Finally, a chapter about the Hamptons. Enjoy!
It was summertime in the Hamptons. The sun gleamed through the trees and onto the many luscious acres of land that were mostly privately owned. The Van der Woodsen's owned a good chunk of land and had a beautiful white house that had more rooms than they could inhabit. Every summer, the four families stayed at the house for a week and a half. Like always, the children were left to roam free and do as they wish, as long as they did not do anything that would put their family's name in vain.
This summer, the four kids were twelve. The Van der Woodsens and Waldorfs flew down on the Waldorf's jet while the Archibalds took Chuck on the Van der Bilt helicopter. Once everyone was settled in their rooms, the festivities began. Mrs. Waldorf, Mrs. Archibald, and Mrs. Van der Woodsen always sat by the pool, tanning themselves and taking about the latest gossip. The men would sit by the bar and talk business deals and finance. The children would roam around the property, doing as they pleased. It was the same every summer, and everybody loved it that way. However this summer was slightly different. It was the first summer at the Hamptons that Blair and Nate were a couple. And while that did not change what the parents did, it somewhat changed the kids did. Now they were not just all friends, but more of a couple and their two friends, which made things a tad more awkward.
Blair and Serena lied in the hot summer sun on a Vera Bradley towel by the pool. Blair and Serena always had the best tans in school, without a doubt. The soft hum of a Madonna song made Blair drift into a slight sleep. She smiled, thinking of her first kiss with Nate. It was almost like a fairy tale. The two sixth graders trudged through the thick snow, laughing along the way. Blair could remember how her heart raced when Nate took her hand and walked her over to the pond. She loved feeding the ducks, so she and Nate fed them, laughing at nonsense and just acting like two middle schoolers in love. Then came the climax. The two stood up and looked in each other's eyes. They knew that it was the moment. Slowly, Nate leaned into Blair. Blair felt his cold hands shaking as he almost touched her lips. And then their lips touched and…
"CHUCK!" Blair screeched as she bobbed her head out of the chilly pool water. Chuck smiled his devilish smile as he watched her squirm in the water.
"You know you love me." He joked. Taking off his sunglasses, he jumped in the pool after Blair. Out of nowhere, Nate grabbed Serena's hand and the two toppled into the pool.
"Help me lifeguard, I'm drowning!" Serena screamed, pretending to drown in the three-foot pool. Nate laughed and pretended to save her. Serena giggled as Nate thrashed out of the water and cupped her body in his arms. She looked into Nate's deep eyes, and for a slight second, it seemed as though the world had stopped. Then she was thrown out of the moment by Blair, who stomped angrily out of the pool.
"I swear to god Bass I am going to kill you!" Blair hissed, swiping a dry towel from the cart.
"Oh come on Blair, come swim with us!" Nate said, still holding Serena in his arms. Serena realized Blair was staring at them, so she wriggled herself out of Nate's arms.
"Oh come on Waldorf. Too worried the chlorine will turn your hair green?" Chuck teased. Blair shot him another look. Then she looked her friends. She couldn't be a party pooper. And boy did Nate look cute wet. She threw the towel back onto the cart and grinned. She started a slow walk back to the edge of the pool and then abruptly threw herself over the edge.
"Lifeguard, save me!" Blair screamed as she fell into the clear blue water. Underwater, Blair closed her eyes, waiting for Nate's tanned arms to save her from the depths of the pool. However, Nate's arms did not save her. Someone else's scooped her out of the water.
"Hey, you're not certified!" Blair yelled, trying to squirm out of Chuck's arms. Chuck laughed and ducked underwater, still holding onto Blair. Even though the pool was chilly, Blair felt warm in Chuck's arms. It was the strangest feeling Chuck had encountered since the rooftop. Chuck shot Blair out of the water towards Nate. As she plummeted in the water, she felt Nate's arms scoop her up and yank her towards the air. Blair lied uncomfortably in Nate's arms, looking into his eyes. Why did she feel like she fit perfectly in Chuck's arms? In Nate's arms, she just felt like a pile of fluff. She looked up into Nate's eyes, trying to find the sparkle she so desperately wanted to find. But it was not there.
"Wow, I've saved one pretty girl. I'm sure glad I got her in time." Nate whispered, gazing into Blair's eyes. Suddenly, Blair kissed him and wrapped her arms around him in a cold embrace, desperate to find the high she felt during their first kiss.
