Deal Breakers

Day 1

The weight of two overstuffed suitcases pressed into my palms as I dragged them behind me, their wheels screeching a discordant melody across the airport terminal. Beside me, Peter navigated the crowd with the practiced ease of a seasoned traveler, his eyes scanning the departure board.

A wave of disbelief washed over me. It was actually happening. After months of anticipation, we were on our way to Tennessee to compete on a reality show. The thought of spending six weeks away from my beloved bed and the comforting ritual of my morning coffee was a cruel joke. But the allure of the grand prize - enough money to cover our entire wedding and honeymoon - outweighed my desire for domestic bliss.

"Got everything Lay?" Peter asked as he zipped up his burgundy duffel bag.

"Yeah, I think so," I murmured. I felt more stressed than I can remember. Even though I've been mentally and physically preparing for this, I still feel like something bad is going to happen. I'm not usually anxious but, something is tugging at my sanity and I just can't put my finger on it yet.

Peter's dad couldn't be our 'deal breaker' like we'd planned, which would have disqualified us from playing. So his dad asked Chase to step in, from what I heard in their phone call Chase was not keen on helping us. But he did agree to come in the end, we were lucky it was July and he didn't have classes, because I'm sure he'd have said no otherwise. The Chase I remembered took grades very seriously.

My stomach was in knots, even when we boarded the plane I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Peter cleared his throat beside me, taking my hand in his as the plane took off. "Chase told Dad, that uh- that he's excited to see us." He said it with a smile, but his tone told me he was lying.

"Really?" I mirrored his smile, reclining my chair slightly. "That's nice."

Neither of us has talked to him since graduation, he left for college and the only person who ever gets him on the phone or sees him is their dad, Arnold. We were three best friends, from middle school to senior year. Chase and I did almost everything together, he and Peter helped me and my grandma move when she decided to live in the elder community, which happened in junior year. Their mom Grace died six months before graduation, only a few weeks after Peter and I had our first date.

Chase and Grace were so close, I knew he'd take it about a million times harder than Peter because of their connection. He told me once that Grace was the only person who listened to him, and that his mom was the only person who understood him. I reassured him I also would be there for him, but when Grace died, a piece of Chase did too. He pushed me away, ignoring my calls and e-mails. It hurt, it was worse than a punch to the gut but I tried to understand that he was going through something and he felt he didn't want me around for it.

We deplaned and grabbed our bags, I kept looking around, for some reason I expected Chase to be at the airport waiting for us. I tipped-toed at baggage claim, looking to see his tall scrawny figure waving us down, but he wasn't there. Just a carousel of mostly black luggage and strangers. I watched it turn and turn, the occasional bright pink bag or

The weather in Chattanooga was hot, I know it's summer but it feels like the sun maybe shines a little closer here than L.A. Even the Taxi we took was humid. The pleather scorched my thighs, I tried to pull my shorts down for protection but it didn't work. The Taxi had a distinctive odor to it; Parmesan cheese. I looked over at Peter to see if he'd gotten a whiff, but he was stone-faced.

Peter was in competition mode, I could tell by the lack of conversation he'd made from the airport to the hotel. He'd now be half his normal self until we either win or lose. I do believe we have a fair chance, just because Peter is such an athlete. I might not be an outdoorsman, but I am going to try and have some faith in myself.