Part 6
I don't know who could possibly know each other. I don't think there's a pair on my tribe. Though there might be one person on my tribe and one on the other. I'm not sure who it could be though. Maybe Maddie or Molly. Lucinda could pull of the deception, but I don't think she would. It's above her. Luke told me it wasn't him, and I believe him. I don't think that boy could lie if his life depended on it. He wears his heart on his sleeve. It's really quite amazing to watch him.
Brian, Lobbyist
Kim is voted out of the Bangka tribe next. It saddens Luke that she's gone even though he didn't know her well. She seemed like such a kind person, Luke thinks as Jeff Probst explains the rules of the newest reward challenge. When Reid told his tribe about the information clue, everyone must have figured that she and Bob are married. And looking back at all the interactions Luke's witnessed between the older pair, it's not a far leap of logic.
I wonder if the information had the same impact on Reid's tribe that it did on mine, Luke thinks. Somehow he doubts it. I don't think they worked together they way we did. He just hopes they can perform the way they have been. Luke looks at his tribe members. Shoulders are tense and no one is smiling.
They lose. It is a simple physical challenge. Running, pushing and swimming. It should have been an easy win. Reid is really the only physical challenge on the Bangka tribe, though both Katie and Vienna can hold their own. But Luke has Noah, Casey, and Molly. It should have been an easy win, Luke thinks as sweat drips down his face.
"Riau tribe, it seems you've lost some of the glue that's been holding you together," Probst says as he motions the Bangka tribe over to the ice chest filled with various types of ice cream and the basket of cookies and milk. Luke swears he can smell the chocolate chip cookies despite the overwhelming scents of sweat and jungle heat.
"Shit," Casey curses and jerks the back of his arm across his forehead. His red buff drops to the ground.
They can't shake the defeat, and the next morning, after a three hour long challenge of guiding blind-folded pairs through a maze, the Riau tribe loses their first immunity challenge.
Shit, Luke silently echoes Casey's earlier cry.
The other tribe seems shocked, and when Jeff Probst says, "Congratulations Bangka tribe. It looks like things are starting to come together for you." They look at each other as if the words are being spoken in a foreign language. But by the time the host says, "Choose someone from the Riau tribe to send to Exile Island," they're all grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
They huddle together and seem to be strategizing. It doesn't matter anyways, Luke thinks. They're going to choose me. It's the smart thing to do.
"Okay," Katie says, brushing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "We choose to send Luke back to Exile Island."
Luke gives them a jaded smile and a half wave. "Thanks. I appreciate that." No one laughs.
He turns to his tribemates and shoots them a questioning look. Lucinda wiggles her eyes towards Reid. Not that Luke would have chosen differently. Then he and Reid are heading towards the familiar motorboat as the rest of the cast members head back to their temporary homes.
"You know," Luke says, "This is starting to get old." The boat speeds away, and then they're back on Exile Island.
"What?" Reid says, "I'm not great company?" The question is said lightly, in a joking manner, but Reid's jaw is tight.
Suddenly, Luke knows the man isn't teasing. However, he's feeling surly and can't muster the right tone of sympathy when he replies, "No, you're just fine." Luke can't help but think of Noah's sweet nature and Casey's humorous stories. Hell, even Maddie's delightful laugh. Luke really doesn't want to be on this horrible little island.
"What crawled up your ass and died?" Reid snaps.
That sets Luke off. "Excuse me for being worried about going to tribal council. Excuse me for being worried because I'm here, on this damned island, while the rest of my tribemates are back at our comfortable camp where they will spend the night discussing who will be sent home!" He throws up his hands and motions to the island. "And I'm here unable to put my two cents in."
Reid snorts, turns his back, and kneels at the fire pit. "Like they're going to send you home."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Reid twists and stands. "You're the golden boy of the season." Luke opens his mouth to protest, but Reid bowls him over. "Face it, Blondie, everyone loves you."
"God, why are you such an asshole?" Luke crosses his arms and continues. "Everyone doesn't love me." He points at Reid. "And besides, being loved in this game isn't a good thing. People want to vote you out if you're too well liked." The thought sends a tremor of worry through Luke. He sticks his hands back under his arms.
