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That elimination went the worst way it possibly could have. She got votes, she's on the bottom, and most importantly, Alec went home. She was down her ONLY ally and her ONLY friend in the game (and really at all). She was also sure that the "honor and integrity" group would come for her next, it was only a matter of time, in fact it probably would have been her this round had it not been for Alec, Tom, and Benji's inability to communicate whatsoever.
She sat on a stump located just outside the favorites camp, thinking about the elimination, and whether or not it was even possible to bounce back from this. Honestly, she figured packing her things was a better use of her time, but she wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Fuck me and fuck this stupid show" she mumbled. However her words came out sounding like more of a squeak than she intended, frustrating her even more.
She picked a rock up and threw it at a tree, watching it bounce off the bark and hit the ground. She wasn't even entirely sure why she cared that much, it's not like he died. In fact, she'd still see him again after the game, her parents did sign her up with him to be her tutor, considering her grades were beyond abysmal. She didn't worry much about her spot in the game being blown up either. She was crafty, and much more willing to put in the work to fix her game than Alec was. Plus, Bruno and Spencer did express interest in working with her, that's not the worst scenario in the world. She could turn this around.
Despite her reassurance to herself, she still couldn't help but feel upset over the situation. She DID care about Alec, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
Suddenly, she felt tears well up. She wasn't even sure where they came from. Fiore very rarely cried, in fact, she couldn't even remember the last time she cried. So why was she crying now?
She didn't have the time to dwell on it as she heard a voice from behind her.
"Fiore?"
She quickly attempted to blink back all of her tears before turning to face the one behind the voice. Her eyes meet those of Rosa María, who looked at her with eyes full of concern.
"Oh, hey" Fiore said sourly, attempting to mask her currently weakened emotional state.
Despite her best efforts to look composed, Fiore looked like a mess. Her face was flushed and her eyes were still glassy from the tears. She knew that it didn't take a genius to figure out how she was feeling.
"Oh, mi hija" Rosa said, approaching Fiore before coming to sit in front of her. Her tone was full of gentle concern, the type you can really only receive from a mother.
Fiore looked up at Rosa, confused. From what she had gathered, Rosa did not like Fiore in the slightest. So why did she sound like she actually cared for her?
"How are you taking this elimination? I know this must've been tough"
"It is what it is" Fiore replied briefly looking to the side before looking back at Rosa.
There was a moment of silence, followed by Rosa bringing Fiore in for a hug. Usually, Fiore would have pulled away. She wasn't a hugger, she hated people touching her, even small touches like a pat on the back or an arm around her shoulders. But something about Rosa's hug was warm, comforting even. She hesitantly reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms around Rosa.
"I know I haven't been the kindest to you, but I know this is tough, and as a mother I want to help you through it"
Fiore quickly pulled away from the hug, taken aback by what Rosa had said.
"You are not my mother, you owe me nothing" she spat, crossing her arms and looking away, ashamed of her previous "vulnerable" behaviour.
Rosa smiled at Fiore, "I know, but a mother to one is a mother to all" She stated matter of factly, pointing a finger to emphasis her point.
Fiore looked at Rosa with an eyebrow raised. She knew everyone always talked about a "motherly instinct" or whatever, but as far as she was concerned, that really only involved feeding and sheltering your child so you don't happen to get CPS called on you.
"You don't even like me"
"Who told you that?" Rosa asked her.
"Well.. didn't you vote against me this round?" Fiore asked, thinking she had the upper hand in this conversation.
"I did, but that's in the game, my votes here don't reflect my opinions on anybody!" Rosa replied, making an x with her hands to further emphasis her statement.
"So you ... don't hate me?"
Rosa shook her head.
"Talk to me hija, I'm here to listen"
Despite her apprehensions, Fiore eventually took Rosa María up on her offer. She told her how she felt about the whole elimination, how she felt, and how she was upset to lose her only friend. It started as a slow, reserved conversation, with Fiore not wanting to say too much, but as the conversation went on, Fiore began to open up little by little. By the time the conversation has began to come to a close, it had already been about an hour.
"Feel any better?" Rosa asked her.
"Eh, I guess so" Fiore said, shrugging her shoulders. Her characteristic sass returning to her tone.
"Alright, if you need to talk again, you know where to find me" Rosa said, before beginning to make her way back towards the favorites shelter.
Fiore continued to sit on her stump, thinking to herself.
Alec was still gone, her position in the game was still terrible, and the next elimination would probably be worse. But for once, her mind was at ease, knowing that at the very least, she'd have a mother to guide her through it.