Diamonds in the Rough

by Michelle Madow

  “I know,” she said, her voice shaking. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth to stop the tears—she’d read somewhere that would work. She didn’t want to cry again. She couldn’t cry again. Shouldn’t her tear ducts be in a drought by now? “After Thanksgiving is over, I’m going to tell them that I’m done keeping their secret.”

  “If you want me to be there with you when you talk to them, I will,” he offered.

  “No,” she said. “This is something I should do alone. But thank you.”

  “Anytime.” He smiled, but it felt forced, like there was more he wanted to say. Her stomach flipped under his gaze, and she had the all-encompassing urge to kiss him again and melt into the protection of his arms.

  “I should go.” She got up, grabbed her purse from where she’d dropped it earlier and spun to face him. He still hadn’t moved from where he was sprawled shirtless on the bed, and it took her a few seconds to focus. “But I’m glad things aren’t going to change between us…after what just happened.”

  “Like I said, your friendship is too important to me to let anything mess it up.” He looked and sounded so sincere, but Madison thought she spotted a trace of guilt in his eyes. He must feel bad for letting things get so heated between them when she was feeling vulnerable.

  “I’ll let you know how things go after I talk to my parents.” She tried to sound resolved, but her hands shook as she let herself out of the villa, unsure if, when the time came, she would have the strength necessary to go through with it.

  She also knew that while Oliver might claim otherwise, things between them would never be the same again.

  www.campusbuzz.com

  High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman School

  Savannah Diamond’s Fabulous Sweet 16!

  Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 5:26 PM

  By now I guess everyone knows that Savannah Diamond’s sweet sixteen party will be on that show “My Fabulous Sweet 16!” A friend who has a parent who’s a teacher at school said that after school shut down for break, a camera crew came in to film. So cool!

  1: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 5:38 PM

  they filmed a little bit during and after volleyball practice and they had to do like, ten takes! I’m no actress, but from what I saw, Savannah SUCKED on camera! a friend and i watched from the sidelines and it was soooo funny :D

  2: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 5:47 PM

  invitations are apparently going out this week—crossing my fingers i get one!

  3: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 5:59 PM

  Hate to burst your bubble, but if you have to “cross your fingers” for an invite, you’re probably not going to get one. The save the date thingies were sent out a while ago. If you didn’t get one, then it sounds like you’re not invited!

  4: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 6:11 PM

  she invited everyone in the sophomore class and the volleyball team, along with some juniors and seniors.

  5: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 6:23 PM

  woohoo, another chance for the Diamonds to show off how awesome they are. i’ll pass.

  6: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 6:29 PM

  #jealous

  7: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 6:37 PM

  The party’s gonna be at the new club at the Diamond, Abandon. Apparently they’re going all out and it’s gonna be the party of the year!

  8: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 6:48 PM

  The girls on that show are all portrayed as such brats. I would hate to have my life on display like that. Savannah Diamond must be one hell of an attention whore.

  9: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 6:57 PM

  With the party being broadcast on national TV, it’ll be harder than ever to decide what to wear! Time for my mom’s personal stylist to come to the rescue…

  10: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 7:10 PM

  #FirstWorldProblems

  11: Posted on Tuesday 11/25 at 7:24 PM

  #OnePercentProblems!

  Chapter 21: Savannah

  Adrian was using the Diamond jet for a business trip to Macau, so Savannah and her sisters flew to California in a chartered private plane. It wasn’t as big as the Diamond jet, but it was still far more luxurious than anything Savannah could have imagined traveling in a few months ago.

  Savannah was so excited to see Mom, Grandma and Aunt Sophie that she could barely sit still, and she was also relieved to get away from the cameras that had been following her around Las Vegas for the My Fabulous Sweet Sixteen special. Despite the private acting coach, she’d barely improved since that disastrous first day of filming, and the production crew was getting frustrated with her—which only made her mess up more. She was fine in practice, when barely anyone was watching, but once the cameras started rolling, she overanalyzed what she was doing and clammed up.

