A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I'm so thrilled that you are all enjoying the story! Without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
Edit: Thank you to the reviewers who pointed out two factual error in this chapter. I totally did not include enough information regarding why Dash alludes to a place in his youth, but it has now been explained. It was intuitive in my head, but I totally lapsed in thinking that it probably wasn't evident for all readers, so thank you! Both errors have now been corrected :)
Chapter 28: You Don't Know Jack
Hey Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl here, welcoming you to a New Year. Word is E spent her holiday in Connecticut with her family and, sigh, public school friends. How tragic. Like the rest of Manhattanites who flew south for the sun, new brother duo D and O returned to their Park Avenue perches. Is it just us, or is D glowing while O is gloomy? Meanwhile Queen J was nowhere to be found over the holidays. Guess this means she had to return to her Brooklyn hovel. Elsewhere, B spent the holidays in Paris with her fathers, leaving C in the city all alone. While most head to the gym after weeks of indulging, C has been seen hitting up New York's finest clubs. I guess it's true when they say old habits die-hard.
January first was still a day of work as far as Bart Bass was concerned. While the world celebrated the clock tolling midnight, the morning after was business as usual for his operations overseas. Bart worked a shortened day, a half-day really, but he still went to his office on American holidays. He was far more productive in the office rather than home, and coming to his office gave him a sense of purpose everyday.
Since he ran into his brother, he also invited him to his office today. A couple weeks ago, he was completely shocked that his brother showed up to Philip Montgomery's wedding of all places in which his brother informed Bart that he would be staying in New York for the next few months.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Bart said.
Jack Bass appeared suited and smiling.
"Happy New Year, brother," Jack said. He extended his hand.
"Happy New Year." Bart took his brother's hand and made sure to squeeze more than he would normally.
"You missed a killer party in the Palace ballroom last night. Really made me feel young again," Jack said.
Bart was perfectly happy to have spent his New Year's Eve with Lily and a close gathering of their friends. "Let's cut to the chase, Jack. Why are you here in New York?"
"I told you. I'm here to be home. Also, a lot has happened since I've been back. I meant to tell you the other day that I met your daughter, and boy did she luck out in the looks department. I'm sure people tell you she looks like you, but I see lots of Misty in her."
"If you wanted to come home, why did you take a leave of absence? That should only be done for a medical or family emergencies." He could try to avoid the question all he wanted, he always did that to get out of trouble when they were younger, but Bart saw right through it.
"How's homesickness then?"
"Jack."
"Alright, alright. I'm here because I need your help with a project I have to expand the Bass brand in Asia."
"And you couldn't have scheduled a conference call?" Bart said.
"You see, some of these places I want us to place our brand in have lots of red tape. I wanted to discuss with you face to face what the best course of action is and so on. Maybe we could even set up a team for it. It's a huge ticket project, but the payback can be huge. And hey, if I could say hello to my niece and nephew then that would be nice too. I brought them gifts."
Bart studied his brother. They were very close growing up, and he knew his brother better than he knew himself. His explanation seemed sincere. Innocent. Usually there was a chink in his armour. A dead giveaway that he was lying, but his brother was smoother than ice. Either he was genuinely sincere, or he had become too good at lying during his years living in Australia.
The facts remained. He still went to Connecticut before coming here. Why did he need to do that? What was there for him that warranted a stop? It was a question, Bart couldn't quite place, and it was Jack's chink in his armour. It made Bart suspicious. The only way to deal with such a suspicious threat was to keep it close, so he could monitor Jack's every move.
"We'll set-up a business meeting later this week where you can explain this grand idea of yours. In the meantime, if you want to visit with my kids, you are welcome to stop by for dinner tomorrow."
They say keep your friends close and enemies closer, but for Bart Bass, the closest you should keep is always your family. Secrets have no bounds for Bart, but could it be possible that another Bass is keeping secrets of his own?
