Soooooooo sorry for the long wait. Got a promotion. Work has been CRAZY. I hope you enjoy the chapters. Let me know what you think!
Monday…
"This must be what hell is like."
Sheamus and Cesaro cackled obnoxiously from the front seat of their rented Ford Escape.
"I hate both of you," Seth declared from the backseat, crossing his arms over his chest. The tag team champions were driving him absolutely insane singing the terrible song the girls wrote for him on the Jericho episode. After it aired on the network, he could not seem to get away from that damn song.
"This is what you signed up for," Cesaro reminded him with a good natured smile. "You can't get mad."
"Yeah, we didn't make ya decide to be the Bachelor," Sheamus chuckled.
"I'm not The Bachelor," Seth rolled his eyes. He felt like he'd uttered that phrase a thousand times in the last month.
"Same thing," the Irishman shrugged.
Seth knew there was no point in arguing. Instead, he picked up his phone to distract himself. They were almost at the hotel and then he wouldn't have to deal with any more ridicule from his friends.
He opened the Instagram app and, of course, the first thing that popped up in his feed was from the show's account. It was a boomerang photo of Elle, Kai, and Jules. They were sitting at the edge of the pool in matching neon bikinis, flipping their wet hair in unison. Each one of them looked fantastic.
He couldn't believe it but he was actually looking forward to getting back to the house on Tuesday. He had to leave right after elimination the week before and he barely had time for it to sink in that Elle had chosen to stay. For a moment, when he called her up, he'd been convinced that she was going to go home; that somehow he'd been reading everything wrong and she was ready to leave. Instead, she surprised him and accepted the necklace. That meant she was agreeing to his terms. She was there for real.
Her decision gave him a sizable ego boost. There were few things he loved more than being proven right.
"Home, sweet home," Sheamus announced as he pulled the truck into the hotel lot.
"For the next 8 hours," Cesaro laughed.
Cesaro clapped obnoxiously as Sheamus and Seth unloaded their bags from the car. He was always complaining that Seth was too slow. Seth didn't believe he deserved scorn just because he didn't drink so much coffee that he couldn't stop moving every moment of every day.
Once everything was unloaded, they headed into the lobby and Cesaro rushed to the desk to be the first one to check in with the lone woman working the desk. Sometimes he could be a real asshole.
Sheamus was busy playing Temple Run on his phone and Seth knew there was no tearing him away once he started. He looked down at his own phone again until the screen was blocked by an unfamiliar hand. He looked up, annoyed until he found a gorgeous blonde looking up at him.
"Hotel food sucks."
Sasha rolled her eyes when Alexa Bliss dropped her fork onto the plate in front of her, her sharp features twisted into a frown. She wasn't exactly wrong, some hotels didn't excel in the culinary department but it had been a long drive and Sasha didn't want to deal with a Bliss-fit.
"She's right, this is especially terrible," Bayley grimaced.
"No one told you to get meatloaf," Sasha chastised her friend. She was perfectly happy with her sandwich and fries. They were hard to screw up. "Meatloaf, by definition, is terrible."
"I think we should just get to go boxes for this garbage and head upstairs to watch the show," Nia Jax declared from her seat beside Alexa. They'd made a habit of watching new episodes of Seth's show together and they were all anxious to watch the most recent one. They'd all heard it was hilarious.
"I think that is a fantastic idea," Bayley agreed. "I can't wait to see what the challenge with Jericho is. It's gotta be something musical."
"If the songs are anything like that horrendous poem, I'm ready to download them immediately," Nia laughed. "Plus, I bet my girl Elle will kill it. She said she's done musical theater."
Sasha agreed that Elle would likely do great in a musical challenge. She also knew first hand that even if she didn't, Seth would keep her around anyway. He liked the young actress. He got all moony eyed whenever he talked about her. Sasha was pleased when The New Day had nothing but great things to say about her, and most of the girls with the exception of Mia and her minions.
"I don't think it matters what the challenge is, if Seth has half a brain, he'll pick Elle no matter what," Alexa declared.
"I would've assumed you were Team Mia," Sasha smirked.
"Why? Because she's blonde and bitchy?" Alexa raised an eyebrow.
Sasha shrugged, "Pretty much."
"Well I am Team Harper," Bayley announced, as though they didn't already know of her fondness for the redhead.
