A/N: Okay, so my next update was going to be for Queen Bee for a Reason, I swear, but the 3x06 promo absolutely killed me, and the extended promo killed me even more. I had to write something to get me through this CB issue that—from what I've heard—is going to cause quite a conflict, lasting up through 3x07 (at least part way). This 3-part fic (unless I randomly make it last longer, but I'm really going to try not to *will NOT give in to the temptation of SSS*) is based entirely on spoilers, except for my own little ideas, which will be obvious, I should think. Queen Bee for a Reason will be updated as soon as I've finished this, unless, like I said, I continue it longer than 3 parts, then it will take longer. ;p Please, please review though. I've been getting less and less of those as the days go on and it's not very encouraging. Now, on to chapter 1. =)

*Forewarning: This is going to be mostly a very angsty fic. I blame my depressive CB worries for this. If it annoys you, I'm sorry, but just think how hard it is for me to write it then. And in case you doubt, there will be a happy ending. In my fics—unless I randomly do a sad one-shot—there always are.

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Ch.1—Somewhat Misleading

It seemed simple enough, and had been planned out to perfection.

The Dean was gay, and Chuck was always up for a challenge.

The scenario was near perfect.

There was only one problem: Chuck thought it was a game.

And it wasn't.

…not from his standpoint.

It had been torture to watch her boyfriend flirt with the Dean from across the room. Sure, she needed the distraction, the extra attention to the man so she could be assured that granted speech that would give her all the more access to the popular public.

It didn't mean she enjoyed watching her boyfriend kiss another guy. And she was sure—by this point, at least—he didn't enjoy it either. It showed all over his features when Blair didn't come in to stop the kissing transactions. He was disgusted, felt betrayed, and she made sure she was out of the room before his flashing, hate-filled eyes found hers from across the room.

He pushed the man off of him, and spat. It was anything but subtle.

"I'm sorry for the confusion," his eyebrows narrowed, as did the Dean's. "I'm straight."

The man gaped.

"And I have a girlfriend."

His eyes widened. "I—uh, wow, I'm sorry," he scooted back a little.

Chuck sighed, running a hand through his own hair, eager to get the disgustingly tingly 'gay' feel still lingering on his fingertips. He stood to his feet, and cursed inwardly to himself when the Dean stood with him.

"You came on to me though," the man clarified, just to be sure he hadn't made a complete fool of himself and hit on a man he thought was gay and was actually straight.

Chuck nodded knowingly. "Yes, I'm aware. It was a tremendous mistake." His eyes widened as he glanced to the floor, eager to get away from this painfully awkward conversation and on to verbally butchering his girlfriend, who he was sure had conveniently escaped just when he realized her devious plan. After all, it was highly unlikely that she just 'forgot' to stop the transaction before it took place.

The man cleared his throat, seeming to be a little defensive. "I see then. Well, I won't keep you," he gestured Chuck away with his hand.

If it had been anyone else, he probably would have apologized—or come close—and maybe even felt bad for treating this stranger so rudely when it really had nothing to do with him at all. But, he was furious with Blair. He was quite sure now that she was trying to impress this man for some bizarre reason. For school…he could think of no other reason. But she should have told him. She shouldn't have used him like a piece in her chess game. Chuck Bass does not get used, not even by Blair Waldorf. The two manipulate others better than any other in the game, but it's war when they turn on each other.

He fumed. "Yes…" Chuck's voice dropped, and he wasn't even acknowledging the man anymore, who thanks to his own good sense had left the troubled eighteen-year-old to his burning thoughts. From across the room he spotted a flier, a list, and then suddenly he noticed how nearly everyone in the room had a copy of the bright yellow sheet marked in bold black letters.

And how Blair was handing out those beaming sunny slips of paper. Their eyes met for a moment and then he saw how her expression switched almost instantly from cheery to panicked. She couldn't have left the room fast enough, and his feet were frozen in place. He couldn't have been madder at her, but he didn't know quite yet what he was going to say, or even really what was going on. So, he let her go, and he continued to scan the room for some sort of flaw to her almost perfectly displayed corruption…both of the student body and himself.

He ripped one of the sheets from a student clearly quite involved with the device, but once that nerdy freshman saw the boiling fumes exploding all over Chuck's face, he did not even attempt to ask for it back. Instead he made to walk out of the room naturally or casually or the like. Chuck did not even watch him for the strained amusement it would have offered at his horrible acting skills.

