“It’s okay,” Gemma said, feeling the warmth of his torso through his soaked t-shirt.
~
It was disturbing to think about what Gavin was so busy doing that he couldn’t pick up her calls. Gemma eventually gave up on him to call Mira, though Lucas only had her work number. She scolded herself for not bothering to memorize any of the numbers in her contacts. She was only able to reach Mira’s assistant, who informed her that she had just stepped out.
Gemma sighed. “I guess I wouldn’t want her to drive back from Manhattan just to let me in anyway.”
“Well. I’m here for now,” Lucas said. “Usually it’s just Leo by himself until dinnertime.” He rubbed the yapping puppy’s belly and smiled up at Gemma in a way that made her heart pound. “You can stay here while you wait for someone to get back. My parents are at my sister’s piano recital right now, but they wouldn’t mind if you stayed. Actually, they told me that they wanted to meet you.”
Gemma’s stomach lurched and she blushed. “Why?” He’s told them about me!
“My mom was excited when Mira said Gavin’s sister was coming to live here too,” Lucas explained with a chuckle. “My mom loves Gavin, he’s got her convinced that he’s a good kid somehow.”
“Oh,” Gemma’s ears burned. She changed the topic. “How old is your sister?”
“Elisa? Thirteen. She’ll be at the high school next year.”
“That’s so nice. Are you guys close?”
“Yeah, she’s a pretty cool kid sister,” Lucas said. “Except for when she overplays Tyler Chase.”
“Oh, give her a break. Every girl has a crush on Tyler Chase.”
“Oh yeah?” Lucas squinted at her playfully. “Do you?”
Heat raced to Gemma’s cheeks. “He’s not really my type,” she mumbled, suddenly feeling silly and a bit self-conscious. Having all of Lucas’s attention on her made her feel exposed somehow. She realized that she looked close to how she did the first time she met him – soaked to the bone and totally insecure. As if he sensed it, Lucas got up from where he sat on the floor and started up the stairs.
“Do you want some clothes to change into?”
The thought of wearing his clothes made her skin tingle. “Oh. No, you don’t have to get anything,” Gemma said apologetically.
“I don’t want you to be cold,” Lucas said. He nodded up the stairs. “Come on.”
“Okay.”
Gemma followed him up the steps and into his bedroom. She commended herself for the calm she exhibited despite the bubbling excitement that surged through her body. Stop being so hormonal, she scolded herself.
She could see her own bedroom from his window, the custom curtains finally installed and drawn. “So close yet so far,” she joked, putting her hand to the window. Lucas laughed as he rummaged through his closet.
“I’m giving you my stuff since Elisa’s like, barely five feet tall,” Lucas laughed to himself. He took a Beauford Warriors sweatshirt, a pair of basketball shorts and a towel out. “I hope these fit okay. They’re the smallest things I have.”
“Thanks,” Gemma said as Lucas placed the clothes in her arms. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“I’ll be downstairs.”
“Okay,” she called after him. Once the door clicked shut, she examined the room. She was somewhat familiar with it from stealing glances out her bedroom window. The walls were midnight blue with white borders and his bed was covered in a deep silver and charcoal striped comforter. A large framed photo of him with his family sat on his desk. Stuck to the corner of the frame was a photo booth strip of him and Madison making silly faces.
Water dripped from her hair and onto the desk as she leaned in to look. She wiped off the drops with her bare hands and stepped away, peeling her wet shirt from her body. It was strange to be undressed in Lucas’s bedroom. Strange and exciting. She could hear him opening cupboards downstairs in the kitchen. Gemma wondered if he was thinking about her at that moment.
When she finished getting dressed, she searched the room for a mirror. There were none. Lucas clearly didn’t hold vanity to the same importance that Gavin did. It was strange to think they were friends somehow.
As she made her way downstairs, Gemma couldn’t help feeling silly and most definitely unsexy in the oversized sweatshirt and pants. But Lucas didn’t seem to notice when he looked up at her.
“Do you drink hot chocolate?” he asked as he set two mugs on the coffee table in the living room.
“Of course.”
“I wasn’t sure because Madison doesn’t. Which sucks because it’s the one thing I make well.”
“You made this from scratch?” Gemma marveled as she wrapped her hands around the warm mug.