Nia rolled her eyes, "We know. You like the nice one. Try to be less predictable, girl."
Their conversation continued and Sasha flagged the waiter for their check but he seemed too busy to bring it to them at the moment. Sasha heard the sound of someone clearing her throat unusually close behind her and she turned to see a man in a dark suit standing behind her chair with a glass of what smelled like scotch. He grinned when she turned and Sasha struggled not to roll her eyes. He didn't strike her as a fan and there couldn't be too many reasons for him to wander up to their table.
"Hi," she sighed, waiting for him to explain his presence.
"I couldn't help but notice such a gorgeous group of women," he said. He was attempting a smoldering eye look but it came across as though he left his glasses wherever he came from. Of course he noticed them, it's not like Sasha's magenta colored hair was hard to miss.
The man placed his hand on Sasha's shoulder, "May I buy you a drink, maybe get to know you a little?"
"Honey, no," Sasha shook her head. "I'm married."
She would have said no even if she wasn't but she didn't need to tell him that.
He turned his eyes to Alexa, his smile spreading wider, "Would you maybe be up for a drink and some conversation?"
"Are you kidding me?" Alexa glared. "I literally just watched you ask someone else first. Is this a joke?"
"You should really walk away," Nia advised when he dared to look at her. "There's no way this gets better for you but it could definitely get worse."
Bayley nodded in agreement and the dejected man rolled his eyes and turned to walk away. He muttered something but Sasha chose to ignore it. She was tired and couldn't be bothered to care about his sour grapes.
"Is that Seth?" Nia pointed in the direction the man had gone and Sasha turned, looking out into the lobby. Seth was standing in line at the front desk, talking to a cute blonde. Cute by Seth's standards, not Sasha's.
"Who's that girl?" Bayley asked.
"Who knows," Sasha sighed, tossing her napkin onto the table as she got up. Of course, she couldn't just get her check and go watch her show. Now she had to keep Seth from being..Seth.
"Do you want backup?" Nia questioned.
Sasha shook her head, passing the guy they'd turned down as she headed out the door. She sauntered over to Seth and the blonde, crossing her arms and putting on her fiercest expression. She stopped beside Seth, her gaze fixed on the woman, "Would you excuse us please? I need to talk to him."
"Sure, I can wait," the stranger agreed.
"That won't be necessary," Sasha's tone was clipped and she used her eyebrows to convey her point.
The other woman looked annoyed but Seth didn't attempt to help her out so she seemed to get the hint.
"I'm sorry," he finally spoke when the blonde stared at him. "Maybe some other time."
"Probably not," Sasha interjected.
"Was that really necessary?" Seth asked once the outsider was gone.
"Yes, stupid, it was," she answered, roughly pushing his shoulder.
"She was just a fan," he insisted.
"Oh I'm sure I can guess what she's a fan of," Sasha shook her head. "Listen, I did you a favor. We both know you don't have a lot of will power."
"I don't need to have willpower," he laughed. "I'm a single man."
"Who is currently starring on a dating show," she reminded him. "I can't believe I have to remind you of this but it wouldn't look very good for a story to come out about you getting caught hooking up with some rando. Are you trying to jeopardize my dream guest appearance? Do you understand how invested everyone is in this thing?"
"By everyone, do you mean you?" Seth smirked.
"Of course I mean me," she confirmed. "I still haven't even heard when I'm going to be on and you swore you would make sure it happens."
"And I'm working on it."
"Oh yeah, you seem to be working really hard on it," she crossed her arms. "Isn't dating a house full of girls enough for you?"
"I'm not dating all of them Sash," he laughed. "I've still barely talked to some of them."
"And whose fault is that?"
"Uh oh, what did you do to Sasha?" Cesaro came over, putting his arm over her shoulders. "She only looks at you like that when you do something stupid."
"She looks at me like that all the time," Sheamus laughed.
"Only because you give me so many reasons to," she reached up, patting the Irishman on the cheek. "Now come on. You can help us finish this terrible food."
She turned, certain that they would follow her.
"You really know how to entice a man, Sash," Sheamus trailed behind.
"I know you don't turn down food," she tossed back at him, leading him to the table.
"Well look what the cat dragged in," Nia flashed her gorgeous smile and scooted over so they could add chairs.
"Oh good, Seth's here," Alexa reached back and pulled a chair from another table, setting it next to her. "I have a lot of things to talk to you about. Nia and I want to be on your show."
