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Word spreads fast when in the Playa, Scott realizes.
Just outside his door, Scott hears the shuffling of feet and the sound of many, many voices talking all over each other. He tries his best to ignore it, but when someone knocks on his door, he grumbles as he opens it.
Behind the door stands Dawn out of all people. Scott raises an eyebrow at her, and he frowns, "What do you want?"
"We're getting ready to see who is eliminated. Care to join us?' Dawn says, her voice cool, almost monotone when talking to him. Scott rolls his eyes, "I don't care. Now leave me alone."
Scott shuts the door on her face, ignoring the frown that showed just before he closed it. He walks back towards his bed, trying to go to sleep before the next loser arrives.
The sound of people grows more gradually quiet, and eventually, the Playa is dead silent.
Well. Scott would be lying if he didn't say he was a bit curious about who lost. Right before the finale, as well.
So, with a defeated sigh, Scott gets up from his bed, leaving his room. He finds himself leaning against the wall of the main space of the Playa, his eyes on the door. He's alone, everyone else outside, wanting to see who would join them just before the finale. It takes a few minutes, but eventually the doors to the Playa open, and Scott is met with the sight of Zoey.
Zoey.
His eyes widen, and the two of them make eye contact for a moment. Scott looks away, standing up from the wall and going back to his room.
Zoey. He can't believe it. Zoey, the latest loser. Zoey, the one who betrayed him and voted him off instead of Lightning. Zoey, the one person he saw potential in, the one he thought he would go against in the finale.
Why does Scott feel like this? Shouldn't he hate her? For betraying him like that, voting him off. For playing her like a fool, manipulating her to feel bad for him. He used her, trying to get further. Why does he care that she's standing out there?
Scott punches the wall, and his fingers sting at the impact. He curses, shaking out his hand in pain. Why is he angry? Did he want her to win? Did he want her to win the million that he lost? Because of her?
Scott falls back into his bed, trying to distract himself from his mind being filled with Zoey. She shouldn’t matter to him. She has Mike. She has Brick. She has all of her little stupid friends that she made while on that island, and he’s alone, thinking about her.
Outside, Scott can hear the voices of everyone. They’re loud. He can hear them say her name over and over again. It’s beginning to get annoying. He groans, losing and turning, even putting a pillow over his head as he tries to drown them out, but they’re just so loud. Everyone talks like it’s their last night on Earth, partying, celebrating Zoey for making it so far.
Time passes, and the noises eventually get quieter. He hears the sounds of people walking past his room, going to their own.
Finally, it’s starting to get quiet. Scott closes his eyes, trying to sleep, when there’s another knock on his door.
“What!?” Scott says, not wanting to move. No one responds to him, instead only knocking louder this time. Scott frowns, getting up from his bed. “Dawn, if it’s you again, I do not want to see Zoey,” Scott says loudly, making sure the person on the other side hears him.
Scott opens the door, and he comes face to face with her. Zoey. The two of them make eye contact, and Scott is about to shut the door on her face when she grabs it, pushing him away from the door, forcing her way inside his room. She closes the door behind her, taking a seat on one of the empty couches that Scott has yet to use himself.
“What do you want?” Scott says, leaning against a drawer. It wobbles against his weight, but Scott doesn’t care.
“Surprised to see me?” Zoey says, crossing her legs.
Scott lies, “No. Not really. Especially since you voted me out and not Lightning. You had it coming.”
Zoey rolls her eyes, “You’re a terrible liar.”
Scott snorts, “Am I? You’re the one who fell for me acting all sad and down. The moment I showed you some vulnerability, you took me. in All because I showed you that I had that immunity statute.”
Zoey doesn’t respond to him, looking down at the floor instead, “That’s not what I came here for.”
“Then why ?” Scott spits at her. “Because I would much rather be alone right now, sleeping. I don’t want to talk to the rest of you losers, reminding me that yes , I am in fact a loser as well.”
“I just wanted to say you played a good game! That’s all! You made me angry, you made me upset. But that helped me learn a few things about myself. It’s not good to hold in those feelings. So, I ended up projecting them onto you.”
Scott is taken aback by her words, these being the last thing he has ever expected to hear from her. Him? Playing a good game? God, these last few days here make Scott realize just how stupid his plan was. He couldn’t believe he was able to make it so far.
“I voted for you because I was angry. Angry that Mike was gone. Angry that you broke my trust. Angry at myself for even trusting you in the first place. There was no way that I was going to vote Lightning with you, but when I saw you earlier, a thought did cross my mind. What if that was me and you right now? The two of us going into the finale?”
“Guess we have the same train of thought then. I also thought I would be going into the finale with you,” Scott says, looking away from her. “Guess we were both wrong.”
The silence that follows is deafening. Awkward. Scott isn’t sure where to go next. What does he even say? Does he even bring up the fact that he’s made that she didn’t make it?
“I guess I’ll get going then,” Zoey says, standing up. Scott looks up at her, shaking his head.
“No. Not yet. Why didn’t you win? I thought you were going to make it all the way to the end. What happened?” Scott demands.
Zoey stares at him, processing his words. Slowly, she sits back down, closing her eyes before she starts, “Lightning won the challenge, and he said we would rather face Cam in the finale than me. Which makes sense, given the physical difference between the two of them. But I think Cam will be able to beat him.
“Did you want me to win? Even after I voted for you? Why?” Zoey questions him.
Scott pierces his lips, realizing the situation he just put himself in. He stammers for an answer, “Well. As the person who uh, got me out. I expected you to do better. To win. But I guess not. Nothing deep.”
Zoey stares at him, her face unreadable as she takes in Scott’s answer. Scott looks away from her, hoping that she doesn’t see past his lies.
Okay. Maybe the time alone did allow Scott to rethink about the way he feels for his fellow cast members. Majority of them stayed the same, where he did not care for them at all. The moment he’s allowed to go back home, Scott will never talk to them again. But, Zoey for some reason, made him think hard.
Why Zoey? What was it about her that he found so interesting? The way she had changed during their last challenge together, it was like she was a completely different person. Yes, him eliminating Mike made her angry at him, but during that challenge, she was different.
Was that it? Her being mad at him? Her being angry? If so, then Scott has issues that he definitely needs to work out.
“You’re a terrible liar,” Zoey repeats. Scott can feel his face flush at her words, but he doesn’t dare respond to her.
So, Zoey stands back up, “It’ll never work, Scott. Yes, I am thankful that I was able to open up about myself thanks to you, but I’ll never forgive you. I respect the game you played, That’s all.”
“I know,” Scott whispers, mostly to himself. He looks back up at Zoey, and the looks she is giving him says it all. A hint of sadness in her eyes, but the anger is still there.
“I appreciate you for thinking that I would’ve made it to the finale. At least I know that I had people rooting for me, even if it is you,” Zoey continues on. She walks up to him, placing a hand on his face. The gesture takes him back, as this was something he was definitely not expecting.
He looks at her eyes, then down to her lips, back to her eyes. She shakes her head, “It won’t work Scott. Not now, at least.” She leans in, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Scott blinks as she does so, not processing just what is happening.
She lets go of his face, and Scott immediately misses the warmness that it brought. The way her lips felt against his face. But he doesn’t push her for more.
“Goodnight,” Scott says.
Zoey opens the door to his room, looking back at him, the anger gone from her eyes now. “Goodnight Scott.”
Scott stands alone for a few moments, processing the events that just happened. Rejection. The kiss she gave him. Why would she do that?
Scott can feel a tear roll down his face, and he clears it away, moving back to his bed. He wishes that Zoey was still on that island, because at least he wouldn’t have had to deal with this.