Hello everyone: Once more for those of you that didn't see my last message (check back to the previous chapter for a recap) I've disabled anonymous reviews again due to some rather diligent spamming by one individual. I'm sorry for those anonymous reviewers that do so respectfully but it takes too much energy dealing with immature people who use it to be rude to deal with it. If you have a critique that's great but sign your name to it and stand up for your words or in the end they mean very little.

On a happier note: Happy Late Valentine's Day. And once more, to anyone who actually goes to Columbia I'm sorry if I've botched up any details I did try to do research.

To my reviewers: annablake, QueenBee10, Lalai, rainbowbutterflie, wrighthangal, Kels, LovelyLydia, Sw33tHeart21, LitPrincess2787, jamieerin, mlouison, ElenaBelle, CarolinaGirl21, and SouthernBelle88. Thanks so much for your support, I greatly appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I own an annoyingly long Corporate Finance book that is calling my name to go study but I do not own Gossip Girl.

Thanks so much to my incredible beta ggff-fan. YOU ARE FABULOUS!

"Man, I'm so not ready for classes to be starting back." Nate said with a shake of his head. "Early mornings, class, coffee, homework, all-nighters, none of it sounds appealing." Dan chuckled over his cup of coffee but Nate glared. "It's not funny and I have a ten am this semester."

At that Dan outright laughed. "Suck it up Archibald. I have a nine today and tomorrow I have an eight and nine-thirty. Besides if you didn't want to get up early you should have scheduled everything in the afternoon."

Nate rolled his eyes, taking another drag of the cup of coffee before him. "I would have but this was the latest econ class offered this semester and grandfather is being insistent that I take it and since he pays for the apartment I kind of don't have a choice."

Dan nodded. "Well not to leave you alone stewing over your coffee but I'm about to be late for my American Literature class and being the first day I don't want to make a bad impression on the teacher."

Shaking his head Nate couldn't help but laugh. "Is this Kyle What's-His-Name? The one you've been raving about since you transferred to Columbia?"

Dan grimaced. "Nate, Kyle Hedlund is one of the most renowned professors of English Literature on the East Coast, probably the country. The fact that he accepted the teaching position here is half the reason I finally decided to transfer . . ."

"Blah, blah, blah, yeah I get it. The guy's a prodigy, born to teach, creates award winning English critics and writers, I know. Now go before you're late and he hates you for your failure to be punctual." Nate said, discretely jabbing at Dan's nervousness.

Dan didn't notice as he nodded seriously before turning to leave. "Have a good first day of class." He called over his shoulder as he rushed out of the café and straight into Dodge Hall. Slipping into the classroom he realized he'd just barely made it before the start of class and it looked as though there were two seats left in the room, one beside a ginger guy who looked like he hadn't showered in a week the other next to a thin blonde. He made his way over quickly and quietly, sliding into the seat next to the blonde thinking as he did that the hair was really more of a honey brown. "Just made it." He spoke softly as the teacher walked into the room. As the girl turned to look at him he held back a gasp.

The girl's head popped up at the sound of the guy now occupying the seat next to hers voice, it sounded familiar. As she met his surprised gaze she smiled. "Dan, right? I think we met briefly at Chuck's."

"Yeah, Dan Humphrey. And you're Annabelle." Dan furrowed his brows, great he was going to be stuck next to the Blair Waldorf look-a-like all semester; everyone knew that in small classes seats never changed after the first day. He should have chosen the smelly ginger rather than deal with what was bound to be a superiority complex with both mommy and daddy issues. "Was that before or after you stuck your tongue down Chuck's throat because honestly I don't remember." He'd spoken harshly to deter her from making any kind of overtures at friendship, he thought it was ridiculous the number of people who were falling over themselves to be friends with her and he for one wasn't joining in. Though at the surprised look on her face he couldn't help but soften the jab a little. "Look the teacher's here, maybe we should pay attention."

Anna looked at Dan strangely. She'd been surprised at his coldness after hearing that he was the nice one but she knew different people reacted to her appearance differently so she would excuse it for now. After all, she hadn't heard much about a friendship between Dan and Blair but she and Cassie were evidence enough that an outside observer no matter how close, couldn't always see where the closest friendships lay. However, the mistake he'd just made about the teacher was strange. "That's not our teacher." She stated curiously.

