Diamonds in the Rough

by Michelle Madow

  Not wanting to break the mood, she touched the red stethoscope draped over her neck and sauntered toward him, until their bodies were nearly touching. “The world where it’s Halloween, and they’re at clubs.” She looked up at him through her eyelashes, her heart pounding when he didn’t move away. “And since you have to go everywhere I go, you’ll be there, too. Maybe you’ll even dance with me.” She circled her hips to demonstrate, and his eyes dilated as he watched, his hand twitching forward as if to touch her.

  Then he stepped back, putting ample space between them. “I actually have the night off. The night guard will be taking over at ten.”

  “But you’re always my guard on the weekends.” Her lungs deflated, and she tried sounding annoyed to mask her hurt. “The night guard is for when I’m sleeping.”

  “As you know, it’s Halloween.” Jackson motioned to her costume and smiled. “You’re not the only one who wants to spend the night with your friends.”

  “You have friends?” Peyton said. “I thought you hung out with Teddy and Carl.” Those were her sisters’ bodyguards, and once she’d said it, she regretted it. Of course Jackson had a life outside of watching her. He did have Monday and Tuesday off. Why had she never asked him what he did when he wasn’t working?

  Probably because he insisted on keeping a “professional distance” and rarely talked to her like she was a real person instead of an assignment.

  “Yes, I have friends,” he said. “Hard to believe, but I have a few of them.”

  “Of course you do.” Peyton attempted to laugh it off, but it came out as an awkward, girly giggle. She winced at what an idiot she sounded like. “You’ll have fun with them tonight. And it’s probably better that you’re not there, anyway, because Jill and I are meeting up with her friends from UNLV. Seniors. In a fraternity.”

  Jackson’s fists tightened. “How does your friend know senior fraternity guys?”

  “They’re friends with her brother.” She shrugged. “No big deal.”

  “And they want to spend Halloween with a high school girl and her friend?”

  “Yes.” Peyton somehow waved it off, even though his words stung. “Why do you care? Unless you’re jealous? Because there are ways you could convince me to stay. We could spend your night off together.” She tilted her head, and stepped forward to close the gap between them.

  His eyes burned with emotion, his lips inches from hers, and heat rushed through her at the possibility that he was about to pull her toward him and kiss her. She wanted him to press her against the wall and rip the sexy nurse costume right off her. Her body thrummed with anticipation, and unable to resist any longer, she brushed her lips against his.

  “No.” He shook his head and pulled away, his eyes flashing with irritation, and anger…and what Peyton could have sworn was desire. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—this can’t happen.”

  “But you want it to,” she challenged, frustrated that she’d come so close and been pushed away again. “You should stop being such a ‘can’t’ person and try being more of a ‘want’ person.”

  “What does that mean?” he asked.

  “Just that you’re always so concerned about what you ‘can’ and ‘can’t’ do that you don’t do what you want to do.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I think I do.” She forced herself to sound confident, despite her palms sweating so much that she had to wipe them on her skirt. “You just don’t want to admit I’m right.”

  “Well, I wanted to have the night off tonight, and that’s what I’m doing.” He stomped away from her and opened the door. “I’m guessing you have to finish getting ready, so I’m going to wait out the rest of my shift in the hall. Have a fun night, Peyton. And try to stay out of trouble…if you can manage it.”

  And with that, he left her alone.

  Chapter 16: Madison

  Madison wasn’t in the mood to go out for Halloween. But she’d been keeping her word to be more social, so when Oliver offered her and their friends a cabana at Luxe, she agreed to go. The theme was Angels and Devils, and while it didn’t leave much room for unique costumes, Madison had dressed as a “dark/fallen angel.” Her black minidress flowed enough so it didn’t show the weight she’d gained, and she’d topped off the outfit with fluffy black wings and a halo she’d found at the Halloween store, along with heavy black eyeliner. The costume fit her dark mood perfectly.

  She was trying to have fun with her friends, but since she couldn’t tell anyone about Adrian Diamond being her biological father, there was a gap between them she couldn’t close. She felt distant from everyone. Especially from Oliver. They’d been spending more time together recently because of the tutoring sessions, and every day he reached out made her feel worse about keeping this secret from him.

  “Hey.” As if he knew she was thinking about him, Oliver plopped into the empty space next to her. He was dressed as a devil, with a red smoking jacket and fake horns. “You look bored. Is everything all right?”

  “Of course.” Madison forced a smile. “I was just checking out everyone’s Halloween costumes.”

  “There are some crazy ones out there.” He looked over the balcony of their cabana as a bodybuilder walked by with every inch of his skin painted red, his only piece of clothing a tight red speedo.

  “Thanks for getting the cabana and convincing me to come out,” she said. “I don’t want you to think I haven’t noticed how much you’ve been there for me these past few weeks. Because I have noticed, and I appreciate it.” Madison was rarely so open about her feelings, especially in a place this public, but Oliver deserved to know that his reaching out wasn’t going unnoticed.