He zoned in on the sheet.

It spoke heavily of Blair Waldorf…and some sort of significant student speech that was coming up. That alone confused him. He knew Blair very well, and if she was already set to do the speech, then there would be no cause to use him for anything, unless it was regarding something else entirely. That seemed too far from the truth to even be contemplated.

"I thought Vanessa Abrams was doing the speech," he heard a confused girl remark, and his eyes widened. He strode over to the girl immediately, and turned her away from the mass of geeky girls she was talking to.

"How? How'd you know Vanessa was doing it?" He demanded, and a part of her looked frightened, but she just tossed her long hair across her shoulder and answered him.

"It's on the schedule," she pointed across the room to a large bulletin board. "The sheet in the middle lists the important speeches of the year. The next one says: VANESSA ABRAMS. It has all week." She was cocky and confused simultaneously. He didn't understand, though he himself had been in the exact same position before, if not currently. He didn't bother with it though. He just searched her eyes for any sign of lying and when he saw none, he turned away and walked to the board. All else was blind to him but that over-sized speech schedule. Skimming the sheet had been hardly the most difficult task he'd set out to do. It was the biggest piece of paper on the board, so finding it took merely seconds, and sure enough VANESSA ABRAMS was written in big, bold letters under the title of the speech to be taking place in the following week, the next current speech. Though now the girl's name was crossed off with a big, black X.

Beside it was written: BLAIR WALDORF.

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"Vanessa? Hey, this is—"

"Chuck?" the confused girl asked, aghast.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could—"

"Isn't it dangerous for you to be talking to me? What's Blair gonna think?" she teased. He sighed, and rolled his eyes. That was the last thing he was worried about at that particular moment. And so what if she was petrified at the thought. After what she did, she deserved it.

"You're supposed to be giving a speech at NYU next week, right?" he asked, refusing to get sucked into her pathetic attempts at jealous scheming.

Vanessa's eyebrows furrowed. She didn't even want to know how he knew that. "Yeah, how'd you—"

"—what does the Dean look like?" he asked, trying desperately to keep the panic out of his voice. Her breath caught, and he knew that somehow he hadn't been able to manage it as perfectly as he would've liked.

She gulped. "He's got short, brown hair. Why?"

He sighed, closing his eyes in frustration. "What color was his shirt today?" he asked, voice deathly quiet.

"Chuck, I don't know, what kind of question—"

"Vanessa."

And it was the way he said it. That way that forced her to remember, to place some kind of thought pattern on what color he had been wearing when he passed through the courtyard earlier that morning. She sighed. "I think it was…white?" she offered, not entirely sure of the suggestion, but not thinking it could be anything else either.

"You're positive." He stated.

"Chuck, I don't know what half of this is about, but white is the closest I'm ever going to get to 100%"

He nodded, not really caring that she couldn't see him.

"What's all this about?"

Silence.

"Chuck?"

He sighed again. "Is he gay?" he asked tentatively, fearing he already knew the answer to the question.

Now she was officially weirded out. This had to be one of the most bizarre conversations she had ever had with Chuck Bass. If this was what came of one-night stands, she was sure never to do that again.

"Chuck," she said.

But he said nothing, and she knew he was expecting something significant of her. She shook her head, wondering if this was a discussion she should make sure to record or erase from her memory. She gulped.

"I think so…" she said, hesitantly, suddenly recalling a conversation she had had earlier in the week regarding that very information. She thought it best not to bring up the situation though. It was clear all Chuck wanted was answers, and not the means of how they were retrieved.

"You think so…" he repeated. His voice was almost silent and it sounded dangerous.

"Chuck?" she asked, worry consuming her when she couldn't even hear his breath reverberating over the phone. One minute. Two. Three.

"Chuck?" she was beyond concerned now.

CLICK.

DIAL TONE.

Gone.

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A/N: Okay, that is my beginning. Please review. The next couple chapters will be insanely longer and much more angsty. This chapter was kind of just setting up the coming disaster. *gulp* …as I see how it might happen in the show. And in case you were curious, I will probably make the angst insanely bad in this fic (as in…depressing, not poorly written xD), just so when they do make up it'll restore everything and hopefully my fic will be exaggerating things way worse than the episodes actually show. *sigh* With that info displayed, I thought I might also inform you that I am going to have this fic up and completed before Monday. I need to have this to go through in case it gets really bad. *gulp* REVIEW!! =D