Summary: It's senior year for our beloved Upper East Siders, and the drama is at an all-time high. Applying for college is only a small part of the story, as new romances bloom , scandals erupt at every turn, and alliances shift even faster than Gossip Girl can send an update. Families and reputations are destroyed and made; so are fortunes. And even the strongest friendships are tested.
Author's Note: I'm back! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to your feedback. I just want to state for new readers that this is a Dan/Blair centered story, but there are "B" story arcs for the other characters. It'll all end up effecting Dair in some way, so regardless Dair won't be bored with all that they have to deal with in this series. I won't say too much now because this chapter is uber long. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter One- Summer, Kind of Wonderful
Heeey heeeey heeeeey
Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains
I knew I wouldn't forget you
And so I went and let you blow my mind
Your sweet moonbeam
The smell of you in every single dream I dream
I knew when we collided you're the one I have decided
Who's one of my kind
With the ocean surrounding them, he had come to learn what it was like to live in a sense of abandonment. Throughout the summer, they had dropped anchor in the most exotic of places, where they would take on odd jobs that would last them until they would hit the next country club that Rivers had lined up. Rivers was nothing more than generous, when it came to his employees, the good life was all they knew or would know under him. The experience of just seeing the world was enough for him to realize that this had been the best summer of his life, and he hated to think that it would all be coming to an end. Coming up to surface level in the water, Dan wiped away the water that was in his eyes before he looked over to see Carter floating with yet vodka lemonade in hand. A quick smirk came to Dan's face as that's all they had done the whole summer, that changing pace would probably be too much to ask of Carter if he even contemplated on doing so. Wanting to get washed up for the night, Dan swam back over to the yacht and boarded. Quickly running over to the sliding glass door, Dan felt the breeze catch up to him as a slight chill came upon him. Making his way over towards his room, without really concentrating, he opened the door to find that he wasn't alone. Slowly taking in her naked frame, a smile came to his face as he could only admire her persistent behavior. Dropping trousers, he took his hand and closed the door behind him before she pulled him into an intense, hot kiss that caused them both to fall onto the bed.
Hey soul sister, ain't that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain't fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Heeey heeeey heeeey
Slowly beginning to stir awake from her previous slumber, Blair's eyes gradually began to flutter open to see that she was in an unfamiliar place. The little blurs that she could manage to see through, she had noticed the numerous navy blue shades of décor on top of the English sports teams. Coming to the realization that she had been resting at the foot of the bed, she began to wipe her eyes in a quick pace as it all was coming to her. Sitting up in the bed, she looked at the head of the bed to see the brown haired boy fast asleep with his chiseled chest on full display for her to see. A panic came to her in an instance, hoping that she hadn't lost her inhibitions the night before, she looked down at cardigan, and never had she been happier to see that single clothing item in her life. Bit by bit, she removed the blanket off of her fully clothed body as she began to gather her shoes and her hair tie in a mad rush. Trying her best not to wake him, all she could keep thinking to herself was how she was going to sneak back into the villa without Serena or Georgina noticing. Grabbing the notepad that was on his desk on the way out of his room, she scribbled down a few words to express her gratitude for their night together. Folding the piece of paper up to place neatly on his desk along with his other royal matters that were most likely more important than her reasons for leaving so early, she was more concern with making this a successful getaway more than anything. Putting on her cardigan sweater once she had made it to the foyer of his loft, she swiftly headed out in hopes of not being spotted by any of the staff members.
Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one track mind like me
You gave my life direction
A game show love connection, we can't deny
I'm so obsessed
My heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna
And I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind
He hadn't enjoyed the luxuries of prancing around the beaches like his friends had this past summer then it come, but the hell that he found himself at come to the point where even the fire was numbing him to all that surrounded him. Hearing his father's constant griping of the money it was costing him to keep his latest scandal covered up, Chuck had practically become immune to the fact that his father cared more about the repercussions for Bass Industries than he did his own son. At times, things did look grim for his chances in the case, but since Jenny and her family weren't money hungry, things were pretty stagnant at this point. Darren Kasgrove, his attorney, had pretty much handled every little detail in the case that nothing was ever going to get printed without him knowing about it first. Gossip Girl had speculated a few times as to why Chuck hadn't graced his fellow peers with his appearance down at the Hamptons, but compared to how bad it could have been, he was getting a great deal with the media not knowing anything more than him missing in action .Although he worried about what this would do for his future as a business man, Chuck couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Jenny. It was all supposed to be a game, in which he'd exact his revenge for her mother ruining his family, but the fact had became clear to him that things had gone horribly wrong that night. Darren wouldn't allow contact to Jenny, so any contact he wanted to have with her in concern about that night, it would all have to be once things were settled out of court. Walking over to the window, he let Darren go on about strategy as he couldn't help but feel like this was the first time out of the summer that he got to truly see the outside world.
Hey soul sister, ain't that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain't fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
The way you can cut a rugWatching you is the only drug I need
So gangster, I'm so thugYou're the only one I'm dreaming of
You see I can be myself now finally
In fact there's nothing I can't be
I want the world to see you'll be with me
Darkness filled the room, as there was no light inside that would give a glimmer of hope of seeing the light of day. The room of course seemed to fit the mood of the young woman lying underneath the covers of her bed. For the most part of her days, Jenny would stay in her room just sleeping or listening to depressing music that only helped her go back to sleep. She couldn't even recall if she tried the last time that she had been outside of her room or in the real world. All that mattered to her was to just stay locked away in her room, where it was safe. Sleep didn't come easily, so the little sleep that she had gotten, it wasn't enough to call a full nights worth for a normal person. Outside, in the real world or in the kitchen loft, Rufus finished up making a batch of coffee for both him and his visiting, estranged wife. Pouring her a cup, Rufus handed her the cup as she began to prepare it to her liking. While Alison fixed her coffee, Rufus couldn't help but stare over at Jenny's door, hoping that today would be the day that she would come out and show them that she was okay. He hadn't expected her to get back to normal after what she had gone through, but he just wanted to see some resemblance of her trying to fight against what was killing her. It was still hard for him to process that this could happen to her, but his anger would only carry him so far until he realized the real anger or pain had to be pint up within her. He had been resigned to sit and stare at her day all day long if he could, just so that he could be the first to be there for her. Alison and Rufus hadn't really spoken much since the divorce filing, but it was a time like this where they were able to put their issues to the side so that they could be there for their daughter.
Hey soul sister, ain't that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain't fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Hey soul sister, I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Heeey heeeey heeeeey (tonight)
Heeey heeeey heeeeey (tonight)
Turning the corner as she headed up the driveway to their villa, Blair ducked down a bit so that she couldn't be seen from window view. Eyeing the pot the key was under, she hated that the intentions they had left it out for would come to benefit her, Serena and Blair had gotten used to Georgina's late night partying that they had finally given in and put an extra key outside for her. Grabbing the key, she put the plant pot back down before she headed over towards the door. Trying to be as silent as possible, Blair opened the door slowly so that she wouldn't wake anyone inside. Tip toeing inside, she had thought that she was being perfectly discreet, but little did she know that all eyes were on her at this very moment by the blonde. Sitting in her chair with her morning cup of coffee, Serena had a smile plastered all over her face as she watched Blair tip toe down the hall until she hit one of the tables. Doing her best not to scream out any expletives, Blair hopped around for a second until she realized that Serena was sitting there.
"Is someone doing the walk of shame?" Serena asked with a bit of laughter
"What? No. I'm not doing any type of walk" Blair began to reason
"You're doing the walk of shame, and you know it" Serena laughed "Was it with Marcus?" she asked "Because I'm going to take a wild guess that you weren't over at Eleanor's villa" she smiled
"I could have been over at my mother's" Blair quickly declared
"But you weren't" Serena quickly replied
"I wasn't with Marcus" Blair said as she meant to imply in the form of sexually being with Marcus
"Okay, okay. Well then who? I went into your room last night to sleep because our house guest decided to throw a party…" Serena began to tell her friend before Blair interrupted
"Again?" Blair asked
"Yes, again. It was more like an orgy. By the way, we really need to switch rooms or move her to the west side of the villa…" Serena said
"I wish we could just move her period" Blair griped "All summer long she's been a pain in my…" she began to say before the very person they were talking about decided to grace them with her presence
"Good morning bitches" Georgina said still half asleep as she headed into the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee
"Again, with the bitches. Don't call me a bitch" Blair told her
"Sorry, ho" Georgina replied with a smirk on her face as Serena just shook her head trying to figure out how that name was better than the one before
"You're vocab truly baffles me" Serena sighed
"And this lack of breakfast surprises me. Where is the staff? Where is the whole breakfast spread…are we roughing it or something?" Georgina asked
"With you being so grief stricken, we thought you didn't deserve such amenities" Blair said as she took a seat on the sofa
"Figures that you'd short change me on the small things" Georgina said as she headed into the living room area to join them "Tomorrow, I want the whole works. I'm talking pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit, and truffles" she said as Serena just laughed to herself
"Is that how it's going to work? You don't get what you want, so you threaten us?" Serena asked
"It's just breakfast, I didn't think that was asking much of you trust fund kids" Georgina reasoned
"Coming from a trust fund kid, this is rich" Blair laughed to herself in disbelief
"No, it's coming from a girl, who has had to find her way through life all on her own without the comforts of a big sister to help her through" Georgina said putting on her best dramatic performance "I wonder if that Officer Reyes is still there at the police station, he was a fine piece of ass" she said before Blair grabbed the nearest pillow and nearly jumped on top of Georgina in an attempt to smother her.
"Blair!" Serena said jumping from her seat to pull her friend off of Georgina
"If we kill her then she'll be gone. I'm so sick of this…" Blair said trying to put the pillow to Georgina's face but Georgina was able to block it
"You're the crazy bitch!" Georgina declared fending for her safety
"You're the psychotic bitch that is fake mourning your own sister!" Blair fired back as she finally gave up hope that she was going to put an end to Georgina
"Yeah, well. Does this really surprise you?" Georgina asked as they both gasped for air
"Both of you just need to calm down" Serena told them in a stern voice to let them know she wasn't playing "Blair, calm down. Georgina just shut up" she told them both as Blair went off to the corner of the room
"This is crazy! You're becoming like a damn leech, and all you keep doing is making it clear that you're a whore with no values" Blair told Georgina
"And I'm happy to oblige" Georgina replied
"Blair!" Serena told her "There's no point in trying to convince her to do the right thing" she said
"I did the right thing, I just did it for the wrong people" Georgina laughed
"You're not going to hold that over my head, I refuse to let you think that I purposely…." Blair began to say before Georgina cut her off
"That you left your supposed best friend out to dry. That you couldn't bother to take responsibility over something you did, so you let her wither away in the woods. That you…" Georgina began to list
"We get the damn picture!" Serena interjected "Both of you just shut up and leave each other alone. This summer has been hell as is just listening to you two bicker. I swear you fight worse with Georgina than you did Dan" she sighed
"That's because Dan isn't trying to blackmail me" Blair reasoned
"Do tell on this Dan front though?" Georgina asked as she began to perk up at the sound of a boy "He sounds like someone I've known in the biblical sense" she smiled
"Who haven't you known in the biblical sense" Blair scoffed
"I wouldn't be talking, you hair looks like its been rubbing against a pillow, and not in the sleeping sense" Georgina said as she began to look over Blair's appearance
"Who are you to judge my appearance?" Blair asked
"B, she does have a point" Serena said as she looked at her friend with a bit of smirk
"You can't be serious?" Blair questioned
"Someone did the walk of shame" Georgina said in a taunting tone "Was this Lord Marcus? Did he storm your castles?" she asked
"You're disgusting, you know that right?" Blair told her as Serena just laughed "And you're encouraging her, make it stop" she said
"I really would like to know where you were last night, I mean if not with Marcus than whom?" Serena asked
"Ooh, it could have been Jose, the pool guy, he's smoking hot" Georgina smiled
"You slept with him" Serena pointed out
"That's right, no wonder I keep remembering him, and since Ms. Perfect over there isn't keen on using leftovers, I doubt she took a ride on the Puerto Rican express" Georgina said
"Blair's men have to pass certain tests in order to get access to her v-card" Serena teased "Nate and her had been together since grade school, and she still never slept with him" she mentioned
"This coming from the two easiest girls in all of the Upper Eastside" Blair laughed "Bring Mother Teresa in here to engage in this conversation, then we'll talk" she said
"Oh, for the love of God" Georgina grunted "Will you just admit it by now…we will find out" she said
"And there's another point" Serena smiled before Blair hit her on the arm
"Whose side are you on?" Blair asked
"Question is whose side of the bed were you on?" Georgina laughed as she asked. Knowing that the two of them weren't going to give up on the questions, Blair felt as if she was being backed into a corner.
"Fine, Marcus and I, we may have done some stuff" Blair hesitantly replied as Serena began to beam
"Oh, I thought this would make me feel good to know you finally got down and dirty, but now I just feel repulsed…and hungry" Georgina said
"How was it?" Serena asked
"It was…it was, special" Blair fumbled to find the words
"Special? Basically that's code for clumsy positioning without the payoff in the end" Georgina laughed "Forget storming the castle, he barely got past the draw bridge" she laughed
"No, special as in sweet and romantic" Blair said as she began to recall certain memories "He told me I was beautiful, and he just made me feel truly special. He was gentle and caring, like a true gentlemen" she said beginning to tear up a bit "That's what I meant, when I said special" she then said
"Aw, that was touching" Georgina said "S, how was Nate on your first time together?" she then asked as Blair just scoffed at her before heading into her bedroom. Relieving herself of her blouse, Blair threw her blouse down onto the floor before she flopped down on her bed. Grabbing the pillow, Blair let out a scream into the pillow that held all the frustrations she had of her situation with Georgina. She knew that there was no possible way of getting rid of Georgina now, but the fact that she had managed to turn a summer that was supposed to be of soul searching into a summer of hell. Rising from her spot on the bed, she leaned over to pull out a decorated box that was under her bed. Opening up the box, she looked on at the letters she had hoped to send but always managed to find a way out of it. Digging in her purse, she pulled out the latest envelope that she had stuffed with heart felt words before she put it in the box to join the others. Looking on at them, all she could notice was the name; "to Dan" was how they were marked.
