In the midst of the disaster that she herself had created, Aurora heard Hawthrone buzzing in her ear, rattling off scores. When the next round of competitors was announced - her name wasn't among them.

She...had lost.

True, she hadn't come in dead last, if they wanted to be TECHNICAL about it, she had come in 7th overall. But if you weren't first, you were last. And she wasn't first. Chae's didn't come in last. They were always successful. They were always on top. They were always destined for great things. It had been drilled into her brain since the moment she was born.

For the first time in her short life, Aurora Chae hadn't won.

It was...a weird realization. She should have seen it coming. She had been behind in the standings going in to this challenge, and she KNEW she had messed up royally at almost every turn. Seeing Chad there had completely crippled her. She had been a complete mess, and she hadn't been thinking straight for most of the challenge. She'd let her emotions get the better of her (something she was ALSO doing NOW) and it had cost her a scholarship.

A weird feeling was growing in her chest. Was this what a heart attack felt like? No, it felt more...like an anxiety attack. Her heart began to race, like she was waiting for something exciting to happen, but she also wanted to cry. No tears were coming, though, and she was sure it was because she had literally cried herself out of tears. Her entire body felt like it was about ready to collapse, and she likely hadn't helped matters with all the screaming she had just done.

Valerie was being oddly silent, but something she had said had pushed SOME button in Jesus' brain. Wow. She didn't expect that reaction from him. It was far more satisfying than what she HAD been expecting. Lachlan didn't even get so much as a glance from her, though. As far as she was concerned, the charming Southern boy was totally dead to her right now. She'd probably forgive him later, but in her blind rage at the moment, he was just another enemy. All her energy focused on Jesus, she listened to him rattle off a threat to her BEAUTIFUL face, and she found herself smirking. She may be small, but she had absolutely nothing to lose right now. She felt confident in her ability to go toe to toe with him.

She wouldn't, though. Angry and irrational as she was right now, she wasn't STUPID. She had made her point perfectly clear. Now...that weird sort of feeling was spreading all the way down to her toes. She just wanted to get to her bed, cry, and maybe throw some glasses at the wall while ranting to Irene and Jeremy about...everything. She knew she'd be fuming about this tomorrow, but right now, she was tired, exhausted, and most importantly....ashamed. Ashamed at her absolutely horrendous performance in this challenge. Ashamed at the fact that she had lost. Ashamed that she had lost to VALERIE of all people.

She continued to smirk at Jesus and then stepped out of the way as he decided it was time to leave. "Looking forward to it," she practically growled as he left. She simply shrugged at Kyle as he walked by - yes, she WAS proud of herself. Proud that she had finally gotten all her inner thoughts out and poured them all over Valerie in one fell swoop. It had been a long time coming and needed to be said eventually.

Suddenly, Louise was there - inviting her for coffee? That was probably the absolute LAST thing her nerves needed right now. But it was...nice? Unless the older girl was planning on lecturing her. "Thanks, but another time maybe," she said with a sigh before turning to Irene and Jeremy. "Let's go before I pass out from exhaustion," she grumbled before turning on her heel and heading towards the exit.