after party

the chain.

Dee's POV

15 years. 15 whole years. 15 years of preparation for this moment. Finally able to show everyone what I've worked so hard for. I lift my head back up from getting the chain put on and give JD a hug. "Thank you so much, you won't regret it." I say, wiping my face of where tears were just seconds before. "You deserve it," he tells me. I nod and walk out with Jermaine. I look down at the chain and smile.

We all get on the bus and head back to the house to get our things. The ride back is pretty silent and very awkward. I'm excited and happy but I don't show it because I don't want the others to feel bad. We all could've earned it, they're like family. We pull up at the house and everyone starts to pile out. Roscoe opens the door and we all walk in after him. I go upstairs to Jermaine and I's room and there's a note on my bed that doesn't have anything on it except for a name: Trent. Huh? I turned to ask Jermaine about it but he must have still been downstairs. There's sort of a lounge upstairs that all of us kids meet in and we have claimed that no managers are allowed there. I walk to the lounge and Nova is in there, he has a similar piece of paper in his hand. "Nova, what's that?" I ask. He picks it up and squints at it, "I don't know, I found it on my bed, it says 'Tyler' on it, I came in here to ask you guys the same thing." I look around and try to think about what it could mean. Flau'Jae walks in, "Hey y'all what's this?" Nova and I just shrug. She hands me her paper, it says 'Trevor' on it. Nova sighs, "I thought the challenges were over." He scratches his head and Roscoe walks in. "Did y'all get--" Flau'Jae interrupts him, "Yeah, we did. We don't know what it is though." We throw out ideas about what the papers could mean for about fifteen minutes. Most of them were kinda creepy or mysterious. Our phones vibrate and ring at the same time, as if they were planned specifically. It's a group message from JD : " My four talented artists, I'm beyond proud of you. However, we knew there could only be one winner. On your beds, there were four papers, each with a name on them. Those are the workers I have hired to assist you in carrying your luggage and making your flights back home easier. In about an hour, your workers will be downstairs to help you with your things. ". Flau'Jae sighs in relief, " A worker? That's it?" I laugh and go back to my room to pack. I tell Jermaine about the worker and he just nods and keeps packing.

45 minutes later, the four of us meet back in the lounge for our goodbyes. I give Roscoe a hug. "Bye little brother. Keep grinding." My phone vibrates in my pocket and as I'm about to check it, Jermaine calls me from downstairs, "Dee! The car's here!" I hug Nova and Jae and then walk down the stairs. I hear Jermaine talking to someone while putting the suitcases in the trunk of the car. I just ignore it and get in the car.

A few moments later, Jermaine gets in the passenger seat. "You ready?" I nod, the door across from me opens and Trent gets in.