  Maybe this break was what she needed to relax and get in the right mind-set.

  The flight wasn’t long, and when they landed, a limo waited on the tarmac to drive them to Grandma’s new home. The house was in Napa Valley, and it was nothing like the cramped one-bedroom condo in Fairfield that Grandma had previously shared with Aunt Sophie. All gray stone and dark wood, it was in a gated community where each house was surrounded by tons of land. It was built into a hill with lots of trees behind it, and while it at first appeared to be only one floor, at closer look it clearly had a large basement. With the sun setting behind it, it was absolutely picturesque.

  “Grandma forgot to mention that the new house was in Napa and not Fairfield,” Peyton said as she stepped out of the limo. “She’s getting all fancy now.”

  “You know Grandma,” Courtney said. “She’s probably trying to be modest.”

  Napa and Fairfield bordered each other, but they were completely different worlds. Napa was full of renowned vineyards owned by upper-class families, and was known for luxury. Fairfield’s claim to fame was being the home of the Jelly Belly candy factory and the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

  It was hard to picture Grandma living anywhere except her practical no-frills condo, but before the limo had a chance to come to a stop, she stepped out the front door of the stone-and-wood house and hurried to greet them, a huge smile on her face.

  “I’ve been waiting for you girls all day,” she said, giving them each a hug and pausing to look at them. She’d gained weight in the past months. Before she’d been so frail that Savannah had worried she would knock her over with a hug, but now she was sturdier and healthier. “I hope you’re all hungry, because your mom has quite the feast waiting for you. She’s in the kitchen doing the finishing touches now, and she can’t wait to see you.”

  “Mom’s cooking?” Savannah couldn’t imagine her mom preparing a meal more complicated than peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

  “Yes.” Grandma nodded. “It’s a hobby she’s taken up since moving in. She’s still learning, but she’s proud of what she’s made, so be sure to compliment her and at least pretend you like it. She insisted on making it on her own, but she did allow me to take charge of dessert.”

  “Warm apple cobbler and vanilla bean ice cream?” Savannah’s mouth watered at the thought. No apple cobbler came close to being as good as Grandma’s—not even the one at the Diamond.

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” She winked and led the way up the long sidewalk. “But let’s get you girls settled in. When your father first insisted on buying me a house, he wanted a place with six bedrooms, so you would each have a room when you visited. But I couldn’t imagine what I would do with six bedrooms for the rest of the year, so I convinced him that four bedrooms were sufficient. Aunt Sophie and I have the masters on the main floor, and your mom’s bedroom, along with the guest room where the three of you will stay, is in the basement—although, since the house is built on a hill, it doesn’t feel like a basement at all. I fig
ured you’d shared a room for most of your lives, so you could manage while you’re here, especially since this room is triple the size of your old one.”

  She opened the door and motioned for them to go in. The inside of the house smelled like barbeque, and Savannah and her sisters found their mom in the kitchen, her back toward them as she stirred what looked like pulled pork.

  “Guess who just got in,” Grandma said.

  Their mom turned around, holding a wooden spoon in one hand, a burgundy apron tied around her waist. Savannah was speechless—she’d never seen Mom in an apron.

  “Hi, girls,” she said, playing with the spoon as she looked at each one of them. She spoke softly, like she was afraid one wrong move would send them running back to Vegas. “I’m so glad you’re here for Thanksgiving. I’ve been getting dinner ready for hours….ou’re hungry, right?”

  Savannah nodded, her eyes filling with tears. She’d known her mom looked better from their Skype conversations, but seeing her in person made it much more real. She’d lost the weight she’d gained from drinking, her skin was creamy and smooth instead of blotchy and red and her eyes sparkled with energy. Savannah ran to her and hugged her, squeezing her eyes shut as her mom wrapped her arms around her.

