Chapter 5…
Elle fluffed her pillow, keeping her eyes closed, trying desperately to hold on to her sleep. The only bad thing about her beautiful new bedroom oasis, was that it was far too close to the Glam Room. While she wanted to sleep in until someone was dragging her out of bed, some of the other girls were up and moving about the house. The ones in the Glam Room had apparently been raised on an air field because they felt the need to speak as loudly as humanly possible.
She pulled her blanket up over her head, bunching it up around her ear to help muffle the sounds. She just needed another hour. Then, she would be ready to deal with this craziness for another day.
"Morning!"
Harper's voice filled the room and Elle groaned, unable to hide her displeasure. Why had she chosen to room with an early riser?
"Hey Elle, can I use your blow dryer again?"
Elle couldn't understand why the other woman was talking to her. Was the blanket covering her head not enough of an indicator that she didn't want to be bothered? She sighed deeply, dramatically flipping the covers away from her face and propping herself up on her elbow. Harper stood a few feet away wrapped in a big fluffy blue towel, her red waves dripping with water, "Why do you want mine? Where's yours?"
"It's uh…in use…again," Harper answered with apprehension.
"Nevada again?" Elle asked and received a nod in response. "Harper, you're killing me here. We talked about this."
"I know, I know," the redhead said. "I just don't want to deal with any drama this morning. I'll say something if it happens again, I swear."
Elle believed that she meant what she was saying. She seemed very sincere. She also knew that when the next time came, Harper would cower again.
"It's in the same bag over there," Elle pointed to the corner of the room, trying to ignore the camera that was mounted in that same corner. She couldn't imagine what those things were catching during the night. She hoped she would never know.
"Thank you," Harper's shoulders relaxed and she rushed over to get the blow dryer. "I'll bring it right back."
Elle waved a hand, flopping back down onto her pillow and pulling the covers over her head again as her roommate left, closing the door quietly behind her. She tried for 10 minutes to get back to sleep but she just couldn't get into to a proper relaxed state. She grumpily pushed her covers down, untangling the sheet from around her legs and got up. She grabbed a pair of shorts out of her bag, slipped them on, then twisted up her hair.
If she had to be up, she was going to do something useful. She was going to nip this situation with Nevada in the bud so she didn't get woken up again over a god damn blow dryer.
She walked into the hallway, trying to remember which room the offending contestant was in. She noticed a camera man following after her but she tried her best to shake off the weird feeling. It was so different from filming a normal acting job. She felt like her space was constantly being invaded. At least she wouldn't have to deal with it much longer. She walked to down the hall until she found the room marked NV & CT. The door was cracked open and she was about to enter until she heard the voices.
"Texas is the worst one. Like, you've got to be kidding me. There's no way."
"Right? He's looking for a girlfriend, not Grade A Texas Cattle."
Elle was stunned, not so much by how bitchy the comments were but more by the inaccuracy. Abigail, from Texas, was absolutely beautiful. And not fat, at least not in the world Elle was living in. Elle hated the type of girls that would resort to calling someone fat because they couldn't think of a real thing to criticize. She'd known girls like that in high school, quite a few actually. She'd probably done it herself, if she was honest. But as she'd gotten older and more mature, she'd realized how much better it is when women build each other up instead of clawing at each other for no good reason. Apparently these two had not learned that lesson.
"I bet he'll cut her tonight. Her and Colorado. I'm sure they're gone."
"As long as you and I make it to the end, I don't really care who gets cut when. We have to do whatever we can to make sure we're the final two."
"I don't think it will be that hard."
Elle rolled her eyes and knocked on the doorjamb. She wasn't interested in hearing any more of their petty gossip. She was sure they'd get to her and then she'd forget all of that 'women supporting women' stuff and go tell them everything that was wrong with them.
"Come in!"
She pushed the door open, taking a few steps into the room, the camera man went in past her, presumably so that he could get a better shot of all of them.
"Hey, Illinois, right?" Mia asked.
Elle knew that the blonde knew exactly who she was but she didn't bother calling her on it, "Yeah. I'm Elle. Nina, is it?"
"Mia," the blonde corrected, looking perturbed.
