The Playground - 10. Finale, pt. 2

“Damn! So close,” Marcus muttered to himself upon hearing the announcement. He was more motivated than ever to succeed. If he could nab the first place in just one more game, he would be tied with Eric and Samson – or even come out on top, depending on the game.

As he walked through the park at a brisk pace, he came across the cake stand that he’d seen from the distance but never got around to visiting. He handed over a ticket as the girl attending it quickly went through the rules.

“Ok, this should be easy,” the dancer was confident, looking at the photo of a cake he was given. “Lines on the sides, icing on top and bottom, four leaves and some pearls. Got it.”

After returning the photo to the girl, he immediately got down to decorating the cake from memory. It was going so smoothly, making him think the challenge was too easy. Suddenly, he jumped back and looked at the girl.

“Wait - is the cake gonna pop up and smash me in the face or something?”

“No!” the girl laughed. “You just have to decorate it, I promise.”

“Oh, alright. Just checking.”

“I can smash you in the face with it if you want,” Eric, who happened to be passing by at that moment, offered.

“I’m not Clementine, Eric. I don’t get ticked off so easily,” Marcus replied without even looking away from the dessert. A few seconds later and he was done. The girl inspected the cake from all sides, satisfied with the result.

“Nicely done,” she nodded, showing him the stopwatch: 01:03.43.

“One minute, three seconds. Is that good?”

“You’re the first person to succeed,” the girl answered, pointing at the empty scoreboard.

“And that’s how it’s done,” Marcus said as he wrote his time, moving his name to the top spot. “Not that I’m surprised, the others didn’t even know what parchment paper was.”

With another mission aced, he continued his search in high spirits. With two top spots, he was now tied with Eric and Samson, and there was no way he would let them take his prize so easily. For the first time that day, he could actually almost taste the victory and it only served to motivate him even more. He imagined himself holding the trophy, his boyfriend Ash coming to the ceremony and grabbing him in a hug, spinning him around as they smiled at each other, celebrating his victory. With some more hard work, he could make it a reality.

***

Feeling good after her puzzle win, Tiffany rushed to find a new mission. She’d managed to snatch a Boost Ticket along the way as well - one that would reduce one of her times by three seconds. Not long after, she saw another stand with a bright yellow star on top of it. The man occupying the stand came out and went over to the mission area, gesturing at a gymnastics beam. He quickly explained the rules, handing her a ping pong paddle and a ball.

“I’m sober, so why not,” the girl readily accepted the challenge.

She first looked at the scoreboard, seeing Marcus in first place, Eric in second and Samson in fourth. Then, she hopped on the wooden beam. Slowly, she made a few steps forward, but with all of her focus being on not falling from the beam, she didn’t even notice the ball rolling off the paddle and falling to the ground. “Wait, do I have to start all over?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Ugh, I can see I’m gonna have to use my Boost on this game.”

Begrudgingly, the TV star returned to the start of the beam for another try, not even realizing she had an audience.

Defeated after his basketball failure, Samson wandered the park searching for an easier game to play. He thought about going back to the puzzle stand to check the scores, but then decided to look around some more. That turned out to be a good idea, as he quickly spotted a ticket on the side of a popcorn stand.

“I am definitely gonna need this. I only have two tickets left.”

Continuing his search, the singer made his way to the bumper cars – which was always his favorite attraction at any theme park. Sadly, he hadn’t had a chance to go for a ride in years, whether because of his busy schedule or for security reasons. Now that he was famous, he couldn’t just show up at an amusement park and expect to be free to do whatever he wanted without being immediately recognized.

Just as he thought about wanting to take a ride, he noticed a colorful Boost Ticket hidden inside a bumper car. Excited over the lucky find, he rushed over to the other side of the park to trade the ticket in for a Boost.

“Simplify a game of your choice. Hmm, this could be really good.”

