Diamonds in the Rough

by Michelle Madow

  She kept her cover-up on—no need to display her newly acquired seven pounds—and watched The Vampire Diaries on her iPad. One episode, then she could leave. But then her parents would wonder why she hadn’t spent much time with the “friends” she was supposedly hanging out with. Two episodes should be enough.

  She’d watched a few scenes when a shadow fell over her. She pressed Pause, removed her earbuds and looked up to see Oliver. The muscles in the back of her neck tightened. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him—she just didn’t have the energy to pretend to be the person she’d been before her world had come crashing down.

  “Mind if I join you?” he said, laying his towel on the chair next to hers.

  “As long as those Diamond girls don’t follow you.” She turned her iPad off and placed it on the side table. “Why are you hanging out with them, anyway? I thought you didn’t like them.”

  “My parents want me to be friends with them, so I figured I would play nice.”

  “You never cared about pleasing your parents before.”

  “I still don’t,” he said. “But my grades have been slipping, and some of my teachers gave me academic warnings, so my parents have been on my back about it. After all those tabloid articles this summer, they think I’m going out too much and that it’s interfering with school. They threatened boarding school if they don’t see an improvement.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t be able to get away with barely doing your homework forever,” she said.

  “Junior year blows.” He sounded casual, but by the way he leaned his head back and exhaled, Madison could tell he was troubled. “I won’t stop going out or anything lame like that, but I’m also not spending the next year and a half at some strict boarding school in the middle of nowhere.”

  “You know, I happen to be a student tutor,” she reminded him, trying to ignore the “being lame by not going out” comment, since that’s exactly what she’d been doing lately. “I can help you if you want.”

  He would probably say no, like he always did when she offered to help with his grades, but it sounded serious this time. The Goodman School was intense about keeping its 100 percent acceptance rate of students to four-year colleges. The school would probably be lenient on Oliver since the Prescott family donated a lot of money, but if he failed to live up to academic expectations, he could still be asked to leave.

  He stirred his drink, even though it was mostly ice now, as if considering her offer. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that,” he said. “Thanks.”

  “Really?” Madison blinked, unsure she’d heard him correctly.

  “Why so surprised?”

  “You’ve never been interested in being tutored before. What gives?”

  “I need to get my grades up if I want to stay at Goodman,” he said. “And you’re the best student tutor around. What do you say—are you up for the challenge?”

  The way he was watching her, like he wanted her to say yes more than anything, made her mind so hazy that she nearly forgot the question. Tutoring, she reminded herself. He wants me to help him get his grades up. Anyway, why was she getting flustered? This was Oliver. They’d been friends forever. It was normal for him to come to her for this.

  “I think I can handle it.” She smiled for real for the first time in a while, and they spent the next twenty minutes figuring out what classes Oliver needed the most help with.

  “So, where’ve you been hiding for the past few weeks, Mads?” he asked once they finished coordinating schedules.

  “I’ve been busy,” she lied.

  “Too busy to see your friends?”

  She shrugged. “Junior year is harder than I thought.”

  “Everyone else is still managing to go out and have fun,” he said. “And you’re smarter than all of them. Ever since that day in genetics, when you freaked out during that lab, it’s like you’ve disappeared.”

  Because that was the day her life had changed forever. She wished she could tell him everything. If there was one person she trusted more than anyone else, it was Oliver. It would make her feel better if she shared the secret with him—with a true friend who cared about her and would sympathize with the betrayal and anger she was feeling. He would keep it secret. And her parents did want her to talk to someone. They meant a professional, but talking to Oliver would be better than keeping it bottled inside. Right?

  But Savannah and Peyton were lounging at the opposite side of the pool, and Madison couldn’t talk about it with them so close by. She was being paranoid, because they were probably out of listening distance, but what if they heard? They would ask Adrian if it was true, and Adrian would be forced to acknowledge Madison as a daughter, which he had no interest in doing.

  She was unwanted by her biological father. The reminder made her stomach turn. He’d taken in Peyton, Courtney and Savannah, so why didn’t he want her? What did they have that she didn’t?

  “Hey.” Oliver placed his hand on top of hers. “Is everything okay?” He watched her with so much concern, as if she were about to break. Which she supposed she sort of was.

  “Not really.” She kept her hand under his, liking how warm and safe he made her feel. He was one of the few people who cared about her. Who’d never lied to her. She could trust him. And if she spoke quietly enough, Peyton and Savannah wouldn’t overhear. “You’re right about that day in genetics. I freaked out during that lab because—”

  “Do either of you want a drink?” A cocktail waitress interrupted the conversation, and Madison jolted back, realizing how close she’d come to being overheard.

  “Just water.” Alcohol sounded tempting—maybe it would help her relax—but Madison needed to watch her calories. Oliver ordered another mojito.

  “What were you saying about the lab?” he asked once the waitress had walked away.

