Filming Episode Two

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***

After gathering us in the living room and sitting us down on the sofa, Ripley left to discuss something with the producers and the host of the project. Since there was nothing to talk about anyway, I decided to ask Arnold about the spri-...

- So, your watchmen, what do you think? - Of course he spoke first. Seriously, does he have a sixth sense for that? - My greyness.

- Stupid... - Sasha threw.

- Feisty... - Jude said through a smile.

- Concerned... - Sang-hyun said and flattened himself on the couch.

- She's creepy. - Ricardo summed it up languidly.

- And yours, Peter?

- Rogue? She seems okay. - She's a little loud in the mornings, but other than that, no complaints. I guess I got lucky with her.

- So, boys, we've decided that you're going to spend today-- - mandatory pause. - in the company of the lovely girls the school has assigned to help you!

- Great! - shouted Arnold, raising his fist and exposing his biceps to the camera.

The guys did the same, but they didn't show their biceps, and I was the only one who looked around in bewilderment, sadly anticipating something bad.

.....

First we visited the garden.

- ...

- ...

Nice place, lots of flowers and exotic plants that I hadn't even seen at the New York Arboretum when I went there on a field trip in primary schools.

....

Then we walked around the library.

- ...

- ...

Huge rows and columns of books stretching several floors, it felt like I had fallen into a fairy tale library of magicians or sorcerers.

....

Here we are walking along the campus, under the crowns of yellowing trees.

- ...

- ...

- Oh, come on!!! - Ripley shouted behind us. - How many times can we walk in silence?!

Disrupting my best date of the two, useless jumped up to me, grabbed me by the neck and dragged me away from Rogue.

- Peter, Pieterse... - what the fuck? I felt dirty again, like from a night with a bum. - Please, I realise you don't care about the show...

...Has she finally got it? Something about her lately amazes me with her savvy, perhaps I should stop calling her 'useless' and instead address her as 'just a little more and you'll be useful I guess'?

- ...But please-please-please, we need material to slice. - A little more and she'll be useful, probably staring at me with a puppy dog stare as I came to the realisation that her new nickname was too long and I should go back to the classics.

Nodding reluctantly, I headed back to Rogue's place, ruining our nice walk with conversation. What can I do, but since I'm required as an employee, I have to do it.

But what am I supposed to talk to her about? I've only known her for a day. I'll try something mundane:

- Do you like bingo?

- I guess? Do you?

- I'm not quite sure I know what bingo is. - I'm pretty sure it's some kind of game, and that's as far as I go.

**Megan and Sasha's date, sorry, Alex. Megan**

- In Russia, people often make pickles for the winter, and also....

Sashenka is so smart, he knows so much, I would listen and listen. And yes, whatever he says, I'm sure he really likes being called Sashenka.

- And here's our arboretum. - Blushing as red as the roses in it, I let Sasha pass in front of me.

- Hmm, that's a lot of flowers. - Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Peter and Rogue walking in silence. Not a handsome man at all, but such an arrogant one! Poor Rogue. - Can I pick one?

- I think you can.

Sasha plucked one, sniffed it, smiled his irresistible kind smile, and then came to me, who was completely stunned by what was happening.

- Here, it looks like this. - Then he put a rose behind my ear. It may be prickly, but that's not what's making me squeal.

**Kitty and Arnold's date. Kitty.

After gaining a little confidence, I decided to take him to my favourite place, the library.

- W-Well, the school's treasure trove of knowledge. - God, I can't stop stuttering at the beginning of a conversation, I must look like a complete fool!

- Hmm, intellectual satiation is just as important as physical satiation. - Wow, I didn't expect to hear such a profound thought from him. Damn, in my head it sounds like I thought he was an idiot.

As I averted my face red with embarrassment and shame, I noticed Rogue and Peter sitting on the far side of the room. They were sitting in silence, reading, and the guy was completely indifferent, not just to Rogue but to the book, flipping through it, pretending to read. And I thought he was still all right. Poor Rogue looks so lonely.

- Tell me, what kind of books do you like?

- I like... - as I began, I quickly realised I hadn't stuttered this time. Had Arnold noticed my excitement and asked a question related to my interests on purpose? I didn't expect him to be so gallant.....

**Roberta and Sang-hyun's date. Roberta**

This Korean idol keeps playing his innocent games with me, do you think I'll fall for it like his groupies?

- Campus is a beautiful place, don't you think?

- Yeah. - he stared melodramatically at the trees.

Yeah, yeah, kid, play your part. Who's that over there? Rogue and Parker? Apparently, he doesn't care, he's not even trying to seduce. Mine is at least playing the part, in trying, just a pity....