Elle smiled internally. Two could play that game. She didn't even ask Connecticut her name because she was clearly waiting for her to.
"What's up? Did you need something?" Mia asked.
"I'm glad you asked that," Elle smiled. "I just need you to stop using Harper's stuff."
"Harper?" Connecticut looked confused.
"Kentucky," Elle clarified. "She's a really sweet girl and she doesn't want to start any drama but…we've been here like five minutes and you're already messing with her? Come on."
"Why would you think I'm messing with her?" Mia asked.
Elle wasn't going to explain to Mia what she'd done. She already knew.
"You should try and get to know her," Elle continued. "She's great. You'll like her."
"Oh really?" Mia asked. "And does the same go for you? Because you didn't exactly make a great first impression at the pool party."
She was wondering if the other woman would bring that up.
"Oh I don't really care if you like me or not," Elle responded, keeping her tone cool, matter of fact. "Harper's the sweet one who doesn't want conflict. Not me."
She crossed her arms over her chest, meeting Mia's gaze, waiting for her to respond. Responses like that were a nightmare for girls like her. Mia wanted Elle to get mad and demonstrative and she wasn't going to give in.
"I just assumed we were all going to be cool about sharing," Mia shrugged. "In my sorority house, we all shared each other's things. I didn't realize it would be such a big deal."
"No one minds sharing that I'm aware of," Elle said. "But if someone asks for their property back, you give it back without any issue. Just common sense stuff, you know? Let's all pretend we're big girls for at least a few days before the shit starts, okay?"
Seth watched as the young man from the hotel kitchen wheeled another cart full of food into his room. He looked over at Dean questioningly, "Dude, how much did you order?"
"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "Three or four of everything from the breakfast menu. Something like that."
Seth shook his head. Dean found out the night before that the production company was paying for Seth and Corey's hotel rooms, including any room service they ordered. He and Renee showed up that morning as Seth was getting back from the gym demanding that he let them use his phone. Graves came a few minutes later saying that Dean had invited him.
"What? I'm hungry," Dean insisted. "And I invited a few more people so it won't go to waste."
Seth wasn't surprised. This wasn't the first time that Dean had planned some kind of get together in Seth's hotel room without his knowledge. At least this time he didn't have to pay for anything.
"So you go back to the crazy house today?" Dean asked, plopping down on the foot of the bed with a plate of eggs.
Seth nodded, looking through the spread for something he wanted. He settled on an omelette, "Tonight's the elimination thing."
"So how is that supposed to go?" Renee asked, all too happy to discuss the show.
"I'm not totally sure," Seth admitted. "I have to cut three girls, I know that much."
"You gotta cut Florida, I'm beggin' ya," Corey spoke up. "She's the absolute worst."
"She's so cute though," Renee argued.
"Try to have a conversation with her," Corey's features twisted in disgust. "I promise you'll change your mind."
Seth agreed. He wasn't looking for a Rhodes Scholar but she barely seemed to be able to answer questions about her own life. Renee had a point though, she was very cute.
"I just hope none of them cry," Seth took a bite of his food. "I don't want to make anybody cry."
"It's awfully arrogant of you to assume they'd cry over you," Dean pointed with his fork. "Very presumptuous."
"They came on a reality show to try and win my affection," Seth reminded his friend.
"Or to get on TV," Renee suggested.
"Or to disappoint their fathers," Dean added.
"Definitely that," Renee agreed.
"Probably not so much for you," Dean said.
"You might want to be a little nicer if you want to keep enjoying your free breakfast," Seth threatened.
Dean scoffed, "I'll just go to Graves' room. I don't need you."
Corey shrugged, "I'll allow it."
"I want to know more about the elimination," Renee said. "Are you giving them each something or just saying their names or what? What's the deal?"
"I think I'm supposed to give them something," Seth answered. He hadn't paid as much attention as he probably should have during the production meeting the day before.
"I hope it's a replica belt," Dean laughed. "Or a Money in the Bank briefcase."
"It's a key," Corey explained. "On a necklace."
"Awww, like a key to your heart?" Renee laughed.
