Gemma bit her lip nervously upon setting foot in the club. It was dimly lit in amber and gold hues. An enormous circular bar served as the centerpiece of the room. Even the cocktail waitresses wore chic metallic mini dresses. Gemma hadn’t thought to add nightclub attire to her wardrobe during her summer of shopping overseas. Everything she had purchased was more for high tea at The Peninsula rather than grinding with Leah in the Meatpacking District.
Prior to leaving the house, she had begged Mira to let her wear something out of her Queen Bee wardrobe for the night. While the haute couture fashions were in storage, the smaller pieces that she had worn had been placed in the attic. “Something small – like this!” Gemma grabbed the leather Valentino miniskirt that she wore to an autograph signing in Prague. “No one would recognize it! Please, please, please.”
Mira didn’t budge and Gemma ended up leaving in a sequined sweater dress. It was cute, but she didn’t feel sexy in it. Especially not with Madison waltzing about in her skintight Hervé Leger bandage dress. Her bright pink lipstick matched the dress perfectly and her normally straight blonde hair had been styled to be wild and wavy. “Like sex hair,” she said. “Except I haven’t had sex tonight. Yet.” The girls laughed and Gemma tried not to grimace.
She tried again not to grimace when Lucas gave Madison’s butt a quick squeeze as she leaned over the bar to order drinks. Their public displays of affection were generally on the tame side and Gemma had grown accustom to those. She couldn’t quite stomach the raunchier displays. She looked away as Madison trailed her finger down Lucas’s chest and whispered in his ear, flirting as if they had only just met.
“Having fun yet, gorgeous?” Leah suddenly appeared, forcing a flute of champagne into Gemma’s hands. “Ugh, are you still bummed about what you’re wearing?”
“No, I’m not. Really, I’m not.”
“Good, because see that hot-ass guy over there? He invited us to join him in the hot tub. And if you are still bummed about your dress, this is the perfect opportunity to take it off.”
“There’s a hot tub here?”
Leah tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Of course.”
“You brought a swimsuit?”
“Would a swimsuit fit in here?” Leah asked incredulously, waving her clutch in the air. “I mean, as small as my bikinis are, the answer is no. Not that it matters.” Without a thought, she pulled down the neckline of her beaded mini-dress to flash Gemma the top of her intricate red lace bra.
“Leah!”
“Oh relax, silly! There’s no point in a bra like this if you can’t show it off, right?”
Within minutes, Leah and Jillian had stolen the show at the club by hopping into the hot tub in their sexy lingerie.
Madison, Kate and Gemma watched as other club goers followed suit by joining Leah and Jillian in the tub. Madison laughed with a glance towards Gemma. “You and I are classier than that.”
“And what about me?” Kate inquired.
“You know you want to, Kate,” Madison said as Lucas returned from the bar. He wrapped an arm around her tiny waist. “You’re just not wearing cute enough underwear.”
“You’re flattering me. It’s actually because I have the world’s grossest stomach. Total flab.”
“Is not,” Madison and Gemma said in unison.
“Is too,” Kate insisted, sighing.
It wasn’t long before Gemma was compelled to excuse herself elsewhere. For over five minutes, Kate had done nothing but watch the hot tub forlornly while Madison’s hands began wandering about Lucas’s body again. Gemma pretended not to notice as he peered apologetically at her, trying to gently remove Madisons’s hands.
“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Gemma eventually announced, quickly excusing herself. She busied herself while in there, hoping that by the time she exited, Madison’s PDA-fest would have ended.
It did, because upon stepping out of the bathroom, Gemma walked straight into Lucas.
“Hey,” he smiled.
Gemma tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hi.”
“No hot tub for you?”
“Nope. And none for you?” she countered.
“I guess it’s not my type of thing,” Lucas shrugged. “Not yours either, huh?”
Gemma felt his arm clearing the path for her as they wove through the throng of people. “Not tonight. It looks a little intimidating.”
Lucas nodded seriously. “Wouldn’t want you to drown or anything.”
Gemma’s eyes widened and she stared at him. It was the first time they had acknowledged the lake incident since it happened. Strangely, it made her smile. He cracked a laugh and put his hand on her back, nodding towards the booth where Madison and Kate sat. “Come on, let’s go.”
