Every Pearl Has Its Oyster Read online

  Gemma shrugged. “They’ve been a couple for a long time,” she said, though she wasn’t quite sure what her argument was or if she even believed it. She just felt the need to be nice to Nicki, especially after the contentious relationship they had shared earlier that year.

  “Well. Please slap me in the face if I ever turn into that kind of girlfriend, kay? As hard as you want,” Zoe said, putting on her sunglasses and laying back in her chaise.

  “Will do,” Gemma said, gazing out towards the basketball court. Nicki was pulling Damian away from the game by his shirt. While she showed him the pictures she’d taken, Gavin and Josh stood around idly, staring at Nicki and then exchanging looks with each other. As Gemma reassured herself that she was most certainly not that kind of girlfriend, her phone buzzed with a text. It was Tyler. Hey babe. How’s it going? What are you guys up to?

  As she composed a response, Leah and Kate returned to the terrace from the beach, brushing sand off their bronzed bodies. “Ooh, your phone has service?” Leah brightened. “Can I use it to watch that video of – ” she stopped herself. “To… check my email?” she revised her sentence.

  Gemma narrowed her eyes and laughed. “To watch what video of what?” she asked.

  Leah’s look was incredulous. “Really? Is your Facebook not blowing up with Beauford people talking about it?”

  “I deactivated Facebook. What are you talking about?”

  Leah and Kate glanced at each other. “Nothing,” Kate decided. Gemma chucked a piece of grapefruit at her.

  “Tell me!” she implored.

  “Yeah, tell her! I’m curious,” Zoe piped in. She looked to Harper for support but saw that she was passed out in the sun, lathered in SPF with a straw hat covering her face.

  Leah gathered her black hair over her shoulder. “Well, it’s nothing really. It’s just that,” she dragged on her sentence as she examined her split ends. “Madison’s all over the Internet. Everyone’s talking about her.”

  Just the sound of the name sent a wave of prickly chills up Gemma’s arms. Madison.

  It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t wondered what Madison was up to these days, especially after speaking of her during her big speech at the Kick Bullying campaign – the one where she had revealed her name as Gemma Hunter, a former student of Beauford High who’d been tormented by a cruel bully during her junior year. That bully, of course, was Madison. Gemma had almost suspected that Madison would come out and claim credit for being the bully from Queen Bee’s speech, just to gain the attention. She had always been accustomed to having sole possession of the spotlight. Gemma wished she could have seen Madison’s face when she’d heard that she was Queen Bee. That she was dating Tyler Chase, the celebrity whom Madison so adored.

  “What’s she doing all over the Internet?” Gemma asked.

  “Some video she’s in went viral, but I can’t see what it is because I don’t have any freakin’ service,” Leah said, holding her iPhone in the air. “Does anyone want to lend me their phone to watch this or should we totally just not think about it anymore since Madison’s a raging bitch?”

  Gemma managed a laugh. “Well. I’m not going to watch it.”

  Leah and Kate eyed each other. “Neither will we,” they both decided. “Happy thoughts only. It’s vacation!” Kate said.

  “Exactly,” Zoe clapped her hands. “In fact, let’s all turn off our phones so we don’t get tempted to watch the stupid video.” She plucked hers from the table and, to everyone’s amusement, tossed it over the railing and into the sand. At her pressuring, the rest of the girls followed suit, holding their phones over the sand and mustering the courage to drop them while Zoe poured them margaritas. “Now it’s time to just get drunk off our asses till we pass out like Harpie!” Zoe declared, nodding towards Harper, who was lightly snoring now. And with a toast, the girls surrendered their cell phones and the rest of their night to just kicking back and relaxing.

  ~

  By five-thirty in the morning, Gemma was wide awake. It was an odd time to be up, especially since she’d only gone to bed three hours ago. But she’d had more to drink than usual, and she always seemed to wake up early after drinking a lot. Today, it was a good thing. With the house virtually silent, there was a chance Gemma had caught security literally sleeping. As she tip toed down the stairs, she imagined herself taking a dip alone and then perhaps walking around and joining someone’s volleyball game on the beach.

  But to her disappointment, Andro was in fact awake.

