Diamond in the Rough

by India Lee

  Gemma’s shoulders slumped in frustrated guilt. “You don’t have to do that for me, just give me your car.”

  “Whatever, Gemma. Let’s just go.”

  “Gavin,” she whined. “I feel bad.”

  “How about this then? I just don’t want you to wreck the BMW,” Gavin said. “Would you feel okay if that were my reasoning? Come on, let’s go before everyone wakes up to go boarding and I change my mind.”

  The drive would have been silent again were it not for Gavin’s constant questioning. He had already concluded that an argument had taken place, but he was determined on learning the details.

  “At least tell me who was involved, or what it was about,” he said. “Did you like, steal one of Zoe’s… hair scrunchies or… hair curlers?”

  Gemma just stared at Gavin blankly, but it only encouraged him.

  “Or was like, one of them dating Lucas or something?” he asked. Gemma glared. “That was a Madison joke,” he explained.

  “I know.”

  “Too soon?”

  “Just stupid.”

  “Hey, I’m cutting my trip short to drive you home, at least tell me why I’m doing this. Because that snow was perfect for boarding and I already miss it.”

  Gemma ignored him, still thinking about his Lucas joke. It, of course, made her think about Tyler. She tried desperately to hold back the tears, but just as her watery eyes had promised all morning, they eventually came out. They ran silently down her cheeks for a few seconds before Gavin noticed.

  “Uh oh,” he said, interchanging looks between her tear-streaked face and the snowy road. “Why are you crying? Is it about the fight with Zoe?”

  A big, unexpected sob escaped Gemma’s lips. “It wasn’t Zoe,” she groaned. “It was Tyler.”

  “What?” Gavin took some time to process. “Over the phone or…?”

  Gemma’s heart sank. She had hoped that he would get it himself and spare her the explanation of her own lies. “No. In person,” she mumbled. “Zoe and Harper aren’t even in Vermont, they’re back in L.A. I was meeting Tyler this whole time.” She cringed as she braced herself for Gavin to yell. He was a loyal friend of Lucas’s and never one to coddle Gemma.

  Despite that, his voice remained calm. “Just keep explaining, Gemma,” he said.

  She did just that, explaining how she had gotten in contact with Tyler and how she had lied to pretty much everyone involved in her plan. She even confessed to her feelings for Tyler, though not without disgust for herself. “I can’t even explain myself,” she said, shaking her head. “I really can’t.”

  Gavin only nodded for a few silent moments. “I understand, Gem,” he finally said. “I mean… I’ve been attracted to other girls since dating Leah.”

  “Don’t tell me that,” Gemma groaned, covering her face. “You cheated on Leah?”

  “No. Never,” Gavin said. “I’ve been attracted to other girls though. And I’ve had temptations. You know Syracuse has hot cheerleaders right?”

  Gemma shook her head.

  “Well. We do. And they flirt with me, and I flirt back. And I seriously wasn’t sure how well I was gonna do the first week I was there. But I thought about how good Leah is to me and what a weirdo she is and how much I love her for that. So if I’m ever in a situation where a girl really tempts me,” Gavin shrugged. “I just control my urges and then buy Leah a train ticket to campus so we can have sex ASAP.”

  “Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!” Gemma covered her ears. “That started out really sweet too.”

  Gavin laughed at her reaction. “That was my PG version of it too.”

  Gemma sighed. “So… are you not mad at me?”

  “For cheating on Lucas? How could I not be, Gemma?” he laughed. “I’m just controlling it because you’re already bummed enough. I think I’m more disappointed than anything, really.”

  “But I didn’t cheat on him,” Gemma protested. “It’s not like I had sex with Tyler.”

  “Well, thank God, and obviously not, considering what a cranky virgin you still are,” Gavin said, bopping Gemma on the head. “I forget what it’s called, but the fact that you let yourself like Tyler is cheating. Like, emotionally. Emotional cheating, I think it’s called.”

  “An emotional affair,” Gemma muttered.

