Chapter Eight Mia
Chapter Eight
Mia
A thrill ran down Mia’s spine as she looked at all the contestants one by one. She and her crew had memorized names, faces,
and crushes before they’d left for Big Bear, but none of that compared to seeing everyone in the flesh. Everything was just
so real now. This whole day, despite Noah’s presence, was a dream come true.
The back of her neck prickled from the gaze of both cameras, but she tried her best to ignore them, focusing on the people
in front of her instead.
“Thank you all for coming,” she said. “The Cuffing Game is a dating show run entirely by Marlon students, for Marlon students. You have been chosen to be a contestant because you
are either a crusher—someone who has a crush—or you are someone’s crush. If you’re a crusher, you can win the game by cuffing
with your original crush and lasting all six days of the game. If you’re a crush, you win if you last that long and cuff with someone who likes you back.
Hopefully this is the crusher who anonymously nominated you to be on the show, but it doesn’t have to be.”
Caleb, a long-haired redhead, raised his hand.
“Yes, Caleb?” Mia asked.
“What if you’re a crusher but end up liking someone else in the show?”
Everyone laughed, and Jack exclaimed, “This man, right here!”
Mia winced. “Well, I’d hope your crush is strong enough to last more than a week if you nominated them to go on this show
with you.”
Some people said, “Ooh,” and Mia continued, “Y’all are giving up some of your winter break for this, after all. But if you do end up developing feelings for someone else, you are more than welcome to try dating that other person later! Just
not on the show, out of respect for your original crush. The only exception is if, for some reason, your crush gets eliminated
before you. Then, you can cuff with someone else and still be eligible to win the game, as long as the new cuffing is mutual.”
Bethany tossed her ponytail to one side and raised her hand. “If you’re a crusher, it’s probably best to confess and cuff
with your crush as soon as possible, right? So no one steals your crush from you?”
“Not necessarily,” Mia replied. “I mean, you can. How you want to approach things is entirely up to you. But every crush has
the right to refuse. And if a crush says no, then that’ll be an automatic elimination from the game for the crusher.”
Nervous murmurs erupted from around the firepit. Most of the crushers, like Shirin and Matías, looked terrified, while the crushes, like Noah, seemed intrigued but otherwise nonchalant.
“Oof,” said Bethany. “Understood. So, basically, we need things to be mutual.”
“Yup, the last thing we want is for someone to end up in a cuffle that they don’t want to be in.”
“Cuffle?” Shirin repeated. She frowned, as if the very word offended her. “What does that mean?”
“A cuffed couple,” Mia explained, trying her best not to blush. When she and her friends had made up their own words for the
show, it’d seemed cute and clever. But now, under the scrutiny of all nine contestants and the two cameras, Mia wasn’t so
sure. Maybe they’d overdone it a little.
But then, from behind her camera, Kallie grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
Mia relaxed her shoulders and smiled. Right. In the end, this was their show. They could do whatever they wanted with it.
She waited to see if anyone else had any questions.
When nine pairs of eyes silently stared back at her, she went on, “For the next four days, including today, there will be a random event, like online viewer voting or a competition. These events will determine your fate in the game, because how you do in them will determine the order you choose your cuffing partner. Whoever fails to cuff with someone else at the end of each day will be eliminated until we have the final three cuffles, of which the winning pair will be determined via audience vote during our live streamed finale on the twenty-third and receive five thousand dollars.”
Caleb let out a low whistle. “Five thousand dollars in less than a week? Nice!”
Noah, Jack, and Bethany kept somewhat neutral expressions, while Matías and Shirin still looked frightened. Carlos and Tiana
frowned, as if they were still trying to piece out why they were even here in the first place, while Caleb smiled like it
was the best day of his life. And Celine? Celine looked so hopeful that Mia’s own heart beat a little faster.
Mia was about to go on when Noah raised his hand.
She braced herself. “Yes, Noah?”
“So, what is the random event for today?”
Mia gritted her teeth, hoping Noah wouldn’t go back and forth with her like he did in class. This was definitely not the time
or place.
“I was getting to that,” she said, trying her best to keep her voice even. “Tonight’s event is speed dating. You’ll have the
chance to talk to whoever you wish for short periods of time. If you’re a crusher, hopefully you’ll get a chance to talk to
your crush! Whoever you end up talking to today, please remember that you and another person have to agree to cuff together by the end of the night. Otherwise, you’ll be eliminated.”
