Her head was POUNDING. The sun was too bright. Her only solace was the fact that the satin sheets and the fluffy duvet were keeping her warm, Heather thought, drawing them closer.
Wait. I don't have satin sheets. Heather realised, sitting up and stretching, letting her feet meet the cold tiles. I don't have tiles either.
Her eyes widened open, confused as to where she was. She looked to the large window, which stretched from the floor to the ceiling; this wasn't her room- but it was still the same house. Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no no no! She reluctantly turned her head- confirming her worst fears.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Heather shrieked, recoiling and grabbing at the covers to cover her bare chest.
"Chica… let me sleep" Alejandro moaned, waving her off before flinging his eyes open and springing up. "Hold on- what are you doing here?"
"I think it's pretty obvious!"
"Well, I don't remember much from last night" Rubbing his head, he leaned back against the wooden frame of the bed. "I'd be ever so grateful if you enlightened me"
"It's a bit foggy for me too!" Standing up to collect her clothes, she ran around the room, her body aching from the previous nights' activities. "So I can't help there"
"Please, Chica. Stop yelling."
"Well excuse me if I'm a tad freaked out by waking up in someone else's bed!"
Sighing, Alejandro stood and collected one of her discarded shoes from the floor, offering it to her. "Can we talk?"
"Why would I want to talk to you?"
He eyed her with an exasperated look, placing a hand on his hip.
"Heather"
"Don't 'Heather' me, Al. Give me that-" she snapped, the nickname causing him to wince and snatching the shoe from his hand.
"Chica-"
"And stop calling me that!" Heather yelled, storming out of the room, slamming the door.
Running down the hallway, she shivered. In her haste to get away from him, Heather had only managed to pull on her shirt – which was luckily quite long, and her underwear.
She moved quickly but quietly through the halls, praising the fact that most of her housemates were still in bed due to their probable state of hangover- much like her own. Heather sprinted through the corridor on the balls of her feet, trying to get herself back as quickly- and quietly as possible.
Her luck was short lived however, cursing when she ran headfirst into Bridgette.
"Can this morning get ANY worse" Heather whined, rubbing her knee, which had taken the brunt of the fall.
"Heather? What are you doing in this wing?"
"Long story. I'd really rather not talk about it." Taking the blonde girl's hand and pulling herself up, Heather scrambled to collect her fallen belongings.
"Okay, well I'm here if you need to talk" Bridgette said, eyeing Heather's neck before leaving her to her thoughts.
Why was she staring at my neck? Heather pondered as she reached her room, locking the door behind her and leaning against it.
About to throw herself on the bed in frustration, she paused, catching sight of herself in the mirror. Heather tenderly approached it, brushing her fingers against the litter of purple marks that covered her neck.
"Oh for the love of GOD!" she groaned, inspecting her neck, pulling the collar of her shirt down to reveal even more love bites, her skin almost covered, a telling sign of the previous night's events.
Why do I get myself into situations like this? Heather floppedonto her bed, face down in the cushions, her head still pounding.
Resolving that her headache wasn't going away, she grabbed the TV remote and flicked through the channels, settling on a rerun of an old sitcom.
Three days. Three days they had been stranded in Jamaica.
Montego bay was beautiful, the weather warm and sunny and the sand soft. It was paradise, and the break from the competition gave Heather the opportunity to relax, something that was rarely an option on their travels.
The sun was high, and Heather took full advantage of it- she'd set herself up with a towel on the beach and took the break to bask in the warm rays away from her team- Courtney and Gwen were somehow becoming friends and Sierra and Cody were building a sandcastle further down the beach. They'd all pair off and the amount of love and affection was driving her up the wall.
I'm on a team of lunatics. Heather thought, laying back on the sand, watching Gwen and Courtney bicker over an umbrella.
"Mind if I join you?"
Heather looked up, seeing her rival standing over her. He was clad only in his swimsuit, and Heather praised the fact she was wearing her sunglasses as she examined his toned body, her eyes combed his figure, appreciating how his shiny hair caught the sunlight. A small sense of dizziness washed over her as she eyed him- he was quite possibly the hottest person she'd ever met- not that she would ever dream of admitting it- especially not to him.
"It's a free world" she said, laying back and resting her heard on her arms.
"I asked if you minded, not if I could."
"I don't care"
"Alright then" Alejandro sighed, sitting beside her on the sand. Heather wasn't sure if it was the heat or not, but she felt flushed the longer he sat there, tension brewing between them.
"You really do look great in that bikini"
"Rack off" Heather snapped, rolling her eyes
"I'm not lying"
"Well, I'm not going to fall for your shit"
"Whatever do you mean Chica"
"Don't call me that." She growled, becoming more and more agitated.
"No need to be so snappy" Alejandro leant back in the sand, laying close to her.
"No need to be so irritating" Heather turned her head to face him, studying his face. "Either stop being such a rat or leave me the hell alone"
"Are you saying you don't enjoy my company?"
"Only when you talk"
"Harsh"
"And?"
"And, we aren't competing, lighten up" He rolled onto his side, leaning close.
"Can I not get a break around here?" She groaned, throwing her head back. He raised an eyebrow, Studying her.
"Tough week?"
