It was inevitable that Chris would get the money to get back in the air, but the same couldn't be said about banishing both teams to Economy Class.
It was the heart of night when this was enforced, ultimately confusing the majority of people. Someone must've asked about it because Sierra soon spoke up.
"Chris said he needed First Class today, for a secret special guest! And what Chris needs..."
"Chris takes. From us." Heather rolled her eyes.
Courtney walked into the room, sitting on Gwen's burnt hand.
"Ah! Sunburn!" she cried, quickly trying to blow on her damaged skin.
Courtney cringed at her sudden outburst. "Oops, sorry. How do you end up with sunburn on just one hand?"
"I..don't...know!"
Cody tugged on the collar of his shirt, anxiously.
"Here, soak your hand in this. It'll cool the burn." Courtney handed her a bucket of a white substance.
"What is it?"
"It's a mixture of green tea and bird guano."
Gwen put her hand in, feeling relief, but doing a double-take.
"Wait, guano? Is that..."
"A nicey-nice name for poop!" Heather snickered.
"Ew! Ow!" Gwen pulled her hand out.
"Poop with healing ingredients! I learned how to make it at CIT first aid weekend. It's gross, but it helps, right?"
Gwen sighed. "Yes, well, thanks for being nice...ish."
"Bonding over poop juice? Ugh, is there anyone sane left around here?"
Miranda sat on her phone scrolling to tune everything out, as usual, seated right by Sierra who typed on her laptop, loud enough to act as an answer for Heather.
"Uh, I guess not."
"Twitter update! Gwen's hand smells like Jamaican bird doo-doo, Cody is still cute, hm, sixty-seven characters, okay seventy-three left...what else can I say?"
Noah thought this was an ideal time to mock Sierra.
"Considering buying myself a life, on Fred's List. But having trouble deciding because they are all such a major improvement!"
Owen laughed, squirting milk from his nose onto Noah.
"Dude! Gross!"
"Did I get some of my nose milkshake on you? Sorry! It's the only thing that really cools off a snoot full of Jamaican scotch bonnet peppers."
He ate some peppers and his face turned bright red.
"Hot! Hot! Hot! Milk!" he drank his milk as Noah continued to make fun of Sierra.
"Must learn how to make nose shakes like Owen. That'll impress Cody!"
Owen chuckled again, making a pepper come out of his nose and bounced around the room. Miranda had to duck so it wouldn't hit her. It ended up hitting Tyler.
"Ow! Weak!"
Noah laughed, and Owen joined in. Miranda rolled her eyes, putting in her other earbud.
"Check it out! I'll shoot a pepper out whichever nostril you pick! I mean, choose!" Owen grinned.
"Yeah, 'cause one nose shake a day isn't enough," Noah said with sarcasm.
"Aw, but I'm out of milk!"
"Hey, Courtney! How much of that poop juice have you got left?" Noah snickered, making Owen laugh again.
Thoroughly disgusted and annoyed, Alejandro finally stood up and walked out of the room.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. I need to be...anywhere but here."
Miranda silently groaned, nearly tempted enough to follow him. But, with Heather and Gwen around, it'd be way too suspicious. She reluctantly fought her urges and stayed put.
Meanwhile, Alejandro angrily rubbed his face in the confessional.
"A nose shake? Ugh, how many more episodes are there?"
He stayed for a few seconds to cool off but was soon on the move towards First Class. He stopped as he heard Chris speaking.
"He's half animal. He'll take them out like a lion preying on a pack of chubby, asthmatic gazelles!"
Alejandro's curiosity was certainly piqued, leading him to sneak a look through the crack in the door. He found Chris and Chef standing with a shadowy figure holding a sword.
"But what if he takes them out, takes them out?" Chef asked.
"Legal says we're clear. And imagine the ratings! That dip will score major hits online!"
Alejandro tried to back away, but the gravity made the door creak. He gasped as the host turned around.
"Did you hear something?" Chris asked as the figure turned also around.
As Alejandro tried to hide, he was quickly caught by the figure. The Spaniard screamed as he was dragged into First Class with a sword held to his neck.
