Citrus

One smile and Dan is off scot-free. Well, he really is flattered that at least some people find him attractive. Even if they are sixty year old men.

.o.

Dan sits in his last class, pondering why Chuck Bass had talked to him this morning. I mean, how random had that been? Chuck never talks to him. Ever. He only flings insults about how he must be gay because he's never had a girlfriend and how ugly he is. Shit like that.

Now while the conversation this morning hadn't been exactly pleasant, it had been long, long and small talkish. As if he was actually interested in whether Dan was in love with Serena or not. Why the hell had he wanted to know how he felt about her?

Dan shakes his head. He hates Chuck Bass. He really does. He's seriously like number three on his people-I-think-about-murdering list.

Number one sits right in front of him. Nathaniel Archibald. The ridiculously good-looking, dumb blonde jock that thinks he's all deeply troubled and shit. Like he doesn't sleep on a zillion thread count sheets every night on a four-poster bed in some fancy shmancy mansion. He doesn't even do his own fucking laundry for god's sake. The kid has it made. He should be the happiest kid on the planet.

And yet he sits around brooding and looking all sad and forlorn and getting messed up and high all the time. Like he has so many problems that he can't live his life for real. Like he has to be on something to get through the day. Seriously he is so fake.

And even besides the fact that he's gorgeous and rich, which how could he not be deliriously happy with being that, he still wallows around like some girl who's just gotten dumped while he's best friends with two of the most sought after girls on the Upper East side. One of those girls is number two on his list, Blair Waldorf. That girl is such a bitch. And the other is Serena. Serena fucking van der Woodsen.

And that's why he hates him the most. Because how could be go around looking so sad, when he spends countless hours frolicking around the city with her by his side. I mean sure, Dan would probably commit suicide if he had to spend time with Blair. But Serena? How could he be anything but like so fucking happy being with her?

And then thinking this, Dan just gets even angrier. Cause you know what? He's probably been with her before. Like in that way. They've probably kissed, and made out, and seen each other naked. They've probably had sex before. And after he's done all that the guy is still depressed.

It really blows his freaking mind.

Dan clenches his fists under his desk and watches the clock. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The bell rings and even though its all uplifting and merry, Dan doesn't mind because he's never happier than when that stupid bell rings at 3:45.

He relaxes his hands and briefly lets himself smile as he throws off his tie and shoves it in his bag.

He returns back to his blank and gloomy expression and watches Nate walk out the door, with his sad blue puppy dog eyes and the corners of his lips turned down in a frown. Dan wants to smack his face silly and yell at him about how frigging happy he should be. But he doesn't. Because he really wants to get the hell out of here come nine months from now. And he wants to be able to get into a decent college and not have beat up a kid written on his permanent record.

Besides, does he even know how to fight? He's never hit anyone before. He's never been violent towards anyone. Dan thinks about this and concludes that he's probably pissed off enough to beat the shit out of him fairly decently. Not that he will, but it's sort of nice to think about.

He walks down the halls and out of the doors and sighs with relief. School is over. Finally. He slumps back up against the wall and watches Serena and Blair skip down the steps towards Nate, the lucky little bastard, like he does every day.

Blair throws her arms around Nate and kisses his cheek and starts chattering at a mile a minute about nonsensical things most likely, smoothing down his hair and fiddling with his coat buttons. He barely smiles, but Blair's smile is so wide and glossy red, it looks painted on.

Serena merely gives him a small smile, Dan can tell by the way her lips move that she says "Natie", and then she just ruffles his hair. And he grins. He bares his teeth and the corners of his mouth turn up and he grins.

And Dan feels sick to his stomach. Because, Nate likes Serena. He likes her a lot. She's the only one who can make him smile. The only one.

He sees Blair's eyes flick back and forth between them. He notices how Blair's hands quit touching Nate, how they fold across her chest and the way her mouth closes, how tight it seems now, how unshiny it's become. She's upset. She knows that she can never give Nate what Serena gives him. She can never make him happy. She could do anything in the world and he wouldn't crack a smile, but all Serena has to do is be and Nate is happy.

And Dan almost feels sorry for her. Because that has to be one hell of a love triangle she's in. And the outcome just doesn't look good for Blair. And that means that it doesn't look good for him. Not that it ever looked good. Seeing as she doesn't even know him and all.

Dan sighs. He can't watch this anymore. It's really just too terrible.

Dan lights a cigarette with trembling fingers and takes long drags as if the stupid thing is helping him breathe. He lifts himself up off the wall and walks to the bus, leaving a smiling Nate and Serena and a frowning Blair behind him.

And little does he know, he leaves a smiling, happy-looking Chuck behind as well.