"Oh God," Seth made a face. "Can we not call it that? Let's call it a key to my pants. I like that better."
"I can't wait to see the first episode," Renee said. "It airs Monday after Raw, right?"
"Yeah," Seth answered, distracted when he heard his phone going off over and over, like a bunch of texts going through. Dean grabbed it and tossed it to him. He had five messages. All from Sasha.
THE NEW DAY ARE GOING TO BE ON THE SECOND EPISODE?
I am so mad at you right now
You better get me on that show
SETH
The last text was just a gif of the time he fell coming over the barricade during the Shield days.
He shook his head, he didn't even know The New Day were doing an episode. He only knew the guests that were coming that week. He would have to try and get Sasha in so she didn't bite his head off when he saw her. He'd put a call in to one of the producers.
Elle was not going to enjoy saying goodbye to this house. It was so spacious and beautiful and there was a fully stocked refrigerator and bar. The mattresses were pillow top and the sheets were of a high thread count. It was positively heavenly. Or it would have been if it wasn't filled with 19 other women, 6 producers, and a bunch of cameras. That part she would not miss.
Loud laughter drew her out of her musing and she got back to the reason she'd come into the kitchen. Wine. She poured a glass for herself and another for Harper. A bunch of the girls were chatting in the living room while they waited for the producers to tell them to get ready for cocktail hour. Elle was fairly certain that they kept them in the dark as much as they did to keep them riled up and stir crazy.
It gave them a lot of time to get to know each other, since the only TV they had was the WWE network. She liked some of them a lot. They were sweet. They were also a gorgeous crop of people. Seth had a great pack to choose from. Elle couldn't figure out why they were trying to find a man on a reality show but to each their own. There were also some she wasn't quite as fond of, Mia being at the top of the list. She walked around the house like she owned the place and after their interaction that morning, Elle was certain that the Nevada representative was a total asshole. She must have been the 'long term villain' that the producers told her about.
"Is there half a bottle in here?" Harper laughed when Elle returned to the couch with the large balloon glasses.
"Of course there is," Elle shrugged. "Glasses this big are made so that you can say you had two glasses instead of having to say you drank a whole bottle."
"She's right about that," Jules, also known as New York, spoke up from the couch opposite them. "That's just common knowledge."
"Well I don't drink wine that much," Harper said. "Certainly not enough to need to explain putting away a whole bottle."
"I don't think I know how to drink less than a whole bottle at this point," Jules laughed, raising her own glass. "To Seth, ladies."
"To Seth," Harper and a few others raised various beverages and clinked their glasses together.
The conversation turned to the impending elimination ceremony and speculation on how it would go. A few of the girls thought they were in danger because they didn't spend much time with Seth at the pool party.
"We couldn't all drag him off to a dark corner like Illinois over there," Colorado pointed at Elle. She was smiling but Elle could see the tension behind it.
"It was broad daylight, there were no dark corners," Elle laughed. She'd heard a few others complain about her conversation with Seth at the party. They'd talked for about 15 minutes before heading back to the group. He seemed like a nice enough guy; cocky but smart and fun to talk to.
"Ladies," Mia walked into the room, trailed by Connecticut, Elle still hadn't learned her name. "I have been informed that pizzas are at the end of the drive and will be here momentarily."
There was a chorus of cheers and Abigail groaned loudly, "The last thing I need is pizza in the house. How am I supposed to impress Seth after I wolf down a whole sausage pizza?"
"I don't think you have to eat a whole one," Mia laughed.
"Honey, I don't know when to stop when it comes to two things; barbecue and pizza," Abigail said. "That's why I don't go anywhere near 'em."
Elle caught Daisy standing in the foyer, waving her hand. The producer gave her a sharp look and she frowned, confused for a moment. Then she realized what Daisy wanted her to do. She'd heard about the footage from Mia's room that morning and told her she needed to instigate something soon. Elle didn't think this was the right time. She didn't want to embarrass Abigail. She hadn't planned on bringing it up at all.
"I'm sure you'll be fine," Mia insisted. "One pizza won't hurt."