Elle looked around the yard, counting to make sure she had the right number of sleeping bags. A bunch of the girls were feeling homesick and she'd come up with the bright idea to go camping in the yard. They were all getting stir crazy. Elle was amazed that she'd managed to hold on to her sanity. There always seemed to be a line for everything. It was like being in the world's worst nightclub.
She convinced Jim to let her start the fire herself while he set up the sleeping bags and camping chairs and soon Jules, Harper, Kai and Kayla had joined her outside. In her normal life, on a Monday night, she'd be scouring casting notices like a mad woman or running around the restaurant, trying to take every table she could so she could rack up on tips. Instead, she was throwing a party in the backyard of a beautiful mansion with her strange group of new friends and acquaintances. They were literally sitting around braiding each other's hair, half of them buzzed after Jules made them play a Michael Cole drinking game when they watched an old episode of Raw on the network.
"So what do we think the next challenge is gonna be?" Kayla asked.
"I don't know but I'm hoping it's puzzles or something I know I can beat you bitches at," Jules teased.
"Rude," Elle laughed, shooting her a look.
"Who do you think the guest will be?" Harper asked.
"I hope it's AJ Styles," Kayla admitted.
A few of the girls gave her a questioning look and she shrugged, "I just want to know what his hair smells like. And what conditioner he uses."
More names were tossed around but Elle couldn't focus on special guests. She wasn't especially concerned with who she got to meet. She was, however, having conflicting feelings about Seth's impending arrival. She was both excited and anxious to see him. There was still some part of her that wondered if she'd made the right decision to stay. She wasn't used to competing for a man's attention. That didn't mean that she considered herself so irresistible that no man around her was safe. She had never felt the drive to compete. There were millions of men on Earth. She didn't see the point of fighting over one but when Seth looked her in the eye and asked her to stay that night, 'yes' felt like the right answer. He intrigued her and she wasn't ready to step away. She just wasn't sure how ready she would be for what was to come.
"This was a great idea," Harper said, holding up a compact mirror and admiring the set of French braids Elle was in the process of weaving with her copper locks.
"Yeah, we all need a night to relax before we're at each other's throats again tomorrow," Kai smirked, drinking from a bottle of water. Kai was actually pretty consistently above the fray. She occasionally butted heads with Emily but she always walked away . Stupid, beautiful Kai and her cool head.
"I can't wait to see Seth," Harper grinned. "You know, when I signed up for this, I didn't think there was any way I would make it this far but I think I may actually be making a connection with him. This is going a lot better than I expected."
"I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into," Jules laughed. "But I got to meet Enzo so whatever happens, it was worth it."
Elle looked around for the band to tie off Harper's second braid and her eye's wandered into the house once she found it. Abigail stood in the kitchen with Mia, Alice, and Emily. It was still a strange sight to see the Texan palling around with the house's resident crew of witches. Elle had been so out of sorts leading up to their last elimination that she didn't even notice how distant Abigail was acting until after it was over. She was surprised when Harper told her what happened on the group date. She tried to talk to the other woman about it but Abigail was avoiding her like the plague. Elle felt guilty at first but when she started hanging out with the girl that called her a cow, Elle decided she wouldn't devote too much energy to it. She was disappointed but she wasn't going to cry over it.
Jim was in the kitchen as well and Elle smiled when she saw the producer coming out with the tray of wine slushies they'd requested. He seemed to truly hate fulfilling her requests which just made it more fun for her to ask.
"Finally," Kayla grinned, standing up to meet him and take the tray. "These look delicious."
Jules laughed, getting up and getting slushies for herself, Harper, and Elle, "This is the most basic bitch, Pinterest camping party ever and I am so here for it."
Elle laughed, accepting her drink, "Everyone has a little basic in them, whether they admit it or not."
The Next Morning…
In quite possibly the most intrusive thing that had ever happened to her, Elle was startled out of her sleep by the sound of a bullhorn siren. She shot up in bed, mind racing as it tried to figure out what the hell was happening. Were they at war? Was there an Earthquake coming? There was music playing, something about getting hype or staying hype. Her brain struggled to sort out all of the terrible sounds. She pushed up her sleep mask and found Harper looking equally startled, her hand pressed against her chest. The music just grew louder, as did the siren and Elle could feel a venomous anger beginning to course through her veins.
