Chapter 15 #4
The staff member shows us to our chosen room—the Pirate’s Loot.
Inside, weathered maps and flickering lanterns adorn the space and wooden floorboards creak under our shoes.
The goal is to unravel the clues that open the locked doors, which we need to go through to escape the pirate’s den within the hour.
The first room has us looking for a way to decode a treasure map that has a sequence in it.
“Guys, wait, I think I’ve figured it out,” I say, pointing at a piano in the back. “They’re notes.”
“Stop it. I’m serious,” Mia squeals, playfully pushing Jason away when he tries to tickle her ribs. “We need to focus on the map. We only have a few minutes to crack it.”
“Right,” I try again. “I think we need to play the piano to open the door.”
“How can I focus on the map when you’re right in front of me?” Jason ignores me, leaning down to kiss Mia. She hugs him, and I wish for the sweet release of death.
Minutes pass—and finally, Mia and I huddle around the piano while Jason looks for a key in the back.
“Are you mad I brought him?” Mia asks. “You’ve been quiet.”
“No, no,” I lie. “He’s important to you, so he’s important to me.” Which is true at least. If someone’s in her life like this, I should know, so I can support her in whatever way she might need.
“Us getting serious … it’s recent.” She bites her lip and goes a little quiet. “I was going to tell you.”
I press down on the piano keys with more force than necessary. Why didn’t you then?
“I thought you didn’t want to be exclusive,” I say.
“And I didn’t. But he’s really sweet. I guess he won me over.” She sighs. “He asked me to be his girlfriend after Thanksgiving. I don’t know … love is weird sometimes.”
My hands freeze on the keys.
Love.
Mia is in love—?
Suddenly, the door in the back of the room swings open with a thundering crack.
“Arrr, well done. Ye’ve cracked me code.
Venture into me chambers if ye’ve got the guts.
But heed this, the door will be closing in five, four…
” The announcement booms through the room, urging us to hurry.
We dash toward the next room, but Mia trips over a loose floorboard and falls to the ground.
“Wait!” I sprint back to get her, but the door slams shut, leaving Mia trapped in the first room. “Mia! Are you all right?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll play the code on the piano again,” she calls out, her voice and the sound of the piano echoing through the wall.
“We’ll wait for you before working on the next clue,” Jason says, throwing me a look that leaves me slightly puzzled.
I shove my hands in my pockets and shift from foot to foot, the weight of the silence pressing in on me. Fuck, I suck at small talk. I don’t know anything about him, so I’m not sure what to ask.
“Can I just say, you’re, like, mad talented, Sassy,” he supplies.
“Thanks,” I say, relaxing a little. “Do you like my music?”
He snickers. “Nah, I’m not into girly music, that’d be kind of gay.”
“Huh?”
“Sorry, that came off the wrong way. I just mean, it’s not my thing,” he says. “I’m more into podcasts at the moment. Finance and like, men’s self-growth, you know?”
I don’t know, because you’d have to catch me dead before I listened to a podcast about any of those things, but suddenly the finance book on Mia’s bedside table makes sense.
“Got the code!” Mia calls out, and before I can say anything, the door slides open, and a triumphant Mia comes through. “Also, we forgot the treasure map with the clues. Guys! We need to do better.”
“Babe, you’re so smart!” Jason picks her up and spins her around.
“Thanks for waiting.” Mia ropes her arms around his neck.
Jason pecks her lips, letting his hands wander to her ass. “I missed you.”
“You’re such a sap. Put me down,” Mia says before kissing him back. The world melts around them, and I disappear along with it.
With a sigh, I reach for the treasure map and turn toward the next clue. It’s going to be a long escape room.
By the time we get back to her apartment, I can’t wait for Jason to leave. He mentioned something about needing to meet up with his friends, so I jump in the shower to give them some alone time, hoping he’ll be gone when I come out.
i hate this guy, I text the group chat between me, Kai, and Asher. And then, because my heart hurts and I can’t help myself, apparently they’ve been serious for a while. she didn’t tell me.
KAI
wtf. SINCE WHEN?
I find some strange relief in the fact that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know. But shouldn’t I? I mean, I’m still Mia’s best friend … aren’t I?
ASHER
are you mad she didn’t tell you?
ME
I don’t want to be, but yeah. I feel sort of betrayed.
“Are you for real right now?” Jason’s voice echoes through the wall, snapping my attention away from my phone. There’s a thud, like something just crashed to the ground, followed by the muffled sound of objects tumbling from a shelf onto the carpet.
A shiver courses through my body when I don’t hear Mia reply. I throw on some clothes and dart back into the living room in record time.
