And every time that I was down

Dakota cleared her throat. “Well. Now that we’ve cleared things up with our little leprechaun, I suppose it’s about time we get to winding down this little party, what do you say? It’s been quite a pleasant event, but I don’t think that-”

“Say what?” Vivian crossed the stage and placed her hands on her hips. “Come on, Dakota! Let’s not get wild about this, okay? We’ve got plenty of time! And this party is just getting started!”

Dakota gave her a tired look. Then she sighed and rolled her eyes. “…Fine,” she relented, shaking her head. “If that’s what you want, then fine.”

She glanced at Nick, and the expression she made was one he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Exhaustion.

Nick could sympathize.

Vivian had a lot more activities for everyone to do, and Nick really did appreciate the fun times. But he could feel his energy flagging. Just because the heiress had it in her to party for hours on end, that didn’t mean he did.

So when Dakota gathered the girls together on the beach and told Ella that she needed to get ready to go to the Master’s Suite for her evening responsibility of cleaning the place up, he found the perfect opportunity to make a quick escape and cleared his throat.

“Vivian, I think we should probably call it now,” Nick said. “It’s gonna be dark soon. And I really need to get back to the Master’s Suite for my night.”

“Same with me,” Mary nodded. “I have to cook dinner.” She glanced at Carly, who laughed sheepishly and scratched her head.

“Yeah, I don’t blame you for thinking that,” she admitted, recalling her disaster with the mashed potatoes. Though in her defense, she was in a really bad place mentally during that challenge.

…Which was partially a reason she found herself not willing to try her hand at cooking again tonight. Wouldn’t go well.

“Hey, what about Carly’s transformation?” Rose questioned. “Doesn’t she have to take someone up to the Master’s Suite with her?”

Dakota shook her head. “No, you misunderstand. She doesn’t ‘have’ to, she ‘gets’ to! Does that make sense?”

Everyone gave her a wary look.

“Wait, so… I get a choice?” Carly asked, not sure how she felt about that.

“Of course you get a choice,” Dakota said. “You’re under no obligation to invite anyone up to the Master’s Suite with you.”

Marley loudly cleared her throat.

Dakota gave her a sideways glance. “…Well, yes, your sister. But that’s a problem you’ve already found a solution to, no?”

Rose nodded. “At least this way, you won’t be stuck with Marley for your night with Nick,” she pointed out with a grin.

“Excuse me, ‘stuck with’?” Marley glared at her.

Rose shrugged and flashed a toothy smile to the other girl in response. Marley just groaned and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Yeah, Carly, if you want, it can just be the two of us,” Nick said, turning to her. “Don’t feel like you have to invite someone if you don’t want to, okay?”

This time, it was Mary who cleared her throat.

Nick winced. “Well… yes, Mary, you’ll also be there,” he admitted. It wasn’t like he’d meant to forget about her. He just didn’t think bringing that up would help the situation at all. “So yeah, we won’t be alone together, but-”

“Eh, it’s fine, I don’t really care about that,” Carly assured him with a shake of her head. “I don’t mind Mary being there… don’t worry.”

She turned to Mary and smiled, but it felt like there was something she wasn’t saying. Nick didn’t get the usual vibes he got from Carly. Instead of feeling like she genuinely didn’t care, the way she usually was, it felt more like she was forcing herself to go with the flow.

But he **** himself not to think about that, because he didn’t want to cause a big scene about things in front of everybody. Maybe she was feeling the same way he was, exhausted by all the effort of today and the party.

Or maybe she actually is pretty down about placing so poorly in the swimsuit contest, he realized. Carly did care a lot about looking good and being popular, even if she didn’t always say it. She was so happy when she rose higher in the second poll… Maybe she feels a little inadequate, compared to her sister. That must hurt.

As an only child, Nick didn’t know anything about those kinds of struggles. But as Carly had gone from only child to now having two sisters (thanks to Rose, in part) she might have been feeling a little weird about the whole thing.