"What the fuck is happening?" she yelled up at the camera mounted in the corner of the room. She knew no one would answer but she didn't care. It needed to be on record that she was pissed.
The door to their bedroom burst open, smacking against the wall and Jules stood at the door, jumping up and down with her dark eyes popping out of her head.
"What's going on?" Harper yelled, cringing at the rising noise level.
"Get up, bitches!" Jules grinned. "It's challenge day!"
Jules was still jumping like a maniac and then a gigantic man appeared behind her, bouncing like Tigger. It took a moment for Elle to recognize Mojo Rawley through her tired rage. His offensively bright 'Bro Me' shirt and Zubaz were what gave him away since he was jumping so high she could barely see his face.
"GOOD MORNING, LADIES!" he came into the room, yelling through the bullhorn. "We need everybody dressed and down on the lawn in 10 minutes!"
He yelled something else on the way out but she couldn't make it out. Elle felt like she'd just been swept up in an audio tornado. She looked over at Harper again and found the redhead rubbing her ears.
"I think I hate him," Elle attempted to run a hand through her tangled hair.
"That doesn't surprise me," Harper drawled, throwing off her covers. "Come on, grouchy pants. You heard the man, we've only got 10 minutes."
"This is bullshit," Elle grumbled, following her friend out into the hall. The music was still blasting and there were half dressed women running through the halls like some kind of strange music video. Emily came barreling toward them and smashed into Harper's shoulder, nearly knocking her over. Elle rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak.
"Watch where you're going, you psycho!" Harper yelled after the blonde.
Elle 's jaw dropped and she could not even begin to contain the joy she got from the startled look on Emily's face
"I have never been more proud of another human being," Elle grinned.
Harper laughed, gently pushing Elle ahead, toward the Glam Room, "Hurry up and get ready."
"How does it feel to know you're gonna be responsible for these girls tearing each other apart today?"
Seth considered Corey's question for a moment before shrugging, "I'm okay with it."
He was excited for the challenge. It had everything he could want. Gorgeous women in skimpy outfits and football. If he couldn't enjoy this part of the show then what was he even there for?
Sasha was going to have his head when she found out that Mojo and Zack were guests before her. He barely even liked either of them but the WWE and the producers were in charge of picking the guests. He'd been assured that there was a plan in place for his friend to appear on the show. He just didn't know when.
The women started filing out onto the lawn and Zack nudged Seth with a grin, "How did you swing this, bro?"
"I didn't even want to do it," Seth admitted.
"I'll take your place any time," Zack laughed. "Right now if you want."
The 10 minute mark had passed and Seth counted two women still missing. He saw Jim go stalking off toward the house. Before he got there, Harper and Elle came out the door. Harper looked apologetic while Elle's visage was one of pure irritation. He was quickly learning that she was not a morning person.
"Thanks for finally deciding to join us, ladies," Mojo called to them.
"It took you girls 14 minutes," Zack added.
Elle cocked her head and raised her eyebrows, ready to respond, but Harper jumped in front of her with a sweet smile, "We're so sorry. Won't happen again."
They joined the rest of the group and when Elle's eyes met his, he smiled and winked. She rolled her eyes but he saw the corner of her mouth tick upward. He didn't realize just how much he'd been itching to see her until she was standing 20 feet in front of him.
"Ladies, welcome to your next challenge," Corey smiled and most of the girls cheered. "I trust that you recognize our guests, Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder."
"It's come to my attention that we have a pretty competitive group of women here," Seth smirked. "And I know that there's been some tension in the house so I brought along my friends, the Hype Bros to help everyone channel that energy into a friendly game of football."
Jules clapped her hands together eagerly.
"Mojo and Zack will serve as your coaches. They'll select two team captains who will then choose their teams playground style," Corey explained. He pointed to a table overflowing with neon pink and yellow gear provided by Tapout and informing the girls that they would find their uniforms there. "You'll play four quarters and the MVP, selected by your coaches will win the first solo date with Seth."
"Does anyone have any questions?" Seth asked.
"I look terrible in neons," Mia raised her hands. "Are there any other color options?"
"I'm afraid not," Corey answered quickly. "But I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work. Gentlemen, you flipped a coin earlier and Mojo won so you'll be the first to select your captain."
"Well, since I had 14 minutes to think about it, my decision is simple," Mojo said. "I'm gonna go with the most hype girl I met in the house this morning, the lovely Jules."
