"Summer in Sin City"
(A/N: Reality show type form, so the italics are confessionals)
It was a little after midnight in the Las Vegas vacation mansion. Six of the roommates had gone to the club, leaving Austin and Nyla at home.
The couple was cuddled up in Austin's bed, peacefully sleeping and unaware of the chaos about to enter the house.
Drunk, loud, and full of liquid courage, Tiara came into the house with her heels in her hands.
"We're back!!!!," she sang loudly, heading straight for the kitchen to find more alcohol.
Tired, annoyed, and not nearly as drunk as her, Juliana, Devin, Tyler, and Sara came trudging in after Tiara. Without a word, they all headed up to their rooms to get into their pajamas.
Juliana: So, we came home earlier than usual because Tiara got so drunk, she started getting crazy at the club. Some drama ensued, and that was our cue that it was time to go home."
Sara: Y'all already know, I can't stand a bitch that can't hold her liquor. Ooo, it makes me so mad! But I'm not even in the mood to deal with her. None of us are. We're all tired and just want to go to bed.
Leaving Tiara alone, everybody laid down in their respective beds and tried to get some sleep.
Having no problem being on her own, Tiara stayed in the kitchen. She kept on downing shots and downing shots and downing shots until she was ultimately out of control.
"This house is so boring!" she screamed, jumping on the living room couch. "What's wrong with you people? Let's party!"
For a minute or so, no one moved or got out of bed.
But when she showed no signs of calming down, Nyla finally sat up.
"Is she serious?" Austin turned over, annoyed.
Nyla took a deep breath, rubbing her eyes. She wasn't as agitated as her boyfriend, but she felt some type of way.
Getting up, she goes to check on everybody else.
The situation might be a little different if Tiara and some of the other housemates were trying to have a good time.
Different as in, Nyla wouldn't want to be a party pooper.
However, if most of the house was trying to rest, and Tiara was making noise all by herself. Then the least she could do is try to tone it down.
When Nyla peeked into the girls' room, she locked eyes with Sara.
"Somebody better get her," Sara put her pillow over her head.
Thoughtfully, Nyla returned to Austin, who was sitting up, tiredly.
"Everyone's trying to sleep," she crawled on the bed.
"So, it's just her downstairs, screaming like a maniac?"
Nyla nodded.
Nyla: I've had to create boundaries with Tiara. We never really hit it off, and when Austin decided that he liked me and didn't like her, that made more tension from her side. So, as much as I want to go downstairs and ask her to be quiet, I don't want to start anything. But then it's like, girl, come on, most of the house is trying to sleep, chill out. And, of course, everyone else will stay quiet and won't say anything to her either. No one wants the drama.
After a moment of brooding, Nyla gets up. "I'm going to ask her to quiet down."
Before Austin could comment, she was out of the room.
Going down the grand staircase, Nyla went into the living room where a screaming Tiara was still jumping on the couch, tossing pillows all over the place.
"Hey," Nyla said politely. "Can you quiet down, please?"
Tiara scoffed, rolling her neck. "Excuse me?"
"It's just everyone's trying to sleep. So if you don't mind keeping it down a bit."
Rather than wait for her response, Nyla went upstairs and laid back down with Austin.
Tiara wasn't even quiet for a second.
"You want me to be quiet?! You be quiet, you dumb bitch!" she yelled angrily.
Instantly, Nyla and Austin's eyes open and lock on one another.
"You want me to shut up, come make me shut up!" she taunted, stomping around the living room.
From there, Tiara started running her mouth, talking shit about Nyla.
It wasn't long before everyone had come into the room with Austin and Nyla and started listening to Tiara make a complete fool out of herself.
"Bitch thinks she's running something just because she got a little boyfriend. Fuck out of here!" Tiara clapped her hands as she talked.
Everyone looked at Nyla, who was sitting quietly with her knees to her chest. She had this emotionless look on her face, making it hard for them to tell what she was thinking.