As he mulled over what to do with his newfound power, Samson came across a mission area where Tiffany seemed to be struggling. The girl just couldn’t keep her balance on the beam while keeping the ping pong ball on the paddle. But no matter how many times she failed, she would always get back up and try again. It was as if she had an endless supply of energy and positivity driving her.

After a minute of watching her, the singer suddenly took off. “Come on, Tiff, you can do it!” he shouted to the girl as he passed her by.

“Thanks, babe!”

With a new burst of motivation, Samson rushed back to the basketball area, ready to give it another go.

“I wanna try again. And I have this,” he showed the Simplify Boost to the guy at the stand. “What would that do?”

“If you want to simplify the game, you’ll only have to throw two balls instead of three.”

“Ok, I’ll do that,” Samson agreed immediately, handing the ticket over to the other man. “Alright… I can do this.”

Steeling himself, he took the first ball and threw it, watching it sail through the air and hit the hoop before bouncing off. Undeterred, he grabbed the ball as soon as it came back down, going for another try. This time, there was nothing to distract him, no Eric to get on his nerves. It was just him and the game. He threw the balls several more times until they finally managed to get in their respective hoops.

“I did it!” the singer was ecstatic, jumping up and down. He smiled like a kid at Christmas, happy to have finally done the mission. Even if his time of forty-eight seconds put him in third place behind Eric and Tiffany, he still felt proud of himself. “Good enough for me! At least I did it. Now, let’s do a game where I can actually get first place.”

With renewed confidence, Samson made his way through the park, looking to replay some of the missions and shake up the rankings. He had already played all seven games, and while he failed the cake challenge, he had no immediate desire to do it again. Instead, he decided to check the fashion challenge scores to make sure he was still in first place, so he made a turn in that direction. Soon, he was at his destination. However, when he tried to enter the tent, the park employee stopped him.

“You’re going to have to wait, there’s someone already doing the challenge,” the woman said, blocking the entrance.

“Oh, ok. Who is it?” Samson asked, trying to peek inside.

He didn’t have to wait long to find out, as he could hear a deep voice coming from the inside.

“I can’t find a skirt with pencils on it anywhere!” Eric grumbled.

“It doesn’t have pencils printed on it. It’s a type of skirt,” the woman explained.

“How was I supposed to know that?!”

“Please tell me you have all of this on camera,” Samson said as he stood outside the tent, snickering as he waited for his turn.

A minute later, the annoyed quarterback finally came out.

“Have you learned some new words today, Eric?”

“Sammy, came to see me in action?” Eric immediately recovered. “Hope you didn’t get too discouraged.”

“On the contrary, it was just the entertainment I needed. Thanks,” Samson replied before dashing into the tent, taking a look at the scoreboard. He was still in first place, ahead of Marcus. Tiffany was third and Eric last. “Ok, I’m still in the lead here.”

Excited over keeping his top spot, Samson hurried out, pondering which game to try next. He had two tickets left, unless he managed to find some more. He knew there was no point in trying the basketball game again. In the end, he decided to give the cake challenge another go after all.

***

“Should I try the limbo again?” Marcus wondered out loud as he approached the mission area. He didn’t exactly impress the first time, but now that he had some experience, he thought he stood a better chance of finishing the game more quickly and dethroning Samson. In the end, he decided to give it one more try. The worker handed him a pair of roller skates, which the dancer quickly put on.

This time, doing the challenge felt much easier than the first time. He only fell down once, but managed to lift himself right up and try again. Before long, he passed below the limbo pole, a tired but happy smile on his face.

“Phew, that was good… I think. How did I do?”

The other man handed him the stopwatch, which showed 00:31.37.

“Nice! Honestly, the other three need to work on their stretching exercises,” the dancer shook his head as he started writing his score on the board.

“Marcus… It’s thirty-one, not twenty-one seconds.”

“Oh right, my bad,” the dancer grinned, caught red-handed. “I uh… I forgot.”

Once he put his sneakers back on, Marcus went down the left path, passing by the cake stand. He could see Samson in the middle of his challenge, while Eric stood nearby, doing weird dance moves and singing, trying to distract him.

