Page 28 of Forever is the Sweetest Con
Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.
I clench my butt cheeks, sending up a silent prayer to let it pass. I have to get back to the Bunkhouse, but if I move, it’s over.
I waddle a few feet forward, whimpering. Another cramp doubles me over. Could I just go right here? I could cover it up, no one would ever have to know. But there are cameras everywhere, and one is pointing right at me. Imagine that on your TV screen.
My brow is tingling with sweat. I hobble another few paces forward, and mercifully, the cramp lets go. I take off running. I make it almost to the end of the beach path, but I’m struck again right before I get to the field. I drop to my knees, squeezing my ass together so hard you could juice a lemon between my cheeks. The thought makes me laugh, a gaspy sob-like giggle, and I’m once again released from the grip of the cramp.
I speed walk through the field, averting my gaze to avoid eye contact with my fellow campers who are all hanging around the gym area.
But I can’t help but clock Isa. He’s with Sue-Ellen again, admiring her form (from behind) as she does squats. Fuck.
I wave at him, not that he notices, and smile as another cramp clenchesmy guts. I need to get him away from her…but I need a toilet more, so I keep walking. Oh god. I’m not going to make it. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen right here, in front of dozens of cameras. Shit dribbling down my bare leg in front of the guy I’m trying to convince to fall in love with me, the people I’m trying to befriend, and depending on how cruel the producers are feeling during post-production, all of America.
It’s going to happen.
I take off running. No no no no no this can’t be happening. Oh god. It’s happening.
I burst into the Bunkhouse, stumbling toward the bathroom light at the end of the hall. It’s so close. I just have to hold on.
I start to pull my bikini bottoms down, but I stop abruptly when I realize there is someone in the bathroom. The shirtless back of a very tall, very ripped man, hunched over. He spins around.
The first thing I notice is his bare abdomen. Golden skin stretched over dozens of tiny muscles. A trail of dark hair leading down past the waistband of his shorts. I feel a twinge down below, a nice one, a welcome relief from the feeling of my bowels about to bottom out. I’m such a dirtbag that I manage to get turned on even as I’m on the brink of irreparable mortification.
And then I notice the chestnut-coloured curls. The surprised look on the guy’s handsome face.
It’s Kei.
He’s holding a syringe to his stomach. “I’m diabetic,” he blurts out.
“Okay,” I say. I wipe my nose with the back of my hand. I have to focus very hard on not looking again at that trail of dark hair.
And then my stomach makes an ungodly sound, a roar of desperation, burbling up from the depths of hell. Sweat springs on my upper lip. I look at Kei, eyes wide.
“I’ll just—” He points to the door. I nod. He hurries out.
Oh, thank god. I burst into the toilet stall, not a moment too soon.
The relief is the sweetest thing I have ever felt. This dingy toilet stall is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.
When I’m finally empty, I splash some cold water on my face and change out of my wet bikini. I pull on a sundress and rub some moisturizer into my cheeks. I’m combing out my wet hair as I hear the bell ring. It’s time for the first Bunk Shuffle. I hastily weave my hair into a long braid as I make my way to the flagpole.
Natasha is there, looking like sunshine in a yellow sundress with turquoise sandals lacing up her tanned calves. The girls form a line, with the guys standing opposite. Gabby leads me to my place at the end of the line closest to Natasha, directly across from Isa. He gives me a little wink. Damn, he really is sexy. Kei is beside Isa, and he smiles at me with—what, is that concern? Like he knows I was about to poop in my pants. Oh god.
“Are we good?” Natasha calls to Tyler. “Yes? Okay.” Natasha straightens and arranges her face into her camera-ready mask. “Welcome everyone, to our first Bunk Shuffle! For the next four days, you will be shuffled into a new couple each day, so you all have the chance to get to know one another. Then, in our first official Couple-Up Ceremony, you will have the opportunity to choose your bunkmate going forward.”
The reaction is mixed. Harmony groans, while Sue-Ellen claps enthusiastically. I maintain an indifferent smile. Girl Next Door is ever the good sport.
I hold my breath as Natasha announces the couples. When she says that Isa is paired with Harmony, I exhale slowly, relieved. Anyone but Sue-Ellen, my fiercest competitor. I’m paired with Garrett, a good neutral match. When his name is called, he gives me an awkward hug and then moves beside me, his hands clasped in front of his stomach like he’s afraid to touch me.
Trina is paired with Giovanni, Valeria with Damian, and Sue-Ellen is with Kei, which also annoys me. But I bet that girl could sneeze and it would get under my skin somehow.
“Alright campers, time for your chores! Enjoy your day with your new bunkmates!” Natasha ushers us off toward the Chore Board.
“So,” I say to Garrett as we walk. “Are you having a good time?”
“I guess so,” he says. He doesn’t respond with a follow-up question.
We’re rostered for groundskeeping duty, which means raking, and getting the fire pit ready for tonight’s bonfire. “You gather firewood,” he says, not looking at me. “I’ll get started on the raking.”
