Chapter 35
MY PATIENCE VS. THE AUDACITY. WHO WILL WIN? LET’S FIND OUT!
SEYOON
Either it’s just a coincidence or Garrett is an irritating son of a bitch on purpose, but he always takes an extra long time on his intro spiel when it’s devastatingly hot outside.
He cuts mid-sentence and asks to start over because a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and “We can’t have that on tape.
Are you serious? America can’t think the sexiest host of all time has body odor. Which he doesn’t.”
Me, Carter, Vendredi, and Dean shift impatiently in our swimsuits, the rocks of the lake’s shore digging into our bare feet.
Not the one at camp—we’re on another private lot, this one with its own lake.
It’s about as big as Summit Lake, but it’s missing the surrounding forest and mountain scenery. Nothing that can’t be added in post.
My attention keeps wandering to Dean standing stiffly next to me in line. I nudge him gently. “What’s up with you?”
He startles. “Nothing. I’m just nervous about the challenge.” He nods at the lake. “I’m not a good swimmer.”
“Is that it? Hey, don’t worry, I’ll carry us this round.” I flip my ponytail and flash him a grin. “I’ll earn enough points to get us through to the finale.”
Dean smiles back, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah.”
He’s been off all morning. In fact, ever since yesterday.
No, since I vented to him about everything at stake with Umma.
A familiar worry creeps up along the back of my skull, whispering into my ear that I’ve scared him off.
I don’t remember everything I said that evening, but Dean probably heard, Hey, remember how I said you should team up with me because I’m really strong? Guess what, I’m actually not!
No, no, come on. That’s not fair; Dean is my friend. He’s proven he doesn’t think that way of me, even in my lowest moments.
Carter groans, interrupting my doom-spiraling and Garrett’s millionth take. “Can you hurry up?” he snaps.
Garrett slumps in defeat. He tries to, at least, but it’s difficult with the pink floaty tube around his waist. Did I forget to mention the pink floaty tube? Yeah, that’s because I’m trying to pretend it’s not there.
Finally, we get rolling.
Players, congratulations on making it to the semifinals. It’s a good thing you packed your swimsuits, because things are about to get—
… I’m receiving word from my executive producer that I can’t say that things are going to get “wet.” But I digress.
Today’s challenge is the Aquatic Showdown: a three-part race across the lake.
The first part is what I call the Tubes of Terror.
Your first task is to hold on to a speedboat as our totally licensed driver takes you very safely to the floating dock in the middle, where the second leg of the triathlon begins: the Leap of Lake!
Like, “leap of faith,” get it? There, you’ll put your physical skills to the test in this inflatable course, get to the dock on the other side, and swim the remaining half mile to shore for the third leg of the race.
Only three of you will be moving on to the finale after this.
However, our friends at the bottom of the scoreboard don’t need to worry, because there are major points at play here.
The first person to reach the shore wins…
wait for it… wait … forty points. Second place gets thirty.
Third gets twenty. And fourth, ten. Meaning, it’s still anyone’s game.
How you perform today could bring you from dead last to the top of the leaderboard, and vice versa.
Everything rides on this challenge. And it’s a swimming competition.
I’ve never gotten so lucky in my life.
Dean raises his hand.
“Yes?” Garrett calls on him.
“I would like to split from my alliance with Seyoon.”
Huh?
My brain whirs to a slow, stalling, tripping to make sense of what I think I’ve heard.
I turn without being aware of it, as if somebody else is steering me by the shoulders.
Vendredi’s jaw nearly unhinges as she stares at us.
Even the crew members look shocked. One of the sound operators drops their mic and hurries to pick it back up.
Carter looks ahead, uncaring. Dean doesn’t meet my eye.
Garrett’s grip on his floaty loosens, and it squeaks down his legs. “Excuse me?”
My senses stumble back into me with the force of a slap on the back. “Dean,” I say. A short laugh hiccups out of me. “Stop kidding around.”
He turns to me, having the gall to look apologetic. “We both knew this alliance would have to end sometime.”
“Well, yeah, but this is not the time! What are you thinking?” I gesture across the vast expanse of water in front of us. “You seriously don’t want to split points with me on this challenge? I’m a state-champ swimmer. You can barely doggy-paddle.”
“Seyoon—”
“I know I mooched off your points last challenge, but I’m going to make it up.” I step forward and reach out for his hand. He pulls away with a wince. Hurt digs spikes along my skin. “What happened to wanting to work together? Because of everything?” I throw his words back at him.