  “’Morning,” she sighed when she found him leaning against the white marble counter in the kitchen, staring out at the water. “Guess we’re the only early birds,” she said, which felt stupid because Andro wasn’t so much an early bird as her bodyguard who was required to be awake and alert.

  “Yup,” was all he said, gazing out at the Malibu waters.

  “Not as epic as Croatia, I’m sure,” Gemma said as was bait. Conversation was limited with Andro these days as he was more serious about security than ever, but mentioning his homeland always got him talking.

  “Nothing is as epic as Croatia,” he said immediately. She laughed, prepared for the story he was about to tell because he told it at every given opportunity. “You haven’t seen natural beauty until you’ve been there. Dubrovnik? I almost died there when I was nineteen. My brothers made me jump into the water from a fifty-foot cliff and I…”

  His words faded as she quietly backed out of the kitchen, to the foyer and out the front door of the house.

  Gemma took a deep breath of the crisp air outside. She walked onto the spot of the sidewalk that seemed to be catching most of the sun. The toasty warmth of the rays hitting every inch of her skin made her sigh. Her eyes closed as she stood still in the spot. It was nice to be somewhere, anywhere for a moment and feel completely unwatched. It was a good feeling.

  But it lasted all of a second.

  “Gemma?”

  She groaned inwardly before opening her eyes. Her lips curled into a smile though when she saw Damian coming down the sidewalk in what she assumed he’d slept in – a grey UCLA t-shirt and white basketball shorts. After waving saying goodbye to a neighbor down the street, he jogged over to her. “Hey. You’re up early,” he said with a smile.

  “Yep.” Gemma shrugged her bare shoulders, hooking her thumbs into the pockets of her printed pajama shorts. “Who was that?” she asked, nodding towards the young man Damian had been talking to. He turned around to look at him.

  “Oh. I just got up early for a walk and he was on his front lawn so we talked for a little. Since we were both up.” He laughed. “He was saying he might go paddle boarding in a little and I was thinking that sounded like a pretty good idea.”

  “I see.” Gemma raised her eyebrows, amused. It was amazing to her that Damian could just take a stroll anywhere and have a nice rewarding conversation with a cool stranger. She was pretty sure she’d never done that before. And she certainly wasn’t allowed to now. Her team seemed to live by the approach that any stranger was an attacker until proven innocent. Gemma brushed the hair from her eyes. “So, is paddle boarding when you stand up on the board and you paddle?”

  Damian squinted in the sun. “Yeah. Pretty much exactly what it sounds like.”

  Gemma smacked his arm and his eyes crinkled with laughter. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m not Gavin, I don’t know these things.”

  Damian grinned. “Well, we’re both up early. How about I teach you?”

  ~

  Nope, not that one.

  As she rummaged through her luggage for a swimsuit, Gemma tossed aside the tiny black bikini that Tyler had been worried about. She’d brought it along almost as a statement to herself, but in the end, she realized that she didn’t have the guts to wear it anyway. It would look wrong to anyone watching her paddleboard alone with Damian. They’d think she was putting the moves on him just by wearing something so utterly miniscule.

  Or you’re just being paranoid, Gemma told herself
. She’d been startled before when she and Damian turned back to the house to see Andro standing in a window watching Gemma. Only when she caught his eye did he walk away – but not before wagging a finger and chuckling. You thought you pulled a fast one on me, but you didn’t, he was essentially saying. Not even close. It was dispiriting, not to mention a tad embarrassing.

  But Gemma forgot about it once she began wading into the ocean. With a sneakered Andro planted on the beach, she took to the waters with Damian on their separate paddleboards. They were borrowed from his newly made neighbor friend, an apparent Warriors fan who promised Damian unlimited use as long as he autographed them afterwards. They were narrow, obviously the boards of a more experienced paddler, but Gemma reassured Damian that she would be fine.

  “So why were you up so early this morning?” she asked to distract him from how awkward she looked trying to stand on her board. “Do you wake up early after drinking, too?”

  “No, I set my alarm to wake me up at five,” he answered with a smile anticipating her reaction. Gemma blinked with confusion.

