- Chapter 3 -
“We will stand here until you figure it out,” Mira said, arms crossed. Gemma struggled to get the key to turn. They were outside of Mira’s Beauford home and Gemma was dying to just get inside and settle into her new space before the first day of school, which was in less than twenty-four hours.
“Please just do it for me this once? I’m exhausted,” Gemma begged, collapsing against the door. Gavin sighed and picked up his bags from the walkway.
“I’m going in through the back,” he said as he grabbed Gemma and Mira’s bags. “I’ll take these in for you as a welcome home gesture.” He smiled and waved sarcastically as he marched off to the backyard. Gemma groaned.
“There will be days when Gavin and I won’t be here, and there’s no front desk or bodyguard to let you in if you forget your room key. I spent forever remodeling this house so you could live happily in it and now you want me to open the door for you? I will not!” Mira said indignantly. “That being said, hurry the hell up because I am exhausted and I need to pee!”
Gemma laughed and gave the key another try. The door opened. “Thank God!” she cried. Gavin stood at the other side of the door, his hand on the knob. Both Gemma and Mira frowned.
“I couldn’t listen to her whine anymore,” Gavin said as Mira shook her finger at him.
“She won’t learn if you keep helping her!”
Gavin laughed. “I was helping you! You would’ve been out here forever.”
“Have some faith in your sister! But thank you,” Mira sighed, heading for the stairs. “Before I pee, let me show you your room, Gemma.”
It was nice to know that Mira had all the unpacking and setting up taken care of so she wouldn’t have to worry about living in a mess before classes started, but at the same time, Gemma was disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to personalize the space on her own.
“I am so excited for you to see how I designed it,” Mira gushed as she took Gemma’s hand and led her up the winding staircase to the top floor. They made their way down the hall where Gavin had already faceplanted on his bed, an open bag of Doritos sitting next to him and music blasting from his Macbook.
Mira led Gemma to a heavy cherry wood door with intricate carvings of lilies and leaves trimming the corners. The doorknob was an antiqued brass handle shaped like an “S.” Mira signaled for Gemma to open the door and she did so without hesitation.
It swung open, and inside was a room that rivaled every luxury hotel suite she had ever stayed in. The ceilings were high and sloped with skylights that let in a sea of sunshine. A large picture window sat opposite the side of the door with a luxurious cream-colored, silk-lined chaise lounge beneath it. Her four-post bed was draped with a sheer, rose-colored canopy. Plush, matching cushions sat on the king-sized mattress. Sheets of ivory Egyptian cotton hugged the bed and were completed with a darker rose quilt, knitted with fine threads of the softest cashmere.
Her desk was made of the same cherry wood as the door with matching carvings winding up the legs. A vanity and a full-length mirror stood against one wall, but it all paled in comparison to what Gemma quickly decided was the best feature of the room by far – an antique dress form placed in the corner near her walk-in closet. Her feather and pearl Balenciaga dress was wrapped around it, standing tall and as beautiful as she had remembered.
“This isn’t just another hotel or dressing room, Gemma,” Mira said as she looked at Gemma’s awed expression. “This is your room. You don’t have to check out of it. This is where you’re going to have sleepovers and get ready for dances and make amazing memories for yourself.” Gemma turned and hugged Mira, who nodded towards the dress form. “That doesn’t mean I want you to completely forget about Queen Bee. I just want you to enjoy Gemma.”
Gemma sniffled, overwhelmed. She turned away from Mira and noticed something moving outside the window.
“Oh,” Gemma said. “I can see right into our neighbor’s!”
“Well,” Mira smirked. “That’s suburbia for you. Reminds me, I still have to call and see if they’ve finished the curtains for this window. Until then, enjoy the view – that Lucas is a cutie. He’s helping me redo my porch at the lake house.”
Gemma gasped. What? She crept over to the window slowly and peered out to see Lucas sitting on his bed, reading a book with Leo curled in his lap. How could he leave out the fact that they were neighbors?
