Yale Waldorf-Rose let the cold air of her New York pent house envelop her, as she stepped out of the steaming hot shower. She stood there for a moment, letting goose bumps trickle up her arms and then to her shoulders. Wrapping a cream colored towel around her tall, slender body, she smiled at the feeling. It reminded her of her first kiss with Kade Carson.
His soft, not-too-thin-not-too-big, lips had pressed against hers so gently it practically numbed her whole body. Even though it was a dare, and even though the two seventh grade kids who shared that moment would deny their feelings endlessly; she knew they had both left that party wanting to do it again, and again, and again.
Trading in her towel for her favorite red silk robe and matching slip, Yale let the smell of breakfast bring her back to the present. She waltzed into the kitchen where Darota stood, a green smoothie in one hand, and a brown paper bag which contained the most delicious blueberry scone from the café down the street. "You spoil me, D," Yale said warmly, taking the glass and bag off her hands.
"And I always will," she grinned, "anything for the baby."
Yale bit at her lip. Baby. That's all she ever was, baby Yale. Not that the extra attention was so bad, she just occasionally wished she could fly under the radar as easily as Tyler and the rest of her older siblings did.
Just then the elevator doors to the kitchen flew open, an in walked Sabrina Levesque. Her mid length blonde hair was pulled back into a French braid, and she was wearing a white athletic shirt with a pink collar, and a skirt to match. "Well," Yale laughed, "don't you look sporty?"
"Thanks," she shrugged, taking a seat across from her best friend.
"May I ask," Yale said, taking a sip of her smoothie, "What you're doing here so early? We aren't meeting Marely till lunch."
"Needed a break from the crazy," Sabrina said, Yale assumed she was talking about her younger twin sister's Jade and Jana.
"So you came to my house?" Yale snorted, her eccentric mother and father was the reason she would flee to Sabrina's house when she 'needed a break from the crazy'. "Oh well, we're always glad to have you."
Sabrina gave her a wink, then grabbed an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table. "Have you seen the Gossip Girl blasts?" She asked, taking a bite of the granny smith.
"Do I need to?" Yale sighed. What was it this time?
"Kade's off the rails, Y." Sabrina said between bites.
Yale rolled her eyes, "not my problem."
Sabrina raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, "sure it had nothing to do with your hot date last night?"
Yale felt the color rise in her cheeks. Had Gossip Girl caught her last night? She had been so damn careful… Yale's tumultuous relationship with Kade Carson had been put on hold ever since she'd met the man of her dreams. Well maybe not man, but he was a college student so she considered him much more manly than the rest of male population she had to choose from—cough, a certain ex boyfriend, cough. Elliot Knight was quite possibly the most amazing boy she had ever met, and she still couldn't believe that he was all hers.
It probably had nothing to do with her movie-star-quality face, and lacrosse toned body to match.
"What Kade does in his free time is none of my business," she huffed, "and most definitely should not be affected by my business."
"Whatever you say," Sabrina laughed, "he's your soulmate."
"I sure hope you're talking about Elliot." Marley Fabray appeared in the kitchen also, her hair in loose curls cascading down her tanned shoulders, and her model-like body wrapped in a navy blue romper.
"You too?" Yale asked, "Why didn't I at least get a text that my house was the actual meet up spot today?"
"Why ruin the mystery?" Marley smiled, taking a seat beside Sabrina. Yale tried to push away the uneasiness she felt when Kade was in trouble. But it sat there, deep in her heart, along with the yearning for him she'd had since she was 13. As if she read her thoughts, Marley reached over and grabbed Yale's hand. Her grey eyes warm and understanding. "Don't worry about K, he's a big boy." Something in the way Sabrina jerked her head to look away told me she didn't agree. Sabrina and Kade had always been close, close in a way that Kade and Yale weren't, and sometimes it bothered Yale. Even though she knew their feelings for each other would only ever be platonic, it annoyed her that Sabrina understood Kade in a different way than she could.
Just then Aaron stumbled into the kitchen. Because of recent events, as in a spot as an environmental lawyer at a popular firm, Aaron had cleaned up. He'd traded in his hippie look for a clean cut, but eco-friendly millionaire-in-the-making. "Hey kiddos," Aaron said passing by the girls, he ruffled Yale's hair in that brotherly way that was only acceptable when Yale was with her friends or family. She smiled up at him, there were few people in the world who meant as much to her as her older siblings. Sabrina and Marley were in that group, and unfortunately so was Kade, but the bond Yale had with Tyler, Aaron, and Blair, it was indestructible, and never-ending.
Yale noticed the way Marley's eyes ran over Aaron, she knew that look, the hungry and interested I-want-that look. When Marley wanted something, she got it, boys, grades, anything, she was impossible to refuse. Yale shot her a warning look, "He's thirty," she whispered. Marley smiled that secretive smile of hers, "Aw, Y, there's no harm in looking. You can't keep your hot brother all to yourself."
In that moment, Yale had never been more thankful for how loud the ridiculous Espresso machine was, because it meant Aaron couldn't hear what they were saying. Leaning over, Yale looked her square in the eyes, "first of all, it's gross." She looked to Sabrina, that gave a nod of confirmation. "Second of all, he's my brother."
"And it's still just really gross," She added as an afterthought.
Marley never lost her smiled, "Yale, I promise to never pursue your brother, and to live off of just looking at his really cute butt."
Yale laughed in spite of herself, she knew Marley meant it. "I hate that you can always make me laugh, even when I'm annoyed with you."
"And that is why we are soul mates, Yalie, You, me, and S, and nobody can break that, not even hot brothers." Those words were true. The three of them had been friends since preschool, and now they ruled Constance Billard. And as the story goes, friendships like these lasted forever, didn't they?