Daisy bugged her eyes out and Elle sighed, taking a big gulp of wine before putting her glass down and fixing a curious gaze on her new foe, "So is that why you said she looked like grade A Texas cattle earlier?"
Mia's mouth dropped open in surprise and Abigail's face was a twisted mixture of anger and mortification. Elle felt like such a jerk for a moment but she reminded herself that Mia was the one who made the comment. She was just calling her out on it. She didn't like watching her sit there and tell the girl to eat up when Elle heard her snickering and calling her a porker a few hours earlier.
"What did you call me?" Abigail stared.
"Why would you bring that up?" Mia questioned.
"Why would you say it in the first place?" Elle countered. "I just think we should get all of our feelings out in the open. You had a lot to say about her earlier, why not say it to her face?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Elle could see Daisy smiling and she tried not to be disappointed in how excited her friend looked. They were both there to do a job.
"Well if we're revealing secrets, then why don't we talk about your cell phone?" Connecticut piped up, standing close to Mia's side.
That didn't take long, did it?
"My what?" Elle stared at her.
"Your cell phone," Mia repeated. "The one that you have upstairs in your room, despite the fact that all of us had to give ours up when we got here."
Elle took a moment to try and decide how to play this. They'd obviously found the phone. She considered pretending it wasn't hers but then they would attack Harper and she didn't want to be responsible for that. Well, she was there to act, it was time to put on a show.
"What were you doing in our room?" Harper asked, stiffening up her posture.
Elle appreciated the help but she didn't need it and she tried to give Harper a look that conveyed that before turning back to Mia.
"You want openness and honesty, right?" Mia asked. "So explain to me why you still have your cell phone."
"Because it's mine and I didn't want to give it up," Elle shrugged. "It's not my fault none of you tried to keep yours. Maybe you should have thought of it."
"Why would you want to keep it?" Abigail asked. "It's against the rules."
"Is there someone at home that you need to keep in contact with?" Mia asked. "Perhaps a boyfriend?"
Daisy was right. This phone thing was a snowballing quickly. Her phone was password protected and her background was a picture of her niece. There was no way that they had any proof of Ethan's existence. They only had their, accurate, speculation.
"No, I don't have a boyfriend," Elle insisted. "Jesus, I kept my phone. It's not the end of the world."
"If you don't have a boyfriend, then prove it," Mia shrugged.
"Go get your phone and let us look for ourselves," Connecticut haughtily demanded.
"You bitches are crazy if you think I'm going to let you invade my privacy," Elle laughed. She wasn't about to give them her phone. She wouldn't do it even if she didn't have a boyfriend to hide. "I'm not giving you my phone. I don't even know you."
"Fine, then let someone you trust do it," Mia suggested. "How about Kentucky?"
"I've known this girl for 24 hours," Elle jerked her thumb toward Harper. "I like her, but I'm not giving her my fucking phone."
"Of course you won't," Mia scoffed, her volume growing loud. "Because you have something to hide."
Elle cast a quick glance toward Daisy who quickly slashed her hand across her throat and darted her eyes toward the stairs.
Dramatic walkout, that made sense. And Elle was great at storming off. Her father complained about it all through teenage years.
"This is ridiculous," she threw up her free hand, keeping her wine clutched in the other and standing up. "You're mad because I called you out for saying something shitty and now you want to throw petty accusations at me. I'm over this. I won't entertain it. Go find someone else to fuck with."
She brushed past her aggressors, stomping up the stairs, glad to have gotten away before they could say anything further. Once she was inside her room, she slammed the door dramatically and then rested her back against it. These few days in paradise were going to be harder than she realized.
"I have nothing to say to you."
Seth laughed, holding up his phone. He'd just finished getting ready for the elimination and he thought it would be a good time to FaceTime Sasha. She'd had hours to calm down.
"Come on Sash," he chuckled. "I don't have a say in who they picked so far. I already asked if we can have you on as soon as possible."
"You did?" Sasha narrowed her eyes.
He didn't ask but he would so he nodded, "I did. They're working on it."
"You won't be fully forgiven until it's confirmed that I'm on but I guess I can talk to you," Sasha relented. "You look good. I'm liking this suit."