Maybe I should talk with her tonight.

He wondered if Carly would really take Dakota up on her point of not having to use the transformation. She definitely didn’t seem that into it, which was strange, since before, she seemed to be pretty excited about the idea.

Nick wasn’t the only one picking up on some strange vibes.

“Hey, Carly, is everything okay?” Dani asked, taking her partner by the hand. “You’ve been acting really weird for a while now. You really don’t want to invite someone up to the Master’s Suite with you tonight?”

Carly blinked. “What? No, that’s not what I meant at all!” She said quickly, shaking her head. “I just wanted to know if I have the option, that’s all! But I’m definitely excited to earn some VP by competing against one of the other girls!”

Dani could smell something was off. She looked critically at Carly, unconvinced.

“Look, Carly, I care a lot about you, and I think you know that honesty means a lot to me,” she said gently. “I’m so happy that we can tell each other anything. So if there’s something bothering you about this transformation, just tell me.”

As kind as Dani’s words may have been, she needed to do a better job at being aware of her surroundings. Because this wasn’t the intimacy of a bedroom, this was a beach full of Carly’s friends and family.

She looked around, and giggled uncomfortably.

“Dani… it’s not like I don’t want to use my transformation, okay?” She said. “I just don’t want to put the pressure of the evening on someone else, that’s all. It’s a lot to live up to, you know?”

Dani squinted. “Uh… no? No, I don’t get that at all…”

Carly’s smile was pained. “Look, competing like this… Never mind. It’s not that big of a deal anyway. I’ll do it!”

She clapped her hands together and a sunny smile popped back up on her face, much to Dani’s concern. She looked uncertainly at Carly.

“Are… are you sure?” She asked quietly.

“I wasn’t before, but I am now,” Carly assured her. “Thanks to your support, I’m sure I can make it work! Just watch me!”

Dani was pleased to hear that, but she also wasn’t sure what she had been giving Carly support FOR. Not that it mattered- Carly would have her support no matter what.

Dakota raised her eyebrow. “So… you are going to use your transformation to invite someone up to the Master’s Suite, then?” She clarified.

“Yep!” Carly chirped. “Gotta earn that VP, right? Bring it on!”

She glanced at Mary, and gave her a shaky smile. Then she turned her eyes over to Nick, as well. An additional person will be a good distraction. The perfect thing to get my mind off of this morning! …As long as it’s not Amelia or Sylvia, anyway.

“Ooh, I hope it’s me!” Rose said, her eyes shining with excitement. “I’d love the chance to earn some extra VP!”

“Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose though?” Marley pointed out with an exasperated expression on her face. “The whole point of you using your transformation to turn yourself into our sister was so Carly could have the Master’s Suite to herself for the evening and not be stuck with me on top of whoever she invites.”

Rose gave her a confused look. “Um… no? I did that so she and Dani could go swimming together, that’s all.”

Dawn snorted. “Well… that’s definitely Rose, alright.”

“I think it’s cute,” Kim said, secretly hoping that she would be the one to get picked.

“So? Don’t keep me hanging in suspense,” Carly said. “Who am I inviting up to the Master’s Suite with me, Dakota? You said you were going to be the one to choose.”

“Actually she said it would be determined randomly,” Dawn clarified.

“Right! Yes… Random…” Dakota cleared her throat. “Random…”

Nick sighed and shook his head. Somehow he didn’t think this would be as “random” as Dakota had promised. But then, he should know by now not to trust her when it came to stuff like this. It never worked out well.

“I wonder if it’s finally my turn?” Vivian purred. “I wouldn’t mind getting the chance to dress Carly up in some outfits for the night.”

“You can’t though, remember?” Mary pointed out. “You already used your transformation to nullify mine.”

“Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot!” Vivian nodded. “Hmm… then in that case, Carly and I can dress you up instead!”

“Eh?!” Mary blanched.

