Hidden Gem

by India Lee

  “Nothing bad, we’re saying she’s hot. It’s a compliment,” Matt said. “And that we can see straight down her dress from up here. Not that there’s a whole lot to look at.” Another boisterous laugh rumbled from his mouth before he knocked his beer back and threw the empty plastic cup over the balcony.

  “Oh please, just because a girl’s got smaller boobs doesn’t mean she can’t be attractive,” Madison chided. She rested her chin on Lucas’s shoulder, frowning. “Babe, your muscles are all tense,” she craned her neck to see what he was looking at over the balcony, but all she could see was Gemma.

  “I didn’t say that she wasn’t attractive, Maddie, you did,” Matt snorted. “I was gonna say she makes up for it with those lips. Mad DSL right there.” The other boys laughed, loosening up in Gavin’s absence.

  “Feels like she could be a closet freak,” Adam said as he finished his beer. “Crazy’s gotta run in the family.”

  “Alright, well that settles it,” Matt declared, holding out another beer in a mock toast. “Here’s to boning Gemma Hunter before the end of the football season, huh? Can’t imagine it’d be too hard.” They boys cheered, toasting their beer cups and making obscene gestures.

  “Don’t talk like that.”

  The boys quickly stopped and looked over in surprise. Lucas hadn’t said a word the entire time on the balcony and they had practically forgotten that he was there. Madison squinted at him in curiously as well.

  “It’s okay, honey, they’re just idiots,” she comforted Lucas, resting a hand on his chest though looking uneasy herself. “Guys, Lucas is really good friends with Gavin and you’re all being really disrespectful.” She looked up at Lucas, whose jaw was clenched tight. He took Madison’s hand from his chest and set it down gently on the balcony.

  “It’s warm in here,” he said into her ear. “I’m gonna get some air.” She blinked in confusion as she watched him turn and leave.

  “Oh shit, Maddie,” Matt said. “Looks like your boy might have a boner for her too.” They all laughed. Madison was silent as she looked over the balcony and watched her boyfriend make his way out of the club.

  ~

  Gemma was relieved when she found out that her friends weren’t the type to make a big deal of Halloween. From her knowledge of pop culture, Halloween was the day that girls had the excuse to dress in a way that would never otherwise be appropriate. Since her career as Queen Bee was all about disguise and dressing to the nines, she grew to find the practice rather routine and was happy to hear that Madison had already gotten everyone’s Halloween costumes.

  “I just stepped into the supermarket and Lucas started flipping out,” Madison explained. “Apparently some guy who plays for The Jets was there and Lucas, like, loves him. They practice nearby or something. He was really nice and was completely checking me out but Lucas was like, actually happy that he approved.”

  The football player, whose name Madison couldn’t remember, ended up inviting Lucas and Madison to a game and giving them passes to the locker room. Madison apparently convinced the boys to literally take their shirts off for her.

  “So now I have like, five authentic jerseys. I had them dry-cleaned so they’re not disgusting and I think we’d look cute wearing them over bike shorts and pumps. Then afterwards, we can give them back to Lucas because he was totally bummed that I didn’t give him one.”

  “Can I keep mine?” Kate asked. “I think my dad is a Jets fan. Or a Giants fan. Shit, I don’t remember which…” she trailed off.

  “You can keep yours,” Madison said, nonchalantly. She turned towards Gemma and did a quick sweep of her from head to toe. “Actually, you can all keep them. Lucas will really only want the one I wore anyway.”

  “We should wear these to The Turkey Bowl!” Leah squealed. “It would be like good luck! And they’re big enough that Jillian won’t have to wear three sports bras to hide all that bouncing.”

  Jillian shot Leah a look. “I’m not playing this year, I’m just cheering,” she said. “Some of the guys tried to cop a feel last year. It totally went from touch football to molestation football.”

  “I’ll cheer with you,” Madison said. “Do we want to do matching outfits?”

