Blair Waldorf stared out of the oval window that looked out over the vast Atlantic Ocean that would ultimately lead her to her destination for the summer. Two bad Hallmark movies and three episodes of Riverdale later, Blair desperately wanted the stewardess to walk by for a refill of her drink before the plane began its decent into Heathrow Airport. She should be filled with feelings of excitement for her trip since the past five months had been a blur of exams, internship interviews, and the constant look of disdain on her mother's face. You would think her mother would be proud of her only daughter graduating from an Ivy League school right? Nope. Eleanor Waldorf was less than impressed with the ivy covered hallowed halls of Yale University. She would have been much more pleased for Blair to attend Princeton University. And even more pleased if she had got a degree in the fashion field and not a simple, less than thrilling history degree as Eleanor liked to refer to it.
Blair loved fashion like any girl who grew up on the Upper East Side in New York City. Shopping on Fifth Avenue for the upcoming season's new looks felt like a hunting mission for her and her best friend Serena van der Woodsen. The idea of a fresh Americano in one hand, full bags of trendy clothing in the other, and the feeling of a light breeze on a blue-sky sunny spring day was simply nostalgic. Fashion was not only geographically in her life but also in her blood. Her mother was a popular fashion designer who made a name for herself in the mid-nineties by creating beautiful clothes with classic, clean lines that looked stunning on any woman who was lucky enough to afford them. Hence the pressure to become the next Eleanor Waldorf. The millennial version.
Blair's interest in history began way before she was sneaking off in limos full of boys from St. Jude's downing glasses full of Johnnie Walker Blue or summering in the Hamptons and being totally smashed during Sunday brunch with a mimosa in her hand. She always loved the stories, romance, and secrets that history held and knew she wanted to be a part of that history in her own way by traveling and writing about the great wonders of the world and what it has to offer. That is why immediately after the spring semester started, Blair emailed her old friend Elise and began planning a trip for the summer after graduation to visit her in London.
Elise Clarke and Blair go way back. Way back to those fuzzy, mimosa filled Sunday brunches in the Hamptons. Elise's parents had purchased a vacation home there the summer Blair had turned sixteen. Blair had a Bali inspired beach birthday party in which Eleanor graciously invited the Clarkes to her summer bash. No doubt to impress the new wealthy British neighbors who could provide connections and business ventures across the pond. Blair was immediately stricken with Elise's unique lavender hair and kooky personality. She always dressed as though she starred in a 1950's teen beach movie complete with polka dot designer swimsuits, white rimmed Gucci sunglasses, and MAC Russian Red lipstick painted across her full lips. It seemed Elise dyed her hair every pastel color she could think of that summer. By Labor Day weekend her hair was a mute Georgia peach color.
Blair and her best friend Serena invited Elise into their small circle of friends and never looked back. She made every situation seem more cultured with her funny and crazy stories of her times at prep school in London or her describing how she got to sit and have tea with Prince Harry at a polo charity event during the spring. Elise was full of life and adventure. Every summer for three years Elise along with her posh accent arrived stateside to soak up the sun, attend lavish parties, and get into all sorts of debauchery with Blair. But those summers had come to an end sooner than the two girls wanted. The last time Blair actually saw Elise, Blair was getting into a town car destined for New York City with her mother as she waved goodbye to Elise as she stood at the end of her driveway. The summer was over and so were their high school years. They had both turned eighteen that summer, and college, or university as Elise called it, was beckoning in the fall which meant the end of the blazing summers in the Hamptons and the fun in the sun memories.
Blair went to Yale that fall and her summer breaks became jam packed with internships. Elise attended University in England and never was able to return to the states in the last four years since she had left. It certainly wasn't the end of their friendship. Occasional texts and emails became the normal language of their friendship as it had in the past when Elise went back to England for the regular school year when they were teens.
Now they were both graduated with a degree from their respective universities and about to be thrust out into the real world presumed to be adults. Blair could not think of a better time to visit her friend and postpone the so called adult world until the end of summer. Why not have one more summer with her old friend who happened to live in London which so happened to be a city Blair never visited before? Yes. Blair the history buff with a history degree to her name had never been to London. Or Europe for that matter. Her mother never brought her on any business trips to Paris or Milan. She claimed that children didn't belong around adult matters like business. Which made zero sense as Elenanor had used Blair as a model for her children and young adult clothing lines many times in the past. And Blair could never figure out what business she was attending to anyways on these trips as Eleanor always spoke of her social engagements, nights at the opera, and other exorbitant adventures in the fashion capitals of the world.
Blair even remembers a time when she was twelve and begged her mother to take her to see the Jonas Brothers at Madison Square Garden instead of making her dress up in Victorian style clothing for a magazine shoot in Central Park.