Tyler: We're all just sitting there, trying to figure out what is going through Nyla's head. Nyla's a lot of things, but she's not easily pushed out of character. Since she and Austin have started dating, Tiara has done nothing but talk shit and throw shade, all because Austin didn't want her.
Sara: Nyla has been understanding, respectful, nice, never talks shit about Tiara. Julie and I continually have pushed her to beat the bitch's ass, and she won't.
Juliana: But now that Tiara is acting like this. I feel like, at this point, she needs to be put in her place.
Devin: I understand Nyla not wanting to be a part of any drama, but the way Tiara is talking, I feel like if she doesn't hit her breaking point now, she'll definitely hit it later.
"Everybody in this house kisses your ass, but not me, Nyla. I see right through your fake ass."
Chuckling a bit, Nyla shook her head, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Hey, ignore her," Austin could tell she was upset.
"I want to go down there," Nyla was honest. "But I'm afraid you'll see me different."
Austin nervously locked eyes with the other roommates.
"Hey," he rubbed her back. "I don't want you fighting, but if you feel like it's what you need to do. I got your back."
"We all do," said Sara matter-of-factly.
Austin: As much as I don't think Tiara is worth the fight, Nyla has been the bigger person when it's come to her. I've talked to Tiara, I've apologized for not sharing the feelings she has for me, yet she keeps coming for my girl. Tiara's jealous of Nyla, and it shows. If she wants to keep pushing her buttons, then what can I do? If I were Nyla, I'd be pissed too.
"Scared ass bitch won't even come down here and face me like a woman!"
Like lightning, Nyla shot up from the bed.
The group quickly followed her into her shared bedroom with Sara and Juliana.
She started stripping off her baggy pajamas, putting on a t-shirt, some shorts, and some sneakers. Good thing her hair was already in a ponytail.
"Yo, it's about to go down," Devin whispered to Tyler, dapping him up.
Devin: I know it's wrong to endorse violence, but Tiara has been a pain in the ass to everyone in this house. This ass beaten is way overdue.
Juliana (shaking her head): She doesn't even know what's coming to her.
Dressed and ready, Nyla paced around the room.
The tension was thick as they waited for things to pop off, all while Sara was still going off.
"I'm still yelling! What are you going to do, Nyla?!" Tiara antagonized. "You burnt looking, ugly ass bitch!"
And just like that, Nyla hit her breaking point.
She was out of the room so fast, Austin and their roommates could barely compute.
"Kick her ass, Ny!" Sara yelled as they followed the running girl down the stairs.
Nyla: I've been very candid about my journey of self-love. Everybody knows that I was bullied in school for my skin and my looks in general. So when Tiara said that, something just snapped.
Nyla found Tiara in the kitchen, downing another shot.
She gets in her face. "I'm down here, so what's up?"
In response, Tiara went for a slap but got a punch to the face instead. She was so drunk that she could barely defend herself. She flailed like a fish as Nyla went in on her face.
Even when she grabbed Nyla's ponytail and pulled her to the ground, Nyla fell right on top of her and keep swinging connecting hits.
"Get her, Ny! Get her!" Sara stood on the counter.
Devin (shook): It was bad. Nyla didn't miss one hit - at all. I expected so much more from Tiara, but that girl was straight flailing and hair-pulling.
Juliana: A few minutes in, and I remembered that Tiara was drunk. I kind of felt bad.
Sara: Who cares if Tiara was drunk. If you got liquid courage to talk shit, you better make sure you got the liquid courage to kick some ass.
As soon as he saw blood, Austin quickly got involved.
"That's enough," he tried to pull them apart. "That's enough!"
"I'm done," Nyla held her hands up. "She still has my hair."
"Let her go!" Devin and Tyler intervened. "Ti, let her go!"
Tyler pried Tiara's grip from Nyla's hair.
She tried to get one last him. But Nyla was pulled away by Austin before it could happen.
"I tried with you," a panting Nyla pointed at Tiara as Austin stood in front of her. "Remember that."
