For Real(36)

“I’ll look like a nice person.”

“The race isn’t about being nice. It’s about winning.”

I think back to my second audition, when I told Charlotte I wasn’t racing for my sister. I was so cocky then, but maybe Will’s right—now that I’m actually here, exhausted and soaked through and reeking of fish, I’ve slipped right back into my old supporting role. How am I going to make my sister see how competent I am if I don’t stay focused and try to pull ahead? Plus, I can’t let Will down when he’s been so supportive. After all, he’s my partner now.

“You’re right,” I say. “Sorry. I’ll be more careful.”

“I’m not trying to scold you. All I’m saying is, I bet there are things you could do with half a million dollars, too. You just have to believe you’re worth it.”

Taufik appears at my side with the bag of dried fish, and I motion for him to tuck it into the side pouch of my backpack. “Okay, we’re almost done,” I tell him. “Bakpao?”

He nods happily—either bakpao is something awesome or he can’t wait to be finished with us. Judging by the dried fish, it’s probably the latter.

It only takes about thirty seconds for a young woman with a basket on her head to crash into us and spill our water again. Taufik has started to get the hang of the game now, and he races back to the entrance, shouting for people to clear a path for us. When we get to the woman in print, Samir and Tawny are getting their pan filled. It gives me great pleasure to see that Samir is dripping wet and extremely pissed off. “God, hold it level!” he snaps at Tawny. “That means parallel to the ground, genius!” Then he turns to Will and me and asks, “Do you guys know what we’re supposed to buy?”

I angle my body away so he won’t see the fish and fruit in the mesh pocket of my bag. “Someone in there told us bakpao is pig intestines,” I tell him. “We don’t know what the other stuff is.” I feel kind of bad when Tawny sincerely thanks us, but I can’t worry about her right now. Samir has to go, and someone will have to go down with him.

With Taufik and our crew forming a protective little pod around us, we manage to make it all the way to the other side of the market without spilling. Taufik leads us over to a cart near the exit and proclaims, “Bakpao!”

Apparently, bakpao are big, pillowy dumplings. They smell heavenly, and when the guy behind the cart passes the warm, soft dough to Taufik, my mouth starts watering like crazy. He stares at it so longingly as he tucks it into the pocket of my bag that I tell him to get another one for himself, and he breaks into an enormous grin.

The exit is only a few feet away, and we move with exaggerated care through the jostling crowd. A pink flag is waiting for us just outside, and a bearded man nods as we present our water pan and our three items. When he holds out a pink envelope, I literally jump for joy.

Will rips open the Velcro and pulls out the instructions. On the card is a photo of a sculpture depicting an alligator trying to bite a shark. Greg leans in between us to get a close-up, and Will reads the text out loud.

Make your way by cab to this sculpture, which is the Cupid’s Nest for this leg of the race. Hurry—one team’s race around the world ends here!

“What’s a Cupid’s Nest?” I ask.

Will shrugs. “I guess it’s like the final check-in point? That’s really stupid.”

I hold the instructions out to Taufik, who is blissfully stuffing his face. “Do you know where this is?” I ask, pointing to the picture.

He swallows. “Surabaya Zoo.”

“Is that far from here?”

“Not so far.”

“Thank you, Taufik,” I say. “You’ve been incredibly helpful.” I reach for the second bakpao, and when the bearded check-in guy gestures that I can take it, I hand it to Taufik. He thanks me, and we run off to find a cab.

“I wanted that dumpling thing,” Will grumbles.

“Yeah, me too, but he deserved it. We can always go back for the dried fish, if you want that.”

“I’m hungry enough that that almost sounds like a good idea.”

I shove his shoulder. “Stop being a baby. We’re almost there.”

As Taufik promised, the ride to the zoo isn’t long, and I nearly weep with relief when I see Isis standing under an arch of pink flags near the base of the alligator statue. Even in the sticky Surabaya heat, she looks totally refreshed, like someone’s been spritzing her with iced cucumber water every few seconds.

“Welcome to the Cupid’s Nest, Will and Claire,” she says when we reach her. “You’re in fourth place.”

We both cheer—that’s better than I thought we’d done—and Will picks me up and spins me in a circle. I love the feel of his strong arms around me.

“How did today go for you two?” Isis asks.

“We wasted an hour because our cabdriver got lost, but otherwise it went pretty well,” Will says. “Claire’s a fantastic partner. I’m really lucky to have gotten her.”

I feel my cheeks heating up, but I don’t fight it—the producers will love it if I blush at Will’s compliments. “He’s pretty fantastic himself,” I say.

“I’m so glad this race brought you together,” Isis says in a voice laden with meaning. “Perhaps you’ll have a chance for more steamy escapades together later on.”