Chapter Thirteen Hell Is Your Academic Rival Saving Your Life
Chapter Thirteen
Hell Is Your Academic Rival Saving Your Life
Turns out, it doesn’t matter whether you’re sitting on a stackable chair in a dimly lit room that reeks of antiseptic or a cushioned rattan chair in a tropical villa—waiting for someone you care about sucks.
Not that I care about Daniel.
I mean, I need him functional to continue the competition, of course, and I would never wish him harm—I’m not evil. (“You think you’re lawful good, but you’re secretly chaotic good” is how Tara once put it.)
And he threw himself into the firework’s path to protect me. He saved me. He’s hurt because of me.
I can’t quite wrap my head around this new reality where Daniel Cho, the guy I spent my high school years locked in academic combat with, would take a firework blast to his side just for me. Maybe he just has a hero complex , I tell myself. But I know that’s not it.
In the aftermath, Peter Dixon took charge, directing the crew to call our on-site medics. A very harassed-looking medical team arrived shortly after and whisked Daniel back to the villa, where they created a makeshift hospital room for everyone who suffered burns or cuts or bruises.
I’ve spent far too much time this year in waiting rooms. I jiggle my knee, trying to get some of my nervous energy out, but it doesn’t help. I need to know if Daniel’s okay.
Someone emerges from the room, and for a moment, my heart leaps, hoping against hope that it’s Daniel, whole and unharmed. Instead, it’s Lex, looking rumpled and exhausted.
For once, they don’t have a boom mic attached to their hand. They’re clearly about to slink away to do whatever sound techs do in their free time, but I leap up to intercept them.
“Any news? What’s going on in there?” I ask.
I can see Lex check to make sure I’m not wearing my mic pack, but we’ve already taken them off for the day.
“What a shitshow.” Lex scrubs at their face. “This is the most dangerous set I’ve been on, hands down.”
“You mean most reality shows don’t include explosions and burn wards?” I hazard.
Lex laughs bitterly. “Like I told you before, I wasn’t kidding when I said that you need to watch your back.”
The way Lex is glancing around nervously gives me pause. “You don’t think this was an accident,” I say slowly. “What really happened?”
“I don’t know,” Lex says. “All I can tell you is that Mom and Dad are fighting, and we’re about to be collateral damage.”
“Dawn Taylor and Peter Dixon aren’t getting along?”
“Oh, they play nice when the crew’s around, but I know for a fact that they don’t agree on anything. It doesn’t help that the stakes are higher than ever. The network execs are loving the show, but they haven’t signed off on a bigger budget. Dawn Taylor and Peter Dixon are desperate to prove to them that this show is worth the investment.” Lex makes a face. “Which means we’re killing ourselves trying to manufacture a hit with nowhere near enough money or crew or resources.”
“Sounds like a case of bad planning.”
“I’ll say.” Lex shakes their head. “Most sets would get shut down after the number of ‘accidents’ we’ve had. We’re breaking all kinds of union rules here. No one’s happy. But Dawn Taylor wants us to go bigger. More drama. More extravagance. More everything.”
“God, I’m sorry they’re putting you through all this,” I say. The crew and staff don’t deserve this. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Lex snorts. “Thanks. You’re the first person to ask that. You really don’t belong here, do you?”
“What?”
“It’s not an insult. I’m just saying, it’s obvious that you’re not here to boost your follower count or land a sponsorship deal. You’re not even on social media.”
“I am, too,” I protest. “I’m just not public.” I make it very hard to find my account online. I don’t want my students following me. It’s weird enough when I run into them in the grocery store sometimes.
“Every other contestant here is ready to cut throats and hide the bodies if it means getting their moment of fame. But you? You can walk away at any time.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I say. “I can’t walk away. I need the money. I have to stay in.”
“Well, ask yourself this. Is all this worth it?” Lex gestures at the door behind them where Daniel is being treated. “That could be you in there next time. Are you really willing to risk everything just for a chance to win a million dollars?”
“I’ve got bills to pay. What about you? Why are you still here, if you think it’s so dangerous?” I counter.
“Same as you. I’ve got bills to pay.” Lex scratches at their arm, a grim look on their face. “But I can take care of myself. I’ve worked these kinds of jobs before. I’m used to no one caring about the crew. As long as I keep my head down, I’ll get through it. But you’re new to this, and you’ve been pushed into the spotlight. This show is going to eat you alive if you don’t watch out.”
“I’m tougher than I look,” I say.
“I hope you’re right.”
I hope I’m right too. But after nearly getting hit by a rogue firework, I’m not so sure that I am. I don’t want to let Lex know that, though. They have enough to deal with.