“Those two are idiots,” he let out a laugh before moving along, not paying them any more attention.

***

“I only have one ticket left. Hmm, do I try mini golf again?” Tiffany muttered, walking through the park. If she had expected any advice from the cameraman following her, she did not get any. “Oh, screw it, I’ll do it. Maybe I’ll get lucky this time.”

Handing in her last ticket, the girl received the mini golf club and stood in position.

“Ok, slowly…” she told herself as she swung the club gently, barely touching the ball. After moving for just a few seconds, the ball unceremoniously came to a stop. “Ok, a little harder then. Ugh, I’m not so good at this.”

The second hit turned out to be a little harder than necessary, sending the ball off-course.

“No, come back!” the girl shouted as she ran after the ball. “Seriously, who came up with this game?!”

It was only after a few more careful hits that she managed to get the ball to its destination. With a look of relief, she came over to the worker to check her result.

“Fifty-five seconds? I guess that’s better than what I expected. Still third place though.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, you have ten minutes left,” Nicholas’ voice suddenly boomed through the speakers. “Keep in mind that all scores will be hidden in the last five minutes.”

“Oh my God, I didn’t know that was a thing!” Tiffany immediately went into panic mode. “I need to use my Boost!” Clutching her ticket in her hand, the girl started running down one path before suddenly stopping and turning around, taking off in a different direction. She was pretty sure her puzzle record was still standing, while the basketball challenge was hopeless – she would not be able to beat Eric's time. There was no point in wasting her Boost on those two games. However, she remembered being second in the limbo challenge, so perhaps she could sneak in a win with her 3-second reduction in that game. “Ok, here goes nothing,” she finally made up her mind, running off toward the mission area to use her Boost.

Eric was in a rush as well, hoping to use his final ticket and give one more game a try. After a brief run through the park, he ended up at the puzzle mission stand, as it was a challenge he had only done once. He paid his final ticket and approached the board, hoping to make short work of the puzzle. Immediately, he could see the picture was different than the first time. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy, he realized. Still, he got to work, rearranging the square tiles as quickly as he could until he was finished.

While Eric was busy with his puzzle challenge, Marcus was on the other side of the park, approaching a different mission area. He walked with purpose, knowing exactly what he wanted to do.

“I’m gonna use my Boost right before they hide all the scores,” he spoke into the camera as he walked. Off to the side, he could see Samson doing the limbo challenge again. He stopped for a brief moment to see how the singer was doing – it seemed as if he had it under control. Samson was on the short side, so of course the game would be easier for him than someone like Eric. Still, Marcus had no time to stand by and watch. He had to go and make his move.

Not long after, a loud whistle pierced the air, signifying the end of the competition. The loud voice of Nicholas Stone immediately followed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your time is up. Please drop your piping bags and step away from the cakes, and return to the starting area where we’ll reveal the results!”

None of the contestants had to be told twice. They all rushed toward the park entrance where the host was waiting for them along with the camera crew.

“So, how did you find today’s games? Did you have fun?”

Suddenly, everyone started talking over each other.

“Exhausting! I’ve never ran so much in my life.”

“I think I hate cakes now.”

“What about that balance game? Whoever thought of that is evil!”

“Come on, I wanna see the results now!”

The host nodded as he observed the final four with a knowing look in his eyes, holding his notes close to his chest. He already knew the results, but keeping the suspense going was his specialty. He was going to milk every second of it.

“Alright, then. Now that the fun part is over, all that’s left to do is reveal the results. Let’s see how you did in each of the games, one by one. Why don’t we start with the infamous cake challenge? Some of you didn’t seem to be big fans of it, but let’s see how you did.”

Cameras panned to a crew member holding the scoreboard. He flipped it over, showing the final results: Tiffany was third, Samson was in second place, was Marcus was the clear winner. Eric was the only one who didn’t manage to complete the game.