“What’s wrong, honey?” Mira asked.
“Nothing,” Gemma said quickly. “Just a little cold, I think.”
“Oh, well grab a sweatshirt! All your clothes should be hung up in the closet. I’ll let you get settled in,” Mira said as she kissed Gemma on the forehead and left. Gemma exhaled, closing the door gently. This room was no doubt better than all the hotels she had ever stayed in because it was hers and hers only. It was a teenaged girl’s dream room in every way – complete with her very own boy next door.
~
“I really only hang out with the team, and I’m not introducing you to them,” Gavin said as he pulled his dark blue BMW coupe into the Beauford High parking lot. “If they said anything to or about you, I’d kill them.”
Gemma smiled as she slicked on peach-tinted Stila lip gloss in the passenger seat. Gavin was generally more the type of older brother to give her noogies than be protective. It was nice to see him acting sweet, if even for a moment.
“Like what? What would they say?”
Gavin wrinkled his nose as he searched for a parking space. “I don’t know. Like if you’re…hot or something. God, I don’t know. Gross.”
Gemma threw her head back and laughed at his discomfort. “Don’t you have any female friends then? Cheerleaders? I just need someone to guide me around my first day.”
“You don’t need that, Gemma. Stop freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out!” she insisted, spinning her Alexander McQueen skull bracelet rapidly around her wrist, over and over.
“Then what the hell are you doing that for?”
Gemma stopped playing with the bracelet. “I’m just not you. I don’t play a sport. I can’t fit in immediately.” She quietly took in a deep breath and released it as silently as she could so Gavin wouldn’t make fun. “I mean, I’ve never been to a real school and been around…real high schoolers.”
“Stop acting like you’re a caveman or something.”
Gemma squinted at her brother. “Are you calling me a caveman to add to my current insecurity?” she joked.
“Shut up. You’ll be fine.”
She sighed and crossed her arms. “I think you’re just too lazy to introduce me.”
“Kind of. But I’m also being honest when I say that I just hang with the guys on the team.”
“How about Lucas?”
Gavin turned smoothly into a tight space and creased his forehead as he adjusted his parking job. “How do you know Lucas?”
“Oh,” Gemma swallowed. His name had been on the tip of her tongue all weekend. She hadn’t realized just how desperate she was to say it aloud. “I met him at the lake house when he was helping Aunt Mira measure her porch. He said he knew you.”
“Yeah, he’s on the team too.”
“Really?” Gemma brightened, sounding much more excited than she meant to. Gavin shot her a quizzical look. “I mean…I guessed that he might be. It looks like he’d play basketball. That’s all. He’s tall.”
Gemma quickly turned her face to the window so Gavin wouldn’t see her blush. She brushed her fingers through her hair, which she had blown out straight the way Armand taught her. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.
The hours spent mulling over a first day outfit came down to the decision of simplicity combined with good accessories. She didn’t want to appear as if she were flaunting – she couldn’t think of a quicker way to get on girls’ bad sides. On top, she wore a vintage camel-colored leather jacket over an ivory silk T-shirt by The Row. The neckline dipped just low enough to show some pushed-up cleavage. As much as I can get from a small B cup, Gemma thought with a shrug. Paired with her Hudson jeans were suede, over-the-knee Jimmy Choo boots. She had wondered if the boots would be too sexy for the first day, but determined that the rest of her outfit was tame enough for it to be permissible. She still didn’t quite look the way she had imagined, but she felt just about as confident as she could.
Gemma exited the car, swinging her black Stella McCartney Falabella tote over her shoulder. “Alright, well…I guess I’m going in.” She looked at Gavin expectantly for moral support. He heaved a sigh, running his hands through his dirty blonde hair with exasperation.
“I’m not worried about you. You’re going to be fine.”
