Diamonds in the Rough

by Michelle Madow

  “How long have you been keeping this big secret?” Tiffany asked.

  “Since the end of September.”

  “Which was when you stopped hanging out with everyone.” Kaitlin clasped her hands on the table, looking worried, not upset. “And you waited until a few days ago to talk to someone? You’ve been keeping it to yourself for two months?”

  “Yep.” She shrugged, trying to make it seem not as awful as it had been. “It’s been a sucky two months, and I didn’t mean to push you all away. But knowing something so huge and not being able to talk about it is hard.”

  “So you stopped coming out at all,” Kaitlin said, and Madison nodded, since, as pathetic as it was, she was right. “What did you do with all that extra time?”

  “I’ve seen every episode of Downton Abbey, The Vampire Diaries and now I’m on season fourteen of Big Brother.”

  “That was a good season,” Larissa said.

  “Don’t tell me what happens!” Madison covered her ears. “I’m hoping Dan wins, but I don’t want to know before I get to the finale.”

  “Fine, fine.” Larissa laughed.

  Tiffany looked back and forth between the two of them and smiled. “Does this mean we’re all friends again?”

  “Do you believe me that I didn’t sleep with Oliver?” Madison asked Larissa.

  “As long as you know that I was never jealous—you were right that I’m over Oliver and am dating Harrison now,” she said. “I only said that stuff on Halloween because I did have a thing with Oliver over the summer, and you knew about it. I really thought you’d slept with him, and that you were hiding it from me because you’d been sleeping with him since before things had ended with us, so I was angry. But I guess I was wrong.”

  “Thanks,” Madison said, surprised at Larissa’s honesty. That was as much of an apology as she would get from her. Although she did feel guilty, because while she wasn’t sleeping with Oliver, she didn’t see him only as a friend anymore, either.

  “I’m sorry for disappearing like I did,” she said, deciding she would tell them about her feelings for Oliver once she worked them out herself. “These weeks without you all have sucked.”

  “We were starting to think you would never come back to us!” Larissa smiled.

  “I knew once we sat down and talked we would be back to normal,” Tiffany said. “That’s how my sisters and I work out our fights. And the four of us have been friends for so long, we’re pretty much as close as sisters.”

  Tiffany had no idea how close that hit to home. Because once Madison told her parents she was done keeping this secret for them, everyone—most important, the Diamond sisters—would finally know the truth.

  www.campusbuzz.com

  High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman School

  Peyton Diamond’s New Man?!

  Posted on Friday 11/28 at 2:37 PM

  Did anyone see the pictures of Peyton Diamond floating around the internet of her getting cozy with that hottie at Imperial Palace last night over a pitcher of beer? Some girls were in town for Thanksgiving break and Tweeted the pictures, but NO ONE can figure out who he is!!! All we know is that he’s way too hot to be in high school…

  Disclaimer: I don’t go to Goodman—I’m one of the girls who took the pictures—but my friends and I found this message board and figured it might be the right place to ask!!

  1: Posted on Friday 11/28 at 2:59 PM

  You came to the right place, but it would help if you posted a link to the pictures.

  2: Posted on Friday 11/28 at 3:10 PM

  DUH-SKI! CLICK HERE for the pics!

  3: Posted on Friday 11/28 at 3:13 PM

  “Duh-ski?” Who the hell talks like that? If it wasn’t obvious you don’t go to Goodman before, it sure is now.

  4: Posted on Friday 11/28 at 3:39 PM

  whoever that guy is, he doesn’t go to goodman. and you’re right that he looks older than high school.

  5: Posted on Friday 11/28 at 4:03 PM

  I’ve seen him around before! He was hanging at Myst. Maybe he met Peyton there?

  6: Posted on Friday 11/28 at 4:35 PM

  OMG I know who that is (although I can’t tell you how, so you’ll have to trust me on this) — he’s her BODYGUARD! How scandalous…

  Chapter 25: Savannah

  Savannah woke on Saturday morning to dishes clanging and the sweet smell of pancakes, cinnamon rolls and eggs. For a moment she felt like she was in her old bed, in the room she’d shared with her sisters in their apartment in Fairfield. Courtney had always cooked breakfast on Saturday mornings. There weren’t many things Savannah missed from that apartment, but Saturday morning pajama breakfast was one of them.

  Savannah freshened up and made her way to the kitchen. As she suspected, Courtney hovered over the stovetop, spatula in hand. This was the first time her sister had emerged from her room since Thursday night—not counting when she’d answered the door for room service. Savannah had knocked last night to check on her, but Courtney had yelled at her to go away, so she did.

  “Does this mean you’re feeling better today?” Savannah asked, hoping for a yes.

  “I was going stir-crazy, and I woke up early this morning, so I went to the store to get breakfast ingredients,” Courtney said as she flipped a pancake. That explained why she was in jeans and a T-shirt instead of pajamas. “Can you believe we’ve gotten so used to room service that we didn’t have pancake batter and eggs around here?”

