Hidden Gem (17 page)

“Well if there’s nothing going on, what are you worried about?”

“I’m worried about what she’s thinking.
 
He was at my house the other day to help Gavin shovel and we fell asleep on the couch together.
 
Madison didn’t see but I’m pretty sure she guessed… and then some,” Gemma said.
 
Damian raised an eyebrow.
 
“What? Is it the worst thing in the world that we fell asleep next to each other
sitting up
? It was a total accident.”

“It’s not bad.
 
I might just be jealous,” Damian said, managing a bit of a laugh.
 
He pulled her into him for a hug and she wrapped her arms around his body, releasing a breath that she hadn’t even realized she was holding.

Suddenly, the door burst open.
 
Gemma heard a gruff voice and the sound of squeaking sneakers accompanied by clicking heels.
 
Gemma peered around the lockers to see Matt, a football player she recognized from parties including Madison’s birthday.
 
His arms were wrapped around a giggling Kylie.
 
Gemma gasped, catching their attention.

“Oh no way.
 
I knew it!” Matt doubled over in laughter upon seeing the two on the bench, spurring Damian to release Gemma from his arms.
 
“I
told
everyone the good girl thing was just an act.”
 
Kylie kept her hands down Matt’s back pockets, untroubled by the fact that she was in the presence of her boyfriend’s sister.

“Unlike you, we’re not doing anything wrong,” Damian said, standing up.

“Really?” Matt snorted.
 
“Then what’s she in here for? There’s no other explanation.”

“Uh, no. You’re the only dude gross enough to use this place like a hotel room,” Damian said.
 
He turned to Kylie.
 
“What, do you just go for an off-season athlete so you can get rides home after school?”

“What’d you say to my girl?” Matt asked, letting go of Kylie to approach Damian.
 
Gemma stood still, feeling nervous and completely useless.
 
Damian was tall and lean but Matt was, well,
big
.
 
A fight could go either way.

“Aw Matt, come on,” Damian said, stone-faced.
 
“We all know Kylie isn’t really anyone’s girl.”

Kylie scoffed, putting a warning hand in Damian’s face. “I know you’re not trying to call me a slut.”

“
I
know Gavin isn’t seeing anyone else,” Damian countered. “So I’m not sure why you are.”

Matt snickered.
 
“Enough, D.
 
I think it’s clear who the real slut in this room is.” He nodded towards Gemma.
 
“Heard you tried to fuck Lucas this week.
 
Pretty sure
you’re
the one who doesn’t know what ‘taken’ means.”

Before Gemma could even react to the comment, Damian’s elbow had propelled itself into Matt’s chest, sending him reeling backwards towards Kylie.

“Damian,
no
,” Gemma ran to stop him.
 
She could only think of his college scholarships, all the Division I schools that had scouted his stellar play for their own basketball teams.
 
“It’s not worth it, Damian!” She clutched his arm and backpedaled her feet in an attempt to pull him away.
 
She finally succeeded, though she suspected Damian had given up on the fight for the sake of her panic.
 
He interlocked his fingers with hers and stepped back to give her a look of reassurance.

Matt huffed as he struggled to get back on his feet.
 
“You’re wasting your energy on her,” he smirked.
 
“She’s using you to get closer to Lucas.
 
She’s a whore.”

As Gemma’s jaw dropped with mortification, she felt Damian’s hand release hers and watched it land a hard punch in Matt’s eye.
 
Kylie screamed as Matt lunged forward, shoving Damian to the ground.
 
Gemma rushed to push Matt off of him but he flung her arm back, throwing her against the lockers.

Just then, she heard the creak of the locker room door opening and looked up.

Madison stood at the doorway in shock.
 
Lucas had already run towards the fight and grabbed Matt by the back collar.
 
He lifted him off of Damian, who remained on the ground holding his head.
 
Kylie simply stood staring in shock while Gemma eased herself off of the cold floor.

“What’s going on here?” Lucas yelled.
 
Gemma froze.
 
She had never seen him so much as raise his voice let alone look so furious.
 
Veins protruded from his neck.
 
He looked to her, his normally calm hazel eyes now frantic in search of an answer.

“Damian’s playing superhero as always,” Matt spat, trying to laugh it off despite his obvious pain.
 
He touched his face gingerly with one hand and pointed to Gemma with the other.
 
“Trying to defend this dumb bitch.”

Lucas let go of Matt’s collar violently, sending him sailing into the lockers.
 
The loud crash made everyone but Lucas jump.

“The fuck, man!” Matt growled.
 
“You too? Is there something about her that I’m missing?”

“What are you talking about?” Lucas seethed.

“Everyone knows she tried to get in your pants and you’re
such
a good boyfriend for turning her down,” Matt dripped with sarcasm.
 
“But I don’t know now, I’m starting to doubt you did by the way you’re defending the slut.”

Gemma looked to Lucas’s face, which creased in utter confusion.
 
A crowd had gathered outside the locker room.
 
Madison was holding open the door.
 
She watched with an eerily peaceful look on her face.

“Leave Lucas alone for defending Gemma,” she said diplomatically.
 
