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They were fortunate with the second reward challenge back in Germany.
Alejandro thought, for sure, he would have to be rid of one of his fellow teammates. Not that he cares about them, of course, he just likes the challenge is all.
Speaking of…
He knew that Gwen and Heather weren’t on good terms with one another, but not to the degree of a slapfight that costs a tooth . It was entertaining, regardless, especially for everyone on their team ( apparently, anyone who can face off against the resident Queen Bee and win is a friend of theirs ).
Though having lost the challenge for them, and after voting and turning out to be a reward challenge once again, Tyler congratulates Gwen for putting Heather in her place, while both Izzy and Eva carry her to the common room like a majestic queen. Personally, he finds it a little childish to celebrate such a thing…
…It was still funny when she threw Heather’s “long” extensions out of the plane, calling it the “elimination of the episode.”
However, with all the excitement going on, he had somewhere else to be ( which just happened to be in the same area they were parading to ). With a spring in his step, he follows his team to the common area, and while they did win their way to first class, once again, Team Chris is Really, Really, Really Hot is seen applauding their team for the slap-off. As for what he was waiting patiently for
“Dude, can you move aside for a second? You’re blocking the entrance.”
Ah. Noah, just the person he’s looking for. He smiles in his gaze ( yet a bit more unintentional than usual ) as he answers, “As you wish, cerebrito .”
The bookworm smirks in response as Alejandro moves away from the entrance as gracefully as possible. This is while the charmer was about to follow the former to one of the seats to start their usual routine of conversing…
Until said bookworm sits next to OWEN instead???
Alejandro curses under his breath in Spanish, seeing Noah start chatting with Owen ( the butter donkey, he calls him ) while the latter eats whatever the hell that sausage was made of ( it smells disgusting ).
Usually, after a challenge, Noah would take the time to chat with Alejandro in the common room, either debating about a tendentious subject ( which he’d enjoy more than he should have ) or talking about nothing in particular ( how the other contestants are, Chris, how their day is going, Noah’s latest book conquest, etc. ).
He bites his tongue as his gaze is focused on the two, leaning back on the wall ( in the sticky portion, unfortunately) , a bit disappointed that it seemed like Noah won’t stop and converse with him anytime soon.
Alejandro pays no mind to his surroundings, which are filled with tons of chatter and the like, ignoring Trent and Gwen conversing, with Cody trying to join in, Lindsay’s confusion to Courtney’s rebuttal regarding Duncan to Eva, Tyler’s lack of athletic skills, and Izzy’s antics. All he could look at, as of that moment, was Noah and Owen, as they went about their shenanigans, talking about…
Nose shakes for some reason? Honestly, he is curious but also has a hunch he wants to be oblivious to the subject.
He’s also curious as to what Owen has that he doesn’t. The butter donkey has absolutely nothing going on with him except eating, killing people with his farts, and other grotesque patterns that he oh-so follows.
On the other hand, Alejandro is charming, athletic, and amazing at conversing with Noah due to how entertaining and not gross they can get compared to whatever they are discussing right now.
“Has anyone told you how you’re very Westley-Coded?”
Alejandro tears his gaze away from the two buddies, which was now pointed to the infamous superfan of the god-awful show, Sierra, who was also leaning back.
Sierra… Who is obsessed with Cody ( whose “charms” had enraptured her for some reason )... Who her teammates talk about ( which was all bad )... Who is now next to the contestant she knows nothing about… Who clocked his scheme almost immediately ( subtlety is not a skill she possesses)... Who just called him what?
Alejandro tilts his head a bit. “Excuse me?”
In response, Sierra crosses her arms and raises one of her eyebrows as she says, once again, “I asked if anyone told you that you were Westley-Coded. Because a bunch of the girls, and even guys, call you that.”
“...I’m sorry, I don’t think I know what you mean?”
“I mean, like, you totally act like Westley sometimes, with your “aS YoU wISh,” though I think it's sincere in some cases…”
“Meaning?”
Sierra then has the audacity to scoff, as if to say, “Get a load of this guy,” to him of all people. It feels weird being on the other end of it… She then proceeds to point her thumb towards…
Heather. Of course. She probably heard their conversation earlier before their “elimination” ceremony… He still remembers the look in her eyes that say, “I’m going to fucking kill you, I swear to God-” while miming the action of ripping his earrings out. Sierra seems to also lack observation skills…
“Ngl, I wasn’t expecting Heather of all people to have a match this season, but me, an A-grade reporter, wasn’t also expecting to be a part of the new season, so here we are, ig.”
Wanting to get out of the conversation, Alejandro replies, “Ah, I see, well I don’t know what you’re implying as if I’m not always sincere with my manners, nor who Westley is, but I understand what you mean. Now, I must go-”
Before he could even get the chance to get out of the disgusting wall, a hand pins him back with a soft-ish thud, and another grabs him by the shoulder to look Sierra’s way.
“I mean Westley. Westley the hero from ‘The Princess Bride.’ I thought that was obvious?”
“Oh, in that case, I’ve never seen it.”
Sierra’s eyes widen, a loud gasp escaping her in response, as several of the other contestants finally see the latest commotion she’s causing, including Noah. Crap, I said the wrong thing.
“I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS. WE ARE GOING TO WATCH THE MOVIE RIGHT NOW.” She proceeds to grab him by the hand and practically yanks him out of the wall ( that wall is nasty ).
