No Stone Unturned (11 page)

“Yes?” she said, unable to hide her agitation.

“Are you okay?” Damian asked.  Gemma felt her shoulders relax a little at the sound of his voice.

“Hi.  I’m okay.  I could be better.  Well, no, sorry, I’m okay.  Why do you ask?”

“Maybe because I woke up to six missed calls from you this morning? I wanted to call you earlier but I had practice.”

“Oh no, I’m really sorry about that.”  Gemma covered her face with her hand, embarrassed by her behavior.  She looked at Perrin on the other side of the glass, still laughing on the phone.  She tilted her head to give Gemma a comforting look and waved as if to say she hadn’t forgotten about her.  “Honestly, I think I was definitely overreacting, but last night there were all these stupid things on Pop Dinner about how Desiree Silver is trying to get Tyler back.  And there’s also this weird girl who’s running around dressed up as me and doing all these awful things – and people really think it’s me!”

“What?” Damian laughed.

“It sounds funnier than it is.”

“Who would believe that, though?”

“If you check what’s trending on Twitter, I’d say a good amount of people believe it.” 

“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”

“Yeah, that’s what Tyler said.  And Perrin.  And now you.”

“Come on,” Damian sighed.  “You know we’re all just trying to assure you that it’s all going to be fine.  I know I’m new to this whole fame thing, but if I’ve learned anything in the short time I’ve been in the spotlight, it’s to not worry so much about what everyone’s saying.  And that includes those who are completely blind and can’t tell this impostor from you.”

“Damian, there were certain pictures where even
I
was confused.”

“Okay, hold on.”  Damian paused.  Gemma heard the sound of keyboards typing.  “Alright, I’m on Pop Dinner.  And I see the post.  But I don’t see the resemblance.”

“You’re just saying that to get me to shut up.”

“I could listen to you talk forever,” Damian said without missing a beat.  “I’m looking at that video of her at a bar in Chicago and I will say yes, first glance it
could
be you – but only because the video quality isn’t great.  If you really look, you can see that her makeup is
caked
on.  I mean, I don’t know much about that kind of thing, but I know even you don’t wear that much when you’re in disguise.”  He paused.  Gemma sensed he was smiling.  “And, the eyes are a giveaway.  Even when you have your contacts in, yours are
alive. 
And sparkling.  Her eyes are totally dead.  This girl is plain as hell.”

Gemma sat, dumbfounded.  “I think that’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said about anyone.”  They laughed.

“I’m mean when it’s called for.  This girl is like a notch above Madison.”

“Ugh, just the mention of her name.”

“I know, I’m sorry.  I’m just trying to make a point.  We’ve already gone through the bullying thing with her before, haven’t we?”  Damian sighed.  “We’re in each other’s lives again and it has to be for a reason.  You know I support you a hundred percent.  I don’t want you to think I’m like everyone else, assuming that you’re overreacting, because I’m not.  I just hate seeing you upset.” 

Gemma smiled.  “Thanks.  I just wish there was a silver lining to all this.” 

“Well, let’s think about it this way – at least this time, this person’s not a part of your everyday life.”

~

“I got that for him,” Gemma whispered into Tyler’s ear.  Gemma and Tyler had flown up to Oakland to see Damian play in a home game.  After watching an exciting win in their courtside seats, the two drove to Damian and Nicki’s downtown Oakland apartment where the four were to prepare a cozy, home-cooked meal.

“How very kind of you,” Tyler said, tilting his head as he inspected the autographed Walt Clyde Frazier photograph that Gemma had gotten for Damian years ago.  Damian had propped up the framed photograph on his coffee table.

“Are you jealous?” Gemma teased.

“Jealous?” Tyler laughed and turned his nose up.  “I’m a Lakers fan.” Just then, Damian and Nicki returned to the living room with a tray of drinks.

“So, Lakers Fan, how’d you enjoy the hookup?” Damian smiled as he handed Gemma and Tyler their glasses.

“Well, I’ve sat courtside before,” Tyler smirked.  “But at like, Staples and MSG.  You know, the arenas where courtside is actually
something.
”

“Ouch,” Damian said with mock hurt.  With Damian on the loveseat and little room next to Gemma and Tyler on the couch, Nicki hovered around awkwardly for a beat before Damian pulled her into his lap.

“He’s just trying to look cool,” Gemma replied.  “You should’ve seen him when you were hitting all those threes.”