Going through the stats sheet in the newspaper on the sports teams, his luck had picked up over the summer as he found himself investing more time into sports. Soccer had equipped him with all the knowledge that he needed to at least understand the vocabulary of soccer and a little of the other sports. Highlighting teams that he would look for on his computer, Carter had gotten so lost in concentration that he soon noticed the girl come out of Dan's room. Fixing her clothing in a rush, she gave a quick wave good bye to Carter before she left. Coming out just seconds later, Dan had a look of frustration on his face like things hadn't gone as he expected. Carter put his newspaper down so that he could focus in on his friend. Knowing that he was most likely going to be asked questions about this very event, Dan just took his seat across from Carter and awaited for the first comment to come out of his friends mouth.
"So let me guess, she just happened to love your knowledge of all things literary?" Carter teased his friend as Dan flopped down on the sofa across from him
"She wanted to have sex" Dan groaned before he looked up to see Carter still fumbling around with the same newspaper "What's with you and the newspaper? I didn't take you for a sports junky" he asked
"I'm not. I just happen to be interested in what sports can do for me, financial wise" Carter smiled "Besides, I'm not getting much luck with the ladies. I figured my energy should be focused somewhere productive" he said
"You do know that we have Coach Matthews waiting to grind our asses for the next season, right?" Dan asked him
"Oh, who gives a crap about Coach Matthews? He's a guy that likes to live on the coat tails of the board members, the only reason why he got the coaching job was because he was some washed has been, who's career got ended on a cheap play, that he caused" Carter said
"Such animosity" Dan laughed "All I'm saying is that, maybe you should ease off of the vacation mode a bit. So the gambling should probably stop" he told his friend
"It's not gambling, it's me engaging in sports talk" Carter said
"Yeah, well you're flirting with gambling" Dan said "Besides, I need to get back to my reality because all these girls are starting to become much" he then said
"And the problem in that would be?" Carter asked in disbelief "You've had more luck than any man I've ever seen, and I'm counting the horn dog politicians that make a career out of cheating" he said
"Well, I'm not interested in just having random sex with a girl. I mean she was cute, but she was too….handsy" Dan said
"Handsy, that brings unwanted flashbacks that I don't care to share with you in the moment" Carter said getting horrible flashbacks to Cotillion "I just don't understand why you can't seal the deal with these vibrant women, I mean they parade around here like playmates, and all for the likes of you" he said "I've never seen a library be a great meeting ground to pick up girls" he then pointed out
"And I never asked for it! I go to read and listen to the local author's, I don't go to pick up girls" Dan reasoned
"You use the library for evil as opposed to the healthy learning place it's supposed to be. Shame, shame on you Humphrey" Carter joked "I guess you were really killing them softly with your words, huh?" he teased
"Okay, well that's what you think. I happen to think that finding a girl in the library isn't such a bad idea, it's just…" Dan began to say before Carter interrupted
"They don't resemble a certain brunette, Upper Eastside, who thinks her sole purpose in life is to maintain the social ladder" Carter suggested as he was making a clear reference to Blair
"No, I wasn't thinking about Blair" Dan replied
"Oh, so you haven't been thinking about Blair at all?" Carter asked finding that to be an obvious lie out of his mouth
"No, I haven't. With all the work that we have to do as far as maintaining the boats for the next club, then looking over the maintenance of it, then the few days that we get to wander around the towns we visit, who has time to form a lasting relationship" Dan reasoned
"That's your problem; you're not trying to find your soul mate. All you need to do is just find your way to panty Ville" Carter said "Every time I think you're on route, you manage to make a detour onto the lets get to know each other road" he said
"So I should just sleep with these random girls?" Dan asked
"Yes!" Carter declared "Be prepared, but yes, have random sex" he said
"It takes a lot of work to womanize, work that I'm not trying to put in for just meaningless sex" Dan said "I mixed up a Jessica with a Tiffany, and a Tiffany with Jessica…how is that even possible?" he asked his friend
"If they both are hot, it's very possible" Carter smiled
"Okay, well let's say I take that logic…" Dan said before Carter interrupted "The logic of casual, random sex" he went on to say
"In which I hope you partake in, soon. This trip is almost coming to an end, and you have yet to reach panty Ville successfully" Carter said
"Let's say…my ability isn't quite what it used to be?" Dan asked
"What do you mean?" Carter asked in confusion "Are you talking like…unable to perform?" he asked
"Kind of…" Dan said before Carter drew a shocked face
"You can't be serious?" Carter laughed "How can you not perform…you and Waldorf used to do it like rabbits" he reasoned
"I know, but it's like I can't anymore. Before I wasn't trying, but this one time, when I honestly did want to….it wouldn't happen" Dan said
"You're talking nothing at all?' Carter asked
"Nothing" Dan replied
"Oh, that could be a problem" Carter concluded "No wonder they always leave dissatisfied" he then began to recall on his memory of the walk of shame the girls would take
"Look, I'm not trying to sleep with every girl. I just want that option, and I'm afraid I've lost the option. So in fear of not having it spread across the country and into Gossip Girl territory, I just chose make out, nothing further" Dan told him
"And you seriously think you'll get by with that?" Carter asked
"I have to, I can't get the torpedo to stand…so I have to settle for simple diagnostic tests to see if it's still on the launching pad" Dan said
"The sexual references to torpedo's….that's a bit scary" Carter laughed at his friend "I might have a cure for you, in that area" he said
"I'm not taking Viagra, I've seen way too many American Pie movies to know that with my luck, it won't turn out the way I want it to" Dan said
"You watch American Pie?" Carter asked "That in itself is shocking" he smiled "But no, I don't intend to Jimmer you up. I think the main problem was that you lost that reason to launch, that prepping isn't there anymore that made you want to blast off" he said
"I'm dying to know how you plan to fix this" Dan laughed
"I think I may have the only plan to fix that, you may hate me for it, but I've got the solution" Carter said as he slowly rose from his spot on the sofa before slowly backing into the kitchen
"Why are you walking so funny?" Dan asked as he noticed his friend's movement
"Only because I want to make sure you're a good enough distance away from me" Carter told him "Because what I have to say can either be good or bad for you, but know that I hope it will be looked upon as good" he said
"Just tell me" Dan replied
"The next stop is in the Hamptons" Carter said before Dan quickly zeroed in on him "Please don't kill me" he then declared before he took off running
"You knew about this!" Dan said as he ran after his friend
Poking at her food that was on her plate, Blair had hoped the excessive talking that Geogina was doing would die down, but that hope was slowly fading for him. Looking over at Serena with boredom plastered all over her face, Serena just hoped that her friend could make it through the dinner without having the need to strangle Georgina. Blair had hopes of stealing a few moments away with the Mr. Segel, who happened to be in admissions at Yale, so that she'd be able to introduce herself formally to him for when application time came around. College had always been on her mind; Nate had always complained that she was too into school to focus on having a successful relationship. Though she knew that other things caused more harm to her relationship than school, but Nate's drive for college success never could match hers like she had wanted it to. Seeing Georgina begin her shameless flirting with the waiter, Blair had finally reached her limit and wasn't about to endure anything more. Grabbing Serena's hand, Blair quickly led her off into the restroom so that they could talk in private while Georgina wasn't paying attention. Unsure as to where they were going, Serena kept looking back, hoping that it wasn't too obvious how upset Blair was at this point.
"Okay, let's way the pros and the cons of this situation. Pro, get rid of Georgina and preserve our sanity. Con, keep Georgina and plead insanity for killing her" Blair told her
"She's not that bad" Serena sighed as Blair looked at her with utter confusion
"She's rubbing the Chancellor's groin area!" Blair declared
"All right, it's that bad. What are we supposed to do? We can't necessarily kick her to the curb, she knows too much and we can't risk that" Serena said
"She needs limitations or a muzzle" Blair said "When I thought of this summer, I didn't have being blackmailed by Georgina at the top of the list" she said
"Well we all agreed, this was for the best" Serena said
"The we in this situation is falling to you and me. Nate is off gallivanting with girls from our sister school, and Chuck…he's nowhere to be found this summer, since his little arrest" Blair exclaimed
"All the more reason why we can't get crazy and do something we'll regret" Serena told her
"We're a little late with that" Blair sighed "I just wish that we could go home, and get back to normal because my summer has been nothing short of crap" she said
"That's something we agree upon, but until then, we have to plod through" Serena told her "We still have the White Party, and Cici says it will be nothing short of amazing" she beamed
"Cici always thinks her parties will be nothing short of amazing" Blair laughed
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena asked as she hit her friend on the arm
"No offense S, but the White Party has always had the tradition of drama. Cocktails combined with a bunch of rich people, that's a recipe for disaster" Blair said
"It's for charity" Serena reasoned
"That's what we always say when we want to get a hangover at a social event" Blair stated
"You had fun at Eleanor's fashion show. Going to Cape Cod with Rivers was fun" Serena mentioned
"Yeah, I believe the highlight of that trip was when Georgina went topless" Blair replied sarcastically
"Look, find the joy somewhere. We've still got a few more days left of the Hamptons, then it's back to Gossip Girl territory, and we both know how it is in Gossip Girl territory" Serena said as Blair let out a sigh
"Point taken" Blair reluctantly agreed before Serena took her hand in hers
"So lets go out there, sip on some champagne and enjoy the rest of the night" Serena said "Hopefully by the time the Chancellor stops speaking, we'll both have a good buzz going on" she said before they made their way out of the restroom. Noticing the two girls, Georgina gave them a skeptical look as she continued to sip on her glass of champagne.
Sitting at the table with the gathered guests, one more look at Georgina shamelessly flirt with board members, and she was sure that she was going to jump across the table to choke her. For the past two months, Georgina had managed to leech her way onto their Hamptons and Cape Cod excursions at their expense, with all that they were spending on Georgina, they couldn't run the risk of alerting any authorities or parents because this was there mess that they had to take care of. There was only so much wine that she could take before it would become apparent that she was drunk, so Blair had taken it upon herself to just call it an evening and return back to the villa. Looking over at Serena run her hand through her hair in controlled frustration, Blair gave Serena a look that showed she couldn't take it any longer. Throwing down her napkin onto the table, Blair had hoped that she would have gained the attention of Mr. Hawthorne, the Yale representative that she had sought out, but found his only attention had only gone to the loose women, also known as Georgina, and the happy couples that reminded him of his times of his belated wife, Mildred Hawthorne. Either way she considered this night a dud, and the only thing she had on her mind was to just go to bed. Opening the door out into the hallways of the villa, Blair kicked the pebbles along the way as the ocean breeze gave her soothing feeling in the summer's heat. Hearing the sounds of footsteps coming from the other side of the hall, that was across the way, she figured that it was another late night yacht excursion coming in for the evening. Looking up, she was quickly taken aback to see a familiar face looking back at her with the same shock.
"Humphrey" Blair said as his appearance nearly took her breath away with the summer look doing him justice in more ways than one. Blair's eyes stayed focused on the dark haired boy, trying to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. A slight smile came to her face as she continued to walk forward, but the smile quickly faded once she bumped into the outer lining of the fountain. Doing her best to stay upward, Blair flailed her arms in the air as she tried not to bring attention to herself, but found herself leaning forward with no ounce of control to stop her body. Falling into the fountain, Blair closed her eyes in sheer embarrassment. "Damn you Humphrey!" she groaned as she hit her hand against the water in frustration.
Over the summer, he had chalked up his relationship with Eleanor as one that could possibly get tossed to the wayside. Learning that the last stop on their tour around the world would be in the Hampton's, Dan felt a little nervous as to what to expect. Rivers had changed up things at such late notice that he hadn't really set them up with a place to stay, but it was of no surprise to Dan that Eleanor had offered up her villa for them to stay at. He had felt obligated to call and talk to Eleanor once he had learned of her generous offer, and he was happy to hear that she seemed overjoyed to hear that he was on his way. With his duffle bag draped over his shoulder, he entered into the villa to see the lavish spread that he would be staying at for the next week or so until it was time for him to head back to the city. A small part of him had prepared himself to see Blair make an appearance, but since Eleanor had just recently come down on business for the upcoming fashion show that she was sponsoring, he knew that Blair was most likely settled into her own villa with Serena. It always amazed him how they were able to afford the lavish things so easily as if it were just something so trivial to them, but being around a woman like Eleanor Waldorf; he had come to see that money was nothing to her. Putting his bags down in his room, Dan quickly made his way back out to the dining area to join Eleanor.
