In a city like New York, the city that never sleeps, Tori had always come to expect that every building as far as the eye could see to be lit up like the fourth of July, as brightly as a Christmas tree, lighting up children's hearts for the holiday season to come. This fact was never truer than this night for Tori, the night of the Kiss on the Lips party, especially when she saw the club the party was taking place in. Sure, she'd been there to help with the preparations for the party, but seeing all the sparkling lights, hearing the booming music escaping every time the front door opened, just gave her chills, just like every other party she'd been to. Tori glanced over at Jenny, who was practically jumping up and down in her seat, excitement spilling out of her.
"You ready for this?" Tori asked, as the car slowly came closer and closer to the front door.
"I want to say yes, but I really mean no, so I could be both. Do I need to give an answer?" she questioned, words falling out of her mouth almost too quickly for Tori to understand.
"Try to breathe Jenny, if you keep hyperventilating like that, you won't have much to be excited about," Tori laughed, looking out the window as the car came to a stop, the chauffer quickly jumping out of the car to open the door for them.
"This is my first time to a party like this; the biggest party I've been to was my five year old cousin's birthday. I had my face painted like a lion. It wasn't pretty," Jenny admitted, jumping when the door opened, letting in the loud beat of the music into, stronger than ever.
"Just keep calm, stick close and enjoy the music. This is but the first of many parties in your future Little J, I can feel it," Tori smiled, moved to the door to get out.
"Little J?" Jenny asked, moving along behind her.
"Thought it sounded like a good nickname," Tori smirked, stepping out of the car and onto the sidewalk, smiling out at all the other guests milling about, waiting to get inside. The chauffer helped her fully out of the car and then helped Jenny, the pair standing side by side, when Tori noticed another car arrive nearby. Nate stepped out of the car and helped Blair out behind him, the pair smiling like a happily married couple, without a care in the world.
"Come on, let's go inside," Jenny suggested, leading the way to the party, sounding a little more confident then she had only minutes ago.
"Add a little more sway to your hips, and a bit more attitude to your voice, and I could've sworn you sounded like Blair," Tori laughed, hooking arms with Jenny as they walked forward, turning her head to make eye contact with Blair, a smirk crossing her face when she saw the shock on Blair's own face. They pushed past all the other partygoers with conviction in their step and pushed open the double doors, being instantly hit by the bass of the music. They took slow steps into the club, taking in just how magnificent everything looked, how great the night was going to be. All they could do was watch as teens danced in large groups, grinded against their partners and enjoyed themselves immensely, having the night of their lives, one they would never easily forget. With a quick nudge to Jenny's side, she lead the way to the dance floor, only turning around to notice Jenny hadn't followed her yet.
"Are you coming or not?" Tori questioned, making her way back over to the girl, grabbing her arm to pull her along, only for Jenny to resist.
"I think I might get myself a drink first to, you know, calm my nerves and stuff," Jenny replied, stepping away to the nearby drink table, not looking over her shoulder as she retreated away.
"Just be sure to pour your own drink, who knows what's getting passed around in here," Tori shouted after her, losing sight of Jenny as she disappeared into the crowd.
"If anything is getting passed around by anyone it'd have to from you." Tori groaned at the sound of Blair's annoying voice, spinning around to face her old friend, smirking at her as they made eye contact once more, barely even noticing Nate standing nearby.
"I'd have to not be a virgin for that to be true Blair but, I guess you know all about being a virgin, since lover boy here isn't giving you any," Tori smirked, winking at Nate as she moved to step away, only for Blair to grab her arm and pull her back.
"At least I have a boyfriend and don't need to steal one from other people just to get some sort of pleasure," Blair snapped, not even trying to hide her rage anymore.
"Well from what I hear, Serena didn't exactly steal him away because, if she really did steal him, then why did it take him so long to tell you? My guess is that he loved it so much, that he was hoping beyond hope that Serena would come back; just so then he could get himself another taste. Does that sound about-?" Before Tori could finish her sentence, Blair slapped Tori across the face, in the same spot she had slapped earlier that day. Tori had to give it to her, she sure loved her consistency.
