AN: Series is not mine... you know the rest.
Chapter One
The cafeteria was filling up quickly with the Constance Billard girls. Blair Waldorf spotted Kati Farkas and Isabel Coates at their usual lunch table. She waved a hand, signaling her arrival in a few minutes and selected a whole wheat bagel, low-fat cream cheese, and a few slices of cucumber. This had become her favorite lunch selection of the moment, and was pleased it had shaved off a couple pounds.
Blair picked up her lunch tray and ambled over to her table.
"Hey, Blair," Isabel greeted her, her mouth full of the sweet potato fries she was eating. "Did you do the writing assignment for English?"
Blair nodded. Isabel never did her homework on time and usually sponged ideas off the other girls. "Why don't you ever do the work when it's assigned?" She took notice of the way Isabel was eating. "And close your mouth when you eat. That's gross." She chided.
Isabel shrugged, dropped the fry, and swallowed. "I've got more important things to do."
Blair raised a freshly waxed eyebrow, about to say something, but Kati beat her to it.
"Like what? You're usually at my house hogging the remote while I'm doing my paper." She retorted. She picked a frizzy hair out of her parfait. Her hair was always getting all over everything.
Isabel rolled her eyes. "Like I said, I have better things to do. Anyways, where is Serena?"
The girls glanced around the cafeteria, searching for the blonde beauty. She was hard to miss. Serena van der Woodsen was easily the most beautiful girl in the entire school, or maybe all of New York. With her pale blonde hair, angular features, and gazelle-long legs, all the guys tripped over themselves to talk to her while the girls did everything they could to copy her style. But Serena didn't have a style set in stone. She could wear and do anything she wanted, and everyone still loved her. It was completely nauseating. Especially when "everyone" included Blair's boyfriend, Nate Archibald.
A few summers ago, Serena and Nate lost their virginities together. They both kept it from Blair, and she found out because Nate blabbed the whole thing the night Blair decided she was ready to go all the way with him. She broke up with Nate and ignored Serena. But now, they were all happy again… for now anyway.
Blair spotted Serena coming out of the lunch line and toward their table, a heart-stopping smile plastered on her face.
"What's she so happy about?" Kati nudged Isabel.
"Maybe Chad gave her some before lunch." Isabel tittered back. "Or some other guy. You know Serena can never keep track."
"Hey guys." Serena beamed at her friends.
"Hey Serena." All three girls said in unison.
Serena began stuffing her face with the wasabi-smoked tuna steak she picked from the hot lunch choices.
"I'm so in love." She said dreamily, mouth packed with food. Kati and Isabel waited for Blair to call Serena out for talking with her mouth full, but because she was Serena, she could get away with it.
Blair rolled her eyes. She was happy Serena found someone that made her happy. After that scruffy-looking kid from Riverside Prep, Dan Humphrey, and Blair's dreadlocked, vegan step-brother, Aaron, she was sure Serena would never settle down. She just hated that Chad was the only thing Serena ever talked about lately.
Serena had met Chad Hendley when she was up in Connecticut with her parents four weekends ago. He was with his parents as well at the country club at which they both were staying. His mischievous smile and silver-flecked eyes were enough to make Serena fall in love, or as close to love as you can get in two days, anyway, and they'd been inseparable ever since. She even lucked out when Chad told her that he would be attending Riverside Prep the rest of his senior year. So Serena had Chad, which meant she would stay away from Nate.
"How can you be in love?" Isabel challenged. "I mean you just met the guy."
Serena just shrugged. "I don't know. It's just something you know. You feel it all over. He's the one. I just know it." Serena gushed.
All this talk about love was making Blair's stomach turn. She wanted to rip that pleasant little smile off Serena's face. She was only jealous because Nate hadn't been paying much attention to her lately. All he was doing was getting high with his buddies. She hated when Serena was so fucking happy. It made her feel like she was rubbing Blair's face in it.
Of course Serena was way too nice to do such a thing, but Blair preferred to create her own reasoning. It made it easier for Blair to hate Serena. That's the kind of relationship they had: love-hate, with the hate geared more toward Serena than Blair.
