After a minute or two, Jessica is still talking and we all start to shift and shuffle, anxious to get inside and see what’s in store for us. I try to catch Paulie’s attention when I think he is looking my way and make a face as Jessica explains that if all 73 elevators magically broke down at the same time, we’ll have to walk up 1,872 steps to the observation point on the 103rd floor, but he just ignores me. I try to brush off the dull ache I suddenly feel as he looks back at Jessica as she wraps up telling us that it took 410 days to build the structure, during which five people died, and how it was the tallest building in New York City from 1931 to 1972.
“Oh man, I thought it would never end,” Hakulani says to me and Malik as we enter the lobby with Jessica and cut through the throng of people to the VIP line. Paulie walks next to Lola ahead of us and smiles as she says something to him. A few people in the waiting crowd start to complain until they see the camera crew and I hear them speculating about who we are and why we’re there.
“Get used to it,” Hakulani whispers in my ear. “Once the show starts, everyone’s going to know who you are.”
The very thought makes me want to hide in the potted plants.
In the elevator the tour guide informs us that the regular tour stops on the 86th floor observation deck, but that, for a fee, you can also visit the 102nd floor, which is where we’re heading.
“For better or worse,” Hakulani says, “you gotta admit, the show is letting us get some pretty cool experiences.”
I grin up at him. “Well, those of us without a fear of heights. And how are you going to deal with this?” I motion to the ceiling of the elevator.
“Oh, were you under the impression that I was going anywhere near the ledge?” he chuckles. “You are sadly mistaken.”
“Come on, lover boy,” Paulie says, but there is an edge to his voice that I’ve never heard before. “I thought you conquered your fears back at Lady Liberty.”
I glance over my shoulder. “Really?”
He stares at me. “What? I’m just messing with him.”
I sigh and turn around. Maybe Hakulani was right about Paulie, but then again, maybe this jealous schoolboy act is just part of his role. Caitlin could have set it up so he’s always supposed to make problems for Hakulani. I rub my forehead and wish that this competition really was only about cooking. My head is starting to hurt from trying to figure out what’s real and what isn’t.
When the doors open on floor 102, Jessica turns to us, backs out, and, sweeping her arms, says, “Welcome to the top of the Empire State Building.”
“How did she get here before us?” I whisper to Malik, who shakes his head.
“The woman might have superpowers or something.”
“It would make sense,” I say with a giggle.
A strong breeze pulls at our clothes as we step out of the elevator and see that a small section of the floor has been roped off, and she ushers us to our spots before we can start to wander. We cram together in the roped-off area as the blinking red light of the camera reminds us to get along and smile for the audience at home.
“Today’s Landmark Challenge is all about going big. Vertically, that is,” Jessica says as the wind whips her hair around. “Take in the sights and wrap your head around ways you can add architectural features to send your culinary skills sky high. Don’t forget, this next challenge is as much about presentation as it is taste. Because, in this challenge, should your creation be too short or fall, you’ll be sorry.”
I notice that there’s not as much pausing today—probably because of the wind. And the initial shock of this challenge’s twist wears off after the audio guy asks Jessica to repeat her instructions a couple times. Once they are satisfied, we are finally allowed to wander the deck.
Hakulani links his arm with mine and we walk the perimeter, with me on the outside, of course. Jessica hands each of us some change and motions for us to look out the binoculars stationed around the edge of the observation deck. At first Hakulani dismisses this outright, but after a little persuading, he steps forward and puts his face into the viewfinder goggles.
“Oh wow,” he says. “You can see everything.”
“Do you see Central Park?” I ask.
He nods and the binoculars jiggle a little and I laugh at the face he makes.
“Can you see our apartment?”
“This city really has a lot of buildings, Peyton.”
“Yeah, I guess that is an important characteristic of a city.”
He steps back. “Your turn.”
I place my face against the rubber goggles, and just as my eyes start to focus, everything goes black. Hakulani feeds another quarter into the machine and, as if by magic, I am looking down at the city, a cloudless blue sky acting as a backdrop, and I’m in awe. From the ground, you can feel the heart of New York, but from up here you can see its soul.
Even though Hakulani says he’s seen enough, I race to each side of the building, using the binoculars to see as much of the city as I can. I pull out a small notebook from the tiny backpack that was part of my outfit today and jot down some thoughts. All we know is that the challenge is going to require our dishes to be tall and taste amazing, but I have some ideas that I hope will blow the judges away if I’m allowed anywhere near an oven.
The ride back to the studio is better than the ride there. At least Paulie doesn’t seem as mad as he did in the elevator. Lola is sitting with him, and she even gets him to crack a smile.
Once we are settled on the set, Jessica, now a little less windblown, tells us again that our next challenge is going to be a tall order. “You can make anything you want, but it has to be big.”
“That sounds easy enough,” Paulie says with a smirk.
“Wait for it,” I mutter.
“There is a catch,” Jessica says.
“Here it comes,” Dani adds.