“Yeah, what’d he do?”

“He very proudly announced, ‘I’ve been converted, I’m a Damian Evans fan!’ And then he clutched his heart like a little fangirl,” Gemma said.  He looked at Tyler who smiled in response.

“I did.  I did do that.”

The four burst out in laughter before raising their glasses for a toast. 

“To new friends,” Damian said.  “And to hard work and passing on the good fortune that we’ve all received.”  Everyone nodded in agreement as they clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their drinks.

“Wow,” Gemma said.  “This tastes incredible.  What’s it called?”

“Does it have a name?” Damian asked Nicki, beaming with pride.  “It’s her original recipe.  She studied mixology last summer.  Tell them how you came up with this drink.”

“It’s nothing,” Nicki shook her head, tugging at her own ponytail.  “It’s basically a mojito but I use basil instead of mint and crushed blackberries into it.  Damian just thinks everything I do is genius.”  She laughed shyly.  Gemma watched Nicki tuck her head into Damian’s neck.  He kissed the top of her head.

“I know the feeling,” Tyler said.  He squeezed Gemma’s shoulder as she caught Nicki’s eye.  They shared a quick smile as if to acknowledge their luck in love.  Gemma felt her heart jump at the chance to bond over something,
any
thing.

However the feeling was short-lived as they sat at the dining table and ate the perfectly rolled sushi that Nicki and Damian had prepared.  Any conversation that Gemma attempted to start with Nicki was quickly ended with her one-word answers.  Completely immersed in their own sports talk, Damian and Tyler didn’t seem to notice.  Their bond was what Gemma had wanted since Damian had re-entered her life, but at that very moment, Gemma simply felt left out and lonely.  Nicki hardly seemed to mind the awkward situation – she clearly preferred the silence over speaking to Gemma. 
I don’t get it,
Gemma frowned.
  What did I do to her?

“So are you girls in?” Tyler suddenly asked.  Gemma looked up, the silence on her end of the table finally broken.

“What? I missed it.”  Gemma blinked, eyes wide.

“Fooseball.”

“Fooseball? What? Where is there a fooseball table?” Gemma asked.

“In our bedroom,” Damian replied.

“Are you kidding?” Gemma laughed.  She gave Nicki a look of sympathy.  “I would kill Tyler if he put a fooseball table in the bedroom,” she said.  “How’d Damian get you to agree to that?”

“I like it there,” Nicki said, flatly.

Ugh, of course
.  “Well… that’s awesome!” Gemma said brightly.  “Damian sure got lucky finding you.”

“Yeah, well.  It wasn’t exactly luck, but okay.”

Gemma simply nodded, pursing her lips together to suppress her frustration.  She was officially bored and sick of Nicki’s inexplicable coldness. 
I’m over it
, she told herself dully.  She sighed and hooked her arm in Tyler’s as they followed Damian and Nicki into their room.  As promised, a full-sized fooseball table was situated in the seating area of the bedroom next to a small couch in front of a flatscreen.

“Damn! This thing is huge,” Tyler exclaimed upon laying eyes on the fooseball table.  “Guys against girls or what?” he grinned at Gemma and Nicki.  Nicki’s eyes drifted towards the floor.

“I’m kind of tired,” she said.  “You guys should still play, though.”

Damian shrugged.  “Let’s do it,” he grinned, tossing the tiny soccer ball into the table with such furious excitement that Gemma had to laugh.  She turned to glance at Nicki’s reaction, confirming that she wasn’t even watching the game.  She was sitting on the couch, completely preoccupied as she channel-surfed with one hand and texted with the other.  Once she landed on a channel, Gemma tried her chances at asking one more question.

“So, Nicki, what shows do you – ” Before she could finish her sentence, Nicki turned around with her cell phone pressed against her ear, shooting Gemma a look as if to say, “You’re disrupting me.”  Gemma instinctively made an apologetic face, though she wished that she hadn’t. 
Ugh, whatever.  I tried
, she told herself.  She tried not to pay any more attention to the blatant rudeness, but she couldn’t help but eavesdrop on Nicki’s end of the conversation.  It was obvious from the content of her conversation that she was chatting with Elizabeth on the phone.  As offensive as Gemma found it, it hardly surprised her that Nicki would opt to call someone rather than attempt to make conversation with her. 
Just tune it out!
Gemma scolded herself, unable to pry her ear away from Nicki’s conversation.