Dan narrowed his eyes. "He's writing on the board, I'm pretty sure he's our teacher. Why would you think otherwise?" He had not intended to engage in conversation but he couldn't help it. She was already infuriating him.

Anna smirked. "Because Kyle Hedlund is a woman, not a six foot something middle eastern man. That must be the TA."

Dan pulled back surprised, she couldn't possibly be right. There's no way that one of the most brilliant minds of modern English Literature was a woman and he'd never noticed. Just as he was about to correct her, a thirty something woman with long dark blonde hair neatly fashioned and an impeccable skirt suit walked into the room guns blazing.

"Hello class. Yes I am in fact Kyle Hedlund and yes I have a vagina. If you have a problem with that leave now. Each class's reading is to be done BEFORE class. If you come to class unprepared you'll be asked to leave. If you are asked to leave for any reason, don't come back. I can also assure you that I am going to challenge as no other English professor ever has. You will work harder for me than you've ever worked. And you'll get more out of that work than you've ever gotten out of a class. If you have a problem with any of this, there's the door." Looking around the room everyone was quiet, still, staring at Kyle Hedlund in awe. "Last chance." She spoke looking around the room again at the forty two faces. "Okay then, now that that's settled, I wanted to let you know that I'm very excited about this, my first semester at Columbia and have high expectations for my favorite subject, Post-Civil War American Literature. Look to your right and to your left, these are the people you'll be sitting next to for the rest of the semester, I'll pass around a seating chart at the end of class. Now, if you'll withdraw your syllabus we'll get started." Papers were beginning to move all over the room when the professor spoke almost as an afterthought. "And for future reference, you can call me Kyle, or if you're slightly more daring O Captain My Captain."

Dan heard a quiet laugh from the girl next to him and looked over out of habit. From the look on her face it was clear that she'd caught the reference and he simply couldn't withhold his surprise. "You've seen the Dead Poet's Society?"

"Don't look so surprised Humphrey, Dead Poet's Society is one of my favorite movies." Anna said with a small smirk before turning it into a smile. When she spoke her voice was filled with a warmth, honey like her hair. "And for the record Mr. Judgmental, it was after."

Dan tilted his head curiously, feeling strange around the girl who was like Blair but wasn't. "After what?"

Anna smiled again. "We met after I stuck my tongue down Chuck's throat, as you so artfully put it." With that she turned her attention back to the teacher and began to take notes.

Dan simply shook his head feeling jolted. Her personality was like Blair but not. She had the same biting edge and she looked like a fighter; something in her eyes said that she could be cruel if she wanted to, that she could take someone down, she simply didn't want to. She was smart like Blair but he wasn't sure whether or not Blair was as cultured about literature. Well she probably was but Blair usually didn't say more than five words to him at a time. And there it was again, she was like Blair but wasn't. Her voice was like sweet tea, smooth and sugary with the southern accent, not heavy but southern none the less; it sounded more South Carolinian than Texan. And then that smile, that smile that seemed to brighten the entire room, it invited you in, it was unguarded and open as though she had never really been burned before.

And there lay the real difference, the one he had been looking for. The shell that seemed to be built up around Blair, the hard fierce one that said no-one was getting past her defenses wasn't there. The one that Blair built up to hide her vulnerability and her feelings of inadequacy. And all of the sudden he was drawn back to a day when he sat down on the floor of a warehouse building next to Blair, the one time he remembered being on the other side of Blair's walls. There'd been a couple others where she'd allowed him to see through to the other side like when they were plotting against Georgina or when he was helping her confess her love to Chuck but the only time the walls had dropped was the day they'd shared their mommy issues while Serena was off being her ordinary "it girl" self.

