"Nice Guy's Finish Last. I Should Know"

“If astrology tik tok was a real place this would be what it wants to look like I bet. The herb is free though so I’m not complainin’…yet.” 

“ Do you think people pick their costumes because they actually like it or because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do based on things like whether or not they’re a Gemini?” Behati mused for a moment with a smile. “ It does say a lot doesnt it?”

“It’s not too drastic is it,” Cecily asked as she ran her fingers through her freshly cut, newly dark hair. Even though her hair was naturally dark she’d gotten so used to being blonde that the change felt like as a much of a well, change, as it did an embrace, of who she was. “Or harsh, I don’t know, I probably just need to get used to it.”

“ It’s stunning honestly” Behati replied as she looked at the fresh haircut. There was nothing to worry about at all when it came to a classic bob, they were always sleek and stylish. “ It’s not harsh at all. It genuinely looks great and I love how a short haircut frames the face. “

“Disney+ just loves to mess with my emotions, huh?” Suede looked up from her phone with disappointment etched on her face. “Since it started I’ve been saying how dumb it is that they have all the halloween movies except Under Wraps– my favorite. Now they notify me that Under Wraps in streaming but it’s a new movie made this year? This is not it.”

“ Honestly it doesn’t make any sense why they don’t have that on the service other than Disney is trying to make us think the movie never existed except for the remake” Behati replied, noting how she had noticed the lack of a very specific movie on Disney+. “ It’s so weird that they keep remaking a bunch of their movies instead of trying to make new classics” 

“You know, Sir, as interesting as that is and as eager as I’m sure the Mayor is to hear from you, I actually promised a friend I’d-oh look there they are!” Josh turned with his best smile to the next person walking by and fell in step with them. “I can totally leave you alone in two minutes but if you bail me out of this soul sucking conversation, I will do literally anything you want.” 

Rin had been on her way to grab and was about to mingle with others. She tried to mask her look of surprise when her she had become distracted by another presence. “ Oh?” Rin replied nodding her head as she continued to walk with him. “ You have a deal, if you tell me how on earth you got sucked into that conversation? And walk me to go get a drink” 

**

Wyatt was beyond thankful that Amelie wasn’t burying herself alive for this challenge. He didn’t like the idea of her doing Panic in the first place so it was a relief to hear her say she wouldn’t be doing this one. His relief was short-lived, however, because Behati wasn’t pulling out and she needed a time keeper. He’d rather it be him than someone else but of course he’d much rather she not go into the ground at all. He’d hugged her tightly and told her he loved her before she got into the box because, well, just in case. The wait seemed like ages. His heart started to pound a little harder as more people were coming up and getting eliminated. He was getting nervous for her while the excitement of bringing her back up mounted. 

As soon as the announcement was made that 10 people were officially eliminated Wyatt was ready to get Behati out of the ground but he bit his lip and waitedn until he heard the bell. He immediately leapt into action and called over reinforcements with shovels to help him dig her out. Once she was above ground again he pulled her into a tight hug. “You were starting to scare me down there, geez. Did you really have to go for the longest time underground?”

Behati had no idea how long it had been. The seconds felt like hours and she wasn’t sure if she had been down there for ten minutes of an hour. She just knew that she wasn’t going to push herself beyond her limits. She wanted to live her life with more freedom and excitement. She wanted to go into adulthood with a sense of adventure in her life still and not be resigned to just working, she truly didn’t think her life would be on the line in such a way though. Perhaps it was the spirit of the Heathers still in her but she was not a quitter. If she was bowing out it was because she had been cut, not from her own fears. 

Finally getting air again was a strange feeling. Behati was somewhat disoriented as she stared into the dark sky and looked around trying to catch her breath. She looked at Wyatt and gave him a huge hug as she tried to get accustomed to everything again. “ I’m so sorry. I didn’t know how long anything was down there. I was just trying to pace myself. “ She explained before pulling away for a second. Behati felt absolutely terrible and knew she would have to make it up to Wyatt for putting him through this. Aside from Violet, he was her oldest friend and she didn't want to lose him over this game. “ Wyatt I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you through this” 

“ I know what you’re thinking but thank you for doing this for me” Behati replied as she looked over at one of her oldest friends. She didn’t think it would be him standing in front of her helping her on the next challenge, but she was glad it was him. She truly owed him a lot for doing this despite the fact he didn’t seem like he actually was all for her doing this. “ I owe you. “ 

tagging- @wyattsaugis

This was completely insane and yet Behati stood in front of the hole that was supposed to be there for her and didn’t turn and run away. She wanted to prove that she could do this for as long as she could. Panic was proving to be a test of both physical and mental endurance. She believed she could handle anything she set her mind to and succeed. It was how she was able to get through life and it was what she was going to do now. 