"There is nothing you can say to me that will ruin this night, do you understand me? I have worked it out with Nate, we are still a happy couple and you're just a sad little girl with no real friends. You know, it's funny how you like to say all the time that you are nothing like your brother, that you two have nothing in common. Well guess what, you're just as conniving as he is, if not more So yes, enjoy the party, dance the night away, gossip to your heart's content. Just remember, once the night is over and reality kicks back in, you won't have very much left to get by on, you'll be back to where you started, the little unknown twin sister of Chuck Bass." And with a fake smile and a wave, Blair was gone, with Nate not far behind, his face full of emotion, both anger and sadness, as he followed, like her obedient lap dog, something Tori knew was above him. Realizing just how bad that argument was, Tori turned away from the dance floor and walked away to one of the nearby tables, which had Chuck and Blair's two lackeys waiting, none of them taking any notice of her until she was standing beside them.
"Having fun yet sis?" Chuck smirked, taking a sip of his drink as he scanned the area, no doubt looking for a new girl for him to prey on.
"If by fun you mean get slam dunked by Blair in the middle of dozens of people, then yeah, I'm having the greatest time of my life," Tori groaned, snatching the drink out of Chuck's hand and downing it in one gulp.
"Since when do you make sport references?" Chuck chuckled, stealing Isabel's drink when she wasn't looking, also downing that drink in one gulp.
"Since Blair bounced me like a ball and then slammed me to the ground. Plus, you have an unhealthy obsession with basketball," Tori replied bluntly, placing her hands on the table to rest her head on top.
"I'm not obsessed. I have an appreciation for the sport, that's all," Chuck informed her, his gaze stopping as his eyes fell on what Tori knew was going to be his newest conquest of the night.
"So, who have you spied tonight? Another blonde?" she asked half-heartedly, trying to follow his gaze through the crowd of people to spot who he was looking at.
"Who's she?" Chuck asked, nodding his head towards who he had spotted, helping Tori to find her, only for her face to fall at who it was.
"First of all, that's Jenny Humphrey, and second of all, forget it, she's too young, even for you," Tori told him in annoyance, trying to block Chuck's view of Jenny, only for him to try talking to Kati and Isabel.
"She's a freshman," Kati told him, sounding bored as she looked around at all the other party goers.
"I love freshmen, they're so…" Chuck trailed off, trying to find the right word, which Tori was sure would make her sick.
"Fresh?" Isabel smirked; taking a sip from her drink, only to realize there was none left.
"Chuck, I swear to god, you had better leave her-" Tori tried to say, only for Chuck to put a hand in her face, shutting her up.
"Anything about her on Gossip Girl?" Chuck asked, his focus having left Tori for Jenny.
"No," Isabel replied, picking up her phone to start looking through different posts, coming up with nothing.
"Until you're done with her," Kati smirked, getting a hit to the arm from Tori.
"Chuck, please just find someone else to harass, she's not worth your time," Tori said, standing up to follow him over to Jenny, trying to beat him to her before he could reach the young girl.
"Hi, I'm Chuck," he introduced himself, shaking Jenny's hand innocently while Tori stood between him, staring him down as he avoided her eyes.
"I know, I mean hi, I'm Jenny," Jenny smiled, returning the handshake, her eyes lighting up when she looked over at Tori, who returned her smile with a weak one.
"It's nice to meet you," Chuck smiled, putting on the winning grin that had won over so many hearts since he was fourteen.
"Chuck, sidebar, now," Tori growled lowly, gripping Chuck's arm tightly to drag him away, a flash of pain crossing his face as her hand gripped tighter.
"How is your grip so much like a vice," Chuck groaned in annoyance, rubbing his arm soothingly when Tori finally let go.
"You listen, and you listen well. This girl is not going to be another one of your conquests; she is not going to be someone you can use and abuse, so you can throw her to the wayside when you're done with her. Do you understand?" Chuck rolled his eyes at his sister and let his gaze fall back onto Jenny, who smiled at them when the two twins looked her way.
"I can't even have a taste?" he whined, sounding like a child that wasn't getting his way.
"Conversation is as far as you can go with her. You've seen me angry before Chuck. You know it almost rivals our fathers. Promise that you will leave her alone," she snapped, grabbing his shoulders so that he would face her. He stare into her eyes for a few seconds, trying to convince her to let him do his thing but, when she refused to relent, he let out a sigh and nodded, pulling away from his sister.
"Fine, I won't make any advances, no matter how badly she begs me. Scout's honor," Chuck promised, placing to fingers to his forehead in mock salute, smirking as he turned around and walked back over to Jenny, starting up a conversation with her.