When Evelyn returned from her Christmas break spent with the Ainsley's, the Bass Penthouse was unusually quiet. She expected Eric or Lily to be sitting on one of the sofas, or perhaps her father reading the paper since she arrived in the late afternoon. Instead, Evelyn arrived to an empty penthouse.
"Hello?" Evelyn called. "Is anyone home?"
There was no answer. Evelyn dropped her bags beside the elevator and walked to the kitchen, and peaked into the bedrooms on the main floor. "Hello?"
No answer.
She then walked upstairs to check the study. She opened the door to see her father sitting at the desk. Papers and file folders were strewn all over the desk.
"Dad?"
He looked up from the papers. "Evelyn. I didn't hear you come in. Welcome home," he said.
"Thanks." Evelyn stopped in front of the desk. For the first time, she noticed they had a safe in the room, it's vault door open. Inside, there were file folders, a couple boxes, and old brick shaped cellphones.
"What are you working on?" Evelyn asked.
Her father shuffled all the papers together and put them in the file folders. "Oh nothing important. Just some information about another possible investment."
The answer seemed to pacify Evelyn. "My Aunt and Uncle say hello. They wish us all a happy new year."
"And same to them." Her father finished shuffling his papers together in the folders and stood from the desk. "Let's go downstairs. You can tell me all about your break."
Evelyn proceeded to tell about the Ainsley traditions. She frosted gingerbread cookies with her Aunt, and ate 10 in the process. She managed to win their annual marathon of monopoly for the second year in a row, and she caught up with a couple friends, most notably Katie, when she was in Connecticut.
When she met up with Katie, she told her about school, Cotillion, and mostly Dash. He somehow came up within all of these stories. She didn't realize how integral he became in her life.
"So this Dash guy…is there something going on?"
Evelyn blushed. "Maybe."
"Oh my God! First, let me see a picture of him. Second, what about Ozzy?"
Evelyn sighed and searched Dash's Facebook profile. "Ozzy and I didn't speak for a couple months. It's all cleared up now, but things changed for me. I've moved on. So has he."
"In other words, Dash swept you off your feet," Katie said.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Please." She handed Katie the phone.
"He's so cute! Oh my Gosh, where do you find these guys, Evelyn?"
Evelyn looked at the picture and held back a smile. "You think he's cute, and then he opens his mouth."
Katie laughed. "As if. That probably makes him more charming. Why can't we have cute guys like this at Southington?"
Katie proceeded to fill her in on all of the gossip from her old high school. Hearing about where everyone was a year after she left made her think that her time in Southington was a lifetime ago.
While she was at home, Dash did text her everyday all the way from Turks and Caicos. The newly blended Montgomery clan decided to take a family trip instead of a traditional honeymoon over Christmas. Dash sent her pictures of the beach, of his sunburn, a family dinner photo, photos of him and Ozzy completely day drunk, and one of Ozzy passed out on a chaise chair on the beach. It was like she was virtually there.
Perhaps it was because she was back in Connecticut, but she also wondered how much it cost to send those pictures and texts. She had to imagine it was costing a fortune, but she realized how little that probably mattered to Dash.
Evelyn explained the main parts of this to her father. She omitted Dash, as they weren't completely official yet, and she wasn't sure how to tell her father. They never had the boy talk yet, and she wondered if he would even allow her to have a boyfriend. Her Aunt Kim was dead against her dating as a teenager. She always argued that she had plenty of time for that in college and adulthood. Based on the talk she got after skipping with Dash, she didn't think her father would react too kindly to find out she was dating such a 'bad influence'.
Instead, she spoke only about cookies, presents, and monopoly. He was impressed with the latter topic. Perhaps winning monopoly was a Bass gene. She couldn't imagine playing against her father. Add her brother into the mix, and it would be a Bass World War.
"Christmas was quiet here," Her father said. "It was Lily, Eric, Serena, and Chuck."
"Where's Chuck? I tried texting him, but I've got no answer."
