Chapter Eighteen #2
That takes no acting skills from any of us.
All the smiles in the group drop in an instant as unease settles in.
Elimination? Already? We literally just got here.
Don’t get me wrong, I know every day I’ve been earning something on the back end, but if I get eliminated now, it won’t be nearly enough to justify the time I’ve had to take off work.
The time I’ve had to spend away from Lily. Shit, elimination isn’t an option.
The camera crew cuts, then they all load onto souped-up golf carts and take off towards the woods.
Several people gesture for us to follow them, and a few hundred yards away from the house is a full obstacle course.
There are large pillars covered in what looks like a type of blackberry thorns at least fifteen feet tall.
The next obstacle appears to be monkey bars over a huge mud pit, and the last is a fallen tree that looks to be hollowed out.
The finish line is about three hundred feet past that, and honestly, I’m feeling pretty good. It doesn’t look too bad.
As we all gather around the presumed starting point, a woman begins handing out shirts, shorts and tennis shoes for us all.
Each couple is wearing their lock color, along with the Locked In logo, which means Landon and I are in pink shirts and shorts.
I don’t mind it so much, but Landon is obviously less than pleased.
Rolling my eyes at his stupid macho bullshit, I listen as the woman begins explaining the rules.
“Each couple will be harnessed together with a four-foot-long rope. You must complete the obstacle course together, and your goal is to do so as quickly as possible. The bottom-two couples will be up for elimination, and that will take place tonight.”
“So soon?” Bella asks from behind me.
The woman cuts her an irritated look, but she does respond. “Yes. We need to speed up production so we have enough to promote with for the coming weeks, so this week’s elimination will be decided by production. Any other questions?” she hisses.
We all shake our heads, and she nods like she’s pleased about that before looking at the tablet in her hand.
“Up first, Cora and Andrew.”
Cora looks at Andrew nervously, and he wraps his arm around her shoulders, then presses a kiss to her head before they step forward.
A crew member quickly comes over, slipping waist harnesses around them both before connecting the two of them together with the rope.
They test the distance they can move from one another before walking towards the starting line.
I’m gonna be honest, four feet sounds like a lot, but when you actually see it, it’s nothing.
They’re going to have to stay practically glued to each other’s asses.
Out of nowhere, an airhorn sounds that scares the shit out of me before Cora and Andrew take off.
Andrew sprints before realizing Cora can’t run as fast, then adjusts his speed so they can weave in and out of the thorny pillars.
They take it easy so neither of them get too caught up before they head to the monkey bars.
Cora goes ahead, and Andrew matches her pace well.
They both drop to the ground at the same time before climbing through the fallen tree.
Honestly, I’m impressed Andrew could fit in that thing to begin with.
When they pop out the other side, they’re both panting as they run the remaining distance to the finish line. We all cheer and hoot in celebration as they’re read their time. One minute ten seconds. Not bad.
The next couple up is Bella and Connor. Andrew and Cora definitely had the disadvantage of being first because we’re all surely plotting the best way to do it now that we’ve seen it done. Bella and Connor work really well together and surprise with a time of one minute and two seconds.
Angel and Mason go, then Noah and Savannah. Annoyingly, they both do well, finishing in just over a minute. The only thing that brings me a small amount of joy is when Kiera and Dallas keep bumping into each other, dragging their time up to one minute and sixteen seconds.
Calvin and Kenzie are the first to finish in under a minute, and honestly, they look like the team to beat until Luna and Shane come in.
They perform some kind of secret handshake before they weave in and out of the pillars effortlessly.
When they get to the monkey bars, she jumps onto his back, tucking her legs around his torso as he carries them across the mud pit while she happily holds on.
As soon as Shane’s feet hit the ground, they separate and wiggle through the tree faster than anyone has yet.
They cross the finish line hand in hand at fifty-two seconds.
Then Shane tosses Luna over his shoulder and spanks her ass as everyone whoops and cheers in celebration.
When he sets her down, they crush their lips together like they can’t breathe without one another.
They really set a new meaning to hot and heavy, and I’m here for it.
My girl deserves the world, and Shane seems to be happy to give it to her.
Or at the very least food and endless sex, and what else is there really?
Finally, it’s our turn, which means Landon and I actually have to speak to one another. Barely.
“How fast can you run?” he asks, looking straight ahead.
“Fast enough,” I quip.
He shoots me a disbelieving look before gazing straight ahead.
Once the belts are slipped around our waists and the rope is tied, we both get into a runner’s pose.
As soon as that horn goes off, we bolt. I’m actually impressed at how effortlessly we move together.
That is until we make it to the pillars.
Landon dips into them too fast, and the rope between us gets snagged on the thorns.
It drags for a moment before yanking free, sending me straight into one of the poles.
“Ow! Fuck!” I yelp as thorns rip my arms open.
Do you think that asshole stops or even slows down, though?
No, of course not.
Every step he takes puts him further ahead, for only four feet before I’m dragged behind him.
“Hurry up!” he snaps over his shoulder before we make it out of the pillars and to the monkey bars.
I look down at my palms that are now covered in scratches and blood before I climb the stairs and grab the first bar.
I wince as I attempt to hold on and swing to the next and the next, before my hand slips.
My stomach flips as I free-fall towards the mud pit, then land with a splash that would rival a theme park’s water ride before a second splash occurs right beside me.
An angry, mud-soaked Landon looks at me in outrage before he stands up, not giving a shit that he’s dragging me at this point.
When we get out of the pit, I shove him to the side and forcing my way in front so I go through the tree first. The harness moves enough to adjust and allow one of us to be in front.
I do my best to move as quickly as possible, but our feet and hands are now slick with mud, so we’re sliding more than moving.
Landon loses his patience and grabs my ass, shoving me forward again and again until we’re out of the tree. I’m disoriented by the time I make it to my feet, but yet again, the brute starts dragging me along with him, all the way to the finish line.
As soon as our feet cross it, we look to the clock.
One minute and thirty-two seconds.
Fuck. We lost. By a lot.
Landon charges at me like a bull, snorting ragged breaths through his nose as he fumes. “What the fuck was that? You couldn’t even hold on to a goddamn bar!” he shouts.
“Um, newsflash, asshole. You ripped me through the thorn-covered pillars and tore me the fuck up!” I snap back, showing him my now mud-caked and blood-soaked hands.
His eyes flick over them, something akin to regret passing through his gaze, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.
“You said you could run fast enough. Clearly, that was a fucking joke,” he scoffs. “Hope you’re happy now, Court. Do you not understand what’s on the line?”
“More than your Neanderthal brain could ever comprehend,” I snap.
Landon narrows his eyes at me as several crew members jog over and push us apart. From an outsider’s perspective, I understand the need. In reality, no matter how much we hate each other, it wouldn’t get physical.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s head back. Get cleaned up and be gathered outside for the elimination ceremony at eight o’clock sharp,” Daryll says as the camera crew begins packing up.
Landon is the first to stalk off, practically stomping all the way back to the house. Luna hesitantly approaches me, and I shake my head and sigh. She gives me a sad smile in return.
Well fuck, look who’s up for elimination after all.