Cameras swarm us on every side, nudging Carter and Vendredi out of the way. I feel claustrophobic, stuck between a dozen empty black lens reflections and the cold, empty glaze in Dean’s eyes.
The muscle in Dean’s clenched jaw jumps. “Seyoon,” he grits out, like it pains him. “This is for the best.”
For a second, grief overtakes me. Just like that? I want to say. It’s over?
“But,” I utter quietly. Pathetically. The sadness burns my throat like a gulp of salt water. “I thought we were friends?”
I hate myself as soon as the words escape my lips and enter the dozens of mic feeds surrounding us. Dean winces and inhales deeply.
“We were. But now we’re rivals,” he says. “I’m… I’m sorry, Seyoon.”
He’s really doing this. I can’t believe it. I knew Dean was a good actor, a great strategist. It’s me who was the idiot for believing he wasn’t acting the entire time.
To my horror, heat pricks my eyes. The camera operator behind Dean steps forward to get a close-up shot of me, and I drop my head before anyone can see me crying.
The pitying looks from Vendredi and the crew members are like knives dragging across my skin.
I turn away from Dean, clenching my jaw so hard that my teeth squeak against each other.
He doesn’t deserve another word from me.
It’s my fault for thinking I could make a real friend in a place like this. It’s my fault for letting him see me, all of me, the weak and the ugly bits.
I’m not making that mistake again. And I’m not holding back.
Garrett clears his throat. “Alright then. Dean and Seyoon will not be splitting points this round. Got that, Blake?”
Blake, to the side, nods and scribbles on her clipboard, her expression carefully neutral, as usual. “Noted.”
“Okay. Let’s dive right in, campers.”
A few paces down the shore, the speedboat’s engine roars to life.
Waves lick at the four inflatable tubes bobbing unsteadily in the water, attached by ropes to the stern.
Vendredi squeezes my hand before she jogs over.
We all wade into the water and each grab an inner tube.
Dean and I end up in the middle, with Carter and Vendredi on either side of us.
The others wriggle inside, wearing their tubes around their waists.
I decide to hold on to mine like a floaty rather than climb inside; it’ll make it easier to jump off and onto the dock.
I have a feeling the boat won’t be slowing down to give us time to climb out.
I hope Dean likes losing is my last thought before Garrett blows a whistle.
The boat takes off, yanking the ropes so abruptly that all of us scream.
Whoever is driving this boat does not let their foot off the gas pedal.
I grip my tube so tightly, I fear the plastic will pop.
The boat hits a current and sends us flying a foot and a half into the air.
To my horror, Dean is flung off. His yell fills my ear as he tumbles and lands in the water with a huge splash.
“Dean!” I call out of reflex, only for a wave of icy water to wash over me, flooding my nose and mouth.
Through his megaphone, barely audible above the monstrous roaring of the speedboat and the wind whizzing in my ears, Garrett calls out:
If you fall off, swim! You’re not out of the game until you give up!
I look back as the boat speeds away, spotting the blip in the water that is Dean, swimming desperately to catch up. My stomach knots in worry—until I push the fear away. Not my problem anymore. He wanted this.
The floating dock gets closer and closer, and as I thought, the boat shows no sign of slowing down.
In fact, it begins speeding up, if that’s even possible.
At the very last second, a few feet away from the dock, the boat dips left so hard, I swear it’ll tip over and capsize.
Our ropes snap around like a whip. Carter and Vendredi struggle to escape their inner tubes—but not me. I let go of my inflatable lifeline and…
CONFESSION TAPE—Seyoon Shin, Contestant
What was going through my head? You mean when I was flying through the air, soaring clear over the dock I had strategically envisioned myself landing on? Yeah, just one thing.
“Fuck!” I scream.
My strangled, panicked yell dies when my back slaps the water and the air punches from my lungs. It stings, sure, but not worse than my ego does as I imagine the “Ooh!” sound effect the producers will lay over this moment in the final cut.
I bob back up and gasp for air, finding the dock only a few feet away. Okay, not bad, actually.
I swim over and heave myself up on the platform. I’m the first one here; everyone else was flung much farther than I was, having struggled to get out of their tubes in time. Exhilaration floods through my veins, warming me even as the lake water drips from my hair and swimsuit.
From shore half a mile away, Garrett’s voice bellows.