"Well, well. If it isn't the sneaky Spaniard himself." Chris chuckled suspiciously.
Alejandro struggled against the mysterious figure's grip, but the sword merely came in closer contact with his skin. Once he realized this, he stopped moving and glared harshly at the host.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I said no one was allowed in First Class, but I guess that didn't stop you, huh? Sucks to be you. As your punishment, you will be unable to compete in tonight's challenge, since you've already been caught."
Chef held the remote to the big monitor in First Class, turning it on with the press of a button.
"...What do you mean?"
"You have to find out once the others start today's challenge. Until then, just sit back and enjoy the show."
The figure released him as the trio began to walk out. Before Chris could leave, Alejandro spoke a string of words that even he didn't expect himself to say.
"...If you lay as much as a finger on Miranda, I will ruin you."
The surprising sentiment was enough to make Chris stop in his tracks and chuckle deviously.
"Ooh, tension-y. We'll try to keep that in mind."
With that, the trio exited, locking Alejandro away as they ventured back down to the cockpit. Once they were settled, Chris came over the PA system.
"Attention helpless competitors! We've been denied permission to land, so you're gonna have to jump!"
Everyone in Economy Class had nothing nice to say about this situation.
"And Chef may have miscounted parachutes..."
"I'm a cook, not a mathematician!"
"So, you might wanna light a pepper under your butts and grab one before they're gone."
Everyone ran to the elimination room to grab parachutes. Miranda was one of the first ones to grab one and jump, with no hesitation. She floated down quite gracefully, despite not being experienced with skydiving. Perhaps she was just used to falling out of the sky by now. Though this was the first challenge that had begun at night.
Her eyes fixated on the large clock tower that she recognized as Big Ben immediately. She grinned with fascination as she landed gently, along with some others from Team Amazon.
"Ooh, London~! Did you know Queen Mary II got engaged when she was only fifteen?"
Sierra smiled, making Cody roll his eyes as she gripped his wrist tightly.
Once everyone made it down, they were all crammed into a red double-decker bus to wait for Chris to announce this evening's challenge.
Miranda couldn't help but notice the emptiness of her seat. Normally, Alejandro would take any chance he got to be next to her. She looked around the bus to see if he had just chosen to sit somewhere else, but he was nowhere to be found in the now full bus. She turned to Owen, who was sitting behind her.
"Hey, where is Alejandro? He isn't here..."
"Yes, where is he~? The answer in a sec. But first, gun it, Chef!"
Chef stepped on the gas and zoomed off. It was at this time that Chris began his spiel through a microphone.
"London, home to loads of wicked cool stuff! Big Ben, the London Eye, the sandwich stuffed with french fries known as the chip buddy."
"Yes please!" Owen smiled excitedly.
"London's also home to Scotland Yard. The world's biggest crime-busting outfit. But, there was one case even Scotland Yard couldn't crack. Jack the Ripper!"
All the girls gasped with terror as Chris continued.
"The wacko serial killer who terrorized Victorian London. Today, you'll be tracking that bad boy down. But, be careful. Jack's also hunting you! That's why Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot is now shorthanded."
"What? The ripper got Al?! Not Al!"
Upon hearing those words, Miranda's widened eyes darted around the bus. Her brain couldn't process what was said. Alejandro...was taken by a serial killer? She had no idea how to feel at that moment. Scared? Confused? Upset? All of the above? Should she even believe such nonsense?
"You...You're not serious...are you?" she asked cautiously.
Chris just avoided the question as if he hadn't heard it.
"Next stop, the Tower of London!"
Miranda just covered her mouth, struggling to compose any proper thoughts about this sudden news.
"No way..."
Throughout the entire ride, she sat and contemplated how she was supposed to feel. She should've been happy that asshole wouldn't be bothering her, at least for today. But, part of her was worried about his fate, since it had not been confirmed.
If he was taken, and in turn killed, as she was led to believe, then she had every right to be horrified. Asshole or not, he was still very much a person, and death like that was tragic. The more she thought about it, the tighter her chest began to feel. She stared out the window, repressing the idea of crying. She couldn't cry, not now, not for him, of all people.