“Congratulations, Marcus, your cake decorating skills were unmatched!”

“Easiest challenge ever,” the dancer shrugged like it was no big deal. “If only I got to eat some of it too. Unless it’s carrot cake, in which case, no thanks.”

“That would be too cruel even for us. But you’ll be happy to know that we’ve saved all the cakes for later. Now, let’s move on to the next game – mini-golf.”

Another scoreboard was revealed, showing Eric’s name at the very top, followed by Marcus, Tiffany and finally Samson.

“Alright, now we're talkin'!” the quarterback celebrated while Samson rolled his eyes, looking away. “Still undefeated!”

“Indeed. The times were all really close in this one, but no one managed to beat your record. Congratulations, Eric,” Nicholas said. “Next up, we have the fashion challenge!”

As the third scoreboard was shown, it was time for Samson to have his moment to shine. He smiled victoriously as he saw his name at the top of the list, followed by Marcus, Tiffany and Eric.

“Congratulations, Samson. I don’t think anyone is surprised that the second-best-dressed person here won this challenge,” the host said.

“Oh, Nicholas, you really are funny when you want to be,” the singer replied. “Thank you, though. It was fun!”

“Now, let’s see how you did in the puzzle challenge. This one was very close.”

As the scoreboard was slowly revealed, Tiffany’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

“What?!” she let out a shocked gasp, staring at the board. Her name, which she fully expected to be on top, was instead in second place, just below Eric’s. “I thought I had this one!”

“And you did, but Eric managed to beat your time at the very end.”

“Ugh! I should’ve used my Boost on this instead of the stupid limbo!”

Eric smiled quietly while the other two guys went over to comfort Tiffany. It was the athlete’s second win, putting him in the lead. He took a step forward, looking taller than ever. Victory was within his grasp.

“Speaking of limbo,” the host continued, “let’s show the results.”

Tiffany pursed her lips as once again she saw her name in second place, this time below Marcus. While Samson dropped from first to third place, Eric was dead last.

“This game was bullshit,” the athlete grumbled. “I can’t help that I’m six foot four, man!”

“A true master never blames his tools,” Marcus gloated. It was his second win, tying him with Eric. His heart was now beating a mile a minute, he could barely contain his excitement.

The next scoreboard to be revealed was for the difficult balance mission. To the surprise of all three guys, Tiffany’s name was at the top, narrowly beating Marcus’ time with half a second difference. Samson came in third, while Eric was last.

“Wow, congrats, Tiff! How did you do that?” the dancer squeezed the girl’s shoulder, surprised and proud in equal measure.

“Thanks, babe. I spent four tickets on that game, that’s how!”

“It was worth it,” Samson said. “Well done, it was a bitch of a challenge.”

With six games revealed, it was finally time to show the results of the last one – the dreaded basketball challenge. Samson and Tiffany glanced at the final scoreboard, waiting for it to be uncovered.

“Ugh,” Samson sighed, willing time to move faster so he could get things over with. With only one first place, he had no hopes of winning anymore. Even worse, he knew Eric held the top spot in basketball, which would be the quarterback's third and decisive win. Samson fumed silently, knowing he would have to watch Eric’s smug face as he received his trophy. “Well, this is it. I guess- wait, what?”

“Hold on, what the hell is this?!” Eric’s question came out as a shout, startling Tiffany.

Everyone was confused as they stared at the newly uncovered scoreboard, except Marcus. Rather than showing everyone's times, the board was empty, save for a single name at the top – Marcus, with his time of thirty-six seconds. The dancer made no attempt to conceal his self-satisfied smirk as several cameras panned to him, while others focused on Eric.

“I don’t get it, did someone erase the scores? Where are the rest of us?” the quarterback asked, his eyes darting incredulously between the scoreboard and the host. “I had this game in the bag!”

“And I was second… I think,” Tiffany added.

“Marcus, why don’t you explain what happened,” Nicholas gave a knowing smile as he turned to the dancer.

