Hidden Gem

by India Lee

  Kate stopped whining about Tyler Chase to join in on the photo shoot. They of course would post the photos on Facebook within the hour and all their Beauford High fans would comment with envy and admiration (“Ugh, I can’t stand how gorgeous you are!!!” “Pretty girls!! Looks like you’re having fun”). Gemma sat away from them. Jillian told her to strike a pose but gave up trying to get her attention after a few seconds. Gemma was too lost in thought to recognize that she looked like a loner. She missed her life as a beloved and even worshipped pop star. In that moment, she was desperate to spill the beans. Not that they would believe her if she did.

  Now, quiet and unnoticed by the others who were deep in their pretend world, even Gemma had a hard time believing that she had ever been Queen Bee.

  OKAY, SRSLY WHO THE $#%! IS THIS CHICK (and is she even hot?!?!)

  10/20 7:34PM EST

  posted by Tara C.

  Her Royal Secrecy

  Welcome new readers! For those who have already been checking in, thanks for the support and I’m happy to announce that we’ve surpassed 1 million hits as of today! Hopefully Queen Bee is reading this.

  I just have to say…is it just me, or did this Queen Bee come out of f*cking nowhere? I went from not knowing who she was (or maybe hearing her name vaguely but not really caring at the time) to seeing her on every celebrity or fashion web site that is suddenly obsessed with her oh-so-designer wardrobe. I’m not sure what’s more frustrating – the fact that Tyler Chase declared his love for her or that WE CAN NEVER REALLY SEE HER FACE. Maybe I wouldn’t find this crush so un-crushworthy if I could see that she is actually a hot chick (unlike Desiree “Fake Tan” Silver). For all we know, she’s a hot mess of greasy hair and acne without those supposedly $30,000 hair extensions and tons of makeup. Hey, I could probably attract the hottest guys in the world if I had millions of dollars too.

  Anyway, being a dutiful Tyler Chaser, I studied up on this girl. She came out a little more than a year ago as an opening act at Gate Theatre in Kensingon and Chelsea (which is a fancy shmancy neighborhood in London). According to a London blogger, she got hot there before the rest of Europe caught on, so they totally take credit for discovering her first. Then Asia caught on. Apparently Australia digs her too (as evidenced by the tons of people who dressed up as her for Halloween last year. Click here for the pic). It seems the rest of the world had a huge boner for this girl before any of us dumb Americans caught on.

  Psh.

  Okay, I listened to her music and it’s fine. I’ll say that much. Sure, she can dance. Whatever. But why is she keeping her identity such a secret? Does she have a horrible criminal record or something? Was she a psycho-maniac killer? Or is she just plain fug? I mean, we know your eyes aren’t really lavender, sweetheart. Honestly, all I can see that isn’t covered by makeup or jewels is her plain Jane nose.

  What I can say for now is that I’ll continue keeping you all posted on the latest news that comes out about Her Royal Highness Secrecy. And I’ll do a little digging myself (you know how good I am at it).

  Queen Bee, if you’re reading this just know…nothing stays a secret forever.

  “What on earth are you doing?” Mira asked, standing at the door of Gemma’s bedroom. Gemma had found old sheets in the linen closet and was using them to wrap around her Balenciaga gown. “Gemma, honey – you’re going to wrinkle that!”

  “I just don’t want to keep looking at it. It’s depressing me.”

  Mira’s jaw dropped as if she were personally offended. “Why would that gown upset you, it represents so much of what you achieved this summer.”

  Gemma let herself fall in a heap on the floor. “That’s why it’s upsetting me. I miss it so much. I don’t know what I’m even doing here. Everyone wants more Queen Bee and they all want to find out who she is so why is she hiding in Beauford, New Jersey? As Gemma Hunter?” she said her own name with disdain. Mira walked over to the dress form and expertly finished securing the cotton sheets around the last swatch of exposed gown. She opened Gemma’s closet and pushed the whole thing inside.

  “Thanks,” Gemma sniffled.