She smiled, knowing he was exhausting his kindness on her. “You can say that because you jumped into a new school halfway through the year and still ended up popular.”
“Can’t help it,” Gavin smirked, pulling her close to put her in a headlock.
“Gavin, my hair! Please don’t.”
“Relax, I’m not giving you a noogie,” he laughed. His smile then faded slightly as his twinkling eyes gave Gemma a rare serious look. “If anyone knows what popular is, it’s Queen Bee. It’s not like she disappeared into thin air,” he reasoned. He grinned again. “Just because she can’t be Queen here doesn’t mean she can’t bring her swagga.”
Gemma snorted as they neared the school’s front entrance. “Did you just say ‘swagga?’”
“Yeah,” Gavin pretended to kick her in the butt. “Now get away from me and go make some friends.”
Gavin’s words carried her confidently through the first half of the school day. Along the way, she had friendly exchanges with some classmates and noticed she was even being looked at – checked out, really – by more than a couple of boys in the hall. Under normal circumstances, she would be thrilled, but none of these boys were Lucas. He was M.I.A. for the first five periods. She stayed on alert though, prepared to see him at any turn.
She prayed he would be in her lunch period. Gavin wasn’t, and Gemma could just see herself having to wander the perimeter of the cafeteria over and over as she searched for an inviting table. When her lunch period finally arrived, she was disappointed but no longer surprised to see that Lucas was nowhere in sight. She gazed at the sea of students, beginning to panic. She was suddenly aware of how long she had been standing around just looking out at the cafeteria. Several pairs of eyes began watching her. Oh God, please help a girl out here.
“Love your bag,” a voice suddenly said. Gemma turned to see a girl smiling at her, though she was not so much a girl as a bombshell. Gemma was floored. “Stella McCartney Falabella? I have it in the pale blue.”
“Oh! Yeah. Thanks!” Gemma said, admiring the girl’s radiant blonde hair. It was waist-length, stick straight and glossy. Gemma felt suddenly insecure over her less-than-perfect blowout.
The blonde side-eyed the kids who stared at them from nearby tables. “Need a place to sit?” she nodded towards a table and began strutting away in her python-embossed Dior sandals. Gemma followed without hesitation. She tried desperately to keep her cool as they approached the row of tables against the wall by the cafeteria exit. They stood far apart from the rest of the tables in the room and were occupied by raucous jocks and pretty girls flipping through WWD magazines.
“I’m Madison,” the blonde said loudly over the tables of screaming boys in their letterman jackets. “Welcome to Jock Row – that’s what they call us in the cafeteria.” She rolled her eyes at the nickname and led Gemma up to the first table, occupied by three of the most flawless-looking girls Gemma had ever seen despite having been at various fashion weeks all over the world. “This is Jillian, Leah, and Kate.”
Jillian had similar hair as Gemma, light brown and wavy. Somehow it looked fantastic on her rather than a little boring like it did on Gemma. Leah had Madison’s stick-straight and glossy hair in black, styled sharply and falling at a chic angle at her collarbone. Kate’s hair was a strawberry blonde and framed her heart-shaped face in large, bouncy curls. The three were huddled over a plate of sushi in the middle of the table. They were all gorgeous but paled in comparison to Madison’s radiating beauty.
“I’m Gemma,” she replied, feeling at once nervous and excited. The girls smiled, glancing at the empty seat at the end of the table. Gemma hesitated.
“Were you on your way somewhere or can you grace us with your presence for a second?” Madison laughed. Gemma laughed back, though nervously, and slid into the seat. “Did you just move here?”
“Oh yeah. From Manhattan. I wanted to go to school with my brother – he’s a senior here,” Gemma replied, hoping that the name-dropping would be beneficial.
“Oh! Me and Jillian are seniors,” Madison said, her crystal blue eyes gleaming. “Who’s your brother?”
“Gavin Hunter.”
“Oh, Gavin!” The girls all burst into giggles.
