Hidden Gem

by India Lee

  “Like dressing up as Zorro on the court,” Gemma laughed.

  “Well he’s not wearing a cape here,” Damian examined the poster. “Not that I’d put it past him. He just does what he wants without worrying about what other people say. Which is pretty admirable, I’d say.”

  Gemma cocked her head at the poster. She didn’t know a thing about basketball but at that moment, she decided she liked the guy too.

  ~

  “I’ve met Walt many times! That man is everywhere,” Mira said, nonchalantly. “He’s omnipresent. So autographed basketball, no problem. Maybe I can get him to give up an old fedora or something too.”

  Within a week-and-a-half, Mira came through with her promise. By the last day of school before break, an autographed basketball and two game tickets (for Damian and his father) were gift-wrapped and nestled under the grand Christmas tree that Mira had decorated herself.

  “You didn’t. Did you? Is this – wait a second. Gemma!” To say that Damian was impressed and excited was an understatement. He ran around practice showing his teammates the autographed basketball. Gemma was slightly disappointed that the rest of the team showed no interest for anything but the second game ticket, though ultimately she was just pleased by Damian’s pure joy.

  She tried to keep her distance from Lucas. Since the Turkey Bowl, they hadn’t talked once and she had barely even seen him in the halls. Since Madison had stopped rounding everyone up for nights out on the town, she never saw Lucas outside of school either.

  But now it was basketball season, and being Damian’s “girlfriend” and Gavin’s sister meant that she would be at almost every game. Coach even let her stick around for practice sometimes, simply because she had impressed him with Damian’s Christmas gift.

  Gemma sometimes stole glances at Lucas during practice. He sat away from the team, lacing his sneakers on the bleachers while the rest of them gathered around Coach. Something was wrong and even Gavin noticed.

  “Do you know if he and Madison are doing okay?” he asked one night, sitting up on the living room couch as he and Gemma watched television. “He’s just quiet lately – I mean, even more than usual.” Gemma simply shrugged the questions off, citing stress and schoolwork as probable causes of Lucas’s stress.

  “I mean, it is junior year. Not everyone is you, Gavin,” she said. “Some people actually care about doing well in class.”

  “Hold on,” Gavin rubbed his chin. “The pop star that didn’t actually go to a real school for the past two years is lecturing me?”

  Gemma smiled. Poking fun at Gavin was usually the best way to distract him from a conversation that she didn’t want to have. Gemma needed to do all she could to keep the subject of Madison and Lucas out of her home.

  ~

  The morning of Christmas finally arrived and to the surprise of Gemma, Gavin and Mira, there was a heavy knock at the door.

  “Malcolm!” Gemma heard Mira shriek from downstairs. Gemma jumped out of bed and threw on her sweatshirt and slippers, practically shoving Gavin out of the way as they charged through the hall and all but tumbled down the stairs. The four embraced and laughed as they helped Malcolm carry in suitcases and boxes full of gifts. He had managed to find a roundtrip flight at the very last minute.

  “Your mother wanted to stay with your grandma,” Malcolm explained to Gemma and Gavin. “They felt terrible so they had me bring quite a bit of food and presents. Look here, Grandma’s been well enough lately to bake cookies.”

  Gemma helped unpack neatly tied boxes of chocolate chip cookies, peppermint bark, peanut brittle, and fudge. She and Mira took apart the rest of the boxes, pulling out treat after treat. Gavin retreated to the tufted leather chair by the fireplace and sat in silence, popping caramels in his mouth from the box that sat on his lap.

  Gemma wasn’t sure how they’d be spending Christmas this year without her family altogether. Mira was unaccustomed to organizing family events. She rarely even attended them since she was always “obligated” to attend her friends’ lavish soirees. Her only plans for this year with Gemma and Gavin were to open gifts and perhaps go ice-skating later in the day. She considered inviting Hudson Gunn just so he could cook a worthy meal for their holiday dinner but decided that it was cruel to do to a man with kids of his own. “We don’t need a crazy feast, silly,” Gemma had said to ease Mira’s pressure the night before. All Gemma really needed was her family near her and A Christmas Story on television. Having her father there was just the icing on the cake.

