AN: This is a very special chapter. I repeat, this is a VERY SPECIAL chapter. Not only has it had me near tears (And I don't cry), but it also changes the whole game. Not only that, but it's a whole lot of fun and a cliffhanger. Why don't you see for yourselves…
Race
There was a door leading to nothing standing in the backyard, and a little ways from that was a table with six keys on it. And on the table with the keys sat a blindfold.
What kind of a veto competition was this?
"Hello house guests."
"Hey Sarah."
"Are you all ready for this week's veto competition?"
Various affirmative remarks were made, and Sarah continued. "One at a time, each of you will be blindfolded. You will then find a key, take it over to the door, and unlock it. However, only one of the six keys actually unlocks the door. The person with the fastest time wins."
"Who first Sarah?" I asked, eager to get this show on the road.
"Well, Mush will start. The order after that will be Race, Specs, Dutchy, Spot, and Skittery. Blink, as head of household, you will be in charge of rearranging the keys with each round and blindfolding the contestant."
Blink walked up to the table and grabbed the blindfold, and Sarah told him to go ahead. Mush turned around and Blink started tying the blindfold, and I couldn't help myself.
"You can't wait to do that outside the house, can ya, Blink?" I asked, and all the guys snickered as Blink's face turned red. He ignored me, and instead led Mush to where he was to start.
Sarah gave the signal and Mush stumbled over to the table, grabbing a key and turning around. He found the door the hard way- by running into it. He found the lock and jammed the key into it, but it didn't budge. Wrong key. He took it back to the table, setting it away from the others and grabbing another key.
Then he ran into the door. Again. He shook his head, stunned, and then he tried the lock again. No luck.
He repeated the process again, this time actually using his hands so he didn't body slam the door again. He tried the key, and the lock snapped and the door swung open.
"Two minutes and ten seconds." Sarah announced as Mush pulled the blindfold off and Blink tied it on me. I heard a few 'clinks' as he put the keys back and then the sound of the door closing and locking shut, and then I was given the go ahead.
I picked up the first key my hand touched, and I turned around and headed for the door. And guess what?
Yep. I ran into it. And it did hurt.
I was absolutely stunned when I slid the key in the lock and practically fell through the door- I had picked the right key on the first try. And it had only taken me 28 seconds to do it.
The other guys didn't have as much luck.
Specs went through three keys before he finally found the right one. Dutchy only took two tries, but he was still at one minute and one second. Skittery almost beat me- he also picked up the right key on the first try, but he took thirty seconds because he fell on his face.
And Spot. Spot must have been having a bad day or something, because he went through all six keys before he finally got the right one. Just bad luck.
And before I knew it, I had the veto.
Spot
"Alright, guys. Ready for the veto meeting?"
Race eyed us warily as we waited for him to give his verdict. I wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but I knew it probably wouldn't be good.
I shot a look at Dutchy and Specs- they were holding hands, and they were trying to act like everything was normal. Key word- trying. They knew as well as the rest of us that this was quickly falling into shambles for them.
Race cleared his throat, and then pulled a key out of the nomination bag. "I have decided to use the veto. Spot, you're safe."
I felt my mouth drop in surprise. He pulled me off the block?
He continued, dropping my key in my lap. "And in Spot's place, I'm putting up Dutchy."
The temperature in the room had to drop by fifty degrees. Dutchy's face paled by about ten shades, and Specs dropped his head, not looking up at any of us. Race ignored the effect he'd had on the couple- he just turned around and left. I guess he just couldn't take it. I mean, what he'd just done was insensitive…but it was smart.
Specs grabbed Dutchy's hand and dragged him out of the room, and we let them go. They had a whole lot to talk about.
Dutchy
"This can't be happening. This can't be happening."
I couldn't stop repeating it. My mind was swirling like water in a sink, dragging any coherent thoughts with it. Specs grabbed my shoulders, shaking me gently.
"Snap out of it, Dutch. Come on." He urged, and I let myself fall into him. I felt like crying, but the tears wouldn't come. He moved me to the bed and we sat down, and I could feel my breath coming in shuddering gasps.
"Dutchy…it's okay…calm down."
"I can't. I can't."
"Yes, you can. You have to…for me?"
I slowly got my breathing back to normal, though my chest was now hurting. I leaned against him, and we sat in silence for a good ten minutes.
"We've got to face up to this." He finally said in a whisper, and I nodded. I didn't mean it. I didn't want to face up to this. It was too much.
I suddenly realized how selfish I was being. Specs was probably as scared as I was, hell, most likely more so. He had a whole lot more to lose when he left.
"I'm sorry." I said, my voice cracking with the sheer emotion behind it.
"For what?"
"I'm…overreacting."
He looked at me and smiled. "No. You're fine."
We fell silent again. I didn't know what to say. One of us was leaving this house, and no matter which one, it may be a long while before we saw each other again.
I had an idea just then. An epiphany. I stood up and walked to the dresser, pulling out a sheet of sketch paper and a pencil with shaking hands. I hastily wrote down my address, making sure it was legible.
"What's this?" Specs asked as I folded it up and handed it to him.
"If you get evicted…and things don't go well at home…go to that address."
His eyes widened. "Go to your house? But…your mother…"
"If she truly loves me, she'll welcome you with an open heart. I promise. I don't want you in any danger."
For he first time since this ordeal began, I finally saw Specs choking back tears. I reached up and brushed his hair out of his face, and he pulled me into a tight hug as he started really crying.