  “Of course, Mads,” he said. “I know you’ll get through whatever’s going on, but even the strongest person can’t do it alone.” He looked into her eyes so intensely, as if she were the only person in the club, and placed his hands over hers. A bolt of warmth shot through her body, and Madison’s breathing slowed. She recognized the look in his eyes—it was the look guys gave her when they wanted to kiss her.

  Strangely enough, the thought of his lips pressed against hers made her heart race. Feeling barely in control of her actions, she held her gaze with his and leaned forward, as if daring him to do it.

  “Hey, guys.” Larissa broke into their conversation, and Madison jolted away from Oliver, shaking herself out of the daze. Had Oliver really been about to kiss her in front of everyone? And had she been about to let him? Her cheeks heated. What had she been doing?

  “Hey, Larissa.” Oliver sounded annoyed. “What’s up?”

  “I was about to take a restroom break and was seeing if Madison wanted to join me,” she said, shooting Madison a look that said If you don’t come with me, there will be hell to pay later.

  This must be about Oliver. He and Larissa had been “friends with benefits” over the summer, but the “benefits” part had ended in August. Larissa had claimed Oliver was too much of a player for her to take seriously, and she’d moved on to Harrison. But judging by how she looked like she could shoot fire out of her eyes—which was amplified by the red corset, matching miniskirt and devil horns she was wearing—she was pissed.

  “Sure,” Madison agreed, standing up and trying to shake off whatever had just happened between her and Oliver. She and Oliver had always occasionally flirted, but she’d never allowed their friendship to become anything more because she didn’t want to be another one of his conquests.

  But was that all she would really be to him? She hoped that if anything happened between them, it would mean more than that—to both of them. And she had no idea what to think about that.

  They finished washing their hands, and Larissa hurled her paper towel into the trash. “What the hell was that all about?” she said, her eyes blazing.

 
“What do you mean?” Maybe if Madison played clueless, Larissa would drop it. Because she wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, either.

  “You and Oliver.” Larissa grabbed Madison’s arm and pulled her to the corner of the restroom, stumbling and leaning against the wall. Now that Madison was closer to Larissa, she could smell that her friend reeked of alcohol. She had to get out of there, fast. Larissa had a notorious temper when she drank while upset. “Are you two secretly seeing each other? Is that why you’ve been acting so weird lately?”

  “There’s nothing going on between me and Oliver,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “Oh, please.” Larissa rolled her eyes. “The two of you looked like you wanted to rip each other’s clothes off right where you were sitting.”

  “We did not,” Madison insisted, although her cheeks heated at the image of them doing just that. She shouldn’t be thinking of Oliver that way…but the intense way he’d been watching her, as if she were the only person in the club—in the world—that he cared about, refused to leave her mind. “Anyway, what does it matter? I thought you were dating Harrison.”

  “Harrison and I have a thing now, but I was with Oliver all summer,” she said. “And now I find out that you’ve been screwing him behind my back? How long have you been lying to me?”

  “Whoa, there.” Madison choked back laughter. “Oliver and I have been friends since lower school. Nothing has ever happened between us. And you know that the moment that happens for the first time—with anyone—you’ll be one of the first people to know.”

  “Do I really?” Larissa shot back. “Because since you moved into the Diamond, you’ve become a completely different person.”

  “No, I haven’t.” Madison could barely force the words out, since she knew they weren’t true.

  “Yes, you have,” Larissa said. “I barely know you anymore. First I thought you needed time to adjust to living on the Strip, and you did start returning to normal in August and September. But then you got weird again. You rarely hang out with us outside of school anymore, and when you do it’s like you don’t want to be there. But after seeing you with Oliver I put it together. You two are sleeping together and keeping it from everyone. I suppose it explains the weight gain. Now that you and Oliver are together, you must not be concerned with keeping a perfect body to make sure every other guy at school is pining after you, too.” She laughed, bitter and resentful. “It must have been the reason he ended things with me. I always knew you were selfish, but I never thought you would be such a bitch to me.”

  Madison clenched her fists, every muscle in her body tight. Larissa might only be saying those things because she was drunk, but this was going too far.

  “Until now, you said that you and Oliver ‘mutually agreed’ to end your friends-with-benefits thing from the summer,” she said, her tone laced with venom. “You acted like you were happy about it because he was too much of a player for you, so I couldn’t have known otherwise. And stop assuming all this crap about me. Because I’m not sleeping with him, but if I were, he would care more about me than he ever could for you.”

  Madison was shocked after it left her mouth—she hadn’t meant to be that mean. But Larissa was looking at her like she was the most horrible person on the planet, and the words had already been said—she couldn’t take them back.

  “You are such a bitch.” Larissa pushed Madison aside and hurried out of the restroom. A group of women nearby must have been listening, because they’d stopped chattering and were gaping at Madison like she was the Wicked Witch of the West. Madison stared them down, and they went back to their business.

  A few months ago, she would have strutted back into the cabana and made the rest of the night extra fun, not letting a stupid fight get to her. But a few months ago, she never would have had a fight like that with Larissa. She wouldn’t have been so confused about her feelings for Oliver. And she’d had no idea what her parents had been keeping from her—that her entire life had been a lie.