“He just has a good heart.
 
And I don’t blame Gemma for
whatever
it was she was doing, I’m just glad it’s over now.”
 
Madison walked towards them with her hand over her heart.
 
She turned to the crowd behind her.
 
“Could everyone please leave us alone?” They stayed put.
 
Madison didn’t persist.
 
Instead, she held her hand out to Gemma.
 
With everyone watching, Gemma accepted.
 
Madison jerked her arm up so hard that Gemma gasped in pain.
 
She ignored Madison’s smirk and hurried to Damian, whom Lucas was helping to his feet.

“Are you okay?” she asked breathlessly.
 
Damian smiled softly but didn’t look back at her.
 
“Damian?” She stood watching his back as he headed towards the door.

“Yeah, Gem.
 
I’m good, don’t worry, okay?” he answered hastily before making his way towards the door.
 
“I just need some air.”
 
He pushed through the crowd, successfully dispersing them.
 
Gemma wanted to follow him but couldn’t ignore Lucas, who sat slouching on the bench.
 
She noticed that he had sustained a small injury during the fracas – a bleeding cut right above his cheek.
 
Now I really owe you one,
Gemma couldn’t help thinking.

“Lucas,” she turned to him.
 
“Lucas, I don’t know what you heard but I hope you know me well enough to know I didn’t do any of…whatever people are saying.”

“Yeah, it’s fine,”
Lucas
said.
 
He got up, running his hands through his hair.
 
“Madison, I think I left my sneakers at your place.
 
Can you drive me to get them before practice?”
 
Madison nodded with a sympathetic pout, running a hand across his chest.
 
Lucas walked ahead of her and out of the locker room.

“So, Gemma,” Madison said, lifting an eyebrow.
 
“I’m sure you’ll find your own way home today?”
 
She slinked closer to Gemma, leaning over her shoulder.
 
She whispered into her ear.
 
“On second thought, you should probably just find one for the rest of the year.”

~

There was a knock at her bedroom door.
 
Gemma groaned, finally stirring from her deep sleep.
 
She had gone straight to bed after coming home from school.

“Come in,” she called, her voice cracking.
 
The door pushed open and Gavin walked in, still dressed in his sweats from practice.

“Gemma, what happened?” he asked.
 
His expression was somewhere between anger and concern.

“I don’t even know,” Gemma pulled a pillow over her head miserably.
 
“Madison just… I walked home because I’m pretty sure the girls all think I went after Lucas too.
 
The whole school does.
 
And I think Damian’s mad at me too, but I almost don’t know why.”
 
She pulled the pillow off of her face to see Gavin still standing at the door.
 
“You can come in, you know.
 
Have you talked to Kylie?”

“Nah.
 
I really couldn’t give less of a shit about Kylie anymore.
 
But I appreciate Damian sticking up for me.
 
He’s a good guy.
 
If you were going to date any of the guys, he’d be the one I’d be cool with,” Gavin said with a laugh, but then his face became serious.
 
“I do need to know though, and I want you to be honest with me… what
is
going on with you and Lucas?”

“Nothing, Gavin! You don’t believe me either?”

“No, I believe you.
 
I just wanted to hear you say it,” he finally walked towards her.
 
He plopped down in bed next to Gemma and put an arm around her shoulders.
 
“Don’t ever worry about you know, your honor being defended.
 
In the locker room or anywhere else.
 
You know who’s got your back.” He pulled Gemma in for a bear hug.
 
“If you need proof, check out Matt’s other eye tomorrow.
 
He looks like a raccoon.”

~

Though once again, Gemma was thoroughly prepared for complete exile from the clique, she didn’t get it.
 
Things returned almost entirely back to normal, and the girls went about their lives as if the whole school wasn’t talking about the locker room fight.
 
From the way they still exchanged daily gossip, advice and text messages, Gemma could tell that her friendships with Leah and Kate had not changed. They still sought her out for lunch and pouted when she said that she had to spend the period in the library, making up work.
 
Jillian, ever loyal to Madison, was still friendly with Gemma though somewhat strained.

Madison, however, was a different story.

She was perfectly civil with Gemma.
 
She even smiled and sometimes played with her hair – though this was usually in front of the whole cafeteria or some other location with plenty of student onlookers.
 
The school buzzed with praise for her saintly act of giving Gemma a second chance at friendship.
 
Her show was well acted, and she sometimes convinced even Gemma that everything was fine.
 
But it wasn’t, and Gemma knew she would be stupid to believe otherwise.

Occasionally, she would look up from her magazine or phone to see Madison observing her with steely blue eyes.
 
Rather than looking away once Gemma caught her gaze, she would unblinkingly turn up the ends of her glossy lips in a smile.
 
Or rather, something resembling a smile.
 
Gemma found that its fakeness hardly qualified.
 
She also found that Madison was constantly watching her, seemingly taking mental notes of her every move and familiarizing herself with her daily routine.
 
It was chilling for her to even think about what was going through Madison’s mind.
 
Though practically everything else had returned to normalcy, Gemma lived in constant fear of Madison, waiting for the other shoe to drop.