A/N- Firstly, to SaturnineSunshine, guardian izz, Cascia, xoxo - Amber, 23, anemptypaige, B Waldorf 23, griffyndorgrl aol, mystripedskirt, Brenda, Blood Red Kiss of Death, Edwardslover09, 89, al2010, annablake, JoJo.x, :D, laurien laurie and nostalgiakills THANK YOU for reviewing last chapter.
Second: I think I confused some of you who thought last chapter (26) was the end. It wasn't - I'm continuing for a while yet (a good 10 or so chapters) before the sequel so I hope you're all still reading! :)
Third and finally: I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. You deserve better from moi and I'm really trying to get a new chapter out once a week so stick with me.
P.S. Hope you enjoy this :)
Five Doors Down
Chapter 27: Lacrossed Wires
They'd been back at school for a couple weeks now, Blair and Cassie having settled happily into their new apartment on Elm Street, only minutes walk away from campus and, more importantly for Cassie, only a couple streets away from the Alpha Delta Phi house.
They saw the boys regularly – parties were thrown often and without cause and the girls were always on the word-of-mouth invitation list. It helped that Tyler Jonson, the blonde-haired, green-eyed captain of the lacrosse team, president of the fraternity and student ambassador had taken a shine to Blair since the first time she'd met him at the end of semester party the previous academic year.
The large draw-back to the parties was, however, the amount of sorority girls that were there. Some, like the couple of girls from Kappa Kappa Gamma that were in Blair's classes were friendly enough, but the high concentration of Pi Phi bitches getting horrendously drunk off of tequila made some nights less than enjoyable.
Though it was only mid-September, the weather had been strangely cold for the time of year; cold enough for coats at least, much to everyone's chagrin except Blair's. The brunette had always loved winter, simply for the fact that she could wear ludicrously expensive coats and be cosy in them.
The boys much preferred the spring, especially when it came to lacrosse. Playing with gloves on to save their fingers from being numb was hardly ideal, and the indoor games during winter didn't really seem the same. They'd discovered a bonus however, in the form of the girls' after-game cooking.
Living in their frat house had already diminished what little skills they'd learned during freshman year, but Blair and Cassie had seemed to have stepped theirs up a notch, even having branched out to Nate's much-favoured pot roast and the occasional lasagne.
For Chuck only living a couple streets away from the rest of them, it seemed strange that the only time they ever really saw much of him (save from Blair who had the majority of her major classes in the same room) was at the frat parties. He'd not even spent longer than a week or so in the Hamptons during summer break, choosing instead to spend his time in the city, probably doing everything Blair expected of him and nothing more.
Her ex-boyfriend (if she could really call him that) hadn't even attended the White Party, usually a summer staple for Chuck. Even Dan and Vanessa had spent time lounging on the beach, mainly avoiding Serena, Blair figured.
"Are you coming to the game tonight?" Asher asked Blair and Cassie as he sat down beside Nate on the girls' couch, leaving no room for the two of them.
Cassie shrugged. "Sure."
"Blair?"
"It's cold though."
"So?"
"So I'd rather not catch pneumonia from watching a stupid lacrosse game."
Asher feigned shock and placed his hand on his chest. "That hurts me."
She rolled her eyes. "The truth usually does."
"You could bring hot chocolate." Nate suggested. "That'll keep you warm."
"Or you could just bring a coat." Asher muttered, resulting in Cassie giggling.
"Fine." Blair rolled her eyes. "If it means that much I'll come to your game."
"Oh, I couldn't care less if you came." Asher replied. "I'm just asking for Nate's sake."
"Thanks." The brunette murmured sarcastically.
"Like you said." He returned with an arched eyebrow. "Truth hurts."
"Okay enough." Nate chuckled. "Glad you're both coming. Now, can we focus here?"
Cassie rolled her eyes and sat herself in Asher's lap before handing him a bottle of beer. "I'm not sure it's right that you are using your girlfriend's apartment to watch America's Next Top Model reruns."
"Oh, it's right." Asher replied, taking a high-five from Nate, who took his on bottle of beer from Blair after.
"I'm also not sure you should be drinking before your game tonight."
"One isn't going to hurt." Nate replied. "Besides, watching this show without beer just isn't right."
"Well excuse me." Blair huffed. "But I actually have work to do."
"Fantasizing about you and Chuck Bass doing the dirty in an empty lecture theatre doesn't count as work." Asher called as the brunette exited for the library on campus, a slammed door her only response.
-
"Some weather we're having." A voice drawled in Blair's ear as she opened up the chapter of her book on statistics. "Your favourite." He continued. "If I remember correctly. Not too cold, yet cold enough for a coat."
