Two Sides to Every Coin

Liam and Turner hadn't done much after they ate breakfast and retired back to the hotel for the night, mainly just playing games, with Liam absolutely destroying Turner at each and every one. Turner was able to hold his own in some of the more strategy-based games, but those typically weren't the ones that Liam picked out.

Liam didn't even change clothes before going to sleep, due to the irrational fear that if he changed out of the clothes he was currently wearing, Kendra would simply reverse the deal. It wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibility for her to do that, she was conniving at almost every juncture she could be. Nothing would stand in the way of her show, and if that included a contestant, then they were gonna be pushed out of the way by whatever means necessary.

Sitting comfortably in fourth place with seven points, Liam didn't feel the need to get points during the night, unlike Emma and Abby had with their bottom-tier placements in the last challenge. That was what he hoped to continue to do, to keep placing highly in the challenges, so he didn't have to do anything. He wasn't sure how long that would last, especially since he had accepted the deal that would cause him to get shitty transformations at the next meeting, but he was gonna try and milk his sanity for as long as he still held it.

After being allowed to switch back to his "normal" clothes, he felt a lot more at home than he had felt for the past week. It sucked feeling like a stranger in your own skin; it was like he was living in a museum, afraid to touch anything. That fear didn't stem from the idea that he might break something though, more from the idea that the less he interacted with himself, the more he would hold a grip on reality. Or, at the very least, what he believed reality was.

Maybe this was all a bad dream. Maybe he would wake up tomorrow in a hospital bed because he had inhaled noxious fumes in his aunt's house that caused him to go into a coma for a week. Maybe he would have a laugh remembering this in a few years. That was certainly possible, who would actually believe that they were transported to another dimension, transformed into a girl because of some mysterious, unknown audience's votes and a self-centered host, and **** to be in their best friend's harem for the rest of eternity?

It was believable, though, because everything here felt so real, despite the artificial nature of everything. Sure, the arcade was a carbon copy of the one back home, but it still felt just like it did back in the 2000's in Virginia.

That kept his brain plenty busy until he finally got exhausted enough to let sleep overtake him. How was Turner holding up the way he was? He knew all of these people, and he wasn't exactly the type to take this sort of thing lightly. Maybe he was still in denial or trying to ignore it happening, or maybe he was trying to find the good in this shitty situation. Those both seemed like him.

In the morning, they hardly said anything to each other. Not because they were unhappy with one another, but just because there was not really anything that had to be said between the two of them. Liam's nonverbal side was more than happy to just sit in silence as they both got ready for the day. Turner was a bit quizzical of the silence, but they had been like this before, when they were still in high school. He knew what Liam was thinking; he was wondering about what Kendra was going to do to him. He recalled that Liam had talked about how he made a deal with Kendra, and to be honest, Turner was likewise scared of what was in store for his best friend.

Liam wordlessly got up to leave, but did hazard a "I had a lot of fun last night, we should really get back together once we're done in this dump."

"We should," Turner said between small laughs. "Well, I'll catch you later."

And with that, Liam was gone.

---

"Good morning, Paige!" Kendra said cheerfully.

"Ugh...why did you have to drag me out here at six in the morning?" Paige grumbled. "I'm not even gonna go to my date with Turner for several more hours."

"Well, I can't waste the day away, I have things I need to be doing later!" Kendra explained, although that didn't really give much reason. "Anyways, I bet you're wondering why I called you out here."

"More like wondering why you did it at this time, but sure, I'll play along," Paige yawned.

"So...remember at the opening ceremony how I said you'd get an additional prize for coming first in a challenge aside from the extra victory points and immunity at the next transformation?" Kendra started.

"Oh right, whatever happened with that?" Paige's eyes narrowed a bit.

"God, you're so dense sometimes," Kendra rolled her eyes. "I'm here to give you that additional prize. So...I'll give you a few options here. Do you want what's behind Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3?"

"Uh...there are no doors here," Paige noted.

"It's metaphorical, which option do you want?" Kendra clarified.

"I don't get to see what they are?" Paige asked.

"Sorry, nope," Kendra shook her head. "And you won't get to see what the other options are once you pick, because they might be given to other players in the future."

"Why didn't you just give me a random one then?" Paige was dumbfounded. "If I basically have no control over what prize I get, why can't you do it for me?"

"You don't have no control, you get to choose one of these three!" Kendra acted like she was doing Paige a favor.

"Well I guess if it doesn't really matter, I'll choose what's behind door two I guess," Paige nonchalantly waved her hand.

"Excellent choice!" Kendra said, clasping her hands together in glee. "I'll let you know on your date with Turner, which is when this'll come into play!"

"What do you mean by that?" Paige slyly responded, leaning towards Kendra a bit.

"You'll see," Kendra pantomimed zipping her lips. "I don't really want to give it up yet, but I'll definitely tell you what happens, it's not just gonna be some unknown thing."

"Uh...okay?" Paige's expression was a mix of suspicion and bewilderment. "Are you just saying that because you don't have an idea yet?"

"No, not at all!" Kendra assured. "I'll have you know I put more work into this season than Carter's got little pills."

