Tori stared at her phone, which was resting on the bench in front of her, contemplating texting Serena to make sure she was okay after their little exchange. Although she had to admit she was rather shocked and disappointed at what she had done with Nate, at least now Tori understood why Serena had just left out of the blue, leaving Tori behind to clean up her mess. The only reason she had even gone along with Blair was because she had to stay in her good books, to make all of this okay, she just had to keep telling herself that. If she had done anything else, then Blair would've kicked her out along with Serena, what other choice did she have? Continuing her plan to overthrow Blair as Queen Bee was worth it in the long run, even if it meant throwing a few harsh words here and there to get what she wanted. Right? And at that moment, Tori realized just how much she sounded like Blair. At least she'd pull off being Queen Bee, if that time ever rolled around.
"So, I have some new stuff up in my closet, which I think would be perfect for you to wear to brunch today." Tori looked up from her phone to watch Blair walk over to her, bringing a glass of orange juice, sliding it across the table at Tori's request.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Tori questioned in confusion, taking a small sip of her juice.
"Well, although your little ensemble is cute, it's not really suited for an Upper East Side brunch, wouldn't you agree?" she asked sweetly, giving the hint of an evil smile that she was so well known for.
"I guess I could find something else to change into, if you don't mind me looking through your clothes," Tori replied, taking a bigger sip of her drink, which turned into a long draught of her juice.
"Of course, what are friends for, but to share what we own. Well, not everything we own," Blair laughed, stepping away from Tori to find herself some food. Yep, Blair definitely knew how to be both nice and hold a grudge at the same time. Tori looked back at her phone again and decided to bite the bullet, picking it up and sliding it open, quickly shooting off a text to Serena before Blair noticed what she was doing.
Sorry about what happened, I felt bad for what I said. Staying in Blair's good books is harder than it looks
Tori finished off her message and quickly hid her phone in her lap, smiling at Blair when she gave Tori a strange look.
"So should we start getting ready then?" Tori asked, standing up from her stool, finishing off her orange juice before walking around to stand with Blair, who had just taken a bite out of an apple. Before she could answer Tori, both of them heard the ding of the elevator at the same time, both of them coming to the same conclusion as the other. Blair took off at a brisk pace with Tori following closely behind, regretting giving the option of doing everything Blair says for as long as it takes. Being a slave was hard work.
"Dorota, I told you I didn't want to see anyone," Blair shouted down the hall, stopping in her tracks, putting her hand up to stop Tori as well, both of them staring right at Jenny Humphrey. This should be good. "Hi Jenny."
"Hi," Jenny said sweetly, smiling at Blair, her smile widening when she made eye contact with Tori.
"What do you want?" Blair asked, her own smile being one of interest, rather than necessity, as she walked over to sit on the couch.
"I realized that I still had your calligraphy pens from the party invitations, and thought you might need them for something," Jenny replied, handing over said pens to Blair, who gave her an amused look.
"That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard," Blair informed her, her amusement growing as she realized the real reason Jenny had shown up out of the blue, the same reason Tori had thought of as well. "You want to know what Chuck Bass is saying about you."
"No," Jenny lied, her interested face betraying her words. "Is he, saying things? Is anyone?"
"Chuck doesn't like to brag about his victims, only his conquests, makes for better PR," Tori explained, sitting down beside Blair, who was smiling at her.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," she said, shifting her attention back to Jenny, who seemed to be a little downtrodden after the two girl's words.
"Why doesn't Jenny help us get ready for brunch today?" Tori suggested, looking to Blair for approval, who gave her a curt nod, standing up to face Jenny.
"That would be nice," she smiled, staring Jenny right in the eye, waiting for the right response.
"Okay, sure," Jenny smiled back, moving out of the way to allow Blair to pass, going to follow her, before Tori stopped her in her tracks.
"We'll be up in a minute Blair, I just want to ask Jenny something," Tori called after Blair, who waved her hand at them absentmindedly.
"Take your time, I'm usually fashionably late anyway," she crooned, ascending the staircase slowly, her robe billowing out behind her like she was royalty.
"Nice flowers," Jenny called after her, seeming to be mesmerized by Blair's departure.
"They're hydrangeas," Blair called over her shoulder, disappearing from view when she reached the landing, leaving Tori and Jenny alone in the living room.
"Are you okay, you know, after what happened with Chuck last night?" Tori asked, sitting back down on the couch, motioning for Jenny to join her.
"I'll admit that I'm still somewhat traumatized by what happened, but I'm a Humphrey, we're thick skinned. Not in the literal way, cause that would be weird, like metaphorically speaking, not that there's anything wrong with thick skinned people," Jenny babbled on, her nerves emanating through her slightly shaking words, making Tori smile a little.
"You're allowed to feel it you know, you're around me, and I'm always a head case, so you don't have to hide anything from me. Okay?" Jenny looked directly at Tori and gave her a smile, nodding at her words, seeming to relax just a little bit more.