“You must successfully transfer your design to the measuring table to be eligible for the advantage. You can opt to accept the help of one of our PAs, but that’s at your own risk. If you drop your submission before it’s measured, you are out.”
“That shouldn’t be hard,” Hakulani says, but Lola doesn’t look as sure.
“Also,” Jessica adds, “there will be a bonus for creativity. Think of it as a second opportunity for an advantage.”
Finally, a challenge that feels like it was made just for me.
“There’s one more thing,” Jessica adds, looking proud of herself. “Your submission must be ninety-five percent edible.”
“Is that it?” Lola asks.
Jessica nods, before pivoting for the cameras so they can get a shot of all of us together. “All right, time to get started. You have five hours to build your fantastically tall creations.” On her mark, we all tense and then rush off to our stations when she gives the word.
I race to mine and start going over all the things I need to grab from the materials pile and the pantry. Paulie is already coming back with an armload of ingredients, but his usual smile and playful banter are gone.
“Ninety-five?” Hakulani says over his shoulder as we get started. “That’s oddly specific.”
“It’s so you can use support tools,” I explain. “Like dowel rods and the like.”
“Oh,” he says. “Don’t you think it’s weird that they gave us five hours? That seems like a really long time.”
“You’re adorable,” I say, wrapping my arms around him quickly for a side hug before I shoo him away. “Now, I’ve got a lot of work to do if I’m going to win this thing.”
He says something, but I don’t hear him over the sounds of the competition and the hum of excitement in my veins. I pull out some paper that was provided in the materials pile and quickly start sketching all the sights I remember from my notes and what I saw from each side of the tower. Once I have enough ideas, I race to the pantry to gather as many bags of marshmallows as I can carry and powdered sugar, along with a tray of gel food coloring. My second trip to the pan
try includes many boxes of rice cereal, along with some spices, cocoa powder, some dried fruit, and other sweet surprises. Back at my station, I begin to construct four pillars made of dowels that will support the main part of my building.
“So what do you have in mind, Peyton?” Jessica asks, looking over the supplies.
“I’m going to recreate the Empire State Building.”
“Oh, so you’re going for height?” she asks.
“No,” I tell her. “I’m going for both height and creativity.”
“The building is very iconic, so what is going to be your creative spin?”
“I’ve got a few ideas,” I say mysteriously. I’ve watched enough food competitions to know not to set the expectations too high during the early stages of the challenge. Jessica gives me a mischievous look before moving on to talk to Malik.
Turning a pot on high, I begin melting my marshmallows, then when it’s done, I blend in powdered sugar, adding water a bit at a time to get it to the right consistency. In another stock pot, I mix melted marshmallows with cocoa powder and a bit of cinnamon, which I’ll fold into my rice cereal to make the first batch of my treats.
Hakulani steps beside me, a little closer than he would have a few days ago, as I drag my sleeve across my forehead. I’m still uncomfortable with his overt attention, but I think it’s having the impact we wanted.
“Fondant?” he asks, making a face. “I hate how that stuff tastes.”
I try to look offended, but I know what he means. In general, it’s pretty awful. “I’ll have you know I make the most simple and amazing fondant.” I tear off a little piece and look up and over my shoulder at him. “Open up.” He does and I pop the piece into his mouth.
He chews on it thoughtfully. “Okay, this fondant I like,” he says with a smile before turning back to his work.
I can practically feel the silence and tension coming from Paulie’s station, but I ignore it and focus on the fondant, cutting out all the decorations so they can harden a little before I paint them. When I’m happy with how they look, I turn my attention to assembling the tower and rolling the dyed gray fondant over them before smoothing down the sides. Once the edges are done, I grab my pot of rice treats and add bits of dried cherry to punch up the flavors, before spooning it out and molding it, then covering it in fondant.
To attach the decorations to my creations, I mix up some powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water to make a thick royal icing, or what is essentially edible cement.
“That’s pretty cool,” Paulie says as he rushes by and glances up. “And tall. Are you going to be able to move it?”
I smile at him and hope that this break in his silence is an olive branch of some kind, before turning back to my work. Even though the structure is supported with thick dowel rods, I am a little concerned that it’ll be too heavy to move by myself.
In the end, I opt to take advantage of the extra set of hands, and, carefully, a PA helps me move my creation from my prep table to the judging table.
Jessica joins me as we wait for the measurement. “So, Peyton, you have all these adorable decorations on the sides of your building, but what do they represent?”
“These edible decorations are the things you can see from each side of the Empire State Building. There’s the Rockefeller Center, which I represent with the ice rink, the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, Times Square, and the Brooklyn Bridge.”
Jessica looks impressed as she gets a closer look. “Wow, these details are really impressive.” Straightening up, she adds, “Go ahead and stand back with the others while the judges prepare to announce the winners.”
I smile and do as I’m told, taking time to survey the other submissions. Lola’s tiered wedding cake is the second tallest, after mine, but it’s plain. If I’m being brutally honest, there’s not a submission that can top mine in either the height or creativity category. I try not to get my hopes up, but I can’t help it—I feel like I nailed this challenge.