"Who's got pills?" Paige's face contorted for the fifth time that conversation.

"Nobody, doesn't matter, just somethin' my mama used to say," Kendra's eyes turned glassy for a split second before she switched back to her professional demeanor.

---

"Wonder what she's up to this morning," Becca said aloud while walking to the pool to take a morning dip.

"Who?" Emma snuck up behind her.

"P-oh, hi Emma," Becca's expression fell a little bit when she realized it was the young girl.

"Look, I get that you're upset with me for this," Emma started. "You're gonna have to get over it though. Nobody is gonna survive this show without either being turned into a mindless sexpet of Turner's or doing something with him, and I imagine that you wouldn't appreciate either of those, so why not just choose the former?"

"I know, but that doesn't make it any better," Becca shook her head.

"Well can you at least stop singling me out then?" Emma stamped her foot like a defiant child. "I'm not the only one!"

"I know, but I've only seen the results of your and Charlotte's dates," Becca sighed loudly. "I'm just trying to keep my mind off of it, especially today with Paige. Ergo, why I'm going swimming to keep myself occupied."

"Just...try to not be a jerk around me, please?" Emma knew that she could definitely win people over just by her looks, and this was no exception. As soon as she met Becca's gaze, she saw the redhead's miffed expression soften.

"I'll try," Becca said softly.

"Anyways, what were you talking about. What's who up to this morning?" Emma recalled before Becca had acted all upset.

"Oh, right!" Becca remembered. "It's just Paige, she was gone this morning."

"Who knows where she could be," Emma waved. "She's hard enough to figure out when she's sitting right next to you, trying to learn about her when she's not here is impossible."

Becca didn't respond to her anymore, causing Emma to look slightly uncomfortable. She wanted to not be mad with what happened, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive her, at least this quickly.

"Paige got first in the challenge, that means she'll probably be comfortable where she is, right?" Emma tried again to talk to Becca, trying to reassure her for the tough night she would ultimately have.

"That doesn't mean anything with Paige," Becca's eyes narrowed. "Especially with this new her, do you really think she's gonna be able to keep her hands to herself? She already's tried with Liam at least once yesterday, and the transformations seem to specifically impact our relationships with Turner."

"Well, try to keep an open mind!" Emma encouraged. "Turner wouldn't do anything that he knew you would hate, right?"

"That's what I'm worried about," Becca looked over at Emma, but then scoffed and looked straight ahead again. "I don't even know anymore, especially with how forceful and manipulative Paige can be. I know Turner wants what's best for me, but that doesn't mean anything here. I know my wants are being ignored here, because I want to be out of this mess, but who cares about what we want here? It's just what Kendra and the producers want for TV material!"

Emma didn't know how to respond to that, so it was her turn to be silent.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," she reassured. "I promise."

"You can't promise shit," Becca coldly responded, looking back at her with tears welling up. "You couldn't even promise to leave him alone, even if you wanted to, which I'm starting to question."

"Are you saying that you think I'm trying to do this on purpose?" Emma asked for clarification.

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Becca yelled in response. "I'm not stupid! I've seen the way you've looked at him over the last few years!"

"Becca, why would I do that do you?" Emma was hurt by the accusation.

"It's REbecca," she spat at her. The change wasn't a big deal in and of itself, but she only went by that when she had boiled over. "I don't know why you do what you do, you never make sense! Just...leave me alone. Go eat breakfast or whatever, I just can't today."

It was about that time that Paige rounded the corner. Emma saw her coming, and her eyes went wide as Paige noticed Becca's current state and her smile turned into a smirk.

"What's wrong, Becca, did you just figure out what's happening tonight?" Paige flippantly remarked.

Becca swung her head around to see Paige, who looked more like she needed a punch than ever had before. Becca's eyes were bloodshot and full of rage, and the whole situation caused Emma to take a few steps back in order to get out of the splash zone of whatever may happen next.

Luckily, while Becca was still thinking about what she was going to do next, and while Paige was sitting there waiting for the orange-haired girl to make her move, Sara came around the same corner that Paige had just come from, likely trying to see what was happening. She ran in between the two of them, whispered something to Paige, and then addressed Becca.

"What's going on here?"

"I just came around the corner here and Bec-" Paige began.

"Don't you even start with it," Becca cut her off. "Just go away. Forever. I don't want to see your Friday face ever again. I especially don't want to see you within a mile of Turner. I-"

"Why don't we all calm down a little bit," Sara soothed, then looked to Emma. "Emma, could you go get Charlotte or Kathryn real quick?"

"Sure thing," was Emma's reply before she ran down the boardwalk.

Sara turned back to the pair. "Now, what really happened here?"

"I don't want to get into it," Becca coldly responded.

"Is this because it's Paige's date night with Turner?" Sara raised her eyebrow, eliciting a slight nod from Becca.

"Not just that, but she had to be all smart about it and everything," Becca added.

Paige had been silent the whole time, but not because she was sitting there proud of what she had done. The gravity of the situation caught up to her, and her urge to make up was beginning to well up inside of her.