  “Why? You know you’re on vacation, right?”

  Damian laughed, his brown eyes shining in the sun. “I know. I was waking up early to get some real vacation. Just me. Relaxing.”

  “Oh.” Gemma watched him grasp his paddle and matched her hands to his grip. “Sorry if I interrupted that.”

  He shook his head. “You didn’t. You, I’m always happy to see.”

  They were silent for several minutes as they paddled out, Gemma staring at her wobbly knees, her body stiff as she concentrated on keeping balance. Damian had warned her that the choppy water wasn’t ideal for beginners, but she didn’t care. Andro didn’t make a fuss about any potential dangers of paddle boarding, so she was going for it, even if she had the rigid posture of a hunchback when she paddled.

  “You should really go ahead of me,” Gemma laughed apologetically. He was controlling his pace to stay next to her, even though he could have been hundreds of feet ahead of her by now. His athletic abilities always seemed to transcend any sport. “Really, go for it,” she insisted. “I know you wanted your relaxation time.”

  Damian shrugged. “I’m perfectly relaxed,” he said, squinting out at the end of the ocean. He did look relaxed, especially since paddling seemed to require no effort for him. While Gemma’s shoulder muscles already burned, Damian looked totally at ease, his sculpted arms simply flicking the paddle to send the board gliding ahead. He looked happy. His full lips wore a faint smile and his eyes were sleepy, content. Just watching him made Gemma loosen up herself. For a moment, she felt déjà vu. She dismissed it though, because never before had she stood on water or felt so close to the sky. She took in the sight of the purple clouds above the ocean before closing her eyes. The sound of the drifting water could lull her back to sleep. It was as if it had too, because before she knew it, she was way out at sea, paddling with an ease that mirrored Damian’s. When she looked over at him, his eyes were already on her.

  “Look at you,” he said, pleased. “You’re a pro.”

  In the middle of the ocean, they decided to sit for a bit, soaking their legs in the water and using the boards like benches. As she stared out at the sunrise, a memory floated from the back of Gemma’s mind to the foreground. No wonder she’d experienced déjà vu.

  “Kind of feels like post-prom.” Damian read her mind.

  It did. There was that purple sky and peaceful lull of the waves. And of course, there was that distinct air about hanging out with Damian one-on-one – that easy, worry-free feeling that everything was taken care of.

  “Mm-hm,” Gemma agreed. But of course, there was that significant difference that they weren’t a couple on the verge of having sex for the first time ever, as had been the case at post-prom two years ago. Of course, that never ended up happening. With a little laugh and side-glance at each other, they got past acknowledging that part verbally. Gemma changed the subject. “I’m surprised Andro hasn’t swum out here to get me yet. I feel like he’d start worrying about sharks by now.”

  “Or pirates.”

  She snorted. They looked back to the beach, laughing when they noticed almost everyone awake and back on the terrace. They appeared to be having a very animated breakfast around the stone counter, Gavin manning the grill behind it. Standing comically alone on the beach was Andro, his giant frame now sitting as he stared out at the ocean. He was an amusing sight to behold until they both spotted the person who sat alone just a few yards from him – Nicki. Gemma gave a quizzical frown. From the corner of her eye, she could see Damian’s shoulders slump. He tried to sigh inaudibly but she heard it as he slid off the board and into the water, strapping his ankle back to the paddle leash.

  “You hungry? We should probably go eat,” he said, trying to remain bright as he nodded towards the beach and the breakfast cooking on the terrace.

  “Sure.” Gemma decided not to ask about Nicki or her anti-social tendencies. It was too awkward of a question, even though Gemma was curious about it. Nicki had always been shy and easily intimidated, but she still had the capability to make conversation if she needed to. She’d been sociable enough then, so what had happened since?

  As if reading her mind again, Damian answered Gemma’s question as they paddled back.

  “She dropped out of school. Officially,” he said. “She says she just wants to stay close to me.”

  Since she couldn’t think of anything positive to say in response, Gemma remained silent, and so it was silent for the next few hundred feet aside from the sound of splashing water. Damian’s forehead was uncharacteristically creased with stress.

