Page 109 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

I was wrong. Daniel let Selena win.

“Sorry, babe,” Dawn says as she rests a hand on my shoulder. “Only one point for you and Daniel this round!”

At first, I think Dawn’s hand is on my shoulder to comfort me, but then she gives me a shove, pushing me off the bridge.

For a second, my body can’t catch up with the knowledge that I’m in free fall, but then I can feel the lift of my stomach, the nerves from looking down from such a great height transforming to unbridled joy.

I try for a second to avoid screaming, but then I give in. I keep yelling even as the bungee cord starts to reach its end. But then, instead of feeling the cord snapping me back, I keep falling.

Something’s not right.

I’m plunging farther than the other contestants. Any elation from the free fall turns to pure terror.

As I plummet to the earth, countless memories flit to the surface: my mom teaching me how to make dumplings, the fragrant scent of duck egg congee, the evenings I spent studying for exams with Cindy. Chase is in there too, and I remember our first kiss, sweet and hesitant beneath the awning of the dining hall. And finally there’s the taste of haw flakes on a rainy day with Daniel by my side.

Then my harness tightens around me, and I’m shooting back up into the sky, the wind whistling in my ears. My heart is in my throat until the bungee operators reel me in.

When I look back at the bridge, I spot Dawn Taylor and Leah talking to Daniel. They’re trying to be quiet, but their raised voices still carry.

“—the conditions on this set are unacceptable. This is gross negligence and extreme disregard for safety,” Daniel is saying.

“Look, I get it, you’re upset. Of course you’d be. But that’s why we had the backup harness,” Dawn Taylor says, calm, reasonable. “She was never in any danger. I know you were all set to go jumping in after her, but we had it handled.”

“Did you?” Daniel asks. “Because it sure doesn’t seem like it to me.”

“I need to film,” Dawn Taylor says. “If you have more concerns,talk to Leah.”

When I’m back on the bridge, Daniel rushes over to me and envelops me in a hug. “Thank god,” he says.

“I’m okay,” I say to him, but he only hugs me tighter.

“You—” he begins. “I thought—” He shakes his head. He looks at me with an anguished expression, and it hurts, seeing that. All I want to do is make all that fear and worry go away. So I do.

I tilt my head up to kiss him fiercely. He loops an arm around me, leaning into the kiss as he runs his hand through my hair. It’sgood, too good, and I don’t want it to be over. When we pull away from each other, I search Daniel’s face for signs that he’s as affected by all of this as I am. The color in his cheeks is heightened, but that could just be the wind at this elevation.

It’s Selena and Chase’s turn next, and after the bungee operators quadruple-check their harnesses, filming resumes.

“Now, Selena, if you get two points here, you and Chase could be in the finals…and Daniel and Alice will be out,” Dawn says solemnly.

Fantastic. My entire financial future has come down to how well my ex and his new girlfriend know each other.

Selena bounces on the balls of her feet, shaking out her arms.

“True or false? Chase didn’t pay taxes for the first two years after he entered the workforce.”

I know this is true because I’m the one who taught Chase about taxes. But Selena, assuming Chase is a functional adult, guesses it’s false.

“Next question. We caught Chase on camera saying he’s still in love with Alice. True or false?”

“False,” Selena says, but then she darts a worried look at me.

My heart sinks, because I know she’s right. Chase, who cheated on me? Who’s been draped all over Selena this past week? Who broke up with me on a reality TV show? He can’t still be in love with me.

But I also remember another version of Chase. One I would have confidently said was my partner for life. A man who brought me lattes when I was stuck at the hospital, who proposed to me simply becausehe knew it would put a smile on my mom’s face, who always had a smile for me, even when I was spiraling from anxiety or cranky after an all-nighter grading exams.

Dawn clucks her tongue. “True,” she says. And the clip plays on the big screen. Chase is sitting in a confessional chair, holding a mai tai with a bright-pink umbrella in it, and he looks drunk and sad.

“I don’t know, man. Selena is amazing. But. Damn. I think I’m still in love with Alice.”

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