Amo, Amas, Amat
I'm guessing you all already know what happened on October 8th, 2005. So, yeah. I got some info from the book as well (this story was kind of based on the books). I definitely like the show better, as if the creators followed the book, Dan would be gay by now, dating a guy named Greg. I don't own anything...damnit.
It was October 7th, 2005.
Dan got invited to Blair's party.
He clearly remembered the 5"4 brunette traipsing up to him, interrupting his reading time (he really hated any interruptions when he was reading a classic, such as The Odyssey). He glanced up warily, until he saw that one half of the most popular duo in Constance Billiard was standing in front of him, tapping her oxford booties impatiently. And right behind her was not her usual string of obedient minions, but an attractive boy-not from Dan's point of view, no!-trotting behind Blair's heels. Wearing a leash.
Just kidding.
"You're June Carter, right? The son of NY Mag's editor? Make sure the announcement of my party is in the society pages by the end of the week." Blair commanded, thrusting an expensive piece of ivory colored stationary paper, weighing heavily in his hands. He really didn't want to go. And it's not like he had enough money to buy her any present she would've liked even if he used up his college bank account.
Still, he had to think on the bright side. He had to, for he was on the wrong side of the tracks, according to many teasing classmates, pointing at his Gap clothes and homemade anything. She thought he was June Carter, the guy with Mick Jagger lips and a buzz cut, a lisp from the result of sucking too much on his thumb when he was younger. However, he was an ace lacrosse player, and therefore he was amongst the 'it' crowd. How nice. He turned his attention instead to the invite.
Save the peregrine falcon from extinction by attending Blair's party! Come at half past nine o'clock, in casual wear. 994 Fifth Avenue, 6th floor.
Dan sighed. He hated to admit it, but he had nowhere else to go, except for Zeke, the woman hips sporting, dreadlocked friend that he had known since grade three. Jenny was definitely ruled out, with her obsessing about her boobs and having stolen a pair of Serena's sports bras. No, her obsession did not help Dan's obsession in anyway. Soon he would have a 'Serena Forever' tattooed on his butt cheeks. Maybe socializing would do him some good.
Uh-huh.
:.*.:
It was October 8th, 2005.
He smoked a cigarette with shaking hands, his blue white skin standing out against his black, The Gap Carrington twill coat, his shoulders hunched against the biting October wind. Standing outside Blair's townhouse, he saw his classmates ooze in, the girls wearing men's dress shirts and short skirts, and boys lumbering in with their jackets on, no shirt underneath. Occasionally, boys would light up next to him, attempting to get high before going into the party.
"Dude," The real June Carter rasped against his ear. "You should get a hit of this. You could do anything in there and not remember anything tomorrow!"
Dan was content with his unfiltered Camels, and shook his head fervently, wherein June shrugged and headed inside. Dan wondered as he trailed in after him, if he would get thrown out. See, Dan had never been to a real high school party, you know, the ones where some drunkard throws up all over the radiator, or girls starting to go crazy and latching onto random guys. However, his nerves were cured when he found out that upon arriving, nobody checked on whether you were really invited. Besides, a load of party crashers were there, including the perverted psycho that always leaned up against a lamppost outside Constance, checking out the high school girls.
Awkwardly, he headed towards the counter, where rows of sorts of drinks were lined up, most of them filled with a green substance. Absinthe? Doesn't that make you hallucinate? No, it couldn't be, because it smelt like Lysol mixed with Comet, a minty, fresh, toxic emanation. He picked it up, contemplating it. Raising it up to the light, he could see the grains that hadn't dissolved swirling around at the bottom.
"Ew."
Setting down the glass on the marble countertop, he tried to crawl unnoticed to the washroom, hoping to find some sort of peace and silence there, for he just couldn't take another minute of a Beyonce/Jay-Z/Snoopy Christmas collaboration rap song or whatever the fuck it was. Something involving Cadillacs and dice. Sticking himself to the crème colored wall, he succeeded to escaping the dance floor, only to be greeted with kissing couples and drunken girls posing for MySpace pictures, half naked. Since there was a line to the access of the washrooms, Dan extracted himself from the dark hallway, and headed the other way, to a staircase and heavy oak doors, closed and foreboding, but far better than the alternative.
Hurrying into one particular room, in case someone came and caught him, he waited a while for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. When it did, he looked around, to be pleasantly surprised. Finally, a familiar site.
A library.
An hour passed quickly, perhaps even more, but even naïve, clueless Dan knew parties didn't start until eleven. Having gone through the assigned chapters in The Pearl, he threw the book across the room. He really liked Steinbeck, but when was he going to talk about anything else apart from the oppressed lower class? It just made him feel depressed. Although, all the classics were about tragedy. Go figure.