It was almost three thirty in the morning when the six of them left the club. Upon stepping out, they immediately heard the piercing sound of glass shattering. The girls shrieked and ducked for cover. Gemma’s own instinct was to close her eyes, but she opened them quickly to find herself in Lucas’s arms. They blinked at one another, both aware that he had protectively grabbed her over his own girlfriend. He let go of her as quickly as he had held her. They both turned to Madison, who didn’t notice. No one had.
Like the lake incident, the glass incident went unspoken of between them. They returned to polite small talk whenever he and his friends joined the girls for dinner or a night out. Gemma began to wonder if in her drunken state, she had imagined him shielding her. One thing she knew, however, was that she wasn’t imagining the way he stole glances at her every time she walked away from the group to make a call or buy a drink. She reasoned that he was probably curious about how someone so quiet could be related to Gavin and Mira. But of course, in her deepest subconscious, she hoped it was something more.
Because of Madison and the girls, her first month of school went by quickly and smoothly. Other than the lack of quality boys to develop her first real crush on, she couldn’t have asked for a better way to start her true high school career. Unlike Kate and Leah, she didn’t have to prepare for the SATs because she had already done so during her one-on-one schooling while touring. Madison, accompanied by Kate, took this time to introduce Gemma to their weekly routines around town – manicures, pedicures, facials, shopping. She was a perfect hostess and Gemma still had yet to detect any flaws on her. She was everything a girl wanted in a friend, and Gemma knew that lusting after her boyfriend was definitely not a proper way to say thank you.
TYLER CHASE SINGLE!
The Pop Source
October 2
Teen heartthrob Tyler Chase and actress girlfriend of ten months, Desiree Silver, have reportedly broken up. Silver, 17, met the 16-year-old pop sensation while starring in his music video for “Chasing You.” The pair famously kept their relationship under wraps for almost a year before going public at the MTV Movie Awards. Silver has been quoted as saying that she regretted ever announcing their relationship. “I wish we never did it. The paparazzi started waiting outside my house. But they weren’t nearly as bad as his fans.”
There were reports of Chase’s notoriously hounding and possessive fans sending angry Twitter messages to Silver, which proved to be the least of it. Silver was also the target of verbal abuse on the streets as well as the burglarizing of her home in early June.
On Thursday, Silver announced the break-up on her Twitter page. “Unfortunately our careers have come in the way of our relationship but I will always have a special place in my heart for Tyler.” Silver’s representative has denied claims that she broke up with Chase because of her fear of his obsessive fanbase.
Chase has yet to make a statement.
Chapter 4
The Mall At Beauford was surprisingly full for a Tuesday at 1PM. Young mothers dressed head to toe in designer labels had their babies dressed to match. They pushed Bugaboo strollers through the wide, glossy walkways. They examined furniture in Restoration Hardware and cookware at Williams Sonoma. From the way they were dressed, it was
safe to guess that they had already bought out the current seasons of Neiman’s and Saks.
Madison had convinced the girls to cut class after lunch to go shopping and avoid the afterschool crowds of kids from the next town over.
“They just come here to be seen,” Madison stated simply. She leaned in to check her reflection in the dark windows of Chanel’s storefront. Gemma laughed inwardly every time Madison checked her reflection because there was never anything to touch up. “I’m not trying to be mean or anything. But from the way they’re dressed, you know that they’re not from Beauford and they can’t afford to buy anything here. Not even from Anthropologie.”
“And,” Jillian added. “There’s this one guy here who hits on Madison every single time. Like, no fail.”
“What’s his name again? He’s introduced himself like a million times. It’s a bit much,” Madison rolled her eyes. “Not that he isn’t cute, he’s just so not my type. But I don’t know, maybe one day if I’m feeling like taking a walk on the dark side.” She giggled. “Actually, I invited him to my party.” The girls followed her into Chanel.
“What? Hello?” Leah stuck her neck out. “Are we forgetting about Lucas, here?” Kate nodded solemnly. Gemma looked to see Madison’s reaction, which was to toss her hair over her shoulder and laugh.