  “Yes, you’re welcome and everything – but listen to me, Gemma. I know that this is a strange situation, but we Hunters face our trials straight on. I’m fine with you putting the gown away but not because I’m allowing you to lament over ‘hiding as Gemma Hunter.’ You are first and foremost Gemma Hunter.” Mira tipped Gemma’s chin up with her pointer finger. “Queen Bee is your job, a part that you play. I never want you to lose touch with who you really are.”

  “I don’t know who I really am.”

  “Oh, please. What sixteen-year-old girl does? This is the time that you figure it out. Besides, once you’re on tour as Queen Bee again, you’re going to be sniffling about wanting to be a normal girl.”

  “On tour again?”

  “Gemma, as your aunt I’m going to keep all the business stuff from you but as your manager, do you really think I wouldn’t give the public what they want?” Mira smiled mischievously.

  “Really? Are we touring the states?” Gemma asked excitedly.

  “They ask, we give,” Mira shrugged. “We begin press around Christmas and Queen Bee will announce that she’s giving into demands for an American tour in January. We’ll sell tickets and you’ll do a brief teaser tour. Just going to take you out of school for a month in March and hit the major cities. You’ll only miss three weeks since you have spring break then.”

  “Oh,” Gemma suddenly remembered. “The girls and I were supposed to take a cruise to the Bahamas then.”

  “You’ll have summer with them.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Gemma grumbled. “I just wish I could tell them who I really am.”

  “Gemma, honey. You know why we’re keeping this under wraps,” Mira sighed. “For starters, mystery sells. But really, how creepy would it be to wake up to paparazzi outside your bedroom window? After the craziness of what this tour will be, you’ll be thankful to have your privacy and normal life. Speaking of which, did you get a dress for Madison’s birthday?”

  “I’m just going to look now through the things I bought while touring. I’ve actually never worn half of these things.”

  “Alright, sweetie. Don’t stay up too late,” Mira began to close the door. With a wink, she added, “And choose kindly. You don’t want to upstage the poor birthday girl.”

  QUEEN BEE’S MANAGEMENT OFFICES BURGLARIZED

  The Manhattan Local

  October 24

  Offices of Queen Bee’s management company were broken into on Sunday night, authorities say. Police were notified around 12AM that alarms had sounded at The Roebling-Hunter Group, located in Manhattan’s Flatiron. According to police reports, the burglars broke into the building through the roof and were caught within ten minutes of reaching the offices of Roebling-Hunter. Because the suspects are minors, their names have not been released.

  Police have not confirmed motives, but it is widely believed that the teenaged burglars trespassed into Roebling-Hunter in attempts to uncover documents regarding the true identity of pop singer, Queen Bee.

  Harvey Roebling and Mira Hunter have yet to release statements regarding the matter.

  Chapter 6

  “We’re pulling into your driveway!” Madison teased. Gemma wedged her cell phone between her ear and shoulders as she strapped on her silver jeweled sandals. She admired the hanging rhinestones on the ankle strap as she tightened it. “In case you’re not sure, we’re the black stretch Escalade behind your brother’s tiny wuss car.”

  “Did I hear her insult my car just now?” Gavin asked as he examined his hair in the foyer mirror. He wore a black dress shirt untucked over a pair of dark washed Diesel jeans.

  “I’ll be right out!” Gemma said, hanging up the phone and slipping it into her silver python clutch. She ran out into the yard just as the sun was setting. The golden rays caught on the lighter-colored accessories, making them gleam against her black sequined cockt
ail dress. She couldn’t see into the limo, but she hoped they were looking. She had thought hard about what to wear, wanting to look good but not so good that she would outshine Madison. As if I could, Gemma thought sheepishly.

  Madison, Leah, Kate, Jillian and Lucas were already inside. Madison and Lucas sat on one side while the three girls sat on the other. Looking like a page ripped out of WWD in her Gucci dress, she leaned against Lucas with a leg crossed towards him. Dangling at the end of her foot was a nude lace peep-toe pump.

  To Leah’s dismay, Gavin plopped down next to Lucas, instantly mirroring Madison. He snuggled up against Lucas and crossed a leg towards him, sandwiching him in the middle. “’Sup cutie,” Gavin puckered his lips and directed his pout at Lucas. The girls tittered as Lucas slowly backed away.