"Thank you," he smiled. He knew he looked good. He pulled off a suit well.
"You know you can't just do black on black every time, though, right?" she asked. "You've gotta switch it up.
"Why?" he asked. "I look great in black on black."
"You're boring," she rolled her eyes. "We'll talk about it later. So when does everything start?"
"Like an hour," Seth looked down at his watch. He was already at the house, in a rather fancy production trailer, waiting for the go-ahead to go inside. "Look at this thing."
He turned the screen so that she could see the board on the wall. It had each woman's picture with their name, age, and state underneath.
"Okay, Wyoming is definitely lying about her age," Sasha announced. "Twenty five my ass. She's thirty if she's a day."
"Ouch," he laughed, turning the screen back around.
"It's the truth," Sasha shrugged. "So how do you decide who gets cut?"
"There's a cocktail hour and then I come back here and deliberate with the producers."
"Why do you have to deliberate with other people?" Sasha asked. "Don't you just get to pick who you want and who you don't?"
"Not exactly," Seth sighed. "I have some say but they do to. They try to keep whoever they think will make for the best show. Apparently when there's less girls it's more up to me."
"Well, it's probably for the best for now," Sasha said. "You don't always pick winners."
Elle padded up the stairs to her room, ignoring the eyes on her back. It had been a very long and awkward day and she just wanted it to be over. News about her phone had spread fast and Harper and Jules were the only girls left who didn't seem to be freezing her out. She'd tried to steer clear of everyone, cameras included. She pizza with Jules and then most of her time in her room until Jim came in to tell her to start getting ready for filming that evening. Mia and Abigail were still fighting over the 'cattle' comment and there was some kind of fight going on between the girls from Colorado and Pennsylvania so there was no shortage of drama going on.
When she entered her room, using a towel to wring out her hair, she was startled to find Daisy sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Jesus, Daisy!" she clutched her chest. "That is not cool."
"Oh calm down, it's just me," Daisy laughed. "You need to be ready to shoot in thirty."
"I know, hence my just coming back from the shower. She smirked, "What do I wear for such an occasion?"
"A dress," Daisy said. "Not white. Like five of the girls are wearing white, it's going to look like a slutty baptism. Seth will be here soon. Some of the girls are planning on cornering him and telling him you have a boyfriend."
"I apologize for thinking you were crazy with that whole 'dog on a bone' comment," Elle shook her head, opening up her suitcase to look through all of the dresses she'd brought.
"I told you," Daisy sighed. "It always happens. Someone smuggles in a phone and then everything goes to shit."
"So then why did you let me have my phone?"
"Because I thought you would at least keep it hidden," Daisy laughed.
"So what do I do?" Elle sat beside her friend. She was supposed to go home early but not this early. If the other girls went running to Seth claiming she was a liar, she assumed she would be gone in a flash. "I mean, I can deny it but it may not work."
Daisy shrugged, "Just be cool. If he pulls you aside to talk, make it clear that you're not nervous, that you have nothing to hide."
"He's totally sending me home," Elle gave her friend an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted me to stay a few more days."
"Don't be so sure," Daisy said. "Just talk to him."
Seth smiled at the women standing in front of him. They were all dressed up and, for the most part, they looked fantastic. Some of them were wearing a little too much makeup and some of them looked a little different in this light than he remembered but overall, it was a definite smoke show. He was beginning to hate this idea less.
"Ladies," Corey spoke when Jim signaled for him to start. "You all look lovely tonight."
"So do you," New York said loudly, earning herself a sharp look from Jim.
"For three of you, tonight will be the end of your time here in the house and your journey with Seth."
Seth bit the inside of his cheek from laughing. This was so dramatic.
"Before eliminations, we'll have a cocktail hour and for some of you, this will be your last chance to convince Seth that you're meant to continue on."
Seth wondered if it sounded to anyone else like Corey was telling them to pull him into a closet for a quickie.
"Enjoy the party," Corey said. "And remember to make the most of your time here."
"Perfect!" Jim clapped loudly, walking into the shot. "Okay people, we're shooting for two hours in here and then we go outside for eliminations. Amy, please make sure the ladies always have a drink in hand. I know it's a little warm in here, makeup, I need you to make sure we don't have any shiny faces. Corey, we want you mingling and talking with the girls, ask lots of questions. Got it?"