Then I realize that Lex must have been with the medics for a reason, and that reason is staring me in the face. A bandage covers part of the sleeve of tattoos on their arm. “But wait, are you okay?” I ask.
“What?” Lex glances down at their arm. “Oh. Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Do you need me to get anything for you?” I ask. “I know where all the good snacks are. Not because I was sneaking around the villa without permission or anything.”
Lex pantomimes zipping their mouth closed. “Kid, I don’t want to know.”
“Look, I know you have this whole ‘grizzled veteran of the industry’ thing going on—”
“Thank you,” Lex says proudly.
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. You told me I need to watch my back, but maybe we can watch each other’s back.”
Lex scoffs. “And how do we do that?”
“Well, you know what’s going on behind the scenes with the crew. And I don’t have anything to do except spend time with the other contestants. We can compare notes, piece together everything that’s happening on this island. You said it yourself, this is the most dangerous set you’ve ever been on, and we don’t know who we can trust. Having all the facts can only help us.”
“You know, I have an actual job to do,” Lex says skeptically. “I don’t have time to be playing spy with you.”
“And I have a show to win,” I say. “We should team up. Exchange information. Look out for each other. What do you think?”
“I think you’re a people pleaser, and you just want to be my friend because you’re in a new and confusing place,” Lex says.
“You’re not wrong,” I say, grinning. “But this is also a mutually beneficial arrangement that makes sense strategically.”
Lex gives me a considering look. “You know what? Sure. My therapist did say I needed to be more open with other people.”
“Yes, listen to your therapist,” I say.
“Sure, great, can’t wait to get an A in therapy,” Lex grumbles, but I can tell their heart isn’t in it.
“Thank you, friend ,” I say in a singsong voice. “Hey, if we’re going to team up and go sleuthing for information, we need a catchphrase. Like, it’s all adding up. Or the math checks out !”
“All right, that’s enough out of you. I’m regretting this already,” Lex says, shaking their head, but I catch a half smile on their face. They leave without another word.
I’m left alone in this beautiful excuse for a waiting room, but with Lex gone, I’ve run out of patience. I give it another ten minutes, and then I approach the door—and nearly get run over by Dawn Taylor.
“Watch it,” she snaps at me as I leap to the side.
A medic rushes after her. “Ms. Taylor, don’t you want the pain meds?”
“Don’t give me that shit. I need to be sharp for filming,” Dawn Taylor says over her shoulder. “I can’t believe this happened. I could kill those PAs.”
“But your burns—”
“I said I’m fine!”
Dawn Taylor disappears down the hall, but not before I glimpse white medical gauze wrapped around her leg, spanning from her knee to her ankle.
The medic sighs. “I wasn’t trained for this,” she mutters.
“You weren’t?” I ask.
The medic glances at me. “Big problems are supposed to be sent to the mainland. But there’s a huge storm rolling in, so we’re stuck treating people here. It’s not exactly ideal.”
The medic heads back into the makeshift hospital room, and I take the chance to follow. The first person I see is Leah. She’s pacing back and forth in front of Seth, who’s perched on the arm of another rattan chair. Bryan is leaning against the wall, looking grim.
“I’m sure I saw Anton setting up those fireworks,” Bryan is saying.
“Figures. Everyone knows that he half-asses everything.” Leah is chewing her gum with a vengeance as she speaks. “I don’t know how he even got this job. He has none of the qualifications, and his attitude is garbage.”
“He’s a lazy shithead,” Seth says. “But we already knew that. The problem is now he’s gotten half the cast and crew injured. Did you see the staff breakroom? It looks like we’re extras on the set of ER .”
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Leah says, noticing me. “You didn’t get hurt too, did you? I swear, I’ll murder that trust-fund ass—”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly. “I just wanted to check on Daniel.”
Bryan snorts. “You can drop the act, Alice. None of the producers really believe you instantly fell in love with Daniel the second Chase hooked up with Selena.”
Ouch, I guess Bryan’s buddy-buddy side is only for Chase.
“Don’t talk about my couple like that, you dick,” Leah spits. To me, she says, “Ignore him. Daniel’s over there.” She gestures behind her to a cot in the far corner before turning back to rip into Bryan.
I head to the corner to find Daniel lying on the cots, his eyes closed. His shirt is off, and there’s a bright white bandage around his torso. Before I can stop myself, I reach out to lay my hand on his forehead, but then he cracks an eye open.
“Daniel!” I jump back like I’ve been scalded. “You’re awake.”
“I was trying to eavesdrop,” he whispers to me.
