And I'm tryin' to say I'm a piece of shit

Things were still awkward in the morning when Mary and Gina woke up. Gina got out of bed first and got changed, and was just about finished when Mary woke up.

She eyed the redhead cautiously, not sure what to say. Gina didn’t know if she should apologize, but she felt like she should.

Unfortunately, apologies were one of the many things she sucked at, so she just settled for staring at her instead.

Their eyes met for a moment and then Mary turned up her nose with a “hmph!” and stormed off.

Gina sighed. Of course. Not only was she shit at apologizing, but Mary was one to hold a grudge. She’d probably wrecked things between them for good.

I suppose that’s not so great, if I want to make it further than this, huh? Gina thought, scratching her chin. She was doing pretty well in terms of points, actually- in fact, she was right behind Dawn, with the second-highest amount of VP. But she didn’t exactly have many people she could consider friends. There was Dakota, of course, but she couldn’t be certain that even her childhood friend would go out of her way to save her ass. As for the others…

Well, as she’d proved last night with Mary, Gina had a nasty habit of antagonizing people.

She hung her head in defeat. I guess I’ll just have to do the best I can, she thought. Maybe try and make some friends… or at least give it my all in the next round.

Whatever the challenge was going to be, Gina would try her hardest. If she could just do better than Mary, she’d be safe, right?

Unless it’s something crazy like an audience vote or something. That thought sent a shiver down her spine. Gina headed down to breakfast with a murky feeling in her gut. Like she was on borrowed time, time that was quickly running out.

I need to be careful with this, she thought. I should stop being such a bitch all the time.

Dawn’s face popped into her head, scolding her as usual. That’s right, I need to be a good girl… wait, what’s the matter with me?!

Gina smacked her head a few times to try and straighten out her thoughts. Then a shiver went down her spine as she remembered one of her transformations, the one she’d won in a previous round from the lottery.

So that’s what they meant by my thoughts slowly changing to become more of a good girl, she thought, wincing a little. What a frightening prospect.

“Another thing a good girl would do,” her inner Dawn continued, “is make up with the people that she hurt, right?”

Gina sighed. Yeah, inner Dawn had a point.

…But she was also being a total bitch about it, so Gina shoved her into a cat carrier and slapped a collar on her for good measure.

“Let me out of here!” Inner Dawn exclaimed, thrashing at the bars. Gina visualized herself sticking out her tongue and giving her the middle finger, which brought a smile to her face.

“What’s with that smile? It’s pretty gross…”

Gina’s eyes snapped open. “Geh! The real one…”

Dawn scowled. “Hey! That’s rude, what do you mean ‘the real one’?!” She looked like she was in a fouler mood than usual. Her makeup was half-assed, and Gina could see the bags under her eyes like she hadn’t gotten any sleep. Knowing Dawn those were probably a permanent feature, but given her crabby attitude Gina suspected there was a little something else involved there as well.

“…Don’t worry about it.” Gina entered the banquet hall, and immediately made a beeline for the drink bar. She had to get a nice, frosty glass of milk after all! While it didn’t soothe the itching thirst in her throat like it used to, it was a drink that did the body good!

…So what if it was propaganda? Gina still liked the taste.

Then she thought of something. A way that she could make things up to Mary.

Only problem was, she needed Dawn’s help for it.

“Dawn! Can you do me a biiiiiiig favor?” Gina asked, batting her eyelashes innocently at the cat girl.

Dawn stared at her like she was back in high school and Gina was trying to sell her ****.

“…What kind of favor?” She asked suspiciously, her ears flattening on her head.

“The reading kind. It’s your specialty, right?”

Dawn’s ears perked up and her tail started to swish behind her.

Ha! Got’em!

Gina and Mary had awoken to very stressful mornings, and Dawn was still a little upset after her dance with depression last night.

Rose, on the other hand, woke up perfectly rested. Time for a nice day of playing matchmaker!

She had it all planned out perfectly. She would spend the day getting Carly and Dani closer together, and the two girls would have some time to be… intimate with one another. And it would all be thanks to her! Wasn’t she a clever young lass?

“Wow Rose! You’re so sexy and smart and cool!” She imagined Dani gushing. “I’m gonna watch all your movies from now on and be your best friend forever!”

“Yeah Rose! You’re so nice and intelligent, and cute too!” Her vision of Carly agreed. “Since we’re happy together now, I think you should totally have Nick to yourself!”

“Heh heh…” Rose tittered gleefully, wiping the drool from her mouth as she imagined the two women fawning all over her and treating her like a goddess. Yes, look up to me, worship me!

“Hey.”

A light thump on the head brought her out of her delusions.

“Hey yourself!” Rose snapped, turning to Dani with a foul expression on her face. “I was having a moment there!”

“You were really creepy and you were whispering to yourself about me, cut it out,” Dani replied, looking rather creeped out.

“…Ah. Pardonne-moi,” Rose blushed, clearing her throat. “I meant to keep that to myself.”

That didn’t make Dani feel better.

“Look, I already told you, I appreciate you wanting to set me up with Carly, but it’s fine,” Dani assured her. “If it’s not going to happen, it’s not going to happen. And besides, she likes Nick way more than she’d ever like me.”

