“SCOTTIE!”
Scott had barely finished reading the letter when Ernesto shouted his name from downstairs, the startled eight-year-old taking a second to compose himself before shouting back.
“Yeah?”
“Get down here, Barrie says he’s got a surprise for us.”
Though Scott was annoyed at having to interact with the obnoxious host for any length of time, what really frustrated him was being called away just after obtaining damning evidence that Kai was stringing him along. Knowing that there’d be consequences if he kept Barrie waiting, Scott used his body to shield the letter and the device from the cameras and slipped both into the drawer of his bedside nightstand. As he hurried out of the room and made his way downstairs, Scott’s mind was racing to try and formulate how he should confront Kai – to decide if he accosting the fellow spy was even the right move, if he was better served to keep his knowledge of the addendum secret for now.
In any case, his decision would have to wait until the demands of No Girls Allowed were met. It was with no small sense of dread that Scott slipped into the living room to find the other three boys already there, his worst fears confirmed when Ernesto and Jackson – along with the rest of the world, judging by the explosion of adoring emjois – were visibly delighted by how adorable the near-naked third-grader was as he stood there nonplussed in nothing but Batman briefs.
“Uh oh!” Jackson snickered as he nudged Ernesto with his elbow. The blonde boy looked every bit the little athlete in his track shorts and pink sleeveless tee. “Look out, dudes, Batman’s here to make sure we’re on our best behavior.”
“He looks more like Robin to me.” A grinning Ernesto declared as he loomed over a gulping Scott. By comparison, his choice of duds – a crisp pair of khakis and a smart polo – made him seem infinitely more grown up than the undie-clad eight-year-old. “Whatcha say, boy wonder? Can you do a somersault for all the nice people out there?”
“Leave him alone.” Kai warned the Latino boy before shooting Scott a warm smile. “You good, dude? Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Sure did!” Scott brightly replied, choosing to reveal nothing in this moment beyond his retrieval of the envelope. “Thanks, Kai.”
“OOOOH, LOOKS LIKE OUR CONTESTANTS MAY HAVE DRAWN SOME EARLY DIVIDING LINES!” Barrie declared, the room’s massive screen glowing gold with every word he spoke. “WE’LL SEE HOW LONG THESE RELATIONSHIPS LAST, BUT RIGHT NOW WE’VE GOT SOME BUSINESS TO TAKE CARE OF.”
The quartet dutifully lined up before the television as Barrie cleared his digital throat.
“AS OUR GUESTS, WE WANT THE FOUR OF YOU TO FEEL YOU HAVE EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR A COMFORTABLE WEEKLONG STAY IN THE BOY’S HOUSE. THE FRIDGE AND PANTRY ARE FULLY STOCKED, AND YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK TO HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL DELIVERED IF NEED BE. AND SPEAKING OF DELIVERY – THERE’S ONE ARRIVING RIIIIIIIGHT…ABOOOUUUUT…NOW!”
Though all four boys jumped at the ringing of the doorbell, it was Ernesto and Jackson who scampered off to find out what had just arrived.
“PIZZA PARTY!” Jackson shouted as he marched back into the room carrying two boxes wider than he was. Trailing right behind him was Ernesto, who triumphantly held up an accompanying pair of two-liters for as long as his skinny little arms would allow. They placed their bounty on the sofa-surrounded coffee table in the middle of the room as Kai fetched plates and glasses from the kitchen. When the boxes were opened to release the freshly baked pies within – when the aroma first hit his cute little button nose – Scott suddenly felt as though he hadn’t eaten in weeks. His tummy rumbled and his mouth watered as he joined the rest of the boys in grabbing a slice for himself, his first nibbles delicate and tentative as he nearly burned his small and sensitive hands just from holding the piping hot piece. The boy was off and running once he was able to take a nice big bite, however, his reinvigorated taste buds raising the simple portion of cheese pizza to an indulgent delicacy.
Before he knew it, Scott had polished off the slice and reflexively reached for another. He paused, however, when he saw that the other three contestants were still working on their first serving, that their feasting had been slowed by the friendly chat carried on by the trio. A wave of shame came over Scott, who suddenly felt as though he’d been allowed to sit at the big kids table only if he promised to not interrupt them with any of his little boy silliness. It wasn’t as though he was desperate to get in on their conversation, to share his background with the rest of the group as they currently were with one another. If anything, he was resentful of how easily they’d excluded the runt of the litter, that they’d potentially done so without even realizing it. Well, that was fine by Scott. He was more than happy to have his fill of pizza and then get back to spying.
“What about you, Scott?”
The eight-year-old had just sunk his (mostly baby) teeth into his second slice when Kai turned his way with that query. Scott quickly chewed and gulped down the bite so he could respond without being rude, feeling those six expectant eyes boring into him the whole time. “What about me?”
“What’s your story? Why are you here?”
“Oh, well…” Scott launched into the backstory he’d learned as part of his contestant character, which painted him as a military vet with no wife or kids. The money, so he said, would be used to fund a VA clinic near his hometown. And as unprepared Scott had been for everything else that’d happened thus far, he was – thanks to all time spent rehearsing – confident in this aspect of his performance if nothing else. “And if I don’t win…my brother’s always wanted a kid but he and his wife haven’t been able to conceive. Who did you guys get to sign up as insurance?”
“I just had my parents do it.” Ernesto shrugged, flippant. “I told them not to worry since I’m going to win, but in case something goes wrong I’ll be sure to earn my second stay. There’s all sorts of reality and game shows kids can go on these days.”
“My ex.” Kai revealed, smiling at the surprised stares he drew from other boys. Scott observed the twelve-year-old closely as he offered his answer, looking for any tells he offered while spinning an outright lie. “We only broke up because we disagreed about family stuff – he’s still my best friend and I know he’d be a great dad, so I won’t be too bummed if I lose.”
“That’s really sweet, bro, my wife’s my best friend too.” Shocked looks all around. “What, you didn’t expect a chill guy like me to be married? Bet you’re doubly astonished to find out we’ve got a baby.”
“Uh, yeah.” Ernesto confirmed. “Your wife’s cool with potentially having to raise you and your kid at the same time?”
“For sure, she’s super easygoing and stuff. It’s wild to think about what that might be like though, right? If I’m really unlucky, by this time next week I could be getting my diaper changed alongside my kiddo. Isn’t that nuts?”
“Okay, let’s change the subject.” A clearly uncomfortable Ernesto pled, looking around the table for any distraction from the current course of thought. “Like, can we talk about the fact that this widdle piglet has already scarfed down two whole slices?”
“Don’t call me a piglet.” Scott snapped right after polishing off his second portion. “You’re just jealous that a littler kid can eat more than you.”
“Really?” Ernesto snickered as he poked at Scott’s soft belly. “I think that tiny tummy of yours is just about full. I bet you can’t put away a third slice.”
Scott paused as he looked at the remaining pizza, so stuffed that he was now mildly disgusted by that which had been so delicious. While he really didn’t want to eat any more, his pride pushed him to at least hear out the details of the wager.
“What’ll you bet me?”
“If you can eat a third slice, I’ll let you beat me the next time we face each other in a challenge. If you can’t, you have to go to the screen and tell everyone that you’re a greedy little piggy whose eyes were bigger than his stomach.”
“You’re on.” Scott declared as he reached for number three. Unhappy as he was about risking further humiliation, having an automatic win in the chamber could prove very important given the consequences of failing challenges. Though Kai and Jackson cheered Scott on as he dutifully chewed the lukewarm pizza - though the audience at home appeared to be on his side - their encouragement and his bravado could only carry him so far. He was so full and he didn’t think he could take another bite…