"He is going to be the death of me," Tori groaned, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
"You and me both." Tori quickly span around to look at who was behind her and came face to face with Nate, a cross between a smile and a frown on his face, something only Nate Archibald could pull off.
"And here I was thinking Blair would've told you to stay away from me, since she did the same to me. Is she finally letting you off the leash?" Tori asked sarcastically, turning away to go stand with Chuck and Jenny, not wanting them to be alone together.
"Can we please just talk, you owe me at least that," Nate told her grabbing her arm to stop her going anywhere.
"I actually have things to do Nate, so if you wouldn't mind letting me go, I'll pretend I never saw you, for both our sakes," Tori snapped, trying unsuccessfully to pull away from Nate's strong grip.
"I just want to clear the air between us, before the situation between you and Blair escalates beyond repair," Nate insisted, holding her gaze, Tori allowing herself to be drawn in by his puppy dog eyes, something she really needed to learn to resist. She looked over her shoulder at Chuck and Jenny, the pair still talking, showing no signs of going anywhere soon.
"Fine. You have three minutes, then I am going to go back to enjoy this party, which is so much fun," Tori fake smiled, which instantly became a frown, following behind Nate, the pair looking for a quieter place to talk, while Tori continued looking over her shoulder, trying to keep Chuck and Jenny in her sights for as long as she could, before they rounded a corner, and they lost sight of them. It wasn't long before they found a quite place to talk, the pair standing in an awkward silence, before Nate took the plunge, taking a deep breath before he spoke.
"I'm sorry about telling Blair, I really am. I know you told me not to do it, and now you're really made at me, but I just couldn't lie to her anymore. You know me, I'm really bad at keeping secrets from my lived ones, I just feel bad about it when I do, especially when I seem to be a repeat offended of the same lie," Nate started, waiting for permission to continue.
"Anything else?" Tori asked, giving him a slight nod, trying to control her facial expression as much as she could.
"I just wanted the lies to be over, I wanted to get out of my relationship with her. Yes, I love her, and I think I'll always love her, but at the time, with the pressure of Serena returning, and the memory of what happened between us, I couldn't stay with her, feeling how I feel. Feeling how I feel about you," Nate continued, taking Tori by surprise, her face showing so for a split second before she became neutral again.
"It was one drunken kiss Nate, it's not like we're in the sixties all of a sudden and I'm asking you to go steady," Tori told him sarcastically, crossing her arms over chest, trying to figure out where he was going with all this.
"I know that, I really do. It's just that, ever since it happened and, even before then, there was still something there, and as time went by, I felt myself falling out of love with Blair, and falling in love with-" Nate began to explain, only for Tori to cut him off mid-sentence.
"Hold it right there Archibald. It took you this long to tell me anything, it took Serena coming back from her boarding school trip, for you to admit your true thoughts about who you'd rather be with? I passed it off as a onetime thing, nothing that would ever happen again as I live and breathe because one, you're Blair's boyfriend, and two, you're Chuck's best friend, making matters all the more worse," Tori said angrily, feeling her phone buzz in her purse. As she reached in to pull it out, Nate stole it from her, keeping it out of her reach, wanting to hold her attention.
"I know I have the worst timing ever, it's one of my many character traits, but it's better now than never isn't it?" he questioned, locking his gaze with her, both of them forgetting about the buzzing phone in Nate's hand, until Tori finally relented.
"If you're really doing this right now, if you really had to tell her so you could be free, then how are you two still dating, or was that just a trick of the light?" Tori inquired, leaning back against the wall, while Nate did the same next to her.
"My father has a deal going with her mom, something that he really needs, a deal that can only stay afloat if I continue to date Blair. My family will always come first Tori, no matter how much I want to follow my heart," Nate admitted, his sad puppy dog eyes returning as the words left his lips.
"I guess it's good that you're going with your family this time around anyway. The last two times you followed your heart; you cheated on your girlfriend with not one, but both of her best friends, although to what extent with Serena, I'm still not sure of yet. So if all you came looking for was for me to accept your apology, then yes, I accept it, you're forgiven, and all that. Enjoy you're perfectly real relationship with Blair. I'll be going now." Tori snatched her phone out of Nate's hand and walked away noticing that Nate wasn't bothering to follow her, probably knowing that he had said all he could say, and that was all she would say to him. The rest of the school year was definitely not going to be a fun one. When Tori had finally made it far enough away from Nate, who walked out a minute or so after she did, heading towards Blair, Tori checked her phone, shock consuming her face when she read scared texts from Jenny.
