A/N: Behold - one of the longest chapters! I don't recall ever making a chapter over 10k, and this and another chapter (the chapter) will probably be the last chapters that will be over that word limit.

Chapter 33- Going Back to Move Forward

Josée and Jacques took a plane to Toronto to the hotel that was reserved for past Ridonculous Race contestants. To say that they were nervous would be the biggest understatement of the century; because really, anything could happen. They really didn't know the half of what was going to happen during this reunion. Surprisingly, they were one of the first to arrive, it seems - they hadn't spotted anyone else in the lobby, unless the other teams had gone up to their respective hotel rooms already. They were told that they would all be on the same floor, so it's possible they would run into them upstairs.

"Are you okay?" Jacques asked Josée concernedly.

Josée nodded slowly. "We can do this."

"We can," Jacques agreed.

It was quiet for a few minutes after that.

"I didn't think you two would show up," a familiar voice from behind them rang out. Josée and Jacques turned around to come face-to-face with Don, who looked shockingly neutral at the presence of the ice dancers. Josée and Jacques didn't reply and remained silent. Don took a breath. "For the next several days that you're here, there will be people wanting autographs, there will be a meet and greet, a Q&A with the entire cast, interviews etcetera, etcetera..."

"We're celebrities in Quebec," Josée remarked, matter-of-factly. "We understand how these things work."

"...Right," Don settled with saying after a few seconds pass, "Just try not to cause trouble," he advised genuinely. "Maybe try making friends and playing nice for a change. Go enjoy Toronto. I would now, because the questions and comments from the fans are going to be brutal."

Josée and Jacques winced; Don did have a point. That being said, the former host of the show walked away. As Josée and Jacques went up to their floor, a few people recognized them - some looked over with fondness, and some with contempt. It wasn't unfamiliar to get glares sent their way - especially from people who were team Leo and Liv when it came to who was truly Team Canada - but it was different when you were categorized as the villains of a game show.

They closed the door behind them in their hotel room, frowning deeply. "Did you see any of the contestants?" Josée asked Jacques, who shook his head in response.

"I don't understand why they showed up!" A familiar voice hissed from the halls.

There it was.

Josée and Jacques' ears perked up considerably and listened on, "No one wants them here, I mean... what do they expect? For us to be nice after the way they treated us!" The ice dancers exchanged an apprehensive look. That voice belonged to Emma. "They were mean to everyone."

"I don't get it either," added another voice, belonging to Devin. "Why would they come back after making enemies with everyone? They're setting themselves up."

"Cold Bitch and the Egotistical Prick," remarked MacArthur. "I bet they haven't changed a bit."

Josée felt her blood boil. Jacques looked less than impressed.

"I don't trust people who were nasty to my friends and made them cry," Kitty added with a scoff. "So I'm not going to be nice and friendly."

"I say don't interact with them at all." That was Sanders. "Clearly they're the minority, so, I think they'll probably leave once they figure out they aren't wanted here."

"I don't know dudes," a voice joined in, which belonged to Brody. "The silent treatment is kinda rude, bros."

"We're being kind of rude?" Noah snapped, "That's nothing compared to what they did to us."

"They'll figure it out that people are mad at them," Geoff reminded them, "Let's all just chill..."

"We're not going to let those ice dancers ruin the reunion," Carrie added. "It was just unexpected they'd show, but we can adjust..."

Josée felt herself grow very, very hot. Jacques looked over worriedly. This was a mistake, one big mistake - hell, now they wished they hadn't agreed to this...

"This is the perfect chance to get back at them for all the shit they put us through," MacArthur suggested, "Think about it..."

Josée was seconds away from lunging toward them, ready to give them a piece of her mind, ready to scream and reveal that she had been listening.

Until...

"All of you should be ashamed of yourselves!" A female voice bellowed angrily.

Josée's foot was one step out the door, but stopped when she heard that familiar voice that was normally very sweet and caring, it was weird to hear it sound so angry. Josée and Jacques peeked from their door to reveal that Jen had flown out of her hotel room, accompanied by Tom - both of them looked like they disapproved of the conversation. Jen took a breath and continued, "If you guys go out of your way to make the ice dancers unwelcome, you're literally just as bad as them - no, don't interrupt me Emma! You're one of the last people that should be talking about kindness with the way you made one of those twins break out into hives-" Emma looked resigned, but Jen wasn't done yet. "Try talking to them. Try giving them a chance. I mean, they came back maybe to apologize? Have you ever considered that?"

Silence ensued.

"I mean..." Sanders continued, "We shouldn't forgive them right away, but... they did congratulate MacArthur and I for winning."

"You think they did that out of kindness?" MacArthur barked. "No, they did that to save their own behinds. Which is probably why they're here, not because they care-"

"Oh and so what?" Tom piped up, rolling his eyes. "You should actually try to get to know them. We did. Try talking to them about things they like, they can be a lot more friendly when they want to be. They'll ask about what you love if you ask about what they love. Didn't your parents teach you about not judging a book by its cover or something? Because MacArthur, when I first met you, I was disgusted by you and your hideous outfit and wanted to throw you across the room-"

"With those bony arms of yours?" MacArthur chuckled.

Tom glared at the cadet. "It's an expression, Mall Cop. But then I realized that at the afterparty you didn't suck after all..."

"After many shots of tequila-"

"...So if you could give me a chance, you can give Josée and Jacques a chance," Tom continued as if Sanders hadn't interrupted a second ago. No one replied after that. Tom went on, rolling his eyes: "Talking like you guys were saints and did no wrong, Jesus Christ."

Josée and Jacques were struck speechless as the crowd dissolved, entering their hotel rooms. Slowly, Josée and Jacques opened the door and revealed themselves. Tom and Jen blinked, before their faces faltered significantly. "Um... how much did you hear?" asked Jen, chuckling nervously.

"We heard enough," Jacques remarked, still stunned. Josée could only nod beside him. "...No one's ever done that for us before."

"Well we were getting sick of it," Tom replied nonchalantly. "They needed to take it down a notch."

Jen smiled warmly. "So when did you guys get here?"

Josée couldn't help but a grin a little at the shift in topic. "About a few minutes ago, actually."

"We can show you around if you'd like," Tom offered. "This hotel is so much better than those shitty ones we stayed in during competition." Josée and Jacques nodded thankfully and followed them.

"Merci," Josée said softly, after a few minutes. "For defending us."

"Oui," Jacques agreed. "Merci."

Tom and Jen waved it off. "No problem."