Of course when Blair had complained about it her mother has said, "Blair, my colleagues view the House of Waldorf as an integral part of the fashion industry , and I've worked very hard to get us that status. They are expecting you for this shoot. I'm not going to risk a mistake on a fashion spread in Vogue because you want to me to take you to an obnoxious concert to watch three boys who need haircuts sing while thousands of little girls scream in my ear. You are beautiful with skin of a porcelain doll and fashion designers and editors love you modeling clothes. What more do you want?"
As Blair got older, she was certain her mother wouldn't let her travel with her internationally because Eleanor didn't want her in the way of the men she met rendezvousing around Europe on her so called business trips. Blair would overhear her mother speaking French late at night in her office to either a foreign French lover or some weirdo producer interested in remaking Meg Ryan's orgasm scene in "When Harry Met Sally".
"Excuse me ma'am, we will be landing very shortly." The short brunette stewardess said passing Blair's first class haven hideout, "Would you like a refill before landing?"
"Yes please!" Blair held out her empty once filled vodka seltzer glass to "Tonya" as typed on the stewardess name tag. "You have no idea how badly I need it".
"I'll be back shortly ma'am," replied Tonya the stewardess.
"Thank God," Blair whispered to herself, " More alcohol just in time for the landing."
Blair carried some issues with flying ever since her trip to Australia with her ex-boyfriend John Smith last summer. Yes, his name was actually John Smith. And yes he actually was as boring as his name sounds. Blair had met John at a campus party almost two years prior. They had broken up over the Christmas break before spring semester started. On paper they seemed perfectly matched for each other. John studied political science at Yale and dreamed of a career in politics. He came from an affluent family in California and had an uncle working in the Attorney General's office in Washington, D.C. John was going places and Blair definitely could have gone with him and been his Jackie O and built a Camelot of their own. John was infatuated with Blair and his family viewed her as the crowning moment of their son's college experience.
Blair didn't mind being with him. He offered a relationship of stability and complete certainty. John was punctual, kind, and absolutely a Greek God of a man. He rowed crew for Yale which kept him in exquisite shape with strong, muscular arms and abs you could grate cheese on. Their sex life was moderate and pleasing. But why must the universe make a man with those qualities with literally the most boring personality type. Blair grew up in a world full of structure, and she destroyed and opposed that structure every chance she got. The partying, the underage drinking, the promiscuous activities with boys all stemmed from the idea of being controlled by her mother and her mother's expectations of her and her future. Blair brought some of her rebellious high school ways to Yale but found herself at the end of her sophomore year looking for the exact thing she wanted to run away from before. She grew tired of dating and moving from this guy to that one. Going from this party to that one. She thought maybe settling down with someone would be good for her especially as she was nearing her junior year.
However, she was bored quickly of the relationship once they started dating after that campus party. Blair's studies became increasingly more difficult, and the research papers and internships began piling up. The one and half years of dating John flew by. They hardly saw each other between their schoolwork and other commitments. Blair knew in December she had to break it off. Not only for herself but to show some empathy to John. She knew the relationship was never going to exist outside of Yale University. She wanted her graduation to represent a new portion of her life. It's gross to say and very cliché but Blair wanted to find herself. Figure out who she really was without her mother, college professors, or a relationship to define her. John deserved someone who appreciated his mundane life and his ability to schedule every minute of his day out of his precious leather bound planner. He deserved a nice, boring girl who would match perfectly with his nice, boring self.
Blair decided stringing him along no matter how glorious his body was needed to end. And she did. And no it was not over text. It was over a delicious Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Latte. John took it well considering she was pretty sure that he had full expectations of them continuing their relationship outside the halls of Yale. After she told him she thought the relationship had run its course, he sipped his plain iced coffee and preceded to ask her if she would like a cake pop. The man truly was an enigma.
"Here you go ma'am," the stewardess said handing Blair her refreshed vodka seltzer. "We'll be landing in about thirty minutes. I hope you enjoy London."
"Thank you," Blair said with a smile.
Blair downed her drink within minutes to prepare for the landing hoping no memories of the Australian John Smith disaster occurred again. Oh about that trip. Basically long story short, Blair trying to put some spice into their relationship was trying to get handsy with John's fun stick on the flight before landing. John of course being John was embarrassed and kept brushing her hand away. Blair at this point had been in the plane for twenty two hours and had many of a cocktail to not only deal with the boredom but also the fact of sitting on her ass for longer than she ever remembered. After the fun time was vetoed by John, Blair downed another cocktail just in time for the landing in Australia and just in time to feel her stomach churn and vomit up everything her body physically had stored in it and maybe some afterwards.
Soon overhead Blair heard the pilot say, "We are preparing for landing ladies and gentlemen. Please turn your attention to the flight attendants as they show you how to properly fasten your seatbelts and to unload the plane. Please enjoy your time in London."
With that Blair fastened her seatbelt and looked out the window as the plane lowered in the sky. She hoped and wished for a summer filled with new memories with Elise, a summer filled with new experiences and growth, and most importantly a summer full of adventure which she so desperately needed. Blair had no idea her wishes would become more true than she could ever dream of.