It took a second for my response to register with Jake. When it did, he threw his head back and laughed. Damn, he was in a good mood.
“And how did that go?” He grinned knowingly.
“Eh…it was fine.”
“Just fine?”
“She pretty much just talked about you the whole time. I had to cover her mouth with my hand while we fucked.”
Jake gaped at me before an amused smile took over. “Liar.”
“I’m not kidding. It was like, ‘Oh, Jake. Oh, yeah. Give it to me’,” I panted, in my sexiest female voice.
“Shut up,” he laughed, stretching his leg out to kick me. “Why do you go for women like that, anyway?”
“What? You mean women who like me for you?” I asked, shrugging.
“Yes. I’m sure there’s a girl out there somewhere who hasn’t heard of me and who might not find you butt-ugly.”
“Really? You think?” I replied sarcastically.
“I mean, stranger things have happened,” he shrugged.
I nodded, slapped on my best ‘bewildered’ expression, and tapped my chin with my pointer finger.
“But where to find such a girl? I mean, pretty much everyone on the planet has heard of you, so that kind of limits my options.”
“Well, what about a girl from one of those religious cults, who’s grown up without running water and television and shit?”
“Ooh, yeah. Good idea. When will the tour be rolling through Pennsylvania next?”
“It might be a while. Or hold up – you know all those freaky science labs? One of them has to be genetically engineering some half breed that would be perfect for you.”
“Interesting idea. So basically what you’re saying is that to find myself the perfect girl, I either need to travel back in time to the Wild West or visit a futuristic genetic bio lab and find myself a half-lizard, half-human hottie?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. See, you aren’t that stupid… Lizard Lady’s going to eat that shit up.”
8
Kenzie: Baby Steps
The forceof the acceleration plastered my frame to the back of the seat as I fought to control my breathing. My fingers clutched the armrest with such intensity that my knuckles turned a splotchy white, even whiter than my normal chalky, sun-deprived shade. I couldn’t lift my head. Was that normal? My eyeballs swiveled around, the only part of me still able to move. How could the other passengers remain so calm? Did they not feel the shaking? Were their teeth not banging together like mine? And the noise-oh, the noise! It was screeching through my brain, ricocheting back and forth as if inside a pinball machine. No, this was definitely not normal! Fear like I’d never experienced swept through me. In moments, I’d be flying… or crashing. Both seemed equally possible outcomes. The wheels lifted off the runaway and I gasped in shock. The weightlessness caught in my throat. I snapped my eyes securely shut. Whatever was about to happen, I would not be seeing it. I preferred my tragedy to go down blind.
The plane soared higher, and my stomach did a somersault. I bravely cracked one eye open to make sure my barfbag was just where I’d left it, and then promptly squeezed it shut again. I remained sightless even after the plane began to level out. In a matter of minutes I would be further away from my hometown than I’d ever been in my entire life. Twenty-four years old, and there was so much I’d never experienced. Like flying, for example. Actually, that was one experience I could do without. In some ways I felt like a newborn baby taking my first shaky steps out into the world.
I really couldn’t remember what had possessed me to think that competing on a reality show would be the best way to test my wings. In all honesty, when I’d applied way back when, I never expected a visit from one of the show’s scouts, much less a spot on the eighteen-member cast. But here I was, Kenzie Williams, small town girl with no life experiences, beyond the walls of my sheltered existence, about to go big or go home… or die in a fiery plane crash. That was still a very real possibility. Yet somehow I sensed something big was waiting for me, something life changing. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes.
This was something I wanted to see.
9
Kyle: Fifteen Minutes of Fame
“How areyou feeling about tomorrow?” Mom asked. It was just the two of us in the kitchen.
“I’m good.”
“Nervous?”