Josée and Jacques couldn't help but be very curious when it came to signing this morning with the meet and greet. They didn't know if they would be insulted - which seemed the most likely - or if they would be asked for an autograph based on ice dancing or their time on the show. This put them in an odd predicament, because Isaac was sort of right - when it came to social interaction when the cameras weren't on, they were very awkward, and it looked like the other contestants were starting to notice that. It was far too chatty; with people waiting in line to come into contact with the ice dancers as well as other contestants. But Josée and Jacques couldn't help but notice that their line looked especially long.

"Hi! I loved you guys on the race," someone exclaimed excitedly. Josée and Jacques blinked slowly and offered small smiles. She handed them a sheet of paper. "Can each of you sign this please? I really wanted you guys to win! Was it fun to compete?"

Josée nodded a bit. "It's definitely different from ice dancing," she allowed, signing the paper and passed it along to Jacques.

He signed it as well and passed it along to the fan. "Oui. Lots of television involved, not really our expertise."

The fan's smile disappeared and her eyebrows shot up. "Mhm, it's easy to tell. You know, it's funny... you're kind of awkward when you're not on camera." Josée and Jacques didn't think they would ever miss hearing that, up until now. The fan nonetheless squealed and ran off with her autographed paper with her group of friends. Despite many autographs to give out, Josée and Jacques felt the stares of the other contestants on them, and did their best to ignore them.

For the next ten minutes they had encountered many other fans of the show, some that happened to curse at the ice dancers, saying that they hated them and were glad that they lost. Josée and Jacques couldn't blame them, really - television would only show them the worst parts of the race. But nothing would compare to what happened next.

"ASSHOLES!" Someone swore and threw a soda can at them, which Jacques advised Josée to duck just in time before it could hit her square in the face. Luckily, that person was escorted out of the building and was likely going to be barred from the reunion. Still, nobody could takes their eyes off the ice dancers after that. Josée and Jacques barely looked up from the table they were sitting at. Eventually, everyone got back to their business as usual.

Then, Josée felt a tap on her shoulder and flinched in response. Kitty drew her hand back in alarm, before speaking quietly: "Are you guys okay?" she asked concernedly.

Josée and Jacques blinked, then shrugged. "We've dealt with crazy fans," Jacques answered cordially. "That was nothing."

Kitty's eyes grew wide as Josée chuckled, "Oui, oui. I remember when a glass bottle was almost thrown at my head." Kitty looked horrified.

"That sounds terrible!" she exclaimed. Josée and Jacques noticed that Noah and Emma had rallied up behind her. Kitty ignored them and focused on Josée and Jacques, "Look... I don't know if you'd like it, but... some of us are going out for lunch later after this. You can come if you'd like." Emma and Noah looked ready to argue, but Kitty glared.

"Who?" Josée asked.

Kitty thought about it for a moment. "I think it would be half of us. There's Emma and I, there's the Reality TV Pros, the Surfers, the Cadets..." Josée and Jacques winced. "Um, I know Devin and Carrie are joining us, I think the Daters are, too! And even the Goths... Oh, and the Fashion Bloggers."

That was all Josée and Jacques needed to hear. "We'll join you," Jacques said.

Kitty smiled warmly. "That's good!" After the meet and greet along with giving out autographs was finished - thankfully without any other incident like before occurring - Josée and Jacques joined Tom and Jen at a restaurant with the other contestants for a late lunch. Occasionally they glanced over at the ice dancers, more out of curiosity rather than of loathing, but didn't address their presence. Kitty must've filled them in that Josée and Jacques were joining them. Because of this, Josée and Jacques kept themselves talking to Tom and Jen rather than engaging in conversation with the other contestants for the majority of the time.

"So Tinker Bell," Tom teased in Josée's direction, which the ice dancer surprisingly didn't mind. "What have you been up to?"

Josée shrugged. "Not much Twiggy," she quipped back with ease, grinning. "Jacques and I have been teaching children how to skate."

"Aw, that's kind of cute," Jen chimed in. "They're lucky to be taught by actual olympians, you know."

"It's all fun until once in a while they ask questions about the show," Josée remarked. "Luckily we implemented a system for that. For every time the class does something well, we talk to them about what it was like to be 'tv show stars' as they put it."

"Most of it is things we already said but phrased differently," Jacques added.

"That's clever though," Kitty remarked, joining in on the conversation. Everyone stopped to direct their attention to the ice dancers and Fashion Bloggers and Kitty - who had decided that what they were discussing was interesting. "Teaching sounds fun." She turned to Carrie. "Didn't you say you were going to university to become a teacher?"

Carrie blinked, presumably upon being brought into the conversation. "Yeah..." she answered, her eyes flickering to Josée and Jacques. "Primary school children, too. How long have you been teaching them how to skate?"

All eyes fell on the ice dancers; which made them immensely uncomfortable. Josée and Jacques looked at each other, expecting the other to answer the question. After a few seconds, Josée decided to answer: "About... three months now?" She turned to her partner. "Jacques?"

"Three months," Jacques clarified.

"Why would you teach? Why don't you compete-" Jen tried to cut Ryan off with a glare, but it was too late. Josée and Jacques grew red out of shame, and looked down. It was after a bit of awkward silence that Ryan realized his mistake. "Oh... right. I heard about that."

"Oui," said Josée, not adding more to the conversation.

"Anyway," Sanders cut in, trying to divert the topic: "Are you guys nervous for the Q&A tomorrow with the rest of the contestants? I don't know if you heard, but on some forums people were debating whether or not MacArthur and I were dating."

"Can you blame them, dude? I couldn't tell."

"Brody, you can't tell your rights from your lefts," MacArthur said amusedly.

"I heard some of the producers tried to join in on that to try and earn brownie points," Tom pointed out. "On our blog," he began, referring to him and Jen, "We're openly gay. Someone mentioned that to the producers and they tried to act like they were being inclusive." He scoffed. "It's in very poor taste to do that after the show has aired."

Sanders chuckled. "Well in case questions like that pop up tomorrow, you'll answer. I know we will. It's so funny that they're trying to act like they're accepting, but when MacArthur and I hugged in Australia after being saved from a non elimination episode we were told to 'tone it down.'"

Jen made a face. "Those producers suck." That was one thing Josée and Jacques could agree with along with the other contestants. They would've added on, but truthfully, they were thankful that they weren't in the spotlight as of now. Little did they know, that would change.

"What's going on outside?" Emma asked, standing up when she heard shouting and exclaims of joy. The other contestants looked on, noticing some cameras, therefore they groaned in dismay. "Oh no. I thought we were done with this."