"He was in and out of the festivities to be honest. He's been staying in his old suite lately."
Evelyn stood. "I think I'll go see if he's there then."
"Before you do that, I just want to let you know that we're having a family dinner tonight."
"Do you want me to make sure Chuck is there?" Evelyn asked.
"Yes, but this dinner is a bit special. Your Uncle Jack will be joining us."
Evelyn's brows scrunched together. "Uncle Jack? I thought you said you don't talk to him?"
Her father picked up the newspaper from the coffee table. "That's right. Like i told you, he's been living in Australia for many years now. We've grown apart. So it goes."
Evelyn studied him closely. "Right," she said. She wanted to ask him more questions, but her father turned his attention to the newspaper.
"Bro," Dash said as he barged through Ozzy's room door. Now that they were officially step-brothers, Dash took it upon himself to be around Ozzy more than usual. He'd always stroll through without knocking, and Ozzy was finally used to it.
"Are you done unpacking already?" Ozzy asked.
They had just arrived from the airport a half an hour ago, and Ozzy was leaning against his bed scrolling through pictures he didn't remember taking on his phone.
"Yup," Dash said. Dash unzipped Ozzy's suitcase and dumped all of his clothes in the hamper that Ozzy brought out from his closet. "And now, you are too."
Dash hopped up on Ozzy's bed, and he let out a loud sigh. If Ozzy had learned anything from Dash the past few months, it was that his sighing was a cue that he wanted to talk to him about something.
"Is something bothering you?" Ozzy asked.
Dash sat up and began. "There is, but I'm wondering if it's too weird to talk about between us."
It didn't take him long to figure out what Dash was talking about. He had been texting Evelyn all throughout their vacation, and Ozzy accepted the fact that she chose to be with Dash over him. Now, he knew it was best to just move on.
"That's never stopped you before," Ozzy said.
Dash smirked. "You are getting to know me well."
Whether he liked it or not, Dash was now his brother first, so any problem he had regardless of who it was with, was now his problem too. At least, that's how he'd watched other families operate from a distance.
"So I'm thinking of taking Evelyn out on our first date next Friday. I mean, I want it be really good, not just like dinner and movie kind of combo, you know? Something different, and something she would like, but I don't really know what to do…"
Ozzy was quiet for a minute. Already it seemed like Dash had put a lot of thought into this date. He hadn't been on that many dates himself, but he was of a mind of keeping them simple. "I don't think it'll matter that much," Ozzy said. "It's all about spending time with the other person and getting to know them better. I doubt Evelyn will judge you with wherever it is you want to take her."
Dash jumped to his feet. "You are useless as per usual," He said. "It does matter where we go because it'll reflect on my interests. Mine…I don't know, they aren't something I typically advertise."
Ozzy shrugged. "You're overthinking this. Just pick a place you like, maybe you've grown up with or something, and go there and relax."
Dash considered this and walked out the door and across the hall into his room.
"You're welcome," Ozzy said loud enough for Dash to hear in the distance.
In response, Dash flashed him the middle finger.
Chuck heard a forceful knock on his suite door waking him from his half slumber. He was sprawled on the couch of his suite in the dark. He hoped the knocking was just from a dream, but it didn't stop. Another knock came, and then another. He refused to get up, and he wasn't even slightly alarmed when he heard the door open.
"Chuck?"
Suddenly, the curtains were drawn open and everything began to hurt. He growled and covered his face with his left hand. His other hand was limp, stuck between his side and the back of the couch.
"Chuck?"
He wiped his hand over his face and sighed. "Can you please refrain from yelling?"
"Happy New Year to you too," Evelyn whispered.
Chuck felt her shadow hover over his head, and he struggled to open his eyes.
"Happy New Year," he grumbled.
"Thank you." Her shadow moved away, and every footstep made his ears ring. "Would you like some water?"
Chuck tried to muster the strength to sit up. "Yeah that would probably be a good idea."
