“If you mention her name again, I’ll slap you,” Ryan scowled as he tucked into his now cold burger as he, Colin and Greg wolfed down some food before the taping.

“Mention whose name?” Greg asked innocently as me mulled over a cup of coffee.

“Gina’s. Every other sentence you’ve uttered has been about her. Hell, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you liked the girl, and I mean like,” Ryan replied.

“I’ll have you know I’m a happily married man,” Greg scorned.

“Ryan’s right, you have mentioned her a lot,” Colin chimed in.

“I have not,” Greg snapped defensively as he looked from one friend to the other. They looked at him accusingly. “Grow up,” he added.

“Is she coming to the taping?” Ryan asked.

“How the hell should I know?” Greg spat.

“She’s coming,” Ryan mused to Colin.

Colin nodded in agreement. “Brad’s bringing Ritza. Apparently, he’s going to confess all.”

“She’ll rip him to pieces,” Ryan chuckled.

“Who cares?” Greg grumbled.

“Well now somebody’s all tetchy,” Ryan chided.

“I’m not tetchy, I just have no interest in Brad’s pathetic, sordid love life,” Greg huffed.

“Whatever. You know what else I heard?” Colin perked. “Apparently Brad broke up with his last girlfriend because she was screwing around with another improver.”

“Really? Shit, no wonder he’s been unbearable,” Ryan gasped.

“Well this has been really fascinating. Anyone want anymore coffee?” Greg asked as he quickly got to his feet.

“So who do you think it was?” Colin said deviously. “I’ve got my hunches”

“Well there aren’t many unmarried guys. Jeff?” Ryan shrugged.

“Well do you?” Greg hissed.

“Where do you hear all this stuff?” Ryan asked, looking at Colin curiously.

“You’ve just got to be in the right spot at the right time,” Colin grinned.

“I’m just going to drown myself in a pool of decaf latte,” Greg announced before wandering away.

Gina wandered towards the front of the line, much to the chagrin of the rabid fans that made up the queue. She looked around for Greg or the promised security guard who would permit her “special access” to the studio, which was Greg’s way of saying she’d get at the front of the line without being jumped by obsessive preteens. A pair of teenage girls sneered at Gina, and she sneered right back. A familiar face caught her attention: that woman who’d abused Greg. She had to say hi.

Gina strolled over and slipped in line between her and an amorous couple. “Fenny, wasn’t it?”

Startled, Fenny turned around and her face quickly settled into contempt. “You’re Greg’s…friend, right?”

“I didn’t sleep with him, you know,” Gina said with a chuckle.

“Really?” Fenny asked, visibly softening.

“Really. We’re just, well, I don’t think you could call us friends, we just hang around and yell at each other a lot.”

“Oh. Well, sorry about the, um, the way I acted…in the restaurant.”

“Don’t apologize,” Gina laughed, “I thought it was great! You should’ve stuck around, watched him boil over. He had it coming to him, anyway. I would’ve done the same thing.”

“So you—he told you, what happened?” asked Fenny nervously.

“Yeah, the basics. But I guess you’ve got things pretty well worked out if you’re coming to see Greg and Brad shoot a show, right?”

“I don’t know about worked out. I don’t know what I’m doing here, really. Brad asked me to come.”

“Well that sounds good.”

“He’s bringing his girlfriend to catch up with the rest of the guys, whatever that may choose to mean,” Fenny grumbled.

“You mean he invited both of you?” Gina asked, a bit shocked. “He’s not a bright man, is he?”

Fenny laughed, “No, I can’t say that he is, really.”

Gina could see in Fenny’s face that she had been hurt just as much as Greg and presumably Brad by their whole fiasco. “So you’re here to try and win him back, aren’t you?” she asked kindly.

“Oh, I don’t even know any more.” Fenny felt foolish telling all her problems to this woman who was practically a perfect stranger out here in the middle of a studio lot, but it was nice to have someone who seemed to be on her side for a change. “He’s said he still has feelings for me, but he hasn’t forgiven me, and we can never seem to talk about anything but his underwear and how wonderful this Ritza is.”

“Ritza?!”

The doors to the studio opened and a pair of security guards appeared. “Alright, everybody in, nicely now, don’t push.”

“Hold on,” Gina breathed and grabbed Fenny’s wrist. “MEDIA COMING THROUGH,” she yelled and waved her press pass about. The security guard looked amused, checked to make sure Gina was telling the truth and let them through.

Gina and Fenny broke off from the over-excited crowd and waited in a quieter corridor.

“Am I wrong in assuming you know Ritza?” Fenny asked.

“No you’re not. I met her back in Australia,” Gina replied.

“She a friend of yours?” Fenny queried, fishing for answers.

“Hell no. From what Greg first told me, she’s a psycho,” Gina mused.

“You met Greg in Australia too?” Fenny gasped. “What happened in Australia? I keep hearing ‘we met in Australia’ but I don’t understand why everyone was there.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Gina said meekly. “Besides, I promised not to say anything.”

“Well can you at least tell me how Brad and Ritza met?” Fenny half pleaded.

Gina stared at the floor for a couple of seconds and then let out a heavy sigh. “All I know is he was supposed to be following her and instead they ended up rubbing uglies.”

“Rubbing uglies?” Fenny asked, confused.

“Having sex. Didn’t take them twenty-four hours apparently,” Gina shrugged. “They were all over each other like…” her voice trailed off. “But that’s not important now,” she added.

Fenny was quiet for a moment. “Don’t suppose you know where the bathrooms are?” she asked.

“No idea, but they can’t be too far,” Gina mused, looking down the corridor.