Anna was focused on Kyle so he took the opportunity to study her features. She looked like Blair in the face, but the hair was all wrong, sleeker, straighter, and almost blonde. Then there was that scar on her forehead, right at her hairline. The other night he had seen the part that ran slightly onto her forehead a little less than an inch, faint, almost imperceptible, but still there. But today the way she had her hair parted revealed more. The scar extended past what was regularly visible; it seemed to run right along her hairline horizontally for about two inches before disappearing. He wanted to run his finger along it, to trace it, to see how far back it went.

Dan was jostled from his thoughts as the noise and motion around him suddenly grew in intensity. Next to him, Anna was putting away her notebooks but she looked up at him and paused.

"You okay?" Anna asked smiling slightly at Dan. He was sitting there seemingly frozen one hand lifted just off the desk before him and his eyes seemed to be unfocused staring vaguely in her direction.

Dan shook himself slightly, what was he doing, thinking about touching her. "Yeah of course." He spoke immediately, a gut reaction.

Nodding, Anna stood. "Then why're you still staring Humphrey?" With that she turned and walked from the room, her hips swaying as she went.

Dan continued to sit there for a second, seemingly mesmerized. It took him a moment to realize that he was mesmerized by the sway of her hips, something that was so not okay. Looking down he noticed that his hand was lifted slightly as though he'd been about to follow his instinct and brush her scar. This whole situation was anything but alright because he was feeling then what he knew all the others must have felt; there was a pull and he could already tell that it was going to be difficult to resist.

Anna smiled as she waited for Cassie outside of La Maison Francaise, which the students called Buell Hall or sometimes Bloomingdale's as it was the only building left over from the old Bloomingdale's mental asylum. She was about to go in for French and if she'd calculated correctly Cassie should be coming out. She was taken aback when the first person to exit the Spanish wing was Diego instead. "Hey" She spoke brightly, immediately walking over and enveloping him in a hug.

"Hey yourself." Diego spoke softly into her ear. "I wasn't expecting you."

Anna smiled at the low rumble of his voice as it sent chills down her spine. "You either. I was waiting for Cass."

Diego pulled back, looking down at her with a joking smile. "I see where your priorities lie."

Anna smacked his shoulder lightly. "Oh shut up. You know I'm happy to see you. I was simply unaware of your schedule. Whereas Cassie and I already designated meeting times and places for our day."

Diego rolled his eyes at his neurotically perfect girlfriend but as he did it there was a smile on his face. "Well Cassie is in my class so she should be right out. Whereas I need to run downtown to the Warehouse before my next class."

Anna nodded surprised. Not just that Diego and Cassie would be in the same class when as far as she knew they still weren't fond of each other but that Diego was actually telling her that he was going to the Warehouse. That was kind of big. Deciding to act like it wasn't, she did her best to act normal. "Okay, I'll see you later then." She said before rising up on her toes and giving Diego a soft kiss.

Diego deepened the kiss immediately, unable to get enough of her. Realizing that things were getting a little bit heavy as far as PDA went he was about to pull back when someone else intervened.

"You two don't waste any time do you. I mean I was what, a minute behind you Diego?" Cassie spoke, placing a hand on her hip and looking at the couple with raised eyebrows as they split apart.

Anna looked over guiltily as Cassie began to laugh. Turning her attention back to Diego for a moment she placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Go so that you're not late getting back." Diego nodded and left as she turned back to Cassie whose eyes were a little more judgmental now than they had been with Diego there and it was as though she could hear what Cassie was thinking. Before she could get words out, Cassie dove in.

"You have to tell him how confused you are." Cassie spoke, walking closer to her best friend.

Anna bit her lip and looked out a nearby window where she was fairly certain she could still see Diego walking quickly across campus. "I know." Suddenly she turned back to face Cassie. "But whatever I was thinking the other night was a fluke. I mean seriously, I made my choice a long time ago. I made my choice before I met Chuck and I'm going to keep making that choice every day. Diego deserves that much from me and god Cass I think I'm falling in . . ."

Cassie held up a hand. "Don't. Don't say it. I want you to think very carefully about what you almost said and decide if that's really how you feel before you run around saying it. You know the main reason I didn't like you with Diego?"

"No." Anna responded curiously with a shake of her head.