“Well, no. I just get the right amounts of milk and mix together,” Lucas laughed sheepishly. Gemma laughed with him as she sipped the hot chocolate. It was perfect.
“So, what is your type then?” Lucas asked.
“What?” she blinked.
“You said Tyler Chase wasn’t your type. So what is?”
“Oh,” Gemma said, taken aback. She had forgotten about that exchange. She hardly remembered anything that happened prior to undressing in his bedroom. “I honestly don’t know. Why?”
“I don’t know, just curious. All the girls talk about who they like. Leah has a huge crush on Gavin.”
“I thought that was a secret!” Gemma laughed.
“Well, only to Gavin. Everyone else knows, though,” Lucas smiled as he put down his hot chocolate. He crinkled his nose. “So you really don’t have a type?”
“I guess not. Do you?”
“No.”
“I thought you preferred blondes,” Gemma blurted. Lucas furrowed his brow.
“I don’t think I do. Where did you hear that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Just ‘cause of Madison,” she shrugged. There was a brief moment of silence.
“Damian’s been asking about you,” Lucas finally said. “I think he’s interested. Would you be?” He watched her face closely, as if trying to interpret her reaction. Gemma’s emerald eyes widened.
“Damian? Really?”
She had certainly noticed Damian. He wasn’t as tall as his teammates, but he had quite an appeal that no one could put their finger on. Kate, whose weakness was lips, said that Damian’s was perfectly shaped like a Cupid’s arrow. Jillian theorized that his quiet demeanor paired with his smirking, inquisitive eyes was what made girls swoon. “It’s very confusing like, are you a bad boy or are you a good boy?” Jillian had wondered. “I can’t tell but like, I want to find out, you know?”
Gemma giggled at the memory of her friends’ musings. “Damian is everyone’s type,” she joked.
Lucas didn’t laugh. “Yeah, well,” he picked Leo up from the ground to play with him, but the dog promptly fell asleep in his lap. “Too bad he can’t play defense to save his life.” Gemma smiled.
“And how good are you at basketball?”
“Me? I’m amazing.”
“Oh yeah?” Gemma challenged coyly. “Here I thought you were the modest type.”
“I am modest. But I don’t want to lie to you,” Lucas said with a grin. He was somehow even sexier when he acted lighthearted. It was a side Gemma didn’t get to see often enough. He always played the role of the silent and solemn protector when he was out with Madison and the girls. With that thought, Gemma became suddenly aware of their solitude. She was alone with him in his home. She was wearing his clothes. No one else knew what they were doing. They could do anything.
She lowered her lashes and blushed. Lucas turned away right at that moment too, as if he had suddenly had the same exact thought.
Chapter 5
TYLER CHASE REVEALS CELEBRITY CRUSH
The Pop Source
October 16
Just a week after his split with actress Desiree Silver, Tyler Chase announced on his Twitter page that he has his eye on a new girl: Queen Bee. The sixteen-ye
ar-old sensation sent the following tweet out to his nearly two million followers: “New celebrity crush: Queen Bee. Fell for her at the Barcelona concert, when is she coming to the US?”
The tweet sparked an internet firestorm, sending millions of Chase’s teenaged fans into a curious frenzy. Queen Bee has been trending worldwide on Twitter and has been one of the top searches on the internet since the tweet. A blog titled “Her Royal Secrecy,” created to uncover Bee’s identity, has reported nearly one million hits in just three days. It is one of many newly launched websites dedicated to exposing the pop idol’s well-hidden identity.
Bee has been MIA since her summer tour in Europe, but her official website has reported that she will soon be announcing the date and location of a concert in New York and will also be releasing the video for hit single “Tell The World.”
Madison’s backyard was vast. A pool with a stone fountain trickled a steady and relaxing stream of water. The lawn was perfectly manicured and a glistening, vibrant green. Beyond the stretch of dewy grass was a lush forest of trees boasting beautiful reds, burnt oranges, and chocolate browns. Autumn was always Gemma’s favorite season in the city but with the open space and beautiful woods of the suburbs, Autumn was an entirely different creature.
“Pumpkin spice lattes, ladies?” Leah’s voice called from around the side of the massive house.