  Gavin snapped his fingers. “That’s it! I think those are actually even worse,” he said, trailing off once he realized the sadness of his remark. He glanced at Gemma with guilt. “I mean, not necessarily worse but like –”

  “It’s okay, Gavin.” She had to agree with him. It wasn’t as if her moments with Tyler were driven entirely by hormones. She genuinely liked Tyler. She still did.

  “So what do I do now?” she asked pathetically.

  “Honestly? Ditch Tyler, Gem. He’s not part of your real world,” Gavin said. “You’ve got a good dude in Lucas. Like, if you weren’t dating him, Gem… I would.”

  “Stop with that crap,” Gemma laughed, though she had truly missed Gavin and the homoerotic way he revered Lucas. It had been a running joke last year for Gavin to flirt with Lucas just to make him uncomfortable. The memory flashed Gemma back to first meeting Lucas. It put a sad smile on her lips.

  “You stop with your crap,” Gavin countered. “I mean, are you going to put this all behind or what? Lucas deserves better than what you’re giving him.”

  Gemma nodded. She had sworn off seeing any more of Tyler anyway, though she knew that that shouldn’t have been her only reasoning. She told herself that it wasn’t – that she loved Lucas, and that Gavin was right. He was her boyfriend, and he deserved better from her.

  And on that note, she realized that he wasn’t the only one who deserved better from her.

  - Chapter 12 -

  It was a small gesture, but it was the only thing that Gemma could think of considering she couldn’t buy anything for Mira that she didn’t already have. Upon returning from Vermont with Gavin, Gemma organized Mira’s home office. It was normally spotless, with everything placed neatly in its correct place. However since Queen Bee’s tabloid headlines, Mira had grown stressed and irritable. The tidiness of her workspace had begun to match her mood. Gemma hoped that there was something symbolic about organizing the office, especially since she had finally resolved to change her recent ways.

  It was already Christmas Eve. In the spirit of the holidays, Gemma teamed up with Grandma Audrey to brighten up the house. Normally, Mira would handle Christmas decorations and create a festive atmosphere in her home for Gavin and Gemma. But this year, Mira appeared tired. Gemma had no doubt she was a part of the reason why.

  Since her grandmother wasn’t able to do much physical work, Gemma assumed responsibility for everything from picking and carrying the tree to stringing lights outside the house. Grandma Audrey acted as moral support by her side. Gavin was busy catching up with Leah and old classmates while Mira and her parents were thankfully out attending their last social obligations of the season.

  “How’s it look?” Gemma asked, cocking her head as she finished decorating the tree.

  Grandma Audrey stuck her head out of the kitchen, wiping cookie batter onto her apron. “Beautiful,” she answered with pride. “Delightful!”

  That night when Mira’s car pulled into the driveway, Gemma peeked through the windows as her grandmother turned on all the lights outside.

  “Ha!” Gemma guffawed upon seeing Mira jump at the sudden sight of the Christmas lights wrapped around the railings and bushes. She watched as Mira walked slowly and suspiciously towards the front door. When she opened it, both Gemma and her grandmother shouted, “Surprise!”

  Mira stood in the doorway, blinking at the sight of stockings hung above the fireplace. Her eyes then traveled to the antique Christmas decorations perched on the tables and windowsills, then finally, to the grand Christmas tree glowing in warm light.

  “My God,” she breathed. “Why does it suddenly feel like Christmas?”

  “Because it is,” Gemma and Grandma Audre
y answered.

  “No kidding!” Mira laughed, clasping her hands to her heart. “Did you crazy gals do all this?”

  “I did it all, of course,” Grandma Audrey joked from the tufted leather chair by the fireplace. “All from this chair.”

  Mira laughed and then turned to Gemma, her gloved hands squeezing her cheeks. “You did this, sweetheart?”

  “Merry Christmas?” Gemma smiled.

  Mira gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Merry Christmas, my love.”

  After retrieving a fresh batch of peanut brittle from the kitchen, Gemma joined her aunt and grandmother by the fire. They exchanged and opened gifts, ate peanut brittle and drank hot chocolate. Gemma beamed, feeling the relieving familiarity of being with her family and home for the holidays.

