- Chapter 11 -
OH. MY. MOTHER#@%!ING. GOD.
3/16 3:02PM EST
posted by Tara C.
Her Royal Secrecy
By now you all know that Tyler Chase attended Queen Bee’s concert incognito on Friday at the Staples Center. This of course was the concert that occurred a week after the one I attended, where I was hoping to gather clues regarding the Queen’s identity but didn’t see shit as far as excitement or juiciness. As if that weren’t bad enough, I missed Tyler Chase by a freakin’ week. Obviously God was punishing me for my endless snark. Of all people, I deserved to be present at a full security meltdown that left Queen Bee and Tyler Chase unprotected amongst a horde of rabid fans (whom I hear were foaming at the mouth and becoming borderline feral). Unlike them, I would’ve prioritized mystery-solving over my squealing fangirl compulsions. Which leads me to the question: WHY DID NOBODY AT LEAST SNATCH HER STUPID WIG OFF?
Fans who were present at the fiasco have taken to le internetz to report what they saw, and while you’d think this would be a great place to gather clues, a lot of you idiots who weren’t present have begun making up facts which is why Star Magazine is reporting today that Queen Bee is Elle Fanning (Really, Star Magazine? Really?).
We only have two solid pieces of news that came out of this fiasco. One is a statement that QB’s security has been completely overhauled, which is kinder way of saying that a dozen or so bodyguards are now unemployed. And I’m sure this also means that it’ll be harder to get close to QB now, which is bad news for stalkers (in before the trolls call me a “stalker” myself - IDGAF).
The second, according to fan video footage, is that Queen Bee and Tyler ran off together with some randos from her team. So…does this mean that Tyler Chase now knows the identity of Queen Bee? As if we needed more reason to be obsessed with him.
“I could kill you!” Penelope screamed as she sat on the hotel room bed with her arms and legs wrapped around Gemma like a koala. She had been so relieved to see Gemma safe and sound in the suite that she cried for a solid fifteen minutes before calling Armand into the room. He in turn cried even harder.
“I’m fine. I totally figured it out, didn’t I? And on top of that, Tyler still has no idea what I look like,” Gemma said, using her Wolford Lugano tee shirt to wipe the thick-rimmed glasses that Penelope had fogged up with her tears. Armand lay flat on his back on the ground, a half-empty bottle of cabernet sauvignon in his left hand.
“Gemma, Gemma…” he said slowly, shaking his head. “You almost made me die tonight. If I did not die on my own, I would have died at the hands of this crazy woman here,” he nodded towards Penelope. “Who was throwing ceramic curling irons at the wall. And if that didn’t kill me, Mira would have made sure to kill me, then she’d have her connections in the afterlife continue to torture me in Heaven. Or maybe the other place. I am sure she knows people there too.”
Penelope cackled. “I don’t know how you got that catsuit off without totally destroying it,” Penelope said as she wiped her tears carefully with her pinky and put her glasses back on.
“Yes,” Armand said, flipping onto his stomach. “I had thought maybe we’d cut you out afterwards and here you are, catsuit fully intact.” He and Penelope exchanged a glance.
“Should we check a certain someone’s Twitter to see what he might have to say about tonight?” Penelope giggled as she grabbed her iPhone excitedly. Armand jumped onto the bed with her as she turned her phone on.
“‘Got touchy-feely with royalty today.’ Hashtag, teenage turn-ons,” Armand giggled as Gemma smacked him with a pillow.
“No, no – how about ‘Got officially knighted. I provided the sword,’” Penelope rolled on the bed, cracking up. “Gross. We’re totally going to hell, Armand.”
“I’ll bet he didn’t even say anything,” Gemma said as she changed into a pair of Egyptian cotton pajama pants.
“‘Insane night. Inspired talk. Interrupted moment. In love?’” Penelope read.
“What was that?” Gemma asked.
“That’s Tyler Chase’s latest tweet. About two hours after the concert.”
“God, what a teenager,” Armand scoffed. “He thinks he’s in love because he got to put his hands down your catsuit.”
