Queen of Diamonds

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Driving back up the familiar road to Grams the street was quiet and dark. Only the faint smell of cheeseburgers lingering in the car accompanied me. My headlights illuminated the driveway and the front of the dark house as I pulled in revealing a figure sitting on the porch.

"Derek?" I said into the night as I got out of the car. "What are you doing here?"

"I haven't talked to you in a while," he began getting up from the porch. "When I came by earlier your Gram said she wasn't sure when you'd be back so I just waited around for a bit to see if I could catch you. And I'm happy I did," he smiled bending down to kiss me on the cheek and give me a hug. I stiffly embraced his warm body not prepared to see him tonight. "You look amazing," he stepped back, trailing his hands down my bare arms, lacing his fingers between mine. "Where were you tonight?"

"I was at a party with Kara," I replied. Crap. I was so taken off guard by him showing up I probably shouldn't have told him that.

"What party?" he asked, a flash of shadowy hurt passing over his face from being left out. I led him over to the porch to sit down again, assuming this was going to turn into a discussion.

"You know the black diamond kids?" I cautiously asked. Knowing very well that he did know exactly who they were.

"You went to one of their parties!" he groaned shaking his head.

"It was Kara's idea, she dragged me," I quickly reassured him. "She's becoming friends with Ruby," I rolled my eyes into the darkness at my new arch nemesis, "and she didn't want to go by herself so she begged me to go with her. She just wanted it to be a girl's thing. She didn't even invite Nicki." Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have said that either. But better I told Derek than him mentioning it to Nicki and then all hell breaking loose.

"That group is bad news," is all Derek managed to say but I didn't really agree with him.

"They were actually nice," I murmured afraid to say it too loud in fear of another uproar. He just looked at me like I had 5 heads. "Something weird did happen though," I began. "Later in the night Greyson Black went off into the woods for a secret meeting with some miner kids, an unidentifiable random, and I think Cash, Richy, and Andrew."

"That doesn't make any sense," Derek said puckering his face at the intermingling's of the groups. "What would the richie's want with Greyson? Something doesn't add up."

"I know, it was weird," I agreed. "And when Grey came back he didn't say who he was with or what it was about. Just that it was an impromptu business meeting," I explained further.

"What business would they all have together?" Derek thought aloud to himself. "The miners aren't so strange because they dig diamonds for both groups, but mostly for the black diamond circle. But them all meeting together is definitely out of the ordinary."

"That's what I thought too. You might not want to mention it though. We may just want to see how it plays out a little first," I advised, not wanting to blow our cover on a hidden secret.

"So, you're hanging out with the black diamond kids now?" Derek probed back to the former subject his features darkening further from the looming night.

"Not really," I nonchalantly replied. "I really like Sarah Sparkles; she was there tonight. But she's more of a richie anyway. And Ruby is all over Kara," I grunted. "I don't really know where she stands."

Derek just silently shook his head semi approving of the names I mentioned. I didn't feel the need to bring up Talan right now. "Ruby is a wild card," he agreed. "She's a richie by blood but runs with the other kids. Why does Kara like her so much?" he asked mirroring my feelings on what sweet Kara could possibly see in that troll.