"Don't be jealous, Isabel. Be happy for her." Blair said coolly.
Isabel looked stunned by her accusation, but just shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm not jealous," She said. "I just don't think it's possible to fall in love with someone you've only known for like two weeks."
Serena gritted her teeth, willing herself to not say something catty like Blair had just done. She hated when people were so negative about things they didn't understand. Isabel wasn't even a true friend. With all the rumors and lies she had perpetuated about her, did she really think Serena was going to take her advice?
"I'm in love. Why is that so hard to believe?" Serena almost whispered. She looked like she was about to cry.
Blair noticed Serena's expression wane, began to feel sorry for her, and was about to lace into Isabel for being so bitchy, but Kati piped up.
"New subject, please." Kati insisted. "What's up with that party this weekend?"
Blair glanced at Kati. Chuck Bass was planning a get-together at his suite in the Tribeca Star Hotel. Only the cream of the crop was invited, and Blair and Serena and friends were definitely that. Even though Chuck was a perverted, wannabe-Lothario, he was still one of them. And he knew how to party.
"Just show up, I guess. You know Chuck doesn't care." Blair replied.
The thing with partying was as long as you knew how to balance it and school, and didn't do anything to embarrass the family, you were good. Serena, unfortunately, got caught screwing up and suffered the consequences of it. She had got kicked out of boarding school because she was too busy partying with the locals in France that summer and missed the first few weeks of class. Thankfully, Constance Billard was a little more forgiving. She received the cold shoulder the first few weeks, though, due to her inattention to her old crowd, not to mention that little fling she had with Nate. But Serena was back on top now, all forgiven, with a new love by her side.
Bits of bagel were now strewn across Blair's plate, and she gathered her trash, preparing to go.
"I'm heading to the computer lab." She stated. "Serena, you coming?"
"Sure." Serena replied.
Kati and Isabel gathered their things as well.
"What about us?" Kati whined.
Blair rolled her eyes. The girls were such copycats. They couldn't even think for themselves. They came in handy, however, to do Blair's bidding anytime she needed them, though. They were so desperate to take Serena's place as her best friend; they would probably lick the bottoms of her feet if she asked.
"Sorry. I just need Serena. See you guys later." Blair turned and made her way to the trash bins across the cafeteria.
Serena stood and followed Blair, leaving Kati and Isabel to pout in envy and rejection. "See you guys." She smiled her fakest smile and walked off.
Serena told Blair she would catch up to her in a few, so Serena ducked off into the bathroom to make a phone call.
She speed-dialed Chad's number, and he picked up on the second ring.
"I couldn't go another minute without hearing your voice." She purred into the phone.
Chad chuckled on the other end. "I guess the feeling is mutual then. I miss you, too."
"You still going to that hotel party I told you about?" Serena asked. She asked him several times before, and he had said yes to her each time. She was afraid he was going to pull a typical guy move and cancel on her at the last minute. But Chad wouldn't do that. He was her sweetie-pie.
"I told you already I was." He replied. "When is it exactly, though?"
"Saturday night. You just show up when you feel like it." Serena explained.
"Well I'll be there." He said.
"With bells on, I hope." Serena attempted at a joke. She didn't know what it was about Chad that made her turn into such a dork. But he told her he liked her corniness. It added humor to things that would otherwise be completely boring.
"Yes, my love." He replied.
Awww.
Serena giggled as she blushed stupidly. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you after class okay? Love You."
"Love you too." Chad said and hung up.
Serena's body was buzzing with pure excitement. Never before had she felt like this. Even though Serena had had tons of boyfriends, none of them made her feel the way Chad did. She felt like he meant it when he said he loved her. Not like other guys, who just said it to be romantic and get a step closer to sex. He truly meant it. This was exactly what Serena wanted and needed: true love.
And as the old saying goes: true love never lies… right?
Serena stuffed her cell phone back into her black Kate Spade tote bag and dashed to the computer lab, hoping Blair had not already left.