  “Well, since you’re back Malcolm,” Mira said as she spread some strawberry preserves and clotted cream on half a scone. “I know there’s something you wanted to talk about with Gemma.” Malcolm put down his coffee and nodded.

  “I had a whole long speech prepared, but I’ll spare you. It boils down to the fact that I am just so proud of you for how well you’ve adjusted to this new life. I want you to keep maintaining this balance,” Malcolm said, putting his hand over Gemma’s. “And I’m sure you’ve been tempted to tell someone about your secret, but you have to understand that you cannot. Especially since you’re gaining attention in the states. Your life as Gemma would completely change, and in a terrible way.”

  Gemma snapped a piece of peanut brittle, sending a shard flying through the air. She popped one of the halves into her mouth and chewed. Malcolm and Mira exchanged looks. She thought about Madison. And Lucas. “My life’s not the greatest right now anyway. I honestly can’t wait to be Queen Bee again.”

  There was a long silence as her family stared at her.

  “Your life is fine, drama queen,” Gavin finally said through a mouth full of caramel.

  “You know what, let’s just have some fun right now. It’s Christmas,” Malcolm said, smiling genuinely. Gemma managed some sort of smile back. She had missed him. She hadn’t seen him since Barcelona. Being near him made her feel close to Barcelona again, close to Queen Bee and the whole experience of the tour. She bit down on the other half of brittle dejectedly. If only, she thought to herself.

  QUEEN BEE ANNOUNCES NYE PERFORMANCE & U.S TOUR DATES

  Celebomatic

  12/28 10:43AM

  Let’s just call it a late Christmas gift.

  Pop diva Queen Bee has given her curious U.S fans exactly what they’ve been waiting for – an American tour, starting in early March. The fashion icon appeared on “Good Morning America” via satellite this morning to confirm the rumors that her killer vocals will indeed be gracing the states very soon. In the meantime, Bee will hold us over with a New Year’s Eve performance in Times Square, her first performance in the U.S to date. If you’re one of the lucky ones in New York City on the 31st, make sure to stake your spot out fast to catch a glimpse of the rising star.

  As far as the tour, tickets don’t go on sale until January, but mark your calendars! The schedule goes as follows:

  3/2: New York, NY. Madison Square Garden

  3/3: New York, NY. Madison Square Garden

  3/9: Miami, FL. American Airlines Arena

  3/12: Austin, TX. Frank Erwin Center

  3/15: Los Angeles, CA. Staples Center

  3/18: Denver, CO. Pepsi Center

  3/20: Nashville, TN. Bridgestone Arena.

  3/24: Chicago, IL. United Center.

  Chapter 8

  GET READY FOR US, BEE ;)

  12/28 3:39PM EST

  posted by Tara C.

  Her Royal Secrecy

  So it finally happened.

  Whether it was the online petition hosted by her many fan clubs or the People Magazine cover (plus those loads and loads of Us Weekly “investigations”), Queen Bee’s team has finally decided that Americans have worshipped her enough to be graced with a tour.

  Yippeeee!

  Not.

  I know that many of you readers here have started to take a liking to Queen Bee, but I still remain suspicious. As long as she hasn’t come out with her real identity yet, I haven’t gotten over my theory that she is just a random
chick who lip-syncs some fat girl’s amazing voice. Or worse, some loony whore who is going to infect Tyler Chase with the herp and convince him to get a septum piercing or neck tattoo.

  That being said, I’m going to buy tickets for her New York show. Hello? Some investigating needs to be done here. Speaking of which, here’s my latest report:

  * Queen Bee’s management is listed as the Roebling Hunter Group based in New York City. The Roebling Hunter Group was founded by Harvey Roebling and Mirabel Hunter almost ten years ago. (yes they recently got broke into, no it wasn’t me because I wouldn’t have gotten caught.)

  * Queen Bee’s exact birthday is not listed, but a British blogger reports that she announced she’d be celebrating her Sweet Sixteen soon during one of her first summer performances. Being that she just finished her summer tour in Europe, we know that Queen Bee is currently sixteen and will be turning seventeen next summer.

  * During a show in Prague this summer, Queen Bee announced that her song “So Wicked” was inspired by her brother. So, she has a brother. Duh.

