“Thanks,” Lucas accepted, keeping his eyes on hers. Gavin stretched out on the sectional, bundling himself in the Snuggie and resting his head on Lucas’s lap.
“You don’t mind, right?”
“Come on, man, don’t you ever stop with this?” Lucas moved away laughing. He tucked a cushion underneath Gavin’s head for comfort.
“Aw,” Gavin cooed, fluffing the pillow. “I knew you still loved me.” He stretched, his long body taking up an alarming amount of space on the couch. Lucas continued to inch away until he was thigh to thigh with Gemma. Within moments, Gavin was breathing steadily, sound asleep.
“Wow,” Lucas said under his breath. “He really has a talent for that.”
“What?” Gemma asked. “Living the life of a spoiled housecat?”
“Exactly!” Lucas whispered. Gemma smiled at his sincere amazement.
“Thanks for helping us finish the driveway, by the way,” she said. “Aunt Mira was two seconds away from making me go out there and help.”
“Oh no, not that,” Lucas said dramatically.
Gemma laughed, grateful that he was joking around with her again. “Shut up,” she said. “I owe you one, okay?”
“You always say that.”
Gavin stirred on the couch, kicking his feet like a child. Lucas and Gemma jumped.
“Maybe we should move downstairs so we don’t wake him. He gets surprisingly cranky,” Gemma said in a hushed tone as she got up from the couch.
“Surprisingly?” Lucas questioned. Gemma laughed. “But uh, maybe I should just head home.”
“You don’t have to!” Gemma whispered, her desperation surprising even herself. Lucas, however, didn’t seem to notice. “You haven’t even finished your chai. Let’s just go downstairs.”
She led Lucas to the lower den. It was decorated like an old log cabin with wooden walls, old family photos and a brick fireplace. Mira had left a fire crackling from the afternoon. The couch was smaller and undeniably cozy seating for two. Okay, what was I thinking? Gemma asked herself.
“Wow, it’s really nice down here,” Lucas said, touching the warm fleece throw on the couch. “I guess Gavin never hangs out in this room. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Yeah, there’s not really enough space for him to sit comfortably.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know how to sit like a civilized person,” Lucas joked, plopping himself down on one side of the couch. He looked at Gemma expectantly. Gemma approached the seat, hoping Lucas wouldn’t notice her hands trembling. And sweating. Attractive, she told herself. She leaned as far from Lucas as she could but it still only left a mere two inches between them. “It was really nice of you and Madison to give the Queen Bee tickets to Elisa. I’ve been meaning to thank you for that.”
Gemma frowned, disappointed. Is that all he’s been trying to tell me? “It’s no problem, I couldn’t make it anyway and Madison said she’s a fan. But wouldn’t it be torture for you to go to a Queen Bee concert?”
Lucas laughed hard. The fire reflected in his eyes and Gemma let go of her nerves a little. She hadn’t seen him so relaxed since the day in the rain. “Well, between you and me, I’m kind of curious about her. I want to know what she has to hide,” Lucas said, his eyes narrowing as he looked into the bright fire. “Also, Coach has been playing her songs during our warm-ups.”
“Are you serious?” Gemma giggled. Gavin hadn’t told her, but then again he never talked much about Queen Bee.
“Yeah, Gavin had it on his iPhone and said it was good music to pump everyone up with.”
“He did?” Gemma gushed excitedly, her hand clasping her heart.
“We all made fun of him at first but now everyone knows all the lyrics. So really, I think I might be the envy of my team,” Lucas said with a laugh. Gemma laughed with him. She was ecstatic to know how truly supportive Gavin was of her. “So are you a fan?” Lucas asked. “I know Madison’s not, but she’s not a fan of a lot of things.”
“I honestly don’t know her music very well,” Gemma lied. Pretending to not know anything about Queen Bee had become second nature to her.
“It would be fun if you could be there with us,” Lucas said sincerely with a sleepy yawn. He tilted his head and looked at her with a placid smile. Gemma felt goosebumps ripple across her arms. “Are you cold?” he asked perceptively. Without waiting for her to answer, he took the fleece blanket off the arm of the couch and wrapped it around her.