"Once again, thank you so much for letting us stay here on such late notice" Carter thanked Eleanor as he put his napkin down
"It's no problem. Rivers told me that he had some last minute business that he personally had to handle, and he hadn't set you two up…so I said it'd be no problem for you two to stay here until the remaining time" Eleanor smiled
"And we won't be a bother?" Dan asked "I know you have your business to tend to while you're in town" he said
"You're not a bother. I've mostly handled the hard parts, so now this time is just called down time for me" Eleanor smiled
"A high profiled woman taking time for her, I like that" Carter smiled
"Vacations aren't often, but I take them when I can" Eleanor said as Dan pushed his plate away once he was done
"If you will excuse me, I have to get some items that I was supposed to pick up" Carter said as he got up from the table
"Do you need me to go with you?" Dan asked
"No, I'm good. It might take a while, so I'll just see you tomorrow" Carter said as he pushed his chair into the table "Thank you once again Ms. Waldorf" he said before he walked over to the door to head out
"I thought I might never see you again, I thought you'd run off and never return" Eleanor said as she got up from her seat then reached to grab her glass of wine
"You knew I'd come back. I can't necessarily run away" Dan sighed
"Yeah, well I thought you felt that was your option" Eleanor said "But I'm glad to see that you have a level head" she said before she nodded over towards the sitting area so that they could sit down and talk comfortably. Getting up from the table, Dan grabbed his bottle of water and followed behind Eleanor to the sitting area. "How are your parents doing?" she asked
"Don't really talk to my mom because why bother. My dad is doing good, we've mostly texted…which is kind of weird because he never texts that much" Dan sighed as he flopped down on the sofa across from her "And Jenny is busy having fun going back and forth from Hudson to the city" he relayed to her "How has work been?" he asked
"It's been better, but business is business as usual. The intern I've hired can barely organize worth anything, so I have to let her go once I return to the city" Eleanor said "I was hoping that my old assistant would come back to the job" she said
"Also known as me" Dan laughed "I've given much thought to that" he said
"Thought that you're willing to share?" Eleanor asked him
"Not at this moment" Dan replied sadly "I'm not trying to be irresponsible, but this summer just put a lot of things in perspective for me. It felt good to not really be so responsible, the care free life has its advantages" he told her
"Don't talk like that, you have me thinking you're going to revert to a slacker with no goals" Eleanor said
"I have goals, I just have a different means of going about them now" Dan said "Besides, and you should be encouraging me to have fun while I'm young" he said
"I'm not the typical parent, I don't abide by the should and shouldn't rules. You should be focused on school, and shouldn't ease up now" Eleanor said as Dan just laughed to himself
"Yes ma'am" Dan laughed
"Thank you for e-mailing this summer" Eleanor said after a moment of silence came between them
"Did I really have an option?" Dan joked "You're very persistent" he said
"I just worried that something might happen to you while you were out at sea, let's face it Daniel, you're a virgin when it comes to the sea life. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't get swallowed up by a whale" Eleanor reasoned as Dan couldn't help laugh even harder by her crazed notions
"Now I see where Blair gets her dramatic chops from. A whale? Really?" Dan asked her with a smile on his face before she hit him on the arm
"I worry" Eleanor said "Next time I won't" she then declared
"Because a whale is just bound to come swallow me whole" Dan continued to tease her
"It could happen" Eleanor reasoned as even she had to let out a bit of a laugh over that extreme statement
"No, it really couldn't" Dan laughed "I mean, knowing my luck, it could. Though I doubt it could happen" he said
"Okay, maybe I was being a bit extreme on that" Eleanor said
"You think" Dan smiled
"It was your first time out on the sea like that, and I just thought something could happen that you're not prepared for. You're a bright young man, but you not smarter than the con artists and the bad people in the world" Eleanor said bringing it back to a more serious tone
"Thank you for worrying" Dan said "It's kind of unusual for me to have a mother worry about me, of course its fitting that it's not my own mother that is worrying about me, but I'll take it" he said
"Every mother worries, even if their not physically there to show you they worry" Eleanor said
"You know how she is, I still don't get why you paint the rosy picture of me having a mother" Dan sighed
"Because I'm not a great mother, so I'm in no room to judge others" Eleanor said "Maybe you should add that to your list of things to do this year, make amends with your mother" she told him as he just laughed to himself
"I have Dartmouth and my family to worry about" Dan replied "I don't have time to worry about a grown woman" he said
"Okay, okay. I won't press the issue, but I would hate for you to have this type of relationship with your mother" Eleanor said as she got the hint that he wasn't interested in talking about his mother any longer "Since you mentioned Dartmouth, I think you'll be happy to hear that George Hawthorne is in town giving private seminars" she told him
"Who is George Hawthorne?" Dan asked a bit confused but intrigued
"He's part of the academic board of the ivy leagues. His alma mater is Dartmouth but he received his PhD at Yale" Eleanor said
"And he's holding seminars here?" Dan asked
"Yes, it's rumored that he often gives out letters of recommendation to the few students that attend his private seminars for future applications" Eleanor said
"That'd be great for my interviews, that's if I get accepted" Dan replied
"You will, but you need to start laying the groundwork for Dartmouth" Eleanor smiled
"And that will give me something to do for the time being, this could be perfect" Dan smiled
"Everything happens for a reason" Eleanor exclaimed before she slowly got up from her seat "Now, I would love to talk with you some more, but I have to get rest for an early meeting tomorrow" she yawned
"What happened to the vacationing status?" Dan asked him with a bit of laughter
"It's not that type of meeting" Eleanor winked at him "Goodnight Daniel" she said as she turned to head to her room
"Thank you. For worrying about me" Dan told her once she had turned back to look at him "I missed that" he smiled
"No problem. No problem" Eleanor smiled at him feeling as if their bond had only grown just by seeing each other
Making his way into the smoky bar, he looked around to survey the dim lit bar, and had come to find it suitable enough. Walking over towards the bar, he took a seat down on one of the barstools before he pulled out his newspaper. Steadily looking over the same stats that he had done so early on in the day, he studied the teams that he had made a point to pay attention to and found that he was narrowing down on his picks. The bartender let off a good laugh as he knew that Carter was well under age to be in the bar, but the rich kids had become his highest paying customers that he couldn't afford not to take their service. Filling up his glass with Carter's requested beer; the bartender came over and placed the beer in front of the young man. Noticing that he was studying the sporting section pretty heavily, he looked on intently to see that he was having trouble with the professional basketball teams. The odor of the bartender became overwhelming that it became hard to notice that he wasn't standing there, looking up from his newspaper, Carter looked up with a bit of a cocky smile on his face.
"Them boy's upstate catching your interest?" The bartender asked with a southern twang to his voice
"What?" Carter asked as he looked up at the bartender to see that he had enough tattoos to start his own color factory
"You're looking pretty strongly at that team, must've caught your interest" The bartender said as he pointed to the picture of the team
"Yeah, the Stallions. Haven't heard too much, but they're numbers look pretty good" Carter said
"Numbers don't lie" The bartender laughed as Eric joined Carter at the counter to his surprise "People say they're going to win it all" he went on to say
"The Stallions?" Carter asked
"Yeah, they got a first round pick that averaged over thirty points in his college days. Depth on the bench, and assassins behind the arc" The bartender told him before turning his attention to Eric "Same?" he asked
"The same" Eric agreed as the bartender quickly turned to grab Eric a bottle of coke
"What are you doing here?" Carter asked "I never took this as your scene" he said
"It's not" Eric replied before the bartender handed him the bottle "My grandmother is a stickler for healthy eating, which includes no sodas" he told him
"Why does that not surprise me" Carter laughed "So you come down to a local bar for a soda…only in the Upper Eastside" he went on to say
"Yes, only in the Upper Eastside" Eric said before he took a drink of his soda "I hear you guys are leaning heavily towards the Stallions?" he then asked as he looked from Carter to the bartender
"It's a sure bet" The bartender said
"And you're going along with that?" Eric turned to ask Carter
"A guy that works in a bar, around sports talk all day long, I think he's bound to pick up something" Carter reasoned as he and the bartender just shared a cocky look at each other
"Well, if I may interject in this testosterone session. The Stallions are great and all, but I don't think they'll be that great against The Lions" Eric told them
"Do tell on this logic?" Carter asked
"For starters, that first round pick, he only average thirty points in a conference with no real threats in any position. Put him up against an All American from the SEC, and I think you'll have different results. The center for the Lions, he's you're all around center, he can post and has a mid range game. The center from the Stallions, he averages about ten points a game, but is known for getting into foul trouble" Eric pointed out to them "You've got a center, and a two forwards that can create their own shots…recipe for disaster, which is why I think you should go with the Lions" he went on to conclude
"I'm very…very shocked right now" Carter said before he let out a slight laugh "And just how do you know this?" he asked
"Serena dated a lot of athletes, and let's just say they never came equipped with brain power to talk about anything but sports" Eric said
"So you're saying go with the Lions?" Carter asked "And then you say the Stallions?" he then turned to ask the bartender
"You've got yourself a dilemma, but I'm willing to bank on my prediction" Eric smiled before he downed the rest of his coke while Carter just wondered if it was worth taking the risk.
"All right, this is all the money earned this summer" Carter said as he pulled out two envelopes that his name written on one and Dan's on the other one "Where can I find me a bookie?" he asked as the bartender just shook his head, laughing at the two boys.
All night long she couldn't manage to shake her thoughts of him, sleep felt nearly impossible to consider with the very guy that she had thought of constantly all summer long close by. Deep down she had hoped that his reasoning for coming to the very destination that she had spent her summer would be because he couldn't take the distance any longer, but she wasn't going to hold her breath for that fantasy. The more she began to think, it only made sense that Rivers was coerced into suddenly have the boys change route to the Hampton's. Blair had pretty much learned the route like the back of her hand, the last stop as she had come to know it as should have been back in Florida. Storming into her mother's villa, Blair was on a mission to get her questions answered by her main suspect on the list. Immediately entering into the study, by passing Dorota on her path, Blair took a seat in front of her mother's desk. Talking on the phone with one of her distributors, Eleanor had come to enjoy the pleasant talks with distributors rather than the ones where she had to lay down the law. Turning her chair around slowly, Eleanor was caught off guard to see her daughter sitting in the chair in front of her desk. Looking over at Dorota, Blair quickly got in the vision angle the two women were sharing so that she could let them know that she was onto them. Hanging up the phone slowly, Eleanor had almost wished that she would have received some stupid question so that she could have stayed on the phone longer.
"Blair, what brings you here so early?" Eleanor asked trying to play surprised "Where is the Lord?" she asked
"Please don't say that, I feel like your making a biblical reference or something. Don't think you can side step me with the Marcus questions" Blair said
"But didn't you go out on date with him?" Dorota asked
"It wasn't a date. We were just talking…I wanted it to be a date so that I could get over a certain situation, but it wasn't" Blair said
"So then how did it go?" Eleanor asked
"I slept over at his villa" Blair said as Eleanor wore a shocked look on her face
"My daughter is becoming a whore" Eleanor said in disbelief
"Somehow I feel that was the same reaction Georgina's mother had in her a-ha moment" Blair said to herself "But no, I didn't sleep with him…well I did, but I was clothed. Marcus spent the whole night talking about his ex-girlfriend that he's still in love with" she sighed "But back to my point as to why I came to see you" she then said trying not to let them derail her train of thought
"I thought you came by for chit chat, girl talk as they call it" Dorota said
"I thought I would just come by to see my scheming mother" Blair smiled sarcastically at her mother
"Scheming? What are you talking about?" Eleanor asked
"Dan. Here. He is in the Hamptons. How?" Blair asked "He's supposed to be in Florida" she then said
"You'll have to take that up with Rivers, and by the way, the stalking isn't really becoming of a young lady" Eleanor said
"Same goes for you" Blair fired back "What did you do?" she asked
"What makes you think I did something? I don't tell Rivers what to do with his business" Eleanor said as Dorota tried to tip toe out of the room
"Dorota, you better freeze!" Blair declared without having to turn to look at the woman. Putting her hands up, Dorota stood scared over by the door, knowing that Blair had figured them out "Now, I know that schedule like the back of my hand. I know for a fact that you had something to do with this because why does Humphrey out of nowhere stop off in the Hamptons" she stated
"Maybe he heard good things…" Dorota began to suggest before Blair interrupted
"Do you honestly think I'm buying that?" Blair turned to ask her "Just tell me what is going on, what is he doing here?" she asked looking at them both
"We might have done some minor…" Dorota began to say
"Just minor, small tweaking" Eleanor then added
"Something along the lines of blackmail even" Dorota mentioned before Eleanor looked over at her quickly as if she wasn't suppose to reveal that fact
"I wouldn't say blackmail, I would say more a long the lines of friendly advice to rework his whole routes" Eleanor said as Blair just laughed in sheer amazement at the lengths they went to
"I knew it!" Blair declared excitedly "This had your name written all over this" she then went on to say
"Could you blame me? I hate my new intern, then I hate watching you run up the credit cards due to your constant retail therapy" Eleanor said
"Hey, you said I could take any mean necessary to cope" Blair defended
"We just never thought that'd we have to suffer with you" Dorota said
"I'm not suffering. I'm enjoying my summer" Blair reasoned "Besides, I thought you were supposed to stay neutral in all of this" she said
"I wish I could but Daniel is my best employee…no offense Dorota. He's the only one that had the house and the office running in tip top shape. Everything was just so organized and well thought out; do you know he scheduled time for me to eat? Eleanor told her "I'm sorry sweetheart, but you've got to make things right with him" she said
"Where is the loyalty?" Blair asked
"It left, when Celine Dion's greatest hits went on constant rotation" Dorota commented
"So you tell Rivers to just rework the whole routing schedule, all for what? Did you bring him back for me?" Blair asked after a moment of silence filled the room
"Well….yeah" Eleanor said "Let's face it, you were pretty glum all summer long" she said
"I wasn't glum!" Blair declared
"Ms. Blair, there was only so much Celine Dion we could take" Dorota said
"That's ridiculous" Blair said
"Do you really want to let your pride get in the way again? I mean your pride is what got you in this mess to begin with" Eleanor said
"I admit that, but I don't need my mother to scheme to bring a guy back" Blair said "I feel like I'm in pre-school all over again" she sighed
"Ms. Blair, look at the bigger picture. Daniel is back, and this is your chance to make things right. To get that fairytale" Dorota smiled
"It's not that easy" Blair replied "He thinks I chose Nate over him. He thinks that I didn't care about him" she said
"And now is your chance to tell him different" Eleanor said "Waldorf women have a strong trait of stubbornness in them…" she said before Blair interrupted
"And a tendency to be bitchy" Blair added
"And that, but we allow our pride to dictate too much" Eleanor said "And I think it's about time that push your pride to the side for this one" she then said
"So what am I supposed to do? I can't exactly profess my love to him with Serena being in town. The only person that knows is Nate, and even on that I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Everything is so wrong and complicated" Blair sighed
"Sounds like a forbidden love" Dorota said becoming too intrigued with the scenario that Blair found herself in
"Don't be silly, she's just being dramatic" Eleanor replied
"And what if I'm not? What if I see this for what it really is?" Blair asked
"What? You moping and denying your feelings for a boy, which two months ago you were going to profess your love for" Eleanor asked
"Okay, that was a bit much" Blair said "But in not so many terms, yes" she then added
"Stop being stubborn, and see this as your sign to make things right" Dorota told her
"I'll tell you what" Eleanor said as she reached into her drawer to pull out a notebook "Last night, I mentioned to Daniel about George Hawthorne holding private seminars…" she said before Blair interrupted
"Yeah, he sometimes gives out letter of recommendations to the students that go" Blair filled in "I know everything there is to know about the man" she sighed
"Then you should also know that Daniel is going to need your help" Eleanor smiled
"How is that so?" Blair asked a bit confused
"Mr. Hawthorne is still very much in love with his late wife, Mildred. There is a pattern that he follows, when it comes to him being so generous with his letters of recommendations" Dorota said
"And what pattern would that be?" Blair asked
"Anything that reminds him of Mildred or them as a couple" Eleanor said as Blair just laughed
"You've got to be joking, right?" Blair asked
"I wish I were, but it's true. The man still requests the same dress that Mildred wore on their first anniversary together" Eleanor said
"So what does that have to do with me?" Blair asked "I mean I'm semi-freaked out that you two have put so much effort into scheming and freaked by the fact that Mr. Hawthorne still has it that bad for his long lost wife" Blair said
"You help Mr. Humphrey get his letter of recommendation" Dorota said excitedly "If you help him then it will force you two to work together, then deal with the issues that is you" she told her
"I was with you up until the point you said the issue was me" Blair said before Eleanor and Dorota gave her a stern look
"You were the problem!" Eleanor and Dorota declared causing her to jump
"We've led you to the water, now it's time for you to sap it up" Eleanor then told her daughter
Serena had made it a point to become more reserved over the summer and to enjoy the simple things there was to offer. Each morning, she would get up and grab a muffin from the bakery down the street while she enjoyed her cup of herbal tea. It wasn't that big of a change for the it-girl but it was a slow change that was necessary for her. Taking a sip of her tea as she looked at the latest issue of Cosmo, Serena found that this was far more relaxing than dealing with Georgina. Putting her cup down, she was quickly caught off guard to see the sudden appearance of Dan Humphrey standing across the street. A wave of emotions came over her as she looked on at her ex boyfriend, and she swore like her heart was racing a mile a minute just by his appearance. Making her way through the café with a cup of coffee in hand, Georgina wasted no time in joining Serena at her table. Tearing her eyes off of Dan and onto the brunette, Serena let out a sigh of frustration to see that she was unable to escape the headache that had plagued her all summer.
