Curiouser and Curiouser
Dan Humphrey was the kind of guy who would like to believe that very few things in the world could surprise him. Hs deep understanding of the world around him made him the kind of person who always knew what to expect. It came without saying, then, that when Vanessa Abrams, his former BFF, waved the white flag and extended an olive branch, Dan was completely flabbergasted.
As long as he had known her, Vanessa had never admitted defeat ever. Whenever Vanessa convinced herself of something, it was impossible to change her mind. Even when overwhelming amounts of evidence stacked against her, Vanessa was always certain she was correct. Hearing her say the words, "I'm sorry, Dan, I was wrong" nearly gave Dan a heart attack. Vanessa conceded? To Dan? About Nate?
Dan watched carefully as Vanessa and Nate chatted civilly. Obviously Nate didn't know Vanessa well enough to be suspicious. Dan was skeptical, so he remained quiet hoping that Vanessa might let her facade slip for a moment and then he could see her true objective. He had to hand it to her: whatever game she was playing, she was doing a damn good job.
It was Monday, though. There would be a whole week worth of lunches for Dan to snoop out Vanessa's true motives. A tiny part of Dan felt guilty that he was so paranoid about Vanessa. Then he remembered the verbal barrage she unleashed on him the previous week and his guilt was alleviated. He was right to be suspicious. This was Vanessa after all.
She must have noticed that Dan was silent. She looked at him and arched an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?" she asked conversationally.
Dan smirked subtly.
"I'm just admiring the wonder that is Vanessa Abrams descending from her ivory tower to eat lunch with us common yokels," Dan retorted, "It's quite a spectacle."
Vanessa pursed her lips. She looked down.
"Look, Dan, I said I was sorry. I admitted that I was wrong. Frankly, I don't know what else you want from me."
"I don't want anything from you, Vanessa. That's the point. After last week, I'm surprised you even came to see me."
"We have a long history," she pointed out, "Should we really let it go because of one misunderstanding?"
"It's not one misunderstanding," Dan corrected her, "It's years' worth of abuse, V. You can't expect me to get over it so easily."
"I'm not. I just want a chance to make amends. Everyone deserves them, don't you think? What about you, Nate?"
Dan glanced at Nate. He could tell that a part of Nate agreed with what Vanessa was saying.
"We all make mistakes," he stated, "To make a mistake is human, right?"
Dan had to admit that Nate had a good point. He just felt very uncomfortable with Vanessa's new sense of serenity. It was eerie.
"I suppose so. You're on probation, though," he warned her.
Dan couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Vanessa smiled.
"I'll take what I can get. So, Nate, do you know that blonde girl that started going to school last week?"
Nate glanced over. Dan noticed that they were looking at a beautiful blonde girl sitting with Jenny, Blair, and Chuck. Dan had no idea what her name was. He didn't care either. Jenny looked like she desperately wanted to be somewhere else. Dan wondered if he should go over and say something.
"No," Nate answered, "I guess she's a new friend of Blair and Chuck's."
"Yeah," Vanessa agreed, "I heard a few things about her. Her name is Serena van der Woodsen. Supposedly she used to go here over a year ago. Sounds like she was quite the slut back then."
"How do you know that?" Dan asked.
"I work at the school paper, Dan. I hear everything. Well, I hope she has better luck than other members of Blair and Chuck's little group. Rumour has it Chuck does some pretty mean things to new members."
"Mean things? Like what?" Dan demanded.
"I'm not entirely sure. They're rumours, you know? I heard he had sex with a girl once and filmed the whole thing. Could you imagine that?"
Nate cleared his throat. Dan fixed his gaze on Vanessa.
"Are you joking?"
"I could be wrong. I don't know first hand-"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he snapped, "I have to go over there right now."
Dan rose to his feet. When he looked over, he noticed that Jenny was getting up and walking away. It wasn't as though she was sneaking off, she simply got to her feet and left the group.
"Looks like you don't need to," Vanessa commented.
Dan was torn. He wanted to go over and say something, but he felt that he was beginning to understand Chuck Bass better. He couldn't hear anything Dan said. If anything, voicing his concerns might make Chuck treat Jenny with more cruelty. Dan sighed as he sat down.
"I guess I'll have to settle for that," he muttered.
"So, Nate," Vanessa continued, "Tell me more about yourself."