“Come on. Can’t a girl joke around?” she stood in front of a square shelf boasting the Chanel Flap Bag. “So my mom wants to get me another one for my birthday. Do I want the turquoise or the red? I already have it in black.”
Gemma was excited for Madison’s birthday party. Her family friend owned a club close to the one they had gone to a month ago. He offered to close it down for a night so Madison could celebrate in style. She invited nearly the entire school, but with no guarantee that they’d get in. Gemma was thankful she was on the VIP list and arriving with Madison via limo. Not that Queen Bee ever had to worry about being on the VIP list, she lamented. She was, however, excited to buy a normal party dress and go as herself for a change. She just wasn’t entirely sure how to go about that.
Madison had settled on a jewel-toned, colorblock silk satin dress from Gucci. It had a crossover halter neckline with a sexy cutout that showed off a small sliver of her ballet-toned waist. Jillian and Kate bought pieces from Nicole Miller and Betsey Johnson respectively while Leah opted not to buy anything.
“My mother has an Hervé Leger signature,” she said. “I’ve been wanting a reason to take it from her.”
“C’mon, Leah,” Madison nudged. “The point of this was so we’d all buy something new. Besides, Gemma hasn’t gotten anything yet either.”
“Well, I mean… I can probably find something in my closet too,” Gemma said. It was true, but she also wasn’t comfortable with the idea of trying on clothes in front of the girls. While she had frequently done wardrobe changes in front of her crew as Queen Bee, she had also had things made or bought for her specifically without having to worry about whether or not they would fit. Seeing Jillian struggle to stuff her boobs into half of the dresses and enduring the girls’ laughter was enough to deter Gemma from suffering a similar fate. She understood that it was all in good fun, but she wasn’t prepared for it.
Somewhere along the way, Kate had picked up a People magazine. On the cover was Tyler Chase, by far the biggest popstar in the U.S and arguably, the world. Aside from his sweet and soulful voice, he was known for his swift dance moves and shaggy boyish haircut. He was Gemma’s age and rumored to have secretively attended the final concert of Queen Bee’s summer tour.
“Not sure how that’d be possible,” Jillian shook her head. “Girls would’ve noticed him and mobbed him ASAP.”
The girls bit their smiles back as they flipped through photos of Tyler. He wasn’t her type, but Gemma had to admit that he was cute with his floppy brown hair and somewhat innocent charm. She wasn’t particularly familiar with his music, but the little she had heard surprised her. His soft crooning had an unexpected edge, and he did have a way of making her blush at the choruses.
“Kate – did you take that from the table next to us when we were at Starbucks?” Jillian asked.
“Yes, I did,” Kate chirped from behind the magazine. “I love his song ‘Galaxy Girl.’ When he tells the girl her freckles are sexy, I’m like, ‘But mine are so much sexier!’ And I used to hate my freckles.”
“Easy, Kate. Don’t tread on Madison’s crush territory,” Leah said. “You know her cougar ways.”
“Shut up, Leah.” Madison narrowed her eyes playfully. “I’m only a year older than Lucas. And he’s so worth the cougar title.”
Gemma held back a pout. She could imagine.
“You’re almost two years older than Tyler Chase,” Leah said.
“So? It’s legal in Jersey,” Madison scoffed.
“Ew!” the girls shrieked.
Jillian doubled over in laughter, gasping for breath. “What would Lucas think if he heard that?”
Madison shrugged. “Whatev. I let him crush on Taylor Swift ‘cause he just can’t resist the blondes.”
“Well if it doesn’t work out with Lucas, it says here that Tyler Chase just broke up with Desiree Silver,” Jillian said, reading over Kate’s shoulder.
“Okay, I will freak out for that,” Madison said, jumping up and down and squealing with excitement. She quickly stopped to laugh with the girls and regain her composure. Gemma thought about how Tyler Chase would most certainly fall for Madison had he seen her in that radiantly adorable moment. In the least, he would write a song about it. She could feel herself falling back into a cloud of self-doubt when Leah suddenly gasped.