“Gladly. You see, I got this little Boost right here,” Marcus replied, pulling out a colorful card from his pocket and showing it to everyone. His satisfaction could not have been more obvious. “Reset a scoreboard of your choice.”

“You did this? Are you kidding me, man?!” Eric zeroed in on him.

“Yup. I waited until the last few minutes. I knew I couldn’t win this one, and you were my biggest competition. No offense, you two,” Marcus said, glancing over at Samson and Tiffany. “So I reset the board, and then I played the game one more time so only my result was left.”

In unison, Samson and Tiffany gasped, realizing what just happened.

“And that means that with three wins, we have finally found our winner,” Nicholas announced. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to announce the winner of the first ever season of The Playground – Marcus Knight! Congratulations, Marcus, you are the Playground King! Come over here,” the host motioned to the dancer, opening his arms for a hug, while the rest of the crew broke into applause, cheering him on.

Tiffany and Samson started clapping slowly, still shocked over the surprise upset. Meanwhile, Eric groaned as if in pain, rubbing his hands over his face.

“Well done! How are you feeling?” Nicholas asked.

“I did it! I fucking did it!”

Marcus was over the moon, throwing his arms in the air as he bounced over to the host, wrapping him up in a hug. For a moment, everyone else had disappeared. He could hear the applause and chatter of the people around him, but it felt distant and muffled, as if they weren't really there; as if he was floating high above the ground, leaving everyone else down on earth.

“Ahh! It feels great! I can’t believe I actually did it!”

He had imagined this moment so many times, but no matter how much he believed in himself, there was always that nagging feeling of insecurity in the back of his mind.

“I can’t believe it either. I lost all that money betting on Samson,” the host replied jokingly as he let Marcus go.

“Hey!” the dancer slapped him on the arm. “That’s what you get for not recognizing a clear winner,” he quickly got back into his stride as he returned to reality, realizing there were all these people around him, watching him and waiting to congratulate him. For once, he was not just a backup dancer, he was the star of the show!

A crew member quickly came over, handing Marcus a giant check for three hundred thousand dollars and a big, slide-shaped trophy, both of which the dancer accepted graciously as he smiled for the cameras.

“Congratulations once again on a well-deserved win, Marcus,” Nicholas spoke as he patted him on the shoulder.

“Thank you so much! I’m so happy that I won and that the money is going to a good cause!”

“That’s right, tell us again who you’re donating the money to.”

“I’m donating it to the White Dove Children’s Hospital in Trenton, my hometown!”

Another short applause followed, and Marcus found himself surrounded by people. Samson was the first to approach him, clearly in good spirits, having recovered from the shock. The two men shared a hug as they laughed.

“Congrats, honey! You actually did it!”

“I told you I was gonna win, didn’t I?”

“You did. Repeatedly!” Samson nodded. “But you know what - I’m not even mad. I’ll be the first to admit you deserved it. Better you than… you know,” he whispered the last part in his ear.

“Thanks! You did great too!”

Tiffany was next to jump into the dancer’s arms, almost knocking over the trophy he was holding in one hand.

“Congrats, babe, I’m so proud of you!” the girl gushed as she squeezed him tightly.

“Thanks, girl! Can you believe I won?!”

“I can! You were great out there. Ahh, we have to get together and celebrate when we’re out of here. All of us! First round is on me!”

“Count me in,” Samson nodded eagerly.

“Congrats, man,” Eric was the last to approach, his big arms wrapping Marcus in a bear hug. “You got lucky there.”

“Oh yeah? Well, maybe if you’d spent more time searching for Boosts instead of stalking Samson all over the place, you’d have gotten lucky too,” Marcus replied without skipping a beat. He looked over at the two guys standing before him, well aware of the weird tension between them. “But thanks. All three of you were worthy opponents, and I’m glad we got to do this together. It’s been so much fun, right?”

“Definitely,” Tiffany was quick to agree. “Even though I felt like pulling my hair out a few times, it was a blast.”

