Chapter 22 #2
Fortunately, I don’t think it’s going to take as long for me to decide tonight as it did with Cole and Ashley, because when I weigh up all the pros and cons, one person stands out as being a better choice to bring to the end.
The more time passes, the more confident I am in my decision, and by the time we get to tribal council just after sunset, I’m ninety-nine percent sure who’s going home.
The remaining one percent is just in case someone says or does something at the tribal council itself that changes my mind.
Alex waits for the three of us to be seated. “We will now bring in the members of our jury,” he says. “Jenny, Ashraf, Alina, Marina, Cole, and Tamika, voted out at the last tribal council.”
Once again, I only have eyes for Cole. Tonight, he’s wearing a blue T-shirt that molds to his perfect body, and I have to remind myself not to stare.
Like last time, his expression is carefully neutral, and I have no idea how he feels about the fact that I won immunity.
All I know is that I wish he were sitting next to me right now, instead of Rhonda and Katie.
But right now, I need to focus on what’s in front of me, instead of fantasizing about what could have been, so I turn my attention back to Alex.
“Ryan,” he says, nodding to me. “I think it’s safe to say you have a big decision to make.
Was it an easy decision for you, or did you have to think about it? ”
I smile inwardly. “Yeah, I had to think about it a bit,” I reply, a complete understatement if I’ve ever said one.
“Rhonda and Katie both played excellent games, so it really came down to the details. I spent a good amount of time considering who I want to sit next to tomorrow night, because those details could win or lose the game for me.”
Alex nods and turns to his left. “Rhonda, what was your pitch to Ryan?”
Rhonda gives Alex a restatement of what she told me earlier this afternoon.
Once she’s finished, at Alex’s prompting, Katie does the same thing.
Neither of them says anything I haven’t heard before, so I briefly stop paying attention to them and glance over to the jury box, just to see if any of them react to anything.
I think I see Marina nod when Rhonda says that Katie has made some good moves, and Jenny gives a little smile when Katie says that Rhonda has friends on the jury—nothing earth-shattering, but as I said, even the tiniest of details could be important.
As I’m looking at each of the jurors in turn, my eyes meet Cole’s.
We stare at each other for a few moments, neither of us able to look away.
There’s a hint of some emotion I can’t quite place in his eyes, and a twinge of unease runs through me.
I can’t imagine it’s easy for him to know that I got this far and he didn’t, and I wouldn’t blame him for being jealous.
At least I only have one more day until I can see him again.
With any luck, we’ll be able to talk it out, and we can pick up where we left off.
Alex’s voice shakes me out of my thoughts, just like so many times before. “Ryan, have you made your decision?”
I swallow over a lump in my throat. “I have.”
“In that case, we’ll get to the vote.” He gestures to the women sitting on either side of me.
“Rhonda, you can only vote for Katie, and Katie, you can only vote for Rhonda. That means that we’re tied one-to-one, and Ryan’s vote will determine which of you joins the jury, and which of you goes to the final tribal council. ” He points to me. “Ryan, you’re up.”
I stand up and walk over to the voting booth, my stomach fluttering with anxiety.
Despite my nerves, when I get to the table with the parchment, I pause to savor the moment.
This is the last time I’ll be in here. I can’t really say I love this place, or even like it, but I’m still standing, and that has to count for something.
Then, taking a deep breath, I write a name down on the parchment before holding it up to the camera. “We’ve come so far together, and I wish this didn’t have to be the end,” I say. “But I think you have a better chance of beating me, and that’s the only thing that really matters.”
Then I carefully fold the parchment and place it in the urn before returning to my seat.
Almost as soon as I sit down, Alex goes off to collect the urn, returning a moment later. I guess there’s no need to rearrange the votes tonight, since there’s only one in there.
“Once the vote is read, the decision is final,” Alex intones, “and the person voted out will be asked to leave immediately.” He opens the urn and places the lid on the podium next to it. “I’ll read the vote.”
He pulls out the parchment and opens it, staring at the name written on it for a long second. “The sixteenth person voted out, and the seventh and final member of the jury …” He turns the vote around, revealing it to us. “Katie. Please hand me your insignia.”
As soon as he finishes speaking, Katie wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. “Good luck,” she whispers. “No hard feelings.”
Then she stands up and walks over to Alex, taking off her necklace as she does.
She hands it to him, and he looks at her with a grave expression.
“Katie,” he says. “Your time in this game has come to an end.” He snaps the token on Katie’s insignia in half, and with one last glance in our direction, she turns and walks past him down the ramp, the last person to be voted out of this game.
Once Katie is gone, Alex turns to address the two of us.
“Rhonda, Ryan, congratulations,” he says.
“You have gone as far as you can in this game. Tomorrow, you’ll have a chance to plead your case to the jury and explain why you should win the million-dollar prize.
I recommend you spend tonight resting and tomorrow preparing your speeches.
” He grins, showing pearly-white teeth. “Best of luck to both of you.”
Rhonda stands up and begins to walk in the opposite direction that Katie just went. With one last look at Cole, I follow her, doing my best to ignore the worry that roils somewhere deep within my mind.