Diamond in the Rough (16 page)

Gemma was sure her jaw was touching the floor.  It certainly felt like it.  She had never felt such fury or unfairness.  “I did
not
say that!” she seethed.  “That was taken completely out of context!”

Mira shrugged nonchalantly, as if to drive home the point.  “They don’t care,” she said.  “They will spin anything you give them out of context.  You’re the one that needs to make sure that you don’t give them anything risky to spin.  That was why I said no comments about Tyler.  I was sure that if you knew that, it also meant no comments about say,
Lucas
.”  Mira shook her head.  “You may think the bad party girl image is a cute look, but I can guarantee you that it only hurts your career.  You’re one headline away from being another celebrity trainwreck.”

It was far too much information for Gemma to process at once.  She stared numbly into the space of the living room, tears still streaking her face.  “I’m embarrassed,” she finally said.

Mira nodded.  “For good reason.”

“I don’t even want to do my interviews this week,” Gemma muttered, realizing that she sounded a bit irrational.  She was sure that mortification was not a legitimate reason to skip out on appearances.  But the response from Mira surprised her.

“You won’t have to.”

Gemma frowned.  “What?”

Mira shut off the iPad and stood up, smoothing out her navy chiffon blouse.  “You won’t have to,” she repeated.  “You’re now officially Gemma Hunter and no one else until I tell you otherwise.”

~

“Oh my God, what is that?” Leah laughed, pointing at Gemma’s cell phone.  Gemma’s new cell phone could hardly be called new with its rudimentary screen and keypad.  She wasn’t even sure where Mira had found it.  All it could do was call a limited amount of contacts that Mira had pre-programmed.  Text messages were received by chance thanks to a low capacity for holding any sort of information.  After the fiftieth text, Gemma’s inbox would be full and nothing more would come through.  With friends like Leah and Kate, this practically happened on an hourly basis.

“How have you not seen it yet?” Kate asked.  “She’s had it since school started.”

“What happened to your iPhone? Is this why I can never reach you?” Leah asked.  Gemma shrugged, picking at her salad as she looked out the window of the café.  She felt numb and imprisoned in this new lifestyle that Mira had forced on her since the vacation and magazine debacle.  Her regular phone as well as the phone she used as Queen Bee had been taken from her along with the car keys.  Lucas had been driving her to and from school in his father’s truck on a daily basis.

“Honestly,” Kate said.  “I think it’s a great idea to lessen the distractions in our lives so we can all just concentrate on college apps and SATs and stuff.  I think I’m going to try it too.”

“Like you’d last a day,” Leah snorted.  Kate considered Leah’s statement before nodding in agreement.

“You’re right.  I wouldn’t last an hour.”

Gemma remained silent as she focused on the road outside, waiting for Lucas’s car to come around.  Her senior year classes were far from challenging and the girls could only ever talk about college applications and SAT prep courses.  Gemma felt an unfamiliar sense of monotony in her life and it was beginning to show.  Leah and Kate may not have noticed with their self-absorption but there was no doubt that Lucas was feeling the brunt of Gemma’s misplaced bitterness.  She would feel bad had she not felt so without sensation.

“Your boy toy is here!” Leah announced before sipping her smoothie and wrapping an arm around Gemma’s neck.  “Bye, girl!” Gemma smiled stiffly in response before waving a quick goodbye and ducking out of the café.

~

“Where are we going?” Gemma asked.  Lucas had been driving for nearly an hour without mentioning their destination.  Lost in thought and barely paying attention, Gemma hadn’t realized how long she’d been sitting in the truck.  He had mentioned at some point that he was taking her to a surprise location but didn’t say much else.

“We’re almost there,” Lucas said, smiling.

“What’re we doing?” Gemma said, unsatisfied with his initial response.

“My favorite October tradition.  It’s usually my whole family but everyone’s doing their own thing this year.  I don’t know about them but I can’t handle the idea of my house not smelling like apples the entire month.”

“We’re going apple-picking?” Gemma’s eyes widened.

“Yep.”

