"Do I have to?" Ari asked Kate with a resigned sigh. Truly, he wasn’t in the mood to have to deal with somebody as irritating as Wilford Forbes so early in the morning.

"He really wants to talk to you. I’m so sorry." Kate apologized with an expression that she had no plans of leaving unless Ari came with her.

"Fine. Guys, I’ll be back."

"Good luck. I’ll come find you in 10 minutes, and if he tries anything, just scream really loudly." Jamie said, pausing the music.

"Kate makes sure you eavesdrop outside the door in case he goes ballistic, so you can stop him from boxing WF senior, innit? He hasn’t unclenched his fists since yesterday. It might actually be stuck like that." Benjamin added.

"Is it arthritis? Or muscle cramps? You should eat a banana. The potassium really helps. And maybe some chamomile tea so that vein on your forehead stops sticking out," Daniel added before hiding behind Benjamin as Ari glared at him.

"Instead of talking nonsense, get back to practice. I’ll be back." Waving at his teammates, Ari followed along behind Kate, who kept looking at him with a concerned expression.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

You don’t look very fine. In fact, you look really, really angry, Kate silently thought.

"Uh, how about I take you to get ice cream later? PD Emily wanted to come too, so it can be a fond bonding trip."

"You might as well take one of the others because it will be wasted on me. And if I see PD Emily, not only would I lose my appetite, I might be tempted to use my ice cream cone as a throwing dart." Ari told Kate honestly.

"Oh. That’s no good. But what I’m hearing is that you have no more complaints about my driving?"

"Hmm, your driving? I think you should let PD Emily experience your driving once or twice. Maybe the g-force generated from your speed and turns will knock some sense into her so she can stop messing with me."

"...."

Meeting Ari’s green eyes that looked like lasers and the fists that were actually clenched, Kate just gulped and looked away.

Alrighty then. No more small talk.

She had been sent by the PD to test the waters since she got along with Ari and his friends pretty well, but by the looks of it, Ari hadn’t calmed down in the slightest.

PD Emily, you’re on your own! He’s actually very angry.

"Well, here we are. I hope you have a good conversation."

"Thanks. And Kate, I am serious about the driving. Take her out to get ice cream. Find a roundabout and step on it. If it’s you, the car might start flying, and the PD will definitely be scared senseless. I believe in you."

"You’re teasing me!"

"No. I truly believe you can do it."

Your driving skills are truly out of this world.

"HMPH! Fine! Last time that I’ll try to cheer you up! Just go be angry by yourself!"

As Kate stomped away angrily, Ari laughed before collecting himself and entering the room.

It was one of the makeshift offices that the staff members used, and seated behind the desk was Wilford Forbes, clicking around on a laptop.

Ari took a seat in the only available chair on his side of the desk and immediately broke the silence.

"What did you want to talk to me about that was so important that you had to drag me out of practice again?"

"You’re as rude as ever." Wilford Forbes shot back as he glared at the young boy sitting on the chair as if he owned the office.

"I get that a lot. Was there anything else you wanted to say to me?" Ari replied blandly.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been called rude, even though he was just returning the same energy he was being given, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last time, so why bother about it?

Plus, he didn’t see himself warming up to Wilford Forbes any time soon, so he really didn’t care about his opinion of him at all.

"....watch the way you talk to me, boy. I’m not one of your peers-"

"Let me just stop you before you get too into it. If you think the way I speak is rude, it’s a losing argument that others have tried to change about me since childhood, and you’re wasting your breath. I am respectful to those who are respectful to me and casual to everyone else. If you called me here to talk about the way I speak, please find another way to waste your own time, because I’m actually busy. Was there anything of value you wanted to say, or should I just leave?" Ari interrupted in annoyance.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Wilford Forbes asked incredulously. He truly couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What was wrong with this boy?

"Which part of that did you need me to repeat? Or should I speak more slowly? Enunciate more? Li~ke~ th~is~?" Ari spoke slowly, the way he would talk to a baby.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy?" Wilford Forbes spat out.

"Maybe a little bit? I think I was probably dropped on my head several times as a child, so my personality ended up coming out this way. Anyway, what’s wrong with you? Are you trying to taint my brand? Do you think that if I do badly, William will do well? Is that why you have him copying me and trying to look like me? Weird and unoriginal. And honestly, kind of pathetic. Which one of you came up with the idea? And why didn’t you raise your nephew to be a better person? Because he sucks." Ari blinked innocently.

"Do you think you can just say whatever you want because it’s so close to the end? I brought you here to make a deal about your future and the finals, but-"

"Let’s just stop right here. No deal needed. Your side is dishonorable, and I don’t negotiate with terrorists." Ari interrupted again, almost laughing as Wilford Forbes’ face began to turn an ugly red.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I don’t negotiate with terrorists," Ari repeated with a blank expression, causing Wilford’s brow to twitch in annoyance.

Truly, he couldn’t understand why he was stuck with the rudest contestants who didn’t understand that if they wanted a good experience and for things to go their way, they needed to bow to authority.

At least for the others, they had active parents in the industry to help back them up; for this one, who seemed to have the most audacity, the only connection he had was in the fashion industry thousands of miles away.

"I suggest you fix that attitude of yours, Contestant Ariel. That negative attitude of yours when things don’t go your way is very unbecoming and will hinder you in the future if I have a say in it. Which, in case you’ve forgotten, I do. It seems you’ve forgotten, but this group is mine, and I can make your future very miserable, so I suggest you toe the line immediately."

Okay? And?

What kind of nonsense threat is that?

Hinder me in the future?

Why would I care about the future when you’re already hindering me right now!

"Again. I don’t negotiate with terrorists. Also, if you need someone to wear those clothes so you can trick the audience into thinking I’m William and William is me, then wear them yourself. And quit calling me out to talk, unlike you, who likes to waste time talking about rubbish, I’m quite busy."

"Ariel! Matisse!" Wilford Forbes called out through gritted teeth.

"Pardon. Je ne parle pas anglais," Ari repeated with a polite smile.

If you want to talk to me, learn another language.

And at this point, do your worst, you freaking bastard.

I’m not afraid of you.