"My teammates are idiots. Sierra doesn't do anything that isn't stalking Cody, and the little power duo over there are suddenly best friends. I seem to be the only sane one"
"I know the feeling" Alejandro agreed, taking a seat beside her. "My team… well you've seen them"
"Well, yeah- that's why we always kick your ass"
"May I remind you that you lost the last challenge?" He jested
"That was dumb luck and you know it- "
"It definitely was not!"
"Was too"
"Fine. Race you to the water?" He challenged, a cheeky smirk crossing his face.
"You're on, Al" She quipped, laughing as he was shuddered at the name, using the moment to speed off down the sand, taking advantage of the opportunity for a head start.
Heather was but a few metres from the water, when she sensed him on her tail. She pushed harder, matching his pace in order to maintain her lead.
Splashing into the rolling waves, she cheered in victory waving her arms in the air.
"Ha! Knew I'd win!"
"That was a dirty trick and you know it Heather" he chuckled , shaking his head.
"You'd know quite a bit about dirty tricks, wouldn't you?"
"All is fair in love in war Chica" Wading closer, he placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head up.
"And what would you call this?"
"War!" Alejandro exclaimed, dunking her in the cool water before running away, dodging her attempts at a counterattack in between spluttering and coughing out the water she'd accidentally swallowed.
Recovering, she took the offensive. She had her game face on- he'd started, then she was going to finish it. Laughing evily, she splashed water at him causing him flinched, turning to wipe the salty water from his eyes.
"SUCK IT!" Heather yelled she leapt onto his back pushing down on his shoulders. He leant forward and Heather went tumbling over his head, landing in his arms.
"You didn't exactly think that through, did you?" Alejandro chuckled quietly, catching her.
Heather felt her breath quickening, acutely aware of how close she was to him.
"Still got you though"
"Touché" His muscled arms continued to hold her close, his hands resting on the small of her back. Heather's mind was racing, and her heart beating a mile a minute.
"C-can you put me down?"
"Do you really want me to?"
"Uh-"
"JUST MAKE OUT ALREADY" Heather turned to see Gwen and Courtney laying on the beach, having completely lost it at the latter's comment.
Coughing awkwardly, Heather stepped away, shaking free from his grasp. "I should, uh go…"
"Um, yeah- I'll see you later"
That 'Later' didn't arrive until they were all shuffling back onto the plane, sharing an awkward smile, they passed each other silently before splitting off with their respective teams.
Loser class was damp, leaky and smelt of old cheese,
A week later, Heather was still avoiding him like the plague. Her mind was running constant with memories like their first almost-kiss, as well as others like it.
She'd taken to wearing turtlenecks- ones she'd had to borrow over the last week, determined to hide the evidence from both herself and anyone that would question her- and living in this house, that was almost everyone.
She'd barely left her room since the incident, emailing her professors and doing her coursework from the safety of her bed, emerging only to do her chores and use the bathroom. The marks that covered her neck had long healed, but the feeling in her stomach held her hostage- she wasn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
It was Saturday by the time her housemates finally managed to coax her out of her room- Lindsay insisting she (and every other female in the house) help her pick an outfit to meet Tyler's parents.
Despite her protests , she was dragged across the hall by her blonde housemate. Taking a seat on the floor, Heather eyed the soft, offensively pink carpet, drawing her knees to her chest. The others were scattered throughout the room while Lindsay modelled different looks, chatting and laughing amongst themselves, while Heather attempted to shrink into the corner.
Without looking, Heather knew it was Bridgette when the blonde sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You okay? You haven't been at any meals all week."
"I'm fine, I've just felt a bit off lately"
"Is it because of-"
"No, as if." Heather cut her off, looking her in the eye before continuing. "I've just been sick"
"Alright, but if you want to talk to someone-"
"Look, you don't need to act like you're my friend, I'm fine" Heather snapped in a hushed voice, cutting her off again.
"Heather, I thought- now that we're off the show-"
"Just drop it okay! I get that you're trying to be nice or whatever but I. am. Fine."
The blonde looked hurt by her icy comment, before returning to a look of understanding, patting Heather on the shoulder and leaving her with her thoughts.
The small voice in the back of Heather's mind was running rampant, nagging and chanting They don't want you here, they're just pretending.
Heather stayed in the corner, curled into herself- and luckily, no one else tried speaking to her while Lindsay pranced around the room in various outfits.
Lindsay had changed in the few years after the show had finished, she'd matured slightly and now instead of the preppy-cheerleader type she had resembled when they first met, she had grown into looks worthy of a goddess.
Each dress she tried on further made her look like an ethereal being, floating in and out of her wardrobe, soft pinks, blues and brilliant golds and reds swirling around the room, each time coming out more beautiful than the last.
It had taken several hours, but finally Lindsay had decided on her outfit, and Heather was relieved when Lindsay finally managed to pick an outfit, eager to escape to the solitude of her room, she rushed off before one of her housemates could pull her into another group activity.
Exhausted, Heather reached her room and sighed, feeling both emotionally and physically drained. She paced over to her dresser to start her nightly routine, completing it with haste and settling into bed, falling asleep to the quiet rustling of the trees outside her window.