“Oh, wow!” Gemma said with genuine delight.  Her mood perked up despite herself and she sat up in the passenger’s seat to get a good look out the window.  A mélange of vibrant autumnal hues greeted her.  The hills boasted trees with bright red, orange and yellow leaves.  “I’ve never been apple-picking before! I don’t even think I’ve ever seen an apple tree before!”

“Well, City Girl,” Lucas laughed.  “With the way I
pick apples, you might not want to see another apple tree for awhile.”

Shortly after, Lucas pulled the truck onto a dirt path in front of a big red barn.  Haystacks lined the walkway towards the entrance and orange pumpkins were festively scattered across the lawn.

“I’ll get the door for you,” Lucas said as he jumped out the car and made his way around to Gemma’s side.  Gemma blushed, noticing for the first time in awhile how handsome Lucas looked in his red plaid shirt and jeans.  He opened her door and took her hand as she stepped down from the truck.  Lucas leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.  He pulled away, smiling shyly as if he had just done something he wasn’t supposed to do.

For a moment, Gemma suddenly forgot why she had been so sullen for so long.  She may not have had contact with Zoe, Harper and Tyler in awhile but who needed them when she had something so incredibly sweet at home?

~

It was a wonder Gemma and Lucas had gotten as many apples as they did when half their time through the orchard was spent tumbling under the trees, sharing kisses in the cool shade.  Lucas had spent much of the past months cautious in dealing with Gemma, understanding of her anger with being cut off from her other life.  As a result, it had been awhile since they were this affectionate.

“That’s the last one!” Lucas called from beside the truck.  He had been lifting wooden bushels of apples to Gemma who was standing in the back of the truck, finding some way to make sense of the dozens of apples now in their possession.  “You’re going to get so sick of apples.”

“They smell so amazing I can’t imagine ever being sick of them,” Gemma said, inhaling the aroma of the freshly picked apples with the crisp autumn air.  Lucas reached up towards Gemma, grabbing her waist and pulling her down from the truck.

“Come inside with me,” he said, gesturing towards the barn.  “I promised Elisa I’d buy her some homemade cider doughnuts.”  Gemma could smell them before they reached the entrance.  She walked into the barn, immediately charmed by the simple country décor.  Needlepoint welcome signs hung at the entrance and the cashier’s counter where a line of old-fashioned glass jars held various baked goods and homemade candies.  An elderly woman was behind an adjacent counter, wearing a forest green apron dusted with cinnamon sugar.  She packed boxes of doughnuts for the long line of customers.

After Lucas purchased a box and packed it into the car, he emerged from the front seat with a picnic basket.  They strolled through the long stretches of green grass to a secluded space under a welcoming tree.  Lucas spread out a large, checkered blue blanket and set the basket on top.

“Hungry, gorgeous?” he asked.

“Yes, but if you feed me any more I’m not going to look so gorgeous anymore.”

“Not possible,” Lucas said, smiling.  He grabbed Gemma’s hand and pulled her down beside him on the blanket.  Gemma giggled as he kissed her neck, his strong body grazing hers.  She ran her nails playfully down his muscular back.  To her surprise, he let out a soft moan of pleasure.  Without meaning to, Gemma flinched.  She hoped Lucas hadn’t noticed, but it was obvious that he had when he stopped kissing her, pulling away and looking embarrassed.

“Sorry,” he laughed, awkwardly.  “It just felt good.”

“No,” Gemma said, shaking her head as she sat up.  “I mean, I’m sorry.  I don’t know why I reacted that way.”  Despite what she said, Gemma
did
know why.  While she and Lucas had certainly done more than kissing, it wasn’t a whole lot more.  Having him on top of her and knowing that no one they knew could walk in on them, she suddenly felt a little strange.  Gemma realized she had yet to tell Lucas why they hadn’t done more than some polite touching.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, kneeling beside her.

“I just want you to know, in case you didn’t figure it out already… that I’m not exactly...” Gemma bit her lip, struggling for a way to put it.  “Experienced.”

“It’s okay.  Neither am I.”

“No,” Gemma said.  “I mean… I’m a virgin.”

“Oh,” Lucas replied.  He thought for a second, not knowing how to respond.  “So you and Damian never…”

“No!” Gemma exclaimed, laughing nervously.  “We almost did but I just couldn’t do it knowing he’d be so far away after.”

