“Let me get this straight,” Emily said. “You have a house in Aspen over spring break to yourself with you and your sisters?”
“And Brett and our bodyguards,” Savannah said. “Adrian made sure we knew that our bodyguards would be there the whole time, making sure nothing got out of control.”
“Still, that’s awesome,” she said. “Why haven’t you invited Perry yet?”
“I want to,” Savannah said. “But I don’t know. He’s so famous. What if he thinks that spring break with me and my sisters is lame?”
“Savannah Diamond.” Emily placed both hands on the table and smiled. “You’re not some nobody inviting him to go camping in the middle-of-nowhere Montana. Aspen is for the rich and the famous. He’s famous, and you’re rich—on your way to becoming famous, too.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” Her eyes sparkled. “And he said that he wants to see you. You have to invite him. I don’t know what you’re waiting for.”
“You think I should text him right now?” Her stomach fluttered.
“Hell yeah.” Emily nodded. “I want to see what he says!”
Savannah took out her phone and composed the text.
Hey there ;) Over spring break me, my sisters, and some friends are going to my dad’s house in Aspen—do you wanna come?? March 7–15 <3
She showed it to Emily.
“Perfect,” Emily said. “Send it!”
Savannah’s thumb hovered over the send button.
“If you don’t do it, I will...” Emily’s hand crept toward the cell phone.
Savannah pressed Send and laid the phone on the table. “Done.” Her heart raced, and she took a deep breath to try to calm it. “It’s late in Europe right now—where he’s touring—so he should be finished with his show.”
They chatted about YouTube stuff—Emily gave Savannah a few helpful hints—but the whole time, Savannah fidgeted and glanced at her phone. Would Perry text her back? Maybe he’d seen the text, didn’t want to go to Aspen and was trying to think of a good excuse. Or maybe he was already bored of her—he probably met tons of girls on the road. And if he did text her back, should she text back immediately? Or wait and play it cool? Sometimes it was a few hours—or even days—before she heard back from him. Then she would stare at her phone wondering what she’d said wrong, and contemplate sending him another text to restart the conversation. Her sisters would stop her, and that was usually when she would hear from him again.
But as much as she wanted to hear back from him now, she refused to do the double-text. So she needed to distract herself.
“How do you deal with the mean comments people post online?” she asked Emily, twirling her spoon in her hot chocolate. “I know I should brush it off, and I tried at first. But it’s so hard to just ignore it...”
Emily’s eyes softened, and she sat forward. “When you put yourself out there, people are going to talk shit about you online,” she said. “You know why I switched from regular school to homeschooling, right?”
“Nope.” Was this something Savannah should have known?
“When I started on YouTube, I uploaded a few covers, but most of the songs I recorded were originals.” She sat back, her eyes far off. “The songs were really personal. I didn’t mention specific names, but I referred to stuff that had been going on in my life—guys I was interested in, unrequited love, hoping to reach my dreams, that kind of stuff.”
“But you only record covers,” Savannah said. “I’ve never seen one of your originals. I didn’t even know you had originals.”
“I took them down,” she said. “Strangers who watched the videos had nice things to say, but my classmates?” Emily chuckled, although it sounded forced. “Not so much. I would walk through the halls at school, and they would laugh about my lyrics, trying to guess who I was referring to. They made fun of how I go by ‘Emily Nicole’ online instead of just ‘Emily,’ which was what everyone called me in school. I deleted my original songs and only posted covers after that, but it didn’t stop them from torturing me about everything I did online. I came home crying more days than I didn’t. But I kept pushing, and after months of feeling like it might all be for nothing, eventually my channel took off. So my mom and I agreed to switch to homeschooling so I could focus on my career.”
“Wow,” Savannah said. “That sounds awful...but like a good choice. Maybe I should switch to homeschooling, too.”
“Why would you do that?” Emily scrunched her eyebrows. “You have the perfect life.”
“Far from it.” Savannah shook her head, and told her about what happened with Alyssa, Jackie and Brooke. “I’ve been avoiding them ever since. Yesterday after practice they invited me to a party, and I almost said something to them, but I didn’t want to cause a scene, you know?”
“They sound like bitches,” she said. “After I started homeschooling, some of the girls who were mean to me started reaching out to me again, trying to get me to give them shout-outs online and stuff like that...but they were using me. Like how your ‘friends’ are using you. You should have told them off.”
“I know.” She looked down at the table and bit her lip. “But I hate fighting with people.”
“I get that,” Emily said. “But you wouldn’t be fighting with them—you would be standing up for yourself. There’s a difference.”
Before Savannah could respond, her phone buzzed with a text.
Emily sat straighter. “Is it Perry?”
“Yeah.” Savannah’s heart thudded. “He says he would love to come to Aspen, and asked if he can bring Noel, too!”
“Two One Connection boys.” Emily raised an eyebrow. “How many people are you allowed to invite?”
“Technically, only three,” Savannah said as she wrote a text to Perry.
Can’t wait to see you!! I’ll give you the details later :)
She pressed Send, and placed her phone back down.
