Chapter 76: After Trial 6
The air, thick with salt and the lingering musk of sweat and sex, did not clear with Chris’s announcement. It tightened, becoming a suffocating blanket of unspoken calculations and shifting allegiances. Bianca’s sobs were the only raw, human sound in the sudden silence, a stark counterpoint to the cold arithmetic of the game.
Chris McLean, beaming as if he’d just announced the winners of a charity raffle, gestured to a large screen that flickered to life beside him. “And with that earth-shattering victory, let’s see how the board has been shaken up! The updated totals!”
A collective shift of weight, a rustle of bodies turning to look. Briv felt his own name find him on the list, a gut-punch of mediocrity. Sixth. He was sixth. After everything, after the humiliation and the struggle, he was lodged firmly in the middle, a forgettable statistic. His eyes, against his will, darted to Alya’s name, tied for fourth. Of course. She was always just that bit ahead, that bit more desired.
But it was the top of the list that drew a sharp, collective breath.
1st - Joaquin - 63p
A slow, spreading grin broke across the Spaniard’s face. He puffed out his chest, running a hand through his trimmed beard as his eyes swept over the women, a king surveying his potential consorts. “Well, well,” he murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear. “The best man wins, no?”
2nd - Elena - 54p
Elena, the fan of Korean culture, offered a gentle, almost apologetic smile, but her eyes held a sharp gleam of satisfaction. She was playing a quieter, smarter game, and it was paying off.
3rd - Dariana - 52p
The athlete stood stiffly, her jaw set. She had scraped a single point from the trial, and it had been enough to keep her in the top tier. Her gaze was fixed on some distant point on the horizon, as if she could no longer bear to look at the people around her.
Briv scanned down, his stomach churning.
4th - Alya, Nicoleta - 50p
5th - Thomas - 43p
6th - Briv - 42p
He was one point behind Thomas. The guy who pretended to be your friend just to get into your girl’s pants. The injustice of it burned in his throat.
Further down, the carnage was evident. Sean, the grumpy misogynist, was languishing at 16th with a paltry 11 points. And at the very bottom, with only 10 points, was Nicola. The blonde, who usually carried an air of smart, sexy confidence, looked pale, her arms wrapped around herself as if she were freezing in the tropical heat.
“There you have it!” Chris chirped. “Some huge moves, some devastating slides! Remember, folks, at the next elimination, the bottom three contestants will be saying hasta la vista to this paradise. The stakes could not be higher!”
The group began to disperse, the silence breaking into a low hum of anxious conversation. The math was a cold, hard truth that no amount of sun could warm. Alliances would need to be forged, and fast.
Briv found himself standing alone, the numbers swimming in his head. Forty-two. He was closer to Nicola’s 10 than he was to Joaquin’s 63. The gap was a chasm.
===