“Calm down,” Mia’s telling Jason. She has her hands up, facing him, while he paces across the apartment like a caged animal. “It’s taken out of context. There’s nothing going on between me and Asher. I kissed him on the cheek, and it was a joke.”
Wait, Asher? Mia shoots me a look, her eyes darting toward my phone.
With a sinking feeling, I navigate to my social media, and sure enough, there it is: a picture from Toni and Malvin’s New Year’s party.
In the background, unmistakably, Mia can be seen kissing Asher’s cheek, but it’s blurry, so it’s up to interpretation what was going on between them.
One of our relatives must have posted it without noticing Asher in the background and the press must have found it.
The first article I click on has a flashy headline: ASHER GRISH MOVES ON FROM ROSA LóPEZ WITH SASSY’S CHILDHOOD FRIEND.
SOURCES CONFIRM SASSY INTRODUCED THEM OVER THE HOLIDAYS, AND ALTHOUGH IT’S NEW, THEY’VE BEEN DATING SERIOUSLY FOR A MONTH.
LOOKS LIKE SASSY’S NOT JUST A GREAT SINGER, BUT ALSO AN INCREDIBLE MATCHMAKER!
What the fuck is this garbage?
“Right. And then you fucked him.” Jason’s voice is laced with a sinister edge.
“What the fuck? I just said I kissed him on the cheek.” Mia’s voice shakes in a way that makes me want to kick Jason out of her place. “You need to calm down. It meant nothing. You know I love you.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I interrupt, stepping between them and putting a hand on Jason’s chest so he backs off. “I was there. It was my idea, actually.”
“It was your idea for my girlfriend to kiss another dude?” He frowns.
“I kissed Asher on the cheek as a joke, then Mia did the same.”
“And your boyfriend let you?” Jason says.
“Huh?” I cross my arms. “It wasn’t even a real kiss. Nothing happened after. I understand you’re confused, but she’s telling the truth. This is how the press works. They like to make up rumors—”
Jason scowls. “Okay, no offense, but shut up. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Bro, you shut up,” I say, gathering my courage. If Mia can’t speak right now, I don’t mind speaking for us both. “It has everything to do with me because I was there. It was a stupid New Year’s kiss on the cheek. You have the right to be upset, but not to treat Mia like this.”
“Then let me see your phone.” Jason pushes me aside and tries to reach for Mia’s phone on the couch.
I grab it before he can. “The fuck you think you’re doing?”
“It’s not a big deal, Sasha,” Mia says. She’s rubbing her temples, but her voice is thick, like she wants to cry. “Just give him my phone. I have nothing to hide.” Mia’s hands gently grip Jason’s arms in an attempt to soothe him. “Jason, you can trust me.”
“Why can’t I see your phone if you’re innocent?” Jason says, softening.
“Seriously?” I scoff, unable to contain my anger at the whole situation. “Dude, either you trust her, or you don’t.”
“It’s not so simple,” he barks. “All my friends think she cheated. I look like a fool.”
“But she didn’t. She just told you,” I say. “Look, if you can’t trust her, you’re wasting her time and yours.”
Jason’s eyes widen. He looks between me and Mia.
Silence spreads, but the more it drags, the more my stomach clenches.
Mia takes a tentative step toward him, pleading for understanding.
There’s a brief flicker of uncertainty on his face when Mia touches him, and for a second, I think I’ve convinced him.
Then Jason grabs his jacket and flings the door open. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry. We’re done.”
“Wait—” Mia cries out. She swipes her phone from my hand and bolts after Jason, throwing me a nasty look on her way out. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
The door slams shut in my face, and I freeze, not fully sure of what just happened. I didn’t mean to break them up. I was trying to stand up for her.
My breath catches, and I press my thumbs against my eyes with horror. I don’t realize my hands are shaking until I reach for my phone to send Mia a text. just text me so I know you’re okay.
Hours slip by, but there’s no response. I don’t know what to do, who to call. Kai? Asher? Panic tightens its grip on my heart. She’s not picking up, and it’s pitch-black outside in the middle of New York. Not only that, it’s winter. And she left without a coat—
The sound of keys rattling outside has me sprinting toward the door as it bolts open with a hollow thud. “Mimi?”
Mia walks in, her figure silhouetted against the harsh light of the corridor. I lock my arms around her in a fierce hug, but she shoves me aside.
“Don’t.” She turns to me blankly, huddled in Jason’s hoodie. Her voice is hoarse, like she’s been crying.
“Are you guys still broken up?” I ask.
“No, I managed to fix it.” She marches to her bedroom and flops on her bed, her back to me. “I just want to go to sleep.”