10. Revenge

'It's a business deal.'

Phrased like that it sounds extremely simple and clear. Familiar, even. Blair has grown up seeing her father make deals with clients and DA's, listening to her mother arrange contracts and prices. Business' ABC is taught at a young age in the Upper East Side. How to get the best deal with a minimal cost is something children learn in kindergarten, and Blair Waldorf has always been the top student in her class.

She hesitates, though. Lately her reflexes haven't been as sharp, her natural cool head has been troubled by failure and disappointment, and her choices have been far from brilliant. She has to thread on very carefully, for she is stepping on thin ice and her Manolos can't take another fall.

She tilts her head to one side, watching attentively the young man in front of her. He looks calm, confident. Blair narrows her eyes, trying to find in his gaze a flicker of deceit, to discover in his gestures something that gives him away; she tries to glimpse a future betrayal in the lines around his mouth. There's nothing suspicious in his green jacket or his neatly pressed shirt, no alarms go off in her brain when she notes his stance, relaxed and attentive at once.

Can she trust him, though? He's got the worst reputation of all Manhattan, so bad it's almost legendary. He has never cared about anyone but himself; his only interest in life is having all the fun he can. He's her exact opposite. She's correction incarnated, her life is carefully planned since as long as she can remember, whereas he goes wherever the wind may take him, wherever his vices and whims carry him. What could they have in common?

It's a business deal.

What's she got to lose by listening to him?

'What's the plan, exactly?'

He smiles, aware he's piqued her interest, but when he leans in to talk his tone is absolutely professional.

'Look, it's a known fact that your reputation has suffered a… blow.'

No kidding she thinks, barely able to refrain herself from snorting. He doesn't even blink.

'You used to be Constance Billiards' Queen, the girl everyone looked up to. It was your opinion what mattered; no one dared to sneeze without your approval.'

Blair bites her lip, because her wounds are far too recent and they still hurt as though it were the first day, when her world fell apart. However, she keeps her head held high.

Business.

He leans forward a little more, his voice dropping a few octaves, his eyes fixed on hers.

'You lost your crown, Blair. No, you didn't lose it: it was stolen from you. They stabbed you in the back and in the blink of an eye they took from you what had taken you years to gain.' His tone goes back to normal as he straightens in his seat. 'It wasn't fair.'

'And when did you start to care about fairness?'

'I could tell you that I care when a lady as lovely as you are is involved, but I know you're far too smart to fall for that.'

Nothing on Blair's face shows she has heard a compliment, but he doesn't seem bothered at all.

'That's why I came to you. You're cold and calculating, you are not easily scared off… and you don't let morals get in your way. You and me, we're not so different after all.'

This time Blair lets out a snort and rolls her eyes before she can help it.

'You and me are nothing alike.'

He smirks.

'You're wrong on that one. We didn't use to be alike… but now you've fallen to the bottom of the social ladder, and even though you don't want to admit it, you're gonna need some help to climb up again.' His smirk turns suggestive. 'I could offer you my help.'

'In exchange for what?' Blair asks, tense. He lowers his gaze and stirs his coffee, trying to feign nonchalance and not quite managing it.

'Well… you might not be the only one who needs to improve their reputation.'

Blair arches an eyebrow as he sips his coffee. Of everyone in the Upper East Side, he's the last person she would have imagined worried over his reputation. When he looks up he sees the question in her eyes and he shrugs.

'Let's say that some of my last adventures have reached my father's ears… and he's threatened me to freeze my bank account unless I prove myself to be,' he makes air quotes '"respectable"'

He rolls his eyes and Blair frowns.

'Do you really think he'd do that?'

If there's one thing parents in the UES would never dare to do is leave their children without money, afraid as they are that other people might think they're no longer able to pay for their offspring's extravagancies. It's preferable to become a negligent parent than to be seen as a poor one, and children in the UES learn that lesson fast.

His face contorts in distaste.

'He has a new official girlfriend now, as you already know, and apparently he wants to give the impression he's a good parent or some bullshit like that. Anyway,' he adds, the professional tone back in his voice 'I thought I could start by fixing my reputation as a… womanizer, let's say, and get myself a proper girlfriend.' He smirks. 'Can you think of anyone more perfect for the role than you, Constance Billiards' model student, the social committee chairwoman and the prime example of a proper lady?'

Blair sips her orange juice – absolutely horrid but that's the price to pay when you pick a bar far away from the UES just to avoid Gossip Girl's prying eyes – and ponders on her answer.

'You're aware that my reputation is not what it used to be.'

He dismisses her words with a wave of his hand.

'My father won't pay any attention to the rumors started by a bunch of thirteen-year-old girls with PMS. He'll take a look at your perfect grades, your spotless outfit and your ladylike manners and he'll be content with that. He's not that attentive to detail, to be honest.'

'And what's in it for me?'

'You mean, what do you get for being my official girlfriend?'

For a mere second, his smirk turns smug and his look, lecherous, but soon his mask of cool indifference is back in place.

'Well, for starters, I know many secrets about your classmates – enough to ruin any of them forever. And, let's be honest… It won't hurt to make them believe you have a steady boyfriend and you're not screwing around.'

'I'm not screwing around!' she exclaims, furious, and the entire bar turns to stare at them. Blair grits her teeth. Great, all I need is some jackass with a camera phone to send the picture to Gossip Girl.

But none of Gossip Girl's lackeys would ever set foot in this bar, so at least they're safe from that. Blair tries to regain her composure and maybe a little bit of her dignity. For once, he shows enough decency not to laugh at her face, although his eyes sparkle with repressed laughter.