"Got it," Corey nodded. He looked over at Seth, patting him on the shoulder. "Good luck, my friend. Remember to make the most of your time here."
Seth laughed as Corey headed away.
"Seth, you're going to start over here with Madison…"
Seth tried to remember the names with the states. He was pretty sure Madison was Florida
"Kai"
Hawaii
"And Sarah."
Massachusetts? He was pretty sure it was Massachusetts. He seemed to remember her having a New England accent.
He walked over to the group of eager, smiling women, "Ladies, how are we doing? How's the house treatin' you?"
"It's interesting, that's for sure," Kai smiled. She had been the first girl Seth met. She was striking with long, curly black hair and honey colored, almond shaped eyes. She was wearing a skin tight strapless white dress that contrasted sharply with her smooth, olive skin.
"Good interesting or bad interesting?" he laughed.
"Both," Florida giggled. "But we're just glad we finally get to see you again."
She wrapped her arm around his and he was surprised by how tightly she gripped it.
"Well I'm glad to see you too," he responded.
"Excuse me," Seth turned, with Madison still attached to his arm, and saw Connecticut. They should really have to wear name tags if he was eventually supposed to learn their names.
She smiled, "I'm sorry to interrupt but I just really want to talk to you about something and I don't think it should wait."
"He's talking to us right now," Madison chirped.
"Can you just wait on the drama for like five minutes?" Kai asked.
"Drama?" Seth looked between the two of them.
"This will be quick," Connecticut insisted. "I just need to talk to you in private."
"O..kay," he said, untangling his arm from Madison's. Connecticut led him through the groups of women and staff to the doors leading to the pool area. They walked just outside the doors with a cameraman right at their heels.
Seth closed the doors behind them and turned to her, "Is everything okay…?"
She seemed to see that he was searching for her name so she spoke, "Emily."
"Right," he snapped his fingers. "Is everything okay?"
"I just need to talk to you about Elle," the young woman explained.
"What about her?" Seth asked, hoping and praying it wasn't that she was a psycho. He really, really didn't want her to be crazy.
"She kept her cell phone," Emily answered, clearly upset. For a moment Seth had absolutely no clue why that mattered and then he remembered Jim telling him that the girls had no access to their phones. He didn't get why but it was a thing.
"Okay," he said, not seeing the big deal. It was against the rules, he guessed, but it couldn't hurt anyone.
"All of the rest of us gave ours up," Emily continued. "Those are the rules. But she didn't. I think there's a reason for that."
"And I assume you're going to share this reason with me."
"She has a boyfriend," Emily declared. "Mia and I confronted her about it. We told her we'd let it go if she let us look through her phone and she wouldn't. She called us crazy bitches and stormed off like a child."
Seth winced, "Well…calling you names isn't great but…don't you think it's a little weird that you ganged up on her and demanded to see her phone?"
She looked offended at his suggestion, "I am just trying to make sure that everyone is here for the right reasons. I'm trying to look out for your best interest.
"And I appreciate that," he smiled, reaching out and touching her hand. "I just don't want you guys attacking each other. She shouldn't have called you what she did but her wanting to have her privacy doesn't automatically mean she's lying."
"She's hiding something," Emily insisted. "I can feel it."
"Listen," he took her hand in his, looking her in the eye. He needed her to bring it down. "Thank you for bringing this up to me and for feeling so passionately about all of this. Just…maybe try and focus more on what you're here for and don't worry so much about why someone else is here. It'll all work itself out, I promise."
He smiled at her and he could see her melting. Her shoulders relaxed and her cheeks flushed.
"You're right," she smiled. "I'm here for you."
"That's what I want to hear," he smiled. "Come on, let's go back inside and enjoy the party."
He led her back inside and was immediately caught by Sarah and Madison again.
