Chapter 20 #3
When I get back to the shelter, Rhonda is sitting next to the fire.
She’s by herself, a small frown on her face, her eyes distant, as though she’s lost in thought.
Whatever she’s thinking about, it must be intense, because she doesn’t react as I sit down across the fire from her.
A sudden spike of guilt hits me square in the chest. I never promised her that I would take her on the reward if I won, but we’re still close allies.
“Hi,” I say quietly, so as not to startle her. “You okay?”
That gets her attention. She shakes her head as if coming out of a trance, her frown disappearing as her eyes focus on me. “Hey there, honey,” she says. “How was the reward?”
“It was good.” I mean, it was pretty awesome, but I don’t want to make her more jealous than she already is. “How about you? How’s your afternoon going?”
“It’s …” She sighs and looks down. “Well, I guess it’s going about as well as it can in this game. You know how it is.”
“I guess I do.” We both sit there silently, and my anxiety grows by the second. I better fix this before it gets worse. “Listen, Rhonda … I’m sorry I didn’t pick you for the reward. If I could have picked one more person, it would have been you for sure. I just wanted to repay Cole, that’s all.”
She looks up again, some of the tension leaving her expression. “Don’t you worry about that, honey,” she says. “I ain’t upset with you. Sure, that pizza would have been nice, but I had my chance to win the challenge, just like you did.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” The guilty feeling in my chest lessens, and I let out a breath. “By the way, did you get a chance to talk to Katie about the vote tonight? Cole and I were thinking we should target Tamika, but I wanted to hear your thoughts before I commit to anything.”
She nods, a thoughtful expression gracing her face. “I figured y’all would suggest that. Katie and I talked about it, and we’re both on board.”
“Really? That’s great. To be honest, I thought I’d have to do some more convincing.”
“Not at all.” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’ll be four to one, and we’ll be one step closer to the million.”
I lean forward and take her hand in mine. “I know you like Tamika,” I say, my voice low, “and I know it won’t be easy for you to vote for her. It’s like you said, we’re all friends, and all the votes are going to be difficult from here on out.”
“I know. I just didn’t realize quite how hard it would be.” She gives me another smile; this time, it looks genuine. “Don’t you worry, though. I’ll do what needs to be done, and so will Katie.”
The rest of the time before tribal council is relatively relaxed.
Just like at the final seven with Alina, everyone knows that Tamika’s going home, including Tamika herself.
Oh, she spends five minutes trying to persuade me to vote for Katie, but it’s clear her heart isn’t really in it.
I’d be lying if I said I saw this coming.
I definitely thought she’d want to go out fighting.
But upon reflection, maybe it does make sense. She’s probably just accepted the inevitable and wants to enjoy her last day on the beach. I certainly wouldn’t blame her. This game can be mentally taxing at the best of times, and it's never the best of times out here.
Meanwhile, the rest of us go about our day with a minimum of fuss.
I briefly debate whether to talk to Katie about the upcoming vote before deciding against it.
If Rhonda says Katie’s in, then I believe her, and I don’t want to overthink things—or worse, give Rhonda the impression that I don’t trust her.
I may be planning to go back on our deal, but I still need her for the next two tribals.
But that’s only a minor issue, and by the time we walk into the tribal council set just after sundown, I’m feeling about as confident as I can.
Honestly, I’m already thinking about our next tribal council.
There’s a chance that Rhonda and Katie might join forces and vote for Cole or me, forcing a tie, which could throw a wrench in my plans.
I’ll just have to do my best not to give away how closely Cole and I are working together.
As usual, Alex is waiting for us as we take our seats.
“We will now bring in the members of our jury,” he says, as the four of them file in.
“Jenny, Ashraf, Alina, and Marina voted out at the last tribal council.” The latter gives us a quick nod and a small smile before taking her seat. Hopefully, she’s not too mad at us.
Once the jury is all set, Alex sits down across from us. “Ryan, today was your first challenge win, although you’ve come close before. How does it feel to have that safety tonight?”
Almost subconsciously, I reach up and touch the necklace, feeling its reassuring weight. “It feels pretty damn good,” I reply. “There aren’t many sure things in this game, and knowing I’ve got a guaranteed spot in the final four is comforting, to say the least.”
Alex nods and turns to my left. “Cole, you’ve had that necklace before, but obviously you don’t tonight. Does that make you feel vulnerable, or are you confident it won’t be you?”
Cole shrugs. “I mean, any time you don’t have immunity, you feel vulnerable. Like Ry said, there aren’t many guarantees in this game, and anything can happen. But I’m confident that I’ll still be here tomorrow.”
Next up is Rhonda. “Rhonda, you said the last tribal council would be difficult for you, because you consider everyone left a friend,” Alex says. “Does that still hold true? Will this tribal council be even harder?”
“Oh, of course,” Rhonda replies, nodding. “I expect every vote from here on out will be harder than the last, and tonight’s no different. But that’s just a part of the game, and it’s still better than the alternative.”