'An official boyfriend won't help my reputation that much if he's a jerk that jumps every girl in town and is drunk at all hours,' she hisses through gritted teeth. 'I can't be seen with just anyone, you know.'

His face turns suddenly serious.

'Blair, my father might not pay that much attention to detail, but if I am "jumping every girl in town", as you put it, and drunk at all times he'll see right through our charade and I can say goodbye to my trust fund. No, if we want this to work out we have to act as the perfect couple for a while. What do you say?'

Blair hesitates. If she's honest to herself, her schemes to get back her social status are not going according to plan. Serena helps her out as much as she can, but plotting has never been her thing and Hazel seems to be supported by the whole damn school. Blair is sick of the whispering that follows her everywhere, sick of the smug looks and the sardonic snickering she gets all the time, she's so sick of sitting all by herself when Serena spends time with Cabbage Patch and even sicker of spending weekends at home all alone. She has to make her move and make it fast, and for that she needs a Machiavellian mind on her side.

Blair considers her accomplice. There's no doubt he's attractive and he can play the part of the perfect gentleman when he feels like it. He can dazzle anyone who is not familiar with his devious ways and envy will rot several girls from the inside out when they find out that Blair is his first – and only – official girlfriend. Everyone will think Blair's found the perfect date and the fall from grace will soon be a reality for Hazel and her sidekicks.

They agree on some crucial points. It's a business deal and anything but the strictest professionalism is out of the question. None of them is particularly sentimental so that's not an issue. Blair can't picture herself feeling anything for someone like him, and she's convinced that he's physically incapable of caring about anyone but himself.

If they want this charade to work, they must become the perfect couple. Sweet and tender in public, but always showing enough restraint so as not to make their parents worry. Blair lists all the duties expected from a boyfriend, given his total lack of knowledge on the subject. He doesn't look overwhelmed: pretending to be something's he's not has always been second nature to him. Buying flowers and walking hand in hand doesn't sound like a terrible sacrifice when he considers the possibility of facing a future without his father's financial support.

She holds out her hand for him to shake.

'Deal?'

He arches an eyebrow, a half-smile curving his lips.

'Shouldn't we seal the deal with a kiss?'

She rolls her eyes.

'Don't push it.'

An amused glint sparkles in his eyes as he shakes her small, delicate hand.

'It wouldn't even cross my mind.'

The most dangerous alliance has been forged in the Upper East Side and no one is prepared for the upcoming hurricane.

-

Outside school the students are gathered in small groups, strategically divided according to their social standing. Her new court surrounds Hazel, with her pets at her side, Little J and Penelope. Every now and then they shoot nasty looks at Blair, who has no other choice but endure Brooklyn's company if she wants to be with Serena. Today, though, there's a shield protecting her from all the snide remarks and jokes from her classmates. She has the upper hand, they just don't know it yet and she can't wait to show them.

A warm breath grazes her ear, giving her goosebumps.

'How are you, beautiful?'

Blair turns around with a dazzling smile and her eyes meet with her co-conspirator's gaze. She is pleased to see he has taken special care with his appearance today, and if she didn't know him as well as she does one of his smiles would be enough to weaken her knees.

Blair is not an idiot, though, so she keeps her head clear. She jumps into his arms, still smiling.

'Never been better.'

Over his shoulder, Blair can see Hazel's astonished expression and the looks of surprise and awe in the other girls' eyes when he wraps one of his arms around her waist and pets her hair with his free hand.

'What do you say about going to Butter tonight?'

Not even Audrey Hepburn would've been able to look as charming and delighted as Blair does when she says she would love to. He takes her by the hand and offers a polite greeting to Cabbage Patch, who looks utterly confused, and Serena, who gives Blair a worried look. Her friend doesn't agree with her plan, but it's needless to say that Blair can take care of herself.

'See you later, S. See you never, Cabbage Patch.'

And they start to walk away when inspiration strikes Blair and she grabs his arm.

'Do you want to make this really convincing?'

He raises an eyebrow.

'What's on your mind, Waldorf?' he whispers and she smiles as she stands on her tiptoes and kisses him in front of the entire school.

He gets it at once and soon the kiss turns into something out of a movie when he sweeps off her feet and she tangles her fingers in his hair.

Once it's over they are both breathless but Blair's mind keeps working a thousand miles an hour as her eyes scan the crowd. She sees the astonishment on Humphrey's face (he'll never know how things work at the UES), Serena's apprehensive look (she'll never understand that sometimes drastic measures must be taken to achieve your goals), the envy in Hazel's and her lackeys' eyes (soon to be dethroned) and at last, her gaze searches the two boys standing at the other side of the yard.

Nate's jaw has fallen open and his eyes have widened (Blair hopes it hurts, like it hurt her when he didn't want to listen to her, when he wouldn't give her a second chance when she gave him so many). He looks as though a bolt of lightning had struck him. His face starts to turn crimson and Blair wonders whether he'll explode or burst into flames right there. She can't decide which option she prefers.

But her eyes don't stay on Nate for long, because almost at once her gaze searches for the boy with the scarf and bloodshot eyes. His hands are clenched in fists, his knuckles have turned white and he seems to be trembling from repressed fury. Their eyes meet and Blair can see in them a scorching wrath, such deep hatred that could consume her.

Blair gives him a dazzling smile and takes Carter Baizen's arm as they walk away from school, the burning look in Chuck Bass' eyes forged in her retinas.

War has just begun in the Upper East Side, and Blair Waldorf can't wait for the moment heads start to roll.