Evelyn poured a glass of water at the bar, careful not to make much clanging noise. She brought the glass of water to Chuck. She then reached into her purse and offered two Advil tablets. "Take these. They should help with the headache."
Chuck swallowed both pills and the full glass of water.
"So what were you up to last night?" Evelyn asked. She examined his dishevelled state from head to toe with concern.
"Just had a boys night out with Nate," he replied.
"Oh really? For a second I wondered if this," she gestured to his overall haggard appearance, "had anything to do with Blair?"
Chuck sighed. He wasn't in the mood to discuss anything pertaining to Blair. "Did someone send you to check in on me?"
"No. I just came back like twenty minutes ago. Dad told me you were here, so I came down. Relax."
Chuck was never one to be pleasant when he woke, least of all when he was severely hung over. He took a deep breath and his tone was much softer when he asked, "How was your break?"
"Good. Aunt Kim and Uncle Travis send their best wishes to you. As for my break, it was quiet really. Especially compared to the shenanigans you seemed to have gotten up to."
Chuck smirked. He was beginning to live up to his reputation again. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Evelyn hadn't seen the after effects of his actions. He hid them from her quite well. Because he was an older brother now, he felt he had an obligation to be a good example. He didn't like her seeing him like this.
"But seriously, are things…okay?"
"They're fine," Chuck said. The last thing he wanted was for Evelyn to be worried about him.
"Well, if you ever find yourself wanting to talk about it…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." The truth was he wasn't ready to talk about the Blair situation with anyone yet. He didn't think anyone could understand. Blair and him played twisted games, and he didn't want to explain that to his innocent sister.
"Well, I don't know if you know this, but we're having a family dinner tonight."
Chuck growled. "Tell Bart I'm too ill to make it."
"No, you don't get a sick pass. Those pills will help, and all you need to do is hop in the shower and clean yourself up."
Chuck shook his head, his ears ringing when she raised her voice.
"Hey, listen to me. It's not just a usual family dinner," Evelyn explained. "Apparently our Uncle Jack will be coming. Did you even know we had an uncle?"
Chuck cocked his head to the side. "Vaguely." Sure, he knew of him, but he could barely remember what he looked like let alone remember the last time he saw him.
"Well, he'll be there too, and he wants to see you—us, really."
Chuck leaned his head back and massaged his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to face Bart's disappointed look. He'd been giving him that look over Christmas dinner and especially in the morning when he wanted to open presents with a glass of morning scotch.
Evelyn slapped her thighs and jumped up from the couch. "Alright! It's time to get you cleaned up and presentable by dinner. Let's go!"
Chuck winced and fell to his side. "Why are you so loud?"
"I'm not loud. You're just hung over," Evelyn said. She grabbed his arm and tried pulling him off the couch. "Now, it's time to hop into the shower."
With her leverage, Chuck stumbled to his feet. He swayed, but Evelyn grabbed both arms to steady him. "Sorry you have to see me like this," Chuck said.
"It's okay. I mean, if I'm going to be a doctor one day, I'll have to see much worse."
Chuck was equally impressed and perplexed as to why his sister wanted to be a doctor. Sure it paid well and it was a noble profession, but she would have to deal with some truly horrific stuff. Chuck admitted to himself long ago that he didn't have the stomach for it.
"Now hop in the shower and look alive!"
Chuck grimaced and dragged his hinged limbs to the bathroom.
When Evelyn returned to the Penthouse with a freshly clean and pressed Chuck Bass by her side, their guest of honour had already arrived. Serena and Eric sat on the couch appearing bored, while her father poured her uncle a drink.
"There they are," Lily said. She greeted both of them.
"Look alive," Evelyn whispered to Chuck. She embraced Lily first. "Happy New Year, Lily."
"Happy New Year, Evelyn. Did you have a good Christmas?"
"I did thanks," she replied. Evelyn looked beyond Lily and saw her uncle. When she saw him, she noticed his goatee and lighter brown hair. She stared at him for a couple seconds too long, and realized she knew him from somewhere.