“We love him,” Madison said. “Some more than others.” She eyed Leah, who blushed.
“Don’t say anything?” Leah said, turning to Gemma. Her intimidating supermodel looks softened as she pleaded with big brown eyes. Gemma laughed, feeling more at ease.
“I won’t say anything,” she reassured.
“I mean, at some point,” Leah’s plump lips turned up into a smile. “I might want you to say something. But I just need to be ready for that day – whenever it may come.”
“The day her tatas grow in,” Jillian quipped, nibbling a chocolate chip cookie.
“Excuse me, not everyone can be like you. Eating cookies and putting all the weight on in your boobs,” Leah retorted. The girls laughed and Gemma joined tentatively. Leah’s hand suddenly flew to her mouth. “Which reminds me, how rude of us – Gemma, help yourself to the sashimi! We do this every first day of school but we’re usually out for lunch otherwise.” Gemma looked down at the colorful wheel of sushi, remembering the tour she did in Asia last year and the private omakase meal she had in Tokyo with a group of girl fans who insisted on taking her out. She remembered how fresh the fish was and how perfectly melded all the flavors were, but how little she ate because of the elaborate headpiece she wore that day. It had been the last time she got to hang out with girls her own age and feel like a part of a group.
“Thanks. I’m so glad I caught you guys on your one day in the cafeteria,” Gemma said. She reached for a piece of the tuna and put it on a napkin in front of her to be polite. Her stomach was lurching with both nerves and excitement, so she couldn’t imagine eating. She watched the girls eat. Jillian and Kate popped the pieces like popcorn. Leah and Madison picked off the fish to eat, leaving little mounds of rice all over the platter.
“Gavin’s usually too busy pranking the locker room and checking out every girl in the school except Leah,” Madison said, eyeing Leah playfully before returning her gaze to Gemma. “So if you ever need a tour guide, you’re totally welcome to come with us to our spots. I have an extra seat in my car.”
Gemma could hardly believe her luck. She smiled broadly. “Of course. I’d love to.”
“I can’t walk home!” Gemma hissed through her teeth as she stood outside the driver’s door of Gavin’s BMW. Students poured out of the school at the final bell and headed towards the parking lot full of Mercedes SUVs and other BMWs. “I barely know my way yet! Might I remind you that I’ve only been in Beauford for two days, you jerk!” Gemma pulled desperately at the handles of the car doors, which Gavin kept locked.
“You don’t understand. Kylie has shot me down for a solid year and today she finally wants to do something. If you saw her, you would understand that she’s not someone that you can turn down.”
“Ugh, Gavin – you’re so gross sometimes.”
“I’m not gross, I’m a guy. There’s a difference, kind of,” Gavin said. “Do you know how much shit I’d get for passing up an opportunity like this? No one says ‘no’ to Kylie Savino. Plus, there are only like, a handful of guys who can say they’ve hooked up with her post-implants.”
“And you just proved your incredible grossness,” Gemma rolled her eyes.
“Who’s being gross?”
Gemma and Gavin turned to see Madison swinging her lambskin Prada tote over her shoulder. She walked towards them with a smirk.
“If it’s Gavin, then I’m not surprised. He’s just a gross jerk in general.”
“Hah, Madison,” Gavin sneered. “Stop pretending like you didn’t think the capybara was cute.” She narrowed her eyes at him till he put his hands up in the air. “Alright, I’m really sorry that it pooped in your backpack. Not that I didn’t say that already.”
“It wasn’t just a backpack, Gavin. It was an Alexander Wang Marti.”
“Okay?” Gavin looked at her strangely as if she had begun speaking a different language.
Gemma stared at Gavin in disbelief. “Why and how do you keep getting your hands on those things?” she asked. Gavin laughed.
“So sue me, I think those big rats are cool. Have you ever seen them swim? I’m going to raise ten when I have my own place and throw them all into a pool together.”
