'Miss Blair, you look –' Dorota sighed as she watched the brunette glide down the stairs in a blue Oscar de la Renta ball gown and black Manolo Blahnik stilettos, tears blurring her normally perfect vision.
'I hope you were going to end that sentence with stunning because I've spent the past two days getting ready.' Blair smirked, nervously checking her reflection when she finally approached a mirror. 'Is Nate here yet?'
'Yes. Mister Nate arrived ten minutes ago but I tell him to wait in kitchen. Should I go get him?'
'Yes Dorota! And why would you send him to the kitchen of all places. It's just so … unromantic. Tell him to come her now, we're already running late.'Blair pushed Dorota into the kitchen; acting like their tardiness wasn't due to the fact that she couldn't decide on which headband to wear.
She sighed, fiddling with her ridiculously long skirt. She was going to prom with Nate Archibald, her childhood sweetheart, just like she'd always planned. She looked amazing and happy and had reunited with the supposed love of her life. So why wasn't she happy?
She couldn't even answer her string of philosophical thoughts because soon Nate was throwing himself at her, a beautiful corsage in his right hand and a bottle of champagne in his left one. And she suddenly felt overwhelmed with how little she felt for him. But they were Blair Waldorf and Nate Archibald and they were supposed to belong together.
It was supposed to be beautifully simple: Dan would take Vanessa to prom to keep up appearances and then straight afterwards he would spend the weekend with Rachel in her wonderfully cozy apartment (for once his dad and Lily's relationship had paid off: they were going away for the weekend straight after they finished chaperoning prom. Apparently they had some unfinished business in Paris). It was all supposed to be a simple thing that could've gone off without a hitch but that would involve Ms. Carr not being a crazy, jealous bitch.
It all started with Rachel telling Dan to take someone to prom (where she had volunteered to be a chaperone). Rachel suggested his sister or best friend, and Dan happily complied, inviting a heartbroken Vanessa to be his date. The only problem was that Vanessa was a little reluctant to see her ex-boyfriend on the arm of Blair Waldorf, but he couldn't take Jenny (who had planned an I Hate Prom Night with Eric and Jonathon), so that left him with only one option.
Prom was a ridiculously large event with hundreds of seniors dancing and attempting to spike the punch (successfully since manning the punch was Lily's job and she was very distracted by her date.). Serena looked amazing in a white Carolina Herrera dress that did her cleavage justice. Dan always thought he'd go to prom with Serena, so seeing her with Chuck Bass was slightly crushing (It was a pity date. They both had tons of offers, but never from the right person. Serena knew about Dan and Rachel, and Blair made sure that Chuck knew about her and Nate. They were both heartbroken and refused to admit it, so why not be sad and stubborn together). But Dan was sleeping with a teacher, every teenage boy's fantasy.
Blair was, of course, the most stunning girl at prom and she looked positively radiant next to Nate. But no one knew that she was crumbling on the inside because nothing was exciting her, not the black and silver balloons Ms. Carr had pumped with help from Dan or the fact that none of the girls looked half as pretty as her. Something felt wrong about this whole sordid event, maybe it had to do with the boy standing next to her best friend, drinking from the alcohol-abused punch bowl.
She hadn't seen him in over a month, not since he barged into Serena's room looking for a blackberry charger (She made Serena come to her house after that). He looked … slightly miserable. And suddenly she hated herself for doing this to him, for pulling a Nate and dating the best friend. But he deserved it, after everything he had put her through.
So she tugged at Nate's arm and asked him to dance. She knew she was becoming a monster, but so was he and he just had to understand how she felt when she found him snorting coke with those unattractive hookers. Although she was pretty sure he already did.
As soon as Nate and Blair began dancing in the center of the room, Vanessa wanted to cry. She still loved him and she couldn't believe that he had dumped her because she had innocently flirted with some guy to snag a free muffin.
'Dan, why did you make me come to this? They're nauseatingly cute and perfect together.'
'Vanessa, seriously? She's totally hung up on Chuck and he still had feelings for you, I mean it's so obvious.' Vanessa laughed, staring at a very happy Nate.
'Feelings? Dan, stop trying to make me feel better. He's a jackass.' Dan nodded, not letting it slip that he and Nate were still pretty good friends and had even gone to lunch earlier that day.
'Well, what do you say we dance and try to help you forget that jackass?' Vanessa laughed and nodded, letting Dan pull her onto the dance floor. God knew that neither of them could dance half as well as Blair and Nate, but they didn't care, they just giggled together and did a few badly timed twirls.
To them, it was just some innocent fun, but to Ms. Carr Dan was totally cheating on her with that pretty, annoying Brooklyn whore. Which was why she discretely approached him, asking for help with that 'darn window that just won't open'. No one noticed their disappearance, except of course Serena who decided to do a few extra punch shots.
'Rachel, what are you doing? I thought you said that no one could see us together?' asked Dan when they were safely confined in an empty classroom.
'Do you have feelings for her?' hissed Rachel as she locked the wooden door.
'Who – Vanessa? No, of course not! She's my best friend, I was trying to distract her from the fact that her ex-boyfriend was dancing with Blair Waldorf.'