Nick had to admit, a part of him wanted to see that. At the same time, he felt Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin burning a hole in him with her excited stare. He didn’t know what had gone on between her and Carly in this round already, but like with Kim, she seemed to be unusually attached to the cosplayer.

As long as it’s not Amelia, I think I can live with whoever she ends up inviting, Nick thought. Though calling it an invitation wasn’t exactly the right thing. Because Carly wasn’t inviting the person, that was Dakota.

But again, he hoped it wouldn’t be Amelia. That had been awkward enough the other night, and he didn’t want a repeat, especially with Carly. The two of them hadn’t had a lot of conversations together, but he doubted that Amelia would wholly approve of the casual attitude Carly carried herself with, given her own issues.

“Can I go?” Sylvia asked hopefully. She didn’t even wait for Dakota to tell her no. “No, wait, you’re right, it’s probably better if I don’t… I should wait for my night with Daddy, that’s right…”

She looked down, and Nick wanted to console her, but he feared that if he did, it would just make her a target of Dakota’s ire. He really needed to do something to help foster a positive relationship between the two of them, because it was obvious that Dakota wasn’t interested in that on her own.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. They’d made some progress today, much to his surprise, but they really needed to go a lot further than this if he wanted a happy future between the two of them.

Which was seeming more and more unlikely.

Dani just laughed it off and smiled. “It’s okay, Carly, I hope you have a lot of fun. Just remember, you’re in a relationship, yeah?” She tried not to be too anxious, but it was hard.

“Hey, think positive, it could be you,” Carly pointed out with a smile. “Wouldn’t that be just great? The three of us in the room together? Having fun together? It sure went pretty well the last time we tried it,” she chuckled.

Dani felt a wave of relief wash over her. Carly seemed like she was back to her old self, thankfully.

At the same time, she knew there was zero chance that Dakota would ever let her be the woman who went up to the Master’s Suite with Carly. At least not this first night. “Yeah, sure… maybe. But I don’t think her ‘random’ selection is going to end up making that happen.”

Carly shrugged. “Hey, you never know, right?” She looked over at Dakota, who made a face like she’d just sucked on a lemon.

“I wasn’t lying about the choice being random,” she said with a scowl. “Now, are we going to spend the rest of the day speculating?” She asked with a bit of snippiness. “Or would you like me to reveal who will be joining Carly in the Master’s Suite tonight?”

“Speculating!” Kim cheekily called out, earning her a glare from the host.

“…Ignored.” Dakota turned to Nola, and snapped her fingers.

“Right away!” Nola pulled a curtain away from an object that everyone just now noticed had been sitting on the beach the whole time, and revealed a large wheel from a game show standing in the sand. It had names of every contestant written on it.

“We’ll spin the wheel, and whoever’s name it lands on, that will be the person who will be joining you tonight!” Dakota said, nodding to Nola.

“Let’s see who it’s gonna be!” Nola skipped over to the wheel and grabbed it, ready to give it a big old spin.

“Whoa, hold up there,” Dawn stepped in, looking suspiciously at the wheel. “Are you sure this thing is random?”

Dakota turned slowly towards her and glared. “…Why would you suspect that it wouldn’t be random?” She asked.

“**** of habit,” Dawn replied with a smirk. She was pretty daring, standing up to someone who could do a lot of damage if she was in a bad mood, which she pretty clearly was.

“I assure you, this wheel is not rigged in any way,” Dakota promised Dawn, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I believe in fairness on this show. I would certainly not set up the wheel to land on a specific choice simply because that would mean the choice would result in something sexy or entertaining for the audience.”

Even Nick was starting to get a little suspicious, hearing that.

Amelia walked over to Dakota and Nola, giving both girls an appraising stare. “I would like to believe that is the case,” she said somberly.

“Nah, I used to be the card girl for one of those game shows,” Kim said, shaking her head. “You know, the one where you would spin the wheel to get a fortune?”