An hour into the party, no less than 4 other women had approached him with the intent of dropping the bomb about Elle having her cell phone. At one point, even Corey came to tell him he was sick of hearing about it. The only woman who didn't seem intent on talking his ear off was Elle. He hadn't spoken to her at all, he'd barely even seen her and she was difficult to miss. He scanned the crowd while one of the production assistants was making some adjustment to his mic pack. He found her quickly, standing with Kentucky and Texas. He noticed that she wasn't really talking, just listening as the other two women talked animatedly on either side of her. She occasionally took a very small sip from the drink in her hand, her eyes occasionally scanning the room. She looked amazing in a dark red dress that was cut low in front and hugged her tightly down to her knees. Her dark hair was all pulled away from her face in a ponytail and her lips were the same color red as her dress. As she was looking around again, she caught him staring and gave him a small smile. Then Kentucky seemed to ask her a question and she returned her attention to her roommate. Once the assistant told him he was good to go he headed for her. He took a long route so that he was able to come up behind her instead of barging through the other girls.
He softly touched her arm and she turned, smiling up at him, "Hey, fancy meeting you here."
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, offering her his arm. She looped her arm through his, allowing him to lead her away from the group, toward the doors he'd gone through earlier with Emily. He noticed once again how good she smelled. It was something light but very enticing.
They walked quietly together and Seth found himself leading her to the chairs they sat in during the pool party. She smoothed her dress when he sat and he smiled at her, "You look beautiful tonight."
"Just tonight?" she teased. "You look good too. I like the suit on you."
"I figured you'd like it," he smirked. "My name isn't anywhere on it."
"That must be what it is," she smirked.
"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something that a couple of the girls have brought up," he began.
"I think I have a pretty good idea of what it is," she winced.
"Do you want to tell me what's going on then?"
She sighed, "I managed to stow my phone away. One of the girls found it and now it's become this huge thing. I never meant for it to be such a big deal."
"Why did you keep it?" he asked. Jim had told him to make sure to ask that.
"Because it felt weird giving it up," she admitted. "It's…kind of scary being sequestered away in this house with no TV, no phone, no communication with the outside world."
"This whole thing is pretty weird, to be honest," Seth chuckled. "I get it. I wouldn't like being in your position either. It's just…these are the rules and we have to go by them, you know?"
"I know," she nodded, looking down at the arm of her chair. She turned her eyes back up to him, "I'm sorry."
"You don't need to be," he assured her. "You think you can give the phone up now…for me?"
"For Seth Freakin' Rollins?" she smirked. She playfully rolled her eyes, "I guess I could do that."
He laughed, standing up and holding out his hand. She took it, standing with him.
"That's what I wanted to hear," he wrapped his hand around her smaller one and started walking back toward the pool doors.
"That's it?" she asked. "You don't want me to go unlock it for you so you can look through everything on it?"
"I heard about that," he said. "And they shouldn't have confronted you that way but…could you maybe try not to call any of the other girls crazy bitches?"
"I will try my best," she squeezed his hand. "It's just been an intense couple of days."
"I'm sure it has," he laughed. "Hopefully you're willing to stick it out a little longer."
"I am," she smiled. "And thank you, for talking to me instead of just assuming the worst."
"I want to do all of this right," he assured her. "And if the tables were turned, I'd want you to talk to me first."
"I can assure you, if you do something questionable, I'll come talk to you," she smiled.
He laughed, holding the door open for her, "Deal."
Elle was glad to be in the back row for eliminations. Florida was in front of her and she was so short that Elle was able to take off her heels and still be seen over the other girl's head. They were supposed to be starting soon but Jim was freaking out about something with the lighting and then Texas had insisted that her hair needed to be fixed, then all of the other girls wanted touch ups and next thing Elle knew, they'd been delayed 40 minutes. Now, Corey was standing with Seth and a small table that had a jewelry bar with necklaces hanging from it.
"Elle, put your shoes back on," Jim instructed. "We're rolling in 10."
Elle rolled her eyes but stepped back into the shoes, crossing her arms in protest. Jim bugged her to no end.
"Thank you," he said, dripping with snark, and she gave him a sweet smile in return.
"Ladies," Corey began. "Seth will call you up one by one. If your name is not called, then unfortunately, your time in the house is over and I have to ask you to say your goodbyes. Best of luck to all of you."
