Page 76 of The Cuffing Game
He got out a blindfold from his pocket. Mia froze but let her friend cover her eyes with the piece of fabric.
“Y’all are literally the only people in the world I trust enough to do this with,” Mia remarked. “You know that, right?”
“I know,” Damien replied in a singsong voice. “Thank you for trusting us.”
He securely tied the blindfold around her head and led her up the steps to the house. Mia heard the door open and close behind them, and after they’d gone a few feet inside, Damien said, “Okay, loosening the blindfold.”
The fabric fell away, and it took a few seconds for Mia’s eyes to adjust to the lights. And when they did, she blinked rapidly to avoid bursting into tears.
“Surprise!” Kallie exclaimed. “We’re having a beach house party!”
“Not everyone could make it of course,” Damien amended. “Since it’s three days before Christmas. But this is still a decent turnout. We know you hate surprises, but hopefully you’ll like this one.”
Streamers and balloons decorated the dining room of the house. All the finalists except Celine and Kyle were there, along with Jack and Matías. They all stood around the kitchen island, where a large white cake sat on the counter.
Back home, Mia was always the one throwing parties for her sisters, since, although she was the oldest, Jeannette had good ideas but wasn’t very good at executing them. This was the first time Mia had never had a party thrown forher. Her heart swelled with gratitude as more tears fell from her eyes.
“Wow” was all she could say out loud. “Thanks, y’all.”
She looked around for Celine and Kyle but remembered what Damien had said.I guess they have some things to take care of before we start recording again,she thought.
Closely followed by Kallie and Alex, Mia approached thekitchen island and peered closer at the decoration on the cake.
Thanks, Mia!it said in gold and black frosting.From The Cuffing Game Family.
Gold and black were Marlon’s school colors. After a whole semester of feeling lost and out of place, seeing her name in those colors made her chest squeeze.
It was like she finally belonged.
Damien filled small champagne flutes with sparkling apple cider and Mia passed them around. When everyone had their drinks, Kallie exclaimed, “We love you, Mia!”
The others joined in, cheering as they raised their glasses. Tears fell from Mia’s eyes.She smiled so widely that her cheeks ached.
When she first came to Marlon, “friends” were the last thing on Mia’s mind. She was laser focused on her own dreams and ambitions, and that was it. But somehow, her crush on a particularly annoying frat boy, and the show she’d created to avoid her feelings for him, had led her to a whole group of people that had become her second family, thousands of miles away from her biological one.
As people mingled, Matías and Jack approached her.
“Mia!” Matías exclaimed. He squeezed her so tightly that her feet lifted off from the ground.
“Hey!” she said when she could breathe again. “How are things?”
“Amazing,”Matías replied with a big smile.
“We’re still really grateful,” Jack added.
Mia beamed, even more than before. “Any fun plans for the holidays?”
“Jack is flying home to Atlanta tomorrow, while I’m going back to New York. Sadly it was too late to make Christmas plans together.”
“You could always hop on a plane and surprise Jack’s parents,” she joked. “They probably already know you from the show.”
Matías’s eyes went wide. “I know you’re kidding, but you’re absolutely right. Theydoalready know me, thanks to the show. Apparently they want to meet me soon... just not at Christmas. Which I understand. Plus, I can’t abandon my family last minute! Christmas is a big deal in my household.”
Mia laughed. “I totally get it, because same!”
She mingled some more, checking in to make sure everyone was okay. She was enjoying herself, but some part of her couldn’t help but wish Noah were there. And that they hadn’t had their horrible fight.
When the sun had almost set, Mia wandered over to where Damien was chatting with Alex and Kallie, who’d put down their equipment to enjoy the party.
