Chapter Six - Lucky
CHAPTER SIX
Droplets of sweat roll down my temple as I jerk upright, chest heaving. It takes several seconds to register that I’m alone in my hotel room.
The brilliant white of the duvet cover glows blue in the light of the alarm clock, and for a second, it reminds me of the sky on that perfect day twelve weeks ago. A perfect day that ended in a nightmare. The same nightmare that has haunted me ever since.
I grab my phone from the side table and tap the screen.
It’s a quarter past seven, and I need to get up and get moving.
The competition begins soon, but my heart is still racing, and I lift a shaky hand to my head.
There’s no pain, but if I close my eyes, I can feel its phantom fingers creeping across my skull.
I tap my phone again, letting the bright light of the screen chase away both the remnants of sleep and the ghost of my nightmare from my mind. I check my accounts.
“Damn,” I mutter, grinning as I take in all the notifications.
Scrolling through them, I like as many as I can and type out a few quick responses.
Already feeling better, I switch to another platform.
This one is much like the last, the comments vacillating back and forth between excitement over me being back to me being paired with Becca Evans for the competition.
There’s even a hashtag for Becca and I, which is equal parts hilarious and awesome—especially if we can get it trending.
For the first time in months, no one is talking about my accident. All the excitement over the competition and my new partner has completely overshadowed any remaining chatter over what happened to me that day.
I inhale deeply, relief flooding my system.
Ever since that day, it’s felt like I was holding my breath. But now, now, I can start to breathe again.
I finally throw back the covers and get out of bed, a renewed sense of calm settling over me. There he is, I say with a smile, as I catch a glimpse of my own reflection in the mirror across from the bed.
I grab a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and head to the bathroom for a shower. I'm out the door in half an hour with my bag in hand.
My hotel is across the street from the convention center, so I make it to our designated starting point, right out in front of the building, with five minutes to spare.
The other finalists are there, including Becca.
She's smiling, playing it cool, but her shoulders are up by her ears, and she keeps glancing at her watch.
She hasn't seen me yet, and it’s totally obvious she's freaking out.
There are several Starlight people standing around, their cameras already on and capturing footage. Tony, the cameraman assigned to us, follows me with his lens as I saunter over to Becca.
“Good morning,” I drawl.
She arches a brow. "Cutting it kinda close, don't you think?" Her tone is annoyed, but there’s a note of relief there, too.
“It's called making an entrance, Holly G.” I smirk. There’s something oddly endearing about that glare of hers.
“Listen, Lucky,” Becca begins, propping a hand on her hip. “This is serious, okay? We need to focus.”
Her words catch me a little off-guard. Is that what she’s so worked up about?
“I know we didn’t exactly start off on the right foot, but I think you’ve got me all wrong. I’m not—”
“This isn’t some joke to me,” Becca spits out, not even letting me finish. She steps towards me.
“Is that what you think?” I blurt, raising my voice louder than I mean to. “That I’m only here for a few laughs?” I move forward. “There’s a hundred thousand dollars on the line.”
And my entire reputation.
Heat flushes up my neck. “This isn’t a joke to me, either. I expect to walk away with that money in my pocket. Just so we’re clear.”
“Fine,” Becca says, though a muscle ticks at her jawline. “Glad we cleared that up.”
Tony adjusts the lens on his camera, and it’s then that I realize just how close Becca and I are standing to one another. I clear my throat and take two steps back.
“Attention, Finalists!” Mr. Dozer emerges from the crowd of Starlight officials and claps his hands together. “It's time to start the competition!"
A round of applause rises from a crowd of onlookers who already have their phones held up, recording our every move.
"Your first challenge is to secure transportation for your trip,” he declares loudly.
“Each team will be given a map of a location here in the city. One of the things we’re looking for at Starlight is the ability to circumvent any challenges that arise and think on your feet.
So today, it’s you and your partner’s job to successfully navigate to the destination marked on your map. ”
As he speaks, one of the Starlight assistants walks over to each team with a map of downtown San Antonio.