But, she felt strangely lonely without his presence. Alejandro was the only person she really talked to on a personal level. He knew way too much about her, more than what she felt comfortable with. That was what brought on the loneliness. Having him gone, unable to push her buttons... made her chest hurt a bit.
Alejandro, back in First Class, could tell right away that Miranda's stress was building. He frowned, taking a quiet breath.
"Chica...It'll be okay."
His brain was stuck on what made him give out his previous threat to Chris. Of course, he meant it, he didn't want her hurt, but a severe threat like that wasn't normal for him to make. Yes, he got annoyed quite easily, but anger was something he strived to keep as low-leveled as possible. He'd never been so puzzled by his own words.
The bus soon made it to its destination of the Tower of London, where two guards stood with Chris. While everyone was getting off, Owen went over to Miranda, who was clearly out of it.
"Miranda? Are you okay? Miranda?"
The second time her name was said, she flinched out of her daze.
"Wh-what?"
"I asked if you were okay."
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay...I think."
"You think?" Noah joined the conversation, his tone sarcastic as ever.
"I-I don't know...I think I'm just worried about Alejandro. Like...is he really dead?"
"Doubt it. Contracts prevent that." Noah answered.
"That still doesn't explain where he is. Something about this just doesn't feel right..."
Chris soon got everyone's attention once again.
"Your challenge is to follow a series of clues through the tower complex, all the way to the ripper's secret lair. Bag the criminal mastermind before he gets you, and you win. Your first clue will be found during the 'Changing of the Guard'. And when I say change, I mean change the guard. Your clue is hidden in his uniform. So, one of you has to strip him down to his gitch until you find it."
Many people gasped at this sudden demand.
"Woah, strip a dude? I'm out!" Tyler exclaimed.
"Up to you, bro. Million bucks. All I'm saying. And while you're at it..."
People groaned as the little bell chimed, leading everyone to start singing through their discomfort.
It's creepy how they stand there
And don't even blink
I don't wanna see his bum
All naked and pink!
Hey buddy, can we bribe you
To strip yourself down?
Yum-yum happy-go-time fish?
Don't kill him, you clown!
The Amazons convinced Sierra to strip the guard by putting a picture of Cody over their face. Sierra quickly found the Amazon's clue in the guard's boot and they were on their way, while Team Chris was stalled by Tyler using his teeth to strip the guard.
"You lost rock, paper, scissors fair, and square! Stop throwing the game!" Noah complained.
"I'm not! You try taking off a dude's pantyhose with your teeth!" Tyler retorted.
"Uh... dude. No one said you had to use your teeth."
"Hey, Noah! Noah, check this!"
Owen started talking in a high British accent to cheer Noah up.
"I say, I'm the queen! Oh, heavens! I think I ate too many royal beans at the royal luncheon!"
Safe to say, it didn't do anything to raise the team's lowered morale.
After Tyler completely stripped the guard, they still couldn't find the clue.
"A pen in his pants pocket, lint in his socks, that's it. No clue. And no way am I checking his boxers." Noah huffed.
"We could find another guy to strip."
As Owen removed the guard's hat from his head, he found the clue inside the hat.
"Hey, look! There's a clue in here! Heh, funny...right? I say, pip, pip..." Owen mumbled as Noah glared at him.
Miranda quickly took the envelope and read out the clue before a fight could break out.
"Pull tot atop a southern spire...Isn't Tower Green south of here? They used a pulling table to torture people before they were executed. Maybe there?"
"Sounds as good as we're gonna get. Come on!" Noah sighed, gesturing for everyone to run down towards the tower.
Alejandro was annoyed, to say the least. His team consisted of idiots and Miranda. It was times like these he was thankful to have her take a bit of charge. As his liege, she could easily get things done efficiently, despite his absence.
Team Chris eventually made their way to the room with the said stretching device.
"Are we going to have to play rock, paper scissors again to figure out who's getting stretched?" Noah asked.
"I'm flexible to the extreme, bro! Sweaty moksha yoga! Woo!" Tyler eagerly hopped onto the machine.
"Quick, tie him down before Alejandro shows up and makes me do it just because I'm shorter."