  “It’s nothing.” Madison snapped back into focus. Had she really been about to tell him the truth? With the Diamond girls so close by—with other people so close by? What had she been thinking? That was not a conversation she should have in public.

  Oliver squeezed her hand, watching her as if he didn’t believe her. “When you’re ready to talk about it, let me know, okay?”

  “It’s not a big deal,” she lied again. “I’m sure I’ll be over it in a few days.”

  He pressed his lips together, looking like he disagreed. “I know you, Mads, and I’ve never seen you isolate yourself like this,” he said. “Whatever’s going on is really bothering you.” She opened her mouth to deny it, but he continued before she had a chance. “You don’t have to talk about it now, but I’m not going anywhere, so you can stop shutting me out. The group isn’t the same without you. Without you around…” He paused and scratched the back of his head, as if searching for the right word. Then he refocused on her, his expression so intense it made her body turn to jelly. “I’ve missed you. And I mean it—whenever you’re ready to talk about what’s going on, I’m here for you. I just hope you know that.”

  “Thank you,” she said, holding his gaze. “That means a lot.”

  “Well, it’s just the truth.”

  “I know,” she said. “But I’m glad you told me.”

  The waitress dropped off their drinks, and Madison took a sip of her water, watching an older lady wade in the pool. Had she just had a moment with Oliver? No, she couldn’t have. They were friends, nothing more. But he was acting differently right now. He was being uncharacteristically verbal about his feelings. Letting her in more than ever before.

  What had changed with him?

  She shook it off, since clearly the change had been with her, not Oliver. She’d been so out of sorts recently that he was treating her like she was about to break. He must think she was pathetic. Everyone must think she was pathetic.

  “I guess I was so caught up in the pres
sure of junior year, with making sure my grades and PSAT scores are perfect for when we take the SAT and apply to college next year, that it took over my life,” she said. “ But you’re right—I should start hanging out with everyone again. And I will. Starting now.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.” Oliver clinked his glass with hers and smiled. “Glad to have you back.”

  If only she could be happy to be back, then everything might be on the path to being normal again.

  www.campusbuzz.com

  High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman School

  Trick or Treat or PARTY!

  Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 4:23 PM

  Who’s excited for HALLOWEEN tomorrow night?! And how lucky are we that Halloween is landing on a Friday? We get to celebrate on the real deal, in the city with some of the biggest and best costume parties in the world.

  Where will you be partying? There are so many options: the Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball at Hard Rock, Night of the Killer Costumes at the Palms, Angels and Devils at the Gates, Fairytale Masquerade at the Diamond, and more.

  I already have plans, of course, but it’s fun to hear what you all have in mind : )

  1: Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 5:13 PM

  Apparently the volleyball girls and football guys have a major takeover planned for Myst, with multiple tables on the VIP level reserved for them. I overheard some of the girls talking about how they’re on a special list so they don’t get carded. Lucky.

  2: Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 5:46 PM

  Those tables START at $5K each, but getting them reserved and not being carded is what happens when Savannah Diamond is one of your teammates. Her father bought her way into the school, and now he’s *trying* to buy her way into popularity. But her so-called “friends” are using her for her money and connections, and she has no idea. So pathetic.

  3: Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 6:08 PM

  A girl from Palo Verde is having a blow out while her parents are out clubbing all night. So we can hang out with people our own age. I don’t get why so many of you are into the club scene. It’s mainly people in their upper 20s and 30s who don’t want to hang out with high schoolers, and tourists who party with you and then go home and forget about you. What’s the point?

  4: Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 6:59 PM

  which is why we go out with big groups of our FRIENDS and hang out with each other. we live in one of the best party cities in the world and we like to take advantage of it!!!

  5: Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 7:19 PM

  I want to go PARTY TRICK OR TREATING. Knock on doors, but instead of bite size candies, you get shots of alcohol! Why has no one thought of this before?!?!

  6: Posted on Thursday 10/30 at 7:28 PM

  ...that already exists. Haven’t you ever been to an Around the World party?

  Chapter 13: Savannah

  “This is amazing!” Jackie said to Savannah as the hostess led them to their tables at Myst on Halloween night. “I can’t believe you got us in.”

  “Of course,” Savannah said as they situated themselves around the center table in their section. She’d arrived early with Jackie, Alyssa and Brooke, since she wanted to be there when the rest of their group showed up. Each table had two bottles of sparkling cider chilling in buckets, the flutes on a silver platter, and a selection of juices—which would get spiked with the alcohol the guys were bringing in their flasks. But after what had happened at Jackie’s party, Savannah intended to stick to cider.

  She poured herself a glass and looked around in wonder. Myst had been decorated in the theme of the night—“Fairy Tale Masquerade”—and it truly did look magical. Thick vines with twinkling stars wound around the walls and ceilings like an enchanted forest, a layer of mist coated the ground and the lights shining on the three-story waterfall turned the water a variety of greens, blues and reds.

