Spot

            Nominated again. What was this, the third time? The fourth? I may as well set up a permanent home on the block. This was getting monotonous.

            And unless I got the veto, I was done for. Because Specs was liked a whole lot better than me around here, that was for sure.

            I never would've expected it, but I missed Itey. I never realized how much of a 'little brother' that kid had become to me until he was gone. Kinda like that old saying, 'you don't now what you've got till it's gone'.

            Speaking of Itey, it was interesting to think about what the evicted house guests were doing. They were probably watching the show religiously, grading all of us who remained and narrowing down their votes for the final round. There were only seven of us left now.

            Wow. Only seven. Hadn't thought about that for a while.

            This was gonna get real interesting…

Specs

            Things were quickly spiraling downward. I couldn't imagine stepping foot outside of this house and spending God only knows how long without Dutchy, but it just might happen. And then exactly what happened in the house would really sink in.

            I can't say I wasn't scared, cause that would be a lie. I was absolutely terrified. But I couldn't let it show. Dutchy was bad enough off as it was.

            And no matter what I did, no matter what happened, I had to think of him first.

Blink

            I wasn't really sure how all this was going to turn out. I had made my nominations completely on a whim, and I was only hoping that it turned out okay. I guess I was kind of thinking that whoever got the veto wouldn't use it, and then Spot would be evicted. It would kill me if I broke up Specs and Dutchy.

            I hope I didn't upset Mush with my nominations. I know he wouldn't have put up Specs, or Dutchy for that matter, but I felt like it was something that would work out in the end.

            I could only hope and pray I wasn't wrong…

Mush

            Blink was right. As much as I hated to admit it, the nominations he made would probably end up working out- it all depended on the veto. And since Blink, as head of household, couldn't compete, it was up to me to get the veto.

            Ugh. I hated having that on my shoulders. The last time I really tried to win, I ended up partially blinded by chlorine.

            But, Blink needed me to keep him from a potentially fatal reputation blow in the house.

            God, the things I do for that idiot…

            I'll just shrug and blame it on love.

Race

            That was weird. I didn't expect that move, and I was watching all the hands. I thought I had all my cards straight.

            I didn't want the veto. I didn't want it. Because I knew what I would have to do if I got it, and I didn't want to have the whole house seeing that decision fall straight to me.

            Cause I saw what they didn't. Hadn't anyone else noticed that the couples were lasting longer than those not paired up? It's because they were looking out for each other. When one got into trouble, the other always had their back. And we couldn't allow that to continue.

            I hated to say it, but the boyfriends had to be broken up. And I knew just the way to do it.

                                                                                                                                               

AN: Hints everywhere! Pay close attention, people…premonitions abound! Anyways, next chapter will be veto competition, veto used (or not), the votes, and the eviction. And let me tell you, it won't be like you think.