“Hey. Sorry. Do you mind if I hang out here for a second?” Arden asked hesitantly as she made her way up to the first person she caught sight of, trying to get away from being harassed any longer but also worried about imposing on anyone. “Some dude was trying to talk me up over at the elliptical and wouldn’t take no for an answer until I told him I was here with someone. Just need him to take his sight off me long enough so I can make a quick escape.”

Behati had been making sure her headphones were working before she was going to hop on the machine in front of her before stopping when someone walked up to her. As soon as the first words came out of her mouth, she knew exactly what the situation was and nodded her head. “ Yeah of course. “ She noted before looking to see if she could catch sight of this person who was harassing her. “ Honestly if he’s doing that around here, he’s probably going to do it with a few of us. Better odds in numbers to avoid him”

L O C A T I O N : Dead Mans Quarry

Everyone had a good reason for doing the jump and Behati believed that was what made thing’s interesting. She had heard whispers through town about it being worth the money, the glory, or even just trying to prove something to themselves. The minute those flyers had appeared and became kind of a litter issue, Behati couldn’t deny her curiosity had been piqued. When it had been done the first time, there was a sense of danger and intrigue about the whole affair. It seemed like a million lifetimes ago and in a way it had been that long. 

“I’m trying to work out if any of the Disney girl’s songs are as good as Driver’s License,” Jury was still out on that one, at least for Beverly. “Admittedly I am way more interested in the personal drama than the actual music, I think Deux Moi is my most stalked instagram account,”

“ I don’t know. Are we saying just their solo music or thing’s they did in Disney properties too?” Behati asked, before she could make a full assessment. “ I typically hate drama in my own life, but I think in this case drama helps. If you know the context of a song I feel like you care more. Or at the very least see where they’re coming from”

In her defense, Bridget had a thought that had to—just had to—be written down on her notes app. So, she really shouldn’t be blamed for walking straight towards the glass door of the coffee shop, and hitting the top of her head, on the surface, with an audible thump. “Ah—shit.” She was sure, for a second, her spirit left her body. Bridget turned towards the opposite direction, determined to run away. But she was too late. With a pained smiled, Bridget asked the person who happened to be behind her, “Can we pretend you didn’t see that? I’m not above buying your silence with coffee,” she quipped. She turned back towards the coffee shop and pulled the glass door open. “After you?”

Behati had been checking a text only to nearly jump from  at the sound of someone hitting something. “Oh my God” Behati replied before glancing up to see what had happened and she realized it had been Bridget Lisbon who hit the door. “ I will pretend whatever you want me to, but I’m more concerned about you. Are you okay?” Behati asked glancing at the other woman before entering the coffee shop after Bridget’s prompting. 

Luna took a step back from the community bulletin board to assess her flyer placement. The words RAD BASSIST SEEKS BAND were in bold at the top and she’d gone to the trouble of doing that thing with the tabs at the bottom with her name and number for people who were interested. “Does that stand out enough to get your attention? I didn’t want to go too bright but I want people to notice.” She looked to the person closest to her and nodded to the flyer. “Side note, do you know anyone looking for a bass player? Preferably a band that doesn’t suck.”

Rin looked at the flyer before taking a step back to see if it stood out among the other bulletins on the wall. “Too bright isn’t a bad thing unless it goes children’s construction paper route, but I think you’re cool. “ Rin replied  before glancing back. “ I actually have no idea. I think it would get some attention though. Where else did you put these?”

“I just saw an incredibly heinous public break-up in front of the dining hall doors? Whoever said things got more serious and we all become adults in college was so off. I wonder when that actually happens. Like, when do people grow up and start acting like adults? Thirty?”

“ I honestly think break ups can be bad at any age. It just depends on the two people. You never know, cause they’re are plenty of people who will never grow up. What even happened?” Behati asked unsure what would trigger such a public fight even if she knew people could be incredibly immature

“Yeah, she did. She said her son just wouldn’t use it anymore.” Brax shrugged a little, he didn’t mind the gift since he’d try to not accept it and she wouldn’t take a no for an answer. “It’s a pretty easy job too, you know?”

“ Seems about right. Some people forget what they had once something shiny and new comes out, especially kids” Behati noted with a half smile, aware of how fickle kids could be when it came to toys or stuff that was new. “ That’s great. What do you have to do?”

“Okay, lesson learned, still not athletic but the outfit really made me seem like I was.” Nathan shook his head, slightly out of breath. “How do people do this every day?”

“That’s what outfits are supposed to do. They give us that little extra push to motivate us. It’s not the worst thing in the world. “ Behati replied as she had been trying to stay more active lately considering so much of her work time involved sitting down. “ You just gotta pace yourself”