Madison cooed. “Well that’s almost kind of endearing, only not really. Anyway, want a ride Gemma?”
“She does,” Gavin said, grinning ear to ear. “Can’t take her ‘cause I have a date with Kylie Savino.”
“Cute. Guess she’s starting her slut campaign early this year.”
“She’s not a slut, she’s just more inclined to take her clothes off than other girls,” Gavin said as he started his car. He yelled before pulling out of his spot and zooming out of the lot. “Don’t be jealous, Maddie!”
“Uck, I hate when he calls me that,” Madison said to Gemma as they walked to her car.
“Yeah, sorry about him. And I’m sorry to bother you for the ride,” Gemma said, quickly overanalyzing her words. Shut up, you’re being too polite. Just be normal.
“It’s totally not a bother, I know someone who lives near you. I was on my way there anyway.”
“Thanks so much. I would’ve totally gotten lost walking back.”
“Don’t even. I can’t believe Gavin would make you walk back in Jimmy Choos,” Madison winked at Gemma. “Been dying to buy those.”
Gemma smiled proudly as she opened the car door to Madison’s silver Range Rover. She reveled in the stares of her classmates as they no doubt wondered who the new girl hanging out with Madison was.
“I like your car,” Gemma said as she buckled her seatbelt.
Madison shrugged. “I’m cool with it,” she said breezily as she drove towards the main street. “It wasn’t my number one choice and it totally doesn’t match who I am, but my boyfriend helped me choose and he was super into it. Poor thing, I don’t think he has anything to drive when he gets his license.” She swiftly removed a pair of Chanel sunglasses from a compartment and put them on without taking her eyes off the road. “I’ll just use it for now and give it to my little brother once I go to college. I won’t need a car in New York anyway.”
Madison did most of the talking during their brief ride home, but Gemma didn’t mind. It gave her a chance to fully examine Madison for flaws like a crooked tooth or stubby fingernails. As far as she could see, there were none. Madison went on about the various school events that she chaired and all the college dance programs and ballet companies that were personally courting her. Gemma would have hated her if it weren’t for the fact that Madison seemed to love her company.
Once they pulled up to Gemma’s house and parked, Madison immediately began texting on her iPhone.
“Sorry I’m being totally rude, I just need to check something,” Madison said. “I’ll see you tomorrow though.”
Gemma smiled, leaning into Madison’s glossy pout so Madison could kiss her on both cheeks. She couldn’t be more relieved about Madison’s intent to hang out with her beyond the first day.
Feeling as if she were walking on air, Gemma strolled into the empty house, tossing everything aside and heading straight for the fridge. She poured herself a glass of passionfruit Vita-Coco and smiled peacefully. It had been an incredibly successful first day of school, despite not running into Lucas. Befriending a girl like Madison was like hitting the jackpot. Besides, she had plenty of time to run into Lucas considering he played basketball with her brother.
Lost in her thoughts, she accidentally sloshed the coconut water onto her shirt as she closed the fridge door. “Ugh, Gemma,” she scolded herself despite the smile that still curved her lips.
She made her way up the grand flight of stairs and walked down the length of the hall. Through the circular window above the front door, she noticed that Madison’s car was still parked outside. Maybe she wants to come in and hang out, Gemma thought to herself. She continued to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable but still remotely cute, just in case Madison did decide to ring her doorbell. She settled on a striped Commes des Garçons sweater dress that reached her mid-thigh, pulling the neckline slightly off one shoulder.
Through her window, she could see movement in Lucas’s room. Leo bounced up and down on his bed, barking excitedly. Lucas was curled on the bed around him, tossing a rubber ball. Gemma smiled as she watched Leo shoot out of the room after the ball, which bounced off the bed and out the door.
Then her smile quickly faded.