He started searching for another book to read, glancing impatiently at the grandfather clock that rested at the other end of the room, ticking patiently, not working with Dan at all. To withstand his father's teasing, he would have to stay at the party for at least two hours. When, at last, he found one, a thumping noise was heard outside the heavy door. Dan remained frozen, fearful that someone might come in and discover him. A few seconds passed, when Dan realized that a group of unruly teenagers, obviously drunk, sat noisily outside the door. One of them was Serena, he could tell from her cute, toddler laugh.
"I have an idea!" She said, more loudly than she had intended. Her tongue felt heavy and her head felt too big for her body. "I have one. We need something educational, us privileged teens. Here, I have," And at that, she paused, and Dan could not see what she was doing, or what she was motioning to. "And a Sharpie."
Nobody spoke for a moment, and when everyone caught on, they cheered. "Natie, you're going to be Hillbilly Payne. Come; let me draw it for you."
Since everyone was clamoring and shouting, Dan felt it safe that he open the door just a crack, enough to know what was happening. He was greeted by the toned stomach of Nate Archibald and Serena crouching down, a Sharpie drawn smiley face, with buck teeth resting on Nate's stomach.
"I will go first, yes?" Serena smiled, throwing back the rest of her sickly green martini. A thick Latin textbook lay there in the middle of the pile, waiting for its owner to pick it up and restore it on the bookshelf, dignified. Nobody touched it, however, and Blair called out a word articulately, surprisingly not slurred and sloppy.
"Fine. How do you say, 'I love'?" Blair demanded, an almost jealous glint in her eyes, the orbs hurryingly shifting from Serena's face to Nate's abs.
Serena rested her manicured finger on her chin, pretending to think hard, although in her drunken state, she probably didn't even remember her mother's maiden name. "Amat?" She replied, a stupid, shit eating grin playing around her lips, looking at Nate playfully.
A very pretty, stupid, shit eating grin, that is.
Blair's porcelain face scrunched up unattractively, her lips puckering up. "You're wrong, as usual," She sniffed, and Serena shrugged drunkenly.
Ever slowly, Serena's lips was brought closer and closer to a standing Nate's stomach, eventually touching 'Hillbilly Payne's lips.
Dan coughed gruffly, not even attempting to look away. Serena's mane of long, blonde hair swished slightly against her back while she kissed Nate's stomach, as the rest of the participants tittered drunkenly. He had seen enough. Ever so slowly, Dan creaked open the door, and slipped out, thankfully not getting seen by anyone.
"Hey, come back here and join us!"
Dan stopped in his tracks, not finding enough courage to face the crowd behind him. He could tell from the twinkling, signature laugh that it was Serena van der Woodsen.
"You know you love me."
And just as sudden as the crushing feeling was put upon him, it was gone in an instant, and his feet were no longer glued to the ground. Pushing past the crowd, his lungs pressed against him, screaming for the crisp, cold air awaiting him just outside those doors.
Amo. I love.
He looked wildly around for an empty cup. Eying one from across the room, he quickly dived for it, like the main character in a cheesy action movie. He grasped the cool glass and placed it under the tap. Then, seeing the cup filling with clean, pure, water-everything that Serena wasn't anymore-he threw it back, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
As if he didn't know about Serena's 'angel' reputation.
Gulping, he ran the last few steps to the elevator. Punching the buttons, he felt a need to smoke on a cigarette. No way was he going to attend another high school party.
Especially if the one girl you loved in this huge world was seen kissing 'Hillbilly Payne'.
Dan slowed down to a jog when he reached the nearest subway station. Descending the grubby steps, he swiped his Metro card and got on the subway, on his way home. When he saw an ad pasted on the wall of the subway car, featuring a couple with pearly white teeth, boasting of some dermatologist approved toothpaste, the thought occurred to him.
He still loved her, no matter how many bucktoothed guys she kissed.
Serena set down the pieces of notebook paper, hastily ripped from the book. She could tell from the rough edges that it came directly out of the spiral notebook. Peering down at the sleeping Dan, she was glad that he still loved her, despite all of her obvious faults. And she definitely changed, for the better. Someone gave her a chance.
Pulling up the goose feather duvet cover to hide her body, she gently lay down beside him, finding the shadow that was produced from the dip of his lips that connected to his nose, his lips slightly parted, breathing silently, his chest moving up, then down.
As she laid her gorgeous mane of long hair down on the pillow, she winced as he woke.
"Sorry." She whispered guiltily, and snuggled up next to him, hoping to find some reassurance from his arms. And right on schedule, his limbs curled around her bare waist, a content sigh escaping from his lips. His eyes traveled to the pages strewn across the bedspread.
"So," He replied, nuzzling his nose in the crook of her neck. "You got your Latin verbs sorted out?"
Serena smiled. "Yes. Te amo." And she curled up in his strong arms, finally succumbing to the night, as she drifted off to sleep.
A/N~So yeah. If you read the books, you would know that Serena's 'game' is to kiss Nate's stomach if you get a Latin verb wrong. Thank God I'm bad at Latin, lol. Now if only Nate would show up at my front door...Thanks for reading!