Secrets both hidden and open

After that encounter, you made your way to the change room. The camera crew gave you privacy and after changing, your first instinct was to check the AMA. Mona just seemed too good to be true.

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Mona Bridgewater – 21

Occupation – Aspiring Actress/Instagram Influencer

Relationship – Single

Body: C

Looks: A

Money: F

Fame: F

Likes – Fame, Celebrities, Social Media, Dogs, Rich Men, Vegans

Dislikes – Her Father, Men, Obscurity, Guys Who Play Video Games, People Who Bash Vegans

14:02 – You were what Mona expected – You meet Mona (-5)

14:05 – Mona’s affection score has decreased by 5 – You didn’t take advantage of Mona’s offer

14:07 – Mona’s affection score has decreased by 5 – Mona didn’t get what she wanted out of you.

Affection - -15 (I do not like you as a person)

Love – 0 (( don’t think about you that way)

Lust – 30 (you're cute and I would fuck you but only if we never called each other again)

You stared in puzzlement at Mona’s unlocked profile, trying to work it out. It just didn’t make sense. Was this a glitch? Something gnawed at you when you tried to put it all together. You finally figured it out. Aspiring actress. She’s new. She’s attaching herself to the most popular Islander, most likely yourself. She has to be a plant sent in by the producers or just here for the money and exposure. That or she was playing some serious game on you thinking you were some sucker who was easily manipulated by her doe eyes and sex appeal. Well… she was, of course, right about you being that until the AMA revealed otherwise, but it still ticked you off.

Your fellow Islanders surrounded you when you came back from your date, wondering who the new girl was and what she was like.

“Her name is Mona. She seemed nice. Really pretty and umm... forward I guess.”

At that observation, you notice the smile on Jenna’s and Paige’s face fall.

“We talked mostly,” You say. Trying to leave out the part where you groped her. Truthfully she made you do that, but you didn’t exactly pull away right away now, did you?

“Where was the date,” Jenna asked.

“A jacuzzi,” You say. There was really no good way to put it.

Paige looked upset and promptly left before she could hear more. Buzz!

“Where’s Mike?” You ask. Not noticing where the guy was.

“Oh, he’s on his date with that bitch, Mona,” Rachel says, laughing. Saying bitch, of course, as a joke. “I can’t believe she would come in here and think she can take my man.”

You frowned. You probably should have warned Mike about Mona. You didn’t want to outright accuse her of being a plant to other people without any evidence, though. Like all your problems, Mona was something you had to worry about later and you decided to deal with it when it came up. Paige had to be dealt with now and you wanted to talk to her.

Before you could, Jenna pulled you aside.

“Can we talk, Matt?” Jenna asks.

“Umm… sure?” You say. You hesitated cause you were weighing if it looked important enough to avoid talking with Paige, which you felt was important as well.

“Our usual spot?” Jenna asks, knowing you would know precisely what that means.

Nodding, you worked your way upstairs with her and to the balcony for your conversation.

“What is it?” You ask Jenna, who sits on the bench with the guitar that connected you two. She strummed the air in front of it and puckered her lips.

“Are you and Paige like… a thing?” Jenna asks, her gray eyes lifting up and searching yours.

“I don’t know… we’re good friends, I think. I still have to sort that out,” You say honestly.

“Do you like her?”

“Like "like-like" her?”

“We’re not schoolchildren, Matt,”

Laughing you say, “Sometimes I don’t know about that. At least for me. Yeah, I like-like her. Why?”

Jenna looks down and then back up. She rests the guitar beside her and says, “Do you like-like me?”

“Yes,” You say firmly. “You didn’t need to ask that. You know it.”

Jenna nods, and a tear forms in her eyes and she looks away. You go to her and wipe it, your hands on her face caressing her cheeks and rubbing it away.

“So, what are you going to do?” Jenna asks sniffling.

“Fuck if I know... I’ve never been in a situation like this. I don’t know.”

“I’m sort of caught between two guys too. I don’t know what to do, either. I was hoping you would just tell me,” Jenna pleads.

Jenna looked desperately and longingly at you to tell her you wanted her and only her. You put your arms around her and she rests her head on your shoulders and wraps hers around you.

“Give me time to process all this, okay? This is all coming so fast for me. I'm not good at this,” You say burying your nose in her hair.

You stared past Jenna while she was in your arms and below to the villa grounds and noticed Paige watching you two on one side and Mona and Mike returning from their date on the other.

Great. Just fucking great.