“Thanks,” she said. Her breaths were shallow as she watched him lean back against the couch, his head resting just inches from hers.
“I don’t know how Gavin shoveled for as long as he did,” Lucas yawned again. “I had the snowblower and I was exhausted…” His voice trailed off. The fire continued to crackle softly, emitting a warm glow. Gemma guessed that she had the fire and chai to thank for the peaceful laziness they were experiencing. Less than an hour ago, their tension was thick and awkwardly palpable. Gemma smiled, grateful for where they were. The two soon drifted off to sleep.
~
Gemma awoke to the sound of Madison’s muffled voice coming from upstairs.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I was sleeping,” Gavin’s voice came through a little clearer as Gemma shook off her grogginess.
“He’s not home and Elisa said he was shoveling for you. I know he can’t be far in this weather,” Madison replied. Gemma’s heart pounded upon looking to her side and seeing Lucas still asleep, curled under the fleece blanket with her. She slid out from under the cover and tip-toed away from him.
“Let me check, maybe he’s in Gemma’s room or something,” Gavin said. Gemma’s heart hammered. Madison had yet to respond but she could somehow feel a sudden tension.
“I’ll come with you. I can’t believe Lucas has seen Gemma’s room and I haven’t – what kind of friend is she?” Madison laughed, her friendly tone sounding painfully forced. Gemma waited, listening for the pair of footsteps to make its way upstairs. She stole a glance at Lucas. He looked adorable and sexy at once, leaning into the seat that Gemma had been in just moments before. All she wanted to do was nestle back into that spot. Instead, she tiptoed upstairs.
Gemma bustled through the kitchen and grabbed an armful of vegetables from the fridge as well as a cutting board from the cabinet. She smoothed down her rumpled sweater and leggings, then quickly pulled her hair into a smooth ponytail. She retrieved a knife from the drawer and began chopping just as she heard Madison and Gavin’s footsteps return.
“Ah, here she is,” Gavin said. Gemma arched an eyebrow as she popped a piece of red pepper into her mouth.
“Oh, hey,” she said as casually as she could. Madison’s accusing blue eyes bore sharply into hers. “What are you doing here, Madison?”
“I’m looking for Lucas,” Madison said, cocking her head threateningly to one side. Gemma tried her best to stay on top of her nerves.
“Oh right,” she said. “I think he might still be here. Those two chugged all our chai and fell asleep somewhere.” She squinted at Gavin. “Wasn’t he out on the couch with you?” From the corner of her eye, she could see Madison’s gaze frozen on her face.
“Yeah,” Gavin stretched, looking confused. “He was right there when I fell asleep but when I woke up, I was taking up the entire couch. I probably kicked him off.” Gavin walked groggily downstairs. Madison crossed her arms and sidled up next to Gemma.
“What have you been up to?” she asked, her gaze unblinking.
“Just catching up on homework,” Gemma said, casually. “Being snowed in is giving me a lot of time to get work done. I have a ton of stuff to make up from missing school last week.”
“I found him!” Gavin’s voice called from downstairs. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Do you need me to kiss you?”
From the kitchen, the girls could hear Lucas jerking awake and tumbling off the couch, probably to avoid Gavin’s lips. Both Madison and Gemma cracked smiles upon hearing the sound. The boys soon marched upstairs and into the
kitchen.
“Man, how knocked out were we?” Gavin asked, massaging his own shoulder. “Manual labor and warm milk is more powerful than a bottle of Patron.” Lucas laughed but stopped abruptly upon noticing Madison.
“Madison! What are you doing here?” he asked. His confused, questioning eyes darted over to Gemma for a brief moment.
“What are you doing here?” Madison countered.
“I helped them snowblow their driveway and then Mira gave me tea and I totally passed out,” Lucas grumbled. “Are the roads clear now?”
“They’ve been,” Madison said sternly. “I wanted to go out. I’ve been trapped in the house for two days.”
“Okay. Okay, let’s go,” Lucas nodded, rolling his shoulders back and stretching. They all said their good-byes as Gavin and Gemma walked Madison and Lucas to the door.
“Oh,” Madison said in a surprisingly bright tone. She turned to Gavin. “Now that my boyfriend’s dug your car out of the snow, you should give Gemma the keys so she can get her tote bag.”