"What do you want Chuck?" She sighed, snapping the book closed. "I'm trying to study."
"Statistics?" He cocked an eyebrow as he read the title of the textbook in front of her. "I highly doubt you need to brush up in that area."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Odds of snow before November this year: five to one." Chuck replied. "Odds of you buying a pair of shoes this weekend: three to one."
"Your-"
"Odds of Chuck Bass scoring the hottest girl at the after-game party tonight: fifty-thousand to one on." He smirked, trailing his index finger along the title of her book. "Safe bet."
Blair rolled her eyes at him. "You were never a safe bet."
"Didn't seem to deter you before."
"I learned my lesson."
Chuck shook his head, still a raised eyebrow. "Doubtful."
"Look Bass." She huffed. "I have work to do before the game tonight and you're getting in my way."
"You're going to the game tonight?"
"Problem?"
"So you'll be at the after-party?"
"Definitely."
"So I'll see you." He drawled, leaving her table behind.
She wasn't sure why, but she shouted the words "only if you're looking" after him, receiving not so much as a backwards glance from Chuck, yet fingers to lips from everyone else. He'd toy with her tonight, she knew that. She just wasn't sure how much.
-
"Okay SCSU totally suck but their uniforms are so cute." Cassie pouted to Blair as they stood on the sidelines cheering on Asher and Nate while clutching foam cups of steaming coffee.
"Cuter than Blair's outfit anyway." The girls heard a voice behind them. Cassie spun round to face a blonde cheerleader whose named they'd previously found to be Amanda. From what they'd gathered, she was a member of Pi Phi and had a huge thing for Nate, who, as per usual, either hadn't noticed or didn't seem to care. "I mean, what's with the red polo neck?" Amanda continued. "Yale's colour is blue."
On cue, the boys wandered over with grins larger than their kit bags, both dangling their sweaters from their hands.
"Here baby." Asher smiled, handing Cassie his sweater before offering a kiss to her lips. The blonde took it from him and pulled it over her own sweater as Nate gave his to Blair for her to pull on over the red polo neck.
She cocked an eyebrow at Amanda and her friend as she pulled Nate's team jersey over her head, smoothing it down over her own clothes. "Cute enough for you?" She asked the cheerleader who feigned vomiting before tutting and walking away.
"Everything alright?" Nate asked, frowning at the girl walking away.
Blair fake-smiled. "Just fine."
"Then what was all that about?"
"Nothing."
"She hates Blair because of you."
"What!?" Nate gasped. "What did I do?"
Asher laughed. "You just gave Blair your sweater to wear. Come on man, how blind can you be?"
They all laughed at Nate's confused expression before the girls pushed them back in the direction of the field. "Go play your game." Cassie said. "And make sure you win!"
-
The girls spent the next hour and a half cheering for the boys – especially Asher - who was doing an excellent job of making sure Yale won.
"My boyfriend is amazing!" Cassie shouted as Asher netted another point before receiving a high-five from Nate seconds before the final whistle blew.
"He actually is pretty good."
"Pretty good?" The blonde scoffed. "You're just blinded by your love for Nate because he. Is. Awesome!"
"I don't love Nate."
"Sure you don't."
Blair shook off her friend's comments as the boys came over grinning while the cheerleading team surrounded the other players. Nate looked her up and down, taking in her dishevelled hair and wind-swept features.
"What?"
"I know it's only a sweater and you've got a red nose because you're cold." He chuckled as she quickly pressed her equally cold hand over her nose to hide it. "But you still look absolutely adorable."
"Better than Amand-whore?"
He chuckled again. "Better than Amanda, yes. Better than all of these girls."
Cassie put her hands on her hips to feign annoyance as she pouted. "Hey!"
"Sorry Cass."
She shrugged. "Whatever. My boyfriend was the star player anyway, which makes me the star player's girlfriend. Beat that losers." She joked, holding up her right hand in the shape of an 'l' before jumping towards Asher. "Baby, you kicked ass out there."
"Thanks." Asher laughed a little, kissing the blonde on her forehead. "And speaking of kicking ass, you two did good in the cheering stakes."
"You heard us?"
"Cassie, the whole of New Haven probably heard you. You were louder than the whole cheerleading team put together."
She cocked an eyebrow at Blair with a smirk. "Perhaps we should try out."
Blair scoffed. "I really hope you're kidding."
Nate slung his arm over the brunette's shoulder. "Ditch the party and have after-game drinks at Scoozi?" He suggested. "Unless I overheard you two talking about a pot roast earlier…"
"You ate like two hours ago!"