“Are you okay? I mean, of course you’re not. Does it hurt? How are you feeling?”
“I’m horribly wounded,” he says with a dramatic sigh. “Survival is uncertain. Remember me as I was. Perfect and stunningly handsome.”
This guy. Why was I so worried about him? I give him my sternest teacher glare.
“Yikes, point that death stare at someone else.” Daniel pats the bandage on his side, then winces. “It hurts like hell, and it’s going to scar, but I’ll be okay, Alice. Don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t worried,” I say. “Who said I was worried?”
“I can see it in your face. You’ve got that little worry line,” he says. He reaches up and presses a finger to my forehead. “You used to look like that when your team was falling behind.”
“Did not,” I say automatically. But Cindy’s pointed out the same worry line before. How did he notice?
Daniel tries to sit up and groans. “Ow, fuck. You know, I read the waiver, but I didn’t think I’d actually get hurt.”
“Has anything like this happened before to Selena?” I ask. Despite Lex’s warnings, I wonder if maybe this is actually pretty standard.
“No, not that I know of,” he says, frowning. “But she’s been on a lot of shows.”
“Was Selena the one who pushed you to apply?” I ask, thinking of how Chase had all but signed the papers for me. It would make sense if Selena was the one who got them on the show. For all that Daniel is competitive, I can’t really imagine him deciding to go on reality TV. He’s never avoided the spotlight, exactly, but he never struck me as someone who wants to be famous.
“Applied? Selena was recruited. Someone from production reached out to her on Instagram,” Daniel says. “She said yes and asked me to join her. We’d only been dating about a month at that point, but it sounded fun. At least, it did at the time.” As if proving his point, he winces as he shifts to sit up more.
That cot can’t be comfortable. “I’m going to get you out of here,” I decide. I head back to Leah and the others.
“—this entire thing is going to set the schedule way back, not to mention the storm,” Leah says, pacing the floor.
“Can I take Daniel back to rest in our room?” I interrupt.
“I’m ready to get out of here,” Daniel contributes from behind me. He’s already grabbed his shirt. He goes to pull it back on and lets out a hiss of pain.
“Here, let me.” I help him tug the sleeves over his shoulders, my fingers lightly grazing his bare skin. It’s hot where we touch, and I remind myself to ask the medic for an ice pack, extra bandages, and antibiotic ointment just in case.
“Thanks, Slayer,” he says.
Guilt surges through me again. Just hours ago, I chose to betray him, and I assumed he would betray me too. But instead, he stayed loyal to me and, worse, jumped in harm’s way for me.
“Fine, go,” Leah says, all business. “I’ll send someone to check on you later. Get some rest.”
Once we’re out of hearing range of the producers, I take Daniel’s hand. “You didn’t have to do it,” I say softly. “Jump in front of me, I mean.”
He looks down at me. “I didn’t do it because I thought I had to,” he says, just as quietly.
“Then why?”
Something flashes in his expression that I can’t quite parse. He’s silent for a beat before he finally says, “It happened so fast, I don’t even know. It was just instinct, that’s all.”
“Instinct,” I echo.
“Yeah, spur of the moment,” he says. “You ever do something just because? Or is it all bullet points and five-year plans with you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with a solid five-year plan,” I say primly. It’s clear I’m not going to get anything else out of him, so I tug him around to face me, look him in the eye, and say, “Thank you, Daniel.”
I watch as he swallows and looks away, his ears reddening just the slightest bit. “You’re welcome, Alice.”
STORY NOTES FOR EDITORS: “DAWN TAY’S INFERNO: LOVE IS HELL,” SEASON 1, EPISODE 4: THE STORM
[Footage: Dark storm clouds roll over the villa as thunder booms ominously.]
MIKAYLA MOORE: I thought this would be, like, a cute little getaway for me and Trevor, but it’s getting really crazy out there.
[B-roll footage: Heavy winds bend palm trees nearly in half.]
ZYA CLARK: I’m sure most of these girls are too busy worrying about ruining their manicures to get their hands dirty with storm prep, but not me, bitch!
DOMINIC ROSS: That’s what I love about you. You’re just not like the other girls. Hey, think I can carry five of these sandbags at once?
[Footage: Several of the cast work together to make sandwiches.]
[Footage: Contestants move to strategically place buckets under leaks in the roof.]
CHASE DE LANCEY: Guess we should’ve checked the weather, huh? I just want to get back to competing with my girl Selena, but I’m kind of glad this is happening. It’s nice that we’re all coming together now to get through this wild storm.
[Footage: Together, Chase and Alice position a bucket to catch a leak. They smile at each other.]