- Salangkhabnida~... - what is that? Is that his voice? Is it so beautiful? But why is the song so sad?

Oh, I feel so much like comforting him.....

**Jubilee and Jude's date. Jubilee**

- Campus road, not the most fun place, but it's important! If it wasn't, we'd be walking on worms, or even a red-hot core, Ha-ha-ha....

- Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. - laughed quietly with me. It's nice that I manage to elicit a smile from him. I love causing them in people, no matter how beautiful they are..... And when the smile is that beautiful, it's a nice bonus.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Peter and Rogue, walking side by side but not together. Sad picture, maybe I should join them, I don't want Rogue to be sad after something like this....

- Ah! - as I lost my guard, I tripped and fell off the flowerbed.

- Careful. - but Jude caught me in his arms. God, his eyes were so blue.

Wait, what was I just thinking? Oh, right. About how blue his eyes are....

**Uliana and Ricardo's date. Uliana**

Somehow my feet led me to the library. Seriously, if I had looked for it on purpose, I don't think I would have found it.

- You like books. - Oh, that warrior voice. It's a bit of a turn-on.

- No, not really. - but I've got principles, and playing and pretending isn't really my thing.

Rogue and the sixth guy were sitting in the corner, and from the look of them, Rogue's at a much greater disadvantage than I am, and I feel bad for her.

- And I don't like books. The only stories Ricardo is interested in are the ones written by Darling....

Damn, the guy's hot!

-The end of their date-

I decided to show him off a little, so I took him to the training ground.

- Ha-ha-ha-ha-haa. - where I broke my own simulation record in a sweat. - So, what do you think?

- Ricardo. He finds fighting a waste of time. - а? - They don't make the slightest bit of sense. They lead nowhere. Unlike roads.

What the hell? No, seriously, he's talking rubbish, but still rubbish. And I wonder if a languid pussy can finish his sentences without pauses.

**The end of Jubilee and Jude's date. Jubilee.

At some point I realised his laughter was fake and stopped making jokes. Now we just sit in silence and his smile seems a little more natural than it has in all the time we've been together. Serves me right, I could have been having fun with Rogue together in the company of guys, ignoring their disinterest, but instead....

- ...

She makes me feel gross.

**The end of Roberta and Sang-hyun's date. Roberta**

- Can you make some ice? - He picked up the juice glass.

- Sure. - Covering it with his palm for a second, as if after a magic trick, two cubes appeared in the glass as soon as I withdrew my hand.

- Thank you... - Sang-hyun drastically finished his juice, and then. - Ahhhh!" he took out the cubes and clenched them in his fist, making them melt and drip down onto my expressive neck and collarbone.

God, what a poser, huh? If he wasn't a good-looking guy, but let's say an average-looking girl like me, he'd be called a fool and wouldn't understand the point of such pretentious sexuality. It's like a dating app where guys literally demand girls to be original even in the first message, when they are limited to a dumb "hello" and "how are you". That's why I became a lesbian, tired of all the posers and "not like the others".

**The end of Kitty and Arnold's date. Kitty.

- What's your favourite book?

Oh, I screwed up big time, talking about myself and my interests. And Arnold, on the other hand, was so attentive, listening to me, he didn't even interrupt me once.

- Hrr. What? What was the question? About steroids? Of course, I'm against them and I've never taken any kind of supplements in my life!

- Erm, no, I was asking about your favourite book? Although maybe you don't like to read much. - It's OK, not everyone has to like what I like.

- I don't? Me? I love reading, I'm a real bookworm, I can't tell! - Wow! Once again, I've made the mistake of judging a book by its cover. - And my favourite book is Conan by Doyle.

Not really my genre, of course, but...

Wait, Doyle's Conan?

- Um. Wasn't "Conan" written by Robert Howard? - although I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Arthur Conan Doyle.

- No, no, no, you're confused, "Conan" was written by Doyle. - says with such certainty, am I wrong or am I thinking of the wrong Doyle?

- Well. Isn't it weird for Arthur Conan Doyle to write a book called "Conan"?

- Erm... Well. What's weird about it, it's the first book about a trapped person!

...

...What?

**The end of Megan and Sa-da's date, I remember, I remember Alex. Megan.

- Ow. - this rose is really stinging. I'd better get it out of here.

- Hey. - Sashenka put it back in. - You should appreciate other people's gifts.

.....

That hurts! I'm sorry, Sashenka, but I can't take it anymore.

- Stop, that's better. - I put it behind my ear again.

- Sa-

- Alex! - Even though he's still smiling, his eyes are starting to scare me.

- Alex, it really hurts. Can I carry it in my hands?

- Tsk, you'll lose it in your hands. And with "she kept his gift for the rest of the day," we're gonna be in the finale of the episode, the main part. So keep your voice down and keep your voice down. I'm getting a headache.