Reid snorts again and flashes Luke a humourless smile. "I guess I'm just built like that." He sneers. "And you really shouldn't worry. You have your boys," Reid makes finger quote marks when he says 'your boys,' "to save you. And of course there's Brian, who wants to nail you against a tree."
Luke's mouth drops open. "My God, you are so deluded." A thought pops into Luke's head and he steps closer, getting in Reid's personal space. "You're acting like a prick because I'm gay." Luke throws up his hands. "I can't believe you!"
Reid laughs. It's a deep and filled with disbelief. He shakes his head and chest still rumbling, he says, "You think I'm homophobic? That's classic."
Luke reaches out and pokes Reid in the shoulder before he can think. "Why? It's true, isn't it! You dislike me because I'm gay." What are you doing Luke? He asks himself. Are you going to start a fight with him? You'll be kicked off the show if you fight. But Luke's too worked up to calm down.
Then, Reid gives another sarcastic laugh and says, "I'm gay too, Luke."
What? "What?" Luke shakes his head. "No you're not. You're just saying that."
"What? Do you require proof? How will that work exactly?" Reid sneers."I've been out since I was nine." Then, as if that isn't enough, Reid adds, "My entire team- hell, all of America- knows I'm gay."
Luke can't comprehend it . "You're gay?" Reid rolls his eyes and steps back. Luke is stuck in place and Reid reaches down and yanks his two fire-starting sticks from their place near the fire pit. "Why didn't you say something?"
Reid doesn't answer.
"Reid," Luke says, anger dying, but still holding in his voice. "Why didn't you say something? You knew I was gay."
The neurosurgeon jerks around. "Why should I have told you? What does it matter? So what, we can share the secret handshake?"
Unbelievable, Luke shakes his head. "Why does it matter? It matters because it's something we have in common, something we can relate to each other by. That's what you do with people. You find the things you have in common and then you get along better."
"So you're telling me that if I had told you I'm a Pieces and ironically allergic to tuna fish that we would get along better?"
Luke's head bobs. "Maybe."
Reid looks up at him from his position near the fire. "Here's the thing Blondie, I don't want to bond with you. I'm not like you. I don't want to spill my guts over everyone and become best friends forever. This game is called 'Survivor'. Only one of us is going to win. And that would be me."
Shock ricochets through Luke's body. God. Luke wraps his arms around himself. How can anyone be such an asshole? "You know what. Catch your own damn dinner." He twists around, unable to stand looking at the other man. Fuck him. I don't need him for anything. Luke plows his way through the sand until he's on the other side of the island. He can hear his cameraman huffing quietly behind him. For the first time, he wishes the Survivor crew were elsewhere. He wants to be alone.
Fat chance of that. He settles down on the sand, tosses off his shoes, and sticks his feet in the water. This is television gold. Two gay boys fighting. Luke clenches a fist full of sand and throws it as hard as he can. Most of it flies a few inches forward and drops harmlessly to the ground. Some of it ends back in his eyes. God damn-it. Eyes watering- not crying- Luke wipes furiously at his face.
He spends the rest of the night trying and failing miserably to start his own fire and ignore the other man. Fire's not his thing, and he never gets it started. Instead, he drinks coconut milk and wishes desperately for one of Lucinda's bananas and some of Ali's finely cooked fish. Never once does he look over to Reid's little camp. I don't care about him or what he does. He tries to focus on strategy, what he can say to his tribemates to save his fate when he sees them for that short amount of time between Exile Island and tribal council. Somehow his mind keeps drifting to Reid. Fucking bastard.
Needless to say, it's a long night.
###
It was a really tough choice. It sucks, because we're such a close tribe. Sending anyone home was hard, but someone had to go. And she was the only one not in any type of alliance. I mean, I have to stay true to my own alliance- me, Maddie, and Casey.