“Non!” Rose placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Those are the words of a loser, Danielle!”

“Hey, don’t call me that!” Dani snapped, narrowing her eyes.

“I can call you whatever I like, Danielle,” Rose taunted her. “What are you going to do, huh? Nothing. Because you’re a little sissy girl who doesn’t fight for what she wants.”

Dani took a step closer to Rose and the blonde immediately folded.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” She wailed. “I’m just trying to be helpful!”

“And I’m saying I don’t need your help, so knock it off!” Dani replied. “Carly and I are finally getting to a good place right now, I don’t need you and your schemes driving a wedge between us!”

“Because you’re afraid,” Rose pointed out. “Well sorry, but you are! You’re afraid of losing your friend by becoming something more than friends! But you can’t let that fear control you, Dani!”

“I’m not afraid!” Dani spat. “I’m just being respectful of her feelings! I know she doesn’t like me, so I don’t want to make her uncomfortable by dragging those emotions to the surface! It’s better for everybody if we stay as friends, that is NOT the same as me being afraid of rejection or ruining our friendship or whatever, it’s called being considerate! Something you’ve clearly never heard of before, I might add.”

Rose gave her a frosty look and crossed her arms over her chest. “…Not buying it.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Like I give a damn what you ‘buy’.”

“You’re just making excuses,” Rose tutted, shaking her head and waggling her finger from side to side. “But I know that you’re really scared inside.”

“Yeah, right.” Dani rolled her eyes again. “Because you get me, right?”

“We’re not as different as you think,” Rose said, shrugging her shoulder.

Dani replied with a snort.

“Really, we’re not. We’re both strong-willed women who push ourselves to get what we want no matter the obstacles in our way. No compromise, no surrender. We see what we want, and we find a way to get it.”

She winked at Dani. “Unless we’re afraid, of course.”

“I’m not afraid!” Dani repeated. Every time she said it, it sounded less true. “I just…”

“I’ve been where you are before,” Rose cut her off. “Being afraid of taking that first step. Of changing your life and your future forever. That’s how I know.”

Dani paused. “…No, your feelings for Nick are nothing like what I-”

Rose shook her head. “Not Nick. Not what I’m talking about.”

“Then… what are you talking about?” Dani asked curiously.

Rose smiled. “Tell me something, Dani, when you look at me, what do you see?”

Dani blinked.

“…A bitch.”

Rose crumpled over and curled up in the corner. “…Well you could have held back a little bit…”

“S-sorry!” Dani stammered, turning red. “It just slipped out!”

“Excusez-moi, please forget that.” Rose returned to her feet and brushed herself off. “Now, as I was saying, I was not always the cool, sexy, confident girl you see standing before you!” She held her head out high and placed one hand over her chest to emphasize her boobs, while the other rested on her cocked hip.

“…You’ve probably always been this delusional though,” Dani muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Go on.”

“Yes. Well, once upon a time, I was faced with a difficult choice. A choice that would change the entire direction of my life. Do you know what that choice was?” Dani stared at Rose, and the proud veneer over her face slid away to reveal the fragile countenance of a young woman. “I moved to America.”

“Oh…” A sigh escaped Dani’s lips and her eyes widened. She hadn’t even considered that.

“I was only 18 years old. But I knew what I wanted. I wanted to take the stage just as maman did, and become a Hollywood star! Not just for myself, but for my brother as well… I wanted both of us to succeed, but I knew that by going to America, I would be leaving behind my beloved France. I would be leaving my grandparents, everything familiar in my life, for a new world of possibility. Do you think that was nothing to me? Do you think I was not terrified for weeks before I departed, going over things time and again in my head, questioning if it was the right decision? Of course I was. But I knew that this was what I wanted. I could stay home and safe, do some job that meant nothing to me, or I could take a gamble on my future and chase my dream.”

Rose had lost that gamble. Badly. But she wasn’t going to mention that part.

Dani stared wistfully at the other woman. She’d always seen Rose as the kind of bimbo who would start complaining if she broke a nail, but deep down she’d always known there was more to her than that. The way she fought off those slime girls in the second challenge, that took courage. And moving to an entirely different country?

Dani didn’t even have the courage to move out of her parents’ basement.

“…You’re braver than I am,” she admitted, hanging her head. “I couldn’t take a chance like that on myself. Not after last time…”

Rose took a step closer and offered Dani a warm smile. “I don’t know what this ‘last time’ you speak of is, but perhaps you are focusing on it too much. Would it be so wrong, to try again?”

Dani wanted to. She really did. But they had a good thing going right now, her and Carly. It was too early to press her luck, not with the issues involving Mimi being so recent.

“I want to,” she admitted, feeling her eyes mist up. This was awful, she never cried! “But… I’m not ready yet.”

“That’s alright,” Rose assured her with a wink. “You can count on me! Until you’re ready to be proactive with Carly, I’ll work hard at making her more receptive to your advances!”

Dani didn’t like the sound of that.

“Um… I don’t think that’s such a good-”

“Too bad, I’m doing it.”