Can you come find me? Chuck's making me uncomfortable
Where are you? I'm trying to get away from Chuck, but he won't take no for an answer
Please check your Tori; I'm starting to freak out a little
Just as she finished reading the texts, Tori looked up from her phone and searched around frantically for Jenny and Chuck, finding neither of them in sight, as she started pushing her way through the crowd. No matter how loudly she tried called out Jenny's name, the music was far too loud for anyone to hear, only succeeding in annoying the people that she was shouting near. Tori knew she never should've even let Chuck talk to Jenny but, being the trusting person that can be on occasion, she had been stupid enough to leave him alone with a freshman, which just so happened to be one of his specialties. Just when she was starting to go from frantic to scared, Tori started to hear people whispering someone's name, whispering Serena's name, which could only mean she had showed up. She quickly looked around, trying to find any sign of her friend, noticing her standing nearby, amongst the many people dancing around.
"Serena!" Tori shouted, quickly running over to her friend, seeing similar movements out of the corner of her eye as she raced towards her friend.
"Tori? What are you-" Serena began to say, getting cut off by Tori grasping her shoulders frantically.
"We don't have any time, Jenny's missing, and Chuck, he-" Tori began to explain, until Serena took her turn for an interruption.
"And Chuck is with her, I know. Dan got a text from her asking for help," Serena said, grasping Tori's shoulders to calm her down. Before either could continue, Nate walk past the both of them, avoiding eye contact as he walked away, disappearing amongst dozens of couples moving around the dance floor. Serena and Tori moved their gaze from Nate to Blair, the pair staring Blair down until she turned away, taking Kati and Isabel with her, a look of disgust on her face as she left.
"Come on, let's go find Dan." Serena grabbed Tori's arm and pulled her away, leading her through the people, trying to stay as close together as they possibly could, looking for Dan, wherever he was. It didn't take them long to find him standing y the drink table, searching the crowd frantically for his sister.
"Hey any luck?" Serena asked worriedly, letting go of Tori's arm.
"No I haven't seen her anywhere," Dan replied, barely even taking notice of Tori as she dipped her head down in guilt.
"Come on, let's try upstairs," Serena suggest, leading Dan and Tori towards a nearby set of stairs, the latter falling in step with the former, finally getting the courage to say what happened.
"I'm sorry Dan, this is all my fault, I never should've left her alone with Chuck. I was keeping sight of her, but I looked away for a few minutes, and they were gone, I'm so sorry," Tori apologized, running up the stairs behind, him, taking each step two at a time.
"It's fine, as long as she's okay, he's the one to blame, you didn't force him on her," Dan reassured her, looking up to Serena just above them. "There isn't going to be anybody up here, this is pointless."
"Guys, it's Chuck's scarf," Serena called back to them, motioning to the checkered scarf lying on the ground in front of a mirror, dread filling Tori to the brim.
"Oh god," Dan said, pushing past Serena to continue up the stairs, the two girls not far behind her.
"If Dan doesn't kill Chuck, I'm going to finish the job for him," Tori growled, her dread disappearing and turning into anger. The trio ran up to the top and threw open the doors, only to see Chuck nearby with Jenny, holding her against the skylight, forcing himself on her, something that only made Dan angrier than he already was.
"Hey, Jenny" Dan shouted, running over to his sister, who gave one big push and pulled away from Chuck, he stumbled back towards the skylight.
"Stay away from her Chuck," Tori snapped, running up to stand beside Dan to check on Jenny, who moved into Tori's arms, holding onto her tightly, as Tori glared at Chuck over her shoulder.
"You son of a-" Dan began to say, moving towards Chuck threateningly, pushing him backwards, which Chuck did right back to him.
"What the hell is your problem? It's a party, things happen. Who are you anyway?" Chuck snarled, stepping towards Dan angrily.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm in your class, my name is Dan Humphrey, that's my little sister " Dan shouted angrily, punching Chuck in the face, sending him careening into the skylight once more, only this time he made no attempt to come back. Tori passed Jenny to Serena, who wrapped her coat around the scared girl, while Tori walked over to the two boys, ready to break them up.