“‘Technically’?” Emily raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you can actually invite more than three?”
“Yeah,” Savannah said. “Courtney doesn’t care about inviting anyone, since our stepbrother Brett will be there—long story—and Peyton doesn’t want to invite anyone ’cause she wants to meet new people around town. I think she’s trying to get over Jackson—another long story—but I’m not sure if it’ll work. But anyway, since none of them are using their invites, I get to invite more people.”
“I have an idea.” Emily smiled and finished the last of her drink. “The video we made this week is going to help both of us with publicity, because we’ll bring our fans to each other’s channels, right?”
“Yeah...” Savannah stirred the bottom of her hot chocolate.
“What if we took it further, and both of us were in Aspen with Perry and Noel, and we took some pictures and videos together, and maybe with them, too? Can you imagine how much publicity that would get us? Lynda would love it.”
Savannah tilted her head, realizing what Emily meant. “Is this your way of asking if you can come to Aspen?”
“Well...yeah.” She shrugged. “But it really will help both of us. And you don’t plan on inviting those ‘friends’ who were being bitches behind your back, do you?”
“No,” she said. “Of course you can come.”
“Great!” Emily beamed. “This is going to be so awesome. We can make a video blog while we’re there and everything. Can you imagine how many views that’ll get—a video blog of our trip to Aspen with two guys from One Connection? Our channels will explode!”
“They will, won’t they?” Savannah liked this idea more and more by the second. Not only would it help her YouTube channel, but it also sounded like she had a new friend in Emily. A friend who understood her better than the volleyball girls at Goodman ever could.
She glanced aro
und the Diamond Café—hopefully no one was listening in on their conversation—and spotted Damien stepping into line for a drink. He wore jeans and a gray, long-sleeved shirt that showed off his perfect body. His dark eyes stopped when they met hers, looking at her almost in question.
He flashed her a smile and waved. Not wanting to look like she was overthinking anything, she smiled and waved back, even though every time she saw him was a reminder that he saw her only as a friend, and it hurt.
But all of that felt too personal to share with Emily Nicole, so she glanced away from Damien, hoping she looked unaffected. After all, why should she be upset about him when she had Perry Myles texting her?
“Don’t even try not telling me about the gorgeous guy who just waved to you.” Emily scooted her chair closer. “Are you friends with him?”
“Yeah,” she said quickly, focusing on Emily Nicole so she wouldn’t accidentally look like she was staring at Damien. “He lives here and we go to the same school, so we see each other around.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “Well, it looks like I’m about to meet him, because he’s coming over here now.”
Savannah’s chest tightened, and as she looked up to see Damien strolling toward them, she reminded herself to breathe.
“Savannah Diamond,” Damien said when he reached their table. Just hearing him say her name made her heart warm. “And you’re Emily Nicole, right?”
“Yeah, I am.” Emily smiled and ran her fingers through her hair. “How did you know that?”
He pulled a chair up and sat down, placing his drink on the table. “I helped Savannah with her YouTube channel when she first started it, so I still check up on it every once in a while,” he said. “She Tweeted about how excited she is to be filming this new video with you, so I had to check out your channel. Your videos are great. It’s easy to see why you have so many subscribers.”
“Thanks.” Emily blushed a perfect shade of pink, and Savannah curled her fingers into fists under the table. Damien wasn’t hitting on Emily, was he?
She shouldn’t be surprised. He always hit on everyone but her. First Madison, then Evie and now Emily. And even though she should expect it by now, it didn’t make it hurt any less.
“If you and Savannah are close enough that you helped her start her YouTube channel, I guess that means you’ll be coming to Aspen with us over spring break, too?” Emily asked.
Savannah’s mouth nearly dropped open. Emily had not just invited Damien without asking her. Except that she had.
But as far as Emily knew, Savannah was interested in Perry. Savannah had never mentioned Damien to Emily. So Emily hadn’t realized that by inviting Damien, she might be creating a colossal mess.
“This is the first time I’ve heard about spring break in Aspen,” Damien said. “Your dad has a house there, right, Savannah?”
“Yeah.” She fidgeted with her empty drink. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to invite Damien—of course she wanted him there. She just didn’t want him being there with Perry. And now that she’d invited Perry, Perry would be there as her date. Which shouldn’t be a problem, since he was one of the hottest celebrities in the world...but Savannah would choose Damien over Perry, if he were interested.
Which he wasn’t. And his seeing her there with Perry would make him even less interested. Her stomach twisted, because now she had no choice but to invite him. There was no way this could end well.
“Adrian and Rebecca will be busy over break, but Adrian’s letting me and my sisters go to the house in Aspen with some friends,” Savannah said, each word coming fast. “I was going to invite you, but it was so last-minute that I assumed you already had plans.”
“The only plans I have are to go with my parents to Laguna Beach to visit my grandparents,” he said. “They won’t mind if I do something else, and Aspen sounds more fun—I haven’t been skiing in two years.”
“You have to come!” Emily said, clapping her hands together. “I’m a skier, too. Savannah said this will be the first time she and her sisters ski, so I need someone to hit the slopes with.”
