Page 112 of Best Friends Don't Fall For Best Friends

“And a junior from Edenbury High School, Liam Hastings!” I swear I can hear our family and friends’ rowdy cheering as we run onto the stage. The place is set up with twenty stations for the contestants. Chloe and I are toward the center, so our families and friends should have a good view of us.

I give my friends and family a wave and a large smile. Evie, cheering the loudest, waves her poster around. The others wave theirs as well.

I get super nervous all of a sudden. I know they believe in me and won’t be disappointed if I don’t win. But still. I want to win. For them, for Chloe, and for myself.

It’s kind of the same adrenaline rush I get when they come to my games, but also a little different. When I’m on the court, I rely on my teammates. Now, it’s on my shoulders. And Chloe’s as well, but I hope she doesn’t feel any stress.

I turn to her and smile. “Whatever happens, let’s have fun.”

She nods, returning the smile.

Viraj introduces the judges. Two of them are famous chefs who own restaurants all over the country and the third is Catherine Robinson, dean of the Robinson Culinary Institute. It’s one of the top culinary schools in America. The winner of the competition will win a scholarship to her school.

Then Viraj announces the rules of the first challenge. No one is getting eliminated, but the contestant with the winning dish will have an advantage in the next round.

Two people push in a long table covered in a white sheet. Every single contestant’s eyes widen as they watch. Oh, man. What are they going to have us do?

“I know you’re all dying to know what’s under the sheet.” Viraj chuckles. “Please remove the sheet.” They do as instructed and everyone gasps in wonder at the items on the table.

All different kinds of seafood. I recognize a few, but I have no idea what most of them are.

“There are twenty varieties of seafood,” Viraj explains. “Each team must cook one item, and you will have access to anything you find in the pantry as well. On the count of three, the contestants must run to grab their item. But if you shove or hurt anyone, you will be disqualified.”

“What are we going for?” Chloe hisses at me.

My mouth opens and closes, my mind blank. “Whatever I can grab, I guess.”

“But Liam…”

I know. I know. Working with an ingredient we don’t know will put us at a disadvantage. But isn’t the point of the competition to step out of my comfort zone and show the judges what I can do?

“It’ll be okay,” I whisper to her. “Trust me.”

“One, two, three!”

The cooks dash to the table, a few pushing, but no one hurts anyone. I manage to squeeze between two guys and reach for whatever I can find. A plate full of sardines. Okay, not bad. I can work with this.

“What did you get?” Chloe asks when I return to her. When she sees the sardines, she sighs in relief.

Some of the other ingredients are so foreign I wouldn’t know what to do with them.

One by one, Viraj has us display what we have chosen. When it’s my turn, my cheer team whoops and squeals.

Viraj laughs. “Quite a crowd you got there.”

“Yeah.” I laugh awkwardly, glancing at my crew, who wave frantically and cheer some more.

“You have forty minutes to cook your seafood dish,” Viraj instructs. “And your time starts now!”

And we’re off to the pantry to grab whatever we’ll need for our dish. I direct Chloe to fetch the vegetables, while I gather the other items we’ll need, like appliances and spices.

Once we get everything we need, we lug our baskets back to the kitchen to start cooking. Chloe and I have made something similar in practice, so we pretty much know what to do.

Because our station is tiny, we keep knocking into each other while reaching for various ingredients.

“Sorry!” I say when my shoulder knocks into hers. A zap shoots down my arm.

“It’s, um, fine.”

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