Madison walked into Lucas’s open door, the rubber ball in her left hand and Leo cradled in her right arm. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips with Leo yapping happily in between them. Gemma quickly turned away, her heart sinking. I’m an idiot. She leaned against the wall and slowly slid down against it to the floor, her cheeks absolutely burning. Her whole face burned. How could I not put two and two together?
She cursed her windows for not having curtains and slipped out of her own room as discreetly as possible. She ran down the stairs and plopped down on the living room couch, trying to normalize her heartbeat as she reasoned with herself. There was no reason to be so upset. After all, she and Lucas had only spoken once. They barely knew each other. Plus, Madison was her best chance at having not just a normal life at Beauford High, but an amazing one. An enviable one. It’s not worth torturing yourself over, she tried to convince herself. He’s your friend’s boyfriend. It’s not worth it.
Forgetting about Lucas proved to be easy. He was usually too busy working for his dad’s custom carpentry business to hang out with Madison and her friends. Madison often pouted and complained, but it was nothing Pinkberry and a mani-pedi couldn’t temporarily solve. The few times he did hang out with the girls, Gemma was thankful he never brought up her near-death incident at the lake. With Gemma, he usually just made small talk about Gavin’s latest troublemaking or the progress he was making on Mira’s porch.
It wasn’t until a night out in Manhattan that things began to change.
“Oh, I know this place,” Kate gasped as she struggled to walk on the cobblestone street in her braided espadrilles. “It’s opened by that guy Andrew. No Andre. He’s dating that actress.”
Leah rolled her eyes and bopped Kate on the head playfully. “Yeah, you totally know this place.”
Along with the girls, Madison had invited Lucas to a new club in the Meatpacking District. Everyone but Gemma had fake IDs, but Jillian assured Gemma that there would be no problem getting in because she was “friendly” with the cute bouncer. With a wink in Jillian’s direction, he bypassed Gemma while checking IDs.
“See, I told you. The guy loves me,” Jillian smiled as they sauntered through the doors. Gemma dared to cock a curious eyebrow at Jillian, who guffawed. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Gem! He’s totally just a family friend.” Madison snorted.
Gemma bit her lip nervously upon setting foot in the club. It was dimly lit in amber and gold hues. An enormous circular bar served as the centerpiece of the room. Even the cocktail waitresses wore chic metallic mini dresses. Gemma hadn’t thought to add nightclub attire to her wardrobe during her summer of shopping overseas. Everything she had purchased was worthy of high tea at The Peninsula rather than grinding with Leah in the Meatpacking District.
Prior to leaving the house, she had begged Mira to let her wear something out of her Queen Bee wardrobe for the night. While the haute couture fashions were in storage, the smaller pieces that she had worn had been placed in the attic. “Something small – like this!” Gemma grabbed the leather Valentino miniskirt that she wore to an autograph signing in Prague. “No one would recognize it! Please, please, please.”
Mira didn’t budge and Gemma ended up leaving in a sequined sweater dress by Stella McCartney. It was cute, but she didn’t feel sexy in it. Especially not with Madison waltzing about in her skintight Hervé Leger bandage dress. Her bright pink lipstick matched the dress perfectly and her normally straight blonde hair had been styled to be wild and wavy. “Like sex hair,” she said. “Except I haven’t had sex tonight. Yet.” The girls laughed and Gemma tried not to grimace.
She tried again not to grimace when Lucas gave Madison’s butt a quick squeeze as she leaned over the bar to order drinks. Their public displays of affection were generally on the tame side and Gemma had grown accustom to those. She couldn’t quite stomach the raunchier displays. She looked away as Madison trailed her finger down Lucas’s chest and whispered in his ear, flirting as if they had only just met.
“Having fun yet, gorgeous?” Leah suddenly appeared, forcing a flute of champagne into Gemma’s hands. “Ugh, are you still bummed about what you’re wearing?”
“No, I’m not. Really, I’m not.”
“Good, because see that hot-ass guy over there? He invited us to join him in the hot tub. And if you are still bummed about your dress, this is the perfect opportunity to take it off.”