Damien leaned forward, his eyes flashing with challenge. “If you can keep up on Ajax Mountain, then sure.”
“What’s Ajax Mountain?” Emily asked.
“The hardest mountain around Aspen,” Damien said, as if it were obvious. “Mostly blacks and double-blacks, and there are no greens. Think you can handle it?”
“I don’t need greens.” Emily laughed and flipped her hair. “I warm up on a blue, and then ski the blacks all day. I’ve even been known to do a double-black now and then.”
Savannah dug her fingernails into her palms, her chest heating as she looked back and forth between Emily and Damien. What on earth were they talking about? Blues, blacks, greens? This was a different language. And did Emily need to flirt with him so blatantly?
“This ski trip is sounding a lot better than Laguna Beach,” Damien said. “So Savannah, if you meant it that you were going to invite me, then I’m in.”
“Yeah, sure,” she mumbled. “It’ll be fun.”
“Can’t wait,” Emily said. “And with Perry and Noel from One Connection there, too, it’ll be extra fun.” She checked her phone and made a face. “My mom wants me to come back to the room to get ready for dinner. I’ll see you soon?”
“Yep.” Savannah reached for her bag. “I should probably get ready, too.”
“Wait.” Damien was watching her so closely that she forgot to breathe. “Stay for a few more minutes? I want to talk with you about something.”
“Okay.” With the way he was looking at her, did she really have an option?
Neither of them said anything as Emily Nicole headed out of the café and turned the corner.
“So...” Damien said once she was gone. “Perry Myles is coming to Aspen, too?”
“Apparently,” Savannah said. “He texted me back a bit ago saying he can come, and we haven’t worked out the details yet, but yeah, it seems like he’s in. Noel, too.”
“And you like this guy?”
“I guess.” Savannah swallowed. “We’re friends. And his being there will be good for my YouTube channel.”
“Well, watch out around him,” Damien said. “He’s known for being a douchebag.”
She sat back and crossed her arms. “You asked me to stay here so you could warn me about Perry?”
“No,” he said, his gaze not leaving hers. “I asked you to stay because I wanted to talk about Madison.”
“Oh.” Savannah’s stomach dropped. “I guess everyone knows about us being sisters by now.”
“Adrian’s PR people are doing a good job keeping it quiet, but yeah, I know,” he said. “Madison told me.”
“The two of you are hanging out again?”
“We’re friends.” He nodded. “Things were rough between us for a few months, but we’re past it.”
“Well, that’s good, I guess.” Savannah fidgeted with her hands. She wanted so badly to ask if he still had feelings for Madison, but she pressed her lips together, not letting herself do it. Because if his answer was yes, she didn’t want to hear it.
“How’ve you been holding up?” he asked.
“It’s just so weird,” she said. “First I found out about Adrian being my father, then about Britney and now about Madison. And even though we’re sisters, I have no idea what to say to her. Especially because we weren’t exactly friends before all of this. She claims she’s sorry...but even though I want to believe her, I can’t.”
“If it helps, I don’t think she knows what to do, either,” he said.
“Madison Lockhart doesn’t know what to do?” Savannah chuckled. “I have a hard time believing that.”
“She’s had a rough few months,” he said. “Give her a chance.”
“I’ll do my bes
t.”
Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, and he tapped his fingers on the table. “So...Aspen,” he said, his gaze straight on her. “Are you sure it’s cool that I come?”
“Of course.” What else could she say when he was looking at her in that way that made her heart feel like it was about to explode? “It’ll be fun.”
“With Perry and Noel there, I’m sure it will be.”
“I need to get ready for that dinner.” She stood up so quickly that she nearly toppled over her chair. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you, Savannah,” he said.
She tried not to glance back at him, but it was impossible to resist. Their eyes met one last time, and her cheeks flushed as she looked away and turned the corner.
Earlier today, she’d been looking forward to Aspen.
Now she worried that it was going to turn into a complete disaster.
chapter 14:
Courtney and Madison walked silently to the parking lot after finishing up their student tutoring. Madison’s car was stuck in the shop, which meant she’d had to catch a ride to school with Courtney and her sisters. That morning in the limo hadn’t been awful, because it had been all four of them, but since Madison and Courtney were the only two who stayed late to be student tutors, they were riding back home together. And Courtney was positively dreading it.
She adjusted her backpack and glanced over at Madison, not sure what to say to her. Maybe she could claim to be tired from staying up late last night doing homework and pretend to fall sleep.
“Is it strange to have a driver take you everywhere you go?” Madison asked as they approached the Range Rover, where Teddy—Courtney’s bodyguard—waited in the driver’s seat.
“At first it was,” Courtney said. “But Teddy would have to be in the car with me or following me anyway, and I don’t actually like driving, so it’s nice not having to worry about it.”
They situated themselves in the backseat and fastened their seat belts. Teddy had Courtney’s favorite Sirius XM station playing softly—the Broadway station. She expected Madison to ask if they could change it, but she said nothing, which surprised Courtney. Peyton and Savannah never tolerated listening to show tunes.
Diamonds are Forever Page 14
