Bellamy's Redemption

“So Jessica,” I said, lifting up my sunglasses and squinting at her, “how did you end up on this show? Did you watch Bellamy and Alanna’s season when you were in Australia?”

“Oh, no,” she said, swatting at a bug. “I doubt they play it there. I’ve been living here for three years, trying to make it as an actress. One of the producers is a mate of mine. She put me on here.”

“An actress? Have you had any luck?”

“I was on an antacid commercial. I spoke in an American accent and my hair was brown. You’d barely recognize me. I wore a little business suit and was sitting at a desk. Have you seen it?”

“I think I have, actually! The one with the stomach rumbling like a storm rolling in?”

“Yes, that was me! ‘Why did I agree to try that new buffet place? I might have had a free coupon, but now I’m really paying for it!’ That was my big acting debut,” she said, reenacting it with an American accent.

“You were great. I never would have guessed you weren’t from here.”

“Why, thank you, Emma. I can do a spot-on Indian accent as well.”

“Seriously, such versatility.”

“Nothing is more important if you want to act. Except good looks. I mean, that part goes without saying.”

“What do you think of Bellamy?” I asked.

She raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes, shrugged. “He’s amazing,” she said.

I nodded, lowering my sunglasses. “Any more acting jobs coming up?”

“I might do Sisterhood of Skank once this is over. They approached me about that. Did anyone mention it to you? Though I hate the drama that might come with a show like that.”

“They mentioned it to me too. I imagine that, like you said, there could be drama.”

“Date card!” yelled Tamika, waving it from the back patio door. Jessica and I got up and went inside to where the other girls were waiting expectantly on the sofas.

“Vanessa, Shar, Deb, Jessica, and Amy,” read Tamika, “You all make me feel like I’m on top of the world! Be ready at three o’clock today. Dress casual and sporty.” She tossed the date card onto the coffee table, pouting that she wasn’t on it.

“What could it mean?” asked Deb.

“On top of the world. That means we’re going to be high up. Ugh. Y’all, I can’t do this,” said Vanessa.

“I hope we’re jumping out of a plane,” said Shar.

“Oh my God! No. Please. I would die. Literally. I would totally forget to pull my cord and I would die,” said Amy.

“Maybe we’re hiking up to the top of a mountain,” said Jessica.

“There was already a hiking date, you stupid kangaroo,” said Shar. I wasn’t sure why Shar disliked Jessica so much, but I appreciated that it distracted her from disliking me.

“A kangaroo? That’s really clever,” said Jessica, shaking her head sadly.

“You don’t think I’m smart? I’m smarter than you,” said Shar, and just like that, she and Jessica were shoving and hitting each other again.

“Stop it! Not my face, not my face,” Jessica yelled, throwing punches. She was so scrappy!

Immediately the producers and cameramen were on them, breaking them up. “This is not The Bad Girls’ Club,” said one of them. “This is your final warning. One more inappropriate outburst from either of you, and you will both be going home.”

“You can’t send us home,” said Shar, getting up in a producer’s face, “or you won’t have enough girls to keep the show going. I’m right, right?”

The rest of us looked at one another in disbelief. She was the dumbest person ever.

“We can do anything we want. We brought Alanna back. If we get rid of you, maybe we’ll bring Abernathy Sinclair back. We can do anything.”