However, Josée and Jacques squinted and listened to not how loud the shouting was, but what was being shouted. Josée and Jacques' stomachs dropped collectively in horror as the figures drew closer and closer to the restaurant. They hoped, no - they prayed that it was a mistake. People began to barricade the door - Josée and Jacques assumed it to be security guards if their assumptions about what was going on was correct.

"It's Leo and Liv!"

Unfortunately, they were correct.

"Oh fuck!" Josée hissed, ducking under the table.

"Merde!" Jacques added, joining her.

The other former contestants looked on confusedly. "Josée? Jacques? Is that you?!" Liv exclaimed, which sounded sweet, but of course Josée and Jacques knew better. They gave up and slowly rose from under the table to come face-to-face with their true rivals; Leo and Liv - who were looking at them with cruel delight. "It's so good to see you!"

Josée and Jacques winced a bit, before smiling widely. People were watching, of course. "It's wonderful to see you too," Josée replied, matching her tone. "What are you doing here? I knew it was odd that we haven't seen you at all when we returned to Quebec."

"Oh you know, competition. Which you're not allowed to be in this season," Leo answered, then smirked a little. "Tough break. I heard about what happened." Josée could feel her body heating up and her eye twitching. She glanced over to Jacques who was still smiling, trying to keep his composure.

Kitty cleared her throat. "I'm not trying to be rude, but who are you? How do you know each other?"

Leo and Liv turned to the girl, smirking in her direction, which appeared to put her uneasy. Josée and Jacques couldn't blame her; they had felt similarly for years. "Who are we? Well..." Liv broke off to smile at her partner, before shooting a look at Josée and Jacques. "We're the olympic champions from last year. We took the gold. But Josée and Jacques? We've known them since they were..." she motioned her hand to go down to the ground, "...six and eight. But they were always so adorable."

Jacques and Josée were fully red now.

"But congratulations," Leo stated, still smirking. "...on third place, even though bronze is the medal of failure."

The other contestants stared at the ice dancers.

"Um, I think... I think that bronze is fine," Sanders said quietly. Josée and Jacques closed their eyes at that remark; Sanders was so stupid - trying to challenge them like that.

Case and point, Leo and Liv looked over to Sanders and smiled - after many years, their smiles still looked like sharks to Josée and Jacques. "Oh congratulations! You're the one that beat them! You and your partner..." Liv remarked cheerfully, gesturing to MacArthur - who looked surprisingly unsettled by the compliment. Liv turned to the ice dancers, who were focused entirely on the table and avoiding eye contact entirely. "Watching them sabotage was interesting... they couldn't even do that right, it was kid stuff."

"Oh and you would have won?" Jacques managed to retort, through a clenched smile.

"...and it wouldn't be close," Liv shot back. Then she chuckled a little to the rest of the table, "Josée and Jacques were always too nice. Not wanting to get involved with any dirty tricks to get ahead. That's why it's so fascinating to see them do all of that, on camera no less! That was pretty dumb, though - easy way to get caught."

Josée and Jacques felt many pairs of eyes on them.

"It's always the ugly people that have the most to say." Everyone - including Leo and Liv - shockingly turned around to face the person who had muttered that, which was Tom, who looked so nonchalant over the ordeal that he wasn't even making eye contact with the olympic champions. Once he saw that people were staring did he address them. "So, hi..." he interjected, smiling venomously sweet. "I don't know if you know me and my best friend, but we run a fashion blog. But like, I would be so surprised if you didn't know us. We're experts in detecting a fashion faux pas, so when the both of you waltzed in, my fashion faux pas radar was going off like crazy." Leo and Liv's smug grins disappeared at an instant, while Tom went on, undaunted: "And to be honest, it's really irritating the hell out of me, so I suggest you leave now before I smack you silly."

Josée and Jacques jaws dropped.

"And I have a medical condition I can't control," Jen added on, still smiling. "If I see someone have terrible fashion sense coupled with a terrible attitude, I just black out and go crazy. It's why I always have my hair up in a ponytail, I refuse to let my hair get messed up when I'm slapping someone into the next century."

Josée and Jacques stared up at Leo and Liv, anticipating what would happen next.

Leo tried to speak up. "But-"

"Walk. The fuck. Away," MacArthur articulated. Leo and Liv exchanged an odd look, before scowling and doing just that. Josée and Jacques stared at MacArthur in disbelief, along with the other contestants. MacArthur cocked an eyebrow at the others. "What? They were getting on my fucking nerves and I'm trying to eat, that's all."

"Cannot believe you let them talk to you guys like that," Jen said to Josée and Jacques, shaking her head. "Especially with those outfits on. Shameful. They should worry about the fact that they look like they smell like hot dog water." A few of the others covered their laughter with snorts, and even the ice dancers looked fairly amused.

"...Yeah, well..." Josée trailed off. She really didn't know what to say. "...that's how it is." Silence followed after. She stood up abruptly. "I'm suddenly not hungry anymore."

Without saying another word, she stormed out of the restaurant. Jacques looked at all the other contestants who were staring back at him. There was a mix of looks in each of their eyes; some of pity, some of curiosity, some of indifference, and some of shock. Jacques couldn't take it and stood up as well. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet to drop a few bills on the table. "That should cover it from our end," he said, and walked out of the restaurant to catch up with Josée.

Because of the incident with Leo and Liv at the restaurant, Josée and Jacques were definitely not looking forward to the Q&A today from fans of the show. Don had mentioned that the questions in particular were likely to be brutal, and they wouldn't be surprised in the least if there was another incident in which something would be thrown at them. After all, Sanders had mentioned that there were forums that discussed the show and there were a lot of takes on it by superfans.

They were all sitting in the order of which the teams were eliminated. Therefore, this meant that Josée and Jacques sat between the Sisters and the Surfers. The latter team didn't seem to mind, even offering to 'fist-bump' them as a greeting. The Sisters were a bit different and varied. Emma looked skeptical and looked like she wanted nothing to do with the ice dancers, while Kitty looked hesitant. She grinned awkwardly, but chose not say anything else.

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" A blonde woman exclaimed to the crowd, who responded in cheers. Josée and Jacques took a breath. The event was about to start. The woman who was hosting this event was some sort of famous TV personality - and who had been awfully touchy-feely with Don, everyone noticed - that went by the name of Blaineley. "I suggest you find your seats, because we're about to start in a few minutes..."

Josée and Jacques glanced over to the Fashion Bloggers, who were several seats down, who merely responded with reassuring smiles. If it was meant to make them feel better for what was to come, it hardly helped - but they appreciated the sentiment. After a few minutes passed, Blaineley had welcomed the fans and that they could start asking questions and a microphone would be passed around to them.

