“Listen,” he says, and it’s definitely the 1 Henry I’m talking to now. “I promise we can figure out how to navigate this and get you off the show without putting a bigger target on your back. Now isn’t the right time.”
“Are you producing me or are we talking?” I ask him.
“Both. It’s my job.”
“Is it?” I ask him. “The lines are getting fairly blurry from my point of view.”
Elodie’s voice suddenly comes in over the loudspeaker; she is standing in front of the gate agent with the walkie-talkie to her mouth. “They are going to leave you,” her voice booms over the speaker. Several of the attendants at nearby gates look around, confused.
“This isn’t about me. You want something,” I say, hitching my overnight bag up farther on my shoulder. “I’m not sure what it is, and I don’t think you are either.”
He pushes down his sunglasses. “We can’t do this right now.”
“Yet we could do that ten minutes ago.”
“Enough,” he says.
“No,” I say. “I’ll just stay here. Not enough.”
He pushes his sunglasses back up, suddenly unsure where they go or stuck in a loop. “This isn’t the time to have this discussion.”
“When will be the time?”
“I don’t know, okay?”
“No,” I say. “Not okay.” I glance over at the door, where Priya is now arguing with an attendant who is trying to close the gate door.
“They might actually fire me if you don’t get on that plane,” Henry says mechanically. The sudden robotic tone of his voice makes me wonder if he cares at all.
I move in closer to him, inappropriately close where someone might see the two of us. “We leave. Right now. The both of us, together. What do you say?” It’s a challenge, one he reads immediately.
“Now who’s playing games?” he asks.
I stare at him, silent.
“We’ll figure it out,” he says. “Please, Jac.”
I look at the gate again. Priya is on her phone now and Elodie is smiling consolingly at the airline employees. I walk around him and make my way over to the gate without a backward glance.
Another One Podcast, Eighth Episode of Season 32
JULIA: Welcome back to Another One! We have a very exciting guest on today’s episode. Please welcome Marissa Rayburn, lead of the twenty-third season of the 1!
MARISSA: It’s awesome to be here in studio with you, Julia!
JULIA: Okay, Marissa, I want to spend some time catching up with you after we recap, but first off, we’ve got so much to dive into from this week’s episode.
MARISSA: This season must be killing you, Julia! This show is back in fine form.
JULIA: Truly, probably the best season since yours! We’ve got it all. The villain, the love story, the girls you want to hang out with.
JULIA: For starters, with hometowns a week away, who do you see Marcus bringing through?
MARISSA: Let’s be real, Julia. They can wrap this thing up right now. Jac is winning that ring.
JULIA: Ugh, I think you’re right. But what about that meltdown they keep showing in the previews? I really feel like she might self-eliminate.
MARISSA: Beat Marcus at his own game?
JULIA: So you think he blew up the thing with Shailene last season on purpose?
MARISSA: He absolutely did, but I’d argue that’s also why he and Jac are a perfect match. They’re both in the self-destruction game and it makes them ravenous for each other.
JULIA: Interesting.
MARISSA: I’ve seen so many people say they’re getting sick of the Jac show, but I gotta say, I find it to be a fascinating study in reality television. She’s absolutely melting down before our eyes.
JULIA: Okay, let’s dive into that a little bit. As someone who was both a contestant and lead on this show, what’s that like? Why do you think it’s affecting her so much?
MARISSA: Jac is neurotic, you can tell from looking at her. She thinks about everything too much, and when you have someone in your ear feeding that monster, things can really start blowing up around you.
MARISSA: And of course, she’s responsible for her actions, but she’s in a tailspin she clearly isn’t emotionally equipped to pull her way out of.
JULIA: And why doesn’t Marcus see that?
MARISSA: [Laughs.] That’s the best part. Marcus enjoys the ride.
JULIA: I am loving these hot takes today!
