"Congratulations on making it out of the maze, future superstars! Did you have fun in our little mini game?" A staff member in a black staff shirt handed Ari, Jamie, and Carlos, the boy they had met, a strangely designed drink bottle and a strange brand of snacks that he had never seen before.
As they blankly accepted the goods, the staff member continued speaking with a bright smile.
"Please wave the goods at the camera, try it out, and give us a smile if you can!"
A camera was pointed right at them, so Ari gave it a quick peace sign while opening the drink, taking a sip, and freezing.
Ptttt-
Disgusting.
It was simultaneously sweet and a little salty, but worst of all, it was warm.
He almost spit it out, but seeing a staff member holding up a white poster board with the words 'Say It's Delicious and Hydrating!', he forced it down his throat with a gasp.
"I-it's delicious, blurgh, and hydrating!" He almost puked, but the words came out….barely.
The poster board held by the staff member was flipped, so now it said 'Double Thumbs Up! SMILE!!!!'
Ari quickly put both his thumbs up before moving out of the way so Jamie and Carlos could be tortured as well.
He didn't want them to film too much footage of the Otterly adorable tracksuit if he could help it, and he definitely didn't want to have to drink this disgusting thing again.
This must be the dreaded PPL (Product Placement Lead) advertising he had previously heard about.
"Unfortunately, the three of you came in 21st, 22nd, and 23rd place, so you're just outside of the cut-off line for receiving the prize." The staff member continued after the three of them had taken a sip and given good (forced) reviews of the product.
"Gosh dang it. I thought we had it in the bag." Jamie smacked his thigh dramatically before snapping his fingers and sighing.
Seeing his cartoon-like expressions come back in full force, Ari laughed to himself as he saw the cameraman smiling happily and focusing solely on Jamie.
"Is there anything you want to share about your experience through the maze?"
The staff member had another posterboard with the words 'One compliment each,' so Ari thought for a moment before speaking.
"It was…very sturdy. And the materials are not abrasive to skin."
The camera panned to Carlos, and he tapped his chin before speaking, "It was actually quite fun. I think my little siblings and family would enjoy this quite a lot. I wish I could bring them here to experience it."
At his words, the eyes of the staff member who was acting like the interviewer began to sparkle as she held onto his hands and whispered, "Thank you so much! Oh my gosh, thank you!"
Ari: "…?"
Carlos: "…?"
"And you, sir?"
"It was fun! I enjoyed it more than the ones back in Tennessee, and it was a real hard workout."
"Ah? Is that so? You do look a bit sweaty. I appreciate your enthusiastic participation." The staff member smiled at them before the cameraman turned away.
"The three of you can please follow me, I'll take you to the waiting area." Another lady in a staff shirt came out from around the corner and gestured to the three of them.
"Sure."
Ari calmly followed the staff member down the steps to the 20th floor.
As he passed a trash can, he quietly threw the drink in there before acting like nothing happened.
The staff member led them into a large open room with various types of couches, bean bag chairs, tables, and more, all with obnoxious branding all over it.
Twenty contestants were spread out, doing their own thing or speaking to each other in small groups, and a few unmanned cameras were in the room corners.
Ari recognized most of the contestants, like Levi Temple, the rapper with a buzzcut who had headphones in, or Suzuki Rei, the annoying Japanese kid who tried to get him to give up his seat yesterday, and of course, William Forbes.
But there were a few that Ari hadn't met personally and had only seen when they were performing at the showcase.
He glanced around the room, waved a lazy hand at those he made eye contact with while pretending not to see William Forbes, and found an empty corner and sat down tiredly.
He was completely exhausted, having to climb up and down the walls and balance on the thin partitions.
Jamie dragged a bean bag chair and collapsed next to him, covering his face with his cowboy hat and, for all appearances, falling asleep.
Since he had done most of the work, repeatedly boosting Ari up the walls and climbing up himself, it made sense that he was exhausted.
Carlos, the boy they had met up with, glanced around before sitting close by.
He cleared his throat for a moment before speaking softly.
"I liked your performance. That traffic song of yours is really catchy. I found myself singing it on the drive today."
"Thanks. I liked your performance too. I think you sing like an angel. You were probably the best vocally." Ari replied honestly. He remembered how high and clear Carlos's voice had been as he sang a hymn for his performance.
"You're joking. There were many better singers than me. And your performance was definitely better." Carlos laughed a little awkwardly, and Ari turned to focus on him.
Carlos had slicked-back wavy hair with a single strand that curled in his face. He had dark, soulful eyes, long lashes, golden skin, and a little scar on one of his thick brows.
Dressed simply in dark wash jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket, Ari had to admit he had a cool and edgy vibe, which contrasted with how beautiful and pure his voice really was.
Seeing Carlos laugh in a slightly self-deprecating manner, Ari made his voice completely serious.
"I don't see why I would joke about that. Even the judges said it. Your voice is beautiful. You're a great singer. Range and vocal technique-wise, you're miles ahead of me."
Ari was being completely honest with him. His performance had been amazing, and most of all, he could see Carlos's stat sheet.
[Carlos Emilio Ortiz Rodriguez]
[Age: 21]
[Vocals: A (S+)]
[Dance: C (S)]
[Visual: B+ (S)]
[Rap: D- (A)]
[Charm: B- (S)]
"Ah. Well, thank you. I'd compliment your friend as well, but he's asleep." Carlos gestured in a laughing manner at the lightly snoring Jamie.
"Well, he had a long night. I didn't see you at rehearsals. Are you a trainee somewhere?"
"Me? No way! I don't have the time or money for that. I had to help my dad in his shop and watch my little siblings afterward, so I couldn't make it." Carlos replied in a bitter tone.
Sensing that he had stepped on a land mine, Ari looked around while trying to change the subject.
He really didn't want to get caught up in someone's family drama this time.
Unfortunately, he made eye contact with William, who decided that that was the perfect opportunity to approach him with a smile.
"Ariel, like the fish princess, right? I think we got off on the wrong foot last time. I really admired your performance, and I'd like to be friends. Can we shake on it? I even learned some French. Sil vous plait?"
[Oh?]
[How will you avoid him this time?]
NOVA popped up like a snake for the first time in a while, causing the blue window to bounce excitedly in front of his eyes.
As William held his hand out while speaking bad French, Ari held still as he tried to figure out how to avoid touching or punching Levi while ignoring NOVA's text.
What should he do to deal with this guy?
Kick him in the face? He would get kicked off the program and arrested immediately.
Get up and run away? That would look too weird, and he didn't want to run from this.
Sneeze on his hand? That sounded gross, and Levi might follow him to the bathroom again.
His brain panicked and spun the wheel on a random language that he knew before spitting out some words.
"No hablo inglés."