  She didn’t have the energy to pretend everything was okay anymore. She just wanted to go home.

  Luckily there were enough taxis from people arriving to the party that it was easy to catch one back to the Diamond. She settled into the backseat, and relaxed as it headed home. She couldn’t wait to take a sleeping pill and pass out for the night.

  Then her phone buzzed with a text. Oliver.

  Where did u go?

  Wasn’t feeling well, so I’m going home.

  Want me to come over?

  She chewed her lower lip, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard. She was pretty sure Oliver had been about to kiss her, and if Larissa hadn’t interrupted, Madison would have let him. Would he expect them to continue where they’d left off? And more important, was that what she wanted?

  She imagined what it would have been like if he had kissed her, and her heart fluttered. What was happening to her? Oliver was her friend. If they kissed, it would change everything. But people said the best relationships started as friendships. Could that be happening to them?

  Possibly. But if this was going somewhere, she didn’t want it to start on a lie. Nothing could happen between them until she came clean to him about her father. And since he’d been drinking since dinner, now wasn’t the right time for that. Plus, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to betray her parents’ trust—despite how they’d betrayed hers.

  I’m just going to go to sleep. Don’t leave the party on my account. Have fun tonight! J

  She pressed Send and shoved her phone into her bag. She might not be ready to tell him everything, but the secret had become a parasite eating away inside her, turning her into a shadow of the person she used to be.

  It wouldn’t be long until it came pouring out.

  www.campusbuzz.com

  High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman School

  Oliver Prescott and Madison Lockhart??

  Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 11:47 AM

  I was in the bathroom at Luxe last night and overheard a massive fight between Madison and Larissa. Oliver and Madison have been sleeping together behind Larissa’s back for MONTHS and Larissa only found out about it last night. Madison was so nasty to Larissa and all but admitted it was true. It goes to show that Madison is a huge bitch, and not worth being friends with. If you’re friends with her (or think you’re friends with her, since Madison doesn’t care about anyone but herself), run far, far away. You’ll thank me later.

  1: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 12:19 PM

  i thought Madison was a virgin?

  2: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 12:33 PM

  Madison’s a bitch and a liar. She probably lost her virginity before any other girl in her grade, but lied to cover it up so people wouldn’t think she was a slut.

  3: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 12:52 PM

  she’s probably been hooking up with oliver since middle school. wouldn’t be surprised!

  4: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 1:07 PM

  She got a hotel room with Damien at the Gates over the summer, too. I’d bet she’s been with him AND Oliver for who knows how long. What a slut-whore.

  5: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 1:18 PM

  The proper term is “slore.”

  But really, people. Here you go again gossiping about situations you know nothing about. Let’s back up and think about this logically. Like every student at Goodman, I know that Madison and Oliver have been close friends since lower school. If they did sleep together—which you can’t assume from this site—it’s probably because they care about each other. But whether or not that’s the case, it’s their business, not yours. And it makes no sense to go from Madison hooking up with Oliver to her being some slut who sleeps around. She might not have the reputation for being the nicest girl in school, but the lot of you are no better.

  6: Posted on
Saturday 11/1 at 1:34 PM

  your missing the point: madison and larissa were supposed to be friends, and madison was hooking up with oliver when larissa had a thing with him! which makes madison a BITCH!!

  7: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 1:49 PM

  *You’re

  8: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 1:57 PM

  really? correcting grammer? this is the internet, not an essay for school…

  9: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 2:02 PM

  *grammar

  10: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 2:13 PM

  This wouldn’t be getting so out of control if Madison just owned up to what she did. I mean, she led Damien on the moment he showed interest in Savannah, so clearly Madison just doesn’t like other girls getting their hands on her boy-toys. But the way she and Oliver went behind Larissa’s back for so long makes her even more of a slore. One good thing comes from this: Now that the secret’s out, she’ll have no friends, which is what that bitch deserves.

  11: Posted on Saturday 11/1 at 2:28 PM

  and she’s been gaining weight, so if you want to bang her while she’s still hott, get on it now!!

  Chapter 17: Savannah

  “Abandon will be opening in mid-December, but it’ll be ready to go by the end of November,” Rebecca said as she led Savannah, Alyssa and the party planner through the double-door entrance and into the club. “I can’t think of a better way to test it out than having it be the location for your Sweet Sixteen.”

  Abandon was on the main floor of the Diamond Residences tower, and even though it wasn’t finished yet—the walls were still bare, the tables were piled in a mountain in the center and the pool was empty—Savannah knew from the design plans that it would be beautiful once it was ready. Opposed to Myst, which had a vertical feel with its three floors, Abandon had low ceilings and was spread out through multiple rooms on the same level. The main room featured a long bar with mirrored walls behind it and a DJ stage overlooking a dance floor. Behind that, an elevated platform held VIP tables and booths. Farther back, on the other side of the platform, was a smaller bar and gambling tables. And parallel to everything was an outside area with a huge wading pool with large round cushions in the middle, palm trees, two floors of cabanas creating the outside wall and, of course, another bar.