  Gemma was surprised to hear the girls planning more for the Turkey Bowl than Halloween. On their first date, Damian had told her that “Jock Row” held a yearly football game – a longstanding tradition that was organized by the varsity basketball team members. It was done in a secretive manner since their coach had banned them from engaging in physical activities that could result in injury. The girls invited also played, usually resulting in flirtatious bouts of contact. Damian said there was absolutely always a post-game hook-up. Apparently this year, bets were on Gavin and Leah – simply because Leah announced she would make a major push for it despite the fact that Kylie would be in attendance.

  Halloween turned out to be pretty boring – the students of Beauford High were either too stoned or apathetic to dress up or care. Despite what little they did, the girls did receive nonstop attention for their costumes. Gemma wasn’t sure if it was because of the story behind the jerseys or the fact that their skintight hot shorts were barely covering their behinds. She had to admit, paired with her four-inch Louboutin pumps, her legs looked incredible.

  At home, Mira had taken the day off and invited friends over to assist with the finishing touches of her elaborate Marie Antoinette costume. While still at home, she took pride in distributing little bags of rum-infused truffles to the children. When Gavin told her that the chocolates were a questionable choice for children, she replied, “They’re meant to be the leftovers that the poor parents get for walking door-to-door with those sugar-crazed rascals all night.” She personally handed out as many as she could before leaving in a town car to attend her own affairs. It was her idea of participating in suburban trick-or-treating despite having to attend her friend’s yearly Halloween bash at Capitale in Manhattan.

  Gemma was definitely more excited for the Turkey Bowl than she was about Halloween. She didn’t know much about football, but she knew that she enjoyed watching it when Gavin’s friends came over the house to play in their huge backyard. She also had a cute outfit picked out to honor the school colors – an orange raglan t-shirt over a pair of dark blue leggings and white thigh-high socks tucked into white Nike hightops.

  Gavin was also excited because he and Damian were appointed captains and had plans of playing the entire game in elaborate superhero costumes. Gavin had chosen Ironman, which was undoubtedly going to be a challenging costume to run in, while Damian opted for Batman.

  “There’s some elastic in it,” Damian said. “So I should still be able to move around pretty decently.”

  “You’re not afraid the boys are going to make fun of you guys?” Gemma questioned.

  “Not at all,” Damian grinned. “Last year Gavin convinced our team to dress up as Power Rangers, so everyone expects it again. We can’t disappoint.” Gemma rolled her eyes at her brother’s antics and Damian laughed. His laugh was mischievous but somehow sweet. She wondered what it would be like to kiss Batman. Her eyes ventured to his lips and wondered if they could be the couple that hooked up after the game. A large part of her hoped that they would be. Damian’s lips turned up in a smile – she could tell he was hoping for the same.

  ~

  The day of the game was pleasantly breezy and sun-drenched. Leaves crunched under her sneakers as Gemma walked beside Damian’s. As silly as the whole game was, Gemma was proud to be arriving with Damian. He managed to look pretty sexy in his Batman outfit.

  Madison also looked undeniably sexy in her short, pink cashmere sweater dress. Jillian, dressed in the same outfit, paled in comparison despite her two-cup advantage on Madison. The pair brought orange and blue pom-poms with them. Gemma watched as Madison used one to tickle the back of Lucas’s neck as he tied his shoe.

  Leah and Kate had taken old, fitted t-shirts and shredded them down the middle. They strategical
ly ripped horizontal slits to show off bits of cleavage and toned midsections. Kate went around painting lines of black under everyone’s eyes – everyone except for Kylie of course. All the big talk that Leah had made prior to the game about seducing Gavin seemed unlikely now. She stood all the way across the field and watched as Kylie draped herself around him, wearing a football jersey sheared right under her bustline. She showed off muscular abs and to the boys’ delight, occasional glimpses of her lacy black bra.

  Damian chose Gemma for his team along with Leah while Gavin chose Kate and Kylie. The rest of the boys were chosen at random with Lucas ending up on Gavin’s team. While the game started out seriously, it soon became a show of who could run the fastest and throw the hardest. While the majority of the boys were busy flexing their biceps and showing off the yardage on their passes, Damian opted to keep his arms wrapped around Gemma. She had made a passing comment about being cold and didn’t realize that it was dating code for “hold me and never let go.” Not that she was complaining – Damian’s arms were strong and warm and she felt peaceful with her head tucked under his chin. Every once in awhile, the ball would land in front of them and they would kick at it lazily with no real intention of playing.

