Page 22 of The Cuffing Game
Although Noah had come up with the idea to transformCampus CrushintoThe Cuffing Game,he and Mia had agreed that he should be kept in the dark about any and all plans after that, just to keep things fair for everyone else.
Noah raised his eyebrows. “Whatever it is, I’m ready for it.”
Mia fixed him with an all-too-familiar glare.
Heat rose up inside Noah as he stared back at her. A part of him was still aware that the other contestants were waiting for him to join them by the fire. But it was as though he and Mia were back at Marlon, electricity crackling between them like they were mortal enemies in an anime.
Suddenly, Mia rubbed the corner of her eye, creating a small, dark smudge.
And just like that, Noah snapped out of it.
“Wait,” he said. “Are you wearingmakeup? Andcontacts?”
In the four months he’d known Mia, Noah couldn’t recall seeing her wearing anything else but her usual glasses, T-shirt—with a hoodie, if it was cold outside—and jeans. And because she never wore makeup, he’d assumed that that was just her thing.
But now, as a real blush bloomed across her cheeks, Noah noticed how they also had a faint shimmer of artificial pink. Her heart-shaped lips were cherry red, and although it was very slight, her eyes were lined with eyeliner that made them look bigger than usual.
And her hair. Her hair was down, in dark waves that pooled across her shoulders.
Noah put a hand over his mouth. This was a Mia he’d never seen before, and he had no idea what to do.
“Yeah?” Mia frowned. “So what if I am?”
Noah only then realized that, in his shock, he’d stared at Mia fortoolong, way beyond the socially appropriate amount. She looked pissed.
He shrugged and glanced away in an effort to break the tension between them. “Looks nice. But also, you smeared your eyeliner. You should probably fix that before we start filming.”
Mia narrowed her eyes at him and reached into her pocket for her phone.
Someone grabbed Noah’s shoulder.
Noah bristled, his heart rate skyrocketing from the sudden physical contact. It was a good thing they weren’t filming yet, because for a split second, he grimaced in what was probably a very unflattering way.
“You must be Noah,” said a low, matter-of-fact voice behind him. “We simplydo nothave time right now for... whatever it is you’re doing. Please go to Alex—they’re with Matías right now—to get miked and then join everyone else at the firepit.”
Noah turned away from Mia, who was now fixing her makeup with her phone camera, to look at the speaker, a vaguely familiar Black boy holding one of the cameras.
“Damien Carter,” he said. “We took Intro to Cinema together as freshmen, although with a class size of threehundred fifty students, I don’t expect you to remember me. I myself only know you through social media, since we never talked to each other in class. Now, shoo. We’re already behind schedule. Alex, mike him.”
Alex, who reminded Noah of a tomato with their short, dyed-bright-red hair and green, squarish glasses, got Noah miked up and ready to go. As they were working, the final crew member, a white girl with a blond pixie cut, came by with the other camera.
“Hey,” she said. “I’m Kallie. Nice to meet you.”
“Noah. And likewise.”
When Noah finally settled into his seat at the firepit, everyone stared at him.
Noah squashed down his discomfort, forcing himself to put on a neutral, vaguely friendly face.
“Hi, everyone,” he said. “I’m Noah. It’s nice to meet you all.”
His words were met with a mix of cheerful greetings and disgruntled noises from the other contestants. They all seemed to know who he was, but not everyone looked happy to see him.
Mia bit her lip. “All right then. Sorry for the delay. Now that everyone is ready, let’s get started so we won’t finish filming too late at night.”
The crew introduced themselves to the contestants, and then Mia went in front of the cameras.
Kallie said, “Camera is rolling.”