"Hi! So I was wondering how some of your lives changed after the race?" one fan asked.

Huh. Fair question.

"Our relationship has gotten so much better!" Kelly gushed happily, while her daughter Taylor blinked in disinterest. Nonetheless, her mother went on: "We've gone shopping a lot more, and there had been much less fighting since we competed on the show!"

Taylor looked up from her phone after her mother nudged her shoulder. "...Oh yeah. Totally." Everyone else looked over to see who else was going to speak up.

Eventually, one of those wizard cosplayers with the nasally voice spoke. "Well Tammy and I were eliminated first, so not much has changed! But we did get more people cosplaying with us!"

"Leonard and I were shoved into more lockers though," Tammy pointed out. Like Josée and Jacques thought before, those two wouldn't last a week in their old high school.

Another fan asked a question. "Do you think being filmed constantly affected you guys a lot?" Josée and Jacques almost burst into laughter at that question, but held it in. The other contestants couldn't hold their laughter, because really, it was such a funny and rhetorical question - and it looked like many of them wanted to answer.

"Oh yes," Emma cut in, briefly glancing at the ice dancers before looking back at the fan who asked that question. "When you're competing for a million dollars and being filmed while doing so, it's bound to get to you - especially with people you can't get along with because of how insufferable they are - ow!"

"What Emma means," Kitty interrupted sweetly, after elbowing her sister's stomach: "Is that when we're on planes, suffering from jet lag, it's bound to make some people a little meaner than usual because of the circumstances and, well... we can't necessarily blame people for being ruder during a competition."

"Speaking of the relationships..." Another fan grabbed the microphone, "Were they all real? Or was that television? Are you guys still together? Because rumors are..."

"Yes, Emma and I are still together if that's what you're asking," Noah cut in.

"And the others?"

Noah looked over to the other couples that were in the show. Devin and Carrie nodded, as well as Crimson and Ennui, and surprisingly, Ryan and Stephanie.

And then...

"We're dating," MacArthur said, referring to herself and Sanders. Sanders blinked in surprise at her partner's bluntness, and was even more shocked when MacArthur held her hand tightly and squeezed it in support - and smiled. "We're super gay for each other. I mean, I'm not gay, but my girlfriend is. She's super gay. I think everyone's hot."

"...Oh," the fan remarked, surprised. Then, to everyone's shock, she turned to Josée and Jacques. "And are you two still together?"

Josée and Jacques' eyes popped out. "Wh-what?" The other contestants looked over with raised eyebrows.

"Wait, I thought he was gay?" one of the other fans spoke up. Jacques' face grew red while Josée looked down at her shoes, alarmed by the sudden attention.

"But they looked like a couple!" the original fan argued.

"I'm pretty sure Jacques has said he's gay," MacArthur stated, frowning.

Jacques looked over at Tom and Jen, who was looking at him closely to see what his answer would be. Jacques looked back at the crowd who were also waiting expectantly for his answer. "Um, I... can we talk about something else?" Tom and Jen blinked, presumably in shock, and exchanged a knowing look. Jacques visibly winced; it's like they knew about his new orientation - not that he admitted it aloud to anyone else but Michelle, of course, and he couldn't even imagine what Josée was thinking right now.

"We aren't dating," Josée remarked quietly. She peeked over at the Fashion Bloggers who looked away from her and Jacques instantly. She wondered what they were thinking.

"I have a question!" a fan exclaimed, "For you, actually. How does it feel to be abusive toward your partner?"

Josée's eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

This time, Jacques stepped in. "I can assure you that Josée is not abusive at all," he spat at the fan, "A TV show does not accurately show our dynamic. We have a perfectly good relationship, thank you. And you would know that if you saw us skate outside of this stupide show."

The fan's face faltered significantly. "But you can't deny that the way you both acted suck," she continued, "I mean... letting your partner almost drown? Yikes. I'm just saying it's not very surprising that you didn't win with that attitude." Josée felt her fists balling up and her nostril flaring. Jacques grew immensely shameful. "But you're not as bad. You're not the one that went on a rampage and destroyed a park."

Josée blinked confusedly.

She did that? She didn't remember.

"What was going through your mind when you did that?" Another fan asked.

Josée's brows furrowed; she just didn't remember. "I... well-"

"Obviously she was angry, you idiot," the fan interrupted bitterly. "I mean, she said bronze was the medal of failure, and she got bronze, so she thinks she's a failure, duh."

Josée's lips formed a thin line like she was trying to hold her temper inside.

Bronze is the medal of failure.

Bronze is the medal of-

"...I think what's important now is that the show is over." Josée stopped her fists from shaking and let them lay limp upon hearing that soft voice, belonging to Carrie. "I don't... I don't think none of that matters anymore. The competition was stressful for all of us and they deserve a break, even the ones that gave us a really hard time." At once, Josée unclenched her fists and listened onto Carrie, who had turned away when she met her eyes. "It's been months since the competition, and... you don't really know what happened behind the scenes of the show... it is a show, after all."

"What about karma?"

"Hasn't karma already been served?" Sanders pointed out to the fan, "I think losing a competition is karma."

...And so much more, Josée thought.

"No one cares anymore," said a monotonous voice belonging to Ennui. "It was a competition from a while ago."

Josée and Jacques knew what was going on; they weren't idiots. It wasn't a matter of the cast actually liking them, but it was a matter of being pitied. Josée had warned them - well, specifically Carrie - that pity was one thing that she despised being directed in her direction. She would rather be despised in itself than pitied, and because of the latest incidents regarding Leo and Liv, and the fans harassing them - they were being pitied. Blaineley chuckled a bit and redirected them to a new topic as they had run out of time. Josée and Jacques kept quiet for the most part and ignoring the pitying looks from the contestants. The rest of the Q&A went smoothly.

"It's so crazy to see Blaineley try to avoid drama!" Josée and Jacques heard Owen whisper to Noah, Emma, and Kitty after the Q&A session was over and they shuffled out of the room. "Usually she starts it!"

Noah rolled his eyes. "Maybe being with Don mellowed her out and made her less mean."

"Don and Blaineley are a couple?" Emma asked incredulously.

"No. They casually hook up," Noah told her.

"How do you know that?" Kitty asked.

"Reality TV pros," Owen answered. "It happens a lot."

Josée and Jacques scanned around them to find Tom and Jen to figure out where they were all going. Once Tom and Jen told them, they were horrified at an instant.