"Well, if we're going by that, then I'd probably be doing it." Miranda shrugged.
"Why don't you like Al? He's great!" Owen asked, cuffing Tyler in.
"I don't trust the guy. He's like an eel, dipped in grease, swimming motor oil."
"Dirty?" Owen questioned.
"Slippery. Think about it. He's like Heather, only with social skills."
Miranda pursed his lips together, afraid to say anything. Even with him not around, she had a bad feeling to say anything negative about him to her team.
"What about you, Miranda? Don't you like Al? Considering how you guys were in Jamaica..."
"Of course she does. It's 'cause he has a bias towards Miranda. Don't think we haven't noticed the way he treats you."
Miranda's cheeks flushed.
"Yeah, it seems like Al really likes you." Owen snickered.
Miranda chuckled nervously, her hands shaking a bit from the pressure.
"O-Oh, come on, this is just silly. Considering we don't know if he's even alive right now, to gossip about him may be in awful taste..."
Tyler started to scream suddenly, even though no one had touched him.
"Oh, stop! It's too much! Stop!!"
"You do realize we haven't started yet, right?" Noah asked.
Tyler looked around, relaxing once he realized that fact.
"...My bad, it's cool. I'll go silent. Sweaty yogaish monk dude style."
So, Owen and Noah began cranking, while Tyler held back from screaming once again.
Alejandro was very appreciative of Miranda's response to Noah. She was almost always someone who handled situations with grace. Her heart was certainly too big for her body and brain.
However, Noah had no excuse to talk so poorly about him behind his back. Alejandro was completely disgusted by his words, despite being just as slippery as Noah had let on. But the thought of Noah spreading those opinions to the others made his patience thinner than thread.
Slowly but surely, Tyler's pain increased as he stretched more and more. He tried incredibly hard to keep himself quiet and somewhat composed, though.
"Are you doing that yoga thing where you breathe through your toenails? Oh, that is so cool!" Owen marveled.
The compartment hiding the clue soon opened.
"The clue!"
Miranda grabbed the clue and read it once more.
"If your teammate can still use his feet, bring him down for something to eat."
"I saw a banquet hall downstairs by the courtyard!" Owen gasped excitedly.
With this information, the team began running, but little did they realize they had left someone behind.
"Hey guys, you know what's hilarious?" Owen asked on their way there.
Noah suddenly stopped, realizing the decrease in footsteps.
"We forgot Tyler."
"How is that hilarious?"
Behind them, Tyler was suddenly heard screaming, assumably in pain from the stretching. The three reluctantly went back to free him from the table.
"Sorry dude, but you got so good at being quiet..."
But when they reentered the room, Tyler was completely gone. The boys yelled as Miranda covered her mouth in shock.
"No! Tyler!"
Turns out, Tyler had ended up back in First Class, along with Sierra and Cody, joining Alejandro. Heather followed soon after.
Alejandro was quickly losing faith in his team for a victory. It didn't help that he was feeling a bit betrayed by Noah's words on top of that. He needed a clever strategy to vote Noah out if the team ultimately lost tonight. He knew he could get Tyler in on it, now that he was out of the challenge.
But, Owen and Miranda would be the rough ones. Owen seemed very attached to Noah for whatever reason, and Miranda was too skeptical to go along with his ideas, for free at least. He needed the perfect bribe to win her over. But he had to wonder what a beauty like her could want the most from someone like him.
Back in London, without Tyler, Team Chris went onto the dining hall. However, once they arrived, Miranda hesitated on following Noah and Owen in.
"You two go in. I'll stay here guard the door."
Alejandro was wildly confused at her decision, and so were Owen and Noah.
"Are you sure? It might be safer if you come in with us..." Owen asked.
She nodded. "What if he sneaks up on us from out here? I'll keep you guys covered while you get the clue."
Noah sighed, not finding patience to argue with her.
"Fine, just be careful. Yell if you need us for anything."
