Hidden Gem (4 page)

“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 ex
haust
ed 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.