"You didn't know?" Jen asked, furrowing her brows as they walked out of the hotel building. "They reserved the theatre for us to watch the first half unedited episodes, and the second half tomorrow-"

"We haven't watched the show at all out of protest," Jacques huffed, crossing his arms. "We are not prepared for this!"

"Well who's fault was that?" Tom quipped. Jacques shot him a glare, along with disapproving frowns from Josée and Jen. "Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, we can sit next to you while this was going on? So you don't feel completely isolated."

"It was a mistake to come," Josée said nervously. "A huge and terrible mistake. We should go. Is there a way we can exchange numbers to keep in touch?"

"Stop," Tom ordered sternly. "Are you seriously going to let these people scare you away? There's a reason that you both made it to the final three, and that's because you guys were mean, determined, and strong - so backing out now will only give them what they want."

Josée and Jacques exchanged a doubtful look.

"We... also said we would make amends," Josée added hesitantly. They were going to be better people, and if they were going to be better people, they had to sit through this and face what they had become. There was no tiptoeing around it. Jacques nodded a bit, that he was on board, which gave Josée the confidence she needed. "Okay."

It was nightmarish. They had to sit through watching themselves slowly go insane due to the competitiveness, without knowing anything that was going on behind-the-scenes. They had to watch as the other contestants got dirty looks whenever they appeared on screen. Though Josée would prefer that over being pitied, it didn't mean this didn't hurt. Luckily they were set to only watch thirteen episodes today and finish the other half tomorrow.

"Hold on a second!" Stephanie exclaimed, pointing at the screen which showed the episode in Iceland. At that moment, a cut scene was revealed - Josée and Jacques were helping the Fashion Bloggers across the ice as promised. "You guys helped them?" Josée and Jacques exchanged an odd look.

MacArthur snorted and crossed her arms. "No wonder they wanted us to be nice to them." She gave the Fashion Bloggers a look. "Just because they were nice to you doesn't mean they're nice people."

Jen frowned. "They didn't have to help us, but they did anyway. That speaks volumes about their characters, I think." While the ice dancers appreciated Jen's kindness, they both disliked the fact that they were being talked about as if they weren't there. No one else said anything, instead they continued to watch the episodes. With each passing second, with every glare and remark that they made toward the other competitors, did they grow more and more unsettled. They knew they were bad, but...

...No. This was television. Imagine how bad the episode was with the editing.

Still, it wasn't a good look. That was the least of their issues, as the contestants had shot them a glare when both ice dancers pushed the adversity twins, when Josée had pushed Sanders... and when Josée had to listen to Jacques insult her mother - she had glared at him briefly because of that. Then came the episode in which Jacques and Josée had gone back to Zimbabwe because of the lava rock that was all her fault. Watching their almost elimination was heartbreaking; rewatching it made Josée and Jacques realize that they would have rather gotten eliminated around this time, because it would've avoided a bunch of other problems. They suspected that the rest of their cast mates thought the same. It was unusual, though - neither Josée and Jacques remembered laughing so hard after finding out they were safe.

God, is that what they looked like?

Josée shrunk in her seat and Jacques crossed his arms apprehensively.

The worst of it was far from over; and the episode after Zimbabwe was not an easy episode. The moment Josée and Jacques saw themselves on screen in their new black outfits and Josée claim it was because the purple was too friendly, she resisted the urge to burst into sobs then and there. No... she was not going to cry in front of her cast mates. She took several breaths - which caught the concerns of Tom and Jen, but Jacques shook his head that told them not to intervene. Instead, he slid his hand across to reach hers and squeezed it like he always did. Josée jumped a little in surprise, before realizing that it was only Jacques and held his hand. Jacques found Tom and Jen watching them.

"What?" Jacques dared to asked them.

The Fashion Bloggers looked a little taken aback, before staring back at the screen. "Nothing," Tom said, almost knowingly. It irritated Jacques, but he tore his eyes away.

Fortunately for Josée, she had caught some sort of break - they hadn't shown her and Sanders in the cell talking about their loved ones at home, so no one would send her pitying looks, or so she thought. Josée had caught Sander's eye briefly, but was quick to turn away. Josée didn't even have the energy to retort. Even with Jacques' hand over hers, which was a little more calming than usual, wasn't enough - she felt her eyes water against her will. She remembered back in Australia when all she could think about was making Rachel proud, and then she slammed her oar against the cadets securing her and Jacques' safety - but at what cost? Losing anyway? And what about her mother...

"Josée, it's okay..."

...What?

Josée heard sniffling, and some hiccups, but it then occurred to her that those were her own. She felt a pair of warm hands take both of hers and squeezed them gently. She met his gaze - Jacques' gaze - with overwhelming panic that said that she was humiliated, afraid, anxious, and still in mourning. Yes, it had been over three months since Rachel and her mother's death - but when it came to properly grieving? Josée was no expert in that. The first week after her mother's burial would Josée sit by and hug her grave for hours, as she would go over to Rachel's grave to do the same. Jacques had to pry her off the gravestones after some time.

Watching this again, with everyone around her...

None of them understood.

"Mon petit chou, it's okay."

Mon petit chou.

Josée found herself almost smiling a little at that. That was her. That nickname that he came up with during one of the challenges was only for her. Suddenly everyone else was gone, she was just with Jacques - because like it has been said, he always knew how to make her feel better. The episode had ended, and all was quiet except the sound of her sobs which had increasingly gotten louder against her will. Jacques had pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. "C'est fini maintenant, tout va bien..." Jacques told her.

"Je suis désolé," Josée repeated guiltily. "Je suis désolé, je suis désolé, je suis désolé... pour tout. Tout ce que je leur ai fait."

"It's okay, it's okay..."

Rachel was dead and she wasn't coming back.

Her mother was dead and she wasn't coming back.

A throat being cleared pulled them apart. That belonged to Don, who looked slightly uncomfortable. "I think... I think we can continue tomorrow. It's late now, anyway." No one got up from their seats, however Don along with Blaineley had left. The other contestants looked on silently as they did so.

"...I forgive you." Everyone turned around to meet the monotonous voice of where that statement had come from, and to everyone's surprise, it was Ennui. Josée let out a startled gasp and Jacques' eyes were wide. Ennui didn't react, and explained further: "French. You said you were sorry for everything you did." Josée grew red from embarrassment, she remembered when Ennui mentioned that he understood French better than he could speak it - so he heard all of her mutterings.

