Page 91 of Ex Marks the Spot

He comes to our table for a whopping two seconds and says, “Incorrect.”

“Ugh! Is it the measurements or the plates?”

I don’t know why I bother asking. The only things they’re allowed to say are “incorrect” and “correct,” and so far, no one’s gotten it right.

“Check!” DeAngelo’s arm goes up.

His instructor approaches, takes a slow walk around the table, and...nods.

He nods.

“Correct.”

Court and I exchange a stupefied look as the Wise Asses accept their clue and run out of the room.

“Tell me that didn’t just happen.”

I refuse to admit that my hope of going to the finals with the Bombshells and Old Bay is now dashed. “Maybe there’s another clue and they’ll get lost looking for it. At least now we can use their table as a guide instead of running all the?—”

The instructor removes a folded tablecloth from the chair and covers their table.

“Dammit,” I say on a long sigh. “They didn’t do that with the puzzle in Egypt.”

“That also wasn’t the semi-finals.” Court’s voice is flat as he scrubs a hand over his face. “Anyway, are we trying new measurements or different plates?”

Before I can answer, Alexis runs in, immediately pulling to a stop when she sees the covered table. “They got it?”

“Yep.”

“Dammit!”

I nod in solidarity. “Right now, I deeply regret not manifesting a sphincter prolapse.”

She barks out a laugh and points at me with the wineglass in her hand. “It’s not too late. Anything’s possible on Xtreme Quest.”

Thirty minutes later, we confirm this to be true—just not in the way we were hoping.

Meet Paul behind the mansion.

The last team to check in will be eliminated.

“So much for the Wise Asses getting lost leaving here,” I say. I shove the stupid clue in my fanny pack and sling my bag over my shoulder, pausing for one last look at Haylee and Kadeeja, who are still working on their place setting. “It’s just not fair.”

“I know,” Court says, leading me down the hallway toward the exit.

With no need to rush, we take our time walking outside and around the building. Tears blur my vision the farther we get and eventually spill over when I spot the Bombshells waiting for us at the checkpoint.

Even Paul greets us with a half-hearted smile. “Team Hartbreak, you’re the third to arrive at the checkpoint, and the last team that will be competing in the final leg of Xtreme Quest.”

I should be happy. Ecstatic. Shouting from the rooftop because against allodds, Court and I made it to the finals. Instead, I’m standing here with a bittersweet lump lodged in my throat at the injustice of it all.

“Tell me what’s going through your mind right now,” Paul says.

I shrug and wipe my cheeks. “I was hoping for a different set of teams in the finale.”

“What about you, Court?”

“What’s going through my mind isn’t suitable for TV.”