As the conversation dragged on, Jett glanced between Anna, Nina, and Madison, unsure what to do with it. They almost sounded like they were trying to compete with each other, although they all seemed to have different views on what made them better than the others. He sipped idly at his mimosa, listening without participating as he wondered if they were going to start an argument. If any of them was going to pick a fight, he planned to make a beeline for the nearest exit. It was way too early in the day to deal with more drama. He would have much rather spent his time exploring the other rooms in the house.

To his amusement, the conversation took a completely different turn than he had been expecting when Bella showed up with a glass full of grape juice. Jett casted Madison a sideways glance when she made a rude comment about it. Like the others, he didn’t see why the actress had a problem with the drink. Adults could enjoy juice too. He even had a particular affinity for cranberry juice, developed during his early years of shooting music videos. Before he had been old enough to legally drink alcohol, the producers had always substituted cranberry juice in place of red wine whenever they had wanted to give the appearance of drinking during the shoots. The taste had stuck with him, and he still enjoyed an occasional glass of cranberry juice in his more recent years.

As Anna pitched her opinion, Jett didn’t miss the brief look she’d sent his way. He let out a quiet snort. What, did she think he was an alcoholic or something? He looked down at the now-empty flute in his hand. [i]Well, maybe she has a reason to think that.[/i] Even though he knew he didn’t have a drinking problem, he hadn’t really put in much effort to get that point across. Going by first impressions alone, he really couldn’t blame her for assuming.

[i]Not that it matters anyway,[/i] he reminded himself, setting his glass down on the table. Still put off by her comments at the breakfast bar, he didn’t care what she thought of him anymore.

“I really think you guys are making this into a bigger deal than it is,” Bella muttered with a shrug, taking a sip of her drink.

Jett nodded and opened his mouth to offer his agreement, but then paused when he noticed one of the production crew members approaching the gathering group in the living room. Curious, he watched the man tap Madison on the shoulder and say something in her ear. In the next moment, she nodded and got up to walk with him towards the door that led to the backyard. He followed them with his eyes until they disappeared from sight, wondering where they were going before he remembered what the director had told them on their first night in the house.

“I think they’re starting to pull people aside for those confessionals they talked about before,” he speculated, turning to Nina but speaking audibly enough that the others could hear him too. “I wonder what sort of questions they’re going to ask us.”