We all look forward as Jessica announces the winner. “With a structure measuring six feet, seven inches and decorations that are both creative and detailed, the winner of today’s Landmark Challenge is…”
Another one of her legendary pauses.
I swear if Jessica doesn’t say a name, I’m going to burst.
“Peyton.”
I stand there in shock as the others congratulate me and applaud. I’ve just won my first challenge. And it feels amazing.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
ON TOP OF WINNING MY FIRST CHALLENGE, IT seems like the arrangement with Hakulani is working out better than expected, and the production team is totally eating it up. In fact, a PA pulled us aside after the Landmark Challenge filming was done to remind us this is a family-friendly show and we should keep that in mind going forward. We tried to be serious and look embarrassed, but the whole time I could tell Hakulani was trying hard to not laugh. We barely hold hands or do anything more than stand close to each other and act cute, but people see what they want to see.
The next morning, we decide to have breakfast on the roof and catch the sunrise—perfect fodder for the cameras—except we lose track of time, and now Hakulani and I are running late. We hurry to catch our ride to the studio and barely make it. To try to make up some time, the driver takes a few extra risks, and the bus rocks and lurches as we speed through a yellow light, dodging a car that was trying to make a left turn. Looking around, everyone seems caught up in their own thoughts. Hakulani seems to notice, too, because he just stares out the window and is quiet for the whole ride.
“We’re here,” the driver says, opening the door so we can pile out onto the curb.
Hakulani holds out his hand to help me out of my seat and I giggle. Oh yeah, I’ve gone all in on this charade, and now I am a giggler. It’s nauseating to do it because I don’t like the girl-in-love stereotype any more than the next person.
“Oh my God, look,” Dani says, stopping short. She points to a monitor where the promo for our show is playing. She grabs my arm in the excitement before realizing it’s me, and not Lola. “Oh, it’s you.” Then she quickly lets go and turns on her heel, moving to the other side of the group. Lola catches my gaze and gives an apologetic shrug.
We watch, our eyes scanning each quick shot, waiting to see our picture or a clip that we’re in.
“Did anyone see Adam?” Malik asks.
“I don’t think I did,” I say, “but it was so fast, I could hardly find myself.”
“Yeah, and it’s so hard to miss the red mass of tangles on your head,” Dani mutters.
I turn my head slowly, giving her my meanest stare. “At least I’m not a bleached blonde.”
“Okay, ladies,” the PA says, ushering us through the door. “Save it for the studio. We don’t need a scene out here.”
We file in, Dani pushing in front of me when we reach the door at the same time. When she flips her hair and it catches me in the face, I can feel the rage building up. She’s even worse than usual today.
Paulie comes up behind me. “You okay?” he asks. “It could be my imagination, but she seems to really have it in for you today.”
I shrug, wondering if she is trying to cover up her earlier excitement. “Who cares. With any luck, she’s going home today.”
Hakulani comes over and stands close. “Are you going to use the awesome power of the advantage on her?”
“If given a chance, you bet.”
He smiles. “That’s my girl.”
The way he says my girl send a chill down my spine. I know we’re only playing at this whole dating thing, but the possessiveness of it all gets a little weird sometimes.
Paulie rolls his eyes and speeds up, putting some distance between us. Which is pointless because we’re going to the same elevator. Still, when we enter the car, he pushes as far as he can into the opposite corner, and his eyes stay trained on the floor.
I keep smiling and chatting with Hakulani and Lola, but, in
this moment, I miss the fun Paulie and I used to have—so much. Ever since Hakulani and I started hanging out more, he’s been distant, and I know that if I said anything to Malik or Hakulani, they’d probably both tell me the same thing. I wish that there was something I could say to Paulie that would make everything go back to the way it was, but then I remember that despite what’s going on with Hakulani, I’m here to win this competition and so is Paulie. We don’t have time to be worrying about anything else, right? As the elevator doors open and we walk into the set, all my thoughts are pushed aside. Once again, the set looks completely different. Instead of the six separate kitchens we’d gotten used to, there are now three large stations forming a U shape in front of the judges’ table.
“Hello, chefs,” Jessica says. “Please step up so we can begin today’s elimination round.”
“Why does she always sound so cheerful when she talks about one of us going home?” I ask Paulie, who is standing on my right.
He doesn’t say anything, but I see his chest move. I’m not sure if he is huffing at me or laughing but doesn’t want me to know. Either way, I guess I should be happy I even got a response.
“Today our challenge is all about chance,” Jessica says with a devilish smile. “Do you guys feel lucky?”
We respond with a round of “Yeahs” and “Bring it ons.”
Jessica reveals a drawstring bag that she was hiding behind her back and gives it a little shake. “In this bag are six tiles. There are two tiles in three different colors.”
“Oh no,” Lola says, worry in her voice.
The rest of us stiffen because we all know what’s coming next.
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