And that was that.

Dani sighed and hung her head. This was turning into quite the mess after all.

“Just… please don’t manipulate her, okay? I don’t want you to do anything bad or underhanded,” Dani begged.

Rose shook her head. “No, no, nothing like that. Just, you know, arranging for the two of you to spend more time together, that’s all. I can play your wingman. Wingwoman? No, wait, pimp. That’s the word!”

Dani punched the air where Rose’s face had been seconds earlier. She had pretty good reflexes.

“Rose…”

“Kidding! Well, not kidding. I meant what I said. Just not the pimp part! Come on, you gotta admit, it would be nice to have some time with just you and Carly, right?” Rose pointed out. “…And her sister, I guess. So much for privacy, huh?”

Dani just shrugged. “It is what it is. Just spending time with Carly would be good enough, frankly.”

That gave Rose a few ideas. But she would get to those later. She had her own issues to worry about right now, she couldn’t spend her whole day thinking about Carly’s love life!

This was an important day for her, after all.

“With that, I’m off to breakfast!” Rose said, heading towards the elevator. Dani sighed and hung her head in resignation.

Dealing with Rose was going to be a bit of a pain.

Rose herself traveled down the elevator while contemplating her own position. Getting Carly and Dani together was just part of her day. The real exciting stuff? That was coming later.

Tonight was her night with Nick. And what a night to look forward to! She shivered in delight as she contemplated how they’d spend their evening together.

Dinner under the stars?

Sipping wine in front of the fireplace?

Skinny-dipping in the hot tub?

So many possibilities…

…And not one of them was feasible.

I can’t do it! She squirmed in despair, framing her cheeks with her hands. I know one of the items on my bounty sheet is having sex with Nick, but I can’t! I’m just not ready yet!

Mary was **** for sex with Nick, but she couldn’t due to her beliefs. And ironically, the reverse was true for Rose. While there was nothing stopping her from having sex with him if she wanted to (she almost HAD, back before the second challenge) her own doubts and hesitation were her worst enemy.

Simply put, while Rose knew who she wanted, she wanted it all in a different way than Mary. She wanted her first time to be special, but with no wedding bells or frilly white dresses. Just her and Nick, together, in a romantic mood…

She could get that. She knew there was a way to do it. It’s why she was saving up so much money.

Dawn got to have her first time with him in Dream Alley, Rose remembered. It didn’t work out great for her, but I’m sure with me… we can do it! We’ll have a wonderful time together!

She needed to get those 5000 Bonus Points. Which would be a challenge for a girl who was usually rock bottom of the popularity poll.

But the longer it took, the more she could work herself up into going through with it.

In the meantime, though, there was the matter of tonight to consider.

Particularly, a certain item on her bounty sheet she had studied with great interest. Today was the only day she could claim it, after all.

Invite Another Contestant Up to the Master’s Suite on Your Night with the Master – 500 BP

It wasn’t a lot, but it wasn’t a little, either. It would get her a step closer to her end goal. And all she needed to do was give up her one guaranteed time to be alone with Nick. There’s no way that it’s just an invitation, she thought. I won’t get any points unless they say yes, I’ll bet.

She could do that, right? For both of their happiness? For a romantic rendezvous between the two of them in the future?

Rose was certain she could manage it.

The only question was, who would be the best person to ask? It would have to be someone who would say yes, of course, which limited things a little. But at the same time, she also needed to think very carefully about what she wanted from this night, and that meant a few people were off the table from the start.

Dakota? Absolutely fucking not. Sure, she was a definite yes. But that woman was incapable of not making everything about her. If Rose asked her up to the Master’s Suite, then the night would be about Dakota and Nick.

And more importantly, Dakota had already had sex with Nick before. Rose had not. Unlike Holly, Rose really didn’t want to see Nick banging another girl in front of her, at least not before she was ready to have sex with him herself.

For similar reasons, Carly and Gina were likewise off the table. While again, both girls would absolutely agree to go up with her, Rose wasn’t about to offer either one up to Nick on a silver platter. Again, the night would be about him banging one of them, and not about her.

Obviously, that’s what Sylvia wants out of this. The whole reason she put that bounty on there in the first place is so I invite another girl up for a threesome with Nick and I. Rose wasn’t stupid, despite what her lack of intelligence might suggest. She knew when she was being played.

But she absolutely refused to give that bitch the satisfaction. Not a fucking chance. Plus, she wasn’t even close to being ready for it.

Dani, of course, is out of the question. While she won’t want to sleep with him, I don’t think she’d want to come up with me, either. So that leaves… Dawn, Kim, Mary, and Morgana. Of those four, Dawn is probably the most likely yes… but then she’s already had sex with him too, huh?

This was getting complicated. Rose could probably get Dawn to agree to come up with her as emotional support and not have sex with Nick, and she’d probably go for it, too. The short cat girl wasn’t a nymphomaniac like the other three. But she also would probably be a little irritated, too…

Then Rose had an idea. A crazy enough idea to work. And if it did, it would solve all her problems!

A conspiratorial smile spread across her ruby red lips as she skipped down the hall, heading for breakfast.