“There’s a hot tub here?”
Leah tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Of course.”
“You brought a swimsuit?”
“Would a swimsuit fit in here?” Leah asked incredulously, waving her clutch in the air. “I mean, as small as my bikinis are, the answer is no. Not that it matters.” Without a thought, she pulled down the neckline of her beaded mini-dress to flash Gemma the top of her intricate red lace bra.
“Leah!”
“Oh relax, silly! There’s no point in a bra like this if you can’t show it off, right?”
Within minutes, Leah and Jillian had stolen the show at the club by hopping into the hot tub in their sexy lingerie.
Madison, Kate and Gemma watched as other club goers followed suit by joining Leah and Jillian in the tub. Madison laughed with a glance towards Gemma. “You and I are classier than that.”
“And what about me?” Kate inquired.
“You know you want to, Kate,” Madison said as Lucas returned from the bar. He wrapped an arm around her tiny waist. “You’re just not wearing cute enough underwear.”
“You’re flattering me. It’s actually because I have the world’s grossest stomach. Total flab.”
“Is not,” Madison and Gemma said in unison.
“Is too,” Kate insisted, sighing.
It wasn’t long before Gemma was compelled to excuse herself elsewhere. For over five minutes, Kate had done nothing but watch the hot tub forlornly while Madison’s hands began wandering about Lucas’s body again. Gemma pretended not to notice as he peered apologetically at her, trying to gently remove Madisons’s hands.
“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Gemma eventually announced, quickly excusing herself. She busied herself while in there, hoping that by the time she exited, Madison’s PDA-fest would have ended.
It did, because upon stepping out of the bathroom, Gemma walked straight into Lucas.
“Hey,” he smiled.
Gemma tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hi.”
“No hot tub for you?”
“Nope. And none for you?” she countered.
“I guess it’s not my type of thing,” Lucas shrugged. “Not yours either, huh?”
Gemma felt his arm clearing the path for her as they wove through the throng of people. “Not tonight. It looks a little intimidating.”
Lucas nodded seriously. “Wouldn’t want you to drown or anything.”
Gemma’s eyes widened and she stared at him. It was the first time they had acknowledged the lake incident since it happened. Strangely, it made her smile. He cracked a laugh and put his hand on her back, nodding towards the booth where Madison and Kate sat. “Come on, let’s go.”
It was almost three thirty in the morning when the six of them left the club. Upon stepping out, they immediately heard the piercing sound of glass shattering. The girls shrieked and ducked for cover. Gemma’s own instinct was to close her eyes, but she opened them quickly to find herself in Lucas’s arms. They blinked at one another, both aware that he had protectively grabbed her over his own girlfriend. He let go of her as quickly as he had held her. They both turned to Madison, who didn’t notice. No one had.
Like the lake incident, the glass incident went unspoken of between them. They returned to polite small talk whenever he and his friends joined the girls for dinner or a night out. Gemma began to wonder if in her drunken state, she had imagined him shielding her. One thing she knew, however, was that she wasn’t imagining the way he stole glances at her every time she walked away from the group to make a call or buy a drink. She reasoned that he was probably curious about how someone so quiet could be related to Gavin and Mira. But of course, in her deepest subconscious, she hoped it was something more.
Because of Madison and the girls, her first month of school went by quickly and smoothly. Other than the lack of quality boys to develop her first real crush on, she couldn’t have asked for a better way to start her true high school career. Unlike Jillian and Leah, she didn’t have to prepare for the SATs because she had already done so during her one-on-one schooling while touring. Madison, accompanied by Kate, took this time to introduce Gemma to their weekly routines around town – manicures, pedicures, facials, shopping. She was a perfect hostess and Gemma still had yet to detect any flaws on her. She was everything a girl wanted in a friend, and Gemma knew that lusting after her boyfriend was definitely not a proper way to say thank you.