“Oh, sure. You left it in there, Gemma?” Gavin asked.
“I, um…” Gemma stammered, shaking her head, confused.
“Oh honey, on my way in I just saw that you left your bag in Gavin’s car with all your books and binders. It must’ve sucked that you couldn’t even catch up on homework while you were snowed in,” Madison said with a stiff smile. It slowly fell from her face. As she whipped her hair around and marched towards the car, she glanced over her shoulder at Gemma with a look of feigned wonderment. “I really wonder how you managed to pass all that time.”
Chapter 9
To the disappointment of most students, Beauford High was open the following day. Gemma was relieved. She knew for sure that she wasn’t imagining Madison’s behavior and she couldn’t go another hour wondering what Madison may have told the rest of the girls. Exile, Gemma said to herself as she sat in her morning classes. They’re going to exile me. To her relief, she received a text from Leah a few minutes into their lunch period asking her where she was. Gemma responded that she was meeting with teachers about make-up assignments but in reality, she had relegated herself in the girls’ bathroom. Suddenly she worried about going outside to meet the girls. Madison had to have something in store for her. She definitely turned them all against me. She had to.
She hadn’t. When Gemma stepped outside, she found Leah, Jillian and Kate huddled around a magazine in their usual spot.
“Hey babe,” Jillian said. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Gemma remained unconvinced. Within moments, Madison’s Range Rover pulled up to the curb and the girls hopped in. Gemma shuffled toward the car tentatively, making sure to establish eye contact with Madison before getting in. Madison smiled normally though she said nothing.
The day went by in such an ordinary manner that Gemma was once again left to believe that she was overreacting or going crazy. Or both. She couldn’t help feeling as if she had witnessed the calm before the storm during lunch. To play it safe, she decided to beg Gavin for a ride home instead of hopping back in the car with Madison. Gemma headed towards the boy’s locker room door when suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind.
She gasped and curled up in shock only to hear Damian’s laughter.
“Did I scare you?” he asked, smoothing down her hair and kissing her on the forehead. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s not a normal way to greet someone,” Gemma said, on edge.
“I always greet you this way,” Damian said. He cocked his head. “Is something wrong?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before wrapping his arms around her, and only then did the tears fall from Gemma’s eyes. A group of sophomore girls whispered as they passed her. Gemma felt her tears soaking into Damian’s t-shirt and the distant sound of the girls chattering. She whipped her head around to shoot them a look but they were undeterred, planted in their spot. “Come on,” Damian took her hands. “Let’s go inside.” He led her into the boy’s locker room.
“Damian, I shouldn’t be in here,” Gemma managed through her tears.
“It’s okay, I’m always the first one here. There won’t be anyone for awhile.” He sat Gemma down on a bench and took the seat beside her. “We can sit it out or talk about it, whatever you want.” Gemma leaned her head on his muscular shoulders, sliding her hand under his.
“I’m scared of Madison.”
“What’d she do?”
“Nothing,” Gemma grumbled. “Nothing at all.”
Damian frowned. “I missed something here.”
“She thinks there’s something going on between me and Lucas.”
“Is there?”
“No!” Gemma lifted her head to look Damian in the eye. “No,” she repeated sternly.
“Well if there’s nothing going on, what are you worried about?”
“I’m worried about what she’s thinking. He was at my house the other day to help Gavin shovel and we fell asleep on the couch together. Madison didn’t see but I’m pretty sure she guessed… and then some,” Gemma said. Damian raised an eyebrow. “What? Is it the worst thing in the world that we fell asleep next to each other sitting up? It was a total accident.”
“It’s not bad. I might just be jealous,” Damian said, managing a bit of a laugh. He pulled her into him for a hug and she wrapped her arms around his body, releasing a breath that she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Gemma heard a gruff voice and the sound of squeaking sneakers accompanied by clicking heels. Gemma peered around the lockers to see Matt, a football player she recognized from parties including Madison’s birthday. His arms were wrapped around a giggling Kylie. Gemma gasped, catching their attention.