"I love you, Dutchy…I love you so much…"
"I love you too."
The Votes
Blink
I didn't want to have to vote either of them out. I couldn't even imagine having to go through this with Mush- it was really making me wonder when it would come down to that. At least I knew that if it came down to me against Mush for eviction, I would be the one voted out. No question about that.
No one knew which one of this pair would go. Dutchy and Specs were both equally a threat to the game, but when I thought about it, Specs might be a little more intelligent when it came to strategy.
So I voted to evict Specs.
Race
This was my doing. And to tell the truth, I was pretty proud of it. This was making for a very interesting week. And I already knew who I wanted to evict.
I always said not to trust the nice guys. So I just went with the more friendly of the two.
I voted to evict Dutchy.
Mush
I didn't know who I wanted out. I didn't want to have to make this decision in the first place. It would be heart wrenching to see them saying goodbye.
But I had to reach some kind of conclusion. So I went to Blink, and I followed his advice after a long discussion on the issue.
I decided to vote to evict Specs.
Spot
I wished I could vote both of them out. Whichever one was left would be sulking for weeks, and putting us all in a bad mood in general. And having Mush and Blink around to remind the lone survivor wouldn't help either.
So I decided to get rid of the one who couldn't hide his emotions as well.
I voted to evict Dutchy.
Skittery
Flipping a coin for these things was getting monotonous. But at least if I flipped a coin, I couldn't blame myself for bad judgment later. So I flipped a coin.
And then I voted to evict Specs.
The Eviction
Skittery
I sat as far away from Dutchy and Specs as I could get. I didn't want to be that close to all that emotional crap when one of them had to go. Race looked unconcerned, to anyone who didn't look close enough. But I saw the furtive, sad glances he threw at the two boys whose lives were changing radically once again.
"Hi house guests." Sarah said. We mumbled our greetings- we really weren't in a cheery mood.
She continued on, peppy as usual. "Are you ready to hear the results of the vote?"
No one said a word, but this time, there was no laughter about it, and we didn't get punished for not responding.
"By a vote of three to two…Specs, you are evicted from the big brother house."
Surprisingly, Dutchy didn't start crying immediately. He stood aside as we all said our goodbyes to Specs, and then Dutchy stood at the door with him, and looked him right in the eye, not allowing the tears to fall.
"Do you…do you still have what I gave you?"
Specs patted his shirt pocket and nodded, and the rest of us shared confused glances. I just shrugged and watched as Specs kissed Dutchy one more time, and then he walked out the door.
When that door shut, it was like a switch had been flipped. Dutchy utterly broke down, collapsing against the wall as he sobbed. Mush started to run to his side, but Blink stopped him.
We all decided without saying a word that he needed his space.
"If all the remaining house guests would listen, big brother has an announcement."
We all jumped at the unexpected sound of Sarah's voice. This couldn't be good.
"Now that you boys seem to have settled well, it's time for another twist. You know the big brother motto- expect the unexpected. And boys…the unexpected starts tomorrow."
With that, Sarah said no more, and we were all left to our thoughts of what 'the unexpected' might be.
Specs
"Where do you need to go, kid?"
The taxi cab driver completely ignored the cameraman that was with me, as if it were completely normal to have his every move videotaped. I handed him the address on a folded sheet of paper- I didn't want the entire nation to know exactly where Dutchy lived.
I gently rubbed the bruise on my cheek where my father's college ring had hit me- I wasn't so much upset by the dull ache than by the fact that he'd actually done it.
I'd never forget it. My mother and sister were right there.
And neither one moved to help me.
Neither one of them said a word.
"Hey, you're that gay kid, aren't you? From that reality show?"
Okay, I knew I would be getting that a lot, but I guess I just wasn't quite ready for it, especially coming from a random cabby. I just nodded, and to my surprise, he dug around in his glove box and pulled out a notepad and pen.
"Could you sign this for me? My daughter loves that show!"
I grabbed the pen and paper and hastily scribbled my signature, with my nickname below in quotes. He pulled up to the house and stopped the cab, and I handed him the notepad.
"Could you…wait here?" I asked timidly. "I might not be staying."
"Yeah, sure kid."
Now it was the 'moment of truth'. It looked like a completely normal suburban household- except for the fact that my boyfriend's mother and step-father lived inside. And if they didn't help me, I couldn't think of anyone that would.
Every step seemed to take all my effort, all my willpower. The brick path seemed ominous to me, and the fact that the camera following me was hooked up live to national television didn't help.
I finally reached the door, and for a moment, I stood in indecision. I could always turn around now. I didn't have to put myself through this ridicule again. But who was I kidding? She was probably watching the show. She probably already knew I was here.
I rang the doorbell, shifting my weight nervously as I waited. Ten seconds passed. Time seemed to be dragging, and I wondered if she would even bother answering the door. Maybe she would just leave me standing out here. Or maybe she would hurt me, like my dad did.
The door swung open, and there she stood. She had the same natural beauty that had drawn me to Dutchy, the same blond hair and pale blue eyes. But right now she looked worn and tired.
Her eyes met mine, and neither of us said a word.
And then I realized that I was crying.
She gently reached up and I flinched, expecting her to slap me. But instead she took hold of my chin, tilting my face and bringing my bruise into full view. And then she started to cry.
Then it happened. She pulled me into a hug, trembling as she held me close.
And I knew everything would be okay.
AN: Whew…that was a hard chapter to write. But I made it! PLEASE review! And you guys will NEVER guess the twist that big brother has in store for our remaining guys…