  “Do you feel bad about it or something?” Gemma cocked her head, trying to study Damian’s reaction as they bobbed through the water.

  “I appreciate her thinking about how we can stay close with my schedule, but I want her to have her own space. She’s too talented to give up school just to keep me company.”

  “That’s true,” Gemma agreed, though she couldn’t say she knew the importance of school herself. But that was beside the point.

  “Maybe we should try surfing tomorrow with everyone,” she suggested brightly once they got back to the beach, raising Damian’s eyebrows by swiftly tossing her board over her shoulder to carry. “I’d pay to see Kate try to get up on a board,” she giggled, glad to return to a lighter mood. But as they walked up the beach and over towards Nicki, Gemma frowned, greeted suddenly by a surprise guest. He stood beside Andro, his unfriendly eyes on Damian before turning to her. Gemma glared.

  “Mike?” Her face felt warm as she greeted Tyler’s bodyguard. “What are you doing here?”

  His expression was matter-of-factly as he held something up in his hand – her dusty, sand-covered iPhone. “You weren’t picking up your cell.”

  Chapter 3

  MEET THE AMAZING EIGHT!

  Celebstan

  Posted by Justin

  June 1st

  Remember when we thought the Fab Four was pretty fab already? I mean, what could possibly be better than a BFF crew consisting of the flawless Queen Bee, Tyler Chase, Zoe Mercury and interchanging members of Harper Gunn and Damian Sexpants? (Pretty sure that’s his last name, I keep forgetting because every time I Google him, I go straight to Images.)

  Well, turns out the world’s hottest group of friends did have the capacity to get even hotter! On a trip to Malibu Colony last week, the formerly Fab Four became the Amazing Eight with additions of Queen Bee’s big bro, Gavin Hunter and high school BFFs, Leah Lin and Kate Sweeney.

  So, what, you ask, are these beautiful people up to post-Malibu? Here’s an important update for your life!

  Leah & Kate: According to their Twitter accounts, the two are planning on staying in L.A. to hang with their girl Bee this summer! Hope they Instagram their every move because that raven-haired queen and ginger goddess have my curiosity piqued!

  Gavin: Love is def in the air for this super sexy sibling! Inside sources
are reporting that Zoe’s PR firm has been notified of a last-minute date she’ll be bringing to her Bond premiere tomorrow. Any guesses who it may be?

  Zoe: After tomorrow’s kick-off of the Bond tour at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Z moves on to New York, London, Paris, Berlin and Beijing. Fingers crossed that she takes Flawless Brother with her! (Fingers double-crossed that he only wears swim trunks to the premieres because let’s be honest, we’re not ready to say goodbye to that six-pack after a week of beach pictures!)

  Harper: We hear that due to the success of her detox blog, Harpie’s landed a gig contributing to the Health section of June Magazine. Congrats, Harpie! Sober is such a sexy look on you!

  Damian: Damian Sexpants will be spending his offseason walking around shirtless, lifting a fifty-pound weight in one hand and a newborn puppy in the other, according to my imagination. Also, according to sources outside of my fantasies, he and Bee will complete their final shoot for Thierry Marc’s fragrance, Wanderlust, providing you more material with which to write your fanfics.

  Tyler: With the role of his Carbine love interest uncast, my king Tyler will be doing screen tests with a bunch of Hollywood ingénues who are currently crying into mirrors and emitting stress farts because, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t freak out at the opportunity to make out with Tyler Chase and get paid for it?

  Bee: The epitome of perfection will be planning her world tour while carrying on with her flawless life, not letting the haters (or stalkers) get her down. Let us all praise her light. <3

  “What are those?”

  Perrin scrunched up her forehead as she plucked away the leather bound sketchbook from Gemma’s hands. While their car headed for the offices of Oro Records in Santa Monica, Gemma had been going through the pages, scribbling alongside each of her wardrobe designs and labeling them with the songs they would accompany for her tour. The nude halter gown dashed with colored pearls for the song, Makeup, the boned silk bodysuit striped with faux crocodile for the song, Animal, and so on. Perrin sighed as she flipped through it, saying nothing before handing it back. Gemma frowned.