"...So do I," Crimson added. Josée and Jacques were now staring at both Goths in utter disbelief. "Loki forgives you too. Ennui?" Ennui nodded in confirmation. "So, yeah, like, whatever." She got up along with Ennui and their rabbit and walked away without saying another word. Josée wiped her tears on her face quickly when she saw more pairs of eyes on her. Eventually, other people began to file out - casting a few looks in their direction before leaving. Tom and Jen looked especially worried, but didn't press on it and left with some others. It was almost just Josée and Jacques left. That was until a pair approached them.

"Sanders, c'mon..."

"MacArthur..."

Josée and Jacques stared at the Cadets curiously.

Sanders elbowed MacArthur gently. MacArthur crossed her arms and grumbled out, "The same group at lunch the other day is going to our suite to party, plus a few others, like the Rockers and the Vegans." Josée and Jacques exchanged a look with one another, and shot a skeptical look at MacArthur. The gruff cadet groaned and stated, "Geoff and Brody wanted to. You can come... if you want. It's starting in a few minutes, so... decide to come... or not. Whatever." Jacques glanced over at his partner that looked hesitant.

"...We need to think about it," he offered lamely.

Sanders nodded in understanding. "Of course. Anytime you'd like to join us..." That being said, she left along with MacArthur, leaving the ice dancers alone.

Or so they thought.

"You are going to go, right?" Tom remarked, revealing him and Jen that had just appeared by the door.

"Why should we?" Jacques spat bitterly. "They could get back at us, or something... this could all be some ploy to get us to-"

"Oh would you shut up?" Jen interrupted bluntly. Jacques was immediately silenced and Josée just stared at the Fashion Bloggers expectantly. "We won't let that happen."

"But you don't know what they could do," Josée tried to insist, full of doubt. "They could get back, try to figure out a way to weaken us..."

"C'mon, Tinkerbell," Tom stated, a bit playfully in his tone, but still serious: "...The competition's over."

He was right, Josée thought. The competition's over.

"I can go," Jacques offered, but then looked over at his partner. "Josée?"

"I'm not good with parties," Josée said uneasily.

"Do you want us to come in with you?" Jen asked kindly.

Josée thought about it. She could easily chicken out and stay in her hotel room while everyone else was together. It was already absolute hell to sit through those thirteen episodes and she thought she faced her fears. But maybe she needed to see everyone more outside of competition and properly apologize to them; to actually make amends. It would be a lot easier to do that under the influence of alcohol, of course - that's if it was going to be served.

"Oh by the way," Tom cut in, "Mostly everyone will be plastered. That's how the after party was. I don't think anyone will have the energy to hurt you guys."

There was her answer.

Josée smiled, a little relieved. "Okay."

Surprisingly, it wasn't as wild as Josée expected it to be. The suite was somehow large enough for twenty-two people, though it was worth noting that some former contestants were scattered outside; such as the Vegans and Rockers that looked to be planning something discrete. A familiar whiff caught Josée and Jacques' attention which gave them their answer of what was going to happen - they would probably disappear soon to participate in said activity. For now however, some other contestants, like the Cadets and the Sisters were talking among one another - and it looked civil from a distance. Which was weird, because Josée and Jacques thought they couldn't stand each other.

Maybe it was like Tom and Jen said; the after party had brought people together.

Which meant in this case, Josée and Jacques were the outsiders. Despite Tom's insistence that things would be okay, Josée was understandably still nervous.

"Mon petit chou, are you okay?" Jacques called to her gently.

Josée nodded and hesitantly reached over to hold his hand. "...Oui."

Tom and Jen exchanged a look and smiled. "Aw, you guys are so close and cute."

At an instant, Jacques and Josée pulled away from each other.

"What do you mean?" Josée said skeptically.

Jen's face faltered a little. "I mean, you guys care about each other... it's nice."

"Mon petit chou?" Tom reiterated to Jacques teasingly, unable to hide his snickers. "That's what you call her? What does that mean?"

Jacques scoffed and rolled his eyes. "If you knew your French, you would know. But you're terrible at it."

"We're starting to play KINGS now!" MacArthur shouted over the crowd. Almost immediately, Josée watched as many contestants made their way to the center of the living room to start said game and began to set it up.

Tom let out an excited gasp. "I love KINGS!"

Jen squealed. "We have to join the rest of them." She turned to Josée and Jacques. "Are you coming?"

"I've... I've never played KINGS before," Josée admitted quietly.

"It's a drinking game," Jacques explained to her. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Josée hummed a little to herself and took another drink. "I think I'll play... if you play."

Jacques smiled. "Of course, chouchou."

They all sat in a ring together on the floor. The final eight teams as well as the Fashion Bloggers had joined in. Josée and Jacques were sitting between them and the Best Friends team - though, evidently, they were more than best friends. It was shocking to see even the Goths join in, as it was expected for them to sit quietly as things went on.

"Okay first off," Sanders began, "I'm assuming everyone here is of drinking age-"

"Sanders, don't be a stick in the mud..."

"It's taking precaution, MacArthur! I don't want to be responsible..." Sanders scanned the room and laid her eyes on the Goths, "How old are each of you?"

"I'm nineteen," Ennui said.

Sanders' eyes went to Crimson. "You?"

"...I'm going to be nineteen soon," she insisted. "Next month."

Beat.

"Fine," Sanders huffed. "Where are the Rockers and Vegans?"

"I think they're stoned. Don't roll your eyes, Sanders. We'll say it's medicinal, anyway," MacArthur allowed. Then, she turned her attention to the group. "Does everyone know how to play this game?"

Geoff chuckled. "Dudes, who doesn't know how to play KINGS?"

"Josée doesn't," Jen pointed out. "We should help her."

"Okay," Brody began, clearing his throat. "Do you see the cards around the bottle in the middle?" Josée nodded, and Brody continued: "Everyone has a turn to pick a card that's facing down, and whatever card you get, you have to follow that action, man."

"Like...?" Geoff began to explain what each card meant, and by the end of that long explanation, Josée blinked slowly. "That is a lot of words."

"Most people forget the rules after everyone's messed up," Emma remarked, casually running her hand through Noah's hair. "I won't be drinking that much, and neither will Noah, or Kitty-"

"Oh come on-"

"Kit..."

"Boo, you're lame!"

"Can I start?" MacArthur exclaimed, "It's my suite, after all!" She didn't wait and pulled out a card from the middle. "Six." Six meant all the girls had to drink, which they did.

Next was Sanders, who pulled out a card and smirked. "Five." Five meant that all the guys had to drink.

"Three," Geoff said, then took a drink. Brody went next and also got a three, and therefore took a drink for himself.