Ali, Nurse
Molly is the first member of the Riau tribe to be sent home. Despite the fact that she's the obvious choice for everyone, the act of voting her out sends a wave of depression through the whole tribe. When they get back from tribal council, everyone is quiet. Eventually, Luke can't take it anymore.
"Anybody want to go and get some water with me?" He needs to do something.
"I'll go," Noah says. He grabs all the canteens, and then they're walking the path though the jungle to the water well.
"This sucks," Noah states the second they're out of earshot of everyone else.
"And it's only going to get worse," Luke replies. Noah nods glumly. Suddenly, Luke can't stand anymore of this sadness. "At least we don't have to spend time with Dr. Perfect. I can't imagine what being on his team is like. A few days on Exile Island with him are enough to want to deck him in the face."
Noah laughs. "I can imagine. I've never met anyone who doesn't smile."
Luke's mind flashes to the few times Reid smiled at his sarcasm. "I know! Mr. Pouty was a better name for him. Or maybe Dr. Jerkface."
"Dr. Jerkface," Noah says, humour in his voice. "Man, he really gets to you, doesn't he?"
Luke sighs. "He's just so annoying. He thinks he's perfect. It pisses me off, because he's not perfect. He might be smart and good looking, but he's unfeeling and the biggest asshole I've ever met."
Noah latches onto the wrong thing. "You think he's good looking?" Luke thinks the question is meant to be teasing, but it comes out strange. It almost sounds like Noah's jealous, which is ridiculous.
"Yeah. I mean, he is, but that doesn't matter, because his demeanour is ugly." He lifts out the bucket from the water well and fills the first canteen. "I would never date him."
"Is he even gay?" Noah dips his own canteen into the water and waits as the water slides inside.
"That's the thing, he is! You would think that it would bring us together, but he just acts like it's nothing." Luke throws the strap of the filled canteen over his shoulder then fills his empty one.
"Well, I guess the only thing you can do is hope Dr. Jerkface gets voted out."
"Yeah," Luke says with a crooked smile. "Guess that means we have to win these challenges."
Expect they don't. Bangka's losing streak seems to have been passed on to the Riau tribe, because they lose the reward challenge. Then they lose the immunity challenge. And Luke is back on Exile Island with Asshole. They don't talk the whole time that they're there. Luke just spends the time on his own side of the beach while Reid stays on his.
This is so unfair. It's another miserable night of little food and a billion bug bites.
Then it's tribal council again.
"So where do you stand?" Jeff Probst asks Luke. "You have been gone from your tribe more than anyone else."
As if anyone else has had to spend time on Exile Island, Luke thinks bitterly.
"Does that worry you?" the host continues.
Luke nods. "Of course it does. I don't know what my tribemates are up to while I'm gone. For all I know they could be planning against me." He turns to look at Noah, then Casey. "But I have to trust the members of my alliance and the fact my tribemates know how much I contribute, both at camp and in the challenges."
"Brian," Probst directs his question to him, "does Luke have anything to be worried about?"
The older man shakes his head. "We all should be worried Jeff, everyone knows how crazy this game can get, but Luke shouldn't worry too much." He reaches forward and clasps Luke's shoulder. "We know how much he contributes."
The touch leaves Luke uncomfortable. He can't help remember what Reid said about Brian. Not that it's true. Still, the words don't do anything to ease Luke's worry. Aloud, he says, "Thanks Brian."
"It's time to vote," Probst says, and one by one the members of the Riau tribe write down a name.
"Sorry," Luke tells the camera. "It's nothing personal. I really like you. I think you're amazingly smart. Maybe too smart." He shrugs. "Someone has to go."
Jeff reads the names aloud. Two votes for Ali, five for Lucinda. The redheaded woman walks to the host with pride. "Lucinda, the tribe has spoken." He snuffs out her flame.
"Goodbye dears," she says and blows them a kiss before she disappears down the steps of the council room.
"Jesus, that was difficult," Casey says.
Ali licks her lips and says, "Yeah, it really was."
Luke doesn't reply. He feels like he's lost a grandma.
"We can't lose again," Noah says when they get back to camp.
No one says anything.