  “I’ve missed you, too, baby,” she said, holding her so tightly that Savannah thought she would never let her go. Finally she did, and she held her at arms’ length, her hands resting on Savannah’s shoulders as she took in her designer jeans, Louboutin ankle boots, fitted top and leather jacket. “You look so different from last time I saw you. Your hair is beautiful. And your clothes….ou look so grown-up!”

  “You look great, too,” Savannah said, her stomach grumbling from the delicious smell of the pork. “And the food smells amazing. I didn’t realize you knew how to cook.”

  “I’m learning,” she said. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes…. Why don’t the three of you bring your stuff downstairs and get settled in, then we’ll catch up while we eat? I know you’ve already told me a bunch over Skype, but I’m sure there’s much more to talk about.”

  “I’ll show you your room,” Grandma said, and they grabbed their bags from the foyer and followed her down the steps. The house was airy and spacious—a perfect countryside retreat. “Aunt Sophie’s having a good day today, so the two of us are going into town for dinner,” she continued. “We’ll be back for dessert, but I thought you would appreciate the time alone with your mom. Here’s your room.” She motioned to the door. “Get yourselves settled, and when I’m gone, please, go easy on her,” she said, more to Peyton than to Courtney and Savannah. “I know she hasn’t always been easy to live with, but she’s recovering so well, and I would hate to see her have any setbacks.”

  “Of course,” Savannah said.

  “Good.” Grandma smiled. “I’ll see you after dinner.”

  * * *

  “That was actually really good,” Savannah said, polishing off her pulled pork sandwich. Who knew Mom could cook?

  “Your grandma did help a bit,” Mom said. “We wanted to make sure you girls enjoyed it.”

  “The veggie burger was good, too,” Courtney added.

  “And I take it you liked your sandwich, Peyton?” Mom played with her fork, so hopeful when she looked at Peyton, who had barely spoken throughout the meal.

  “It was okay.” Peyton shrugged, even though she’d finished her sandwich before Savannah.

  No one said anything for a few seconds, and Savannah focused on eating her veggies. The dinner talk so far had been mostly chitchat, and while she liked having a peaceful meal like a normal family, she had a feeling it wouldn’t last.

  “More lemonade?” Mom picked up the pitcher and filled up their glasses.

  “Did you make the lemonade, too?” Courtney asked.

  “No.” She smiled. “I bought it at the grocery store. It’s one of those all natural, high-end brands. Isn’t it delicious?”

  “Okay, I can’t take this anymore.” Peyton threw her napkin on the table and looked straight at Mom, who froze midsip of lemonade. “How could you think it was all right to not tell us anything about our father? When you had us believing he was a no-good criminal, I understood why you wanted to keep us away from him. But he’s Adrian-fucking-Diamond. We went our entire lives struggling to pay rent, to pay for food. When you couldn’t keep a job for the past year, do you have any idea how hard Courtney and I worked to keep our family afloat? We put our academics and social lives on the line because you were too wasted to take care of us, and once Savannah was old enough, she would have done the same. Then we find out that Adrian could have helped us. How the hell could you think cutting him out of our lives was in our best interest?”

  Savannah dropped her fork and stared at Peyton, shocked at her sister’s outburst. It was so different from what Peyton had thought when they’d first moved to Vegas—but she was right. And despite what Grandma had said about Mom being fragile, how she’d asked them to be gentle with her, their mom seemed healthier than ever. Savannah and her sisters had gone months without answers. Didn’t they deserve some now?

  “It’s more complicated than you know.” Mom’s eyes watered, and red blotches popped up on her cheeks—which Savannah knew meant she was stressed. “Adrian is a danger to you. Yes, life was never easy for us, but with no ties to him, the three of you were safe and able to have your lives at all. Do you have any idea what it was like for us after Courtney…” She choked up and took deep breaths, her eyes blazing with pain. “After the kidnapping, our lives fell apart. I fell apart. I couldn’t look at Adrian without hating the danger he’d put you in. I had to get the three of you away from him, and when I left, he didn’t put up a fight. He knew I was doing the right thing. He let the three of you go…. He let all of us go. He tried to give me money, but I wanted nothing from him. I wanted nothing that could trace him to us. It was all a reminder of…” Her voice cracked, and she took another sip of lemonade. “It was a reminder of how he destroyed our family.”

