hey there demons, it's me, ya boi

  “   what   i’m   getting   here   is   you   want   to   feel   seen.   that’s   relatable   content   right   there.  ”    smile   unwavering   as   if   it   was   some   big   introspective   revelation,   but   bodhi   knew   that   was   something   everybody   wanted   anyway.   and   it   resonated   with   him   ;   that   curiosity   for   the   unknown,   that   desire   to   do   something   he   had   never   done   before.   “   but   you   seem  cool   enough—   and   i   highly   doubt   anyone   would   want   that   boot   out   that   pretty   face   of   yours.   so,   plan   A   might   just   work   out   perfectly   for   you.   ” 

. . .

“ Yes! I would love to feel seen! ” Spence nodded excitedly, feeling seen in that very moment. He supposed all his life he felt like he’d been looked through. Not just by his parents, but friends too. It would be nice to be something other than the comedy relief, to be... whatever else he was capable of. Even if that was a general emotion everyone would relate to, at the moment, he liked to believe Bodhi understood him. “ So, what about you? What brings you to this, ” with a gesture around the two of them, he laughed, “ little slice of paradise? ”

bodhi   didn’t   shy   away   from   playing   whatever   role   fell   onto   his   lap,   but   amusement   didn’t   need   to   be   faked   in   this   instance—   played   it   off   as   a   reaction   to   what   was   initially   said   over   the   latter.   “   i’ve   been   here   a   hundred   times   but   i’m   guessing   you’re   new.   face   like   yours,    i   think   i’d   remember   if    i’ve   seen   you   before,   ”   quite   the   natural   at   playing   up   the   banter,   but   self - aware   enough   to   laugh   at   how   corny   it   all   was.  he   smiled,   shoulders   shrugged   after   what   he   considered   was   good   enough   footage.    “   so…   reality   tv,   huh   ?   is   this   a   dream   of   yours   or   what   ?   ”

. . .

“ Be still my heart, ” Spencer gasped, placing a hand on his chest. “ So smooth, damn. ” Dropping his arm, he laughed, thinking the question over. “ Oh, a dream? I dunno, maybe. I’ve been wanting to know what it’s like. It looks so fun to be famous, I truly feel like I was meant for the big screen. But I’m a shite actor, so that doesn’t leave too many options, you know. ” Not that he’d really tried, but that didn’t really appeal to him. He’d rather be a vlogger or something along those lines. “ I guess we’ll just have to see how far being myself gets me, don’t really have a plan B. ”

“oh, i wouldn’t go that far,” isla says with mock seriousness, voice controlled. “i bet they’d focus on the cheesy jokes angle instead. maybe spin it as dad jokes?” literal dad jokes were a foreign concept in the kensington household, but their driver had told enough of them that she’d grown somewhat familiar. “so, spence is it?” she asks, picking up on the name, a momentary change of subject. isla’s preparation for the show had began and ended with watching the first season, no time spent trying to get to know her fellow contestants. she’s sure there are others in here who did their homework in that regard, but she’d tried to come into it unbiased. “i’m isla.”

. . .

“ I’ll take that. Could be so much worse. ” Better to be known as the dad jokes guy than the jackass ; at least, if you asked him. Some may disagree. With a laugh, he nodded. “ Isla, ” he repeated, tapping his head. Spencer had read all of the introductions, trying to get a read on who he was dealing with, but now that they were meeting he was still trying to match everyone’s names and faces and backstories --- it was a lot to remember all at once. “ You came here with your sister, yeah? Or am I completely off base? ”

“Damn, we’re really invading this year.” Darcy hadn’t considered there’d be as many Australian contestants in the competition. Honestly, she’d liked the idea of going somewhere where nobody was likely to know her. Attention spans were short though, so if he’d seen her in the news, perhaps he’d forgotten by now. “Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on ya for the first one.” Picking from the deck, she removed a blue card, the enamel shining in the bright lights. “If you catch me by the fridge at night I’m probably sneaking…” she let the question trail on, implying he should finish her sentence. “answer freely, what happens in this room, stays between us… and a few million strangers i guess”

. . .

“ Cheese, ” he answered immediately, not even giving himself the chance to come up with a more sophisticated answer. He sounded like an idiot now, but at least he was an honest idiot, he supposed. “ Like a little rat, standing there shoving handfuls of shredded cheddar in my mouth. Just call me Remy. ” He laughed at himself, shaking his head. “ Alright, your turn... what’s your name again? You know, you look familiar. ” Maybe he was imagining it. Maybe it was just a voice in the back of his mind insisting if she was from Australia he might’ve known her. But he could swear he had seen her somewhere before.

isla blinks. she can just imagine the intense eye roll her sister would give, but the quieter twin had what might be considered a horrible sense of humor. a personality trait that leads her to let out a stifled laugh, one hand coming up to cover it, as she’d been taught when she was young. lowering her hand, a small amused smile remains on her lips. “you underestimate their cruelty,” she teases, “they’ll probably play it in the highlight loop for the next day and a half.” that was how these things worked, wasn’t it? highlight loops? 