Gemma, Madison and Kate all turned in their plush lounge chairs. Wrapped in soft cashmere throws, they had been enjoying the crisp air while waiting for Leah and Jillian to join them. Pumpkin spice lattes quickly sounded like the absolute perfect way to complement their outdoor lounging.
“I bought everything because I’m clearly a pig,” Leah announced. She set down eight cups and two paper bags.
“Don’t be modest, LeLe,” Jillian said. “She got half of this for free because the counter guy thought she was cute.”
“Okay, he never explicitly said it but he was totally checking me out. But who even cares? Pumpkin spice lattes here and if you don’t want that, caramel apple spice in that other tray. Don’t mind me while I have one of each.”
“What happened to your diet, Leah?” Madison questioned as she snatched the latest copy of Vogue from Kate’s lap.
“I don’t know,” Leah grumbled, shoving a cranberry bar of into her mouth.
“We saw Gavin at Starbucks…” Jillian said with a sympathetic eye. “He forgot Leah’s name.”
“He called me Lisa,” Leah said. “And he was with that thing, Kylie.”
“But the counter guy totally thought you were cute,” Jillian said brightly as she smoothed Leah’s hair back.
“Yeah, well Gavin didn’t see.”
Gemma pouted sympathetically as she sipped on her latte. She leaned over to give Leah an encouraging kiss on the cheek. “I’ll make sure he learns your name.”
“Who cares, don’t even think about it anymore,” Madison instructed. “It’s not worth it.” Jillian and Kate nodded in agreement.
The girls were brushing it off, but the truth was that boys had been on all their minds. Madison was approaching her one-year anniversary with Lucas, a milestone known by everyone in the school. Though Lucas was a sophomore at the time, he proved to be a catch with his charm and athleticism. In fact, he had the attentions of scouts early on when he, Gavin and Damian led Beauford’s basketball team to state. The three were even interviewed by ESPN. It seemed only natural that he wouldn’t date just any girl. No one expected him to get the attention of someone like Madison, whom even senior boys could hardly impress. But when it happened, it suddenly seemed as if they were made for each other.
Leah’s overwhelming four-year crush on Gavin began when she first spotted him buying breakfast at Beauford Bagels as an eighth-grader. She dated a few guys on the various athletic teams that Gavin took part in, but only in hopes of gaining his attention. She never did, so she ultimately gave up at what Madison called her “faux-mances.” This wasn’t before breaking a boy’s heart in each athletic season her sophomore year and earning herself the school-wide title of “Maneater.”
Jillian and her boyfriend Derrick maintained a long-distance relationship. She had met him as a camp counselor in Vermont after her sophomore year and returned with steamy accounts of losing her virginity in a makeshift bed under a maple tree. Though the girls never met him, they adored him for sending Jillian extra large boxes of maple syrup candy that they would all tear through together.
“And here I am, painfully single,” Kate huffed, blowing a strawberry blonde curl out of her face. “And a virgin,” she added begrudgingly.
“I’m single too,” Gemma offered, deciding not to disclose the fact that she was also a virgin.
“Because you choose to be,” Kate grumbled. “Everyone knows Damian wants you.”
“Well he hasn’t asked me out or anything.”
“Do you want me to give him a nudge?” Madison asked excitedly. “I can always ask Lucas to put in a good word for you.”
“Oh, Lucas already knows I’m interested,” Gemma said nonchalantly. “I told him that Damian’s everyone’s type.”
Madison furrowed her perfectly shaped eyebrows. “When did you guys have that conversation?”
Gemma paused. “Just in passing when he was walking by my house.”
“Oh, okay. Hand me the Us Weekly?”
Gemma got up and grabbed the magazine for Madison. On the cover’s side panel was a photo of Queen Bee from her Asian tour, wearing a Nina Ricci embroidered dress. The headline read, “Who is Queen Bee?” Gemma gasped.
“What?” Madison asked.
“Oh. Nothing,” Gemma replied. “Just a cool outfit on the front.” She gave the magazine to Madison who reclined her seat and began thumbing through the pages.
“Is that the Queen Bee girl again?” Jillian pointed to the cover. “She’s in the magazine I’m reading too.”