The boys went in as Miranda leaned against the wall, gazing up at the stars. Finally, she could be alone with her thoughts for a second. Her anxiety was raising more and more now that Tyler was gone too. Sure, sticking with the others might've been safer, but she'd much rather be caught by a supposed killer than be seen so vulnerable by her team again. After her breakdown in Jamaica, she feared more than anything that she was just seen as a pathetic crybaby. The only one she was even remotely comfortable crying in front of was long gone, to her knowledge.
"...Damn it, Alejandro. Where are you when I actually need you?"
She sat down in the grass, looking at her phone and scrolling through some photos. She'd taken way too many while she was tipsy in Jamaica. One of which was a pretty cute selfie she took with Alejandro by the fire pit. She frowned, feeling her chest swell up again.
She didn't want to believe he and others were dying right before her eyes. It seemed stupid for a show like this, but Chris did have some screws loose. She couldn't put it past him for hiring a hitman to hunt them all down. She shook her head, balling her hand into an emotional fist.
"...Damn it."
Her voice was already shaky by this point, but it shook even more when she suddenly heard rustling from a nearby bush. She gasped, looking around quickly.
"H-Hello?" She stood up weakly, taking a step back.
She turned her back to look at the bushes no longer moving. She almost wanted to call for Noah or Owen now.
When she turned back around, she was greeted by a shadowy figure standing in front of her. She screamed loudly as the figure grabbed her and threw a large bag over her head. He sealed the bag and eventually lifted it over his shoulder. Miranda's adrenaline made her frantically kick at the bag and struggle to rip it. Tears of horror threatened to spill as she begged.
"Let me go! Please..! I don't...! Please! Help! Somebody!!"
After a long few minutes of Miranda's distressed kicking and screaming, the figure made his way back to his destination, and the bag was dropped on the floor. She hastily climbed out of the bag, looking around to see First Class. It didn't take her long to notice other familiar faces, including Alejandro's right in front of her.
"You did wonderful, chica. Don't worry, it's over now."
A new wave of emotions hit her like a tsunami. Surprise, confusion, frustration, but most of all, relief.
Without thinking, Miranda quickly stood up and hugged Alejandro tightly. She buried her head in his shoulder, panting shakily as a way to calm herself down.
"You're okay..." she sighed.
He was shocked by the sudden embrace, but he smiled and hugged her back. He could tell right away that she was a little more than shaken up about all this, so to be able to soothe her, even a little, felt relieving for him as well.
But once Miranda realized what she was doing, she gasped and pulled away from him.
"I mean...I knew it, of course. It was just a stupid challenge..." She scoffed sheepishly.
He smirked. "It warms my heart to know you worried for me, dollface."
She blushed, seeing the TV screen with all the different perspectives.
"Y-You saw everything...?"
He nodded, his smirk growing wider.
"Lying to me is useless, chica. I know quite well that you were worried about me. There's no shame in it."
She shrugged, hugging herself as she turned away from him.
"I-I mean...I just didn't want you to die...It's not like I'm heartless or anything."
He grinned sweetly, pulling her towards him so her back rested against his chest. He put his hands on her shoulders and massaged them gently. She was quite tense, still, but the second she felt his touch, she slowly started to relax. He'd finally realized why'd made that threat. Heck, he realized it before it even left his mouth.
The final four eventually came back, each with someone trapped in a bag.
"Sweet! Everybody's okay!" Owen smiled with relief.
"Yep! Everyone's fine! You guys were so stupid to be worried!" Heather smiled nervously.
Alejandro rolled his eyes and glared at Noah. "But...it was reassuring to see... some were concerned."
Noah's eyes widened in horror and realization. "You were watching...everything? Wow... that's... awkward."
"Like an eel dipped in grease." Alejandro hissed.
"Where I'm from, that's a compliment! Tough neighborhood But, hey! We caught the ripper-type guy!"
Owen pulled off the bag to reveal an old man, making everyone gasp.
"Old Man Jenkins?!"
Chris pulled off the mask to truly reveal the feral Ezekiel hiding underneath it. Everyone gasped once again.
"Ezekiel!?"
"Found him living in the cargo hold, homeschooling with the rats," Chef said.
"I was gonna let him back in the game if he could avoid getting captured. But, since he did not..."
Chris snapped his fingers, having Chef throw Ezekiel out of the plane once again.