“If you got to put your hands in say, Ewan McGregor’s leather catsuit, you’d be saying the same thing,” Penelope said. “Except less poetically.” Armand shrugged and smiled.
“Either way,” he reached for his bottle of wine. “Seems like our Bee has become a mankiller of the highest degree, yes? I think we should toast to that.”
“No,” Gemma laughed. “I doubt he even tweeted that, it was probably his PR people.” Gemma said as she pulled the sheets back and got under the covers. However, she knew there was nothing to doubt. She had an effect on Tyler and it was obvious. Even in the dark, she could feel her impact on him. Gemma imagined this type of unwavering confidence was what gave girls like Madison the ability to walk, talk and live the way they did. Maybe it wasn’t just a matter of luck and perfect hair.
“Ready to go home, missy?” Penelope suddenly asked.
The thought of home jolted Gemma. She had done such a good job of forgetting about it for the past few weeks. Somehow, she dreaded seeing Lucas more than she did Madison. On the topic of going home, her mind began to imagine Lucas figuring out her entire secret identity as Queen Bee, based solely on the bit of conversation she let slip during the autograph signing. A part of her hoped this would happen.
Her heart desperately hoped that upon returning to Beauford, she would be able to readjust to her high school life without hearing a word about Queen Bee. Her mind, of course, knew that that would be impossible.
When Gemma arrived at home the Sunday before her first day back, she found the Balenciaga gown back on the dress form in front of her closet door. She had no idea how everyone worked so quickly that the dress managed to beat her back home. Hanging above the dress was the Venetian mask she had worn during the Los Angeles fan meet. Stuck to it was a Post-it that read, Back undercover again, Bee! We’ll miss you. – Pen & Armand.
Gemma sighed, peeling off the note and sticking it in her drawer. She began to cover the dress with the old sheets only to drop to the floor, cross-legged. She played with the hem of the dress and the hand-sewn pearls. She had hoped that her body would naturally adjust to Beauford upon returning home, and perhaps even be excited for high school and suburbia. It hadn’t though, and she couldn’t be less unenthused about becoming Gemma again. Aside from seeing Leah, Kate and Jillian, she couldn’t think of anything to look forward to.
Though lost in her thoughts, she was able to hear her name being called from a distance. Gemma stood up quickly and looked outside to see Lucas leaning out his window. She blushed and in her surprise, knocked over the dress form. She scurried to it, standing it back up and pushing it out of view.
“Hey!” Gemma said, brushing her hair back as she opened the window. “How are you? How have you been?”
“Pretty good. How’s your grandma?” Lucas asked. Gemma flinched.
“Um,” she stammered. She realized it had been a long time since she had even spoken to her parents. “She’s fine. I think she’s going to move in with us soon.”
“I have something for you,” Lucas said as he ducked out of view. He popped back up with a Queen Bee CD. “Leah said to give this to you when you got back.” Gemma frowned. Why wouldn’t Leah just give it to me herself? And of all people, why would she give it to Lucas to give to me? “So?” Lucas called when Gemma didn’t answer. “Can I come over?” Gemma shook herself from her thoughts.
“Oh. Sure! I’ll be right down!”
Gemma hurried to her mirror and tossed her hair a few times in hopes of creating more volume. She grabbed her makeup bag, wondering if she had enough time to put on mascara and lip-gloss. She decided against it. The last thing she wanted was to look done up for Lucas with what people were saying about her. She rubbed her hands quickly over her cheeks and blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes before rushing down to the front door. When she opened it, Lucas was already there.
“Hey,” he smiled. Gemma did all she could not to swoon immediately. Leave it to boys to help me switch between lives. Just a week ago, she was kissing Tyler Chase and now a suburban high school boy was making her knees weak.
“It’s so nice to see you. I’m kind of surprised you’re okay coming here, you know, with everything…” Gemma trailed off. She wasn’t sure if it was a mistake to bring it up.