Cassie smiled. "Because I was sure he only wanted you because he couldn't have you. But now watching the two of you together, I don't know. He's different with you."

Anna smiled. "I always said he was."

"You always did." Cassie responded. "So maybe I can tolerate an entire semester in a class of twenty with him."

Anna struggled not to laugh at the predicament because honestly it was quite funny. "I'm sure you guys will be fine. Besides maybe it will give you the chance to ask more about Alex."

Cassie forced a smile to her face as she nodded. She hadn't told Anna about visiting Diego the other night and she hadn't told her about one little detail she already knew: that Alex was Diego's older brother. What Anna thought, was that when she'd been hanging with one of Diego's cousins someone had mentioned an Alex Gutierrez and she'd tracked him from there. In reality, she'd known from the start that Diego and Alex were related. When she'd first told Alex where she went to school he'd said he had a younger brother down there. It hadn't taken her long to put two and two together. "So how has your day been?" She finally asked to change the subject.

Anna shrugged. "Dan, Jenny's brother and one of Chuck's stepsiblings, is in Am Lit class. He's interesting. He's not like the others but I can't really pinpoint why." Cassie was following so she continued speaking. "Then my econ class was great. It's a huge lecture, almost four hundred but I can tell the teacher is going to be amazing. And now I have French. How about you?"

"Spanish was my fine." Cassie spoke glancing at the clock and realizing they didn't have much time before Anna's class started. "But I've still got my twelve and my one to go. I'm going to go grab some coffee before I make you late for class."

Anna looked up at the clock and her eyes widened she was about to be late. "Um, yeah. I've gotta go."

"Later." Cassie called after Anna's retreating form as she waved to the side. Shaking her head, Cassie turned and left the building. She could see that Anna was getting in over her head with Diego and Chuck, she just wished that Anna herself saw it too because until then she wasn't going to try to fix it.

Anna sighed as she walked out of her French class. She'd placed out of all the intro French classes but this one was required to be a major or minor and it was going to be a cakewalk. Honestly she could probably take the final now and make a hundred. Half the kids in the class sounded as though they had maybe three years of French before now and she was probably a better speaker than the teacher. Not that that was really her doing, she'd been fluent from the time she woke up from the coma. Either way though she knew it was going to be a long semester.

Walking out the back door of Buell towards her dorm she stopped in surprise just as she passed Kent. Chuck was standing not ten feet in front of her, leaning back against a limo as he talked on the phone. Within seconds his eyes locked with hers, a look of surprise overcoming him as well. Quickly ending his phone conversation he pushed off the limo and started walking towards her. "Annabelle, what a pleasant surprise."

Anna couldn't help but notice the smile that lit Chuck's face as he made his way to her. At the same time she couldn't resist throwing in a snarky comment. "You know, history would say you were following me, but by the look on your face I'd guess otherwise."

"Not this time." Chuck said with another slow smile. "I was dropping off Nathaniel. He'd left something at his apartment and I was on my way back from a meeting so I gave him a lift."

Anna nodded, she'd heard of Nathaniel a couple times here and there, though he was one of the few friends she wasn't aware of meeting. "I see."

Chuck didn't really know what to do as they entered a strange silence. He didn't want to leave, in truth he wanted to reach out and brush the piece of hair that had blown in her face out of the way. Instead he spoke. "What are you doing right now?"

Anna shrugged, smiling suspiciously. "Nothing, I'm done with class for today. What do you have in mind?"

"Do you want to go to lunch? I mean unless you have plans with someone else later?" Chuck spoke, trying to keep the hope from showing in his voice.

Anna smiled. "No plans and lunch would be great."

Chuck's smile extended over his face. He shouldn't be this happy just to spend time with her but God damn it he was. Turning towards the limo he opened the door gesturing for her to enter. "Is there anywhere particular you'd like to go?"

Anna looked at him, her eyes full of a challenge. "I want you to pick somewhere you'd think I'd like."

"Is this a test?" Chuck asked, suspicious of the way she phrased her words.

Anna smirked. "You bet it is."

Chuck laughed. "You shouldn't have told me that." Then to the driver he spoke. "45th Street between 5th and 6th." Before turning his attention back to Anna.