"YES!" Jules pumped her fists in the air and ran toward Mojo who chest bumped her and had to reach out to keep her from falling.
"I'm gonna go with Kai," Zack smiled and received a much calmer response when the Hawaiian walked over and gave him a high five.
The captains did the rest of the selections and it was no surprise to see Jules select Elle and Harper. Jim stepped in for a moment, claiming to be fixing Kai's microphone but Seth could see him whispering to her and pointing to the girls who hadn't been chosen. Immediately after, Kai selected Emily and then Mia.
Seth wished them luck and then Corey instructed them to grab their gear from the table. Jules' team would be in pink and Kai's in yellow.
Seth turned to Corey, "Do you get the feeling that Jules gets more excited for the guests than she does for me?"
"Absolutely," Corey laughed. "I thought she was gonna faint when she saw Enzo. She's obviously a terrible judge of character."
"You do remember that she's here to date me, right?" Seth arched a brow.
"I do," Corey smirked. "I think Elle's the one who's got it right today. She's excited to see Mojo as I am."
"Come on now, Graves, you know you love your boy," Mojo came over, reaching out to muss Corey's hair. The announcer ducked and gave him murderous glare.
"That is a great group of girls," Zack marveled, watching as they headed inside. "My captain is one of the hottest girls I've ever seen. What is she even doing here?"
"Thanks man," Seth rolled his eyes.
"And that's how you decided who to pick?" Corey asked.
"That's why your team is gonna lose," Mojo pointed. "You're not focused on the game. I got the most hype captain. Plus, I got that girl that wants to punch me in the face. She's clearly got a lot of aggression to work through."
Seth laughed at Mojo's astute observation. He hoped that Mojo's instincts were right. He wanted Elle to win that date.
"Okay this thing is like 2 sizes too small," Elle grimaced, forcing her breasts into the hot pink and black sports bra.
"Mine too," Harper frowned and a few of the other girls piped up in agreement.
"Sorry girls, men watch the show too," Producer Amy shrugged. "You've got 30 minutes."
"That explains these," Jules held up a pair of the tiny shorts they were given. "I have serious concerns about the feminism of all of the women that work on this show."
"I'm pretty sure anyone watching the show has concerns about our feminism," Elle pointed out. They weren't exactly pillars of the movement in their current situation. The rest of their outfits consisted of Tapout crop tops and elbow and knee pads. Mia had rounded up Kai's team on one side of the glam room. They were coating themselves in body bronzer, adding to their makeup, and primping their hair.
Once Jules caught sight of their actions, she went through some of the stations, grabbing a few pots of black gel eyeliner. She tossed one to Elle and another to Kayla, "We are not about to play this like it's a princess party. I want black strips under everyone's eyes, hair in braids. Now."
"Yes ma'am," Elle saluted, setting about helping the rest of her team get ready. Once their half hour was up, they had to take a bus to the field where their game would take place.
Elle was delighted to see that Daisy would be traveling with them. She took a seat beside her friend in the very last row, "Hey there. I figured you'd be at the field already."
"We got everything all set up before we woke you guys up this morning," Daisy explained. "There's really nothing for us to do until you're there. Besides, I wanted to get a few minutes to talk to you without your mic on."
"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, everything is fine," Daisy assured her. "Although I do need you and Seth to stop talking about your…situation with Ethan so openly. You do remember that there are cameras all over that house, right?"
"Well you need to tell Seth that because he was the last one to bring it up," Elle insisted.
"I already have talked to him," Daisy said. "He didn't seem to be listening."
"Not surprised," Elle scoffed. "He doesn't seem like the type to listen when he's not hearing what he wants. Honestly, I completely forgot about the wall camera in my room when he came up after the last challenge. He's...distracting."
Daisy's lips spread into a wicked smile, "I knew from the beginning that you liked him. I knew it."
"Okay, relax," Elle waved her away. "There's no need to get all excited."
"I disagree," Daisy shrugged. "Still, you need to be careful. You're lucky our EP likes you and he made sure to have the editors cut around the Ethan talk and keep in all the good stuff. He also agreed to look past your breaking the rules again."
"What did I do now?"
"DM'ing Ethan?" Daisy raised an eyebrow.
"Did you log in to my Instagram again?" Elle questioned, slightly annoyed. The invasions of privacy were getting out of hand.
