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“Geez,” I mutter as I pull my eyes away from her. “I feel sorry for her.”
Chloe looks at me. “Did you say something?”
I tilt my head toward Sienna. “Kinda rough not to have your parents supporting you.”
She nods. “I also feel bad for her.”
Come to think of it, Sienna didn’t have anyone cheering her on during the previous rounds.
I smile at Chloe. “I’m lucky to have my cheer squad out there.”
She returns it. “We all believe in you and want you to excel. Don’t worry—you’ve got this. You’ll win the scholarship and follow your dreams and become an incredible chef.”
I wish I could hug her. “That was very sweet. Thank you.”
The audience is getting quite noisy out there. There are more people, since it’s the finals, and I’m feeling the pressure. Could it be that in only a few hours, I’ll be the winner? Is Chloe right and my dreams will come true? Well, one of my dreams.
“What?” she asks.
I blink, not realizing I was staring at her. “Nothing. Just nervous.”
“You’ll do great. And remember, you have me.” She gives me her usual Chloe smile, which melts my heart.
Viraj introduces the finalists and what school they go to. When my name is called, my cheer team goes wild. I glance at them and am surprised to see new faces. Ava’s maternal grandparents, Vivian and Robert Wood, are here, Principal Nakamura and VP Rivera, and Mrs. Duncan.
Wow. They’re all here to support me.
“Congratulations on making it to the finals, young cooks!” Viraj says and the crowd erupts in applause. Viraj waves his hands, quieting the crowd. “Yes, this is very exciting. Let me remind everyone of the prize. The winner of this year’s Young Chefs of Tomorrow will receive a scholarship to the Robinson Culinary Institute. He or she will also win a beautiful trophy.” He gestures to the golden trophy with a plate of food on it and the logo of the competition. “And of course the title of this year’s Young Chefs of Tomorrow winner!”
My lips lift in a smile. But then I swallow as it dawns on me how real this is. I’m actually here, at the finals. I have a one in three chance of winning this whole thing.
“Are you ready to hear your final challenge?” Viraj asks.
Everyone, including the contestants and their partners, starts clapping.
“Your final challenge is to cook us a three-course meal! An appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert.”
Chloe and I expected this, so it’s no surprise. The other finalists don’t seem too shocked, either.
“You will have fifty minutes to cook each course and then you’ll present it to the judges. Fifty minutes on the clock, please. Are you ready? One, two, three, go!”
And we’re off, scrambling to get everything we need from the pantry like our lives depend on it.
Chloe and I grab our stuff, then heave our baskets onto our station and get started. Like before, the place is very tiny, and we’re toppling over each other as we grab various things.
“Sorry!” I say as my shoulder knocks into hers, igniting a spark that shoots down to my toes.
Chloe flinches back. Did she feel it, too?
“It’s okay,” she says. “Crash into me all you want. I just want to finish on time.”
We bang into each other more times than I can count. And each time, I feel that spark.
Why am I thinking about that when I should be focusing on the competition?
“Twenty minutes left,” Viraj announces.
My heart picks up speed. Crap. We’re making something very complicated and I’m not sure we’ll be ready in time.