"Paige?" Sara asked, leaving it open-ended.

"That's my name," she said almost silently, before running the other direction, leaving Sara bewildered.

"Uh...what?" Sara slowly swiveled back to Becca, but her unchanged ticked-off expression didn't give any information.

"I'm baaaaack!" Emma dramatically yelled, with both Charlotte and Kathryn in tow. "Oh, wait, where'd Paige go?"

"Who knows," Becca rolled her eyes, before leaving the opposite direction that Paige went, towards the courtyard.

"What did you need us for?" Kathryn asked Sara. "Emma just said that we were requested, and it was urgent."

"Oh, I thought there was gonna be a big fight between Paige and Becca, because they both looked pissed at each other," Sara explained. "I thought Charlotte could calm them down and you could knock some sense into their heads, but it looks like they both just need some time to think."

"What were they upset about?" Charlotte worriedly wondered out loud.

"I was trying to make up with her, she got pissed at me, and then Paige came along," Emma summarized. "That sent her over the edge."

"Ah, makes sense," Kathryn nodded slowly with a look of understanding on her face. "They can't stop getting mad at each other for a second."

---

"I gotta find some way to bring it up," Paige thought. "Especially after what happened this morning, there's no way that Becca won't tell Turner about it. Although, thankfully, I have some ammo now."

Paige thought about this mysterious audience that Kendra kept bringing up. Obviously somebody had to be voting for their transformations, popularity, and watching the show, but it was still a fucking mystery who that was and why they would do something like this.

"One thing is for certain though," she realized. "They have to appreciate all of these transformations, right? They must like sex-related stuff, right? Maybe that'll be a way to drag me out of the gutter when it comes to popularity, I could move farther with Turner. There's no doubt in my mind that my ratings are gonna tank after what happened today, so I need everything I can get here."

She opened her closet, riffling through her clothes hanging up. As she picked out a red, low-cut dress, a picture fell out from behind the dress. She had placed these random photos throughout places she knew Becca wouldn't be checking constantly, because she wouldn't put it past the redhead to search through her things for anything suspicious. This particular one was a picture of her and Turner at their junior prom...

Things had been going so well between the two of them. Sure, it hadn't been a super long time that they had been together, but they were laughing and talking like two old friends. Turner didn't know how to dance, and Paige didn't really either, but they could goof off together and she, at least, didn't feel self-conscious about it. He was a bit difficult to place, keeping a lot of his emotions locked up inside, but she knew she could get to him at one point or another as the night went on.

"Hey, things seem to be slowing down a bit, you wanna go somewhere?" Paige asked after the song finished.

"Sure, what're you thinking?" Turner accepted.

"Let's just be spontaneous," Paige said with a mischievous grin. "I'll give you directions."

Turner got in the driver's seat and started chauffeuring Paige where she was telling him. They drove through town, passing by the pebbled downtown sector, the European-styled buildings, and eventually wound up in the parking lot near an abandoned warehouse, where he was directed to stop the car.

"Why'd you bring me here?" he asked after looking around. "There's...not really anything here."

"Exactly," Paige winked. "Look, I've had such a great time with you tonight, and would you say the same?"

He simply nodded in agreement, his face twisted in speculation.

"And I think we should...commemorate this night the right way," she continued, before leaning over and kissing him hungrily.

As the two of them got tongue-tied with one another in the empty warehouse lot, Turner's mind was going a million miles an hour, wondering what she was insinuating, how far she would go, and if he was ready to match her pace.

He got his answer to the first two questions as her hands started wandering over the center console, unbuttoned the suit jacket he was wearing, started going to work on the white buttons of his shirt, and pulled his white undershirt off.

"What...what are you doing?" he pulled back, with a look of skepticism on his face.

"I...I thought you would've realized what I was insinuating," Paige looked back at him with her eyebrow cocked.

"Just...I'll drop you off at your house," his face got flustered as he collected his discarded clothing.

After a few moments of silence, save for the sounds of the engine humming as the car drove down the highway, Paige hazarded a statement, saying "I'm sorry, I just thought..."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," he cut her off. "I like you, Paige. A lot. I'm just not ready for that yet."

That night was the beginning of the end for the two of them. Ever since that, Paige had never been able to recover from that experience in the car. Turner had never forgotten the experience, and how many conclusions the two of them had jumped to.

As he got more distant from Paige and closer to Emma and Becca for the next twelve months, Paige began viewing the two of them with envy, specifically Emma. She was younger, cuter, and had less of a negative history with Turner. Her relationship with Turner got strained more and more until Paige had enough and let it all out in one night. The rest, as they say, is history.

"That must be why Turner hasn't done anything with Becca yet," she realized as she reminisced over the past. "He's been too scared that it's going to mirror the past, on the last perfect night."

She picked the red dress off of the hanger; it was a similar color to the prom dress she had worn on the last night that they had been truly cordial with one another. Maybe the parallels would remind him of that night and he would be more open to her apologies.

"I guess I've got a lot of work to do on him tonight," she nodded in the mirror with confidence as she fixed her hair before strutting out the door with ambition and determination.