“Look!” she pointed at the magazine. “Oh my God, if they sold that dress in stores I would sell my little sister for it.” The girls huddled around. There, under the tip of Leah’s red-painted fingernail, was a small photo of Queen Bee in her Balenciaga gown.
“I would get married in that,” Jillian breathed.
“How much do you think it costs? And who’s Queen Bee?” Madison asked.
“A European pop star, I think it says?” Kate held the magazine closer to her blue eyes. “It says it was custom-designed for her. God, that’s crazy. I wish Balenciaga would custom design something for me. I’d be happy if like, J.Crew custom designed something for me.”
Gemma felt at once uncomfortable and delighted. Mira had said that she was starting to gain notice in the states. It was exciting to see a picture of herself in People magazine, even if it wasn’t a particularly big photo. Even more exciting was that her friends hadn’t the slightest suspicion they were standing just inches from Queen Bee herself. If keeping a secret was this easy, Gemma thought she might enjoy it after all.
~
“So what, are you guys an item now?” Gemma asked as she looked out the passenger side window. It was raining hard and she had stupidly opted for suede flats that day. She spent most of the day walking around in soaked shoes that angrily squeaked their way down the hall. She couldn’t want to go home, kick them off, and take a nice hot shower.
“Kylie’s not into labels,” Gavin answered matter-of-factly. “And I don’t like her that much, so I wouldn’t say we’re an item. All we really do is – ”
“No! Stop right there,” Gemma shouted over his voice. “I don’t want to know what you and Kylie do during your playdates.”
“Okay. Damn, what bug crawled up your ass?” Gavin frowned. “Cranky virgin.”
“Excuse me!”
“Sorry, sorry. Uncalled for,” he laughed. “Where’s your babysitter today anyway?”
“If you’re referring to Madison, she left school early to practice for her NYU audition.”
“Alright, well, don’t play with matches while you’re home alone and what not,” Gavin said as he pulled the car halfway into their driveway. He grabbed his black nylon backpack from the backseat and tossed it into Gemma’s lap. “Can you bring this inside for me? I need the backseat clear.”
“Oh my God,” Gemma wrinkled h
er nose with disgust, taking the backpack reluctantly.
“I made Kylie wait while I drove you home to the opposite end of town. Can’t you do me a small favor without judging?”
“I can do the favor, I can’t promise not to judge,” Gemma said as she got out of the car and shut the door.
“Fine by me!” Gavin called through the window before speeding off.
Lugging both heavy bags, Gemma ran for cover as quickly as she could. She squeezed herself under the bit of roof that hung over the front steps as she searched her bag for keys. She couldn’t feel them. Slightly panicked, she dug deeper and checked in every pocket.
Oh shit. Gemma noticed the unsnapped front pocket of her tote and quickly remembered that she had stored her keys and phone in there. The pocket was empty. Shit, how did this happen?
“Damn it, Gavin!” Gemma blamed him for her predicament. She would have noticed that her phone and keys had fallen from her bag had he not made her carry his as well. That was at least how she saw it.
Please come back, please come back. She stared hopefully down the street, willing Gavin’s BMW to come barreling through again. It didn’t. To make matters worse, the extended portion of the roof was not wide enough to keep her dry. The wind whipped the rainfall in steady streams towards her and she cursed her luck, tossing her soaked hair back.
Through the sound of the heavy rain hitting the pavement, Gemma suddenly heard barking. She looked towards Lucas’s house to see him by the window. He appeared to be trying to calm Leo, who was just as troubled by the rain as she was. Leo then turned towards her direction, barking yet again. Gemma watched as Lucas looked over at her for a moment before disappearing from the window.
Just as her mind began to wonder if he had seen her at all, the front door of his house swung open and out he ran with an umbrella. Smiling.
“What are you doing out here?” he yelled over the rain, holding the umbrella over her. His body leaned in close to hers.
“I left my keys in Gavin’s car. And my phone. Do you think I could borrow yours for a second?”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied. “Come inside.”
“Oh. Okay.”
They looked at each other for a moment, blinking raindrops out of their eyes. Lucas laughed and shook his head. “Sorry, this umbrella’s too small.” He pulled her closer so they could huddle tight underneath, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.