"Nine is rhyming," Crimson deadpanned, after picking a card. She would have to pick a word and the other players would have to rhyme with that word in five seconds. "Blue."

"Sue."

"Chew."

"Flew."

"Screw."

"Glue."

"Grew."

"Shoe."

"Drew."

"Cue."

"Stew."

Beat.

"...This is absolutely absurd," Josée proclaimed, rolling her eyes and taking a drink. She could already feel the alcohol coursing through her veins. "Stupide..."

"Jack," Ennui said monotonously, earning a groan from everyone except Josée. She looked at him, awaiting an explanation. "It's Never Have I Ever."

Josée frowned. "Why is this a bad thing?"

"Because we're going to get so drunk that we'll forget we're playing KINGS," Kitty giggled, then nudged Carrie. "You remember last time."

"Last time you snuck in alcohol because you're underage," Emma snipped.

"Well I'm nineteen now," Kitty protested.

"Yes, and for your nineteenth birthday I had to pick you up because you threw up on the other side of the road-"

"Oh like the time you and Noah went to Timmies-"

"Kitty! Shut up!"

"...Can we start?" Ennui asked, blinking slowly. "Never have I ever lied about my age." Almost everyone took a drink.

"Never have I ever..." Stephanie began, "...peed in a pool."

"That's bullshit," MacArthur called out, "Everyone's peed in a pool."

"I haven't," Josée remarked. "And Jacques..." She watched in horror as he took a drink with the others. She let out a horrified gasp. "Jacques!"

"I was five, okay?"

It was Ryan's turn. "Never have I ever... screamed like a banshee to my partner over a competition-"

"Sugar plum, we talked about this..."

"Well, I'm still a little upset over it."

"That's what the therapist is for." Despite getting awkward stares sent in Ryan and Stephanie's way, they took a drink.

"Never have I ever not finished a plate of food," Owen said proudly. Everyone took a drink.

"Never have I ever drunk dialed my ex," Noah remarked. A few people - including Jacques - took a drink.

"Emma, take a drink," Kitty called out.

"I never drunk dialed Jake!"

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not! Anyway, it's my turn," Emma hissed. "Never have I ever hooked up with someone in public." A good amount of people - which including Jacques again - took a drink.

Kitty smirked. "Never have I ever hooked up with someone." Everyone except for Josée took a drink. It was very noticeable, and put their conversation on pause.

"Wait what?" MacArthur cut in. "You've never fucked anyone?"

Josée's face grew very red; from both embarrassment and some fury. "No. Is that a problem?"

"It's not a problem," Sanders told her gently. "It's just... you don't hear about it a lot. Most people your age have had it. Unless you're like Kitty, then that's different."

"What do you mean?" Josée asked.

"Oh I'm asexual," Kitty told her. "Also aromantic. I thought I mentioned this to you in the competition?" Josée shook her head. At least Kitty didn't mention those terms to her. Her curiosity was peaked quite a bit. "It means I'm not romantically or sexually attracted to anyone. I just want to be a good friend, you know? I just don't like the thought of sex... it's just... eh. The same thing with romance, but I love seeing romance blossom between my friends. Maybe you're the same way?"

Josée shook her head again. "No... I had fallen in love once in my life..." she replied, uncertain as to why. "And... and I did want to be with him in that way, I've imagined it many times and enjoyed the thought of being with him in that way, but I held myself back from being into things like that because... I feel like it's a personal thing, I don't know... I can't just sleep with anyone I like, I have to be fully in love and trusting of that person. But it took me over two years to really feel a spark. It's so odd."

While Jacques stared at her in awe, some others stared at her strangely.

"But how will you know how that works?" Carrie asked, frowning. "You've got no experience-"

"Yeah, Josée... have you ever really had other crushes?" Sanders asked.

Josée hesitated for a moment. "Not... really... no it's sort of hard to explain," she cleared her throat. "I did have a crush on him, but it took me so long. And hypothetically I could be intimate with him before that crush and I'd enjoy it, but I want my first time to be special. I have to know that person deeply, I..." God, she was really, really drunk - or perhaps she was just feeling sentimental and lonely, or maybe it was both.

MacArthur chuckled. "You want your Prince Charming. Very fairy-tale-ish."

"...Don't make fun of her," Crimson deadpanned.

"Not cool," Ennui remarked.

"I think it's very sweet," Jen stated, smiling. "My first time wasn't that good at all, so you're doing the right thing. I had only been with my girlfriend of two months at the time, and it was under the bleachers - was not romantic at all."

"Never have I ever..." Carrie mumbled, then hesitated. "Oh, hold on - I think I did that... shit."

"Did what?" Kitty said.

"Stole your bras when I..." Carrie hiccuped. "...I had slept over."

Kitty hiccuped as well and gasped. "Bitch," she said playfully, but took a drink. "I was wondering where they went!"

"I know, but I was really, really drunk."

"That was months ago!"

At this point, the game was on pause and people started to tell stories while they drank freely. Eventually some people began to leave, such as the Goths who had grown tired of socializing most likely - which left seven teams left.

"Oooh, I have a story," Tom said excitedly, in a peppier voice than usual. "So I was with my favorite ex-boyfriend..."

"Your favorite ex-boyfriend?" Jacques said incredulously. "How do you have a favorite ex-boyfriend? Ridiculous."

Tom smirked. "Jealous because I'm not attracted to you?" The other former contestants reacted in amused gasps.

"Wait... where did that come from? And..." Jacques' jaw dropped wide open. "What!?" he shrieked in horror. "How could you not be attracted to me?"

"You're not all that. Also I don't date blondes."

"Hey!" Geoff protested, with a huff. "If I was gay, I'd totally fuck you."

Tom lifted a brow. "Is there something you want to tell us, Geoff?"

"Nah, bro. I'm pretty happy with Bridgette."

"I'M SORRY BUT HOW COULD YOU NOT FIND ME ATTRACTIVE?" Jacques continued to shriek, then hiccuped. "I'M SO ATTRACTIVE!"

"I just don't. Anyway, about my favorite ex-boyfriend-"

"NON, NON. LET'S TALK ABOUT IT..."

"Oh my god..." Tom groaned.

"Shit, the bottoms are fighting-"

"Shut up, MacArthur!" Tom and Jacques shouted collectively, then the latter continued: "WHAT IS IT ABOUT ME?"

Josée facepalmed. "I'm so sorry, Tom. He's drunk."

"No worries," Tom waved it off, then turned to Jacques. "I told you I don't date blondes. Why does it bother you? You don't even like me-"

"TRUE BUT YOU SHOULD LIKE ME BECAUSE I'M SO ATTRACTIVE AND YOU'RE UGLY."