“I see.  Well, I’ve only ever been with…
her.
  So I’m not
too
far ahead of you,” Lucas joked.  Gemma smiled, pulling him in for a kiss.

“You’re too cute,” she said as she kissed him on the nose.  He blinked, smiling at the gesture.  “And I’m sorry if I’m ever… awkward or nervous when we get close sometimes.”

“Don’t be sorry.  You’re adorable when you’re awkward and nervous.  And you know… it’ll happen when it’s meant to happen.”  Lucas pulled Gemma into a deep embrace, kissing her softly.  “And until then, we can do this.”

- Chapter 10 -

EVERYBODY STFU AND LEAVE QUEEN BEE ALONE

11/11 3:32PM

Celebstan

Posted by Justin, the Bee Chasing Alien who carries a Gunn

Omg these rumors are ridiculous.  I’m kind of disappointed in the human race right now.  Everyone’s acting like they’ve never seen a celebrity disappear every once in awhile.  Regarding why my Queen has been MIA, here’s a little recap of what’s being thrown around:

1. Kidnapped/killed by Tyler Chaser

2. In hiding due to shame over “reckless behavior”

3. Pregnant

4. In rehab

If any of you believe that a Tyler Chaser could kill Queen Bee, please unsubscribe from my blog immediately.  It is basic knowledge that Queen Bee is immortal, and even if she weren’t, she could end a bitch immediately with a diamond stiletto to the jugular.  As far as being “ashamed” of so-called “reckless behavior,” let me tell you something: Queen Bee has no regrets, because she has never done anything short of perfect in her lifetime.  And on the topic of being knocked up… if Queen Bee were in fact pregnant, she would be more than happy to tell you, as she would be carrying the Messiah.  And finally, rehab is for addicts, and the only thing Queen Bee is addicted to is flawlessness.

Here are the much more likely reasons behind why QB is MIA.

1. Needs some PRIVACY. 

2. Is tired of your bullshit.

3. Is considerately giving other artists an opportunity to shine in her absence.

4. Has been reincarnated into a unicorn.

It’s embarrassing that I even had to spell this out for anyone, as it should have been extremely obvious.  To my fellow Bee Chasing Aliens, don’t be ashamed of shedding tears in her absence.  We all miss her, and also, tears of love evaporate into the sky to become unicorn food.

HOLY $#!% MY WITCHCRAFT WORKED

11/12 6:19PM

Posted by Tara C.

Her Royal Secrecy

All I can say is, thank you to the clearance section of Michael’s where I bought all those old Halloween scarecrows.  They made fantastic Queen Bee voodoo dolls, and they were cheap enough that I didn’t feel bad throwing them into the East River.  Also, thanks to Officer Egan, the cop who let me off with just a warning for dumping trash (and by trash, I do mean
trash
).

Well Officer, I hope you’re cool with the fact that my trash-dumping led to the disappearance of Bitchass Bee.  I don’t know if there are any laws against voodoo in New York, but if there are, you really dropped the ball on that one.  Anyway, I actually did QB a favor considering what a hot mess she’s been lately.  How could she want to show her face after all those embarrassing headlines? Especially the ridiculous rumors about her being pregnant with Tyler Chase’s child.  That, my Chasers, is totally impossible because yes, I remain confident that they never did the dirty.  If they had, Tyler Chase would have already disintegrated into a cheap pile of glitter (one of the symptoms of having sex with QB).

Anyway, whatever.  She’s gone.  The nightmare is over.  Now it’s back to
war
friendly competition among us Chasers for the holy prize of Tyler’s peen.  May the best stan win!

“Please! Drive faster, I can’t handle another second near this building!” Kate squealed, putting her sunglasses on dramatically.  Leah laughed as she drove her silver Lexus convertible around the circular driveway of the high school and out of the lot.  Gemma pulled the neck of her grey cashmere sweater up to her chin.  With the top of the car down, the cold November breeze was a bit more than she could handle.  With Lucas’s SAT date coming up just after Thanksgiving break, he had been staying after school studying.  As a way to help him keep focus, Gemma started riding home with Leah.