"Okay let's keep this PG!" Serena joked, pushing Blair away from Nate. They all shared a long uncomfortable laugh.
But inside, Serena was feeling a hurt she had never felt before. A confusing and unexplainable hurt.
Heartbreak.
And all of them would be feeling this again and again for the rest of their lives until the day that they were united with their soul mate forever.
But that point was very far away from that moment.
Serena and Blair sat at the edge of the pool, dipping their legs in. Dusk was just breaking at the Hamptons, and the view was remarkable.
"B, do you remember our first summer here?" She asked, looking into the illuminated pool water.
"S you seriously think I would remember? We were three!" Blair responded, looking over and Serena.
"I remember me and you being carried in a helicopter by my dad. I mean..." She paused, looking deep into the night sky. "...its one of the only memories I can recall of my dad." Serena said with a slight sigh.
Blair did not know what to say to her. Serena's dad was always a touchy subject.
"I can remember my dad taking me and Nate to some candy shop. Nate got a red lollipop, and I got a Kit Kat." Serena continued, the memories flowing back to her like a train pulling rapidly into a station.
The chimes rang as Nate and Serena ran into McMillian's candy shop, eager to see all of the candy. Mr. Van der Woodsen trudged behind the two toddlers, smiling at their happiness.
"Now you two can pick out anything you want, just make sure you let me pay for it." Mr. Van der Woodsen told them. Serena waddled over to the chocolate section, grinning at all of the choices. She had never seen so much chocolate in her life! She felt her dad come behind her and take her hand. Mr. Van der Woodsen smiled.
"You'll always be my little Serena." He said, kissing the top of her fluffy blonde hair.
Serena shuddered at the memory. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wished her step-dad Robert would love her that way. But if her dad loved her that much; why did he leave her behind? She felt Blair's arm go around her back.
"Serena, your dad made the biggest mistake leaving you and your family behind." Blair answered slowly, choosing her words carefully in order to not make her more upset. "...and if your ever feeling alone, remember your sister is always here."
Serena looked into Blair's eyes and smiled. She wrapped her arms around Blair's skinny frame and rested her head on her shoulder.
"Do you ever feel like fate is pulling you in a direction you don't want to go in?" Serena asked, changing the subject. She looked into the setting sun, thinking about the feelings she felt in the pool with Nate.
"I guess so." Blair responded, looking into the setting sun with Serena, thinking about her past experiences with Chuck: The rooftop, the Dress Up Game, the pool encounter, and everything else. Was it fate? Blair didn't know for sure.
The two girls sat in silence, hugging each other tightly until the sun vanished behind the faded horizon, hoping for an answer.
"And Nate takes the title once again!" Nate shrieked in delight. Chuck groaned in defeat. He had lost once again to Nate on the Xbox. They were playing their favorite game, NBA Street Basketball. They had a mini-tournament every time they came to the Hamptons, and Nate always won. Chuck was tired of loosing. They needed to start a new tradition.
"Nathaniel, we are never going to become men sitting here playing Xbox." Chuck said. "I say we do something...a little more manly." Chuck got up from the couch and motioned towards the basement. Nate followed him down the steps and into the beer celler.
"I think its time you and I had our first beer. I mean, I've obviously had beer before, but I think its time you tried it too." Chuck said, handing Nate a cold beer.
"But what if a parent sees?" Nate asked, his hands shaking at the thought of his dad finding him with a beer.
"Oh they'll never find out. Dude I'm Chuck Bass. I can hide anything." Chuck replied, giving Nate the "no duh" look.
Too many beers later, the boys lied on the cold cellar floor, druken off their butts, laughing hysterically at nothing. Nate looked at Chuck.
"Don't you think Serena is just so gorgeous? I mean every time I'm with her I feel so hypnotized by her!" Nate spoke drunkley, remembering how natural it felt to have Serena in his arms.
Chuck was drunk, but he wasn't drunk enough to forget that Blair was Nate's girlfriend. He decided to keep personal experiences out of his response. He didn't know how a drunken Nate would react to that.
"Yeah she's pretty. She's getting hotter and hotter by the minute." Chuck slurred, suddenly feeling really tired.
"Yeah...I think I lo..." Nate said, drifting off into sleep.
It was the boy's first drunken night together, and certainly not their last.
Okay, what did you think? I tried to imply more friendships in this chapter rather than just Chair and SereNate fluff. Leave a review! =)