Alex, where have you put my Sasha?!

**The end of Rogue and Peter's date. Rogue.

- Bingo! - I shouted. I'm surprised the school found this game, though I didn't quite immediately connect bingo and bingo.

- Congratulations. - Crossing out the number that brought me the win, Peter smiled.

- God, how long has it been since I played this game? - I was feeling a little nostalgic.

- Yeah? He raised an eyebrow.

- I'm from a small town, or so I thought? I don't know. И... - Bite your tongue, Rogue, you don't need to spill your guts to strangers about your aunt. They don't care, it'll just put a lot of stress on them.

- И?

- Oh, yeah, well, my grandparents lived there and I used to play bingo or bingo with them. My grandmothers loved it, and so did my grandfather, though he grumbled about it all the time, but only because I always won.

- Hmm, that sounds nice. Sounds like you had some good grandparents.

- Yeah, I did. - I've been spilling my guts a little bit, haven't I? Shit, I must have ruined his mood and mine too.

Just when things were getting better, during our walk, I was able to calm down, get rid of my stupid thoughts, and then....

- Do you want to get something to eat? - He suggested it out of the blue, even though we'd been playing around and missed dinner.

- Huh? Okay.

I got up and followed him, noticing that he could have collected the bingo a few moves before me.... Then why didn't he? Did he miss it...?

.....

- When I'm sad, I like to eat ice cream...

- Sad? - I asked, only to realise later that I had ruined his mood. I heard that because of the privilege that surrounds boys from childhood, many of them have either a bad relationship with their parents, or even cut all ties. Who knows, maybe I'm reminiscing.

- Does the book have the same ending as the anime?

- In the book? - I asked in confusion.

- Yes, Flanders Dog, does the book end the same way as the cartoon?

- I don't know, I didn't know there was a cartoon. - it's a bit of a surprise that he noticed the book I borrowed from the library.

- And I haven't read the book. So we should either watch the cartoon together or meet up later and talk about the book when I've read it.

He's a good guy. For a second, I actually felt like I was on a real date. Obviously, he's playing and trying to squeeze something out of me to get more screen time, which I'm sure is why that girl was yelling at him.... But I don't think he doesn't see me as a person. Heck, we played bingo for hours, a game he probably wasn't even interested in playing just because I got carried away, and bingo isn't exactly something that's going to help him with his time in the episode.

Ah, lucky your girlfriends.

Okay, Peter, I'll help you.

- Come with me. - I took his hand and dragged him up to the roof.

- And the food?

....

My meagre imagination was enough for stargazing on the roof, which sounds romantic to me, and from the look on that girl's face, Ripley, I think I've hit the mark. But there's still some lovely conversation to be had, so it's too early for me to relax.

- Oh, look, a shooting star. - I pointed my finger at the sky, making sure we weren't too close so he couldn't touch the exposed skin and get hurt.

- We should make a wish. - Well done, well played.

"I hope everything works out for Peter on this show and he finds happiness," I wished to myself.

- So, what did you wish for?

- Oh, nothing. Peace. - It's a little weird, but okay. - What about you?

- I won't tell you or it won't come true. - Here, a little flirting would definitely make this episode's headline-grabbing moment.

- Okay, well, then I hope it comes true. - It's a shame Peter didn't try to flirt back, I think the female viewers would have loved it. - So, tell me about your dreams, then? Things that weren't part of the wish list.

Damn, his question stumped me. I can't think of anything, so I'll have to answer honestly.

- A kiss. I wish for a kiss. - It's embarrassing, and it's going to be on the telly! I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

- Hmm? So you're dreaming of finding love? - а? - That's what a lot of people dream about, so h-.

- No, I don't dream of finding love. - where would I go? - I just dream of kissing for once in my life.

- Haa. Children, holy God.

For a while Peter stared into the void, only his pupils running back and forth, I even got nervous if he was epileptic and reached out to check on him like....

- Mmmm! - а? Why is his face so close?! Are his lips so warm?!

- Mnhmmm! There, done. Now I can safely call your dream stupid. Seriously, a dream should be a global and exciting dream that gets you out of bed when you strive to achieve even a small part of it, and takes you far away when life gets too hard, letting you think that if there's even a small chance of fulfilling it, even a fraction of it, then tomorrow is worth facing; not something that can be fulfilled in an instant.

To his speech I had only this to answer:

- Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh? - My head was more occupied with comprehending the warmth on my lips than his words.

- Haa... Don't tell me I screwed up and you meant a tongue kiss...? Haa. Well, it can't be helped.

- Hnnmmmm! - Again?! What the hell is going on?!