Evelyn stepped toward them still wondering where she'd seen this man before. "Evelyn. I'd like you to meet your Uncle, Jack."
"Hi," Evelyn said.
"If you're wondering if you've seen me before, you have. We met at the Montgomery wedding briefly," Uncle Jack said.
"I thought you looked familiar," Evelyn said to him. "Nice to meet you." She shook his hand.
"Likewise, officially that is." When he smiled, Evelyn couldn't help but notice an eerie resemblance to her father.
"Uncle Jack," Chuck said offering his hand.
"Chuck. Good to see you again. It's been awhile," Jack said. "You've certainly grown up. You're in college now?"
"At Columbia, yes."
"Following in my brother's footsteps, I see. I'm sure he's so proud," Jack said.
Chuck stiffened at this, but he maintained a tight smile. Evelyn watched him carefully. He'd done so well during his first term at Columbia. What's wrong with doing well? Evelyn had no doubt that Bart was proud of her brother. He had to know that. Didn't he?
Lily guided the family to the table for dinner. Evelyn took her seat beside Chuck with these thoughts swirling in her mind.
"So Jack, Bart tells me this is the first time you've been to America in many years. What brings you here?" Lily asked.
"Business mostly. I'll be working with Bart on a venture I want to start for Bass Industries in Asia. Stopping by and seeing my family is also something that's been long overdue."
"Well, we're happy to have you here," Lily said.
Evelyn wasn't so sure she felt the same way. She'd only known her Uncle for a half an hour, but she already thought he was an odd fellow. She knew her family wasn't close, but it seemed convenient that he would show up, unannounced, right now. If Evelyn had learned anything since she moved to the Upper East Side, it was that when some relative showed up without warning, they probably wanted something.
"So am I. It's great to see my niece and nephew all grown up. I haven't seen you Evelyn since you were a baby."
"Really?" Evelyn lowered her fork on her plate. "When was this?"
"Oh, when you were born. It was a very long night—"
"It was?" Evelyn asked. She'd wondered what happened the night she was born. A part of her had always been scared to find out the truth. She figured she was ultimately responsible for her mother's death. Now, she didn't feel so scared. She thought she was ready to know the truth.
"Yes," Bart said sharply. "I don't think that conversation is very appropriate for the dinner table though."
"That's understandable. I can just tell you Evelyn another time." Jack grinned at her.
Evelyn nodded, but her face scrunched together looking troubled.
"How's Blair doing?" Chuck asked Serena quietly as the conversation continued across the dinner table.
"Licking her wounds," Serena said. "If you are looking to forgive her now, it's too late."
The statement became a challenge to Chuck. Evelyn could see the determination in his eyes, and Evelyn wondered if this meant Chuck had forgiven Blair. She didn't know many details, or really what happened at all, but judging by the state Evelyn found Chuck in, it must have been serious.
"Evelyn?" Her father's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that?"
"Your uncle was curious to know about what your future plans are," Lily said.
Evelyn explained her future aspirations to be a doctor, specifically the kind of doctor that delivers babies. The meaning behind such an aspiration was not lost on her uncle.
"You know, it's great to see someone take such a devastating situation and try to do good with it. It's not something that typically happens in this family." Jack looked directly at Bart.
Her father's face was cemented in its usual perma-frown. "It's something that we've all gotten behind and support wholeheartedly."
Evelyn smiled and thanked them for their support, as she knew she was supposed to, but something about Jack's statement haunted her. Why did he ask it so pointedly at her father?
She dropped the suspicion and resumed eating. She was probably overthinking her Uncle's words. As Chuck told her earlier in November, Basses are few in numbers, and Evelyn couldn't fathom a scenario where those numbers would start turning on each other.
A couple days after the family dinner, Chuck returned to Hartley Hall for second semester. He was less than enthused to be back in school regardless of how well he did in his first semester. Some would assume he would just blow school off completely, but he didn't see a need to. There were so many aspects of college life that he had yet to explore. Studying was no longer one of them.