"Why not?" Anna asked curious. She'd thought a test would make him anxious or something. Anything to throw him off his game, but of course things weren't like that with Chuck Bass.

Leaning close he spoke softly. "Because I'm quite competitive. You might as well have requested for me to blow you away."

Anna smirked again as she shook her head, moving closer as well. "Bring it on Bass."

Chuck smirked leaning back in his seat. Sometimes it surprised him the way she reminded him of Blair other times it surprised him when she didn't. For instance, Blair would have known better than to challenge him. Annabelle was so innocent sometimes. That was okay, it was endearing even which was strange when on all previous accounts he hated the innocent ones, they were so hard to get rid of afterwards but he didn't want to get rid of Annabelle. So he'd take her to lunch or rather brunch at Gaby - the restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel in Midtown. And she was going to be knocked off her feet because the food there was really that good.

An hour or so later Anna found herself shaking her head as she finished off her mimosa. "Honestly Bass I'm going to have to stop underestimating you."

Smiling, Chuck looked at her empty plate. She'd insisted he order for her too, not even picking up the menu and it appeared as though the Eggs Florentine had been to her liking. "Yes you are." He spoke, a double meaning to his words because there were other ways she didn't even realize she was underestimating him as he had every intention of making this lunch date a regular thing and slowly but surely he would gain ground until she was his.

"I should get back though." She spoke almost reluctantly. She'd never dreamed she'd have so much to talk to him about, it was as though they never ran out of words. It wasn't stressed or forced, everything was simple and perfect and completely electric. The only thing that had momentarily broken their intense conversation was her hunger and the deliciousness of their food. "Cassie will be back from class soon and she'll get worried if I'm not there."

Chuck shrugged, trying once more not to show how hopeful he was; knowing he was failing. "So text her."

Anna closed her eyes tightly. "Chuck . . ." When she spoke her voice was pleading with him to understand. "I can't."

Gesturing for the waitress, he worked to hide his disappointment. Paying the waitress he stood. "Then let's get you back." He spoke gently.

Looking up at Chuck, Anna smiled. "Thank you." It was clear to her that Chuck had a true understanding of her feelings, he got her. And with that he seemed to understand that she had to leave.

Chuck gave a single nod of his head as he walked with her out to the car. He wouldn't push her for more time. After all, he had all the time in the world.

Looking down at his watch, Dan sighed. Nate was late as per usual. They had a class in five minutes and of course Nate was nowhere to be found. If Dan was honest with himself, he didn't even know why he was taking the class to begin with. It was a bullshit class that didn't fulfill a single requirement. Nate wanted to take it for a guaranteed A and somehow he'd managed to talk Dan into it.

Almost as if he'd conjured him, Nate appeared grinning. "You ready to learn about Stagecraft?" He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Dan groaned, seriously Nate was one of the biggest slackers he knew but generally when it came to Columbia he took things seriously. Taking this class was almost out of character, even for him. "Let's just get this over with."

Nate laughed. "Come on man, get excited! We get to learn the difference between a proscenium and a thrust!" That was at least what it said in the class description.

Dan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You do realize that that's referring to the shape of the stage right?"

Nate shrugged as he spoke rather suggestively. "I don't really care what it's about because either way there's going to incredible that's what she said jokes every time the teacher says thrust."

Finally cracking a smile Dan just shook his head. "Alright, alright, you've got a point."

Nate simply smiled as they made their way through the drama building and into the theatre hall where their class was held. "So was that English class as great as you thought it would be. I mean was that guy seriously a good enough teacher to make a nine am worth it."

Dan was surprised and simply spoke without thinking. "The English class was . . . weird. I don't really know how to explain it I mean it was definitely surprising." Nate actually appeared interested so Dan continued rambling. "Kyle Hedlund turned out to be a woman . . . a hot one at that." Nate's eyebrows rose but Dan kept speaking. "And that wasn't even the strangest thing. My seat's next to Annabelle, that girl who . . ."