  There are the facts, my loves. Put them together in your Queen Bee research papers and hopefully one of you will come up with an accurate report even before I do. In the meantime, keep sending me your leads, suspicions, and links. If I think anything is worth investigating, I’ll post it. But thus far, I have to say, there hasn’t been anything worthwhile (I mean really people? You’re guessing Desiree Silver to be Queen Bee? At least DListed and ONTD commenters are making educated guesses here).

  And one more thing to little miss Bee herself: I do hope you’re ready for the U.S. We can be nice, but we can also be oh so mean. :)

  “Oh my God ladies, be excited,” Kate squealed as she jumped up and down, her springy curls bouncing about. School had started again and they were convened at a Starbucks during lunch, looking up cute bathing suits online for spring break. “Guess what I have in my hands!”

  “Tyler Chase’s heart? Oh no, wait – you wish,” Madison smiled at her own joke.

  “Well, Madison, it’s actually pretty close to Tyler Chase’s heart…” Kate fanned out five tickets. “We’re going to go see Queen Bee at Madison Square Garden!” Leah and Jillian squealed and grabbed at the tickets while other customers buzzed over their good fortune. Madison and Gemma sat with little emotion. Madison turned to Gemma and smiled genuinely for the first time in what felt like ages.

  “We’re so not like them,” Madison said. “I’m not a bandwagoner.”

  “How did you get tickets?” Leah screamed. “Even my dad’s firm was trying to get them and they couldn’t!”

  “I have my ways,” Kate said as she batted her eyelashes. “But really, I was just one of the early subscribers to Queen Bee’s website and got to buy them during the private pre-sale. But aren’t you girls lucky that I’ve chosen you to go?”

  “Yes!” Leah and Jillian squealed as they took the tickets.

  “I can’t make it that day,” Gemma blurted out.

  “You don’t even know what the date of the concert is!” Kate laughed. “I’m not taking no for an answer. I mean, do you realize you’re saying no to like, the hottest ticket of the decade?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Gemma said, softly.

  “Seriously,” Madison muttered. “I don’t get why everyone’s like, jumping off a cliff for her.”

  “Have you even listened to her music, Madison? Or seen her gorgeous clothes? And shoes?” Jillian asked with urgency. “You are going to come right?”

  “Who cares about those two,” Leah turned her nose up. “We can totally sell their tickets and go on a Neiman’s spree.”

  “Maybe take Lucas and Elisa,” Madison suggested. Gemma’s eyes widened. “Elisa’s crazy about Queen Bee. Of course that’s normal for a tween but for you girls – you should be ashamed.”

  “And you think Lucas would want to go?” Gemma asked.

  “God, no,” Madison snorted. “He just wouldn’t trust these psychos to take care of Elisa for the night.”

  “Fine. I guess it’s better if the tickets go to people we know. Especially a real fan like Elisa,” Kate said.

  “Are you sure? Because I still think we can make a profit on this,” Leah said as the girls rolled their eyes and laughed.

  ~

  Gemma had been out of school for a few days to fly back and forth between coasts to do talk show appearances. Reuniting with Penelope and Armand was so exciting that she completely forgot about making up a good excuse for why she was out. She opted for the classic flu excuse and was mildly disappointed that the girls had barely noticed her absence. They only asked in passing if she was feeling better when she returned. Lucas, however, was a different story. Despite the fact that he continued to restrict his contact with Gemma, Gavin had reported that he dropped by the house to check if Gemma needed someone to bring her make-up work from school.

  “That’s a good friend,” Gavin said. “I love that dude. I’d marry him if it were legal.”

  Gemma laughed. She had figured out that Gavin’s way of showing true appreciation for a friend was through homoeroticism. “How does that work considering you’re both straight and have girlfriends?”

  “We would build a loving marriage based on our strong foundation of bromance. And we’d get rid of Madison and share Kylie.”

  “Hm, you’re funny, Gavin,” Gemma said absently. She wanted to know why Lucas had really dropped by. They shared no classes and she wondered why he would assume the responsibility of collecting her work. She was desperate for these answers but of course, since her return, Lucas was elusive once again.