"Go Dan, take Jenny out of here, I'll meet you guys downstairs," Tori told him soothingly, pushing him over to Serena and Jenny, the trio walking away to the exit, leaving Tori and Chuck alone on the roof, the pair staring each other down.
"What's that look for? You heard what I said, it's a party things happen. She was practically begging for it," Chuck smirked, only getting a slap from his sister for his words.
"You're going to stay the hell away from her from now on, do you understand? I thought that this one time Chuck, just this one time, I could actually trust you, that you could actually try to control yourself, just because I asked you to. Yet, her we are, on the roof, the place that you forced yourself onto a fourteen year old girl, and got a bloody nose for your efforts. I'm done protecting you," Tori told him, sounding defeated, turning away to leave, ready to go find the others.
"What do you mean protecting me? I don't need protection from anybody, I'm-" Chuck began to argue, going silent when he saw Tori's death glare, knowing he needed to shut up whenever he saw that face.
"You're on top of the world right? Well right now Chuck, you're so far below the Earth, that even the Earth's core couldn't thaw your cold heart. The reason I knew I had to say something Chuck, is because you're on thin ice with father," Tori explained, taking a few steps back towards her brother, waiting for his reaction.
"Why would I be on thin ice with father?"Chuck questioned, holding his hand to his nose, blood pouring out quicker than Tori had ever seen out of anyone's bloody nose.
"Because of all the stupid stunts you keep pulling. Because of all the girls you bring home, because of all the drinking and the smoking, all while putting yourself in the public eye while doing those things. It was only yesterday that I was trying to defend you against father, trying to convince him that you weren't all that bad. But here I am, yet again, cleaning up another of your messes which, by the way, will be the last time I help you," Tori told him, turning around again to walk to the door, reaching out for the handle this time before Chuck could say anything.
"Are you going to tell him what happened tonight?" he asked, worry evident in his voice, hearing his feet on the gravel as he slowly paced towards her.
"I may hate you a lot right now, but I would never do that, no matter how bad the situation. But I won't stop him from finding out, and I won't vouch for you this time. From this point onwards, you're on your own." And with that, Tori opened the door and stepped through, leaving her brother alone on the roof, while she walked back downstairs to the waiting trio, Serena seeming to be the most worried.
"Is everything-" she started to ask, stopping mid sentence when Tori looked right past her.
"Let's just get Jenny home," Tori said, looping her arm with Jenny's, who rested her head on Tori's shoulder, as they walked away, ignoring all the stares of the people around them, as they walked straight ahead. Before long, they had made it outside and hailed down a cab, Tori helping Jenny into the car as Dan and Serena looked at each other, ready to talk about where to go next.
"So, do you think I have a shot at a second date?" Dan asked, managing to make Tori laugh for the first time the whole night.
"Well I don't think you can top this one," Serena chuckled, exchanging an amused look with Tori.
"That's an understatement," Tori mumbled,, smiling sweetly at Dan, when he rolled his eyes at her.
"Well I did punch someone," Dan said, looking at Tori apologetically, who just waved it off.
"True. We'll talk about it in the cab," Serena smiled, stepping into the backseat of the cab to sit beside Jenny with Dan not far behind, leaving Tori alone on the sidewalk.
"I guess I'll take shotgun." Tori ran around to the other side of the car and opened the door, looking up to see Nate standing against a wall nearby, downing the beer in his hand. The pair made eye contact, sadness in both of their eyes, before Tori sat down in her seat, closing the door behind her, shutting out all of the night's problems, until she could figure out how she was going to deal with them. It was definitely going to be a long year.
Spotted, Serena and Tori making a heroic exit from B's party. Too bad for them, there's school on Monday. So until next time, you know you love me. Gossip Girl.
So here is the next chapter for you guys.
Sorry that I've been away for so long, I lacked motivation to do any writing during my free time, and just ended up binge watching television shows and hanging out with friends, so sorry again for how long I've had to make you guys wait.
Hopefully this extra long chapter will make up for the long wait, I know I loved writing it.
Please be sure to tell me your thoughts and questions in the reviews, and I'll be sure to answer them at the start of every new chapter as they come. I'm not sure how quickly chapters will come, but I will be writing them, among Uni work and rehearsals for a musical I'm doing.
Can't wait to hear your thoughts, see ya :)