All too soon, Nicholas had broken up their little circle with another announcement.

“If you thought this was it, guess again! Now that we’ve got our winner, I think it’s time to celebrate. Let’s go!”

Leading the pack, the host headed over to the gates. It didn’t take long for the four finalists to realize what was happening. As soon as they stepped out of the park, they stopped in their tracks, stunned to see dozens of people out in the field, sitting at tables and waiting for the party to start. All of the former contestants were there, as well as their friends and family members.

“Oh my God!” Tiffany screamed, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Whoa! When did you guys get here?” Samson’s jaw dropped when he saw all the guests, many of whom he recognized.

“Surprise!” the crowd shouted in near unison, getting up on their feet. “Congratulations!”

The entire field in front of the Daydream Theme Park turned into a flurry of activity, with people talking over each other as they came over to greet the final four and give their congratulations to the winner. Faced with so many people demanding his attention, Marcus was forced to quickly abandon his trophy and check, setting them aside on a nearby table. The former contestants were the first to reach him, coming together in a group hug around him.

“I knew you were going to win!” Clementine said.

“It was one hell of a show, man,” Rico added, towering over most of them. “Great job!”

“Thank you, guys, it’s… it’s great to see you again,” Marcus could barely manage to find the words as he looked at the faces of his co-stars. It almost felt like he was reuniting with long-lost friends. “I had no idea you’d be here!”

“We couldn’t miss it,” Gloria replied.

“That’s right. We had to come back one last time,” Troy said, wrapping a hand around Samson’s shoulders. “Also, I was still in the area, so it wasn’t a long drive.”

“Well done,” Kelly waited for her turn, giving the winner a quick hug. “It was a well-deserved win.”

“So I take it you watched the finals?” Marcus asked her.

“Of course. It was fun watching you all run around like headless chickens, doing your missions,” Kelly managed a small chuckle.

“Trust me, it was even more fun doing it.”

If Marcus had thought that was the end of surprises for the day, he was quickly proven wrong. As soon as the contestants around him cleared out a little, the dancer was stunned to see a very familiar figure standing nearby, sporting a brilliant smile that he loved so much.

“Ash!” Marcus practically screamed, throwing himself in the arms of his boyfriend, popstar Ash Khong. “You’re here! What… I… How?” If he was overwhelmed with emotion before, all dams were now broken and he couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. He could feel himself getting lifted off the ground, spinning around as he wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend, the world around them turning into a blur. It was as if no one else existed but the two of them, but that was just fine by him - they didn’t need anyone else.

“Of course I’m here,” Ash laughed as he finally put him down, hands still firmly around Marcus’ waist, their bodies pressed together, foreheads touching. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You were great, by the way. I knew you’d kick everyone’s asses.”

“Damn it, you made me cry on camera,” the dancer sobbed, still laughing through the tears. When he closed his eyes, he could feel Ash leaning in, pressing his warm lips against Marcus’. He could hear cheers and lively chatter around them as they shared a tender kiss. “I’m so glad you came. I was hoping you would. I really wanted to share this moment with you.”

“I’m not the only one here to see you. Your family is here too,” the singer spoke quietly, pointing to the side.

Marcus’ eyes went wide as he finally spotted his mom, dad and little brother standing off to the side, laughing as they spoke with some other people. His heart was full, feeling like it would burst.

“Come on, let’s go join them,” Ash replied, taking his boyfriend by the hand and leading him over to his family. “We’ll have more time for ourselves later.”

***

“So we meet again, Mr. Wolfe,” Samson said as he and Troy moved to stand to the side, some distance away from the other contestants. They had broken their hug, not wanting to risk any rumors starting. “Didn’t expect to see you here today.”

“You thought you’d gotten rid of me, Sammy? You know I had to come and congratulate you in person.”

“But I didn’t win.”

“But you were a finalist, that’s still great. Also, that mafia game made you a winner in my books. You deserve a trophy just for eliminating Kelly,” the actor grinned, drawing a loud laugh out of Samson.