While Sara was a yelling laughing mess, Juliana had her hand covering her mouth, shocked.
Tiara had blood gushing out of her nose, a busted lip, and her cheek and eye were already swelling up.
She was so pissed by the sight of blood that she tried to run and attack Nyla again. "You bitch!" she seethed.
"It's over, it's over," Devin held her back with the help of Tyler.
"Let me go," she tried to push the two off of her.
"Come on," Austin guided Nyla upstairs to check for battle wounds.
"Let me go!" Tiara was so angry she was in tears.
Sara: I've never seen Tiara so pitiful. The girl's bleeding, crying, she's got snot coming out of her nose, she can barely speak because she's so drunk. She was just a hot ass mess. And I wish I felt bad, but she made her own bed. And my girl Nyla got her ass good. The outcome was going to the same even if Tiara was sober. You push someone off the edge, and you get a beast that you weren't prepared for.
Since Tiara wouldn't calm down, security had to get involved and take her to get cleaned up.
Upstairs, Austin was in the bathroom, cleaning Nyla's bruised knuckles.
Nyla sat there, full of adrenaline, with a downcasted look on her face. She looked off to the side, unable to look at Austin.
"Hey," Austin turned her face to look at him. "What's wrong? Talk to me?"
Instantly, Nyla felt the tears and looked up in an attempt to stop them.
Nyla (on the edge of tears): I can't lie, it felt good to fight Tiara. I felt like something that was way overdone. But at the same time, I was pissed because I hate letting people get the best of me. Or having the power to make me look like something I'm not. I don't go around fighting girls, especially not over a guy. I tried to be mature. I tried to be the bigger woman, and Tiara just didn't want to. It's just unfortunate that it had to come to this.
Austin hugged her tightly, and she begins to sob.
"It's okay," he whispered in her ear, rubbing her back soothingly.
Austin: I think that moment really showed how much heart Nyla has and why I love her so much. She just fought a girl who deserved the ass beating that she got. Yet, Nyla's the one crying. Nyla is the one, would have preferred for things to go down differently. I also feel pretty guilty. But I'm not really sure if there is anything I could have done differently. Nyla and Tiara aren't friends, so it's not like I came in between two good friends. This is all Tiara and her jealousy. It's all her fault.
Soon Devin, Tyler, Juliana, and Sara were in the bathroom, giving her hugs too.
Devin: I've never seen someone cry after a well-deserved ass-whooping, but right there shows you how much of a good person Nyla is. She's easily the most likable person in this house. She's been there for all of us. And I think that Tiara missed out on having that with Nyla.
"You okay? "Juliana asked, rubbing Nyla's back.
"Just a bit of bruising," Nyla gestured to her wrapped knuckles while Austin was putting up the first aid kid.
"I bet you were connecting those punches girl," Tyler threw some jabs to the air.
Nyla chuckles, shaking her head.
Suddenly the producer comes in, grabbing their attention.
"You guys alright?" she asked, mostly looking at Nyla.
Nyla nodded, hoping there wouldn't be percussions for what happened.
Though, Tiara did attack first.
"Is Tiara okay?" she asked.
"Took some time to get her to calm down. We're gonna take her to the hospital and make sure everything's fine."
"Okay, one of you should go with her."
The group looked at Nyla like she was crazy.
"She's drunk and may not even remember this. She'll want answers before coming back."
"Shit," Sara sucked her teeth, shrugging.
"Come on, guys, she shouldn't be alone," Nyla insisted.
"I'll go," Juliana knew she was right. "I'll pack her a bag."
She walks past the producer, leaving out the bathroom.
The producer looks at Nyla, "we'll talk tomorrow. Get some rest."
Nyla nods, relieved.
Nyla: This was the first fight in the house, so I'm not really sure how things will go. I don't know if I'll have to leave or even if Tiara has to. Maybe both of us. All I know is, if this is my last night, I'm just glad I get to spend in it Austin's arms.
Austin kisses Nyla on the forehead as they spooned in his bed and begin falling asleep.