“Oh no way. I knew it!” Matt doubled over in laughter upon seeing the two on the bench, spurring Damian to release Gemma from his arms. “I told everyone the good girl thing was just an act.” Kylie kept her hands down Matt’s back pockets, untroubled by the fact that she was in the presence of her boyfriend’s sister.
“Unlike you, we’re not doing anything wrong,” Damian said, standing up.
“Really?” Matt snorted. “Then what’s she in here for? There’s no other explanation.”
“Uh, no. You’re the only dude gross enough to use this place like a hotel room,” Damian said. He turned to Kylie. “What, do you just go for an off-season athlete so you can get rides home after school?”
“What’d you say to my girl?” Matt asked, letting go of Kylie to approach Damian. Gemma stood still, feeling nervous and completely useless. Damian was tall and lean but Matt was, well, big. A fight could go either way.
“Aw Matt, come on,” Damian said, stone-faced. “We all know Kylie isn’t really anyone’s girl.”
Kylie scoffed, putting a warning hand in Damian’s face. “I know you’re not trying to call me a slut.”
“I know Gavin isn’t seeing anyone else,” Damian countered. “So I’m not sure why you are.”
Matt snickered. “Enough, D. I think it’s clear who the real slut in this room is.” He nodded towards Gemma. “Heard you tried to fuck Lucas this week. Pretty sure you’re the one who doesn’t know what ‘taken’ means.”
Before Gemma could even react to the comment, Damian’s elbow had propelled itself into Matt’s chest, sending him reeling backwards towards Kylie.
“Damian, no,” Gemma ran to stop him. She could only think of his college scholarships, all the Division I schools that had scouted his stellar play for their own basketball teams. “It’s not worth it, Damian!” She clutched his arm and backpedaled her feet in an attempt to pull him away. She finally succeeded, though she suspected Damian had given up on the fight for the sake of her panic. He interlocked his fingers with hers and stepped back to give her a look of reassurance.
Matt huffed as he struggled to get back on his feet. “You’re wasting your energy on her,” he smirked. “She’s using you to get closer to Lucas. She’s a whore.”
As Gemma’s jaw dr
opped with mortification, she felt Damian’s hand release hers and watched it land a hard punch in Matt’s eye. Kylie screamed as Matt lunged forward, shoving Damian to the ground. Gemma rushed to push Matt off of him but he flung her arm back, throwing her against the lockers.
Just then, she heard the creak of the locker room door opening and looked up.
Madison stood at the doorway in shock. Lucas had already run towards the fight and grabbed Matt by the back collar. He lifted him off of Damian, who remained on the ground holding his head. Kylie simply stood staring in shock while Gemma eased herself off of the cold floor.
“What’s going on here?” Lucas yelled. Gemma froze. She had never seen him so much as raise his voice let alone look so furious. Veins protruded from his neck. He looked to her, his normally calm hazel eyes now frantic in search of an answer.
“Damian’s playing superhero as always,” Matt spat, trying to laugh it off despite his obvious pain. He touched his face gingerly with one hand and pointed to Gemma with the other. “Trying to defend this dumb bitch.”
Lucas let go of Matt’s collar violently, sending him sailing into the lockers. The loud crash made everyone but Lucas jump.
“The fuck, man!” Matt growled. “You too? Is there something about her that I’m missing?”
“What are you talking about?” Lucas seethed.
“Everyone knows she tried to get in your pants and you’re such a good boyfriend for turning her down,” Matt dripped with sarcasm. “But I don’t know now, I’m starting to doubt you did by the way you’re defending the slut.”
Gemma looked to Lucas’s face, which creased in utter confusion. A crowd had gathered outside the locker room. Madison was holding open the door. She watched with an eerily peaceful look on her face.
“Leave Lucas alone for defending Gemma,” she said diplomatically. “He just has a good heart. And I don’t blame Gemma for whatever it was she was doing, I’m just glad it’s over now.” Madison walked towards them with her hand over her heart. She turned to the crowd behind her. “Could everyone please leave us alone?” They stayed put. Madison didn’t persist. Instead, she held her hand out to Gemma. With everyone watching, Gemma accepted. Madison jerked her arm up so hard that Gemma gasped in pain. She ignored Madison’s smirk and hurried to Damian, whom Lucas was helping to his feet.