"I really am fine though, he didn't get very far before Dan clocked him in the face. Although I have to say, I think his fist may be more bruised than Chuck's eye," Jenny giggled, making Tori smile at just how optimistic she was being about the whole situation.
"How is Dan by the way?" Tori asked Jenny, the memory of his awkward wave still fresh in her mind.
"Well, his ego was a little bruised at how badly he'd messed up the end of the date last night, but it didn't take him long to bounce back. He should be trying to talk to Serena right now, so he can clear things up a little," Jenny answered, amusing Tori at the thought of Dan Humphrey trying to explain his awkward little wave.
"That would definitely be a sight to see," Tori laughed, looking down at her phone when it started vibrating, a message from Serena coming through.
"Is everything alright?"Jenny asked, looking at Tori worriedly, who just smiled in return.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Why don't you head up to Blair, I'll be right behind you." Jenny gave Tori a happy smile and bounced up from her seat, walking over to the stairs and making her way up, looking excited to be walking on the marble steps. Guess those steps at her Brooklyn apartment just don't compare. When she vanished up the stairs, Tori checked her messages and read through the whole thing, slight relief flooding over her from what she read.
It's fine, I know you didn't have much choice, Blair can be a maniacal dictator when she wants to be, something that hasn't changed much since I left. I'll see you at brunch today, whether Blair wants me there or not – S
With a small smile at Serena's words, Tori got up from the couch and walked over to the stairs, taking the long walk up to Blair's room, ready to see what selection Blair had in store for her to wear today.
"Wow Blair, it's beautiful. I mean, you look beautiful." Jenny looked at Blair in awe, the blue dress she was wearing hugging snuggly to her curves, while still leaving plenty to the imagination.
"We've seen better," Tori said over her shoulder, continuing to rifle through Blair's closet, having trouble deciding between a white and a red dress.
"She's right, it's average. The colour is last season, and besides, Stella McCartney has a much better version at Bergdorf's," Blair droned, looking at her reflection in slight disappointment, turning around to unzip herself out of her dress, letting it fall to the floor.
"Right, I've been meaning to go by Bergdorf's," Jenny smiled, Tori noticing her eyes looking down a little.
"Isn't she adorable?" Tori asked with a chuckle, getting an amused smile from Blair as she tried on a purple dress. Jenny sat in her seat awkwardly, seeming to be looking for something else to talk about, to avoid the silence falling over the trio.
"Wow, these dolls are great. Oh my god, you have a Cabbage Patch. My brother used to have one of thee. His name was Cedric," Jenny told the girls amusing Tori at her choice of topic. On the plus side, she now had a bit of blackmail material to use on Dan later.
"Your brother's name is Cedric?" Blair asked in amusement, not seeming to be impressed with the purple dress she was wearing.
"No, I think she's talking about his Cabbage Patch kid. Her brother's name is Dan," Tori explained for Jenny, who nodded her head in agreement.
"Actually, you might know him. He went out with Serena last night," Jenny told Blair, shifting her focus from the doll to Blair, who seemed to be giving up for a moment, going to slip her robe back on.
"That's your brother?" Blair asked in surprised, sharing an amused look with Tori, who decided to forget about the red and white dresses, to try on a salmon colored one. "So does that mean you're friends with Serena now?"
"I mean, I don't have a problem with her, but if someone did have a problem with her, I wouldn't have a problem with that either," Jenny told Blair, impressing Tori with her words. She definitely knew how to play the game. Blair gave Jenny an amused smile before going over to sit on her sofa, watching Jenny closely as she walked over.
"You know, if you like that dress, you can have it," Blair told her with a smile, winking at Tori, who was admitting herself in the dress she picked out.
"What? No, no," Jenny said in disbelief, laughing a little, not believing Blair's words.
"I'm sure you'll find some way to repay me," Blair assured her, the smirk on her lips never disappearing.
"Oh Blair, thank you. I mean, for the dress and… for the other thing, about Chuck," Jenny smiled, seeming to be slightly embarrassed. All Blair did was continue to smile at Jenny, nodding to Tori, who stepped away from the mirror to address Jenny.
"If you want to be a part of this world Little J, people will talk, eventually. And you just need to figure out if it's all going to be worth it in the end. The Upper East Side isn't for the faint of heart. I learnt that the hard way," Tori told her with a smile, noticing Blair give a little giggle.
"Little J. I like the sound of that," she laughed, moving back over to her bed to keep looking for a dress to wear.
"Blair, what do you think?" Tori asked, displaying her chosen dress to Blair. She looked up from her own selection of outfits and scanned Tori, looking over every inch of her before finally coming to a decision.
"It'll do."
Here's the next chapter for all you wonderful people ^_^
So, I know haven't been posting a lot lately, and I sincerely apologise for that, I've been working on my next story and I kind of got preoccupied with that one.
If all goes according to plan, I should be able to get into a good writing groove and somehow be able to write three different stories all at the same time (fingers crossed I mean it this time).
Please be sure to leave a review, I love hearing from you guys, reviewers have always been able to help me improve my writing :)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next chapter, when we go to brunch ;)