  ~

  Christmas Day was so festive that it felt as if the family hadn’t missed a single beat of pre-holiday cheer. Gemma wrote heartfelt cards for her parents and presented Gavin with an itinerary detailing the four-day ski trip in Aspen that she had booked for him – a thank you for cutting his last outing short. While she certainly hadn’t earned all of the trust back from Mira and her parents, Gemma had a feeling she was making meaningful strides. To start, Mira had finally returned her keys to the BMW.

  She spent the day after Christmas with Lucas, insisting on accompanying him to Home Depot rather than meeting him later when he was done with his work. Her afternoon was spent handing him tools as she watched him build in his garage. He grew fond of hammering while looking at the ceiling, just to hear Gemma whine and shriek with fear that he might clobber a finger.

  By evening, Gemma finally handed him a plasma cutter from the new set of tools that she had purchased as his Christmas gift. He stared at it with confusion before realizing what she had done. While it took some coaxing for him to take the gift, he eventually accepted it with a childish excitement that made Gemma beam.

  Afterwards, Gemma suggested going to Agata’s, the hole in the wall pizzeria that served Lucas’s favorite margherita slice.

  “I think it’s time for your Christmas gift,” Lucas said, crumpling up his napkin and tossing it into the trashcan across the room.

  “Alright big guy, show me what ya got,” Gemma grinned. Her grin quickly faded into a look of astonishment as Lucas pulled out a small box from his pocket. The label on the box read Addison English. Gemma immediately recognized it as the name of a local jeweler known for her handmade charms. People were known to drive in from the city just to buy her work.

  “Lucas!” she exclaimed. “This is…” she trailed off, not wanting to say the word “expensive” like it was that surprising. But it was. She knew that whatever lay inside the box was far beyond Lucas’s regular budget for anything.

  “Open it,” Lucas said, placing it in front of her. She reached for it hesitantly. “Come on, Gemma,” he laughed. “Don’t be scared.”

  “I’m not, I just…” Gemma bit her lip back as she opened the box. She smiled. Inside was a charm bracelet, sporting a single beautiful charm. “It’s an apple,” Gemma giggled, removing it gingerly and letting Lucas fasten it to her wrist. She dangled her wrist in the air, letting the crystal apple catch the light of the candles on the wall. But as much as she enjoyed the bracelet, it gave her a sense of guilt. She had worried that Lucas would feel pressure after seeing Tyler’s ridiculous barrage of Christmas gifts. She gazed at him. “You shouldn’t have, Lucas,” she said softly. When she saw his smile fade just slightly, she spoke again. “But I’m happy you did, because it’s beautiful. And I’m going to wear it everyday.”

  “Everyday?” Lucas narrowed his eyes at her playfully. “Even… in concert?”

  Gemma smiled. “If I ever perform again, I’ll wear it with pride.”

  ~

  Winter Break was a blessing. Gemma needed the free time to create. There was nothing left in the house to decorate, but she felt a restless energy circulating her body. It was a creative energy that she hadn’t felt in years, since the days of creating Queen Bee.

  Her mornings and nights were spent holed up in her room. She kept her closet door open. Simply gazing at the antique form inside inspired her. It once wore the famous white feather and pearl Balenciaga gown that she had made worldwide headlines with. Since that gown no longer existed, Gemma decided that it was time for another iconic outfit. Sitting cross-legged in bed, she designed in her leather sketchbook. She penned lyrics on the adjacent page. The words poured onto the paper. They felt new to even Gemma when she read them back to herself. It was as if her unconscious had spoken for her, and in her opinion, rather correctly.

  By the time Winter Break was over, Gemma felt a new surge of liveliness. For both lives. Armed with an ode to her fans and an entire sketchbook of designs, she felt a new understanding about what it meant to be Queen Bee. A more personal one. And she couldn’t wait to share it with the rest of the world.

  QUEEN BEE: UNORTHODOX POPSTAR OR TOTAL FLOP?

  Celeb-o-Matic

  December 30

  Did the music industry count its chickens before they hatched? From the looks of the past few months, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes.”