  “But something doesn’t add up.” Courtney remained still, somehow keeping her voice calm. “Yes, the kidnapping was awful, but I got back home safely. And afterward, Adrian got us each a bodyguard. It must have been terrifying when it happened, but I don’t see how anything can justify you keeping him from us, and him allowing you to do that.”

  “It’s all too much to explain.” Mom blew out a breath and sank into her chair. “After it happened, I blamed Adrian. I still blame Adrian. I wish you could trust that I did what I did for a good reason.” She glanced at Savannah, as if begging for support. “You believe me, don’t you, baby?”

  Savannah looked down at her plate and moved her vegetables around with her fork. “I believe you didn’t do anything to purposefully hurt us.” She chose her words carefully. Why had Grandma thought it was a good idea to leave them alone with Mom so soon?

  Mom smiled for the first time since this conversation started. “Everything I did was because I love you,” she said. “Because I want to protect you.”

  Peyton crossed her arms and glared. “For wanting to protect us, you did a shitty job. We would have been better off with Adrian than we ever were with you.”

  “I did the best I could!” Mom stood up so abruptly that her plate fell off the table and shattered on the floor. “You think you know what you’re talking about, but you have no idea what I had to go through. I did everything the doctors at that facility wanted me to do, all for you. I thought you would see that I’m different now, that I’m better, and that this could be a fresh start. But I knew it wouldn’t be long until you started attacking me. Well, I’m done listening to this. Have fun cleaning up.” She stomped out of the kitchen and down the stairs, the door to her room slamming shut so loudly that they could feel it through the house.

  “Well, that went well.” Peyton eyed up the mess on the floor. It didn’t end t
here—dirty pots and pans were all over the counters and the stove. Mom apparently hadn’t mastered the art of cleaning while she cooked.

  Part of Savannah wanted to go downstairs and apologize to Mom for what Peyton had said. But when she started yelling and screaming and throwing things, no one but Grandma could get through to her. When Savannah was younger, she used to hide in her closet when Mom’s temper came out. She would go behind the clothes, shut her eyes and sing softly to herself to drown out the banging, wishing her closet was magical like in that book series Courtney liked, and that it would bring her to another world. But of course that had never happened. All that would happen was that Mom would start drinking, which would make her yell more.

  Savannah hoped that what Peyton had said wouldn’t trigger a relapse. But there was no alcohol in the house. They just had to give Mom space until Grandma got home.

  “Maybe you should have waited until Grandma was back to ask Mom about Adrian,” Courtney said softly.

  “So Grandma could cover for her and make it sound like what she did wasn’t as awful as it was?” Peyton said. “No, thanks. We were sitting around the table passing around the lemonade, and it was so fake it made my skin crawl. I couldn’t pretend everything was all right anymore—like she hadn’t lied to us for our entire lives. And I was the only one who had the guts to bring it up, so I did. Don’t tell me you both weren’t wondering exactly what I asked.”

  “I was,” Savannah said. “But I didn’t want her to melt down on our first day here. When we were eating and chatting, she seemed so happy. Was it terrible for us to be nice through one meal?”

  “Yes,” Peyton said. “It was. It was all so fake. You might have been fine smiling through it, but I couldn’t sit there and pretend everything she did—everything she kept from us—never happened.”

  “I wasn’t being fake.” Savannah clenched her fists, wanting to strangle her sister. “I was being nice. There’s a difference.”

  Peyton rolled her eyes and brought her dishes to the sink. “At least I spoke my mind.”