“Uh- amigos ? Amigas ??” They can’t just leave him with her, right? RIGHT?
And with the power of friendship, they all ignore him as he’s dragged away to first class (though one particular bookworm keeps his gaze…).
As the credits roll, Sierra looks over to Alejandro, who is seen hugging a pillow from the couch ( which was as soft as his pillows back home, now he’s certain his team needs to win the next challenge ).
They did start out sitting on the couch, as far away from each other as possible. Alejandro was looking at particularly anything but the movie while Sierra was hugging her knees giving her full attention ( for the first time excerpting whenever she’s around Cody ). But as the movie went on, he just couldn’t help but be invested in the movie. Not only was it romantic ( though he’d argue that Westley was the one who stole his line, Sierra silenced him before an argument could start ) but also fun! Now, they were both sprawled across the floor like children with their shoes off and everything.
He gets it now, Westley spends the movie proving his loyalty and love to Buttercup, he’s selfless when around her, and clever ( his wit does remind him of a particular snark, but for now he’s leaving that alone ). If you ask Alejandro, he admires him! Not only that, but Sierra had been decent to be around, which is saying a lot considering how she can get in particular.
When was the last time he was able to loosen up? He wonders-
No.
He can’t.
A Burromuerto doesn’t get attached to this sort of thing .
Not even when-
Alejandro, in an instant, stands up, startling Sierra with the motion. He looks around first class, realizing that no one else is there for some reason. “Amiga, it’s been fun, I understand what you meant earlier, but where are your teammates?”
Then, for the first time, he sees her sour ( at least, if you can call a bittersweet smile sour, which may not be the right description the more he thinks about it) . “Right… Well, they’ve been kinda, sorta, been distant towards me lately.”
“Oh, any particular reason why?”
“Well, that’s the thing! I have no idea-” She stops herself, before standing up as well and looking at him in a restrained expression.
“I’m sorry, I recall wanting to share my business with the villain,” she sneers.
This makes him pause. He’d almost forgotten about that part. Almost .
Of course, she already knew his scheming ways, she was particularly bored whenever he talked to everyone ( he’d only excuse it with the fact that it wasn’t about Cody ), and she’d always but in whenever he tried flirting with Courtney or Lindsay ( the latter actually helping his case but that’s another story ), and how she’d always compare him to Heather of all people right in front of him . Usually, he wouldn’t be as offended, but considering how much plot armor she had in the first season, he’s quite offended .
“Very well, I can’t convince you that I’m not a villain-”
“Because you are.”
“-so I’ll be on my way, have a good night senorita .”
Alejandro struts out of first class, before being stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He responds, a fond tone masking the irritation of his space being constantly invaded, “We must stop doing this amiga.”
“I want to know how you do it.”
Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.
Her eyes are filled with a mix of shame and determination as if she was making a deal with the devil of some sort ( not that he’d disagree in this case ).
“Do you want to specify what you mean, then?”
“Like,” Sierra glances at a certain red cap ( Cody’s, perhaps ), “How do you get people to like you? I know not everyone trusts you very much, but they still hang out with you!”
“Well, it’s understandable, we’re in a competition after all?”
“Yeah, but I know everything about everyone, from their likes to dislikes to their school records but they still won’t bother talking to me, or even avoid me, except Courtney, but only because she doesn’t trust anyone else on our team!”
“Exactly: Why would they be friendly to the one that knows everything about everyone?”
She takes a step back once he says it, seemingly trying to make sense of what he’s saying. Sierra seems lost in her thoughts before her eyes narrow down to his, as if trying to study him in her imaginary microscope.
“How about a deal then?”
“I’m listening.”
“I can give you any info on your teammates, not mine of course, and any of Team Victory. In return, you help me get through to them socially: Help them make them see how I can be just like Westley too!”
Alejandro is more intrigued than he was before now. In the movie, Westley is the brave, resourceful, and deeply devoted hero who proves his love and determination throughout the story.
That’s who Sierra wants people to see her as then? A hero so deeply devoted that it drives them to overcome any obstacles? He gets it, he longs for that as well.
But there’s one thing she doesn’t know yet: Sierra is already that person. She’s just not a hero.
He makes a mental coin flip.
Being in an alliance with her is a huge risk on his part. Not only is she unpredictable, but somehow very savvy when it comes to reality shows compared to him, who never even watched a well-known movie such as “The Princess Bride…”
On the other hand, it could also help considering the fact that she’s willing to give him useful information on other contestants, including the ones on his team.
They all have their pairs or groups on the team already. Tyler and Gwen are willing to help one another since they would’ve been outnumbered by Team E-Scope otherwise, but they trust each other more than they trust him, which can come into play in the near future…
Coin toss won, he’ll take his chances at a small price.
Sierra must’ve sensed his resolve, since she then smirked at him.
“Alright, we’ll help each other, and then we’ll both be Westley-Coded.”
At the mention of Westley, his mind wonders about all the times he’d been chivalrous, especially with a particular contestant, once more ( with his stupid-ass haircut, ugly outfit that should’ve been left in a ditch, wrinkles on his forehead that follow his every move, cold yet soft hands, in contrast to his warm, brown eyes-) .
He shakes his head.
No.
Not when a competition’s at stake.