  “It smells delicious.” Savannah opened the cabinet and pulled out three plates to set the table. Back home when Courtney cooked, it was Savannah’s job to set up and Peyton’s job to clean. Their mom would join them if her hangover wasn’t bad, but usually it was bad, so Savannah would make her a big cup of ice water and leave it on her nightstand.

  Savannah placed their drinks at their place settings—orange juice for herself, chai tea for Courtney and coffee for Peyton. Right on cue, Peyton strolled into the kitchen, still in her pajamas, her long hair pulled back in a messy bun.

  “Good morning!” Courtney called over her shoulder as she whisked a bowl of eggs.

  “Morning,” Peyton mumbled, looking quizzically at Savannah. She checked to make sure Courtney was focused on the eggs, and whispered, “Does this mean she’s doing better?”

  “I heard that,” Courtney replied, surprisingly bubbly. “And I don’t know. But I was tired of sitting around in my room trying to study for the SATs and read but not being able to focus. Then I thought about our old breakfasts, and how cooking helped me de-stress, and I figured I could try it. Savannah, can you get the cinnamon rolls out of the oven?”

  Savannah shrugged at Peyton and did as Courtney asked. Her mouth watered at the sugary smell of the cinnamon rolls, and it took all of her effort to resist eating one as she spread the frosting on top.

  They sat down to eat, and Savannah gathered pancakes onto her plate, unsure what to say to Courtney. Her sister was so chipper that she didn’t want to mess that up. Instead, she doused her pancakes in syrup and took a bite. “These are amazing,” she said, the food not even halfway swallowed yet.

  “As good as the pancakes at the Grand Café?” Courtney asked.

  “Better,” Savannah lied. It was impossible for a pre-made mix from the grocery store to be better than the pancakes at the Grand Café.

  “Sure they are,” Peyton said, eating a forkful of scrambled eggs. But Peyton was a weirdo who didn’t like sweet carbs for breakfast—no pancakes, waffles or French toast—so her opinion didn’t count.

  Courtney took a cinnamon roll with extra frosting. Normally Savannah would have reminded her that the ones with extra frosting were hers, but this morning she said nothing. She didn’t want to risk sending Courtney back into her bad mood.

  Peyton chased dow
n her eggs with her coffee. “Does this sudden good mood mean you’re not mad at Mom and Grandma anymore?” she asked Courtney. “Because I sure hope not. They deserve us being angry at them.”

  A shadow passed over Courtney’s eyes. “Trust me, I’m more than mad at them,” she said. “Mostly at Grandma. Mom’s always hidden from her problems, but Grandma was the one we could trust, and she put Mom’s twisted lies first. I’ll never forgive her for it.”

  Savannah shrank at Courtney’s anger. “I think Grandma wanted us to know, but she wanted Mom to tell us. Then it must have gone on for so long that they didn’t know how to do it. I mean, obviously what they did was wrong,” she added. “I’m just trying to understand what could have been going through their minds.”

  “Stop being so nice.” Peyton stabbed her fork into her eggs. “Mom should have told us when we were old enough to understand. She didn’t because she’s a coward. She hides from the truth by lying, she hides from her guilt by drinking…. We have every right to never forgive them for this.”

  Savannah looked away from Peyton and finished her orange juice. Yes, she was angry at Mom and Grandma, but she couldn’t never forgive them. Wasn’t that too extreme? Especially since Mom truly wanted a fresh start, now that she was out of rehab. Savannah would feel horribly guilty if their mom started drinking again, all because they wouldn’t let her back into their lives. Besides, they were family. They had to forgive each other eventually.

  “I wouldn’t go as far as never forgiving them, but I do need a break from them,” Courtney said. “So if you both wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to support me by standing by me in this.”

  “One hundred percent,” Peyton said. “Whatever you need.” She looked at Savannah, as if waiting for her to repeat her words.

  But as much as Savannah wanted to…she couldn’t.

  “You don’t want us to speak with Mom and Grandma?” she asked Courtney.

  “More like take a break from speaking with them,” Courtney said. “It won’t be for forever. I wrote Grandma an email last night telling her that I needed space from her and Mom while I worked through this, so she won’t worry when I don’t pick up her calls. I don’t know how long I’ll need, but the lies, and finding out about Britney…” Her voice cracked, and she sipped her tea. “It’s too much. I can’t think of either of them without getting so angry. So if the two of you could back me up by also taking space from them, it would mean a lot. Anyway, Britney was your sister, too. Yes, she was my twin, so it’s different for me, but you have as much of a right to be angry at Mom and Grandma as I do.”

  It was definitely wrong of Mom and Grandma to keep Britney secret. But Savannah hated the idea of not speaking to them—especially since Mom was doing better than she had in years. But Courtney rarely asked anything of her. She had to do this for her sister.

  “Okay.” Savannah started on a cinnamon roll, even though she was full from pancakes. “But what about Adrian? He also kept the secret from us.”

  “I’m angry at him, too,” Courtney said. “But it’s different. Mom and Grandma knew us for our whole lives. Mom was there with us every day. Adrian just met us a few months ago, and he’s so busy that he still doesn’t know us well. Which isn’t an excuse, and we’ll see what he has to say to us when he gets back, but I can’t help it—I’m angrier at Mom and Grandma. They owed it to us to tell us. But they didn’t, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.”

