Behind the Spotlight

6

I had done it, I was someone. No. I was a winner. A winner with friends, money and well, the world. I had won the first season of Reality Rush and we had just been greenlit for the second season. We had stopped filming a few months ago and the episodes were only just hitting the air and my life was only going up from here. I fear I should be questioning if the events that happened were worth it, if I told someone everything that went down would they celebrate with me or would they ask if I was okay from the trauma? Not that anything was traumatic, sure there were a few...experiences... that I wasn't sure I should be keeping to myself but why would I ever want to jeopardize my life? Dwelling on such uncertainties seemed like a waste of time when the world seemingly laid at my feet. With Alyssa, Rachel, and Joe by my side, each night unfurled as a vibrant tapestry of endless possibilities.

I never knew where we were headed; Rachel always took the lead, and I gladly followed, eager for the thrill of the night. During our off season the rules were relaxed. The producers emphasized enjoyment, urging us to revel in every moment,we could do whatever we wanted on condition, as long as we remained discreet. Given our status as 'main contestants,' security was of the utmost importance. Each outing was shrouded beneath enormous black umbrellas, with towering, muscular guards encircling us, effortlessly shielding us from prying paparazzi. They couldn't risk losing their main talent after all. Tonight's elusive club was one in L.A called 'Midnight Mirage' that Rachel had been raving about ever since she found out about it. The anticipation crackled in the air as we approached the sleek, bustling entrance with our entourage of security. Sometimes I feared having such a large group would draw more attention than it would prevent it but this was what the higher ups wanted, so if anything went wrong it was on them. Rachel and Alyssa took the lead, silently instructing the team on where to go. The bouncer tonight was a burly man with a seemingly permanent scowl.

"Get lost kids." He barked, not even phased by the bodyguards.

Now no club would ever allow teenagers in their club, however everyone had their price. Less popular clubs' price would be around a grand, it could be as low as five hundred if the bouncer was desperate but for higher end clubs it would be more around the five thousand mark. Rachel flashed the stack to the bouncer who eyed it with a mixture of suspicion and greed. His scowl softened slightly as he reached out to take the stack of bills, quickly counting them under the dim light filtering from the club's entrance. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded gruffly, stepping aside to let us through. She flashed him a charming smile, her confidence infectious, and we were ushered inside.

"What was tonight's price?" I asked smugly as the club's music became louder. Rachel grinned mischievously as we stepped into the pulsating heart of the club, the thumping bass reverberating through the air and drowning out any semblance of coherent thought.

"Only three grand tonight." Rachel replied, which was followed by a relieved sigh from Joe. We took turns bribing the bouncer but we would all show up with our estimated guess on how much it would cost for us to get let in. "See this place is seriously cool, I thought it would be at least seven to let us in, glad it wasn't my turn to bribe or I'd be down for no reason.." Joe chimed in, hobbling along behind us. He was still on crutches after breaking his leg during filming, his repayment for not disclosing about how his injury happened was a free shot into the final two and while he never confirmed with any of us, I assume they also paid him to keep quiet. He didn't seem to be too bummed about it however, more time on national television and a shitload of cash just for breaking your leg? Seemed like easy, painful, but easy money nonetheless. I chuckled at Joe's comment, shaking my head in disbelief. "Three grand just to get into a club," I mused, the absurdity of it all hitting me. "And here I was thinking we were living on a budget." We must have seemed like we were pompous assholes to anyone passing by and that's because we were, but we were also just kids.