"There's one of my bitches" Georgina smiled as she got comfortable in her seat "I always forget how uncomfortable these chairs are, it's like everywhere I go something hard is on my ass" she commented as she continued to squirm
"That's what happens when you spread so easily" Serena replied sarcastically
"Wow, look who has the sarcasm in the tone" Georgina laughed finding Serena's joke to be a bit entertaining "So who were you scoping?" she asked as she turned to look around at the boys across the street "Anyone I know?" she then asked as she turned back to look at Serena
"Luckily for me, you would never know him. He's not your type or would ever go for a girl like you" Serena replied
"Ouch, I'm starting to feel like you don't want me here" Georgina replied
"It took that to get you to realize that?" Serena asked in disbelief
"Well, that and Blair's need to smother me with a pillow. All in all, I thought we were having a grand old time" Georgina smiled
"You're ruining our time, so no….there is no grand old time to be had because you keep screwing it up" Serena said
"I wonder what Katie would be doing right now? I mean that's if she had the chance…" Georgina said before Serena cut her off
"Sooner or later you have to stop throwing around her name like that. She was our friend" Serena said
"And she was my sister" Georgina fired back
"It's funny how you throw that around, she was my sister, that's what you say" Serena laughed to herself "But when it came down to it, you did the biggest disservice to your own family" she said
"My sister loved her friends, protecting you guys is what she would've wanted" Georgina said
"Even until her death?" Serena asked
"Even until" Georgina replied as Serena just glared at Georgina "What happened to you….you used to be so much fun" she said
"I grew up. Certain things will do that to you" Serena said
"Death didn't, but cheating would?" Georgina asked as Serena just laughed to herself at Georgina's attempts to get to her "I actually think it's quite noble of you to go after what you want" she said
"Spare me that notion" Serena said "You think I'm noble" she said in between mocking laughter
"Everyone knew what you felt about Nate; I mean it was clear as glass. Nate had a thing for you; you had a thing for Nate. You two were bound to release pint up sexual frustrations" Georgina said
"Yeah, well hurting Blair wasn't worth it" Serena said
"Blair. Blair. Blair. Blair! I'm so sick of her!" Georgina groaned
"She's my best friend" Serena replied "Get used to it" she said
"Your best friend?" Georgina laughed "She doesn't know you like I know you" she said
"She's seen me at my worst, so apparently she does know me" Serena said
"I'm not talking about that type of worst. Being hung over, c'mon, who hasn't been drunk a couple of times with their friends" Georgina reasoned "But I'm talking about the girl that was far more experimental than she claimed to be" she said
"You wish" Serena replied
"I actually do wish, and then maybe you might be a bit more fun. You've turned into some old hag on bingo night, basically you've become Blair Waldorf" Georgina smiled
"I did my share of drugs, and other things I'm not proud of…" Serena said before Georgina interrupted
"Oh, I think oral sex until Nate popped that cherry is a big thing to not mention to your besty" Georgina laughed
"That's besides the point…" Serena said before Georgina quickly interjected
"It is the point. Stop with the good girl routine and start acting like the girl I know" Georgina said
"This is her" Serena said through gritted teeth "My days as being the wild party girl is over, and I suggest you get used to that" she told her
"Calm down S, don't take things so personal" Georgina said as she began to laugh off the tense moment the two were having "Where is Nate by the way?" she asked
"He's visiting his grandfather" Serena replied
"Grandpa Archibald, now that was a frisky one" Georgina laughed to herself "Whatever happened between the lovebirds? I mean I never thought that Blair would get her cherry popped by Lord Marcus" she said
"Things just didn't work out between them, nothing to it" Serena said
"So are you going to make a play for him?" Georgina asked excitedly
"No, I'm not making a play for Nate. I'm over him" Serena said
"Really, so Nate is just on the market?" Georgina questioned "And Blair is okay with that?" she then asked
"Yes, Blair is okay with that!" Serena replied becoming annoyed with her company "Why?" she then asked
"Because Blair has always been in love with Nate, so for them not to be together seems a bit odd. Girl loses her virginity to a stranger and calls the experience special" Georgina said
"So? What's wrong with that?" Serena asked
"Sex is never special the first time, it's awkward and clumsy" Georgina stated
"And you would know" Serena said sarcastically
"As a matter of fact, I would know" Georgina said "I just think Blair has a lot more going on than you may think, sort of what that whole text was about that you got" she said before Serena glared at her
"That text was just a prank" Serena reasoned
"Or it could be a possible warning to let you know that your besty is the conniving bitch she claims to be" Georgina said
"Okay, I'm done. I tried to be civil but you make that nearly impossible" Serena said as she quickly got up from her seat and began to gather her magazines
"S, where are you going?" Georgina asked
"I'd tell you, but I don't want to be followed" Serena said "I'll see you around" she said before she stormed off down the street. Watching her friend walk off, Georgina couldn't help but feel like Serena was a fool to think that Blair was so perfect in the friendship. Pulling out an envelope from her purse, Georgina looked on with a bit of intrigue at the letter that had Blair's handwriting, which was addressed to a Dan Humphrey. It didn't take long for Georgina to connect the dots earlier, but she could tell by Serena's demeanor that she still had a thing for this Dan Humphrey. Noticing the waiter coming by the table, she quickly got up from her seat to step in front of the waiter.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, but I'm new into town. I just needed to know where I can find a Best Buy, I need a cell phone for the area" Georgina said as she played the damsel in distress role.
Learning at such late notice that they would be heading to the Hamptons after all, Dan had tried his best to make the most of the situation. Taking Eleanor's mention of George Hawthorne, Dan decided to truly look into these private seminars that he was holding. While researching, he had come to learn that George Hawthorne was well known amongst the Ivy League admissions and even in the community in general. He knew that impressing Hawthorne would go a long way when it came to doing his interviews with the final schools. It was a well thought out plan to try to impress George Hawthorne, but it appeared that everyone else had thought of the same thing. Leaning up against the wall in the restaurant as he looked on at the middle aged man, Dan let out a sigh of frustration as it only seemed to be the theme of his life to not come close enough in the end. Recognizing the defeated Dan Humphrey off in the back of the restaurant, Blair saw this as her only opportunity to talk to him in a point where he was vulnerable. Making her way over towards him, Blair had managed to sneak in beside him. So lost in his concentration on the man, Dan was torn away by a familiar scent that he had once become so used to on a daily basis.
"Always the outsider looking in seems to be your destined role Humphrey" Blair said before Dan quickly turned to look at her with a bit of surprise that she was standing beside him. Sharing an intense look at each other, Blair didn't know whether to open up her heart at this very moment or play her usual self. Reaching his point of uneasiness, Dan walked over to the available table as he just began to flip through his brochure. "Right, I forgot the whole mad part" she said to herself as she walked over towards the table where he sat. "Can I sit?" she asked
"It's a free country Waldorf" Dan sighed
"That's very mature of you" Blair said as she took a seat at the table only to embrace another moment of awkward silence between them "So how was your summer?" she asked
"It was good" Dan replied not tearing his eyes away from his brochure
"That's good. I heard you took a summer job with Carter, so I figured you'd enjoy sailing" Blair said trying to make small talk
"Being out of New York in general would've been a good summer" Dan said
"Because of me?" Blair asked
"That's just like you to think that everything is about you" Dan laughed to himself
"No, I don't think that…look, this whole pouting routine has got to stop" Blair said as Dan crossed his arms
"Who's pouting?" Dan asked
"You. I haven't seen you in two months, and this awkwardness is how we start off…not what I pictured" Blair said
"I guess you made the right choice then, you know picking Nate and all" Dan smiled sarcastically
"That's where you're wrong, I didn't choose Nate" Blair told him as they once again locked eyes
"You're lying" Dan questioned her
"Yes, I've been waiting all summer long for this moment, and in this moment, I decide to lie. You know me better than that Humphrey" Blair replied
"Then what….?" Dan began to ask before Blair could see George get up from his seat and head towards the bathroom from the corner of her eye. Quickly getting up from the table, Blair grabbed onto Dan's arm before she tugged him along with her. "Uh, what are you doing?" he asked as she led him over to the bathroom
"Just be quiet" Blair whispered to him before they entered into the bathroom and then immediately into an empty stall. Closing the door behind them, Blair leaned up against the door of the stall while Dan still tried to figure out what they were doing. Dan had suspected that he would run into Blair, but he never expected them to end up in such close proximity so early. The stall didn't allow much movement, so it felt like their bodies were colliding with every motion that they took. Feeling his breath send tingles down her spine, Blair did all she could to make this tension work for them, but it was getting harder to hide. Remembering the reason as to why she dragged him into the stall in the first, Blair listened in closely as she could hear Mr. Hawthorne grunt as if he were doing more than just peeing.
"Remind me to never talk to you after this. Listening to a guy take a crap isn't on a list of things I wanted to do" Dan scolded her
"I have a plan" Blair whispered
"No, I'm not trying to get caught up in one of your schemes" Dan whispered to her
"Relax virgin, I talk you through it" Blair replied as Dan just couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration. Concentrating in on Mr. Hawthorne finishing up his business in his stall, Blair didn't waste time on pulling Dan out of the stall once she heard Mr. Hawthorne go to wash his hands after getting out of his stall.
"Blair!" Dan shrieked as she tugged on him
"Mr. Hawthorne, so glad to finally meet you" Blair smiled as Mr. Hawthorne was shocked to see a girl in the restroom. "I'm Blair Waldorf" she introduced herself before she didn't know whether to extend her hand or not to shake his hand "I would, but sanitation is key to things" she smiled
"I should be going" Mr. Hawthorne said as he was still a bit confused by her presence
"As should we. I'm sorry about this and the whole weirdness" Dan began to apologize as he tried to get Blair out of the way so that Mr. Hawthorne could get by
"This is Dan Humphrey. We both attend the finest schools in the Upper Eastside, Constance and St. Jude's" Blair said stepping in front of Mr. Hawthorne once again "Both have good grades" she went on to say
"That's….good" Mr. Hawthorne said
"Sir, I'm so sorry about this" Dan apologized
"We're both college driven students. I plan to attend Yale and he wants to go to Dartmouth. We have more than enough extra curricular activities to last the both of us" Blair continued to say
"Is there a point to this young lady?" Mr. Hawthorne asked just hoping he could say something that would allow him to get out of the bathroom safely. Feeling like the clock was ticking against her; Blair had to think quickly as to what she should do.
"We're both very much in love, with dreams of living on countryside. I hope to be a school teacher while he writes short stories of a simple life" Blair blurted out as Dan just looked at her more confused than ever
"We do?" Dan asked confused
"Yes, we're madly in love" Blair declared as she gave Mr. Hawthorne the biggest of smiles "College is all we have" she said
"I think we have one big misunderstanding going on here because we…" Dan began to explain before Blair linked her hand with his as Mr. Hawthorne began to look them over as a couple
"He's a bit proud, not one for being so bold or forward. We've heard so much about you and all that you've done within the community, and we just wanted to tell you that" Blair said
"So you two?" Mr. Hawthorne asked as he looked at them closely
"No" Dan replied
"Yes" Blair quickly replied right after him
"Trouble in paradise?" Mr. Hawthorne asked
"Just another hurdle to test our love" Blair smiled as an awkward silence came between them. Looking over at the brunette, Dan wondered what game she was playing now that had to involve him.