  Savannah spread icing onto the gooey inside of her cinnamon roll and nodded, although mentally she was a jumbled mess. Courtney wouldn’t expect her to never forgive Mom and Grandma—right?

  “Everything that’s happened made me realize that we’re the only ones in our family we can trust,” Courtney said. “I know both of you have my back, but we have to be here for each other no matter what, and be honest about everything. Okay?”

  “Of course,” Savannah said, since she’d always known her sisters were there for her. But did they feel like she was there for them? Last night when she’d knocked on Courtney’s door and Courtney had yelled at her to go away, she’d listened. She’d been scared to see her sister helpless and vulnerable, and she hadn’t wanted to say the wrong thing and make everything worse.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to check on you yesterday,” she said to Courtney.

  “You did try.” Courtney managed a smile, although it didn’t reach her eyes. “I yelled at you to leave me alone. I can’t blame you for listening, since I wasn’t very nice about it.”

  “But I shouldn’t have given up that easily,” Savannah said. “If I’d been the one refusing to come out of my room, you and Peyton would have broken down the door, with cookies or ice cream to help me feel better. And if I wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was bothering me, you would have talked with me about something else to distract me.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably how Courtney would have handled it,” Peyton said. “But you’re not Courtney. You’re you. And I was no better. When I knocked and was yelled at to go away, I told her to come to my room if she wanted to talk, then watched movies all night without trying again.”

  “It shouldn’t have been like that,” Savannah said. “Courtney’s always held things together, but when she needed us, we froze up.”

  “You both know I’m still sitting here, right?” Courtney asked with a small laugh.

  “This was the one time we had to be there for you, and we sucked,” Savannah said. “Even now, you’re making breakfast and fixing things, when it should be the other way around.”

  “Yeah,” Courtney agreed. “But I shouldn’t have pushed you away. Yes, I needed space, but you’re both affected by what we found out, too. I should have said something besides yelling at you to leave me alone. Instead I was only thinking of myself. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t try turning this around,” Peyton said. “Yes, this hurts us, too, but it’s worse for you. We should have been there for you yesterday, and we blew it.”

  “It was just so strange to see you like that.” Savannah pushed the mushy remainder of her pancakes around on her plate. “I didn’t know what to do. But you’re right. We have each other no matter what. It’s just…I’ve never felt like either of you have needed me before. You’re both so strong and confident and know how to handle everything. I’ve always felt clueless and stupid in comparison.”

  “You’re not clueless or stupid,” Courtney reassured her. “You’re lucky. You have two sisters who love you and will do anything for you.”

  “And I love both of you and will do anything for you,” Savannah said. “I wasn’t good at showing it yesterday, but from now on, I will. I promise. But we did do what you asked and didn’t let Brett inside. I felt awful about that, too, especially since he tried a few times. He sounded so worried about you.”

  “He did?” Courtney sounded more vulnerable than ever.

  “Yeah,” Savannah said. “I know you don’t want to break the rules or whatever, but he really cares about you. And the two of you have so much in common. If you have feelings for him, what can it hurt to let him in and see what happens?”

  Courtney swallowed and sipped her water, as if she were too choked up to respond. Peyton opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but before she had the chance, the sound of a key card entering the slot came from their door.

  Savannah’s stomach flipped, suspecting who it must be, and she jerked her head to look at the entryway.

  Adrian stepped inside the condo.

  Chapter 26: Courtney

  Courtney crossed her arms and glared at Adrian. She’d known he was coming back this morning, but did he have to interrupt breakfast?

  “I was going to order us some breakfast, but I see you beat me to it.” For someone who didn’t talk loudly, it was amazing how Adrian’s voice filled a room.

  Courtney te
nsed. She was so angry, she didn’t know where to start. So she just stared at him. Waiting. Her sisters followed her lead.

  He cleared his throat. “Obviously we have a lot to discuss,” he said. “How about we all sit down in the living room?”

  Courtney nodded and walked toward the living room, Savannah and Peyton behind her. They claimed one couch, and Adrian took the one across from them, the sleek coffee table a barrier between them. Now that he was closer, Courtney noticed the puffy dark circles under his eyes. Good. He deserved to lose sleep over the secret he’d kept from them.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t bring Rebecca with you for ‘moral support.’” Peyton’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

  He leveled his eyes with hers. “Given the situation, I wanted to talk with the three of you alone.”

  “And you’re not going to hurry off to some important business meeting after only five minutes?”

  “No.” He sat straighter, his voice strong and confident. “I have no meetings on my schedule today, since I wasn’t supposed to get back from Macau until tomorrow night. The three of you have my undivided attention.”

  Peyton nodded, and it was the first time Courtney had seen her older sister approve of anything Adrian did. Then again, this was the first time Adrian had reached out to them without having to be somewhere soon, or for public show.

  “After Rebecca called and told me what happened, I arranged to come home immediately.” He sat stiffly, his hands clasped tightly together. Then he looked straight at Courtney and said, “You shouldn’t have found out that way.”