After several minutes of searching, Gina and Fenny still hadn’t found the toilets.

“This is hopeless,” Fenny sighed.

“I’ll say. Maybe they don’t go to the toilet, like on TV,” Gina shrugged.

Fenny looked at her strangely. “Hey, can you hear voices?” she added.

“Yeah I can actually, where are they coming from?” Gina asked.

“Around that corner,” Fenny replied.

The women looked at each other, shrugged and then tiptoed to the end of the corridor.

Gina held her fingers to her lips and peered around the corner. “It’s Brad and Ritza,” she whispered.

The women crouched down and listened to the heated argument.

“So were you ever going to tell me?” Ritza snapped.

“Of course I was. I just did, didn’t I?” Brad pleaded.

“I feel like such an idiot. You made me feel like an idiot,” Ritza hissed.

“I’m sorry muffin, I never meant to,” Brad cooed.

“Get me a bucket,” Gina grumbled.

“Make that two,” Fenny nodded. “Muffin? I mean really.”

“I guess I didn’t want you wanting me just because I’m on TV,” Brad sighed.

“You think I’m that shallow?” Ritza shrieked.

“Of course not! But it’s happened to me before and I just wanted to make sure,” Brad retorted.

“Before, with Fenny? Oh, I haven’t forgotten about her. She must have turned up for something. Although clearly you scoot around the issue every time I bring it up. Who is she, Brad?” Ritza demanded.

“Fenny is my ex-girlfriend,” Brad mumbled.

“Thought so. Why’d you break up?” Ritza asked.

“She cheated on me with one of my friends,” Brad replied.

“A good friend?” Ritza gasped.

“Greg,” Brad said bluntly.

“God, what do women see in him? He had that little blonde thing hanging off him in Australia,” Ritza scorned.

Fenny held Gina back, much to Gina’s chagrin.

“Greg’s not the issue here. The point is I got hurt, ok,” Brad spat.

“I can see that. But this is me. I’m not about to hurt you like that scruffy, cheating bitch,” Ritza cooed.

Gina held Fenny back as she rose to her feet. “Leave it,” she breathed.

“I’m not hanging around to be insulted by someone who’s never even met me,” Fenny huffed.

Gina nodded in agreement and they headed off down the corridor.

They were approaching the studio when Fenny let out let out a groan,

“Oh great, now look who’s coming.”

Gina looked up and saw Greg, Ryan and Colin.

“Hey Gina,” Ryan perked.

“Hey Ry…nice to see you without the gun to your head,” Gina perked.

Ryan and Colin chuckled, and Fenny was just downright confused.

“Who’s your friend?” Ryan asked.

“Oh, this is Fenny,” Gina said nonchalantly.

Ryan and Colin greeted her together and Fenny felt herself become shy and tongue tied. Greg was trying to stay quiet and unnoticed.

“Aren’t you going to greet Gina? You’ve not shut up about her all day,” Ryan mused.

Greg narrowed his eyes and then looked at Gina. “Can we have a word?” he asked. Gina didn’t get to respond; he grabbed her arm and dragged her into and empty office.

“Nice computer,” Gina perked.

“Since when are you friends with Fenny?” Greg hissed.

“Since we met in the queue outside. She’s very nice, you know,” Gina replied.

“She’s my ex-lover. You don’t make friends with ex-lovers,” Greg spat.

“Why? It’s not like we’re an item or anything…god forbid,” Gina laughed.

“That’s hardly the point,” Greg scorned.

“Then what is your point?” Gina snapped.

Greg flustered for a moment. “I guess I just find it uncomfortable.”

“Well I’m not asking you to associate with her, am I?” Gina stated, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, but it’ll get messy when we’re hanging out and she’s there,” Greg shrugged.

“Aren’t you going home to your wife after the weekend?” Gina said bewildered.

“My wife has nothing to do with this,” Greg retorted.

“Maybe she should,” Gina spat.

Gina and Greg glared at each other for a few moments before they looked away.

“So have you really been talking about me all day?” Gina asked, bemused.

“No, that’s just Ryan being a fuckwit,” Greg grumbled.

“Right,” Gina breathed and wandered over to Greg and stuck out her hand. “Can we have a truce?” she asked.

Greg looked down at Gina’s hand for a moment and then back at her. “Ok,” he said, breaking out into a smile. He slid his hand into hers and then, without warning, pulled her into a hug.

Fenny was stuck in an increasingly awkward conversation with Ryan and Colin about the weather. She kept looking around and hoping Gina would return soon.

“Well they’re taking a long time,” Colin smiled to Ryan.

“I told ya,” Ryan perked.

Fenny knew exactly what they were talking about and was starting to agree when the situation got a whole lot worse.

“Hey guys, we’ve gotta get out there.” Brad stopped as soon as he saw Fenny.

“We’re on our way. Hey, have you met Fenny?” Ryan nodded and motioned to Fenny.

Fenny wanted the ground to swallow her up. She looked at her shoes.

“Ah…” Brad mumbled and stared, making the situation both embarrassing and obvious.

“You two know each other?” Ryan asked, confused.

“Well…” Brad began.

“Come on Fen, we have to get to our seats,” Gina boomed as she reappeared with Greg, both smiling inanely.

There was a chorus of goodbyes as Gina led Fenny out of sight.

“Thank you,” Fenny smiled as the two women entered the studio.

“No problem. You couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable if you tried,” Gina mused as they found their front row seats. “Look,” Gina added, nudging Fenny.

Fenny caught sight of Ritza, who glared at her intently.

“I don’t think she likes me,” Fenny mused.

“Should make things interesting then,” Gina chuckled.