"You two remind me so much of us" Mr. Hawthorne said as if he were drifting off into a memory
"Us? What us?" Dan asked
"That's not important, the important thing is that you see something in us because I take your visions of us as a couple to the heart" Blair said
"And I'm completely lost in all of this" Dan said to himself
"You know, there is a polo event…"Mr. Hawthorne began to say before Blair interrupted
"The Huntington Polo Event, we're well aware of that. The only thing is that we didn't rsvp on time" Blair said
"Then I will take you as my guests." Mr. Hawthorne smiled "We usually have a welcoming event with all of the players before the big match, so if you want to meet a few of the players than be sure to be there for ten o'clock" he told them
"Daniel is very much into his sports, I'm sure he'd love that" Blair smiled as she turned to look at Dan
"Yes, I happen to love a good match" Mr. Hawthorne smiled "As did she" he said once again drifting off into his memories
"I for one love to watch sports" Blair said as Dan just laughed to himself in disbelief of how far she was willing to take this
"That's great" Mr. Hawthorne laughed "You two are aware of the White Party?" he asked
"Yes, Cici van der Woodsen organized it" Dan said
"I would love to see you there as well, and then maybe we can go from there. Have a nice evening" Mr. Hawthorne said as he made his way over to the door "I can leave now, right?" he turned to ask Blair
"Yes" Blair laughed before he made his way out of the bathroom. "Can you believe that!" she said excitedly as she jumped up and down
Pacing the floor, Dan put his hand to his head as he shook his head in disbelief. Blair had been known to go after what she wanted, but he never thought that she would take it to that far of an extreme to do so. Having a mini panic attack within him, Dan just did his best to figure out a way to get himself out of this mess. Blair sat so casually on the sofa just flipping through her Elle magazine. She had always known Dan to be very dramatic, so while he freaked out, all she did was make mental notes on what dresses she wanted to order online. Turning his attention towards Blair, Dan just couldn't believe that she was so calm and collected like nothing ever happened. He knew that scheming her way to the top was nothing but minimal work for her, but to tag him along with her is what worried him the most. Realizing that he was finally starting to settle down, she put her magazine down figuring that he was ready to discuss strategy as opposed to complaining like a little girl.
"Do you not know the damage you've done!" Dan said as he turned to her in disbelief
"I'm sure you'll tell me" Blair sighed
"We're not a couple, you lied and told George Hawthorne, a guy that could very well help me get into Dartmouth, that we are a couple!" Dan exclaimed "What was that about?" he asked her
"That was about me helping you get into Dartmouth" Blair said
"How? How was lying to Mr. Hawthorne going to help me?" Dan asked
"Because if you bothered to really do your research, then you'd know that he has a pattern that he follows when it comes to the letters of recommendations" Blair said
"And what is this pattern?" Dan asked
"Mildred Hawthorne, his late wife" Blair stated
"And that helps me how?" Dan asked in confusion
"He gives out recommendations to couples or people that remind him and his late wife" Blair said "I said we were a couple, and trying to live on the countryside because that's what they wanted when they were in high school. Mildred's big dream was to have the white picket fence and live in the country, in his book he spoke about the days of being in the country as being the best days of his life" she said
"So you thought that by us pretending to be together, then that would get us into the private seminar" Dan concluded
"And its working like planned" Blair said "Look, you have to start trusting me" she said
"Tried that, I got burned" Dan quickly replied "We can't just lie like this, lying hasn't done us any favors" he said
"There you go again, the whole pride thing is really irritating" Blair sighed
"Pride? I'm not trying to screw up my education, and by us lying….it's only going to end badly" Dan said
"I'm surprised you didn't make a jab about how we ended" Blair laughed to herself "This playing it safe won't lead you anywhere. For once, can you not question what can go wrong" she said
"How can you be so casual about this? This is Yale we're talking about, this is Dartmouth" Dan reasoned
"And I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your future. Look, I really just need you to trust me on this" Blair said as she got up from her seat
"You're really big on me trusting you, why is that?" Dan asked
"Because I wouldn't intentionally hurt you. I've never intentionally hurt you" Blair said
"You sure about that?" Dan asked as a moment of silence came between them
"Now, what suit size are you again?" Blair asked as she began to take eye measurements of him.
It's been said and done
Every beautiful thought's been already sung
And I guess right now here's another one
So your melody will play on and on, with the best of them
You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible
A center full of miracle, lyrical
You've saved my life again
And I want you to know baby
Making her way into her mother's villa, Blair found it a bit odd that she was coming to pick up Dan from the villa that her mother was staying in. Deep down, she always knew that her mother had a soft spot for Dan due to the traits he possessed of her father. Seeing that he wasn't ready yet, Blair took a seat in the living room area as she waited for him. Serena seemed to be full of questions as Blair prepared to leave, but Blair hoped that her reassurance of it just being a school thing would ease her mind. Blair could feel some unknown tension between Serena and her, and although she was sure that Georgina was stroking her hallucinations, she hoped that Serena would be able to ignore what Georgina was saying. Looking on at her watch as the time seemed to pass them by, Blair was finally starting to realize what it felt like to be a guy waiting for a girl. Humphrey's new look caused her to believe that he was spending extra time on grooming himself, which she did come to find sexy on him. Although she tried to act like her normal self around him with the witty batter, but there was a part of her that was just a bundle of nerves whenever she was around him. His return had sent her world off kilter; it was like the first time she had fallen for him but harder. Caught in the memories of their interactions together, when things were just beginning for them, Blair was torn out of her reverie when she saw Dan make his way down the staircase. Looking up at him, Blair found him to be as unbelievably sexy in this moment as he did the simple task of descending a staircase. Standing to her feet, Blair tried to get back into character of being that witty girl that he knew as she tried to lean up against the sofa. Surprised that she was here so early to meet him, Dan let out a weak smile as a piece of him was glad to see her waiting for him. Finding it a bit weird that she was playing the guy role in this scenario, he began to notice her try to adjust stance as she leaned up against the sofa before she eventually slipped to the floor. Shocked that she had managed to misplace her hands, Dan rushed to her side but she had jumped up from the floor in an effort to play it off as nothing.
"Okay, I think we're ready" Blair said before she turned to grab her purse before she headed out
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
And I keep hittin re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
And I keep hittin re-pe-pepepepe-peat
While at sea, Dan had seen a different variety of girls that had become a mystery to him, and at time he found himself as the mystery to them. He hadn't quite understood his appeal to the female race, but ever since dating Serena, he felt like his luck had all turned around for the better. Most of the time, when he was other girls during the summer, they would mostly make out and fool around, but nothing went far enough for him to feel like he was some sort of playboy. There had only been one girl that had truly made him want to go past making out, but the problem of not launching had stopped him in doing so. It came as shock to him, but he figured that it was a sign for him to devote his time to writing. Dan and Blair were both off in their mini groups, as she thought it was best for them to socialize with the many executives that came out to the Huntington Polo event. For the most part, Dan was holding his own and even made a few fans along the way with his knowledge of all things Hemingway, but it's what happened when he looked up, that caused him to be alarmed in some sense. There she was, the girl he had tried to forget about all summer long, and for the life of him, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Staring at her, Dan swore that he was reliving Christmas Eve all over again, in which they decided to take each others virtue, shaking his head, Dan tried to do all that he could to shake the thoughts that were slipping in. Noticing him tear away from his stare of her, Blair couldn't help but have a smile come to her face.
Constantly, boy you played through my mind like a symphony
There's no way to describe what you do to me
You just do to me, what you do
And it feels like I've been rescued
I've been set freeI am hypnotized by your destiny
You are magical, lyrical, beautiful
You are...
And I want you to know baby
His passion for sports had always been a surprise to her, but Blair knew that his heart truly lied within the pages of an Ernest Hemingway classic. She loved the depths of his mind, it felt as if she had met her match when it came to brains, but she would never tell him that in fear of his ego getting bigger than what it all ready was. Though she found his knowledge to be sexy, the small glimpses that she saw of him in athlete mode were images she stored in her mind for days to come. Standing off with Mr. Hawthorne as they talked to the polo players, Blair couldn't help but notice the sweat trickle on his biceps as he handled the wooden stick. Looking around to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating like previous times, Blair couldn't help but feel a sensual feeling take over her as she just watched him. It had been two long months since she had felt his touch, and she'd be lying if she said that her body didn't miss him, when it nearly went into overdrive when laying eyes on him. Taking off her hat, Blair ran her hand through her hair as she did all that she could to control herself while he seemed like an unattainable dream to her from a far. Enjoying sports talk with the guys, Dan looked over to where Blair was standing and in that moment their eyes met. They both wanted to look elsewhere but the tension between them was becoming obvious as the day progressed. The longer they stared at each other; they could only confirm in their minds what their bodies were telling them.
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
And I keep hittin re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
And I keep hittin re-pe-pe- pe pe-pe-peat
With their lips connected, they crashed into the shed house like they were both in heat. Normally she would be a stickler for where she decided to have her sexual escapades, but time away had only made her want him in the worst of ways. Pinning her up against the wall, Dan attacked her neck feverishly as he began to undo the button on his dress pants. Once his hands were free with his trappings, his hands took on a mind of their own as they roamed under her skirt while she nibbled on his ear. Their breathing weighed heavily in each other's ear as it was becoming apparent how much they both wanted this to happen, though they had yet to discuss the reasons that kept them a part, the only thing they cared about was satisfying the urge. Sliding her underwear down, Dan quick threw them off to the side as he picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around his falling pants. Capturing his lips, Blair swore that his taste could be the death of her in this moment as she wanted nothing more to feel what it was like to be connected once again. Lowering his boxers to reveal the fully launched lower member, Dan quickly captured her lips with his as he entered her. Grinding up against the wall, their breathing had become less than controllable as moans of pleasures escaped them from the sensations they were feeling. Spreading her legs wider so that he more room to work with, he quickened his pace as they both continued to let out cries of ecstasy. Feeling as if he was caught in a haze, Dan knew that in this moment, this was just sex between two people who had come addicted to each other at one point in time. Putting his hand up against the wall for more leverage, he picked up her leg as he continued thrusting harder and deeper inside of her. Her head draped back in pure bliss as no words could describe how good this was feeling to her, just as Blair felt like she would let out the loudest of moans; they were quickly torn away by the sound of his phone going off. They tried to act as if they didn't here it, but Blair didn't want to risk making Mr. Hawthorne upset. Without having to say a word, Dan stopped in mid thrust as he rested his head up against the wall in frustration before he leaned over to grab his phone.
"Dammit" Dan said to himself before he looked at his phone. Usually she would have thought that his frustrations would be from not being able to finish their momentary lapse in judgment, but she knew that he was upset that he had allowed himself to act so reckless with her, especially when things were still so unclear. It only took them a few moments to get dressed before they quickly left the shed to sneak back into the event. Just as Dan and Blair were fixing themselves, Georgina turned the corner to spot the two from behind. It didn't take her long to figure out that her suspicions were right about Blair, but the fun she planned to have with this bit of information made her giddier than anything else. Quickly pulling out her newly purchased pre-paid phone, Georgina ran up a bit so that she could a snapshot of them leaving together. Looking at the picture as she slowly backed away, Georgina knew that she had all the evidence she needed.
For the past few weeks, all Jenny had come to know was her room and her bed. Being in her room, she felt a sense of safety in her room that she began to fear in the outside world after recent events. Everything had felt like a blur to her, but the incident still haunted her so much sleep was even a task. Sometimes she would just lie awake at night, and just wonder what would life be like if she didn't even bother to be alive anymore. Such daunting thoughts had taken its toll on her overall presence, but she couldn't help but feel like some part of her died that night as she struggled to run. The only person that had seen her in the condition that she was Patty, the worker she knew from the Ostroff Center, who she had called to help clean her up. Her parents had known the jest of what happened just due to Chuck's lawyers, when it was reported, but for the most part, Jenny was perfectly content on never telling her parents what happened that night. It wasn't because she felt the need to leave them out, but because she wasn't even sure how she felt about it. A part of her ran through her mind a million times a day on what she could've done, that made Joel think that he could force himself on her. Every ounce of her blamed herself for that night, and there was no way of her thinking otherwise. Unable to deal with grumbling sounds of her stomach any longer, Jenny reluctantly rose from her bed and opened up her bedroom door to see her parents sitting in the living room. Seeing their daughter, Rufus and Alison rose to their feet as they didn't quite know what to expect from her.
