A Golden Orb and a Paradox

It was finally the night of the annual St. Jude's-Constance Billard spring party. Before all of the students jetted off to their respective exotic vacation locations, ranging from Maui to Paris, this was the night for them to engage in the very sort of collective effervescence that traditionally defines all school holidays. This was not like the Snowflake Ball or Cotillion, with their trappings of PTA influence, this was a sort of underground festivity which rested completely in the hands of the students. Although the location of the party changed from year to year, this year Prince Theodore had been bestowed the honor of hosting, its unadulterated lavishness could always be counted on. To put it simply, it was the party of the season.

Blair Waldorf had not just spent a day picking out the perfect dress, shoes, and accessories for the evening; she had spent an entire week. Everything had to be perfect. This could be her chance to finally be noticed as the queen she was meant to be, for every lowly student of the two schools to realize just how far she was above them all.

Serena had laughed at her, "B, you can't be serious, it's just one night, you know?"

Blair had cocked her head to the side in response, "Oh, S, you don't understand, this night is practically a breeding grounds for social upheaval and reshaping of the social hierarchy."

"I'll take your word for it."

Truth be told, Blair wished she could take the same effortless approach as her best friend, who would most likely slip into something at the last moment and still dazzle everyone. Everything Serena wanted just seemed to fall into her lap and everything Blair wanted often seemed to find its way there too. Serena was always the obvious choice.

This fact seemed to be no different when the two of them walked into Prince Theodore's together and Blair noticed how nearly everyone's eyes immediately shifted to the oblivious blonde in her form-fitting gold dress. As the party continued, Blair studied how Serena seemed to gravitate more and more infatuation towards her. She danced with a number of guys in a number of ways that were inappropriate, she had way too much champagne to drink, she giggled at her own incoherent ramblings, and yet it all proved to only cause the party to love her more. Serena wasn't even trying to be the center of attention; she just was. Serena was the sun, a golden orb placed in the center that everyone else could only hope to revolve just enough around to maybe inherit just a sliver of her warmth.

Chuck Bass was not normally one for the mediocrity of school parties thrown by the lower ranks of his academic institution but he always made an exception for the spring party. It was almost too easy to find a girl, or a few, to go home with after, or during, this night. A few from the past had even proved to be moderately worth enduring his idiotic peers that still couldn't handle their liquor properly.

Tonight nothing seemed to strike him though. He felt everything and everyone were the same: predictable and uninteresting. Serena, as usual, proved to melt everyone around her with wardrobe that left little to the imagination and boldness that Chuck found expectable rather than exciting. He had seen her tricks too many times before and in too many types of girls he had already screwed, and the fact that all Constance-Billard girls still seemed to want to emulate her anyways made finding someone different for the night an impossible quest.

Looking around the room, he noticed Blair off to the side and looking just as disinterested. He smirked to himself, a little, though not completely, surprised that she had even showed up for tonight's festivities. He knew she presented a properly cool exterior but he also knew Blair Waldorf always came with a fiery passion for war. At least there was one stimulating girl at this party.

"Waldorf, what a surprise. Does Nathaniel know you're here at Prince Theodore's indecent bash?"

"I would hardly call it a bash," Blair retorted, ignoring his questions momentarily before spotting her boyfriend in the distance, who had inevitably been drawn towards Serena instead of her, "…and I doubt Nate cares."

Chuck considered this for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Forget it," she huffed, "…anyways, shouldn't you be off trying to get into some poor girl's pants while her judgment is still impaired?"

He couldn't help but smile in response, "If by poor, you mean lucky, then probably."

She scoffed, "Then why aren't you? Have you already run out of Constance-Billard girls desperate or self-loathing enough to sleep with you?"

"Not quite. It's too bad Nathaniel took you off the market though," he replied almost involuntarily.

Her look of disgust was immediate, "Ugh. Please."

"Well, since you are asking me so nicely…"

"Shut up, Bass."

"…and you even talk dirty."

Blair only rolled her eyes in response and followed with silence as she noticed Nate laugh at something Serena had done and then look at her completely enchanted. It was a kind of look he rarely, if ever, gave to her.

Chuck felt the silence becoming uncomfortable and then noticed why, "So, jealous of blondie, huh?"

Blair pursed her lips, "No,"… "It's just, God, how does she do it? Even Nate likes her more than me."

"You do realize that dear Nathaniel is dating you and not her, right?"

"Which is exactly why he should be here with me and not over there with Serena."

"So, show him why he should be."

He had presented his response so matter-of-fact that it enraged her, "You don't think I've tried that, Bass?" She practically yelled at him before looking downward, "He doesn't care. She's perfect."

"No, she's boring."

"What?"

"She's boring. Look, Serena is exactly the same at every one of these parties. It's predictable," he continued, "If I was Nate, I would be more interested in what kind of unprecedented scheme you were planning for the evening…or maybe what you were wearing under your good girl dress," he looked at her suggestively and smirked, "It does leave a lot to the imagination."

"You're disgusting, Chuck," but really his words had relieved her.

"But I'm also helpful."

"Barely, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my boyfriend so this night can still go as planned."

Chuck sighed as he watched her walk away towards Nate, who was clearly in love with his girlfriend's blonde best friend. Chuck didn't blame him entirely, Serena did have a hot body and daddy issues but what was that compared to the paradox that was Blair Waldorf? Blair was a kind of mystery in herself. She was captivating in a way that a golden goddess never could be. She was both fire and ice. It really was unfortunate that the only girl at the party who seemed able to exude any level of intrigue was his best friend's girlfriend and that his best friend couldn't even recognize it anyways.

So, he left the party but made sure to discreetly look back just one more time to make sure Blair was okay.

A/N: As always, thank you for reading and please review! I am highly appreciative of any comments, suggestions, or requests. Also, if you're interested in more one-shots like these, please follow me and feel free to let me know what you'd like to see in the future. Hope you all enjoyed!