A loud laugh interrupted their conversation and Elle rolled her eyes when she realized it was coming from Abigail and her new best friends.
"So what happened with you guys?" Daisy looked concerned. "I thought you were getting along really well."
"Didn't you just remind me that there are cameras all over the house?" she questioned. "Don't you already know what happened?"
"I know that it seems like she got jealous of you and Seth," Daisy looked disappointed.
"There's nothing to be jealous of," Elle shrugged. "I'm in the same position as all of these girls which is still making me question my sanity, by the way."
"You and I both know that you're not in exactly the same position," Daisy spoke quietly. "No one else has had a secret late night conversation with Seth when all the cameras were gone."
"We didn't set that up, it just happened," Elle reminded her friend. "Anyway, Abigail has chosen a new team and there's nothing I can do about that. I guess she was more upset about me not taking her on the winery date than I realized."
"You know that was the right move," Daisy insisted. "Seth loved that you picked Mia and you had a great time."
"Yeah and then he kissed Mia," Elle rolled her eyes. "That was definitely a great choice that you forced me to make."
"Okay, the kiss thing wasn't great but it didn't happen again so that's a good sign," Daisy smiled. "
"That is deeply comforting, thank you," Elle's tone was dry as she tried to adjust her ridiculously tight top.
"Listen, since the two of you are on opposite teams today, this is a great opportunity for you to play up the drama," Daisy said. "Really go after Mia."
"Excuse me? What exactly are you suggesting?"
"Oh come on, you haven't been thinking all morning about how you actually get a chance to get your hands on Mia?"
"I can't stand her but I still have to live with that harpy," Elle laughed. "I'm not just gonna haul off and punch her."
"Just think about it," Daisy said. "It would get us great ratings."
Elle narrowed her eyes, watching as her friend pulled out her phone and started typing a message. She was beginning to dislike Work Daisy.
"COME ON!"
Seth cringed as Mojo screamed at his team. Jules and Kai were both serving as terrible quarterbacks and the defense wasn't much better. They were passionate but inaccurate. Emily had just scored a touchdown, running right past Elle, who was the only one on her team guarding the end zone. After each score, there was a time out and Seth couldn't hear what Mojo was saying but he was gesturing wildly, his face growing more red by the moment. The pink team was down 2 scores. Most of the girls looked frustrated. They were breathing hard and sweating. Jules looked ready to chew through metal. Elle looked annoyed. Every time Mojo spoke in her direction, she seemed to be biting back a snarky comment.
"Hey 32!" He called out the number on the back of her skimpy shirt. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"She's busy right now!" Mojo shouted.
Elle rolled her eyes, walking past her coach and standing beside Seth. She had a smudge of dirt on her cheek and he was tempted to wipe it away.
"You enjoying the game?" she asked, crossing her arms and creating perhaps the most enticing image he'd ever seen.
"More than you are, obviously," he smirked. "What are you even doing out there?"
"Football. What does it look like I'm doing?" she glared at him. She jerked her thumb toward the field, "You want to throw on a sports bra and come join us?"
"Believe me, I'm not fitting into those little shorts," he smirked at the intrigued look that flashed across her face at his response. "But you look amazing in them."
"I do what I can," she shrugged, shifting her weight to one foot. "Did you just call me over here to get a better look?"
"That was just a bonus," he smirked. "I called you over here to ask why you're sucking so much."
The cocky smirk on her face fell and she slapped him on the arm, "Screw you, Rollins. I do not suck."
"You let Emily score that touchdown," he shrugged. "She skated right past you. I expected better from a fellow Midwesterner."
"She got around me, even the most wretched people are capable of occasional successes," she shrugged.
"I don't think that's why she scored on you," Seth shook his head, meeting her eyes. "I think you're scared to win."
"What are you talking about?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.
"I'm talking about you being afraid to go on a real date with me," he answered, leaning closer to her.
She leaned in as well, speaking just above a whisper, "Real dates don't involve cameras. And you can't call me scared anymore. I took the necklace. I told you I'm in."
"I know and I'm happy about that. Trust me," he said. "But I can call you scared when you're not playing to win."
He knew that he was right by the way she subtly bit the inside of her cheek. She was tapping her fingers on her arms, her brown eyes fixed on his.