Some of them were practically shivering with excitement. Kentucky was beside Elle looking incredibly nervous. Elle nudged the redhead with her elbow and gave her a smile, mouthing It's okay. You're good.
Kentucky smiled, though she looked unconvinced. If either of them was going home, it was Elle. Her phone had been the talk of the cocktail party. She knew the girls had been bursting at the seams to tell Seth about her. It would've been upsetting if she wasn't there as a favor to Daisy. As it stood, it was pretty much all true. Still, she was fairly certain that after all the drama it had caused, Seth was going to cut her loose. Which was fine, she'd gotten paid for a few days at least.
"I just want to say that I don't want to hurt any of you and if I don't call your name, I'm sorry. It just means that I didn't get enough time with you," Seth said.
Elle was impressed with his ability to come across as so sweet and boyish sometimes and so cocky and macho at others. She was sure it made him good at his job.
He called Kai first, which was no surprise.
Mia was next and Elle didn't even bother to hide her eye roll. It would probably make for a good shot anyway.
"Harper," he smiled at Kentucky and Elle smiled happily. As he continued, the girls who hadn't been called seemed to be getting more and more tense. Connecticut was shooting daggers Elle's way as if this was somehow her fault. When Abigail was called, Elle made sure to look right at Mia.
"Ladies, we only have two necklaces left," Corey announced as if they weren't all well aware of that fact. Elle looked around for Daisy but she didn't see her friend anywhere.
"Emily."
Emily practically skipped up to Seth. He smiled at her, fastening the necklace around her neck, "I'm glad you care so much just remember what I said earlier. You don't have to worry about anyone but yourself."
"I know," Emily nodded before happily walking back to the front line.
Elle finally caught sight of Daisy and wasn't looking when Seth spoke again.
"Elle."
Elle snapped her head forward, confused, "Me?"
"Yeah, you," Seth laughed, pointing at her and beckoning her forward. Jules moved aside so that Elle could walk over to him.
He reached for her hand and she gave it to him, figuring he was just going to single her out when he sent her home. She'd seen that done before when someone caused a big stir.
"There are rumors spread about me every day," Seth said. "And I'm not exactly known for playing by the rules. So I think I have a pretty good idea of how you're feeling right now."
He couldn't possibly but it wasn't necessary to say that out loud.
"I'm choosing to trust you, and I hope you learn to trust me too," he smiled, picking up the last necklace. "Will you stay in the house?"
Elle could hear whispering behind her and put on a big smile, nodding, "Of course."
For one more episode, sure, why not?
The chain was long enough for him to slip the necklace over her head and when he did his fingers brushed the side of her neck. They were warm and a little rough and she found herself suddenly aware of how close he was to her. She took a small step back, "Thank you."
"Thank you," he smirked and Elle took a deep breath, turning and heading back to the line. Colorado, Massachusetts, and Wyoming were going home. After everyone said their goodbyes, they all had to stay around and film individual reactions to the elimination ceremony. Elle could hear Mia talking about how she didn't understand Seth keeping her. She was going to have a hard time doing what Seth asked and not calling her a bitch again before she went home.
Daisy came over and grabbed her hand, "You were great. You looked so surprised."
"I was surprised," Elle laughed. "These girls think I'm the devil because of my phone and they couldn't stop talking about it."
"You are going to have to give me your phone," Daisy explained.
"I thought that might happen," Elle pouted. "I guess I can go a couple days without it. The next elimination is Friday, right?"
An odd look flashed across Daisy's face but it was gone before Elle could really decipher it.
"Yes, next elimination is Friday," Daisy answered. "Everything we've shot so far is being edited into a special that will air on Friday. Then, what we tape Thursday and Friday will be the first official episode that goes up on Monday night. Their editors are insanely good. I want to steal them but they already warned us not to try."
"I can make it to Friday phoneless," Elle said.
"I bet you can," Daisy smirked.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh don't think I haven't seen you flirting your ass off with Seth."
"I'm supposed to flirt, Daisy. That's why you brought me here," Elle reminded her.
"I know," Daisy smiled. "It just seems like it's coming very naturally for you."