Disclaimer: I own nothing! If I did, you would be able to tell, trust me.
When Blair arrives at her dorm at NYU, she's shocked to find that she has a roommate and didn't manage to get a single. She looks at Serena in indignation- she's helping her unpack- fully prepared to go storming to the Dean's Office and demand a reallocation, but she just shakes her head and tells her to suck it up. Blair pouts, leans over and opens a box, the bare bed opposite taunting her. She's never had to share a room in her life before, and the thought that she is being forced to do so with a complete stranger niggles at her all the way through unpacking her things, walking the five blocks to Serena's dorm, helping her settle in and on the way back. By the time she's returned, her roommate is already all moved in and out somewhere.
There are Broadway playbills neatly tacked to the wall and a tiara on a shelf, nestling in front of a photograph of a group of people smiling exuberantly, holding a trophy and in absolutely dreadful outfits. Pinned to the bulletin board is a Metro Pass- New York to New Haven- and a large, golden, bedazzled star rests above the bed. Blair is staring at this in outrage, having never seen anything quite as twee in her life before, when a soft voice comes from behind her.
"Stars are kind of my thing."
/
Rachel Berry could be a lot worse as a roommate, Blair decides, a week into term. She was a music student at NYADA, of all places, and yes, she did have a rigorous morning routine, but she also fetched her coffee, and was surprisingly accommodating about closet space. She was easy to talk to, and was full of stories from back home in Lima, especially about her best friend, Quinn, who had turned out to be the source of the Metro Passes on the bulletin board.
Rachel spends an almost extortionate amount of time on Skype to this mysterious Quinn- they call each other at least once a day- and Blair would tease her about it, honestly, she really would, but she meets Serena every day for coffee, and sometimes for lunch as well, so she really has no room to poke fun. Blair's curious about Quinn. She sounds intriguing, and everything Rachel says about her just increases her need for gossip and confirmation.
Unfortunately, she goes to Yale, and grew up in Lima -i.e. The Middle of Nowhere- so there is nothing on Gossip Girl about her, and Blair sometimes regrets severing all ties with that one girl in her grade who went to New Haven. It's just so unbelievable- she has never met or heard of a girl whom, within the space of three years, was the head of the Celibacy Club and head cheerleader, got pregnant, had the baby and gave her up for adoption, fought her way back to the top of the popularity pile again, became a Skank (with a Ryan Seacrest tattoo of all things), reformed, attempted to steal her baby off her adoptive mother, who also happened to be Rachel's biological mother- "two gay dads, remember"- stopped being crazy, got into Yale, ended up in a car accident (on the way to Rachel's wedding- Blair was relieved to find out that she doesn't have a husband hiding somewhere), learned to walk again and danced at the National Glee Championships, which ended up getting Rachel into NYADA.
"Your life is like a really bad TV show," Blair says one day, when they're out walking in Central Park. It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and far too good to waste inside. It's the kind of weather Serena loves, but she's got a paper due and isn't leaving her room until it's done. Blair doesn't mind that much- Rachel's pretty good company, even when she randomly bursts out into song, which happens far more than a casual observer would expect- but she can't help begrudging her absence. Just a little bit though. It would be nice to have someone with her who didn't know all the dialogue of Funny Girl.
Rachel smiles in response and carelessly says something about it all being perfectly suited for her celebrity memoirs, but she's not really listening. A giddy wave of nostalgia hits her as a group of girls in the Constance Billiard uniform walk past, and suddenly she's thinking back over her childhood- picnics here, Dorota playing Catch with her, sailing model boats on the lake.
"You okay, Blair?" Rachel asks, looking at her worriedly.
"Yeah, sorry. Those girls just reminded me- I went to that school." She points, and Rachel looks at the uniform, half-wrinkling her nose at the blazers.
"Lucky you," she sniggers.
Blair pushes her in mock-indignation, and Rachel nudges her back. As they giggle and play fight down the path, she's suddenly filled with a sense of well-being. Maybe having a roommate wasn't such a bad thing.
/
The first time Quinn visits Rachel it rains. They were going to go the Met, but Rachel vetoed it (much to Blair's amusement), citing the "scientific fact" that rain makes your bones ache, so it would wait. Quinn gave in surprisingly easily, and so they opted for indoor activities.
That evening, they sit together on Rachel's bed and watch The Great Gatsby (Quinn's choice). The brunette is visibly happy, curled up next to her, whispering softly about Mia Farrow. Blair sits in the corner, pretending to study, and watches Quinn more than she writes. She's blonde and tall and fragile and looks a little like Grace Kelly. She moves stiffly still, and coughs- she has bronchitis for the second time this year, left over from the accident, Blair presumes- and reminds her so much of Serena that it almost hurts, in a strange way. She's the same as her when she's interested or excited- lit up from the inside, and even though she is literally, like five blocks away, and they met for coffee this morning, Blair suddenly misses her with an intensity that surprises her.
As evening draws into night, Rachel and Quinn curl up together under the covers, unwittingly tangling their limbs together in their sleep. It's weirdly adorable, and Blair holds her stuffed rabbit until she, too, falls asleep.