"Mom, what are you still doing here?" Jenny asked as Rufus and Alison looked at each other
"Sweetie, I thought I should stay a bit longer. To make sure that you were fine" Alison said
"That's not necessary. Dad is capable of taking care of things" Jenny said as she folded her arms
"I know, but I just need to make sure that you're okay. You went through…you're dealing with a lot, and I want to be here" Alison said as a moment of silence came between them all
"Do you want something to eat?" Rufus asked
"Yeah, I just wanted some soup" Jenny replied softly
"Okay, I can make you some soup" Rufus said feeling as if he made any sudden movements, Jenny would crumble to pieces
"Don't you think we should talk to her about what we were discussing?" Alison asked him
"Not right now, she wants to eat and she needs to eat" Rufus said
"Yes, but this is important. The sooner we get on this, the sooner she'll feel better" Alison said
"I'm still present. The talking like I'm not here…it's a bit over dramatic" Jenny said "What do you have to say?" she turned to ask her mother
"Honey, we just think…" Alison said before Rufus quickly interjected
"Not me, you" Rufus said
"Fine, I….I think that you should go talk to someone about what happened. I mean there is only so much that you have told your father and me, I just think you should talk about it" Alison told her
"And say what?" Jenny asked
"Just talk about it" Alison said
"Of course there is no need to rush you off to a counselor, but I think in the future it should be an option. We'll let you be the judge on that one" Rufus said
"Rufus?" Alison said in disbelief that he was undermining her
"What? You stated your case, and it's clear that she's not ready for that" Rufus said
"Yes, she is. She can't just stay pint up in a room all day" Alison scolded him "That may be how you run things, but…" she said before Rufus interrupted
"You have to be around your kids to run things" Rufus said
"Enough!" Jenny yelled "Can we please stop treating me like I'm some sort of a freak?" she asked "I just want…I don't even want that anymore because of all of this bickering. I can hear you, you think I can't, but I can hear you from my room" she then told them "I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the hovering and the arguing" she scolded her parents
"And we're sorry about that, but we're just worried about you. Jenny, you went through something…" Alison began to reason
"I know I was there. I had to endure it, so I don't need you to tell me" Jenny snapped at her mother
"The courts need to know that you're…" Alison began to say
"I don't care about the courts. I don't want to talk to the police or do this stupid case" Jenny said
"Jen, you shouldn't make such rash decisions right now. You're upset, and that's understandable" Rufus said
"I don't want to deal with that right now" Jenny said "I don't want to deal with it ever" she said trying to hold in the tears
"But we have to catch the person that did this to you" Rufus said as he caressed her face "The person that did this to you needs to pay for what they've done" he told her as he held her face in between his hands
"I just want soup, I don't want to take the world on, I just want soup" Jenny cried "I know that I should want justice and save the next person this could happen to, but…." she said before she began to break down into tears "I can only handle soup at this point. I can't do the other stuff…it's too much" she said in between sobs
"Jenny" Alison said unsure as to how she could comfort her daughter
"I don't want to talk about it, I don't want this case against Chuck….I just need to be alone" Jenny said in between tears
"Okay, we can…we can do that" Rufus reluctantly agreed
"Mom" Jenny said as she looked to her mother for confirmation that she agreed with her wishes
"I don't know if I can go along with that Jen" Alison said as Jenny looked at her mother in disgust that she wouldn't oblige her wishes "You're hurt right now, but you will get your strength and realize that catching the person that did this to you is important. If Chuck Bass did this…then he needs to face the consequence" she said becoming a bit emotional at the mention of Chuck's name. Noticing her mother's reaction to the name, Jenny was unsure why mentioning a name would cause her to have such an effect. Jenny knew that this was hard on her parents to see her like this, but she couldn't let them in, she couldn't fake that she was okay because in her own mind she didn't even know if she was okay yet.
"You can't move forward without my cooperation, and I'm telling you now, I will not cooperate" Jenny replied sternly "So you have no other option but to accept that" she said
"Your making a mistake" Alison said as tears fell from her face
"It's my mistake to make" Jenny said as the room grew silence in the most deafening way "Dan…he can't know. You guys can't tell him about what happened" she said
"We can't just lie to him about this? He'll find out somehow" Rufus said
"Then let him find out in another way because then I'll be able to deny it, but I don't want him to hear it from us" Jenny said
"You can't seriously be all right with this?" Alison asked Rufus in utter disbelief that he was giving into Jenny so easily
"No, I'm not all right with this, but I'm not about to upset her!" Rufus yelled "This is her decision, and all we can do is support it" he said
"No, we can be her parent, that's what we can do" Alison replied
"That's rich, coming from you" Rufus laughed to himself
"Dan can't find out. It's plain and simple" Jenny told her mother
"Why? Why the secrets?" Alison asked
"Because he can't" Jenny said as the tears continued to fall "I love my brother, but him not knowing is what's best right now" she said
"Okay, we'll do that. I can't promise you that this will turn out the way you expected, but we'll do it your way" Rufus said
"Dan won't be happy about this, he's not big on lies" Alison said
"I know" Jenny sighed as she ran her hand through her hair "I'm just going to try to get some sleep" she said as she slowly backed over to her room
"Do you want your soup still?" Rufus asked
"No, I'm not hungry anymore. I'll eat later" Jenny replied before she headed back into her room. Flopping down on her bed, Jenny looked up at the ceiling just wondering how things could be so messed up in her life right now. Before she could go deep into her pity party, she was torn away by the vibration of her cell phone. Hesitantly sitting up on the bed, she thought twice about grabbing her cell phone as she feared that Joel might have gotten her number. She ran through her mind on if he could, and no single moment stood out in her mind of her giving her number to Joel. Taking a leap of faith that everything would be fine, Jenny answered her phone. "Hello" she said in a shaky tone
"I need to see you" Chuck said
Rolling around on the floor in a fit of laughter, Carter couldn't help but rejoice this moment while all Dan could do was look at his friend. Not quite sure on how to explain it, Dan had just simply informed his friend of the transgressions that had taken place with Blair. Carter knew more than anyone that Dan had done his best over the summer time to get over the brunette, and his luck with the ladies had proved to show that he was capable of getting over her, but it just always felt like a piece of him was with her even still. Hearing this bit of information came as no surprise, but it was refreshing to hear that things still remained the same in some aspects of Dan's life. Dan had picked up pace with his writing, but he had mainly chalked it up to experiences he was gaining while being in the open seas, so to learn that the main reason he focused so intently on his writing was coming back into his life, Carter was interested on seeing how this was going to turn out. Getting up from the floor once he calmed down, Carter took a seat on the chair that he was once sitting on. Turning his attention towards his friend, Dan looked on with skeptical eyes to see if Carter could truly maintain this calm and collected behavior, when he was just rolling around laughing at him.
"Okay, I just had to get that out" Carter said still getting a few laughs out while Dan just looked at him
"Are you sure?" Dan asked "Because I want you to get all out, forget the fact that in a matter of days, I've managed to throw myself in the trappings that is Blair Waldorf….and that's not good, not after what she's done" he said
"Well you sure showed her" Carter teased "I mean with the sex and all, you really put her in her place" he laughed
"Shut up" Dan sighed "We technically didn't have sex…" he began to question
"You had sex. I don't care if you didn't finish the job, you two got down and dirty in a shed house" Carter said as he lay back on the bed
"Did you cash those checks?" Dan asked as it quickly popped into his mind
"Uh….no, I haven't yet" Carter said "I'm going to do it tonight" he said
"Good, on the money front I mean. The whole Blair thing, that's bad" Dan said as he got up from his seat to pace the floor
"I just never thought that after two months, you'd two lock eyes and then bang each others brains out in a shed house" Carter laughed
"Can you not make it sound like we have no self control?" Dan asked
"You don't. You can fend off girls all summer because you supposedly can't get it up, and then you have sex with Waldorf" Carter laughed "I'm sorry but that's….that's lack of self control down to a tee" he said
"I don't know what happened; I mean we just kept looking each other throughout the whole polo event and then bam! Bodies colliding" Dan described
"I'm just surprised that Waldorf got her grind on in a shed house of all places" Carter said
"Carter! Focus" Dan told him
"Okay, I'm focused" Carter said as he shook all the dirty thoughts out of his head of the two of them "Look, its clear what happened today. You're not over her" he said
"Yeah, I am" Dan replied "It's taken me two months to realize just how stupid it was to get involved with Serena's best friend. Then when Serena finds out, that's going to be another situation….right now, this year, I don't need situations, I need for this year to be drama free" he said
"Then maybe you should change schools, then avoid the Upper Eastside because the Upper Eastside is nothing but drama" Carter laughed
"Because we make it that way" Dan reasoned "If we were to make a pact to swear off drama then…." he said before Carter interrupted
"We'd be pathetic and stupid to think that would actually happen. We're drama whores" Carter said as Dan began to pout "You need to face the fact that the only reason why you got your mojo back was because you were with the girl you wanted to be with. Should you be able to launch with other girls, yes, but your heart and your penis have some agreement that doesn't allow you do that. You had sex with Blair because you wanted to" he said
"Nothing has changed, I'm still pissed that she let me go" Dan said
"You never even told her you were leaving, so it's not like she felt the pressure of you leaving. You thought you lost out to Abercrombie and Fitch, then you bailed, that's how it all went down. So really, you took away her option and just put yourself in the loser role before you could even know how it was all going to work out" Carter said
"I wasn't going to sit around all summer, and watch Nate and her together" Dan said
"And maybe you would have spent the summer reading stupid literary books that you obsess over, while watching classic movies together. You don't know because you left" Carter said "Besides, she clearly couldn't have picked Nate because I've received pictures that show him with other girls and women to be exact" he mentioned
"Yeah, she said that they weren't together" Dan said
"Then your main concern should be what happened that night" Carter said "You could've been picked, but you won't know that unless you stop pouting and get over all the miscommunication that is between you two" he said "So go to the White Party tonight, and get this all figured out" he then told his friend
She didn't know why she felt the need to come see him, but a part of Jenny felt like Chuck was the only person that she could talk to. Receiving his text, a million thoughts went through her mind as to why she shouldn't even think about leaving her room, but when he offered to pick her up, it eased her mind a bit. Jenny wouldn't dare leave through the front door with her parents arguing and lurking about outside of her room, so she snuck out through the window. Every little thing about the outside world scared her, just the simple sound of a car honking or sounds of feet coming near her; it all just alarmed her and made her scared. A sense of momentary peace came over her as she got in the limo that she knew so well, and then was taken over to see Chuck. Pulling up in the garage of the building, she felt an eerie feeling come over her, but it subsided a bit once she saw Chuck come to open her door. Leading her through the building, she got this overall sense that this was all some bit of a secret, like he wasn't supposed to be seen with her. Everything was discreet; the staff in the building made minimal conversation, but just did their assigned task in getting Chuck up to the desired location. Opening the door with his keycard, Jenny was relieved to see that they were back at Chuck's suite and not some unknown place, where they might run into someone. Tossing his key card onto the table, Chuck immediately went over to the bar and poured himself a drink, he had half the mind to offer Jenny one, but he knew how much she was against drinking. Taking a seat in the living room area, Jenny seemed to take in her surroundings, as if she wanted to remember what the outside world looked like before Chuck joined her. Sporting a serious and concerned face, Chuck sat beside Jenny as they took a moment to collect their thoughts on what to say to each other.
"How have you been?" Chuck asked as he attempted to put his hand on top of her but she had flinched at his touch "I'm sorry" he quickly apologized
"No, I'm okay. I'm just a little nervous" Jenny told him
"Do you want to go back home?" Chuck asked
"Actually, I think I needed to get out of the loft. My parents are constantly bickering and arguing, so this is a welcome change" Jenny sighed
"About me?" Chuck asked
"Just about everything in general. My mom wants to be a parent, and that's new for all of us to handle at this point" Jenny said
"And your mom? What does she think about all of this?" Chuck asked
"She thinks that I should go ahead with the charges brought against you" Jenny said as Chuck laughed to himself
"I knew it would work out like this. I'm not surprised, nor do I blame them for wanting to" Chuck sighed "You have to believe me when I tell you that I didn't…I didn't do it" he said
"I know you didn't" Jenny said as tears welled up in her eyes "I know who did it" she said
"Who?" Chuck asked her "Who did this?" he asked
"Joel" Jenny said weakly before Chuck just shook his head in disbelief. Getting up from his seat on the sofa, Chuck paced the floor angrily as he just felt like punching anything, but he tried to keep his emotions in check for the sake of Jenny. Turning back after a few moments of calming down, Chuck took his spot next to her on the sofa once again.
"Listen to me; I need to know what happened that night. The lawyers give me the bits and pieces of it, but I need to know from your mouth what happened" Chuck told her
"I don't want…please don't ask me to remember that night" Jenny shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks
"I know it's hard, but I need to know what happened" Chuck reasoned
"You passed out, that's all you need. Just tell the police that you were passed out" Jenny said
"I've told them that, but they have my DNA in the room from that night. There was an earlier attack before that night, and the girl says that I did it" Chuck told her
"But how?" Jenny asked
"It was three days after when the charges were brought against me, so his DNA wouldn't be found inside because that's how long…" Chuck said as Jenny was starting to get the picture
"Basically, since I never went to get a kit done…all the police have are evidence against you" Jenny said
"But since your not planning to cooperate with the police, then that'll just mean we settle out of court" Chuck said
"I guess" Jenny said "I just wish that night never happened…I wish I would've listened to Blair and never went with you. As much as I'm glad that you won't suffer for this, a part of me wants you to suffer because when I needed you most….you weren't there for me" she cried
"I'm sorry" Chuck told her as his heart broke seeing her like this "That's all I can say, I'm sorry" he said trying to caress her face but she once again backed away from his touch. Obliging her wish not to be touched, Chuck just sat beside her and let her cry as he knew that there was nothing he could do for him. So much of him wanted to pull her towards him to show that he was truly sorry for what happened, but he just felt like anything he did would end up going badly. "Are you hungry? I can order you something" he suggested before Darren entered the suite like nothing
"Chuck, we have a meeting in two hours. So I really need for you to…." Darren said as he looked on at his blackberry before he noticed that they had company "Who is this?" he asked Chuck
"It's…" Chuck sighed as he put his head down knowing that Darren wasn't going to be pleased
"Please tell me that this isn't who I think it is?…Chuck, what are you thinking?" Darren questioned him
"I needed to talk to her" Chuck reasoned as he got up from his seat to look at Darren
"You don't talk until after everything is settled" Darren said "You two shouldn't even be talking about the case" he said
"I know…" Chuck said before Darren cut him off
"You can't just do whatever you want, you have to keep a low profile" Darren scolded him "We've got to preserve your image along with Bass Industries" he said
"I know that!" Chuck yelled causing Jenny to jump in shock
"Then you should know that you can't have secret meetings with…" Darren said before Jenny quickly rose to her feet
"I'm not going through with the case. I'm not going to cooperate, I just want this all to be over, and going to court isn't my definition of it being over" Jenny told him "So please, stop the mini melt down" she said as Darren stood a bit surprised
"You're dropping it, you just want to settle?" Darren asked as Jenny nodded "He didn't coerce you into anything?" he asked her
"No, we were just talking as friends" Jenny told him
"Okay, so you wouldn't mind if we get this written down on paper?" Darren asked as he put his briefcase down and began to sift through papers before pulling a note pad
"No, stop it!" Chuck said "We're not turning this into another strategy meeting" he said
"We can't just go off of her word, no offense Jennifer" Darren said "This little meeting shouldn't even be happening, so if we want to make this get together worth while, then we should have a written statement….I should probably call the detectives" he said as pulled out his blackberry
"No, we're not bringing in detectives or writing statements!" Chuck yelled
"Look, we have to cover our bases with this. Frankly, the intentions behind you going after her are suspect, so we have to make sure that…" Darren said as Jenny was a bit confused by what he said
"How he went after me? What are you talking about? We go to school together" Jenny said as Darren looked at Chuck
"No, Chuck went after you as some sort of ploy to hurt you" Darren said
"Okay, now is the time you're supposed to protect me as my attorney" Chuck snapped at Darren said
"This is exactly why you shouldn't have gotten in contact with her" Darren replied
"Hurt me? What is he talking about?" Jenny asked as she quickly grabbed on to Chuck's arm
"Nothing. Darren is just getting worked up over nothing" Chuck said trying to calm her down. Scanning his eyes, Jenny got this overwhelming feeling like he was lying and with the nervous laughter that he was giving her, she got the confirmation she needed to know that he was lying to her
"Tell me the truth" Jenny demanded
"This is the truth" Chuck replied
"Chuck, you're lying to me. I know this because you're doing that nervous laugh" Jenny said as Chuck gritted his teeth, knowing that he had reached a point where the truth was going to come out "Tell me the damn truth!" she then yelled
"I was using you" Chuck hesitantly told her as she stood in confusion
"What do you mean? Why were you using me?" Jenny asked
"I was pissed and upset, so I went after you" Chuck said as she let go of her embrace of him
"And that night?" Jenny asked as a look of horror came to her face
"No. That night was never supposed to happen" Chuck said
"Try to avoid talking about the night, that's the danger area" Darren quickly interjected
"Shut up!" Jenny snapped at Darren angrily before turning to look back at Chuck
"I had nothing to do with that" Chuck said
"Then what? Because I'm a little confused as to what was supposed to happen by you coming after me" Jenny asked
"The rumors at school, I started them. I paid Katy and Isobel to make you think that I was into you because I wanted to sleep with you" Chuck said as Jenny felt her heart racing a mile a minute
"Why?" Jenny asked in between tears "Why would you do that?" she asked
"Because…it was a game…" Chuck tried to explain before she interrupted
"A game?" Jenny laughed in disbelief "So making my days at high school a living hell that was all a game!" she yelled
"Yes" Chuck said after a moment of silence. With tears welled up in her eyes, she turned her attention from his attorney to Chuck, who had his face ducked down as if he were trying to hide. For a moment she looked at him, just trying to process what she had just been told. The naïve part of her wanted to believe that this was all a lie, but with him, anything was possible. In a sudden burst of anger and rage all boiled up into one, she got up from her seat and immediately took the very chair that she was sitting in and picked it up. Surprised by her actions, Chuck tried to rise to his feet but before he could manage to lift up, the chair went flying at the window.