“It’s okay,” Lucas shrugged. “Although maybe we shouldn’t just stand in the doorway and let everyone who drives by start new rumors?” They laughed and Gemma invited him in. He sat on the couch as she closed the door.
“Leah was so excited about this when she called me. I kind of thought she’d want to be the one to give it to me,” Gemma said as Lucas handed her the CD. She tried to hide the sadness in her voice, but it was clear that Lucas detected it.
“She did,” he said. “But there was a mob of people grabbing at it when she took it out at the diner that night, so I said I’d get it back to Mira.” Lucas explained.
“Oh. Oh, okay.”
“The show was really fun,” he said. Gemma smiled a stiff smile, unsure of how much she should say on the subject. Lucas nodded at her silence and continued. “I didn’t really feel out of place because there were a lot of other guys there.”
“Really?”
“Well. They were dressed up as Queen Bee and wearing spandex, so I felt a little out of place,” he laughed. “Elisa took forever trying to put together a Queen Bee costume but she just ended up ruining a lot my mom’s clothes.”
Gemma giggled. It always made her smile to hear Lucas talk more than his usual couple of words. She had figured out that he was quiet only because he was surrounded by people like Gavin and Madison who never shut their mouths. Her own quiet nature seemed to lend well to whatever Lucas had to say. She was more than happy to be that person for him.
“I really want to thank you for giving up your ticket for Elisa. We got to see Queen Bee really close after the show,” Lucas said as he looked at Gemma. She waited for him to continue with his story but he gazed at her in silence for a second or two. It felt like an eternity. Lucas continued. “It was weird, something about her reminded me of you.”
“Really?” Gemma held her breath nervously.
“Yeah,” Lucas said. Gemma squinted at him, trying to detect signs that he might in fact know her secret. He scratched his chin. “I can’t really explain it though. Hopefully she has another show here soon and you can see for yourself.”
Gemma released her breath and smiled. “Definitely. Sounds like fun,” she replied. Lucas kept his eyes on her for a beat before he smiled.
“Anyway, I’ll let you get back to unpacking or whatever you need to do,” he said as he got to his feet. He paused for a moment before turning towards the door. “And, um, about the rumors,” he waited till he caught her eye before continuing. “I don’t want you to worry. We both know nothing happened. Gavin and I are making sure everyone else knows too.”
“Oh,” Gemma blinked. “Okay. Great.”
“And Madison’s not mad either,” Lucas said. Gemma felt a chill at the mention of her name. “She knows it’s not true, she’s just as angry at whoever started it.”
Gemma managed a weak smile, knowing well that Lucas’s words weren’t true. It disheartened her to know that he believed them, but then again, Madison was quite the actress.
“That’s a relief to hear,” she said.
“Why does it feel like it’s been like a year since I’ve seen you?” Leah yelled as she jumped onto Gemma, wrapping her arms around her. Kate and Jillian joined in the hug, all looking tanner than usual. “We missed you so much in the Bahamas! We took like, a million pictures. It’s going to take forever to upload on Facebook.”
Gemma had forgotten she missed spring break. She knew she’d feel jealous looking at their photos.
“Cute guys hit on me!” Kate nodded excitedly. “I mean, not as much as Madison, but you know.” Just then, Gemma noticed Lucas walk out to their usual waiting spot.
“Did you hear that Lucas?” Jillian called to him. “People hit on your girlfriend because you didn’t come with us.”
“I went to the Queen Bee concert with you guys, isn’t that kind of a big deal? Besides, not all of us can just up and go to some exotic place whenever we want.”
“Ew, Debbie Downer,” Leah frowned.
Gemma felt anxious. She knew any second now, Madison’s Range Rover would be rolling around the corner and she’d see her for the first time in over a month. Everyone had reassured her that Madison seemed fine and was over the rumors. Gemma wasn’t so sure. Only she saw the side of Madison that was bitter and vengeful. Plus, it made no sense that anyone else would have started the rumors about her and Lucas.
“Shotgun!” Leah shouted as she spotted Madison’s car coming around.
“Doesn’t the boyfriend usually get shotgun?” Lucas asked as he approached the car.