  Gemma took a seat next to the girls. She thought Lucas looked incredibly handsome in the outfit that Madison not only chose for him, but bought for him. He wore a cornflower blue, French-cuffed dress shirt tucked into black slacks.

  Gemma felt silly about her disappointment that no one had commented on her outfit yet. But Madison had made a fuss about finally seeing her outfit since she was wearing black while the girls were all wearing bright colors. She crossed her jeweled ankles and sat quietly.

  “Mr. Grey,” Gavin said, leaning over Lucas and towards Madison. “If you could excuse me for a moment, I’d like to give your girlfriend a birthday gift.”

  “If you try to kiss me, I’ll kill you,” Madison scowled.

  “First of all, gross. Second, I’m faithful to my man Lucas, okay?” Gavin’s emerald eyes twinkled as he pulled out a bottle of Dom Perignon from behind him. “Happy birthday, you old bag.” He popped the cork off expertly, though nearly hitting Leah in the shoulder.

  “Hey!” she shrieked, dodging.

  Gavin leaned over and touched her bare knee. “Shit, I’m so sorry,” he said, his eyes devoid of mischief for a second. Leah blushed. Gavin turned back over towards Madison. “So, do we have champagne flutes?”

  “No, Lucas forgot,” Madison lamented.

  “Well I guess we’re chugging it from the bottle,” Gavin grinned. He held the bottle to Madison. “Birthday girl gets first chug.” Madison laughed and took a sip from the bottle, careful not to spill on her dress. Gavin quickly snatched it back to take a full swig.

  “Such a gentleman, Gavin,” Madison rolled her eyes.

  “I am. If it’s less full, it’s less likely to spill on you gorgeous ladies. Which reminds me, here you go Lucas.”

  Lucas took a quick sip from the bottle before handing it to Gemma.

  “Here,” he said, looking straight at her for the first time since she got into the car. She smiled at him and reached for the bottle, her fingers brushing against his. She took a sip and handed the champagne to Jillian, who didn’t notice that Gemma and Lucas’s eyes were still locked on each other. They quickly averted their eyes.

  When they got to the city, Gavin convinced the group to drop into The Red Deer so he could “eat a burger or two.” Most of them had already eaten – or chosen not to in their tight dresses – but they didn’t mind the brief detour. “More pregaming?” Leah dared to ask Gavin, who nodded enthusiastically.

  The restaurant was actually quite empty, so they enjoyed the feeling of practically having the place to themselves. They sat in a back corner booth, lounging on the deep red leather seats and sharing a bottle of wine and some raw oysters. Gavin switched between bites of his burger and a croque-monsieur. He even took the liberty of ordering Leah a French onion soup when she commented on how good it smelled. Leah poked at it with a spoon, no doubt wondering how she’d look in front of Gavin with strings of melted cheese hanging from her mouth.

  Gemma noticed Lucas wasn’t drinking much, though she remembered that he never really drank much when they went out. Madison was distracted with helping Kate smooth down her blowout so she could flirt with a waiter, who according to her, looked like “an older Tyler Chase with blonde hair.” Gemma felt a little buzzed. She leaned in towards Lucas.

  “Are you going to finish your wine?” she asked in a whisper. It came out a little sultrier than she had expected. She watched as he blushed. Lucas pushed the glass towards her.

  “You can have it.”

  “Why aren’t you drinking?”

  “I like being a little less drunk than everyone else, just in case,” he said. Off her incredulous expression, he nodded at her glass of wine and said, “For example, if you were to get too drunk to walk, I could carry you without falling myself.” He smiled.

  “This is only gonna be my third glass,” Gemma protested with a giggle. She plucked the glass of wine from him and eyed him from under her feathery lashes, taking a sip.

  “You’re just…” Lucas shook his head with a grin.

  “Just what?” Gemma said, tossing her glossy flat-ironed hair to the side and looking him straight in the eye. Her boldness was involuntary and her stomach began to flip.

  “Just a little different than your usual self,” Lucas concluded, lowering his eyes to the table.

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No, not bad. It just takes some getting used to.”

  “How am I different?” Gemma asked. She crossed her leg under the table and felt it rub against his. He didn’t move away. He didn’t speak either. “How am I different?” she repeated.

