Deal Breakers

Round 5

"Welcome to round five of Deal Breakers!" Todd said loudly into his mic.

It was a cloudy day finally, the sun wasn't cooking me alive. Peter and I were standing at the top of a large wooden platform, about three hundred feet up. Fitted with every kind of harnesses and safety gear imaginable. I looked to the left and right, three matching platforms beside me, Denver and Rachel to my left, Lizzie and Charlie, Lindsey and Rochelle, Timothy and Jacob to my right. Somewhere Peter J and Sarah were in the distance, but I couldn't make out their faces on the platform to my left.

Todd was standing beside us, fully dressed in a gray suit and tie. "Today we have Peter and Layla, ready to take a leap of faith here. Because they lost last week's challenge , they'll have a sixty second delay!"

I groaned at the words. Today's challenge would be jumping from the platform, releasing yourself into the lake below, racing to the finish line on the ground. A sixty second delay meant that our competition would already be swimming to shore while we're not even in the water yet, since the swim was only about hundred feet give or take. I didn't know how to swim still so i had my life vest on. That meant I'd be the weakest link to begin today.

Peter has his game face on, while I just wondered what kind of surprise Chase had for us once we left the platform. He's been particularly distant since we found HQ, though he did continue swim lessons for the last few days but I still needed the vest.

"On your marks!" Todd shouted annoyingly. "READY! SET! GO!" The horn blew and we watched as everyone bungee jumped, dangling from the platform before releasing themselves and crashing into the water. Our timer started and I just watched the numbers flash down, never did I think I'd be so ready to jump to my death, funny what money can do to a person I guess.

But as I watched the numbers flash, I pictured Chase at the end of the finish line. Whatever disaster he was waiting to throw at us. My stomach tingled and it felt like I just drank an icee too fast.

"AND GO!"

Peter leaped off and I followed behind, the feeling of free falling like this was a rush! I closed my eyes and the wind on the way down felt like it might fly me across the lake! Till I hit the end and the cord pulled me up and swung me around like a Yo-yo. I pulled on the red release strap and seconds later I was in the water, I tried to peek up at Peter but I couldn't there was no time to stop.

I swooshed passed James and Garret, both of them were in deep conversation not even paying attention to the race at hand.

Every breath I drew in and released pulling me closer to the shore. I kicked like my life depended on it and was happy to see Peter was already out of the water, shocked to see that Lizzie had just gotten to shore too. I was slow, no matter how hard I kicked and paddled. This damn life best was holding me back, so without second thought I unlicked the best and slid it off,m. I flailed, I doggie paddled and I swam as hard as u could. I took a glance at the water behind me, I noticed three more people coming my way. Had I really gotten ahead that quickly. I jumped out onto shore, happy to be on dry land. Peter was struggling with getting his harness off and I ended up passing him by, "JUST KEEP IT ON IF YOU HAVE TO!" I shouted as I ran passed.

Lindsey was about twenty feet ahead, she was trailing behind Denver and Rachel. it was a half mile run to the finish line and I had no time to think about it. I took off in a dash, not even looking behind me. Only one of us has to cross to win this round.

That's when I saw him, waiting a hundred feet ahead of me. Chase was wearing his Deal Breaker shirt, and a pair of cargo shorts. "LALA!" He shouted. God, what did he have planned? When I got closer he picked up a rope, no it's literally a lasso. Was he planning to lasso me?

Even though my lungs were aching, I used whatever power I had left to push myself. He couldn't get me.

As I neared closer he swung the golden rope above his head and for a second he looked like a cowboy. When he threw it, he hit me in the back with it and I was relieved. By the time he pulled it in and tried again I was already passing Lindsey.

"You've got this!" I screamed to myself.

I ran passed Samantha and Amanda who were idly waiting for their family members to pass by.

Before I knew it I was in front of an angry looking Rachel, she spat at me. Rude much! I wasn't in track, I hated the sun too much to choose track but I wish I'd chosen track right now. Denver was about thirty feet ahead of me and I felt like it was unlikely I'd catch up he was basically a tree stump with legs. That was when it happened, Denver must have tripped on something because he was on the ground, holding his knee to his chest.

When I got closer to where he was I stopped, he looked like he was in pain. "You okay?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "What are you doing!"

"I mean you're hurt I just wanted-" he put a hand up. "RUN!"

I looked behind me and Rachel was catching up now. She would have take care to her husband, I jolted out of there. Just feet away from the finish line and when I made contact with the blue ribbon I took a sigh of relief and fell to the ground, it was like I lost hearing in my ears. All I could hear was the sound of my heart thumping in my chest. I won. It was surreal.

"You did it!" Peter ran up to grab me. "YOU WON!" He shouted. When I opened my eyes he was wearing Chase's lasso around his waist, I guess he did get one of us.

Peter released me to go shake hands with Denver and Charlie, mostly to have a superior look on his face that his woman won the round.

Chase was bounding our way, a smirk on his face. "Congratulations on the win, Lala." He held out a hand to shake, when I grabbed it he pulled me in for a tight hug. "You swam like a fish," He whispered in my ear.

I breathed in, without protest I invited the feeling that ran down my spine. He smelled like Bergamot and vanilla, mixed with sweat and maybe grass. It was a mix of smells I now loved and would keep in the deepest parts of my mind. His arms squeezed me tight and I could feel his heart pounding, which made my heart pound harder in return. I don't know how long we'd hugged for, just that it was the sound of Todd's voice coming toward us that made me snap back into reality. We both pulled back, me giving him a weak smile and Chase stone faced.

"Our winners today, making a comeback from last week is Peter Graham and Layla Collins!" He held both our hands up, the camera man panning from side to side. I smiled wide, looking over at Pete who didn't have a smile on his face, he looked like he knew something I didn't know.

"Peter and Sarah, come with me for your elimination interviews." Ellen directed with a point of her finger to the chairs of doom. Sarah nodded with tears in her eyes, Peter J lightly rubbing circled on her back.