“Not if the boyfriend isn’t a regular of the lunch crew,” Leah said as she got into the front seat. Gemma peered in the car, waving timidly at Madison.
“Hey girl, how’s it going,” Madison said flatly. “How are you all going to fit in the back?” Jillian, Kate, Gemma and Lucas looked at each other.
“Oh yeah,” Kate said, softly. “I forgot we were one up today.”
“Why are we talking like we’ve never shoved a million people in one car before?” Leah asked, her voice squeaking. “Let’s go! We’re not going to have enough time to look through all the pictures.”
“I’ll take the far back,” Lucas said as he climbed into the car then jumped over the backseat, plopping himself down in the trunk. The girls laughed as they climbed into the remaining seats.
“We’re going to go to Agata’s,” Madison announced. “It’s Lucas’s favorite and since he’s sitting in the trunk, I think it’s the least we can do for him.”
“I can’t eat carbs!” Leah cried.
“So hold the pizza to your face and scrape the cheese off with your teeth,” Jillian said. “It’s not like we haven’t seen you do that before.” Gemma snorted and looked in the rearview mirror to see Leah’s reaction. Instead, she caught Lucas looking at her. He quickly lowered his eyes.
“Oh that’s such a good idea,” Kate said. “Do you think I can have them just give me a bowl of melted cheese?”
“Please don’t embarrass me,” Madison wrinkled her nose. Kate and Leah sighed in disgust.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Leah said.
“Yeah,” Kate chimed in. “Miss Perfect and Boobs McGee.”
“Oh stop,” Madison said, a small smile on her face. “I’m far from perfect. My dance instructor keeps telling me I need to lose weight.”
“This isn’t ballet world,” Leah rolled her eyes.
“If it was, I’d just go ahead and off myself. Dancers have the best bodies,” Kate sighed. “I wish I didn’t quit ballet when I was ten. I want to dance like Queen Bee.”
“She was amazing,” Jillian breathed, leaning towards Madison in the driver’s seat. “They say she didn’t even have formal training. Is that possible?”
“It’s possible,” Madison shrugged. “But trained dancers can probably see she’s not very good. Like in Black Swan, I couldn’t believe people thought Natalie Portman was actually doing the dancing.”
Leah shrugged. “Who cares? Queen Bee was hot.”
“So hot Tyler Chase fell in love without seeing her face. I can’t believe what happened in L.A!” Kate groaned. “I wish we were at that concert.”
At the pizzeria, Leah and Kate stayed true to their carb-free life and peeled the cheese off, discarding the crusts. Madison opted for a gluten-free, vegan slice while Jillian, Gemma and Luke decided to share a pepperoni pie.
“So,” Madison said as she nibbled on a piece of green pepper, leaning into Lucas. “We need to get Leah and Kate prom dates so we can all go to senior prom together. Can you help us, honey?”
“I can definitely try,” Lucas said. “How about Gemma?” he asked as he took a bite into his pizza. Madison raised her eyebrows.
“What do you mean?” Madison asked, eyes on Gemma. Gemma shifted uncomfortably.
“Since you didn’t ask me to find Gemma one. Do you already have a date?” Lucas looked at Gemma too. The entire table looked at her.
“No,” Gemma said. “I’m not sure who’d ask me.”
“I just assumed you’d be going with Damian,” Kate said with concern. “Did something happen between you guys?”
Gemma suddenly realized that she hadn’t heard from Damian since the fight in the locker room. Her phone was constantly dying on tour, so while she didn’t receive any texts from him, she reasoned that he could very well have called while her phone was out of battery. “It’s just that he didn’t officially ask me and I don’t just want to assume that he’d take me when he could take someone who’s not just a friend,” Gemma explained. The table went quiet. Gemma’s eyes darted around. “What?”
“Weren’t you guys going out this whole time?” Lucas asked. Madison shot Lucas a look while Gemma’s lips quivered, trying to formulate an answer. Thankfully, Kate spotted her discomfort.
