Hidden Gem (24 page)

Let’s hope so.
 
Maybe she’ll hide away forever and Tyler will forget she ever existed.
 
Because I swear, I cannot take these fucking lovesick tweets anymore, especially when they’re not about me.

Being in an official relationship with Damian suddenly gave Gemma feelings of certainty around her friends.
 
She no longer felt afraid of Madison and she had a clear answer for the girls when they asked what was up with Damian.
 
Gavin also seemed happy, though he constantly cringed at the sight of their public affection, which Gemma made sure to keep at a minimum.

Getting ready for prom was also something Gemma was now excited for.
 
Gavin had rented a shore house on Long Beach Island, which he reassured Gemma was “nothing like what you see in
Jersey Shore
, I swear.”

“It’s really nice, mostly old people – so you’d get along with everyone,” Gavin joked.
 
Gemma shoved him in response.
 
He had always made fun of her for hanging out only with Queen Bee team before she went to a regular high school.
 
“No, but seriously, the seniors last year had a house there and it was awesome.
 
The teams rent out an entire row of houses by the shore.”

“So who’s going to be in your house?” Gemma asked.

“Well, it’s the entire basketball team except Lucas, because I think Madison decides where they get to stay,” Gavin rolled his eyes.
 
“But you’re invited if that’s what you’re asking.
 
I already picked a room that doesn’t share a wall with you and Damian.”
 
Gavin shuddered.

“Shut up! Besides, we’re the ones who should be worried about being traumatized.
 
Who are you taking to prom, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Gavin said as he took orange juice out of the fridge.
 
“People usually ask me to the prom, it’s been that way since freshman year.”
 
He ignored Gemma’s dramatic
eyeroll
.
 
“This is gonna be my fourth one, so I don’t really care.
 
Post-prom is what really matters.”

Gemma jumped to her feet.
 
“You should take one of my friends!” she suggested brightly.
 
Gavin cringed in mock terror.
 
“Come on.
 
It’d be awesome if they were there too.”

“There’s the one with the curly hair and the one with the straight hair, right?” Gavin said, pouring himself a glass of juice.
 
“Which one wants to go?”

“Well, they both do.
 
But, I mean – which one would you choose between the two?” Gemma asked curiously, practically willing him to answer with “the straight-haired one.”

“Um… I don’t know either well.
 
They don’t talk much,” Gavin said, swigging his drink.
 
Gemma snorted.
 
Few people described Leah as someone who didn’t talk much, but then again, few people had the ability to render her speechless.
 

“Do you want me to choose for you?” Gemma asked, bouncing on her toes.

“Sure, why not?” Gavin shrugged.
 
“They’re both cute.
 
Can I take both?”

Gemma stopped bouncing.
 
“No. You can’t.”
 

Gavin laughed, going up the stairs.
 
“Fine then.
 
I think I’ll ask Leah ‘cause she sucked less at football than the other one.”

~

“Total emergency situation, duh.”

Gemma, Kate and Jillian sat on Leah’s bed, watching her twirl around in outfit after outfit while on the phone.
 
Gavin had apparently realized the awkward circumstances of his prom invitation and added an invitation to dinner as well.
 
Gemma figured he was just trying to get to know the girl he had just asked to prom, but Leah had most definitely perceived the invitation as a date.

“Madison.
 
I need your help picking something; you’re the only one who will tell me if I look fat.
 
Come
on,
how often does Gavin Hunter ask me out?” Leah whined as she struggled to put on a powder pink, asymmetrical Alexander Wang dress.
 
“Ugh, why does my mom have to be so tiny? Madison, do you have anything I can borrow?
No
, I’m not calling you fat, my mom is just microscopic.”
 
The girls laughed.
 
Leah’s anxiety was always an amusing sight.

When Madison arrived, she quickly vetoed the majority of the dresses and ended up pulling out a simple pair of jeans and a Chloe crepe blouse.

“I know you all worship your precious Queen Bee, but a girl shouldn’t have to wear something super fancy if she’s actually attractive,” Madison said.
 
She tossed the clothing at Leah.
 
“Try these on and trust me.”
 
Leah frowned skeptically as she pulled on the jeans and blouse.

“Queen Bee can’t be ugly.
 
I mean, Tyler Chase wrote a song for her the day after he met her.
 
Oh my God, I have to read it to you,” Kate typed away on Leah’s leather encased iPad to find the lyrics.
 
“Here.
 
‘I caught a glimpse of those moonlit eyes/I knew you were all I thought you’d be/Your gilded silhouette can smile/You know your secret’s safe with me.’
 
So he definitely knows she’s hot for a fact.”

“Do you really think Queen Bee would reveal her identity to Tyler Chase? I read that only her family knows,” Jillian said.

“I’m sure she couldn’t resist showing him,” Kate said.
 
“If Tyler Chase wanted to see who I was, I’d take off all my clothes and let him see me in all my glory.”

Madison grimaced.
 