  Last year, pop sensation Queen Bee came to America’s attention after an epic European tour that stunned hundreds of thousands with outstanding vocals and jaw-dropping costume. The impressive ingénue’s talent and following had her on the fast track to being crowned America’s next queen of pop. Though you may not have been a fan, you had to admit: The girl knew how to put on a show.

  Odds are she still does, but no one would know considering the 17-year-old’s seeming unwillingness to make appearances, perform in concerts and shoot music videos. After putting off the shoot for blockbuster single “Tell the World,” Bee finally released a video nearly a year later, featuring only computer-generated images and none of the star herself. The impressive 90 million hits on YouTube have not deterred critics from questioning the teenaged singer’s work ethic.

  While the industry seemed to know what it was getting into last year by subscribing to the antics of a double-identity popstar (with a high school schedule no less), it surely didn’t sign up for the complete disappearance of Bee since mid-August of this year. While she has been technically MIA since then, industry critics can agree that Bee had disappeared from the music scene since June, after being admitted into an exclusive circle of young Hollywood party girls. Since befriending the notorious Zoe Mercury (whose socialite best friend, Harper Gunn, is even better known for her wild ways), Bee’s behavior has been erratic and unpredictable. She has even dragged media darling Tyler Chase into her path of destruction, sending him into a lovesick tizzy as close sources report that Chase has recently been “dejected” and “withdrawn.” While Bee and Chase never confirmed their relationship, it is widely believed that the two shared a romance until the songstress’s complete disappearance from the music world and Hollywood scene.

  So is it time to throw the towel in? While Bee’s devoted following have stayed loyal, others have begun to grow impatient with the performer’s, well, complete lack of performance. Perhaps we were all too quick to dismiss the fact that Bee’s “other life schedule” simply didn’t permit for a conventional pop career. Why did we even allow for it to happen in the first place? Perhaps the music industry can consider itself the enabler. Considering the extreme amount of early praise that was given, it is almost no surprise that Queen Bee ended up taking the tragic road of promising star-turned-royal flop. It may just be safe to say that this regal fad is completely over.

  BRUINS’ ROOKIE LIGHTS UP TROJANS FOR 38 POINTS

  Top Headlines

  January 4

  UCLA point guard Damian Evans stunned the USC Trojans on Wednesday when he went 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-4 from three-point territory for 38 points. Additionally, Evans racked up 9 assists including a buzzer-beating alley-oop pass to teammate Andy Logan from beyond halfcourt.

  The Bruins completed a rout of the Trojans, 79 – 63.


  With Mira out of town, the family back in Manhattan and Gavin back at Syracuse, Gemma was looking forward to a Saturday lazing around the house by herself. She felt lucky yet entitled to the luxury of alone time. The holiday break was filled with creative expression and her first week back greeted her with more college acceptance letters. At this point, she wasn’t sure if anything could get her down.

  The familiar rustle of the mailman sounded from the front door. Gemma leaped from the couch, bounding towards the entrance in hope of more good news. She pulled open the door in time to wave goodbye to the mailman as she grabbed the stack of magazines, junk mail and to her delight – another large packet with a university insignia. As she stepped back into the house, she noticed a large truck parked in Lucas’s driveway. In cheery blue letters, it read Parker Brothers Moving Company.

  Her heart dropped. She rushed out across her lawn and onto Lucas’s despite being in her bedroom slippers. Two men were lifting The Greys’ backyard furniture into the back of the truck.

  “What’s going on?” Gemma asked. Lucas emerged from the garage carrying a large box. She turned to him, repeating the question with even greater urgency. “What’s going on?”

  “Calm down, Gemma. It’s not what it looks like,” Lucas laughed, setting the box down on the back of the truck and pulling Gemma in for a kiss. Gemma turned to see the box labeled with Lucas’s name.

  “It looks like you’re moving,” she breathed. She looked up at him. “So what’s going on, really?”

  “Well, okay.” Lucas rubbed his chin, sighing. “My family is moving, but not yet. We’re just getting the summer items over to my aunt’s place until we figure out our plan. My dad likes to be gradual about things. So that is what you’re seeing.”

  “How could you not tell me?” Gemma asked as she backed away from Lucas, crossing her arms. “Didn’t you think maybe I would want to know something this big?”