'I don't believe you Dan. I get that I'm not as young or pretty but –'
'Rachel.' Interrupted Dan, reaching out to caress the side of her face. 'I really, really like you. Not Vanessa -' he couldn't bring himself to say 'or anyone else' because they both knew he'd be lying. The evidence of that was currently talking to her mother and his father about keeping the PDA to a bare minimum. 'You. So can you please stop accusing me of lying?' Rachel smiled at him, stepping forwards to brush her lips against his.
'You're right. And I'm sorry.' She looked up at him and Dan noticed the tears collecting at the corners of her eyes. 'I just couldn't take you dancing with someone else.'
'It was your suggestion that I take Vanessa.'
'I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't think that I would get so jealous.' She kissed him again, hoping to prevent a fight. You know, the door's locked.' She mumbled, nibbling his neck lightly. 'And I don't think I can wait until prom ends.' Soon her mouth was back on his, and her arms found their way around his neck. Dan wanted to go back to prom and have fun with his (admittedly few) friends, but he was supposed to want this. A hot, young teacher was unbuttoning his dress shirt and he wanted to do was hang out with his friends. What was wrong with him?
Vanessa was getting annoyed. Dan had left ten minutes ago and didn't appear to be coming back. He stranded her after begging her to come to prom with him, prom for a school she didn't even go to, filled with people she despised, where she had to watch the love of her life dance with the love of his.
'What are you doing here?' he seemed genuinely surprised, he was putting on his traditional, innocent Nate Archibald expression. But she had finally learned to see through it.
'Dan asked me to come Nate. If you have an issue, take it up with him.' They were standing awkwardly by the punch bowl while Blair attempted to entertain a depressed Serena, who had finally noticed Dan and Ms. Carr's absence.
'No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just surprised to see you -'
'After you broke my heart? Well, believe me, seeing you canoodling with Blair Waldorf hasn't exactly been a picnic.'
She wanted to leave, to escape the world she had somehow been pulled into. Where people pretend to be something they weren't, just like Nate pretended to be a nice guy.
'Look, Vanessa, I'm really sorry.'
'Save it Nate. Do you realize that, at some point or other, you've been in love with four women in this room: Blair, Serena, Jenny and me? And now you're starting all over again. What's next: a brief fling with Serena to see what you could've been? Or maybe you'll decide that Brooklyn is good enough for you after all. Nate, I'm done with you. Really and truly. I'm done with all of this.'
'You're wrong Vanessa, I love Blair.' Vanessa tried not to scoff at the ridiculous notion that Nate could love Blair after everything that happened.
'You love how you look with her, how well and comfortably you fit together. You love pretending that you're happy.'
'You're wrong.' He stated simply, even though she was totally and completely right. He walked away from her, giving an awkward little shrug and she suddenly hated this supposed prince charming. He walked up to Blair because he just had to prove Vanessa Abrahms wrong. He loved Blair, always had, always would. Right?
'Hey hon.' He smiled, softly brushing his lips against her cheek. 'Do you want to dance?' She politely excused herself from her conversation with a very drunk Serena before turning around and smiling so tightly at him that he had to wonder if it was forced.
'Not now. S is having a total meltdown over Dan and her ment-whore. I mean, it's bad enough that she has to live with him but now it's like he's throwing his relationship with Mrs. Robinson in her face.'
'But it's our prom. And we've only danced, like, twice.' His arms found their way around her waist and she couldn't breathe.
'Serena needs me Nate.'
'I need you.' He insisted, his grip tightening. 'We're the king and queen of this prom.' She wanted to shrug him off and she didn't know why.
'Okay folks, it's time for the big dance of the night, now make sure that you dance with someone you did not accompany this evening.' Their obnoxious math teacher's voice boomed out through the loudspeaker and they both looked up at each other, slightly bewildered.
'You should ask Serena, distract her. Please.' She was almost begging, anything to get his hands off her waist.
'Fine.' He nodded, fairly content. He liked Serena, especially drunk Serena. Soon he was leading her onto the dance floor and she was giggling as they got into waltz position. She watched Vanessa leave and Rufus and Lily dance discreetly in the corner, but no one came up to her because she was Blair Waldorf and far too intimidating.
Then, one minute into the never-ending dance, he came up to her and offered his hand. And she instantly took it, not thinking even though she should have been.
She never imagined in a million years that she would fall in love with Charles Bartholomew Bass, but as his hand found it's place on her lower back she couldn't imagine not loving him. Though she wanted to hate him for putting her through so much, but she couldn't because she was Blair Waldorf and he was Chuck Bass and they belonged together. Even though she was supposed to belong with Nate and he was supposed to belong with tomorrow's whore.
They didn't speak a word to each other, it was just too painful. She nervously laid her hand on his shoulder and they began to dance slowly, waltzing around the ballroom.
He loved her so much it hurt, but he just couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell her because he loved her and he meant what he wrote: she deserved better than him. She deserved a man who could cherish her and love her like she deserved. But he could totally feel his selfish side taking over as she edged her head closer to his until their foreheads were resting against each other and suddenly it felt like there was no one else in the room.
They loved each other so much. They just couldn't be together. Which was why Blair started to silently cry in his arms as he pulled her closer, and why she never wanted this perfect, wordless dance to end.
But soon Nate was softly tapping her shoulder and whispering 'May I cut in.'
She hated Chuck for letting him.
