Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 15- Deliberation and Elimination

Thursday, June 27th, 2013

The girls file in and sit in the common room area. A new kind of nervous energy courses through the group.

Gina is the first to break the silence.

"Well, we know what Chef will do if we don't put up the people he thinks deserve to be up there. We have to be sure we choose right, even if it hurts."

Gail stands from one of the lounge chairs.

"Our issues were with the appetizers and the fish station. That's Kalyani, myself, Bella, Cindy, Taylor and (Y/N). Now, let's think on the weakest chefs out of that group."

Bella huffs.

"Just because we brought up the wrong number of fish doesn't mean any of us deserve to be upped. The only real issue we had was the risottos. I am voting for (Y/N) and Kalyani."

Cindy adds, "Yeah, but I don't think (Y/N) is the weakest, honestly. She was cooking scallops while Kalyani rushed ahead of her," she taps her foot on the ground then continues, "my votes are for Kalyani and Taylor. Kalyani because she should have waited for (Y/N) and Taylor because I never once heard her say anything the entire kitchen service."

I am honestly surprised that Cindy is standing up for me, then I remember how she had said she would repay me after I'd saved her on scallops. Even though Cindy is annoying and whiny, she does stick to her word.

Kalyani crosses her arms.

"I'm certainly not the weakest chef. We should drop Mary."

Red gasps, her eyes shifting to Kalyani. She doesn't seem like she expected that at all, especially considering she didn't get a chance to make anything today.

Kalyani went on to explain her reasoning,

"Mary obviously is struggling. We all saw her at prep today. She got lucky that she wasn't on one of the early stations, or she would have crashed and burned. I think she's the weakest chef, honestly. No offense, Mary, but I don't think you were cut out for Hell's Kitchen."

Red's face goes... well, red. However this time it isn't from embarrassment, it is from anger.

"You all have no idea what I had to go through to be here." Her small hands ball into fists. "My fiancé and I had a huge fight just before I left for Hell's Kitchen! He told me he didn't want me on the screens for everyone to look at. I tried to explain that this show isn't about showing off looks, it's about cooking, which is my dream. He just thought I was fishing for attention, but I'm not."

She pauses for breath between her outburst, her fists shaking with pent up rage.

"I have more passion than half of you combined! I didn't even get to cook today, so don't you dare try to up me! I've been struggling emotionally for a while. I don't even know if my fiancé will still want to be with me, especially after how Garrett put his arm around me in the limo, but I'm still here! Chef Ramsay offered me the door and I didn't take it! I deserve to be here!" Her dedication is apparent as she finally cools off and takes her seat on the couch again, her arms folded protectively over her chest while rage tears prick at her eyes.

Everyone is silent for a moment before I decide to say something,

"In my opinion, none of us deserve to be up there, and something tells me the blue kitchen fucked up even worse than we did. So I don't think that anyone we up will be eliminated this time. Chef Ramsay will likely be gunning for whoever wasted a full pile of scallops. We just need to put two people up. I vote for..." I pause, thinking. "Kalyani and..." the name 'Taylor' stops on my lips. I can't up my closest friend. Besides, if her issue is talking then she can fix that easily. Sighing, I continue,