  Savannah and her friends had dressed to the theme, each of them wearing mesh fairy wings of various colors, short sparkly dresses to match their wing color and glittering tiaras. Savannah had picked the color that always looked best on her—blue.

  Alyssa glanced over the balcony at the stage, where the opening DJ was mixing to the crowd of costumed people dancing on the second floor. It was busy, but not as packed as it would get later. “When will Calvin Harris come on?” she asked.

  “Probably not until after one,” Savannah said.

  “Wow.” Alyssa looked at her watch. “Glad I’m sleeping at your place tonight.”

  “You can always sleep over if you need to,” Savannah said. Alyssa’s parents were strict with her curfew—she couldn’t get home a minute after midnight—but they turned the other way when she slept at a friend’s. Savannah had never had a weekend curfew. Her mom had never enforced one, and Adrian didn’t give her one because her bodyguard protected her at all times.

  About an hour later, more of their group arrived—the usual sports crowd that Savannah had been hanging out with since school started. She’d invited Damien, but he’d already had plans with Madison and Oliver and their crowd at Luxe, the main club in The Gates. She hated that Damien was spending Halloween with them instead of her, but that was his close circle. He’d known them since lower school.

  Besides, she’d been spending a lot of time with Damien at the recording studio at school. He was now acting as her “manager” for her singing. Since Goodman had a great arts program, it had been easy to find a guitarist, bassist and drummer who wanted to work with them, and Brett had been happy to help them make videos. Their first few covers were acoustic and laid-back, with Brett recording them from multiple angles in the studio. They’d gotten a few hundred views on YouTube, and a bunch of positive feedback, but nothing major.

  She wanted that to change with their most recent cover, which was their most elaborate one yet. It was One Connection’s latest song, and it was cute and fun, with Savannah singing and dancing around her condo. She’d worn all her favorite sparkly outfits, and Damien and Brett had bought cardboard cutouts of the One Connection guys for her to mess around with while dancing. She’d put it up on her channel last night. Hopefully it would rack up views, and the awful video from Jackie’s party would be forgotten.

  Savannah itched to pull out her phone and check her YouTube channel, but she forced herself to focus. She needed to be present at the party. Three more football players joined their table, dressed as knights to fit the fairy-tale theme. Savannah did a double take when she realized Nick was one of them—the golden curls peeking out under his helmet were unmistakable.

  Her hands shook, and she gripped her cider. Nick hadn’t been to any parties since summer, and since she was spending lunch in the arts building, she’d barely seen him in weeks. Every time she’d asked him if he was going to a party, he’d said he was busy. She’d eventually taken the hint that he wasn’t interested. So she smiled and waved, like she had with a bunch of the guys she knew, and then focused extra hard on the conversation with her friends.

  She continued to pretend to be involved with talking to them, although she fidgeted with the straps of her fairy wings—which were already getting annoying—unable to think of anything but Nick. She tried not looking at him, although thinking about not looking at him was making her do exactly that. What did it mean that he’d come out tonight? Maybe he wanted to talk to her? But then wouldn’t he have come over and said hello?

  Focusing on her friends was impossible, so Savannah took a restroom break to recenter herself. Maybe when she returned to the table, she could switch seats so her back was to Nick. It might be awkward, but whatever. Better than accidentally staring at him all night.

  But on her way back, a hand touched her shoulder, and she turned around to come face-to-face with none other than Nick.

  “Hey,” he said casually, as if they hadn’t gone weeks without speaki
ng.

  Staring into his blue eyes, with the beat of club music in the background, Savannah was reminded of the first time she’d met him—when she was leaving Luxe in tears after Madison kissed Damien. That night had ended up being fun—they’d gone to karaoke, and the video of her singing was the first one she’d put online. Her chest panged at the memory. That had been the last week they’d seen each other outside of school. Sure, they’d seen each other at lunch a few times and around the halls, but if he was interested in her, wouldn’t he have made more of an effort?

  “Hi.” Savannah played with the straps of her wings. “I wasn’t expecting you to show tonight.”

  “I have to be up early tomorrow, but Halloween’s my favorite holiday, so here I am,” he said. “Thanks for the tables. ….t seems like everyone’s having a great time.”

  Why would he be waking up early on a Saturday morning? It probably had to do with football practice. But now that she was closer to him, she could tell how tired he looked, even in the dim light. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin had lost the glow it’d had over the summer.

  She wanted to ask him if everything was okay. But he’d been so distant recently—he wouldn’t want to talk with her about whatever was going on. He was just being polite because he ran into her.

  “I’m glad you were able to make it.” She smiled, and not knowing what else to do, she said, “We should head back to our friends—I don’t want them wondering where I am.” With that, she turned away, feeling like she should say more, but not knowing what. How had they gone from clicking so well to barely speaking?