“So you watched it? That was for you. Glad you liked it.”

“I had such a laugh over that episode, you were so good. The way no one noticed when you moved Eric’s water bottle… Fucking brilliant,” Troy said. “But I had one more reason for coming. I never gave you my phone number.”

“Now that’s better than any trophy,” Samson replied, grinning ear to ear as he took his phone and typed in the actor’s number.

“Troy, don’t hog the finalist,” a girl’s voice startled the singer, and as he looked up, he saw none other than his best friend Anna approaching. His smile got even wider when he saw she was accompanied by his sister Talia and his manager and publicist Hank.

“You guys! Can’t believe you all came!” Samson finally let his emotions get the better of him, feeling tears in his eyes as he pulled them all into a group hug. After a week of constant competition and being on camera, he had just realized how much he had missed his friends and family and being able to spend time with them away from the spotlight.

“You were amazing!”

“Congrats on going all the way!”

“Wait till you see all the memes, you’re gonna piss yourself.”

“I can’t wait,” Samson laughed through the tears. “Fuck, it feels like I haven’t seen you in years. I missed you.”

“You big baby,” his sister replied, finally letting him go. “You’re coming to my place after all of this is over. We need to celebrate.”

***

“There he is! Congratulations!” a large, middle-aged man wrapped his arms around Eric, giving him a good squeeze. He was so tall and burly, there was no mistaking that he was the quarterback’s father.

A much smaller woman stood by, waiting on her turn to give her son a hug. “We watched every single episode. You were great!”

“Thanks, guys,” the athlete smiled at them. “Didn’t win, though, but it is what it is. It was still fun.”

“You don’t win every football game either, so what? That never stopped you,” the woman replied. “There’s no shame in losing, as long as you did your best.”

“Damn, straight with the pep talk, huh? Maybe you should be my coach. You could teach him a thing or two about giving speeches.”

“Your ma is just telling it like it is. We’re so proud of you,” Eric’s father said. “And you can bet your ass we’re gonna be watching the whole thing all over with you when we get home.”

The Collins family reunion was interrupted by screams erupting nearby, as three young girls got together, holding hands and jumping around. Their parents stood by, watching the three girls celebrate.

“Oh my God, you totally got to the finals!”

“We couldn’t believe it! Every episode we were like - she’s going home now!”

“Wow! How dare you not have any faith in me,” Tiffany pretended to scold her younger sisters as they pulled her into a hug. “Last time you underestimate me!”

“Aww, we’re just messing with you, sis. We totally knew you could do it,” the middle sister said. “Well, I did anyway. Lisa was a mess the whole time, biting her nails and thinking you were gonna fail.”

“Brittany!” the youngest of the girls elbowed her sister. “I did not! I was just… very invested, ok?”

“But anyway, did you get us Samson’s and Troy’s autographs?”

“They’re right over there, why don’t you go and ask them yourselves?” Tiffany pointed at the two guys. The girls glanced over in their direction, blushing furiously.

“No way! I’m too embarrassed!”

“Please, sis, we’ll love you forever!”

Rolling her eyes, Tiffany relented. She could never refuse her sisters anything, no matter how annoying they were.

“Oh, fine. I’ll go ask them myself,” she shook her head, leaving the girls alone before bouncing over to her co-stars, letting out a soft chuckle. She couldn’t help but find it funny how at the start of the show she was incredibly starstruck, even nervous to talk to the other celebrities. But now that they’ve been through thick and thin, there was none of that anxiety. She was no longer among A-listers she considered intimidating and untouchable - she was among warm and fun people she considered friends.

 

***

 

“I mean, what can I say? I was here for just one episode, so if you think about it, I was more of a viewer than a contestant,” Gloria spoke into the camera as she sat on a bench under a large parasol, recording a brief interview for the final episode as the party was winding down. “Marcus is a great guy though, and I’m glad he won. He really deserves it.”