“They were whatever they were, right Gemma?” she winked. “Or are? They could still be something, who knows? Gemma’s always been the mysterious one.”
“Seriously,” Lucas let out a small laugh and looked down at his plate with a vague smile. “There’s no figuring you out.” Madison smiled, but not before Gemma caught the microsecond of a scowl.
“Gem, honey, don’t worry. We’ll find you a date. I’m sure Matt would’ve been interested, but I couldn’t do that to you after everything that’s happened,” Madison said with an exaggerated cringe. “I’m sure someone is willing to go with you though.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t need our help,” Lucas said before taking a big bite of his slice. Madison turned to him.
“Why do you say that, Lucas? You don’t want to help our friend?” she asked icily.
“No, I mean I’m sure she’ll do fine on her own,” Lucas said, sensing Madison’s displeasure. The answer still didn’t seem to satisfy her. “Or you could ask Gavin, you know? Not to be your date, obviously, but to help you find someone. That’s what I meant.”
“Don’t help us too much though, Lucas,” Leah said, polishing off some stringy cheese and wiping her mouth to reapply lip-gloss. “I want Gavin to come to his senses and ask me out on his own, now that he knows Kylie’s a complete bitch-slut-whore.”
“And that you’re such a lady,” Jillian said.
The group laughed and Gemma sighed in relief as the attention on her faded away. With a heavy heart, she watched as Lucas’s attention left her as well. Once again, he was focused on Madison’s elegant ballerina arms, reaching around his broad shoulders. He leaned in to kiss Madison, clearly forgetting that anyone else was around.
~
“I missed you!” Gemma squealed, throwing her arms around Damian as he lifted her off the ground and pulled her into his house. He laughed and set her down on his couch, sidling up beside her. His father had put the autographed basketball Gemma had given him into a glass case next to the couch. She laughed. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring you anything back from London.”
“Are you kidding? I’m set. Those tickets you gave me were amazing,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “Knicks won and we were so close to the court. Pretty sure I got sweat flung on me at some point, no big deal.”
Gemma laughed, hooking her arm through Damian’s and leaning onto his shoulder. He got quiet and tensed up.
“Anything to catch me up on?” Gemma asked.
“Not really,” he sighed. “Everything’s same as always. The rumors died down and people stopped talking about the fight if that’s what you’re asking. Matt got suspended like he does every marking period and well, no one thought to suspend a good kid like me.”
“I wasn’t really asking that. But I’m glad to hear it. Did you miss me while I was gone?”
“Of course.”
“I sort of thought, maybe you were mad at me after everything,” Gemma said, softly. Damian put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in, kissing her on the top of the head.
“No. I just had a lot to think about after the fight. People started rumors that I was mad because Matt told me you were cheating on me with Lucas. Which is crazy of course, because we weren’t actually dating,” Damian sighed. Gemma felt guilt ride heavily on her heart. She sat up and looked at him.
“Why aren’t we dating?” she asked. Damian squinted at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Why aren’t we actually dating?”
“Because…” Damian searched his head for the millions of reasons he knew there were for why they weren’t a couple. Gemma smiled as she watched him think. At the moment, she could barely understand why they weren’t dating either. Damian was truly the best friend she ever had. She hadn’t been able to see it early on, but as time passed, it was becoming more and more obvious. “Well I can’t think of anything right now, but I’m pretty sure we had a reason.” Damian laughed.
“So if we can’t remember what it was, what’s stopping us now?” Gemma asked. It was as if a light had switched in her head and she could suddenly see. Damian was sexy, sweet, interesting, and so faithful that it made her tear up a little. She couldn’t imagine another boy being there for her the way he was.
She watched with amusement as his face went from surprised to puzzled, then finally, happy. Seemingly the happiest she had seen him. He shrugged and pulled her in on top of his broad and muscular chest until they were both lying across the couch. Gemma smiled coquettishly. She liked seeing Damian’s confidence waver as he shyly watched her, wondering what she would do next. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Damian easily wrapped his arms around her small waist as they rolled off the couch and onto the carpeted floor, giggling between their kisses.