Nate was already in the room, reading one of his textbooks when Chuck arrived. Nate looked surprised to see him. "Chuck?"
"Nate. Long time no see," He said. He dropped his bag on his bed. His side of the room was pristine. He had one of the Palace's maids come in and complete a thorough cleaning during the break.
"I know. It's been what, two days?"
"More or less," Chuck said.
Despite what Gossip Girl says about him, he had been giving a lot of thought to forgiving Blair. It was clear that she didn't fully understand or agree that what she did was wrong, but Chuck missed her so much that he was willing to forgive and make up. It still doesn't change the fact that he doesn't completely trust her, but trust had never stopped him from forging relationships in the past. Maybe he needed to accept that everyone couldn't be fully trusted period.
"Have you heard from Blair?" Chuck asked casually.
Alright, so he may have enlisted Nate to keep tabs on Blair. He wanted to make sure she was doing well in France, but Chuck also wanted to know what his chances were when she returned. What good ex-boyfriends didn't do that?
"Yeah. I went down to her room earlier today. She's moved back in."
"Maybe I'll go by—"
"She's spending the day with her roommate Joy. Retail therapy," Nate explained.
"The Jesus loving freak?" Chuck said. Blair was probably in more trouble than he thought.
"Come on, Chuck. Don't say stuff like that. You don't even know her. She's really cool."
Chuck rolled his eyes. Leave it to Nate to try to see the best in people. No wonder he's been taken advantage of so many women in the past.
"But, I do know that we're having a welcome back party on our floor tonight, and I invited Blair and Joy."
"That's my boy, Archibald." Chuck high fived him.
"I wouldn't assume you have this in the bag completely, man. Blair seemed pretty icy still."
"Then it'll be my job to warm her up," Chuck said.
He had the plan in his head. He would win Blair back tonight, and show her what they've been missing. He began to draft the scheme in his mind, and he smirked to himself. He moved to his desk to fix himself a drink where he found a crumpled envelope on his desk.
"What's this?" Chuck asked Nate holding up the unlabelled letter.
"I dunno. Maybe your maid found it under your bed?"
Chuck opened the wax-sealed letter and read the note. It was from the Locke and Key society.
Some things are better left sealed, but once they're open, it's hard to close. Too bad some letters arrive too little, too late.
On her first day back at school, Evelyn was putting her last textbook on her locker shelf when she felt someone put his arms around her and nestled his face in her neck. She flinched unsure who it was until the person turned her around, and she was greeted with a smiling Dash.
"Happy New Year, partner." He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, her hands resting flat on his chest.
Dash kept kissing her, his tongue trying to slide between her lips. Evelyn pulled away, unable to control the searing heat on her cheeks.
"Well happy New Year to you too. Somebody missed me," Evelyn smirked.
Dash hung his head. "Well can you blame me? I had to spend the last two weeks thousands of miles away from my beautiful girlfriend. They were the longest two weeks of my life."
"Please. You're being dramatic. We texted everyday."
"Yeah, but I couldn't do this," he leaned forward and kissed her again.
Evelyn sighed into the kiss, and this only encouraged Dash. He intensified the kiss, his arms finding use running up her back.
Evelyn pulled away and started chuckling. "Dash, I'm going to be late for first period."
"So? Let's just skip it. Take a day off."
"Ha ha. That's not going to work this time." Evelyn untangled herself from his embrace. "It's the start of a new term, and I need to be present in class. So do you."
"But we don't have any of the same classes this semester," Dash said.
Evelyn turned to face her locker again and picked up her Algebra binder. It was cruel really. Who assigned math to be a first period class? "Well it's a good thing we don't need scheduled classes anymore to facilitate our communication." She shut her locker door.
"That is very true." He leaned against the locker beside her. "Speaking of schedule, how's yours looking this Friday night?"