  Lucas suddenly stood up from the table. He touched her arm gently, though his face was not so lighthearted. “I don’t know,” he said as he began to walk away. “But you are.”

  ~

  The club was huge with high ceilings and two floors. The architecture was old-fashioned and intricate which contrasted in a chic way against the minimalist, space-aged inspired décor. A well-known deejay that Queen Bee had once collaborated with scratched on a stage on the lower level while Madison gathered her VIPs on the upper balcony.

  Gemma wasn’t sure what had gotten into her at dinner, but she felt it was safe to say that it was the wine. The buzz had long since left her and she refrained from another drink in her nervousness. Leah, on the other hand, knocked back shots like a frat boy. She was determined to dance with Gavin at the very least. It had been awhile since any of them had seen Madison and Lucas. The last time they were in public view, the two were dancing sensually, interlocked and face-to-face. Gemma frowned at the thought.

  “You look amazing,” a voice said from behind her. Gemma turned to see Damian. Her mouth dropped slightly. He looked even more amazing in his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, half-tucked into a pair of fitted designer jeans.

  “Oh, thanks,” she smiled, eyeing his muscular forearms as they handed her a Tequila Sunrise.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “I came in with Madison, so awhile… you?”

  “Lucky. The rest of us had to wait outside to see if we’d get in,” Damian laughed. “I mean, the basketball team got to stand in the VIP line, so we knew we’d get in, but some people really didn’t.” He bit his lip back a little. “I was hoping to see you here.”

  “Yeah? Why’s that?”

  “Well,” Damian said, hooking his fingers with hers and swinging their arms just slightly. It made Gemma smile. “I’ve been trying to ask you to dinner for weeks but it was hard since Gavin banned the team from talking to you.”

  Gemma smiled. She should have known that Gavin was behind the delay. “Well Gavin’s not here right now,” she said. She had meant to sound sexy but her voice trailed off with the last word because she spotted Lucas over Damian’s shoulder, making his way to the bar.

  “So in that case,” Damian leaned in towards her. “Would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?” Gemma didn’t answer, looking over Damian’s shoulder as she watched Lucas order a drink at the other end of the bar. He looked in her direction.

  “I…um…” she stuttered absentmindedly. He’s not looking at you, she told herself. “Of course. We definitely should.” She could barely hear what
Damian was saying as she watched Lucas wait on his drinks, leaning on his side against the bar.

  He was looking at her. He was staring at her.

  “Awesome. I’m excited,” Damian grinned.

  Gemma forced a smile. “Me too,” she lied.

  Feeling bad about how inattentive she had been with Damian, Gemma decided to make it up to him on the dance floor. He was a great dancer and she was beginning to genuinely enjoy herself. Her own dancing wasn’t on par with Queen Bee’s choreographed moves, but it was nice to move about freely without having to think about choreography. She knew she was the envy of the girls around her and she reveled in it. For the first time in awhile, Lucas was not on her mind.

  “They’re watching us,” Damian yelled over the music.

  “Who?” Gemma looked around. It seemed like everyone was watching them.

  “Your brother and the rest of the team,” he pointed up. Gemma looked up at a balcony to see Gavin whispering to some of the other basketball players. Lucas was among them. “They’re jealous ‘cause I’m the only one who can actually dance,” he laughed. Gemma smiled and pulled herself into him. It was nice to be as close to him as she was.

  Up on the balcony, Gavin grimaced and shook his head. The team laughed, unaccustomed to his serious, protective side.

  “Calm down, Gavin,” one of the boys said. “You can’t expect your sister to be a nun.”

  “I’m just gonna go downstairs and keep a closer watch,” Gavin finally decided as he weaved through the crowd.

  “Don’t be a cockblocker, Hunter!” Matt, a stocky football player, yelled after him. “Your sister needs some play too!” Gavin gave him the finger as he made his way down the staircase. Matt laughed to himself and turned his baseball cap backwards before leaning over the balcony again. He nudged a few of the other guys as they watched Gemma dance.

  “Careful, bro,” Adam, one of the basketball players shouted over the music. “Gavin gets serious when people talk about Gemma.”

  “Who’s saying what about Gemma?” Madison peered inquisitively at the boys as she sauntered towards them and wrapped her arms around Lucas’s waist.