Continuing down the line, Alex gestures to Katie. “Katie, do you agree with Rhonda? Or will tonight’s vote be easy for you?”
Katie thinks for a moment before responding.
“I don’t think there is such a thing as an easy vote,” she says slowly.
“Especially not for the person going home, but for the rest of us too.” She frowns, her gaze focused on Alex.
“But sometimes you know what has to be done, and you just have to do it, even if you don’t like it. ”
Finally, Alex turns to Tamika. “Tamika, let’s say you go home tonight, and a few months from now, you’re watching this with your friends and family. What would you want them to know about how you played this game?”
Like Katie, Tamika doesn’t respond immediately.
“I’d want them to know that I gave it my all,” she eventually says.
“Whether or not I end up winning, what matters is that I did my best. As long as I can say that to myself, and know in my heart that it’s true, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. ”
“Excellent.” Alex points at me. “And with that, it is time to vote. Ryan, you’re up.”
I get up and walk over to the voting booth, thinking about Katie and Rhonda’s answers.
I agree that there may not be any truly easy votes, but some of them are easier than others, and tonight is certainly one of those.
I approach the table and write down Tamika’s name on the parchment before holding it up to the camera.
“Tamika, you know I love you, but I want to win, and that means you have to go. I’ll see you on the other side. ”
Then I fold the parchment and put it into the urn before returning to my seat, already plotting the next move to bring Cole and me one step closer to the end.
While the others are voting, I think about whether to play my hidden immunity idol for Cole tonight.
On the one hand, it’s probably better to be safe than sorry.
But on the other hand, I don’t think he’s in danger tonight.
He might get Tamika’s vote, but that’s it.
I did promise him I’d only use it if that was the case.
He certainly seems relaxed enough right now, loosely hugging one of his knees as we wait for Alex to return, and he didn’t say anything about it before we left for tribal council.
Plus, I don’t want to have to explain to the others why I didn’t tell them about the idol before.
If they find out I’ve kept it secret for more than a week, they might start to wonder what else I’m hiding from them, and that could be disastrous.
And there’s another reason not to play it for him, I realize.
If I do, it would be a glaring hint that he and I are closer than everyone thinks.
As far as the others know, Cole and I are allies, but hopefully we haven’t given them a reason to think we’re anything more than that.
But if I suddenly played the idol for him, Rhonda and Katie would definitely start to question why I’m so intent on saving Cole at their expense.
I doubt they’d figure out the whole story, but it would give them a reason to target Cole or me at the next tribal council.
I’d hate to go home now when I’m so close to getting everything I wanted. What to do, what to do …
I haven’t made a decision by the time Alex rejoins us with the urn. “If anyone has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so,” he says.
Cole turns slightly towards me, raising one eyebrow ever so minutely.
It seems more like a question than a request, though, and that seals the decision for me.
Better to just hold onto it, rather than take the chance.
I shake my head a fraction of an inch, and Cole gives me the slightest of nods.
I’ll explain to him when we get back to camp.
After waiting for a few seconds, Alex continues with his usual script.
“In that case, I’ll read the votes. As always, once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to leave immediately.
” He reaches into the urn, pulling out a vote and showing it to us. “First vote: Tamika.
“Cole.
“Tamika.
“Cole. We’re tied, two votes Tamika, two votes Cole, one vote left.”
It takes a moment for that last vote to register with me, but when it does, I frown deeply.
Who else voted for Cole? The first one for him wasn’t a surprise—we both figured Tamika would write his name down, but all the rest should be for her.
Anxiety stabs into my mind as I glance at the rest of the group. Did they really …?
Cole turns to look at me, clearly shocked, but the other three have near-identical expressions of determination on their faces, and my heart plummets to the ground. No. Please let it be a mistake. Please!
In a moment that seems to last an eternity, Alex reaches into the urn and pulls out the last vote. “The fourteenth person voted out, and the fifth member of the jury …” He turns the parchment around, showing the name written upon it: “Cole. Please hand me your insignia.”
For a few heartbeats, nobody moves, as though we’re stuck in amber, and the only sound is that of my pulse thudding in my ears. This can’t be happening! I wait desperately for someone to tell me that it’s all a joke, or to wake me from this horrific nightmare that I’ve apparently fallen into.
But then Cole stands up and walks over to Alex, removing his insignia with shaking hands, and suddenly it slams into me that this is real, that Cole is about to go home.
I want to shout at him to put his insignia back on, to sit back down with me where he belongs, but I’m frozen to the spot, my mind dominated by a single thought. This is all my fault.
I watch mutely as Cole gives the insignia to Alex, his hands still shaking. “Cole,” Alex intones. “Your time in this game has come to an end.” He snaps the token in half, my heart breaking along with it. “It’s time for you to go.”
Cole gives me one last, anguished glance, tears coursing down his cheeks. If my heart wasn’t already broken, seeing him like this would do it. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, so low I can barely even hear myself. “I should have saved you.”
Then, after a few more agonizing seconds, he turns and walks down the ramp, taking all my hopes and dreams with him.