  But every once in awhile, Gemma would hear cheering and look up in time to see Lucas doing something spectacular. Though his long and lean body was clearly made for basketball, he was obviously not limited to one sport. He moved around swiftly and made what Gemma had always deemed a violent sport look like art. Damian gave her a squeeze.

  “He’s pretty good, huh?” he said with a big smile. “Hey, if we kept playing we probably wouldn’t be freezing right now.”

  “I’m not freezing,” Gemma said.

  “That’s ‘cause you’re wearing me as a jacket,” he laughed. He pulled Gemma in tightly and brushed his lips against the side of her face. She turned her head to look up at him. His smile was sweet and content as he planted a small kiss on the tip of her nose. She giggled as she turned back to the field in time to see Lucas miss a pass. He had been looking at them. Instead of picking up the ball, he marched over.

  “Hey,” he called across the field as he made his way to the pair.

  “Uh oh,” Damian joked. “We’re about to get yelled at…”

  Lucas stopped at an arms-length from Gemma and Damian. His sober face forcefully broke into a silly grin. “You’re letting your team die out there, Batman. I’m not even on your team and I’m embarrassed for you.”

  “I know, I know,” Damian laughed. “But you know how it is,” he looked down at Gemma. “Got more important things to take care of.”

  Lucas bit his bottom lip. His smile disappeared as he looked at the ground, kicking at some dried leaves. Madison began to run towards them, pom-poms in the air as she cheered loudly.

  “Are we done playing?” she shouted from across the field. “Let’s go get dinner!” Gemma looked around. The game was no doubt over – it was clear that no one even knew where the ball was anymore. Damian wrapped an arm around Gemma’s waist as he began to make his rounds to chat with team members. “This okay?” he asked, tickling her. “Don’t want to piss off Gavin.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Just tell me if I’m moving too fast,” he joked with a look of feigned seriousness. “We can always take it back to holding hands. Just let me know.”

  “Oh, I will,” Gemma laughed.

  She turned away from Damian to see that Lucas had remained standing in front of them, still gazing at her. Her eyes fluttered in surprise.

  “Are you okay?” she asked quietly, timidly. She was unsure if it was the right thing to say. He nodded. A breeze blew a strand of hair across her face. Without thinking, Lucas reached over and brushed it away, his hand lingering for a second behind her ear. She smiled, brushing her fingers lightly over his.

  “What’s going on over here, kiddies?” Madison glided over. There was a smile on her lips but not a hint of it in her voice. She slipped one arm around Lucas’s waist and placed the other possessively over his chest.

  Upon hearing Madison’s voice, Damian turned back to face Gemma. “What? Did we get caught?” he asked playfully, letting go of Gemma’s waist and putting his hands in the air with exaggerated innocence.

  “Someone definitely got caught,” Madison said, looking Gemma in the eye.

  “I…I…” Gemma stuttered.

  Damian examined Gemma’s face of panic and then looked up at Lucas, who watched Gemma with worried eyes before shifting them to the ground. He nodded briefly to himself as if he suddenly understood what they were thinking. He moved his hands up from Gemma’s waist to her shoulders, giving them a squeeze to get her attention.

  “We got caught red-handed, Gem,” Damian said. She looked at him, confused. “No point in trying to hide it now.”

  “What are you talking about?” Madison scowled.

  “Gemma and I have been dating for awhile but we didn’t want Gavin to know. We were just trying to lay low so we wouldn’t get him upset,” Damian replied.

  Madison’s expression softened though her brows remained furrowed. “You two are dating?”

  Gemma and Damian nodded. Yes, we’re dating, Gemma told herself sternly. No reason to be looking at Lucas when you have a boyfriend.

  “Lucas,” Madison broke the brief silence. Her eyes were still locked on Gemma, who stood frozen in anxiety. “I was thinking maybe we should get dinner just the two of us? What do you think, babe?”

  The four stood awkwardly for a beat.