“Alright, girl, I will,” Nicki laughed, coming to the end of her chat.  “Oh my God, stop.  You’re so bad,” she giggled, surprising Gemma with the liveliness in her voice.  “Okay, go do that.  Alright, Et Cetera, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

Gemma made a face to herself as she continued to watch the fooseball game, taking offense to the phone conversation for multiple reasons. 
Ew, they have
nick
names for each other?
Et Cetera? What kind of stupid nickname is that?
  Her jeering thoughts would have continued, but Nicki’s voice suddenly interrupted.

“Hey, Bee, look,” she said, her tone for once free of the bored flatness that she always reserved for talks with Gemma. 

“What’s up?” Gemma turned around, almost a little too excited considering her snide thoughts just a second before.  “What’re you watching?”

“I think they’re talking about Zoe on TV,” Nicki said.  Gemma turned to the television.  They were indeed talking about Zoe.  In fact, they were interviewing her on the red carpet with Desiree.

“When was this?” Gemma muttered under her breath.  Onscreen, Zoe and Desiree hung onto one another, laughing like two best friends.  Gemma whipped out her phone to text Zoe. 
What’s this interview I’m seeing with you and Desiree?

“I think they said it was some party for the Bond movie today.  But why would she bring
Desiree
after everything that’s happened?” Nicki asked, looking up with wide eyes.  Gemma glared.  Of course she was happy to talk now that there was something to embarrass her with.  She rolled her eyes at Nicki’s ploy and turned her attention back to the television.  Desiree draped her arm around Zoe casually.  They looked completely relaxed, even
happy
.

“Do you need to sit down?” Nicki got up from the couch and gestured for Gemma to sit.  Gemma looked at the boys, engrossed in their game.  She glanced down at her phone – no text back from Zoe.  Nicki remained standing.  Gemma wanted to collapse into the couch but she didn’t want to give Nicki the satisfaction of her defeat.

“Bee,” Nicki murmured.  “You’re bleeding.”  Gemma shot her another glare before she felt warm blood on her lips.  She hadn’t even realized that she had been chewing them.  She covered her face hastily as Nicki stared, seemingly fascinated.  “I’ll get you something for that,” she said, disappearing into the master bathroom and returning with gauze.  She held it up to Gemma’s face.

“I got it,” Gemma said, swiping the gauze from Nicki and pressing it against her lip.  “I’m fine,” she said, despite Nicki’s skeptical look.

“I don’t think you are,” she said, shrugging before she turned to once again face the television.

~

Tyler squinted at Gemma as she sat in their hotel suite bed, brushing out her real hair.  She squinted back at Tyler.

“What happened to your lip, babe?” he asked as he climbed in bed.  Gemma glanced at her reflection in the lamp on the nightstand.  Her lip was bruised.

“You just noticed? I was bleeding like crazy before,” she mumbled.

“Really? I’m sorry.  Let me see.”  Tyler put an arm around her shoulder and touched her lip tenderly.  “It looks painful.”

“It’s fine.  I didn’t even realize it happened until Nicki pointed it out.”

“Did you two have fun though?”

Gemma laughed as she rolled her eyes.  “You really don’t notice things when there’s fooseball going on,” she teased.  When Tyler only frowned with confusion, she explained.   “Nicki? She hates me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“She must think there’s something weird going on between me and Damian.  I can’t think of any other reason for the way she acts.  To everyone else, she’s this cute little girl-next-door, but to me, she’s cold and rude and
mean
.”

 “I’m sure it’s just been hard for her to adjust to this change.  She had a normal life a few months ago, and now all she does is go to interviews and hang out with you, me and Zoe.  It probably doesn’t help that for some reason, Queen Bee is so close to her boyfriend when they were supposed to have just met recently.” 

“Something about her just feels weird.  I feel actually…
afraid
to piss her off.  Like she can do something to me,” Gemma murmured, staring at her hands.  “Even though I know she doesn’t have any power, aside from being friends with Elizabeth.”

“Okay, well let’s not worry about that.  Let’s worry about that lip of yours first.  Does it hurt if I touch it?” Tyler held her face and ran his thumb gently across her lip.  Gemma shook her head.  “Does it hurt if I do this?” He pulled her face towards his and kissed her softly.

“No,” Gemma lowered her lashes and smiled.  She knew where this was going.