"This was a game!" Jenny yelled "I was a game to you!" she screamed as the tears welled up in her eyes while all Chuck could do was search for the fitting words to say in this moment.
"Whoa! Calm down" Darren told her as Jenny fought back the urge to just scream
"Just let me explain" Chuck reasoned as he tried to reach for her hand
"Don't touch me!" Jenny snapped at him "That night…." she said as she tried to get control of her emotions "What type of person does that? I mean what type of sick and twisted person takes pleasure in others suffering?" she questioned "I always knew you were the dark type, but I never thought you'd be that diluted to take pleasure in me suffering" she said losing control of the tears that were streaming down her face
"I know" Chuck said
"No, you don't know! Because then why would you do that in the first place" Jenny said as Chuck attempted to answer but she put her hands up to stop him "I don't want to hear it. I really can't even hear it because there is no excuse on the face of the planet that makes it okay" she told him "You're….you're the one who needs help because you're not even normal for the crap you put me through, no sane person gets off by doing stuff like that….you're a monster" she yelled at him
"Jenny" Chuck said after he processed what she had called him
"Stay the hell away from me" Jenny told him angrily before she stormed out of the suite. Watching her leave, Chuck felt a piece of him slowly break as he began to wonder if her words were that of truth. Looking at Darren, Chuck turned his attention to the mirror. Looking at his reflection in the mirror as if he were some abstract creature, Chuck grew disgusted with the image that was him before he grabbed the nearest glass and threw at the mirror. Glass shattered to the floor as all Chuck could do was feel a bit at ease with the image of broken, jagged pieces of glass laying about the floor.
"Get out" Chuck said as he loosened up his tie while making his way back to his room
Standing in the mirror, Dan put his dress shirt on as he was preparing to head out to the White Party. Buttoning up his shirt, Dan couldn't help but think about what Carter had told him earlier that evening. The summer was supposed to be his time to find himself and get over her, but as he stood in this moment, Dan felt like he couldn't run away from the feelings that were still there. Walking over to his luggage, he sat down as he went through his notebook filled with chapters that he had completed of his latest story that he had been working on all summer long since leaving New York. Putting the notebook to the side, he grabbed the picture that he had tried to forget about, but he couldn't help but pick it up and look on at it. Christmas, capture in one photo, Dan could see the beginning of them in just one single shot as the night before still weighed heavily on their minds in the picture. A slight smile came to his face as that was one of the few moments that Blair had no rebuttal to the looming questions that was on their minds that day, which was rare because of her constant need to be right about everything. He loved her, Dan knew it, but could they make it work was his real fear in the long run. Running was easy because at least they'd be able to hold onto the emotions and feelings they had for each other, but it just left him with more doubts and more of the unknown than anything. Maybe it was time for him to just lay it on the line, Dan thought to himself.
Dreams, that's where I have to go
To see your beautiful - face anymore
I stare at a picture of you, and listen to the radio
Hope, hope there's a conversation
Where we both admit we had it good
But until then it's alienation, I know
That much is understood - and I realize
Talking with Carter as they made their way outside to join the rest of the guests, Dan couldn't help but spot her out of crowd full of people. She had always managed to catch his eye, whether in a good or bad way, but it was the many things that he comes to love about her. Trying his best to stay engaged in conversation with his friend and the countless people that had come up to them, Dan just couldn't tear away from her. Looking up to see Dan staring at her, Blair felt as if the doubts she had in her mind were beginning to fall away, and in this moment all that mattered was that it felt right for them to be here together. Noticing him break away from his circle of people, Dan made his way over towards her while Eleanor and Dorota looked on happily at the two from the corner. Unsure as to what he was doing, Blair couldn't hide her excitement that she got to be near him again, especially since the way they ended things in their last encounter. Walking through the circle of people she was surrounded by, he extended his hand out to her.
"Dance with me?" Dan asked her
"You don't dance" Blair replied
"Just dance with me" Dan said before she placed her hand in his as he led her out to the dance floor. Pulling her close to his body, Blair couldn't help but get this overwhelming feeling that this was right, that they fit. Taking in her scent as he rested his cheek up against the side of hers, Dan felt a since of peace as she was in his arms. "I knew we'd fit" he whispered to her as she let out a slight laugh
If you ask me how I'm doing
I would say I'm doing just fine
I would lie and say that you're not on my mind
But I go out and I sit down at a table set for two
And finally I'm forced to face the truth,
No matter what I say I'm - not over you (not over you)
Realizing that they were playing up the roles of being a couple without really playing, Dan looked over to see Mr. Hawthorne looking at them with a smile on his face. Dan hadn't quite understood why Mr. Hawthorne would get caught up in memories of his belated wife, but he was slowly starting to see that if you loved someone the way Mr. Hawthorne loved his wife, then those memories stay with you forever. Blair did her best to avoid her mother's eye contact, but she could tell without having to look, that her mother was pleased that her scheming had paid off in the end. She'd never think that her mother would be such a proponent in her relationships, but Blair was glad that her mother could see the truth in her even when she didn't want to acknowledge it herself. Turning his head to look at Blair, Dan just looked at her for a few moments before a smile slowly came to his face.
"So in your plan to get us that private seminar and the letter of recommendations, what was supposed to follow?" Dan asked
"I hadn't gotten that far, but this asking me to dance…it's earning us some brownie points" Blair said
"I figured it'd catch his eye" Dan laughed
"Oh, we've got his attention" Blair said "You've got my attention as well Humphrey. You actually can dance now" she laughed
"You can thank South Beach for that, and the many long island iced teas" Dan joked
"Well they do say that the real us comes out when we're drunk" Blair said
"Or when we're with the right person" Dan told her as they looked into each others eyes. Tearing away from her stare, Dan could see that Mr. Hawthorne was watching them as if they were fairytale "You ready for the finale?" he asked
"What finale?" Blair asked him
"This" Dan said before leaned in to kiss her. There was no denying the passion they had for each other as they kissed, to them it just felt like sparks were flying everywhere when their lips touched. Deepening the kiss, Blair wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him closer towards her small frame. Slowly breaking away from the kiss, Blair opened her eyes slowly to see that Dan looked just as amazed by the kiss like she was. Turning her head to see what Mr. Hawthorne thought of their display of affection, Blair was caught off guard to see Serena standing there. Quickly breaking away from Dan's embrace, Blair motioned to walk towards her friend while Dan followed behind, but Serena put her hands up in refusal for them to come any closer. Coming out with drink in hand, Georgina took a seat behind Serena as she came into Blair's vision.
"Now this should be fun" Georgina smiled as she prepared herself for the real fireworks
"So it's true?" Serena asked
"What's true?" Blair asked
"You and Dan" Serena said
"Do you really even need to ask" Georgina laughed "I mean look at their faces, it spells guilt" she went on to say
"Georgina shut up!" Blair snapped at her
"I'll be glad to because I'm dying to know how you'll spin this" Georgina said
"Who is that?" Dan asked Blair
"No one that you should bother to know" Blair sighed as she ran her hand through her hair
"Boo! Let's get to juicy parts. Let's get to the part, where Blair tells Serena the real reason why she's faking it with her ex" Georgina suggested "I mean that is what you said, that you and Dan were faking being together for academic reasons" she said
"Georgina, you really need to shut the hell up" Blair yelled at her
"And you really need to stop thinking that you have everyone fooled. I've been here for two months and I've picked up that you two have something going on. I just had the guts to point it out to Serena" Georgina said
"So what? You want a badge of honor or something?" Blair asked her in disbelief
"Both of you shut up!" Serena shouted before she moved closer towards Blair "Tell me, just tell me the truth" she began to say as tears welled up in her eyes. All eyes had turned to the two girls as it was becoming a classic showdown between the two respective women. "Did you or did you not, sleep with Dan?" she then asked angrily as she moved in closer towards Blair, who was not backing down from the blonde. Feeling the tension rise within the room, Eleanor and Dorota were unsure if they should step in or hope that the two could handle this in a way that wouldn't be damaging.
"Yes" Blair answered after a moment of silence came between them. Standing firmly by her words, Serena quickly reached out to slap Blair across the face, causing the crowd to gasp at what they were seeing. Sitting entertained, Georgina took a sip of her champagne with pure delight by what she was seeing.
"You and me" Serena said in a stern voice with tears welled up in her eyes "We're done" she told her friend as she took one final look, making sure that Blair got the picture and understood that this was not something they could come back from before she finally walked away.
"Well this sucks, I was hoping to at least be buzzed by the part you two started ripping each others hair out" Georgina said as she rose to her feet. Nearly blinded with anger with Georgina's part in all of this, Blair charged over to where Georgina was and was well on her way to strangling her before Dan stepped in between the two.
"I'm going to destroy you!" Blair said as she tried to get past Dan
"I'd like to see you try" Georgina laughed
"Blair. Blair!" Dan said before he looked over at Mr. Hawthorne walking towards them
"Just great" Blair said to herself in frustration at how bad this night about to get "Mr. Hawthorne, I'm so…"she began to say before he interrupted
"This display, I've seen all that I needed to see to come to a decision" Mr. Hawthorne told them
"If you would please let us explain" Dan reasoned
"There is no need for explanations" Mr. Hawthorne told them
"Yeah, there's no need for explanations" Georgina smiled as she took a sip of her champagne "Let the man speak" she then said
"Of all my years of coming to the Hamptons, I've never seen a couple such as you two" Mr. Hawthorne said
"Just despicable" Georgina commented as she was enjoying watching Blair get what was coming to her
"A couple that reminds me…" Mr. Hawthorne said before a smile slowly came to his face, causing them to be confused as to what he was about to say "Like Mildred and I" he smiled
"I'm sorry, what?" Georgina asked
"How do we remind you of your late wife and you?" Dan asked
"Mildred and I snuck around when we first got together; I was in love with her best friend until she had left for the summer. Mildred and I had summer classes together, so we got to know each other, and then we started to develop feelings for each other" Mr. Hawthorne smiled
"So me cheating is good?" Dan asked in confusion as Mr. Hawthorne smiled "Only in the Upper Eastside is this acceptable" he said to himself
"I look forward to seeing you two at my seminar, and I look forward to writing a letter of recommendation for the both of you" Mr. Hawthorne said "Now if you excuse me, I have to prepare for another appointment" she said before he walked away
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry in this moment" Blair said still in shock as they looked on at Mr. Hawthorne
"The tears sound about right" Dan sighed "I should go talk to her, I don't want you to take the blame for this" he said
"If you think it'll help then…by all means" Blair replied
"Do you think we can talk afterwards?" Dan asked her
"Yeah, but just go check on her" Blair said before Dan made his way out of the party, leaving Georgina and Blair to themselves
"So looks like it's down to us" Georgina smiled before Blair leaned over to pick up the drink on the nearest table and then threw it in her face
"Now, you're by yourself" Blair said before she walked off
It was only a matter of time before Serena was sure to find out, but he had never intended for her to find out in this manner. He saw first hand that secrets being revealed could sometimes come as pleasure to others, but the look on Serena's face had finally made him realize the part he had in all of this. From the beginning he knew that he pursued Blair in all of this, but he wasn't quite sure that he truly stopped to think about what he was doing to Serena. If he had the chance, Dan knew that he would go back and be honest about his feelings for Blair from the start. The only thing that he could do now, was to just own up to what he had done and take share in the blame so that any piece of Blair's friendship with Serena could be saved in the long run. Noticing that she was heading out to the beach, Dan had followed the tiki lit sticks all the way down the warm sands of the local beach. It wasn't too hard to find the knock out blonde that was once his girlfriend, but it would have been even easier to find her, due to the tears that she was shedding over the latest revelation. Walking up slowly towards her, Serena seemed a bit annoyed to see him after what she had learned. He was almost sure that he had a slap coming to him, and he couldn't blame her for wanting to slap him. Standing in silence for a few moments, while she just turned her back towards him, Dan placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort before she slowly turned to face him.