The challenge seems simple enough, though I know there’s probably some kind of catch.
I take the map for our team and peruse it for a few seconds.
Our destination is marked by a hot pink X.
“Google Maps, anyone?” I mumble to Becca, handing her the paper.
As if reading my mind, Dozer lets out a loud chuckle. “You and your partner must use your provided map to navigate the city. Your cell phones must remain here at the convention center.” He laughs again as another assistant walks around with a basket for our phones.
“Once you’ve made it to your destination, you will be given a token,” Dozer continues.
“After you’ve retrieved your token, you’re to return back here to exchange it for a set of keys to one of five vehicles parked in front of the convention center.
Whichever vehicle you get will be your transportation for the duration of the competition. ”
I lean forward, my eyes trained on Dozer. Even though I’m a little surprised—I thought we’d be taking a bus or something—I’m focused. It’s the competitor in me.
“Here’s the fun part,” Dozer grins. “The first team to arrive at the parking lot will have the first choice of vehicles. The second team will have the second pick, and so on.”
Ah, there it is. The catch. It’s not just about navigating an unfamiliar city, it’s about doing it faster than the other teams. I bounce on the balls of my feet, ready to get started.
I sneak a glance at Becca, but her face reveals nothing.
Her red-painted lips are pressed into a line, and her eyes are narrowed on Dozer, listening intently to the explanation of the challenge.
“We got this,” I whisper to her. “We totally got this.”
She ignores me.
“Now,” Mr. Dozer continues. “These vehicles range in size and quality and trust me when I say that being first definitely has its advantages. Does everyone understand?"
I roll my shoulders, adrenaline already pumping through me.
A few feet away, Ziven is jumping up and down, swinging his arms back and forth and grinning like a fool.
He’s an adrenaline junkie like me, and we both love this kind of thing, so it’s game on.
None of the other finalists look like much of a threat, so I’m feeling pretty confident that Team Bucky’s got this challenge in the bag.
Beside me, Becca has her nose buried in the map.
One of the Starlight associates walks up with a piece of sidewalk chalk, marking the starting line. The camera people, all sporting Starlight polo shirts and massive black cameras on their shoulders step forward, ready to follow us into the city.
“Take your positions,” Dozer booms, and we all take our place just behind the line. “Get ready, Holly G,” I say, grinning. Becca glances up at me for a moment, then back to the map with that master poker face of hers.
"On your mark," Dozer calls out, and the crowd of onlookers buzz with excitement. The majority still have their phones out, recording, and I know we have to make this look good—their footage and the Starlight footage is going to be all over the internet later. I brought my vlogging camera with me, so I switch it on. I’m all about the competition, but I’m just as eager to get some new footage for my accounts.
The sooner a new video of mine dethrones my accident livestream, the better.
“Get set . . .”
“This is it,” I murmur to Becca, already plotting out the path we should take down the sidewalk. Tony steps up next to us, making sure the shot is in view.
“Go!” Dozer bellows the final word, and I start running, my feet slamming against the pavement several feet ahead of everyone else. A thrill ripples through me, but it only lasts half a second when I realize that Becca isn’t behind me.
I skid to a stop, and Iris, the girl with pink hair, squeaks as she nearly slams into my back. My head whips around as the other finalists and the camera crews race past me. “What the—”
Becca is still standing in the exact same spot at the starting line, eyeing the map. Tony is halfway between us, his camera swiveling slowly back and forth.
“What are you doing?” I yell, racing back over to her. “We have to go!”
She holds up a hand. “Don’t you think it’s better to have some idea of where we’re going before we just go running blindly through an unfamiliar city. If we’re smart about this, we can save some time.”
“It’s a race!” I can’t help but yell. “While you’re memorizing the layout of the city, everyone else is halfway to their checkpoint by now!”
“Calm down.” Becca rolls her eyes. “I’m done.” She points in the opposite direction. “We should go that way. I think it’s a shortcut.”