Chapter 3

So, there they were; two young women who never wanted to look at one another again, suddenly face-to-face. After everything they'd been through; years of friendship and betrayal, of making amends and dashing dreams, of hopeful reunions and terrible goodbyes; only one thought raced through their astonished minds.

"Where the hell are the god-damned cameras!?"

In what could only be described as a mad-dash, the coeds went to work tearing their dorm room apart; flipping over mattresses, checking behind desks, under chairs and in closets, searching desperately for signs of camera equipment, listening devices; any shred of evidence to prove this meeting was not purely random, but a calculated ruse for entertainment purposes . . .

. . . in other words, a show.

"Get the hell out here, McLean, you son of a bitch!" Gwen exclaimed as she searched her closet for bugs.

"I swear to God, if that bastard's behind this, I will sue him for everything he's got!" Cortney screamed as she inspected every one of her desk draws, searching for signs of foul play.

"Do you hear me, Chris? I will sue you, and I will own you!"

"What the hell is going on in here!?" came a voice from just beyond the doorway. The two freshmen turned around to find their RA, practically fuming at the scene playing out before her eyes.

"Have you two lost your minds, or are you just tearing your dorm rooms apart for fun?"

"Uhh . . . No, we . . ." Gwen stammered.

"Umm . . . Sorry," Courtney started. "We- we thought-"

"Listen, I've been through enough grief for one day because of both of you," the RA declared. "If I have to come here again, I promise that the two of you won't be here in the morning. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"We understand."

"Good," said the floor don as she turned to leave. Awkwardly, Courtney shuffled her way through the mess of boxes and other assorted items they had tossed feverishly to the floor, towards the open hallway door, and closed it, trying desperately to regain her composure before turning back towards Gwen.

"I guess this isn't part of the show," Courtney said, her face flush with a mix of adrenaline and embarrassment.

"I guess not." Gwen replied as she sat on her bed, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at the floor. "How have you been?"

"I've been better," Courtney mumbled, still unsure of what had just happened. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Me neither. . . Weren't you supposed to be going to Toronto?"

". . . No." Courtney stated with a hint of frustration that let Gwen know it was best to just drop the subject.

"Gwen, I . . . I want to apologize for how I-"

"Just . . . Stop, okay. I don't want to hear it right now."

"But, I-"

"Listen, Courtney," yelled Gwen. "I tried everything I could to regain your friendship, to show you how sorry I was. Clearly, I must not have tried hard enough, because you had no problem stabbing me in the back."

"Me stab you in the back; are you kidding me?" Courtney snapped. "After everything you did to me; stealing my boyfriend, humiliating me on live television, having me kicked off the show without a second thought, and you're mad because of a stupid little chart? What the heck is wrong with you!?"

"It's more than just the damn chart, Courtney!" Gwen fired back. "I trusted you. I really believed that we were . . . were . . . you know . . ." she stammered.

". . . friends . . . or whatever."

"We were. We are!" Courtney yelled.

"Then why, Courtney!" Gwen shrieked, her voice becoming horse with rage. "Why did you betray me like that!"

"I . . . I don't . . ." Courtney stalled. Gwen readied herself for a smart-ass remark.

Instead, Courtney just stood there with a look of confusion on her face.

". . . I don't understand."

"What?"

"Gwen, we were in a winner-take-all competition for a million dollars," Courtney stated the fact. "I thought . . . I thought no matter which one of us won, we'd still be friends afterwards. I mean, God-damn, Gwen, we were on that stupid show for four seasons! Hell, you broke up with Trent for trying to help you win that one time. I just thought . . ." Courtney paused, unsure of what she wanted to say next.

"I mean . . . it was all part of the game, right?"

It was as if a dam had broken. Somewhere, deep inside, Gwen snapped. Tears began rolling hot down her face. Within seconds, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh God!" Courtney exclaimed as she watched her new roommate implode. "Wha- what did I say?" She reached out a hand to try to console the young goth, only to have it slapped away.

"Don't touch me!" Gwen screamed as she pushed past the confused Type-A girl.

"You really don't get it, do you!" Gwen spat as she rushed out the door and down the hall; trying desperately to escape the humiliating situation. As the other students in the hall looked to see what had happened, Courtney could only stand in the doorway, confused and embarrassed by her own ignorance.

No . . . I don't.