"Yeah." Nate shrugged. "And then we played a very manly game of lacrosse and worked it all off. Now I need refuelling."
Blair rolled her eyes and Cassie smiled as Nate kept his arm around Blair and Asher locked the blonde's fingers with his. "Fine. There was probably going to be too much for us two anyway."
-
"That sweater really doesn't suit you Waldorf." Blair heard Tyler say in her ear as she and Cassie sat watching a poker game at a table in the back yard of the boys' frat house.
Blair whipped round with a raised eyebrow. "It's a Yale lacrosse sweater. How can it not suit me?"
"Because it's got 'Nate Archibald' emblazoned across the back."
Cassie grinned at the two of them before turning her attention back to the poker game.
"What are you suggesting?" Blair asked.
"Here." Tyler handed her his beer cup before taking off his own sweater to hand it to her. "This one might suit you a little better."
Blair held it up and read the back aloud. "Tyler Jonson."
He raised an eyebrow at her and Blair shook her head. "I'll stick with this one."
Then, just as the words had left her mouth, Blair was covered in beer as a result of Cassie's overexcitement (not to mention accidentally-on-purpose tactics) at one of the boys' suggestions of strip poker.
"Cassie!" Blair shrieked, jumping up from her seat to save her dress from suffering the same soggy fate as Nate's sweater. Tutting, she pulled the garment tentatively over her head, screwing up her nose as the stench of beer wafted across.
"I think you look better like this." Tyler grinned as Blair shivered in the cold air. "I just wish you were wearing a white t-shirt-"
"Just give me your damn sweater." Blair huffed, snatching the piece of clothing from the captain's hand. "For the president of this frat you're not very gentlemanly."
"That's because men like myself" Blair heard Chuck annunciate in her ear as she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Are a rare breed. I see I set an incomparable marker."
The brunette dropped her shoulder sharply so that Chuck's hand fell to his side, enabling her to pull Tyler's sweater over her head.
"Chuck." Tyler nodded, extending his hand.
"Mr Jonson." He nodded back, shaking his hand while wearing a smirk that made Blair feel decidedly uneasy; a feeling that was only worsened when Amanda snaked an arm around Chuck's waist as she pinpointed Blair with an icy glare.
"Chuck baby, I want you to come meet some of my sisters." she said, changing the focus of her glare to Tyler before leading Chuck away.
"What's with the hate vibes?" Blair asked as she looked between Tyler and Amanda, who was now walking with her back to the table.
"Oh you know." Tyler shrugged. "Just a relationship she's bitter about because it didn't work out."
"Oh."
"How about you and Chuck?"
She shrugged too. "Same I guess."
"You and Nate?"
"Are friends." Blair replied.
"With the potential for a lot of benefits." Cassie muttered not-quite-quietly enough.
-
She was pouring a drink each for herself and Cassie when he approached the table, no sign of Amanda, yet signs that he'd drunk a fair amount of scotch judging by the way in which he was unable to walk in a straight line. He wasn't wobbly, yet Blair had a feeling Chuck wouldn't be attending their 10am seminar the following morning.
"I never thought I'd see this."
"What do you want Chuck?" she sighed, screwing the cap back on the bottle of vodka she was holding.
"Firstly? For you to take that hideous creation off."
"My sweater?"
He shook his head. "Tyler's sweater."
Now Blair shook her head. "I'm cold."
"I'll lend you my jacket."
"No thanks."
"Hey Blair!" Tyler shouted over. "Are you playing?"
Chuck scoffed and Blair narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I'm coming."
Chuck shook his head.
"What?"
"Blair Waldorf doesn't play strip poker." he replied, fingering the thin material of her dress.
She smacked his hand away. "This one does."
"Why?" Chuck asked loudly. "So you can publicly whore yourself out to prove that you haven't lost anything?"
Blair shook her head and made her way back towards the table as Nate appeared beside Chuck. "Because when you arrived here I forgot that college is supposed to be fun. Now I've remembered."
"Bl-"
"No, you know what Chuck?" She called back. "Go screw Amanda. That's what you came here to do wasn't it?"
"I said the hottest girl." He replied.
"And?"
"And I'm looking at her."
"We're done Chuck." She sighed. "You said so yourself, so if this is some ploy to keep me away from Tyler or to mess with me then it's not going to work."
Sitting down at her seat, Blair picked up her cards and moments later, giggled, a little fakely, mainly just involuntarily as she had to swig her drink and remove an item of clothing. She and Cassie watched Nate's disgusted face as the brunette kept the sweater on, choosing instead to remove her navy stockings.
They watched Chuck follow only seconds later.
