For Real(41)

I squeeze her back. “I wish you were my new partner.”

“Seriously. I hope I’ll get to see a little more of you on this next leg, at least.”

Her voice sounds friendly and warm, like she’s really disappointed that our bonding trip hasn’t worked out as planned. But the things she said in our interview make me wonder if she just wants to be near me so she can keep a closer eye on me. I promise myself that I’ll keep racing like I did today, no matter who my partner is, so Miranda will see that my competence wasn’t a fluke. She’ll see that she doesn’t need to protect me. She’ll see that even ten thousand miles from home, I can take care of myself.

“Yeah,” I say. “I hope you’ll see a little more of me, too.”





The next leg of the race begins for me at 1:07 a.m., and when my alarm goes off at midnight, I pack up my stuff and meet Troy in the lobby. He still looks exhausted—he probably went out drinking or something instead of resting. As the van to the starting line is about to leave, a chattering, giggling Will and Philadelphia pile in behind us, both clutching take-out coffees that didn’t come from the hotel. I hate that they clearly got up early to spend more time together, despite the producers’ orders not to leave their rooms.

“Hey.” Will shoots me a megawatt smile as he settles down in the seat behind mine. “You get some sleep?”

“I certainly didn’t,” Philadelphia chimes in before I can answer. “This one snores like a chain saw, and I could hear him through the wall.” She giggles and shoves Will’s shoulder in a familiar way, as if they’ve known each other for years, and it makes me want to puke. I turn back around and concentrate on looking like nothing is bothering me.

Isis is waiting for us at the checkpoint, looking as fresh and rested as she did at the starting line in LA. Doesn’t she ever sleep? We meet our new camera crew and get miked, and at exactly 1:07, Isis hands us our first pink envelope. I notice she has tiny Around the World heart-map decals on her nails. “May the forces of love and luck be with you,” she says as I rip open the Velcro.

Fly to New Delhi, India, and make your way to the Lodhi Gardens, where you will receive your next instructions and complete a task of jumbo-sized proportions.

“India,” Troy says, nodding slowly. “Sweeeeet. I hope we have time for some of those samoas.”

“I think you mean samosas,” I say. “Samoas are Girl Scout cookies.” I can’t even believe this guy—this is almost as bad as Blake’s comment about Serbia being in Russia.

Troy shrugs. “Either one’s fine with me. It takes a lot of nourishment to maintain this kind of hotness, if you know what I mean.” And then he kisses his biceps. I’ve never seen anyone actually do that in real life.

Will, Philadelphia, Troy, and I all end up on the same Singapore Airlines flight that leaves at six in the morning, which should get us to New Delhi at three-thirty in the afternoon. Martin, Zora, Blake, and Vanessa are already at the gate, sprawled on the floor with magazines, but Miranda and Steve are nowhere to be found. As soon as the sorority sisters see each other, the room gets noticeably colder, and Philadelphia suctions herself to Will’s body like a big blond leech. “Take a walk with me, babe?” she coos, tucking a strand of his hair back under his lucky hat. I know she’s probably just trying to prove to Vanessa that she doesn’t care about being separated from Blake, but watching Will head off down the hall with her feels like having my organs rearranged. I steer Troy in the opposite direction to look for some food.

When our flight is finally called, I find that we’re seated two rows behind Will and Philadelphia. It’s close enough that I can hear the rise and fall of their voices, but I can’t tell what they’re saying, even if I strain. When I lean out into the aisle, I can see a sliver of Will’s arm and half of his right shoe, but that’s it. I wonder if he’s feeling calmer about takeoff, now that I’ve taught him the deep-breathing exercises. Does he trust Philadelphia enough to tell her about his fear of flying? For all I know, he’s keeping calm by gripping her hand right now.

Troy sees where I’m looking and gives me a sly smile. “Oh, that’s why you’ve got such a stick up your butt,” he says. “I get it. What, you worried he’s going to join the mile-high club with her or something?”

I lean back quickly, my cheeks flaming. Of course he would choose now to start being perceptive. “No,” I mutter, though I suddenly wonder if I should be worried about that.

“Maybe we should slip into the bathroom together for a while,” Troy says. “Make him niiiiiiice and jealous.”

“Um, thanks anyway, Troy, but I really don’t want to talk about this.”

He shrugs. “Whatever. But this is a game, girl. He’s playin’ it. You gotta play it, too.” He shoves his earbuds in and turns toward the window.

Troy and I don’t whisper secrets in the dark. We don’t snuggle close together under our airline blankets. Even as we change money, buy a New Delhi map, and eat breakfast during our layover in Singapore, we barely speak. We’re like strangers who happen to be near each other for eleven hours, and by the time we get to India, I’m incredibly lonely.

The moment we disembark onto the burning hot tarmac, I jog to catch up with Will, leaving Troy behind. “How’d you do?” I ask him.