"You were ready to kick my ass at the winery when I said cheerleading wasn't a sport. Now I give you something athletic to do and you're pussy footin' around,"
"You don't know what you're talking about," she returned.
"Then prove me wrong," he shrugged. "All you have to do is win."
"Fine, then I will," she snipped.
"Fine, then I'll see you on a date tonight, sweetheart," he smiled.
"You will," she turned to walk away. She quickly turned back, pointing at him, "Don't call me sweetheart."
He put up his hands, "Won't happen again."
He hoped she followed through on her promise because he couldn't wait to rub in her face how easily he'd just played her.
He didn't miss the extra sway in her walk when she left. She knew he was looking and he couldn't even attempt to look away. When she reached her team, she whispered something to Jules and the other woman smiled and nodded. Mojo didn't have time to ask what was going on as the girls were called back out onto the field. On the next play, instead of another abysmal pass, Jules handed the ball off to Elle. Mojo was in an absolute panic, shouting at his team to stick to the play he called. Elle yelled at Harper to block Abigail and the redhead did and admirable job, pushing the blonde out of the way and creating a perfect hole for Elle to run through. Elle moved with a speed she hadn't shown all day as she raced toward Team Ryder's end zone.
"Go! GO!" Mojo shouted, running along the sideline.
Emily was the last defender with a shot at her and Seth rubbed his hands together, eager to see who would win out. They were pretty close in size and Emily had a pronounced mean streak which could make her dangerous. Elle was running straight at Emily and just as the blonde lowered her shoulder to attempt the tackle, Elle spun away, speeding into the end zone untouched.
Elle casually walked out of the end zone, passing Emily and softly tossing the ball back over her shoulder. She flashed a smug smile in Seth's direction before she was swarmed by her team.
Mojo ran out onto the field, lifting her up over his shoulder and racing around, high fiving the other women.
Now they had themselves a game.
Elle took a knee beside Jules in the huddle along with the rest of their team. She was out of breath and absolutely filthy but she was actually having a great time.
"Okay ladies," Mojo clapped his hands together. "We are up one score thanks to the Barbie Beast."
He roughly patted Elle on the head and she shook her head at the nickname. She didn't bother to tell him that she looked a lot closer to Barbie's brunette friend, Teresa. There was no way he'd know what she was talking about anyway.
"They're probably gonna try for a hail Mary and chuck it toward the end zone," Mojo explained. "Jules, I want you and Elle guarding the deep ball. If they catch it and come at you, I want you to drop your shoulders and lower the boom. Understood?"
"We got it," Jules clapped excitedly.
"Everybody else, you're blocking the run," Mojo ordered.
When they lined up, Elle found herself across from Mia. She was surprised as she'd been matched up with Emily for most of the game.
"I couldn't miss an opportunity to beat you," Mia smiled, obviously detecting Elle's moment of confusion. "I already got the first kiss. It's only right that I get the first solo date."
Elle slipped her mouthpiece in, choosing not to respond. She wouldn't give Mia the satisfaction. Instead, she simply winked at her and waited for the snap.
Once the ball was snapped, Elle backpedaled toward the pink end zone as Mojo instructed to defend the deep ball. Just as her coach predicted, Kai chucked a wobbly pass toward Mia. Elle dropped back a few extra steps for momentum and then launched herself toward her nemesis just as she caught the ball. She could hear Mojo freaking out as Mia fell, fumbling the ball. Elle scrambled to pick it up, seeing Kai racing toward her. She ducked the Hawaiian, heading toward Team Ryder's end zone. Harper blocked the living hell out of Emily and Elle thought she was home free until she felt someone wrap their arms around her legs, sending her flying forward. Her elbows and the ball were the only things that kept her face from smacking into the ground. A loud buzzer signaled the end of the game and Elle turned over to see that she'd been taken down by Abigail. Fortunately, it didn't matter. She'd secured the win for Team Mojo.
"YES! YEEESSSSSS!"
Elle screeched when Mojo came flying toward her, scooping her up from the ground. Once again, he tossed her over his shoulder and she laughed as he proved himself to be an incredibly ungracious winner, running past all of the dejected members of Team Ryder. Elle spotted Abigail helping Mia toward the sideline and when the blondes glared at her, she waved and gave them her absolute sweetest smile.
God, she loved winning.