"Don't touch me" Serena said as she backed away "I can't believe you. I can't believe you would do this to me" she yelled at him
"I know, and I'm sorry" Dan said
"Sorry doesn't fix what you did, you slept with my best friend!" Serena said "When did it start?" she asked
"Christmas eve, when we got stuck in the gallery" Dan told her
"So what? Were you two drunk or something?" Serena asked hoping that her reasoning for sleeping with Nate, would be his excuse because then maybe she could understand
"No, we were both fully aware" Dan told her "I initiated it" he said "I kissed her, and then advanced to the sex part" he told her before Serena quickly slapped him across the face
"You want to know the sad part in all of this?" Serena asked in disbelief as tears streamed down her cheek "She'll never love you" she said "I mean we probably didn't have much in common, but Blair and you….that doesn't make sense" she said
"It probably doesn't, but I…I can't just turn off how I feel about her" Dan said
"And what is that….do you love her?" Serena asked as the figurative knife she was stabbed with seemed to get sharper at its point "Oh, my God. You love her. You're in love with her" she said in disbelief
"I never meant to…" Dan said before she interrupted
"Did you ever love me?" Serena asked "Because I was stupid enough to think that I could love you, so did you ever for a second love me?" she asked him
"I care about you…" Dan said before Serena just laughed to herself
"Save it, I don't need the pity speech of you caring about me because if you cared….if you really cared! Then you wouldn't have slept with my best friend" Serena yelled at him "But the joke will be on you in the long run, and I feel for you on that one" she said
"What are you talking about?" Dan asked
"I'm talking about Lord Marcus" Serena said
"Who is he?" Dan asked in confusion
"The guy that Blair has spending her time with over the summer. She slept with him" Serena said as Dan froze in shock
"Okay, I get that you're pissed, but there is no need to lie" Dan said
"You can ask anyone at the party, Blair and Marcus spent a lot of time together over the summer" Serena said as she saw that it was finally starting to sink in with Dan "Blair will always want the fairytale, and you're a nice guy…besides the cheating, you're a decent guy, but she will always want her princes" she said as she could see that Dan had the same look that she had when she first learned of the two of them together "Now, we have something in common. Sucks getting played, doesn't it" she said before she walked away to leave Dan to think.
Tossing her keys onto the table as she entered, Blair knew it'd be within her best interest to avoid going back to her villa for the night. Though she wanted to give Georgina the verbal lashing she deserved, Blair wanted to give Serena her space to deal with things. Running her hand through her hair, she made her way into the sitting area of the house. Flopping down onto the sofa, Blair let out a sigh of frustration with all the thoughts that seemed to flood her in that moment. With the look on Serena's face, Georgina reveled in the moment of the end of Blair and Serena. Everything was a mess, and it was all at her own making, she kept thinking to herself as she couldn't even hear Eleanor and Dorota coming out of the kitchen. It was no surprise to the women that Blair was over here instead of at her summer villa; Eleanor just hoped that the situation was so bad for her daughter, that she couldn't be able to salvage the life long friendship that she had with Serena. Taking a seat on different sofas in the area, both Eleanor and Dorota just acted so casually while Blair just looked from each of them, in hopes that they would break character.
"You guys can stop pretending, I know you saw what happened tonight" Blair told them
"Have you talked to her?" Eleanor asked
"She won't take my calls or answer my texts. Dan is supposed to talk to her, so maybe they're still talking" Blair sighed "How things get so screwed up" she groaned
"That's what happens when you lie" Dorota said
"Okay, you're not supposed to answer the statement question. I said that as far as me venting out frustration" Blair said
"It's the truth. You should have been up front with Ms. Serena from the start about your feelings" Dorota said
"I didn't even know what the feelings were for Humphrey, so I couldn't just run and tell Serena about them" Blair said
"But do you still want to be with Dan?" Eleanor asked as Blair shook her head in disbelief
"As crazy as it is right now, yes, I still want to be with him" Blair replied as she covered her face with a pillow "I'm such a horrible friend" she groaned
"You're a girl that can't control her emotions" Eleanor smiled "And you and Serena will be fine. You two fight all the time, and then you make up by fashion week" she teased
"I hope, but I just have this feeling like this time was different. Serena really loved Dan, and I'm the person that got in between their relationship. Dan broke up with Serena because of me" Blair said "I don't know how we go back from that" she said
"You just give it time Ms. Blair, give it time and then you'll see that it'll all fall into place" Dorota told her
"I hope so" Blair sighed "I guess I should get washed up before Dan comes back" she said as she got up from the sofa
"Why?" Eleanor asked with a knowing smile
"We're supposed to talk tonight" Blair said "Maybe figure this crap out" she told them
"Good luck" Eleanor smiled
"Don't say that, makes me feel even more crappier than I all ready feel" Blair said as she made her way down the hall
"What was I supposed to say?" Eleanor asked as she turned to look at Dorota
Looking out at the wave's crash onto the shores of the beach, Dan got lost in the stillness of the night. Turning back, wondering if he should head back to the villa to at least let Eleanor know where he was, Dan soon felt resigned to just stay a bit longer to collect his thoughts. Taking a seat on the log in front of well lit bon fire that was left over from the people that had just left; Dan pulled out his notebook and began to look on the pages he had all ready completed. Most of it was random thoughts that he would soon put together on his laptop in a word document, but until he found himself stationary in front of his lap top, he'd have to settle for just scribbling down notes. The first thing he thought of was to write about how once again Blair Waldorf managed to make him the fool in all of this, but he didn't want to write in anger, especially when his current story held much of his attention. Deep down, Dan knew that he no right to be upset with Blair, but he hoped that over the summer that she would have been able to sustain having sex with someone else, like he was able to do, the very thought of her being with someone else made him sick to his stomach. Taking a few moments to put his anger aside over the latest revelation of Blair's indiscretions, Dan took the top of his pen and began to write.
Turn up the lights in here, baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here, baby
You know what I need, want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights
Dan: He creates darkness by his own makings. Everything he touches turns to ashes and all he could do is watch it turn to black dust by the touch of his hand. Not many see him interact with a normal family upbringing, but that's to be expected in the Upper Eastside, family is something rare and less treasured around here. He could be described as a Dark Knight, but even that title gives him too much credit than he deserves.
Pressing his hand up against the tiled wall, Chuck allowed the water to run over his body. Letting the hot water send soothing sensations through his body, Chuck turned away from the water as his back was now facing the showerhead. Running his hand through his soaked hair, Chuck couldn't help but replay the words that she had said over and over in his head. After it was all said and done, he regretted his actions, but most of all he hated that it got this far. Hearing the words monster linger in his head until it just numbed him; Chuck swiftly began to punch the wall in a fit of rage. Punch after punch, he continued to hit the wall as if he could envision someone standing there. Not caring that blood began to trickle down his hand and into the water, Chuck gave one last punch before he had finally realized the damage that he had done. Looking on in horror at the mess he made, Chuck fell to his knees as he just rocked back and forth. Unable to control the tears that were coming, Chuck felt at ease to know that he couldn't see himself cry, so it made it okay for him to do so.
"I'm a monster. I'm a monster" Chuck said to himself in between sobs as he rocked back and forth.
Fast cars, shooting stars
All of the lights, all of the lights
Until it's Vegas everywhere we are
All of the lights, all of the lights
Dan: She's one of those girls that a guy could love from a far. Everything about her is the epitome of a dream girl from her head to her toes. Though you'd learn more about her life through black ink plastered on blogs or in the newspapers, than what she'll ever care to share. She's a girl that wants to be loved from a far because she too afraid to be loved up close and personal, she afraid that the dream that she creates will morph into the nightmares that she can't control.
Slamming the door behind her as she entered her room, Serena couldn't control the overall anger that was coursing through her veins. Noticing her cell phone beeping, she knew that it was probably Blair calling again, trying to apologize for tonight. No part of her wanted to deal with Blair and Dan or their sorted relationship that she just recently discovered. Picking up the phone, she was a bit surprised to see that she had a message from her mother instead. Lilly had been gone on her honeymoon, but had promised to stop in to the Hamptons so that she could at least make an appearance. Putting the phone up to her ear, Serena just sighed as she listened to her mother give excuse after excuse as to why she couldn't make it, but had freed up space on the credit card for both Eric and her to get whatever they needed. In times like this, Serena felt as if she could've needed her mother, but as usual Lilly was nowhere to be found. Taking satisfaction in the fact Lilly thought money would suffice in her being absent, Serena quickly called down to the local restaurant.
"Hello, this is Serena van der Woodsen. I would like to order one thousand bottle of your finest champagne" Serena said "You can just charge it to my mother's credit card" she said as a purple envelope was slid under her door before she walked over to see what it was "Then I would like to have two hundred lobster tails, with your sesame crab cakes on the side….I'll take two hundred in the crab cakes as well" she said as she kneeled down to see the envelope was from Georgina. Opening up the envelope, Serena looked on at the tube of cocaine.
Unemployment line, credit card declined
Did I not mention I was about to lose my mind?
And also was about to do that line?
Okay, okay, you know we goin' all the way this time
We goin' all the way this time
We goin' all the way this time
Dan: He looks the part of the prince, more than his so called best friend. From the outside, you can tell that he could care less about the riches, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying the lavishness of his lifestyle. He's confused, confused about life and confused about his heart. So much is expected of him that if the image he portrays to the outside world would ever reveal what he really was…the people closest would be shocked.
Standing in the midst of the rain, Nate dug his hands down in his pocket as he waited to be let in. Looking around the unfamiliar neighborhood, he didn't allow himself to think of how cold it was, but to focus on the task at hand. Once the door finally opened, he wasted no time in heading inside to where some bit of warmth was to be had. Immediately stopped by the broad shouldered guard, Nate looked on nervously as to what he should do next. The side door quickly opened before another man stepped out; waving his hand for Nate to come in, Nate cautiously stepped into the room to see the guy he had spoken to earlier on the phone. Coming out from the shadows, Damien had a devilish smile on his face as if he were pleased to see Nate embracing the darkness.
"So I hear you've been looking for me" The guy asked as pulled a cigar out his coat pocket and began to light it
"Yes" Nate replied nervously before the guy got up to observe Nate
"Let's do business" The guy said before he looked over at the guard by the side door.
Turn up the lights in here, baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here, baby
You know what I need, want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights
Dan: He has the desire to be more than the stereotype that has been placed on him. His mind is as abstract as the next, but he's about as normal as they come in this world of excess. There's not much he looks for in people, but that they have a passion for life and all that it has to offer. Over the course of time, one could pick up that he has a passion for money, but what strikes fear in me is if that passion for money will turn to greed.
Handing over the envelope to the young man, Carter eagerly looked inside the envelope to see that his money had tripled from what he had originally bet. Looking over at the person that had steered him in the right direction, Eric gave a knowing smile that made Carter feel as if his luck had just reached a new high. Noticing the betting sheets that were laid out on the counter, Carter reached out to grab one as he looked over it for a few moments. Unsure as to what Carter was doing, Eric walked up a bit to see that Carter was studying the sheet as if he were trying to memorize it of some sorts. Putting the sheet down, Carter flashed a quick smile at the guy before he turned to make his way out of the club. Placing the loaded envelope in his pocket, Carter felt as if he were untouchable in this moment, like the world was becoming his playground and all he had to do was take it.
I tried to tell you
But all I could say is, oh
I tried to tell you but all I could say is...
Dan: When one would first meet her, you'd think that she'd have the coldest of hearts, and times she can. That's not to say that she doesn't have reasoning behind it though, she guards her heart in fear of it being broken. She's not so quick to trust people because a girl of her stature, everyone's bound to take a snipe from those that are on top. Her beauty doesn't illuminate as brightly as her best friend, but her beauty is that of stuff you search your whole life for. Her heart, when she shows it, its as precious as diamonds, and I don't understand how anyone could want to hurt or harm a treasure such as her heart .To those that know her, she is Queen Bee, but to me….The Insider, she's just Waldorf.
Looking over at the clock, Blair felt like hope was slowly dwindling away from her as it was well into the next day. She hoped to talk with Dan about their reserved feelings, but she began to fear that something else had stopped him from coming back to the villa. From time to time, she would try to busy herself with watching movies, but nothing took her mind off of missing him. She was happy on settling with missing him, knowing where he was as opposed to missing him and not knowing. Hearing a popping sound come from outside the window, Blair got up from her spot on the sofa to pull the curtains back to see the fireworks going off. For a moment she looked on at the many colors that filled the sky, and felt as if the fireworks were clear examples of how it felt whenever she was near him, but she didn't want to get too sappy. Taking a seat on the window seal, she continued to look on at the fireworks.
Songs/Lyrics Used in this Chapter:
Train- Hey, Soul Sister
Selena Gomez & The Scene- Love You Like a Love Song
Gavin Degraw- Not Over You
Kanye West ft. Rihanna - All of the Lights
Author's Note: This chapter felt so long, but I was excited because so much got revealed in this chapter. I know in this chapter that I mention the Katie deal is briefly talked about in dialogue between the characters, but the next chapter will fill you in on what happened and why Georgina will be bringing the drama for all of them. Don't worry on the Dair front, things need to get ironed out with them, but they will be together soon until then its going to be fun with Blair going after him a bit. Chuck/Jenny, I'm uber excited for their storyline, I think these two characters will have a very interesting journey to go through that I hope people will like. I'm actually excited for this story because every character has interesting storylines that will effect Dair, so stay tuned.