  ~

  Mira had dubbed the American tour “Queen Bee: Homecoming.” She decided that for such a magnificent event, at least a few new pieces of clothing and jewelry needed to be added. It was an easy task because a slew of American designers had recently begun sending free dresses and even offering to custom design for Queen Bee. Mira accepted but refused to use any of the new dresses as the final costume. They would still finish with the Balenciaga gown that had since been moved to the showroom where the team was preparing wardrobe.

  Luckily, Penelope had already done most of Gemma’s adjustments before the blizzard hit. Two feet of snow piled onto Beauford with nearly just as much along the path towards New York. Everyone was snowed in and school was canceled for the second consecutive day. Gemma and Mira watched the snow fall outside the window while Gavin seemed to shovel endlessly without any progress.

  “Poor kid,” Mira said. “If he doesn’t get past that front part of the driveway in ten minutes, I’m sending you out there to help.”

  “Me?” Gemma sputtered. “Why me?”

  “Because my poor arms have been through too many hours of pilates sculpting to lift a shovel right now.”

  Gemma frowned and continued to watch Gavin, hoping for more progress. He was comically bundled up in a down jacket that looked huge with two Beauford Warriors sweaters on underneath and a gray Gucci knit cap pulled over his eyebrows. He suddenly stopped and threw his shovel aside with frustration, yelling something.

  “What’s that boy saying?” Mira asked, leaning towards the window. “Looks like it’s your turn, Gemma.”

  “Really?” Gemma pouted.

  They watched Gavin as he turned towards Lucas’s house. Mira cracked open the window so that his muffled cries became clearer.

  “Snowblower!” he yelled. “Give me your damn snowblower!”

  Out of the mist of snow, Lucas seemed to appear magically. He pushed the snowblower down the sidewalk and onto their driveway. Both Gemma and Mira laughed at the sight of him, bundled up like Gavin in a North Face jacket and multiple scarves.

  “Oh so that’s how good suburbanites do it,” Mira mused.

  Once the two boys successfully cleared the driveway, Mira insisted they both come inside for her homemade chai. She boiled spices and milk as the boys tried to warm themselves on the couch. Gavin sat on one end, wearing a pinstriped Yankees Snuggie.
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  “Do you need me to hold you Lucas?” he asked. Lucas laughed, inching away from Gavin and towards Gemma. Gemma tensed.

  “No thanks.”

  “Gavin!” Mira shouted from the kitchen. “What have I told you about making guests feel uncomfortable in our home?” She brought out a tray of three piping hot mugs. Gavin was in the midst of answering her but opted to grab a mug and slurp his chai instead.

  “Thanks, Aunt Mira. Don’t you have one for yourself?” Gemma asked as she reached for the tray. She took a mug and handed it to Lucas without making eye contact.

  “No, I’ll reward myself with one later. I need to make some calls regarding one of my clients upstairs,” she winked at Gemma. “But you kids have fun.”

  Once Mira was gone, the room was silent aside from Gavin’s slurping sounds. He clearly had no intention of starting any conversation. Gemma’s pulse raced as she tried to think of an appropriate way to break the silence.

  “Gavin,” Lucas suddenly said. Gemma let out a silent sigh of relief. “Do you know where you want to go yet?”

  Gavin chugged his chai and slammed down an empty mug. Lucas grimaced. “I don’t know. I don’t really care, I just know I want to keep playing ball,” Gavin answered. He peered into Lucas’s mug. “How are you drinking that so slowly?”

  “It’s kind of scalding hot,” Gemma interjected.

  “Right?” Lucas looked over at Gemma, as if he suddenly had permission. He laughed, seemingly relieved to be able to say something to her.

  Gemma nervously averted her gaze to notice Gavin grabbing Lucas’s mug off the tray and bringing it to his lips. “Oh no, Lucas he’s – ” she failed in her attempt to warn Lucas and he turned to see his chai gone, already washed down Gavin’s throat.

  “Not cool, I just helped you clear your driveway,” Lucas said, suppressing his amusement.

  “Aw man, that hit the spot,” Gavin said, punctuating his remark with a belch. “I’m sleepy.”

  “That’s because you just guzzled a liter of warm milk,” Gemma said. She handed her mug to Lucas. “You can have mine if you still have an appetite after what we just witnessed.”