"So, who did Courtney and Gwen catch?" Heather asked curiously.
"Well, Chris wanted a criminal. So...okay, we didn't catch the right one, but..."
Gwen pulled off the bag to reveal someone even more shocking than Ezekiel could ever be.
"Duncan?!"
He stood up. "You brought me back here? Ugh! Where's the stupid exit again?"
He tried to leave, but Chris stopped him.
"Not so fast, quitter! Thought you could skip out on the game, eh? Thought it wouldn't find you, hm?"
"Um, you didn't. We did. Sorry." Gwen added sheepishly.
"And that's why Team Amazon wins today's competish!"
"Yes!" the girls cheered excitedly.
"What?!" Noah and Owen were completely dumbfounded.
"Head on back to the elimination room, guys. First Class goes to the ladies! As a consolation prize, the D man's now on your team! But someone else is gonna have to go."
Alejandro smirked deviously upon hearing this. There was only one thing he needed for his plan to work. And he'd had plenty of time to think of exactly how to pull it off. The losing team went back into Economy Class with their new teammate, as Chris said eliminations would be within the next fifteen minutes. Miranda went to follow them back, but Alejandro tugged at her shoulders, stopping her in his tracks.
"H-Huh? What?"
Alejandro grabbed Miranda's wrist, taking her to the elimination room without a word. The sudden tightness on her wrist made her flinch and start to whine.
"Ah—Hey...! Let go of me~" she groaned hopelessly.
Once they arrived, and he was sure no one had followed them in, Alejandro released her wrist, which she pulled away to rub the pain off.
"Chica, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Did it involve you forcefully yanking my wrist?" she asked, a little bitterly at that.
"I apologize for my roughness. But, we have to act quickly right now. Listen, I'm asking you to help me vote off Noah."
Once Miranda heard his request, she shot him a confused gaze.
"...Why?"
"I don't appreciate the way he talked about me behind my back. It isn't a trustworthy thing to do. I think it's for the best that we get rid of him."
Miranda couldn't help but snicker at the level of pettiness this man had stooped to. He must've really been offended. She knew it was a good idea to not take sides, and she silently thanked her Libra tendencies for influencing that decision.
"Oh my God, so what? He called you an eel. Ooh, that's so mean~. I've been called way worse than that."
Alejandro expected her stubbornness towards the matter, but certainly did not expect her to say she'd been called worse. It almost hurt him more than Noah's words. Almost.
"I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but think of the future. It wouldn't benefit us to have someone secretly talking bad about us, now would it?"
"Well, no... But, everyone talks shit. We're literally doing it right now."
"His was unwarranted..." Alejandro sighed, getting slightly frustrated.
"I had a feeling you wouldn't like this favor, so why don't we make a deal?"
He suddenly pinned her to the wall close behind her, purring in her ear seductively.
"Help me vote Noah off, and I will give you three opportunities to have whatever you want from me."
She had bitten her lip at how close he was, then her eyes widened with awe as she heard his offer. It almost felt like some weird fever dream or something she could've read on a fan blog online. She didn't want to believe it at first, hence why she remained silent at first. But upon gazing up into those luscious emerald eyes, she knew right away that this was no fantasy.
"...Anything?"
"Whatever you want, dollface. Say the word, and it's yours," He cooed smoothly.
No way. It was too good to be true, she thought. She had countless questions about this offer. Why was voting off Noah enough to merit this? Why was her vote in particular so important? Why three opportunities? Couldn't he persuade the others to vote him off? If Noah didn't get voted off, despite her vote, would that still count? As these questions continued twirling in her brain like ballerinas, she couldn't prevent herself from succumbing to her meek curiosity.
"So...let me get this straight. If I vote for Noah...I get three favors from you? Whenever I want, no limitations...?"
"Yes, as soon as the favor is done. I know, I'm being quite generous, but for you, it's worth it."
She could feel her face heating up. She knew exactly what she wanted in that moment, and knowing she had two more favors besides that was honestly thrilling for her. But, she was more than positive that these favors would come back to bite her in the ass later. To go for something like this, with this many pros compared to cons, may just be suicidal for her winning chances. It was a fake power trip, manipulating her into thinking he was wrapped around her finger, only for it to be the other way around.
