Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
“Stay mentally strong. You can resist any temptation,” Woolly said to Griff.
Was Griff really fighting temptation? Kiki is pretty. Mature and stylish, I guess. A lot of shots seem to be of her staring at Griff from afar. Or Griff working out.
The other contestants all seem to have their assigned roles. Deadass is the delusional douche canoe who no one takes seriously and everyone in the house seems to hate. Naptime’s the one with the catch phrase. It’s not even a good one. He just yells, “time for a nappy nap” every time he lands a punch.
Venom’s the fatherly advisor, even though I don’t think he’s that much older than Griff. Woolly’s the spiritual, hippie guy who tosses out motivational quotes. Rumbling Thunder’s a judgmental goody-two-shoes who critiques everyone’s moves—whether they’ve asked for his opinion or not. The girls seem to have their own characters assigned to them too. One wants to be a singer. Another one’s the quirky, not-like-other-girls girl. Kiki’s presented as an empty-headed bimbo but in one of the solo interviews, she dropped the airhead act and talked about wanting to open her own nail salon. Someone driven. Who wants to run a business doing something she loves—like Griff.
It bugs me. It bugs me a lot.
The rest of the ring girls are some variation of slutty temptress. If anything, I guess the show’s equally insulting to everyone in every way possible.
As soon as Griff comes on the screen, I perk up. He’s being fitted for a suit, which seems odd. The episode follows all the contestants to some fancy dinner.
“So they are allowed to leave the house?” I shout.
“None of this makes any damn sense,” Eraser gripes.
“No kidding,” I mutter.
Kyla leans against me. “Griff looks good all dressed up, though.”
“He does.” I hug my legs tighter.
“I fuckin’ hate this.” Remy stands and walks behind his chair. “What was he thinking?”
“Remy, calm down. Griff’s doing fine,” Ella says.
“You had to let him leave the nest some time, Papa Bear,” Eraser adds.
“Bears don’t live in nests,” Hayden says.
Remy chuckles. “Tell him, Hayden.”
Eraser rumbles with laughter. “Fine, he had to lumber out of the cave sometime.”
“Better,” Hayden praises.
After the dinner, the camera cuts to the living quarters. Watching black-and-white, grainy footage shot from a high angle gives the show an extra-creepy voyeuristic feel that’s made me uncomfortable from episode one.
“Is Kiki going to make her move tonight?” the voice-over artist asks.
I roll my eyes.
“And will Griff give into temptation just this once?”
On the screen, Griff’s at his door and Kiki walks up behind him.
My pulse spikes. I hate her being so close to my boyfriend. Talking to him like she has the right. And I’m all the way here in Johnsonville. So far away from him.
It’s just a TV show. Griff’s only there for us. Nothing to be alarmed about.
Next, Kiki’s in his arms.
The screen cuts to a commercial.
Did I see what I think I saw?
“What the fuck?” Remy shouts.
“Bro, chill,” Eraser says. “We should’ve watched it later so we could fast-forward through all these erectile-dysfunction ads. Why are there so many broken dicks in this country? That’s the real mystery.”
I huff out a sad laugh.
Eraser leans over and squeezes my shoulder. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I glance at the screen. “I know who Griff is.” At least I thought I did.
Whatever he’s doing is just a strategy. To make sure he wins. For us.
The sinking feeling in my stomach seems to disagree with my mental pep talk.
The show returns and follows Deadass and two of the ring girls while they frolic in the pool under the moonlight. My stomach clenches as I wait for some update on Griff.
The show stops at Venom in the phone booth, talking to his wife. The show’s sort of framed her as a nag, which honestly, I think I’d prefer to dumb virgin slut.
Bull and Pirate spar in a cage.
The screen switches to the grainy black-and-white footage again.
“Wait a minute,” the dramatic voice-over says. “Did Griff invite Kiki into his room after all?”
The camera zooms in on the door, then jump-cuts to a dark, shadowy bedroom.
Two people are in the bed.
Under the bright white comforter.
Moaning.
“Looks like Griff has a difficult conversation with his girlfriend coming up.”
The camera focuses on Griff’s back. A woman’s long nails digging into his shoulders. His body moves over the woman. “Shhh,” he keeps saying every time the girl moans too loud. Then a harsh, whispered, “Hurry up.”
Bile burns the back of my throat.
Everyone in the living room stops breathing or moving. No one says a word as we all stare in horror. I can’t look directly at the screen.
Don’t cry. Don’t throw up.
I suck in a deep breath, fighting the tears stinging my eyes and the pain in my throat.
How could I have been so dumb?
I really thought Griff and I were destined to be together. Our years of friendship meant that we had a deep connection. I believed him when he said he was competing on this reality show to secure our future. When they introduced the girls into the house, I wasn’t worried.