"I know who she is." Nate interrupted, glancing away. It had been his choice not to interact with the girl and he had every intention to keep it that way. He wasn't going to be like Serena and condemn everyone else for doing it but he wasn't going to do it himself. He could tell by the look in Dan's eyes that he'd made a different decision.

Looking at Nate, Dan could see that his friend was doing his best to withhold any judgment, and was actually succeeding but he simply couldn't do the same. "I was with you on this. Until today I was with you. I thought they were being idiots, all of them, even though I didn't say it. But now . . . ugh I don't know. I mean she's different than you'd expect, she broke through my judgment and earned my respect within the first five minutes and there's just something that pulls you in, something that hooks you. I wasn't even that close to Blair but I still feel it."

"She's not Blair." Nate spoke definitively through gritted teeth.

Dan nodded and spoke with almost a pleading tone. "Trust me I know that. The differences are somewhat glaring at times but something's there man, something."

Dan was rambling on sounding just like Chuck and Eric and even Jenny and honestly it kind of scared him. If Dan had this kind of reaction, he couldn't help but be terrified about what his own reaction would be if avoiding her all together stopped working out for him. He didn't want to replace the Blair he remembered, not in his head and certainly not in his heart. And what if he liked the new girl better, then what? Was it just out with the old and in with the new? No, he wouldn't, he couldn't ruin Blair's memory like that. "Doesn't matter." Nate spoke softly before turning his attention towards the front, relieved that the teacher had walked in and he had an excuse to end the conversation because if he was honest, it did matter and that's what scared the hell out of him.

"So how's your first day of class going?" Anna asked brightly as she took a seat next to Sam on the steps of the Met. As promised, she and Cassie were meeting their friend for lunch; unfortunately they were only going to be able to do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays because of their class schedules but they figured something was better than nothing. She'd already finished her classes for the day while Cassie was on break between her 12 and 2 and Sam was on her lunch break.

Sam sighed. "Well it's not as interesting as working at Waldorf's, that's for sure. I mean, sure it's cool to be the only girl in a classroom of boys but the girls are actually pretty catty about it." Gesturing with her hand to a group of girls not sitting far away; a group who was currently shooting glances at them from a few steps below. "That's the Queen Bee down there. Cadence Schuler, a junior crowned by Jenny herself last year at a graduation party from what I've heard. She doesn't like me if you can't tell."

"I'm sure that's not the case." Cassie spoke with a shake of her head. With Lina absent she felt it was her duty to make the best of the situation and honestly she wanted Sam to like school because she was still siding with Sam's parents, college was the best path for Sam; fashion was a hobby not a career. Though even as she spoke Cassie noted a rather menacing look on the girls face as she turned and stood.

Anna got a strange sense of foreboding as she watched the high schooler make her way towards them. "You're not supposed to sit higher than the Queen." She spoke her voice low.

"What?" Sam and Cassie said in unison as their heads snapped toward Anna.

Anna furrowed her brows in confusion, surprised at her own words but certain of them none-the-less. "You aren't supposed to sit higher up on the steps than the reigning Constance Queen, it shows insubordination and isn't tolerated."

Now the looks both Cassie and Sam were shooting her had reached an all time level of shock; they had no idea what Anna was spouting off about but could tell that she was looking panicked as the other girl reached them, cup of yogurt in hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cadence spat as she fiddled with the spoon in her yogurt. Her hands might have been fidgeting but her glare was withering.

Sam met her glaze fearlessly. "Are you blind or just stupid? We're eating lunch."

Cadence shook her head. "Samantha right?" She questioned without actually waiting for an answer. "You know I was going to give you a free pass and let you off with a warning because you're new but right now I'm thinking not so much."

"A warning?" Sam asked with raised eyebrows as Cassie and Anna sat mum; it wasn't their place to get involved in high school arguments.

Cadence looked down at Sam with what was probably an attempt at a smirk. "Yes, a warning you piece of Texas trash. No one sits higher than me on the steps." Sam and Cassie's heads snapped towards Anna once more but were drawn back to Cadence as the young blonde kept talking. "Your ignorance would have granted you a pass but your impertinence lost that. Now you have to be punished."