But then again, if she were smart with her favors instead of wasting them on such trivial things as temptations, maybe she could manipulate the manipulator. These favors had the potential of getting him out of the game.
And besides, Noah didn't mean that much to her anyways.
After a few moments of Miranda's silent contemplation, she sighed and locked eyes with Alejandro once again, her gaze as certain as she could muster.
"...Fine. Deal."
His grin, still wicked, widened as he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.
"Excellent choice, muñeca. You have my gratitude." he kissed her hand.
"...Right."
He pinched her cheeks with one hand and pulled her face close, almost roughly.
"Don't worry, you won't regret this."
She narrowed her eyes, her voice sharp. "Let's hope so."
With that, the announcement to begin the voting came over the PA system. Alejandro let go of her and went on his way, still wearing that devious smirk. He knew that would get her. Of course, he had to make it sound like gold. That was her worth, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, she knew it. So if he had to give her gold, he'd give her that and then some.
She sighed shakily, following to the confessional to cast her vote as well. When she entered after waiting her turn, she stamped Noah's passport with almost no hesitation. She knew that lying to Alejandro at this point would be her biggest mistake. Everyone had to be eliminated eventually, after all.
The team made their way to the elimination room, handing in their votes as they sat down on the bleachers. It was quite strange knowing this was the first time they would have to be in this room. They were so used to going on with their day after challenges that coming here was foreign.
Once everyone was in, Chris read them over and grinned cheekily, wasting no time to announce the loser.
"And with three votes against him, Noah! It's time to say tally-ho! Pip, pip, cheerio! Toot-a-loo!"
"Alright, if I jump, will you stop?" Noah asked bitterly, standing up to grab his parachute.
"Goodbye, buddy! I'll win for you!" Owen called as Miranda waved him goodbye.
"Whatev, just beware of eels." Noah scowled, making Alejandro smirk, crossing his arms proudly.
Noah jumped out of the plane unceremoniously, leaving everyone to head back to Loser Class.
But before Alejandro could leave, Miranda pulled on his sleeve and whispered to him.
"Wait. I...I need a favor."
He smirked, sitting back down until everyone, even Chris was gone. Miranda stood up and walked over to the open plane door and closed it to make the room a bit quieter. She looked serious, raising Alejandro's intrigue.
"Yes, dollface? What do you want from me?"
He stood up, watching her stare out the door at the night sky before closing the door. She turned around, feeling her body shake with anxiety and anticipation. She got herself into this mess. She couldn't back out of it now.
She quickly walked up to him, placed her hands on his chest, and closed the gap between their lips.
He was surprised by how forward she was, but he reacted fast and kissed her back, wrapping his arm around her waist and cupping her right cheek in his hand. Once she realized he wasn't going to pull away, she gripped onto his shirt, squeezing the fabric in her fists. He should've expected this desire from her, but for her to initiate it, and so soon too... caught him off guard. Her mysterious ways were making him fall even harder for her with every passing minute.
When she pulled away, her newfound forwardness shrunk as she looked up at him with big, nervous eyes. That innocent glint in her eyes made him snicker quietly.
"Was that really your favor? Que linda eres, you never have to ask me to kiss your pretty face."
That was the most endearing thing he'd ever said to her. Miranda couldn't hold back smiling with flattery as a blush spread across said pretty face. Alejandro chuckled at the sight, continuing the kiss she'd started and picking her up in the process. She squeaked, giggling quietly as she wrapped her legs around his waist through kisses. He quickly concluded that this was one of his better bribes.
A/N (written in 2019). AYE, I DID IT. SMOOCH CITY. Better late than never, right? (YESSS). I'm really satisfied with the changes I made to this chapter. It's way less Romeo and Juliet-y and overly emotional (Can confirm, still SO happy I changed it from the original that one was sooo cringe.) This one's just fluffy enough to make people smile, I hope. Let me know if it made you smile in the comments below! Thank you so much for your incredible support, I'm so blessed. Until next time, stay tuned ya beautiful lads and lasses! ~Miranda