“Really?” Gemma craned her neck to see which magazine Jillian was reading. It was a Vanity Fair. Nice! Gemma congratulated herself.
“I need that girl’s outfits,” Leah griped. “Life is so unfair. I bet Gavin would go for Queen Bee.”
“Ew!” Gemma screamed. The girls jumped in surprise and stared at her quizzically.
“Oh, sorry Gemma,” Leah said apologetically. “We’ll stop talking about Gavin so much.”
“You mean you’ll stop talking about Gavin so much,” Jillian corrected.
“Right.”
“Who is she? Like, I know she’s a singer but why is she so popular all of a sudden? I’ve been hearing her name all week,” Madison said with frustration.
“It’s because of Tyler Chase’s tweet,” Kate said. “It caused like, craziness all over the internet. He tweeted it Thursday.”
The girls stared at her.
“What?” Kate asked quietly. “I follow him on Twitter. I really, really hope he follows me back because he actually follows and responds to fans! I made an account just to follow him. I’ve been since he said he likes girls with freckles.”
“So what, is Queen Bee covered in them?” Madison snorted.
“No!” Kate exclaimed. “She doesn’t have freckles. I mean, she might, but she’s always wearing makeup or like, a veil. Here, there’s a whole article on her.” Kate held the magazine out to the girls. Gemma peered over to see a full-page photo of her. A hand flew to her mouth. Under the photo was a headline that simply read, “Inspiration.”
“Oh my god,” Gemma breathed. The picture was from a day off in Beijing during her tour of Asia. She had been shopping for exotic fabrics with an up-and-coming designer named Zhe. Gemma wore an emerald sheath mini-dress over thigh-high copper snakeskin boots. She donned a bright red wig that was twisted in a side chignon and reflective oversized sunglasses. In the picture, she was pulling out a sheet of sheer, jewel-encrusted silk from a shelf. The fabric had caught the light in a perfect way, creating a fluid halo above her head. In her shades, she could see the reflections of admirers peering in from outside th
e fabric shop.
Since being initiated into Madison’s clique, her pop star past had fallen by the wayside and become a blurry memory that felt more like a dream. But seeing the photos and her friends’ excitement made Gemma suddenly want to be Queen Bee once again.
Kate sighed. “I can see why Tyler Chase fell for her.”
“What?” Gemma asked, genuinely confused.
“His tweet,” Kate said as she read from a magazine. “It said ‘New Celebrity Crush: Queen Bee. Fell for her at the Barcelona concert, when is she coming to the US?’”
“He said that?” Gemma couldn’t suppress her dorky smile. She ran to Kate’s side to read over her shoulder. Sure enough, the words were there and she rejoiced only in her head. Tyler Chase has a crush on me. Tyler Chase that literally every girl in the world wants has a crush on me! Gemma wondered why she didn’t get any texts from Armand or Penelope about this but then realized that they no longer had her phone number. Her father had instructed Mira to do everything possible to get Gemma perfectly acclimated to her life as a regular high school student. That meant no contact with Armand and Penelope for at least the first few months and as few reminders of Queen Bee as possible. Mira kindly let Gemma have her Balenciaga dress, but the rest of her costumes and jewelry were off-limits.
Kate groaned and tossed the magazine aside in mock fury. “Kill me! I just want to be her.”
“So do I, just so I can have her clothes,” Leah said, picking up the magazine to examine the page dedicated solely to Queen Bee’s top fashion choices. She pointed to the Alexander McQueen dress that she had worn to a charity event in London last year. “Like that. That would be perfect for prom, wouldn’t it?”
Jillian nodded. “I want to be her just to travel everywhere and get free stuff,” she said.
“Well I wouldn’t want to be that girl,” Madison scoffed. “Who knows what’s under all that disguise? She’s probably hideous.” The girls laughed. Gemma’s eyes instinctively darted at Madison but she stopped herself from shooting a dirty look. Madison continued. “And if that boy saw my gorgeous face, he’d be tweeting about me instead.” She smirked and struck a mock fashion pose for the girls. They whipped out their iPhones to conduct a little photo shoot. She was a fairly convincing model with her long slender limbs and pouty lips, but Gemma couldn’t help comparing Madison’s amateur moves to the ones that she posed in while serving as the face of Zhe last year.