"Punished?" Sam scoffed with lowered eyebrows. "You're delusional if you think you can actually dole out punishment. I'm not one of your subjects you idiot."

Anna listened to Sam wondering if the fiery red head had any idea what she was getting herself into; however, her eyes didn't leave Cadence as she was watching the other girl carefully. That's why she caught the hand stilling on the spoon of the yogurt as the girl began to lift the cup. Before Anna knew what she was doing she'd jumped up, snatching the cup of yogurt from the girl's hand just in time.

Cadence jerked back, stepping down a step in shock. "BLAIR?" She screeched a hand going to her heart. She hadn't seen the former Queen in years but she'd spent the majority of her middle school career both worshipping and fearing the girl. What on earth was she doing back in town and at Constance?

"Not Blair . . . Anna" She spoke as though she were talking to a two you old, which honestly this girl seemed to have the mental capacity of. "God don't you read Gossip Girl you little twit."

The girl's eyes darted amongst the group of girls. How had she not taken an assessment of her surroundings or done better background work on Sam before engaging? Now it was painfully obvious just who the girls around her were. "Then you're the Sam from the posts and then you're probably Cassie . . . I just wasn't thinking."

"Assuming you have the capacity for that much thought." Anna snapped, surprising her friends behind her. "Now I'd advice you reevaluating just who was disrespecting who in this situation. From the last name I'm guessing you're dad is what, a Congressman?" With a slight nod from the now terrified girl Anna continued, scoffing. "Not even a Senator." She said under her breath before making her point. "Samantha's family is in oil and don't think that makes her new money because she's no more new money than the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. And after landing the most sought after fashion internship around with Jenny Humphrey at Waldorf Designs, I think the seating arrangements are just how they should be. Don't you?" She couldn't resist throwing in Jenny's name after hearing that she was the girl's predecessor, at the very least the girl would hold respect for the name from the looks of it she was also quite terrified, from what part of her spill she didn't know. Turning towards Sam she handed her the yogurt. "I think you know what to do with this."

Sam smirked as she stood (against Cassie's best attempts at stopping her) and stepped down a step to come face to face with Cadence who found herself trapped as her own minions had encircled her through the course of the argument. Seeing that Cadence had no way of escaping, Sam lifted the yogurt and poured, dumping it all over the Queen Bee's head. Once the container was empty she spoke, her voice level as though she were bored. "If you're done now, I'd like to get back to my lunch. By the way, sorry I accidently spilled yours." Sam said before turning away from the girl to return to her seat.

Cadence forced her way through the crowd amid sniggers and laughter, screaming as she tried to escape her subjects. She'd never been so embarrassed in her life and by a new girl at that. Before she'd even reached the school she'd realized that her subjects were all too eager to see her fall, this would probably be the end of her reign before she'd even begun.

As Anna watched she couldn't help but smile as though she was revisiting an old memory. She supposed she was just happy that she'd been able to help Sam stand up for herself but either way it had probably just made her day.

Gossip Girl here and oh my did the new girls leave a mark on Constance. From my reports it seems as though A assisted in a marvelous take down of resident Constance Queen Cadence, or from the looks of it former Queen as shouts of long live Queen Sam could be heard from a block away. Cadence was only around long enough to have her head chopped off, metaphorically speaking of course. I didn't see it live but this streaming video is certainly reminiscent of a certain other former Queen at her best. All I can say is Viva la revolución!

After pausing in the hallway of the disgusting campus dorm to watch the video of Anna's take down for probably the twentieth time in the last few hours, Chuck tucked away his phone. He had business to attend to but honestly he just couldn't get over the glory of that video and the majesty of it was that Anna would have had to been running completely on instincts. The viral copy started from around the time the words "Texas trash" were uttered and nothing, absolutely nothing should have really tipped Anna off about the yogurt and then she nailed the other girl, slinging insults as though she could see inside the girl's head to her insecurities. Not that Chuck condoned revisiting high school drama after graduation but the fact that she'd been defending a friend made it all understandable, and he couldn't help but glow with pride.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and get ready for the coming confrontation, Chuck came to a stop in front of a particular door on the hallway of singles, knocking brashly before he lost the nerve.

