4. Stew
"Chug! Chug! Chug!"
Emma stops drinking the stew and, as has become common, shoots a glare my way. "Can you not? I'll do this at my own pace."
"What ever happened to going as fast as you can?" I ask in a playful-slash-mocking manner. "I mean, a million bucks, am I right?"
"Right, let me just accidentally inhale this concoction from going too fast, then get back to me when I'm drowning from it."
"Woo!" I yell, ignoring her sarcasm and startling her. "C'mon Emma, you can do it!" She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, and goes right back to drinking.
Emma's always been the 'serious' one. Growing up, she almost never bothered to do anything but study and read. Even when my friends and I offered to hang out with her, or asked her to go play games with us, or invited her out to movies or something that didn't involve being nose-deep into books, she'd always refuse and go back to learning about whatever it was she wanted to learn about. Chances are it was still law, even back in seventh grade.
Now, we're both reasonably mature adults (more or less) and even then she still finds ways to literally be 'The Most Boring Person On Earth'. Like, seriously, she needs to go out and have some fun, something that doesn't involve reading about courtrooms and prosecutors and other boring stuff like that. If only she'd let me take her to a party, then she'd finally know what a waste her life has been up to this point!
Emma chokes all of a sudden and lowers the bowl to cough. "Something tells me we chose the wrong spices," she says in between hacking up a lung.
"'We'?" I repeat with a tilt of my head. "But didn't you choose all the spices?"
Emma stops her coughing to scowl at me.
"Which, you know, is totally okay because I would've ended up choosing even worse ones," I continue without missing a beat. She merely gives me a flat look and resumes her drinking.
There wasn't much left in the bowl, though, and after a few more seconds of chugging she wipes her mouth and raises the dish above her head. "Done!" she declares at the camera crew, who give us the thumbs up to continue on.
We grin and Emma drops the bowl, but then the weirdest chain reaction I've ever had the misfortune of witnessing begins to happen. Owen, his face redder than an erupting volcano, screams for water and rushes over to a camel to drink its spit. That in itself is gross enough, but then Chet pukes into his mouth at the sight of it, before Lorenzo forces him to swallow it. Then Crimson barfs from that, followed by Spud, and finally Emma, having saw it all with me.
Multiple people throwing chunks all at once is also pretty gross, but I'd like to think I have an iron stomach, so I don't do the same. Emma doubles over to get rid of her stew and, seeing my chance, I take a picture of her and me, making sure to give a shocked look to the camera. The caption 'So gross! Big sis is puking everywhere!' comes to mind, with at least half a dozen emojis in it as well. I gotta remember to post this one soon.
I put my phone away and wait for Emma to control herself. She stands up soon after and wipes the leftovers from her mouth. "Feeling any better?" I ask sincerely, although I couldn't help but smile at the mishap.
"Just peachy," she mumbles. "Although I could so use a mint or two right now."
"Good thing you won't be kissing anyone for a while."
She groans and doesn't give me the benefit of a glare. "Yeah, that's so going to happen in the middle of a race. Let's just go."
"Aye-aye, Captain, lead the way."
As we run, I begin to think. Really, the whole reason she's so uptight nowadays is because of her ex, Jake, dumping her three years ago. I mean, sure, she was still a force to be reckoned with back in junior high, but nowhere near as much of one as she is now. Because of the breakup, she's pretty much put walls up all around her and barely trusts anyone anymore, even her little sister! Which is totally bogus, 'cuz I'm a very trustworthy person! I just... tend to appreciate the small things in life!
Hm... I wonder if there's some way to get Emma to open up a bit more while we're here? A new experience like this makes for the perfect chance to do that. I should keep my eyes peeled!