Camilla: Day 1 (Domestic Drama)

“You painted a target on my back and pointed Cassie right at me!”

“I made a completely legitimate play to stop her running away with things.”

“You directly attacked her score. And she's still in the lead anyhow. If you'd done Quadruple or Nothing it would have had a bigger impact on us without upsetting the returning champion!”

“I figured you'd be upset if it hit the nothing option and we lost everything.”

“That's a one in six chance. This is a one hundred percent chance of seeing Cassie on the **** trail.”

“Oh grow up! You're already her biggest rival. It's like you're scared of her or something.”

And there it is. You must have had this same argument a half dozen times since the power play last night and it always comes back to the same thing: her accusing you of being afraid. It isn't necessarily that she’s wrong. Cassie has already shown what a queen she is by topping your big sex play on stage with her power play. People went from impressed with what you'd achieved to laughing at how small she made your achievement look in one moment. But your girlfriend saying it is demeaning.

Besides, you're right about what the more effective play was. If it had worked, you’d have passed her. Rebecca has never been **** to take a risk which means she was deliberately setting up a rivalry. And it finally hits you. She wants the challenge, not the simple risk. Just like when you did your challenge with her and she ended up causing the police to be called. She's not just into success and risk but spectacle and competition. A rivalry with Cassie Li is exactly that. A chance to perform.

You think back to the many ways that you've seen her put **** performance and showmanship over other considerations and not for the first time feel like you grabbed a tiger by the tail. It's definitely exciting, and that determination is what attracted you to her in the first place. But it also feels dangerous. You wonder just how much of what she does is a rebellion against her family, or maybe some kind of survival mechanism in her abusive upbringing. Now you're trapped in the same loop, but there's no way you're letting go.

Eventually, you sigh, look her in the eye, and restart the one truth above all this. “I love you, Rebekah. You drive me crazy sometimes, but I do love you.”

“I know,” she says in return. “And I love you too. Maybe you're right and some of this is showboating, but believe me, I wouldn't do it if I didn't think you could take Cassie Li. Let's face it, she’s in the lead as much through luck as anything, well, that and reputation. Not skill, not courage, and certainly not because she's sexier than you. She's not. She just got lucky. And if she can play the audience with a big flashy pay then so can we.”

“Just remember that it's my ass on the line, baby, and maybe check with me first, okay?” You say.

She leans in, grabbing your t-shirt to pull you close. Her lips brush yours.

And the doorbell rings.

“Freya?” She says with a sigh.

“Freya,” you acknowledge. “Who else would it be on a Tuesday at this time? Guess I better get my game face on.”

You greet Freya and let her set her camera up in the kitchen. It's obvious what her focus is going to be this week.

“That was quite a performance you set up in the theatre last weekend. A bondage sex scene as a rewritten Phantom of the Opera. Complete with an audience, me included. I'm not going to say it wasn't exciting because frankly I had to buy my boyfriend a mask afterwards. But how did you set that up as a surprise for the woman involved?”

“Contacts,” you say. “It pays to know people and I've met people who, if they're interested, can make things happen.”

Freya looks impressed. “You have? But you're a freshman. You've been here less than a year and you've already got an extensive network of people who can support you… how?”

You lean back and grin. “How did I get my own documentarian? Or date possibly the wildest and sexiest woman in the whole college?”

“The game? I mean you agreed to let me interview you in order to fulfill one of the challenges and I assume you met your girlfriend the same way? Are you saying all the help you got was with other women you had sex with in the game?”

You nod.

“How does that work in a game about having sex with as many people as possible? It's hardly likely to build a strong network.”

“That's what I thought at first,” you admit. “it's just sex, b right? Except it's not. Honestly what I've learned is if you want to be successful in the game then you have to find what the person likes, what they might want, what would appeal. If you can't do that you're gonna fail… but if you can it might well make them interested in you.”

“It sounds like you're saying you've learned to consider people as people because of a sex game.”

You smile. “That's because sex isn't just sex. I mean for some it is, but really it's a human connection. Before being pushed to excel in this game I honestly think I was a bit of an idiot. I've had to learn fast.”

She laughs. “I think people will find that idea surprising to say the least, but thank you again for your honesty. I think that will do for this week.”