Mojo put Elle down so that she could celebrate with her housemates and Jules and Harper were on her in an instant shouting praise. She looked past them for a moment and caught sight of Seth standing beside Corey looking extremely pleased with himself. When he caught her looking, her gave her a thumbs up and mouthed 'I knew you could do it'.
She shrugged, playing off the annoying flutter that she felt when she remembered what was at stake. Whoever the coaches selected would be going on a date with Seth.
After the girls were allowed to drink some Gatorade and recover for a few minutes, they were lined up for the announcement. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Elle was feeling the effects of the game. She was certain that after the hard tackles and Mojo tossing her around like a rag doll, she was going to be covered in bruises. She had a scraped knee and scratches all over. Her elbow felt like she'd been hit with a baseball bat. Poor Harper had a bruise forming on her cheek. Most of the girls were in rough shape.
Mojo stood beside Elle, patting her on the top of her head, "You did good out there."
"Thanks," she laughed, swatting his hand away. She couldn't believe that she'd come around on him after wanting to murder him for waking her up. He wasn't completely awful now that she was wide awake. She still wasn't sure who the coaches would choose as the individual winner. She knew she kicked ass after her little pep talk from Seth but Jules had been playing hard the whole game so she wasn't a lock.
The teams stood beside their coaches, still covered in dirt and grime.
"Congratulations to Team Mojo on a hard earned victory today," Seth clapped once the cameras were rolling again. "I am extremely impressed with the toughness that you all showed today. It's good to know that you guys are willing to put up a good fight for me."
"The winning team will receive a full wardrobe of activewear from our sponsors at Tapout," Corey announced.
"And Jules, as the captain, you will be featured in a promotional photo shoot with me for the Tapout website," Seth smiled.
Elle and Harper both hugged Jules tightly, excited for their friend. The New York native was practically bouncing out of her shoes.
"Now for the most important prize," Corey drew attention back to him. "Mojo and Zack have deliberated and whoever they select as the MVP will be going on a solo date with Seth later today. Gentleman, and I use that term loosely for you Mojo, the floor is yours."
Elle pulled her bottom lip under her teeth, and then released it, blowing out a deep breath. She was nervous, a fact that she hated admitting even to herself, but she didn't want to show it. She hazarded a glance over at Seth and he gave her a smile that somehow calmed her and made her more nervous.
"It's gonna be one of you," Harper encouraged Jules and Elle, grabbing their hands.
"Well...It was a tough choice," Zack began. "All of you ladies played your butts off."
"We talked about it and decided that we have to give the MVP to the girl who was all over the field and really brought the win home for her team," Mojo spoke, holding a cheesy trophy. "It's gotta be the Barbie Beast, Elle."
Elle pumped her fist and felt Harper patting her on the back. She couldn't resist looking over at Mia, her grin spread from ear to ear when she saw how angry the blonde looked. The only thing that could be better than winning the date was making sure that Mia didn't.
"Come on, let's get a picture with the trophy," Mojo handed her the trophy. He stood on one side of her shouting about doing it for the 'Gram and Zack stood on her other side rolling his eyes. Elle was exhausted and she desperately wanted a shower but she figured a few pictures wouldn't hurt. Mojo handed his phone to Jules who stepped back to take the picture.
"Say Hype Bros!" Jules grinned and just as she was about to oblige, Elle felt a cold shock hit her and a wave of red liquid covered her face. She gasped at the sensation and turned to see Seth and Corey laughing and holding the large tub that once housed the Gatorade she found herself coated in.
"Oh you motherfuckers," she glared, handing her trophy off to Mojo.
"I told you I'd get you back for that dunk tank," Seth pointed at her.
Elle wanted to be furious but he did owe her for that. Still, being covered in dirt was bad enough and now she was sticky on top of it.
"Don't be mad at me," he got close to her, surprising her when he wrapped his arms around her, holding her arms down at her sides. He didn't seem to care at all about how gross and dirty she was.
"Are you trying to hug me or keep me from kicking your ass?" she teased, pretending she wasn't thoroughly enjoying the feel of his rigid muscles pressed against her.
He offered up another one of his charming smiles, "Both."
A flash of white in caught her attention and she turned as Corey, in his white blazer, tried to sneak past her.
"Graves!" she yelled, twisting out of Seth's grasp. "I expected better from you."
"It was Seth's idea!" he put his hands up. "I'm sorry."
Elle looked down at herself and then back to his crisp, tailored clothes, "Oh you will be."