The contestants warily eyed each other, like they were all afraid the others would send them packing. The tension in the air
was so thick, Mia could have cut it with a knife.
And then, of course, Noah raised his hand again.
Mia tried her best not to sigh in exasperation. “Yes, Noah?”
“For these dates, do we have to stay outside, or can we go back into the lodge?” he asked. “The firepit is nice and all, but
I prefer indoors.”
Some of the other contestants made sounds of agreement, and everyone, both cast and crew, turned to look at Mia. Not for the
first time, she resented Noah’s entire existence.
The original plan was to record everyone talking to each other around the firepit, since that would make it a lot easier to
film the group. But of course, Noah had to randomly suggest an alternative.
She exchanged glances with her crew. Damien looked indifferent, but both Kallie and Alex gave her a pleading look. Since Kallie
was the principal cinematographer and Alex was the editor who was going to have to piece all the different clips of footage
together, Mia didn’t blame them. If everyone split apart, it’d be hell to record and edit this episode.
Mia tried to think of a compromise that could keep everyone warm without making postproduction hell.
“You’re welcome to go back inside,” she finally said. “But please keep to the living room or the dining room, since that’s where most of the overhead cameras are. Please be sure to stay near a camera so we can see and hear your conversations.”
“Cool,” Noah replied. “I call dibs on the turquoise lounge chairs! I saw a couple cameras near there.”
Mia hadn’t known the “turquoise lounge chairs” even existed. And apparently, she wasn’t the only one, because several other
people shot Noah confused looks.
Noah would pick the most random piece of furniture . . . Mia thought.
She almost rolled her eyes before remembering she was still being recorded. It took everything to keep her face blank. “If
no one has any other questions, let’s get started! Feel free to wander into the rooms I mentioned!”
They stopped recording, and Mia relaxed her shoulders as everyone got up. She was officially done hosting for today, since
all the work she had to do now was behind the scenes. Quickly, she tied her hair into a messy bun. It was a relief to be able
to look sloppy again.
Before any of the contestants could leave, Damien held up a finger. “Wait, one more thing. The cameras around the house are
lower quality, so Kallie and I will come around with the main cameras so everyone can have equal screentime with the higher-quality
video and audio. Please let us know if you haven’t been recorded by a main camera by the end of the night.”
“Good point, Damien,” Mia said. “Okay, everyone, go! Feel free to go inside and mingle! But also, whether you’re a crush or a crusher, be sure to remember your objectives for the night!”
Noah was the first to leave, presumably heading for the “turquoise lounge chairs.” Most of the other contestants walked aimlessly
about, trying to decide where to go. Only Celine seemed to know exactly who she wanted to talk to, making a beeline for Noah.
Mia had to hand it to her. Her roommate wasted no time when it came to getting what she wanted.
“Mia and Kallie, go follow Celine,” Damien said. “I’ll stay here and film whoever leaves next with Alex.”
“Maybe I won’t use the boom mic for this portion and instead mainly rely on the audio from the lav mics,” Alex said, already
looking stressed. “Since I can’t be in multiple rooms at one time. I wish I could clone myself!”
Mia winced. “Sorry, Alex.”
Alex shrugged. “It’s fine. Noah had a point. It’s a lot colder out here than we thought it would be. It happens.”
Mia grabbed a tripod and caught up with Kallie, who’d resumed recording as she trailed after Celine. When she saw Mia, Celine
waved at her before wincing.
“Wait, sorry,” she whispered. “I’m supposed to pretend the camera isn’t there, right? I’m so used to my vlogs, where I wave
and talk directly to everyone.”
“It’s fine,” Kallie said. “We can always edit it out later.”
Sorry, Alex, Mia thought. Again.
The three of them found Noah exactly where he said he’d be, stretched out on one of the turquoise chaise longues in the living room.
Cushioned against the plush fabric of the chair, Noah lay with his eyes closed, as if he were taking a nap.
Mia had to hand it to him. The lounge chairs did look super comfy. She was almost jealous.
Celine’s eyes darted from Mia to Noah, like she wasn’t sure what to do.
“Should I wake him up?” she asked quietly.
Noah bolted up in surprise, like he hadn’t been expecting anyone to come over to talk to him.
What is this clown doing? Mia bit back a laugh.
“Hey,” Celine said with a strained smile. “Mind if I join you?”
Noah coughed. “No, not at all. Come have a seat.”