"Chuck? What the hell are you doing here man?" Diego asked as he answered the door. He couldn't stop the nerves that rushed through his body. Chuck might be one of his oldest friends but right now they were dancing a dangerous tango.

Chuck withheld a sneer as he crossed his arms. "I just have a few questions for you. That's not a problem is it?" His voice making it clear that it better not be.

Diego shook his head. "'Course not. Do you want to come inside?" He asked gesturing behind him to his already slightly disheveled dorm room.

Chuck shook his head. "Not necessary. This shouldn't take long." He could see the apprehension rising on Diego's face and had to withhold a smirk because truthfully it was just confirmation that he'd been right, Diego was hiding something. Continuing on Chuck took a light front offering Diego a way out or at very least a chance to stumble. "How long did you say you've known Anna?"

"I don't know man, seven years." Diego spoke, forcing steadiness into his voice. He was Diego Gutierrez. He would not be intimidated by Chuck Bass. "Why?" He added, infusing impertinence into the word.

Chuck lifted his eyebrows a bit of the smirk sneaking through in an almost terrifying fashion. He disregarded Diego's question of why. "So right after you moved to Texas then?" He asked.

Diego nodded, feeling his heart pounding in his ears. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Kept running through his head like a chorus because Chuck had realized something and whatever it was, wasn't good for him. "Yeah." He spoke keeping it brief.

"And you never thought she looked like anyone?" Chuck asked his voice dangerously low. "And before you answer that you should know that I remember quite well that you met Blair, that you knew her before you left for Texas. After all, I introduced you."

Diego exhaled. The time he'd been dreading had come, thank god it was one of the few scenarios he actually felt prepared for. He relaxed what he hoped looked to Chuck like he was giving in. Now was the time to see just how good of a liar he was. "Yeah I remember Blair and before you ask another one of your leading questions yeah they always looked that much alike. For God's sakes the first time I saw her I thought she was Blair. Lucky for me I found out otherwise before I made an ass of myself." He spoke lightly with a faint eye roll. Stopping Chuck from speaking and ruining what he had organized to say with some kind of surprise question Diego continued. "Dude honestly I thought I was a little crazy thinking she looked like Blair. I told her once she looked like a girl I used to know but that's the closest I came to mentioning it; I mean I met Blair a couple times but Anna was actually a part of my life. I had convinced myself I wasn't thinking straight. Then we got here and all of you guys with your stories of a missing Blair, a dead Blair and no one wanted Anna to know and I don't know I guess I got protective. I kept her away from you guys as best I could. I mean announcing to my girlfriend that all her new friends only liked her because they thought she looked like a dead girl that I happened to have had pre-pubescent fantasies about wasn't exactly my idea of foreplay." Diego sighed, taking in Chuck's stony face, unable to tell whether or not he'd been believed. With the next part he lowered his voice. "And man when I realized that you guys were grieving I really didn't want her around. I didn't want to bring the kind of pain that comes with being forced to see someone that looks like a dead loved one on anybody. Just because I deal with it everyday with my brother Alex, who's the spitting image of my father at thirty doesn't mean anyone else should have to."

Chuck stood there for a moment. He didn't want to believe Diego but his explanations made too much sense not to. Chuck was reduced to a simple biting question. "Why didn't you come clean about this stuff earlier, I mean if you knew how much she looked like Blair you shouldn't have concealed so much, acting so shocked every time someone 'recognized her'."

Diego shook his head. "I told you man, I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to put you guys in worse shape than you already were. You lost someone you cared about I didn't want to fuck with that."

Taking a step back Chuck nodded slightly. He was preparing to leave it where it was but found he couldn't as words slipped from his mouth. "Not cared about - loved. I loved her and I always will." Chuck spoke before turning quietly and walking away.

Diego couldn't stop the chills that ran down his spine. He'd already figured that much himself but to hear Chuck say it was frightening. He was starting to slip, getting in over his head and if he didn't figure a way out soon, he was going to drown.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this installment. Hopefully I'll get one more posted before spring break.

Please REVIEW and let me know what you think!

xoxo
kate