“Did we get you a prom date yet? Because I really think you need to get laid.”

“No.
 
And I do,” Kate sighed.
 
“But I want Tyler Chase to be my first.”

“You and forty-million other girls.
 
Too bad he’s only going to be interested in me,” Madison smiled.

“
Nuh
-uh,” Kate shook her head, pointing to her magazine.
 
“He wrote these lyrics for Queen Bee the night after he met her.
 
And he tweeted that he was in love that night! So even you’re out of the running, Madison.”

“Like I care,” Madison rolled her eyes.
 
“I have Lucas.”
 
She sat down and tossed her hair, allowing the length of it to smack Gemma across the face.
 
As Gemma blinked in surprise, she caught Madison’s cold glare.
 
Madison held it for a second before smiling.
 
“How are you and Damian, sweetie?”

“Oh
yeah
.
 
How
is
everyone’s boyfriend because
every
one has a boyfriend but me?” Kate cocked her head, her eyes unblinking.

“He’s good.”
 
Gemma couldn’t help but gush when she thought of him.
 
Earlier that day, she agreed to help him practice free throws in Beauford High’s empty gym.
  
She couldn’t resist making him laugh by throwing fake tantrums and whining about being bored and hungry.
 
He eventually wrestled her to the ground at half court and they ended up lying there for an hour, talking about his dream of playing for the Knicks until a custodian arrived.
 
“He’s great, actually.
 
I don’t think I could ask for more.”

Madison pursed her lips, studying Gemma intently.
 
“What an understanding guy.
 
After everything with the locker room, I don’t know if
I
could date you,” she said casually, picking up a magazine from Leah’s night table.
 
“I mean, with what everyone’s saying about how you have a crush on all his teammates, I would feel totally
emasculated
.”

“He’s got too many muscles to not feel like a man,” Kate sighed.
 
“He could wear a tutu and still feel like a man.”

“Kate,” Jillian looked up from her magazine.
 
“Stop perving on everyone just because you’re horny.
 
You can’t talk about Damian like that now that he’s officially with Gem.”

“It’s okay,” Gemma smiled breezily.
 
She didn’t want Madison to see her upset, which was obviously what she wanted by rehashing the locker room incident.
 
Everything she did gnawed at Gemma’s confidence.
 
Even her shots at Queen Bee were making Gemma feel more angry and insecure than she should.
 
At the height of her vexation, she received a text.

“Is that your muscular, masculine boyfriend?” Kate asked.
 
Gemma looked down at her phone.
 
Indeed it was.
 
She read the text with a smile.
 
Hey beautiful.
 
Still craving cupcakes? Was thinking of driving us to the city to get the ones you like
.
 
Like a perfect boyfriend, he always said and asked the right things at the perfect time.

“What are you afraid of her for?” Damian asked as he popped a bite-sized red velvet cupcake into his mouth.
 
“She’s harmless – way too into herself to spend her time plotting against someone else.”

“You make me sound paranoid,” Gemma frowned, leaning back against Damian on the steps of Union Square.
 
He sat behind her, one step above.
 
He reached over her shoulders and presented her with an open white box from Baked by Melissa.
 
Inside were a dozen colorful, frosted cupcakes the size of quarters.
 
They stared up at her with their sparkling sprinkles atop decadent cream.
 
Gemma plucked out a tie-dye cupcake though she no longer had an appetite.
 
All she wanted was for Damian to believe her suspicions about Madison – she knew she was right about them.

“No, I know you must be seeing something weird.
 
I’m just saying maybe it’s not what we think,” Damian said, smoothing her hair back and craning forward to kiss her forehead.
 
Gemma smiled.
 
She liked the way he said “we.”
 
She had never felt more protected.

“I hope you’re right,” she sighed, popping the tiny cupcake into her mouth.

“If anything, we should be afraid of Matt.
 
Or
I
should be, since he got suspended,” Damian said.
 
“I heard he got his scholarship taken away because it was the last straw.
 
Crazy to think that it could’ve happened to me.”

“Oh, please,” Gemma rolled her eyes and smiled up at him.
 
“None of your schools would do anything to hurt their chances of getting you.”

“Yeah,” Damian grinned.
 
“Feels good to be wanted.”

Gemma smiled and hugged his arm against her chest.
 
“It does.”
 
She squeezed him tight.
 
“I can’t even think about you leaving yet.
 
I don’t know how I’ll deal without you,” she said.
 
Damian stroked her hair as a cool breeze swept through the park.

“If we’re still talking about Madison, she’s leaving too you know,” he said.

“But not nearly far enough,” Gemma scoffed, sitting up.
 
“She’s going to be at NYU, which means when you visit from UConn or Michigan or UCLA or wherever you end up, we won’t be able to do cupcakes in the park without running into her.”

Damian laughed.
 
“You know that’s not true,” he said.
 
“And even if it is, then so what? I promise you she’s nothing to worry about.
 
And if she were, I’d be on the next bus or plane to your door.
 
Okay?”