What's Love Worth To You, Mi Amor

The Ultimate Cost

Heather was sequestered off with no outside contact whatsoever. When Chris had told her they would be put up in a hotel, she assumed it would be a five-star place, considering she had won the last challenge. Instead she was in a grimy motel right near the beach where she waited a week for the live finale. A long week with no contact, excluding meals where the contestants would be fed together. It was the highlight of her dreary week. It was during these meals where she got to see Alejandro.

He refused to talk to her. Despite her coming in every day with a new set of insults and teasing. Never letting his concentration slip, he sat stone-faced and forced down the fast food provided for them. Cody often sat across from them, uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere. When messing with Alejandro failed, she would try her hand at being nice to Cody. The meal usually ended with Alejandro storming out and Cody awkwardly following.

Heather spent a lot of the week ruminating on her actions. She had only a handful of moments she was proud of. Giving Sierra advice, comforting Courtney, and helping Cody. Each time created a pleasant thump in her heart. Nothing like the excitement she felt when her and Alejandro destroyed the competition.

She grappled with these mixed emotions all week until the finale had finally come. Waking up the morning of, she was so nauseous and light-headed that she worried she wouldn't be able to compete. But making her way to the beach and spotting Alejandro spurred her on. It was game time. 'The best way to win would be to take Alejandro-ew I know-so I can win the jury over. Hopefully he beats Cody in this tie-breaker.' Looking into Alejandro's eyes, she saw the ferocity that had attracted him to her in the first place. He was not going to give up.

Chris, along with Bridgette and Geoff, made their way to the contestants on the beach. A couple of interns and cameramen followed, setting up the cameras and mic-ing up the cast. Heather caught Bridgette's eye as she was getting her mic setup. Bridgette gave her a pitiful smile and whispered something in Geoff's ear. Whatever it was, it set Heather off. She marched right up to Bridgette and demanded to know what she was whispering. Bridgette placed her hand on Heather's shoulder. Which she shook off. "I know how tempting he can be. Good luck." Bridgette said, eyes flickering to Alejandro.

'What the hell does she mean?' Heather thought, crossing her arms. Chris shouted to the cast, drawing Heather's attention. "By the way, there's a confessional over there," He pointed to a wooden outhouse similar to the season one confessional, "Better get your thoughts out now! Also, as far as the cameras know, the finale is taking place immediately after the last episode."

Heather didn't question the shooting logistics as she made her way to the shack. Alejandro had gotten their first and was inside loudly venting. Heather made sure Cody was distracted (waving at Sierra) and leaned in to listen through the wood. "I only let Heather beat me to give her a false sense of confidence." She rolled her eyes listening to him lie directly to the cameras. "But how will I explain to those at home that I tied with the pathetic Cody? My brother Jose will be compiling his insults already." Heather thought back to her private conversations with Alejandro. 'His brothers, Jose especially, really bring down his confidence. I could use that.' It was ruthless, but she needed to be ruthless to beat Alejandro.

Speaking of which, he came right out of the confessional and walked right into Heather. She stumbled backwards, almost falling on Cody, when Alejandro caught her by the waist. She steadied herself by holding onto his neck. The two looked at each other, blushes forming on their faces. Cody stepped around them and into the shack. Reality sinking in, they separated and tried to cool down. Alejandro took one final look at Heather, scoffed, and then retreated back to set. More annoyed than ever, Heather sat in the confessional and poured everything out, good and bad. When she exited, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.