  “Okay,” Lucas replied. He took her hand from his chest and held it by his side, leading her away. “Bye guys. Good game,” he said with a faint smile. Madison glanced over her shoulder, once more at Gemma. It gave her a chill as she watched them walk away. Damian ran his hands up and down her back to soothe her.

  “I think there’s something big that you’re not telling me,” he said. He looked contemplative but offered a smile as he draped an arm around her shoulder. “Hey. If I can’t be anything more than a listener, I’ll still be happy to be something for you.”

  Gemma sighed, burying her head into the crook of Damian’s neck. She felt her heart wrench with emotion. It was a longing for Lucas’s attention, guilt over Damian’s compassion, but most of all, fear of Madison’s wrath.

  Chapter 7

  QUEEN BEE INTERVIEWED BY PEOPLE MAGAZINE

  Celebomatic

  11/28 2:24AM

  Gracing the cover of this week’s People magazine is Queen Bee, the American pop megastar whom ironically, Americans have only recently caught onto. Bee, who found her fame overseas, addresses her new American following in a phone interview with People and gets down and dirty with rumors tying her to heartthrob Tyler Chase. Here’s a snippet from the issue, which hits newsstands on Monday!

  PM: You have a very devoted fanbase throughout the world, especially in Europe and Asia. How does it feel to finally tap into the U.S, where you’re from?

  QB: It feels incredible. I do live in the states, and to go out eating or shopping and hear my own music – it’s so rewarding.

  PM: How many people know your real name?

  QB: I’d say less than ten.

  PM: Is it difficult for you to keep such a big secret under wraps?

  QB: I do get moments where I just want to tell my friends, but I really treasure the privacy I have in my life outside of Queen Bee. I’m at a place right now where I need the time to get to know my life off stage.

  PM: Your name has been in the news a great deal lately, especially with Tyler Chase’s tweet about his crush on you. Is it difficult to continue keeping such a big secret?

  QB: It’s certainly work, but it’s not too bad. I have some very dedicated and amazing team members who help keep everything under wraps. They’re everything to me.

  PM: Getting back to Tyler Chase’s tweet. Had you two met before the Barcelona concert?

  QB: No, I’d never met Tyler before the Barcelona concert or the tweet. I’ve ac
tually never met him at all! But he’s a great musician and I’m flattered that he’s a fan of my work.

  PM: Have you experienced any harassment from Tyler’s fans at all? You know they call themselves the Tyler Chasers.

  QB: [Laughs] I haven’t gotten any death threats or anything. Well, not that I know of. I actually have so many things going on in my life outside of Queen Bee that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with what everyone is saying about her.

  PM: And that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

  QB: [Laughs] For the most part.

  Between Madison’s college applications and Gemma’s midterms, the two had few interactions after the Turkey Bowl. What little conversation they shared only furthered Gemma’s confusion. Madison was cordial – friendly, but not necessarily as casual as she once was. But before she could even question it, Madison simply told all the girls that she had been stressed with applications and just wanted to be as relaxed as possible for her auditions.

  Gemma wasn’t sure what to believe. She wanted to think that she had imagined the awkward incident at the Turkey Bowl, but Damian confirmed the story for her. Since that day, their relationship faded from courtship to friendship. Gemma was grateful for that. She had the comfort of talking openly to him since he was the one person who not only knew her feelings for Lucas, but also noticed Madison’s odd behavior. She tried not to take advantage of Damian’s admiration, though it was so soothing to vent about Lucas while reclining in his arms. She reasoned that Damian knew what the situation was and allowed it anyway. They enjoyed each other’s company and she needed the guise of a relationship to throw Madison off her trail.

  Winter break was fast approaching and with Christmas around the corner, Gemma was desperate to come up with a perfect gift to show her appreciation for Damian’s friendship and support. While lounging at his house one day, she noticed a peculiar poster hanging above his couch in the family room. It was a ‘70s-looking black and white photo of a man dressed like Zorro, holding a basketball.

  “What’s that?” she asked. Damian switched on the television and looked up at the poster.

  “Oh,” he smiled “That’s Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier. He’s my dad’s all-time favorite Knick. He forced me to watch old videos of his games when I was a kid, which is what inspired me to be a point guard, really. Plus, the man’s got an insane sense of style.”