Page 6 of The Interception
Viewers? What is he talking about?
“As you all read in your orientation packet, this year’s competition will be televised live from the Dawson Stadium, home of the Charleston Timberwolves! Thanks to record turnout, we will also be changing up the usual format and pairing our cooks for the competition. Once we get down to the finals, each team will race to see who is Charleston’s best duo.”
A round of applause echoes through the theater, nearly deafening. Live television. What on earth has my sister-in-law gotten me into? Wasn’t it enough to be humiliated by Chef Aiello just yesterday? Now I get to crash and burn on live television? I’m about to dart from the room, leap in the truck, and head home when an idea emerges. What if, by some twist of fate, I’m paired with the champ sitting beside me?
I glance over at him again and find he’s still focused on the stage. There’s a small chance I can grab him before someone else does, but I’ll still need to be quick. After all, he’s got another person to his right, people in front of us, and those seated behind.
“Now I know some of you veterans aren’t thrilled about sharing your space with so many amateur competitors, but Iam certain you can find it in your hearts to take them under your wing. You never know, you might learn something. With that in mind, we’ve decided to give you all twenty-four hours to work out who you’d like to pair with. Anyone who doesn’t have a partner by this time tomorrow will be paired by our administrators. Does anyone have any questions?”
A flurry of hands reach into the sky and the speaker addresses each one thoroughly. I notice a few people begin chatting amongst themselves, perhaps making arrangements to work together, so I don’t feel too awkward turning to my right and putting on my big girl undies to talk to Ender.
His warm brown eyes cover the room and he chews the inside of his mouth. It’s now or never. I gotta snag him up before someone else gets brave. I clear my throat and tap his arm. Ender’s head snaps toward me as if I just brought him back to reality, possibly from an absolute nightmare.
“Hi, I’m Layne Rossi. This is my first time here, and I was wondering if you might consider pairing with me? I’m a trained chef, and I’m really excited to—”
“Uh, no thanks,” Ender says and stands. He motions for me to move my legs so he can escape.
“What?” I ask, my entire body utterly depleted. I have no idea why I thought he might agree to work with me, but now that he’s shot me down before I can even finish my pitch, I’m annoyed. That’s twice in two days I’ve been insulted, and I’ve had just about enough of it.
Ender looks down at me after he wiggles past. “No offense or anything. I’m sure you’re great, but I can’t risk it. I need to win this. I’d rather pair with someone who’s done this before.”
“Right, I get it. But as I was saying, I’m a trained—”
He sighs. “I need to work with someone who can help me win, one of the other veterans, okay? Thanks for the offer, but Ican’t deal with a newbie.” He gives me little more than a nod of dismissal and makes a beeline for the other side of the room.
Well, I’ve learned a lot about this competition today, including that Ender Langley might be a six-time competition winner, but he’s a giant loser to me. And I have every intention of telling him so, right to his face. Mr. Langley can say no all he wants, but he doesn’t have to be sorudeabout it. I storm across the theater, not considering that my angermightbe slightly fueled by yesterday’s humiliation.
Fortunately for him, he’s surrounded by people who are probably starstruck by his handsome face and his ability to…I don’t know…catch a weird-shaped ball. Admittedly, I know very little about football. Baseball has always been my jam, especially since my brother has played his whole life. And hockey. A girl would have to be crazy not to adore that sport. Football, on the other hand, might be my father’s favorite, but it’s sliding to the bottom for me.
Despite my anger and slight aggression, I can’t get anywhere close to the man, let alone within range to tell him to take a flying leap off the nearest cliff, so I take a deep breath and choosenotto be violent. Instead, I’ll head to the house I’m borrowing, make myself something decent to eat, and let the organizers set me up with a partner. Every time I have hope that things are about to look up for me, it all crashes and burns.
I’m beginning to doubt my career choice when I remember how much I prayed about this. I worked hard through culinary school, sacrificed so much, and prayed until my head nearly exploded. There is no way this isn’t my calling, but I have absolutelynoidea what I’m supposed to do from here.
After dodging and weaving too many people to count, I finally make my way to the parking lot. I’m probably missing valuable information by not mingling and elbow-rubbing, but I’m exhausted. I’m going to go to the house, pray that Ihaven’t gotten myself in too deep, and wait to see what the administrators have planned for me.
Traffic is a monster, but when I finally pull into the short drive leading to the house, I take a breath. It has a pool in the back, a sweet little porch swing, and a rose garden in the front. All things considered, this might turn out to be a decent escape from reality for a while. At the very least, I’ll have a couple of days to regroup and reconsider my approach to procuring a job.
By the time I drag my suitcase inside and unpack, it’s dusk, and the only person who can brighten my mood is Lottie. I dial her number and fidget with the zipper on my bag.
“Hey, how was the orientation?” Lottie asks, her bright and sunny disposition immediately uplifting despite the sinking sensation in my stomach.
“It went.”
“Uh oh, what happened?”
I take a deep breath. “Well, because there were so many new applicants this year, they decided to pair people up. We were allowed to choose our own partners, and I made the dastardly mistake of asking Ender Langley to work with me. He basically insulted me to my face and walked away.”
“Wow, I’m sorry. Want me to come down there and knock some sense into him?”
This has me chuckling. If anything, my petite sister-in-law will only buzz in his ear like an annoying gnat. My brother, on the other hand, will not be so kind.
“Nah, it’s fine. I’m sure the organizers will set me up with a decent partner and everything will be okay. Still, there are alotof people here. My odds of winning are almost as bad as my odds of getting a decent job anytime soon.”
“Don’t count yourself out just yet. You never know. A lot of those people will probably quit or lose the first round. You’ve got this, sis.”
A genuine smile tugs at my lips and I relax further. Our conversation naturally drifts toward other things until an hour passes. “I should get some rest. I’m sure the next few days will be brutal.”
“All right, but remember to let that sparkling personality of yours shine. It’ll be better than you anticipate, I promise.” Lottie’s insistence that it will work out rubs off on me.