"...This is why I don't date blonde guys they have the ego the size of the fucking sun," Tom remarked dryly. "Anyway, my favorite ex-boyfriend and I had made out by the infamous bleachers too." He nudged Jen, who began to smirk in realization of where this was going. "When we got to class she was asking why we were late to class and that I'm spending too much time with my boyfriend, which was none of her business, so I said: 'Don't be jealous because your fiancé left you.'" He took a sip. "I got detention."

Beat.

And then everyone burst into laughter.

"Well then..." Kitty said amusedly. "Should we... should we continue Never Have I Ever?" The game continued for a while, and the alcohol began to run low as they had played further into the night. Because of this, everyone's sentences had grown more incoherent and they themselves became sluggish.

Brody stood up, stumbling a little. "I think... I think-" he cut himself off by accidentally knocking into Geoff. "Crap, dude... sorry."

"No problem," Geoff said, steadying his partner. "We should get going." Others started to get up as well, such as the Reality TV Pros and the Sisters. Emma put an arm around Noah's shoulders as they walked out of the suite. MacArthur and Sanders already went into their bedroom, presumably. Tom and Jen had said goodbye to everyone. Devin and Carrie were more affectionate, and Ryan and Stephanie were a hundred times more, er... passionate in comparison.

This left Josée and Jacques alone. While Jacques had a better handle on his alcohol, his partner, however, did not - and was noticeably giggly.

"Josée, are you alright?" Jacques asked in amusement. He was met with more giggles, which was music to his ears. His heart was pumping. "Do you need me to walk you back?"

"Jacques, guess what?" Josée said, grinning. "I... wrote a poem! Would you like to hear it?" Jacques' brows furrowed in confusion, but nodded. He watched, trying to hold back his laughter, as Josée cleared her throat trying to look demure and professional like. "I carve in cursive with my feet, looping letters' round the rink, I do not even have to think, as my blades..." Josée paused, faltering a little. "I forgot the words. It was a good poem."

"It was," Jacques agreed, chuckling. They began to walk back to their room, step-by-step. "Easy, Josée... I don't want you to get hurt."

Step by step.

"Shhh! You moron!" Josée giggled, almost slamming into the wall due to her intoxicated state. Everyone had gone into their hotel rooms to get some much needed sleep, but Josée and Jacques were the last ones to get going - due to Josée not being able to handle her alcohol, as Jacques had told her repeatedly. "I'm fine!" Josée said amusedly. Once that was said, she nearly tripped over her own two feet. Jacques snickered but hurried to steady her before she could fall. "I survived!" she exclaimed joyfully.

Jacques shook his head in mirth. "You're so out of it, chouchou."

"I. Am. Not," Josée articulated, through her chuckles. "What about you?"

"I can handle it better than you," Jacques replied cheekily.

Josée rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure you can."

Without even thinking, Jacques scooped Josée up and carried her bridal style to their hotel room. She squirmed and managed to slap his face, but it was playful. "You're... such an idiot!" But she was smiling, as was he. "Put me down, put me down!"

Jacques rolled his eyes fondly. "Ah, Josée! But you should be treated as the princess that you are! I want to shout it to the world!"

"Oh, and you say I can't handle my alcohol." Josée paused, smirking.

"I suddenly want to wake up everyone and shout about you!"

"Please, people are sleeping!" Josée pleaded in a low whisper, but was barely unable to hide her snickering.

"Princess Josée!"

Josée's face grew red. "Jacques!"

"Princesse, princesse, princesse..." Jacques chanted teasingly.

"I am going to kill you!"

Finally Jacques let her down in defeat as they finally arrived at their destination. She fixed her disheveled hair and rolled her eyes, trying to be serious. "You're ridiculous. Are you trying to get us kicked out?"

But when she looked at Jacques, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, which made him shortly follow. There was no doubt that people heard them, but right now, Josée didn't care, and she was sure Jacques felt the same. It fell silent after their laughing subsided, but their smiles had yet to vanish. Her back was pressed against the wall as he towered over her. Josée stared at Jacques, and he stared back at her. It then occurred to Josée how close they were - their faces were only inches apart. Well, it wouldn't be the first time they've gotten this close; but that was for ice dancing respectively - it was nothing like this.

It was then Josée realized something else, as she surveyed his looks - that Jacques was quite attractive looking. She always thought he was handsome, but this... this was a little different. She didn't know what to make of it.

Neither of them were smiling now; it was like everything was set on pause entirely except for the two of them. She didn't know why she suddenly started staring at his lips while he did the same for hers. Their lips were getting closer and closer. And why the hell was her heart racing so fast?

Was that the alcohol talking? Was it-

Josée sobered up instantly. "We should get going!"

Josée moved to the door while Jacques took a few steps back, unable to look at the other. Jacques bit his finger apprehensively, like he was guilty of a crime. Josée's face was still beet red as she unconsciously twirled a strand of black hair that managed to escape from her ponytail.

"I'm sorry," Josée said, breaking the awkward silence. She dared to look at him, but he was avoiding her eyes. "It's just... We're a little out of it, right?" Josée finally caught Jacques glancing at her, to which she weakly smiled at. "It's just been a crazy day."

"Oui, absolutely," Jacques said, far too quickly. He looked like he got punched in the stomach.

Meanwhile Josée was unsure what she was feeling besides guilt, her heart was still racing, but it calmed down only a little. "I just... I just realized that I needed to ask Jen something important, so... and I-I-I..." God, she was such an idiot. Since when did she stammer like this? She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Maybe I'll stay over there for the night. I mean... I promised Jen I would get to know her a bit and try to venture out more to make friends, right?"

Maybe she would die from total humiliation; she would welcome death as in... right now.

Jacques' expression was unreadable. But after a few seconds, he nodded. "Right."

Josée nodded quickly; her face still incredibly red, as she walked past Jacques to make her way to Tom and Jen's room.

He was about to kiss her then.

...Or was she about to kiss him?

It didn't matter who it was going to be in this case; but the point was, it was about to happen. And Josée - who's face was still flushed as she walked to Tom and Jen's room - had abruptly stopped it. Josée could not reiterate that part in her mind; over and over - she felt dizzy, maybe it was the alcohol. Yes, the alcohol was the reason behind it.

...But what if it wasn't?

And hell, did she even want to stop it?

God, she needed another drink - but then she remembered that's how she got into this situation in the first place.

Josée sighed. She needed to sleep this off.