“I can’t believe I was the second to go,” Alana said. “It was obviously rigged. Nicholas was threatened by me, so he wanted me gone. There’s no other explanation, he was scared I’d steal his gig. But I can’t blame him, who wouldn’t feel threatened by me?” the woman added, winking at the host standing by the camera. “In all seriousness, I had a blast. I think everyone did. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this.”

“The games were really fun, a lot more challenging than I thought,” it was Rico’s turn to comment. “I definitely could’ve done better. I didn’t expect to go out so early, but someone’s gotta go, I guess. Everyone did well. I think everyone really took it seriously and wanted to win, so I can’t be mad, you know? All the finalists were great, but Marcus just blew them all out of the water. Kudos to him.”

“This was definitely a very fun experience,” Clementine said. “Would I do something like this again? Why not. I was the oldest contestant here, but I think I’ve proven I can hold my own and compete with the rest of them. But for now, I’m happy to be back on my own show and judge others. That’s even more fun,” she finished with a sly smirk.

“Yeah, just a good time all around. It was basically a vacation for all of us. So yeah, if you need me again, you know my number,” Troy nodded at the camera as he did his interview. “Who was I rooting for? Well, I can’t tell you that. It’s gonna be my little secret. Maybe I’ll tell you someday, who knows. But Marcus was awesome out there, I gotta hand it to him. Well done, man!”

“Thanks!” the dancer’s voice could be heard off-camera.

“I’m really happy with how I did,” Kelly was next to comment. “Sure, I didn’t win, but I mean… what’s winning anyway? Webster’s Dictionary defines winning as-”

“Boooring!” Eric shouted, interrupting her.

“Anyway, it was a lot of fun,” she added curtly. “And can I just say that Eric didn’t win either. No wonder he’s so irritable today.”

“No, I just didn’t wanna die from old age waiting for you to finish,” the quarterback said as the camera turned to him. “Hey, the show’s called The Playground and that’s exactly what we got. We got to play games, we did all kinds of dumb shit - uh, you can censor that if you want to, right? - and it was all for a good cause. So yeah, it doesn’t really matter who won. And if you call me again, I’m here for sure.”

“Oh God, where do I even begin?! When I first got here, I was totally freaking out,” Tiffany said, wildly gesticulating with her hands. “And then somehow I’m in the finals. Like what the hell?! I thought I’d do it just for laughs, you know, come here and see what happens. But I had a blast and I made so many friends here. I can’t wait to see you guys again,” she finished, looking over at her co-stars.

“Honey, do I even need to tell you how much I loved being a part of this?” Samson said as it was finally his turn. “I’m bummed I didn’t win the money for my charity of choice, but other than that, I loved being on this show. It had its ups and downs, you know, but at the end of the day, I really enjoyed it. My favorite episode? Hmm, probably the mafia one. Yeah, that one was a lot of fun,” the singer added with a mischievous grin. “But there were so many amazing moments. I just hope my Stansons enjoyed the show! Love you all!”

“Where do I even begin, huh?” Marcus said, holding the trophy in his hands, while Ash sat next to him. “First of all, I don’t know why people are surprised that I won. I mean, I really tried to warn them - I always said I was gonna win, didn’t I? I guess they thought I was kidding. Well, not my fault they weren’t prepared, right?” he shrugged, his lips spreading into a teasing smile. “Seriously, though, this means so much to me. I’m grateful I got to be a part of this and the fact that I won makes it that much sweeter. And like Tiffany said, we’ve all made so many friends here. I can’t wait to see this lot again. You too, Nicholas. I know you’re gonna miss me, don’t even try to deny it,” the dancer added, sending the host a cheeky smile. “Ah, this was really an amazing week, and I hope all of you out there had fun watching it. And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go home, take a shower, watch all the episodes with my family and this guy over here,” he added, nudging his boyfriend with his elbow, “and of course, cheer for myself. Byeee!”

 

The End