“Wheel of Fortune?” Marley asked.

“No, the other one. Anyway, my point is, those things are always rigged!” Kim shook her head. “Too suspicious and theatrical, she definitely set something up.”

“It’s what I’d do,” Sylvia chirped. “And I learned from the best!” She looked at Dakota with dewy eyes, admiring the unscrupulous nature of the host.

Nick would really have to have a conversation with her about that at some point.

Dakota held up her hands. “I promise, the person who will end up going to the Master’s Suite with Carly will be decided by random chance,” she assured them. “I would never make it so one specific person gets chosen.”

Kim walked around the wheel, and popped off the back. “So why are the wires crossed to land on either Ella or Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin?”

Dakota stared blankly at her.

“…A 50/50 chance is still random,” she bluntly replied.

“Yeah, we’re not deciding based on the wheel,” Carly said, shaking her head.

Gina burst out laughing. “Oh, man, that’s rich! I totally get where you were going with this too, Dakota, that’s perfect!”

“Shut up,” Dakota hissed, her pale cheeks reddening as she glared at the punk girl.

“I mean, yeah, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin would be an amazing scene for the sexiness! And Ella? That would be the kind of stress that would make for a great night, too!” Gina pointed out. “…But come on, at least be fair about it.”

“Dakota, if you won’t be fair about randomly choosing who Carly goes up to the Master’s Suite with, it is very likely that she will not choose to use her transformation again. You are aware of this, correct?” Amelia pointed out.

“…Fiiiinnneee…” Dakota groaned like a child upset she couldn’t get her way. “We’ll use the backup selection method. Nola?”

“Right away!” Nola rushed over with a box that had a hole cut in the top, the same one Vivian had used for the teams in the sandcastle contest. She practically shoved the box into Dakota’s hands.

“This box has the names of every girl in Nick’s harem,” Dakota explained to the cosplayer as she walked over to her and held it up for her appraisal. “Pick one at random, and that’s who you’ll be taking up to the Master’s Suite, if you would.”

“How do we know you actually put everybody’s name in that box?” Mary asked suspiciously. She was absolutely done giving the unscrupulous host the benefit of any doubt.

Dakota scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Amelia made it clear that there would be no benefit to rigging the game. Don’t worry! I promise it will be completely random. Everybody will have a chance to get chosen. An equal chance,” she quickly added just to be sure.

Carly still looked suspicious. She didn’t take her eyes off Dakota as she dug her hand into the box, rustling it around and pulling out a slip of paper.

She unfolded it and took a look.

“Uh… Gina! I’m taking Gina with me?” She seemed surprised, but pleasantly surprised.

“Oh! Uh… whoa, Gina, huh?” Dakota actually did seem surprised as well, which went a long way to convince everybody that she hadn’t actually rigged the selection.

Nobody was more surprised than Gina, though.

“Wait, so… it’s me? I’m up? Huh… I really didn’t see that one coming.” She turned to look at Carly, and then cracked a grin.

“…Well hey, I bet we can have some good times, right? Now that you mention it, we never really do hang out, do we?”

Nick had to agree, it was strange that Gina and Carly didn’t socialize more. After all, they had a lot in common, as both girls had a great sense of casualness and didn’t take things seriously. Which was definitely a good thing.

But maybe Carly didn’t feel the same way. She still looked a little uncomfortable. But her expression softened, and she smiled.

“You know what? That could be really fun,” she agreed with a nod. Then her smile turned into a full-on grin. “And hey! I bet we could really rock Nick’s world together! But don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to let you win all the points! I’ll give you a real run for your money!”

Gina narrowed her eyes and smirked. “If you say so…”

“Uh-oh!” Vivian cackled. “This is gonna be a blast.”

“I think it could be a good night,” Mary said, nodding in agreement. She had a light smile on her face, hoping that everything would go well with Gina and Carly together.

Nick had similar hopes. But he had his doubts, too. He felt something off about this whole mess.