. . .

“ Well, if there is anywhere to teach me to stop underestimating people... ” Spence trailed off. It was true that he could be a bit naïve, and even while having seen the first season and knowing that a lot of his fellow contestants would turn out to be backstabbers, he didn’t have it in him to just... not trust them until given a reason not to. It didn’t seem fair to assume anyone was out to get him when they could’ve been there for all the right reasons. Even the producers. “ Fuck, you’re right. It’ll be in my montage once they boot me. So long Spence, the absolute weirdo. ”

“None of the above…alright. I respect that.” There were a lot of options to pick from the first season after all. A lot of players to try and emulate or not emulate. Honestly, the whole question was forgotten once he spoke, over-the-moon that she wasn’t going to be the only Australian on the show. She’d heard some accents on the breeze but of course she was biased. “A fellow Aussie, I see. At least someone around here will get it.” She smiled widely before nodding. “Angel? How heartbreaking of a choice. Pretty sure there are sisters if you want to recreate it.” 

. . .

“ Makes you feel a little less alone? ” He guessed, knowing he liked hearing someone else that sounded like him. Especially when he was younger, visiting his mother and sticking out like a sore thumb. “ So, who would be your choice, then? ” Spencer shook his head, realizing she would of course draw that conclusion. Who wouldn’t? “ No, no, that’s not why I--... I just think he was misunderstood, you know? He seemed real. I feel for him is all. ”

“  it’s  the  liberation  of  television  ,  they  want  to  see  you  expel  every  type  of  bodily  fluid  for  fun  ;  blood  ,  sweat  ,  tears  …  semen  ,  “  she  wasn’t  lying  ,  either  .  everybody  knew  about  the  great  fallen  stars  of  reality  television  ,  it  was  always  fighting  ,  dramatics  and  sex  .  people  had  a  morbid  desire  to  see  every  part  of  you  laid  bare  and  reese  couldn’t  help  but  agree  that  there  was  some  excitement  in  dissecting  someone  piece  by  piece  like  that  .  she  takes  the  champagne  from  his  hand  and  takes  a  sip  .  she  was  giving  everyone  half  a  chance  before  she  made  her  final  call  ,  “  come  on  ,  big  boy  .  let’s  go  find  something  better  ,  “  she  winks  ,  blonde  hair  asway  as  she  turns  to  start  walking  and  locate  something  else  ,  “  let  mommy  lead  the  way  ,  “  she’s  teasing  ,  making  her  way  towards  the  house  doors  .  

“ You’re not wrong. ” Spencer was guilty of being one of those people. He didn’t like watching anyone fall from grace, though. He would watch clips of contestants sobbing, a complete mess, and wonder why that had to be broadcast. Why did everyone have to show the most broken parts of themselves to get any sympathy? Why were reality stars not seen as humans? It was awful. And here he was, joining right in. Helping this network make a profit off of picking another group of people apart. “ Wonderful, ” Spence grinned, leaving his untouched glass by the pool as he started after his newfound friend. “ Damn. Picked up on my mommy issues right away, huh? ” Perhaps he should be careful saying things like that for everyone to hear. Especially when they were true. “ You’re one to watch, I can tell. ”

Eyebrows rose as he started speaking, intrigued to see where he’d take it, to see what it depended on. Her mouth had dropped open slightly to answer when he cut her off, changing his mind on wanting her opinion which might have been a good idea for him. “So that’s a no.” Elle sighed, leaning against the counter close to him as she took a sip from her champagne flute. “Never thought about it in my life actually. Is it even edible? It never looks like it.”  

. . .

“ It’s not a no, no, I just don’t want to know I’m being used, ” he explained. “ Let’s make it authentic. ” He let out a soft laugh. He didn’t pin her as the type of person that would be eating frozen pizzas. “ Edible? Yes. Good? Depends... on how drunk you are or if it’s one of the more expensive brands. My dad made me try this cauliflower crust before with some sort of white sauce and spinach. Looked disgusting, smelled worse. I made a big fuss about how we should’ve got buffalo chicken or just regular pepperoni the whole time. Hopefully he won’t see this, but he was right. It was fuckin’ good. ”

“ You’ve got me there. Hey, can a producer, like, overlay this with that guy from Catfish? You know, the meme guy? ”