Dan Humphrey. That was the name that appeared in girls' heads every morning. He would lean against one of the pillars, watching, but he wouldn't ever make a move to try and converse with anything. That all changed the day Serena van der Woodsen came back.
--
"Serena!" Blair exclaimed, walking over to greet her best friend. "Where the hell were you?"
"Boarding school, remember?" She muttered, returning the hug. Her eyes scanned the crowded courtyard as she pulled back. "Everyone looks..different."
"Nate grew about a foot while you were gone, he'll tower over you now." Blair laughed, pulling Serena down next to her.
"Who's that guy?" Serena pointed as discreetly as she could at Dan. "Is he new?"
"Ugh, that's Dan Humphrey." She said the name with disdain. "He stands there every morning, like he's waiting for something."
"Or someone."
"Who cares?" Blair peeled back the lid on her yogurt, dipping her spoon into the dairy product.
"Yeah." Serena murmured faintly, looking at him one last time before turning her attention back to Blair.
--
Dan's ears perked up as he heard his name, his enhanced hearing picking out bits of conversation. His gaze swiveled to where a statuesque blonde sat next to Blair Waldorf. Who was she?
For the first time, he left his post, striding over to where she sat, determined to finding out her name. Walking human speed was a long tortuous process made even more so when the bell rang, causing everyone to flee to their first class.
He groaned, resisting the urge to slam his fist into the pillar. He turned abruptly, heading for English. He desperately wanted to know who she was and why her blood attracted him like no other. Sighing, he realized that if he spent any time alone with her, she'd probably end up dead within a half hour.
"Dan!" Jonathon popped up beside him, falling into stride with him.
"Hey bro." Dan muttered, opening the door. Jonathon was his 'brother' as they both lived in the same apartment, and looked practically the exact same. They both had the pale skin, dazzling topaz eyes, their only difference was that Jonathon had blonde hair and Dan was a brunette.
"Saw you staring at van der Woodsen earlier. Finally found someone worth your time?" Jonathon teased, sitting down at a random desk in the back.
"What's her name?" Dan muttered slowly, sitting down.
"Serena van der Woodsen." He shrugged, opening his notebook. "Why?"
"I was just curious." Dan spoke quickly as the teacher strode in the room, immediately beginning his lecture.
--
"Welcome back, Ms. Van der Woodsen." Mr. Jacobs practically announced to the class. "Please, have a seat next to Mr. Humphrey."
Serena nodded, looking over to where the teacher was pointing. Her heart rate suddenly accelerated as she carefully sat down next to him. "Hi."
He nodded at her, sucking in a long breath before looking the other way. "Hello." He spoke to the wall, cursing mentally at himself for being such an idiot.
"I'm Serena." She murmured, throwing her hair behind her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Perfect." He muttered through gritted teeth. "I'm, uh, Dan."
She nodded, turning back to the lecture that Mr. Jacobs was giving on, well she wasn't sure what the lecture was on. She lowered her voice to a whisper as she turned to him again, causing him to flinch. "Is this class always this boring?"
"Yeah." Dan grunted, his air supply gone. He sucked in another breath, trying to ignore the scent that invaded his mind.
She put a hand on his arm, watching his eyes widen. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah." He said again, not in the mood for more than one syllable words as they took up more air. "Great."
The rest of the class period was filled with this; every once in a while, Serena would ask Dan a question and he would reply, doing his best not to look at her.
The bell rang, Dan quickly slipping his books into his backpack, hurrying out the door. Serena packed up slowly, wondering what the matter was with him. Did she smell funny or something?
She made her way to the courtyard, spotting Dan and a tall blonde guy walking together, heads bent.
"Serena!" A loud, happy voice caught her attention and she turned, seeing none other than Nate Archibald himself.
"Nate, hey." She allowed him to hug her tightly, lifting her off the ground.
"How have you been? You look..wow. Blair was just talking about you and yeah." He rambled, blushing when he finally stopped.
"I've been okay, I guess. You look wow too." She smiled, about to walk away when he grabbed her arm.
"Wait, I was, uh, wondering if you, uh, wanted to go out tonight?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." She said finally, watching his face fall. "I mean, you and Blair are only on a break and, its just not a good idea."
"Oh," He sighed, playing with the straps of his backpack. "Blair and I, well I don't know about us, but we're not getting back together anytime soon. That's why, uh, I asked you."
"I'll see you later Nate." She stood on her toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek before hurrying away, wondering if Dan and the blonde kid were still around
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Okay, so this is sorta twilight-ish, but not really. Dan and Jonathon are vampires and uh, yes they can walk in the sun lol.