Evelyn held her books close to her chest. "It's looking pretty open." She shrugged.
"Good. Keep it that way because we have a date."
The bell rang, and everyone started criss-crossing in different directions, eager to not be late for their first class.
"Oooh that's very official," Evelyn said. "I have to go to Algebra, but I'll see you later?"
Dash took a step toward her. "You want me to walk you?"
"My class is in the opposite direction than yours," Evelyn said.
"I don't mind being late," Dash said.
"I can walk myself, but thank you. Go to class now!" Evelyn pushed Dash toward the other direction, and smiled to herself when she marched to her first class. She was so focused on Dash that she didn't hear the many phones snapping pictures of their PDA. Long ago, Evelyn was the biggest opposition to PDA. She always thought affection was best displayed privately, but she didn't realize that principle completely flew out the window when it was you who actually had someone to display PDA with.
Evelyn walked into her Algebra class, and even when she saw Jenny sitting at one the desks, it still didn't damper her chipper mood.
New Couple Alert! E and D making it official in the hallway. See the pics below. Congrats, lovebirds. We can't wait to see what happens next.
Blair arrived in Hartley Hall with seven pieces of luggage in tow. She ordered Dorota to unpack, and directed where to put the multiple expensive items in her far too small dresser.
After a far too short winter break, Blair was less than enthused to be back at Columbia. This meant that she was away from Serena, Chuck broke up with her for a stupid reason, and she would have to return to sharing a room with Joy Abruzzo. Sure she didn't get into Yale because of the Miss Carr incident, but what else did she do to deserve such a severe punishment? The only thing she had going for her was the Locke and Key society. She had been messaging Kennedy and Marquez, who's real name is Simon, but it wasn't enough.
Joy was sitting on her bed with her computer screen reflecting a blue glow on her face when Blair returned. Dorota had completely organized her room and had finished unpacking those seven suitcases. Her side of the room was neat and orderly just how Blair liked it.
"Hi Blair," Joy said. She didn't get up. If there was one thing that Blair had taught this girl, it was to not attempt to hug her.
"Hello," Blair said.
"How was Paris?"
"Beautiful," Blair sighed. She refrained from telling Joy that it was actually awful. She spent her winter break missing Chuck. She waited for a call, a text, any acknowledgement of the holidays that passed, but there was nothing. She meant nothing to him.
"And this is the part where you ask me how my holiday was," Joy said.
"If I would've wanted to know, I would ask. I have better things to do." Blair sat on her bed, and scrolled through Gossip Girl. No sighting of Chuck since he went out with Nate a couple nights ago. She checked her messages to see if Nate had anything to report. Nothing.
"How's Chuck?"
Blair sighed. This girl asked way too many questions for her own good. When was she going to get it that Blair didn't care? "Fine."
"Nate told me you guys are on a break. Is this true?"
"It's none of your business."
"That's funny because I thought roommates were supposed to talk about these kind of things."
What would Joy know about relationships? As far as Blair knew, her closest relationship was with Jesus.
"You know, I broke up with my ex-boyfriend before I moved here," Joy said while typing on her computer.
Blair's eyes widened. "You had a boyfriend?"
Joy rolled her eyes. "Yes. We met at band camp."
She's one of those, Blair thought to herself. She couldn't help but think of American Pie's version of band camp. She was sure it was nothing like it was portrayed in that vile film, especially if Joy went to one. There's no way that depiction was accurate at all.
Blair remained quiet for a moment. "So why did you break up?"
Joy pushed her frizzy brown hair behind her ears. It was loose, out of their usual pigtails, and fanned out on the pillow. "We grew apart. He was going to Berkley, and I was coming here, so we went our separate ways. It's really hard to let go."
Blair watched Joy continue to scroll through her computer, her usual smiling face stern.
"Why didn't you tell me this?"
Joy looked Blair in the eyes and said, "You didn't ask."
Blair's eyes fell to the floor. She hadn't been nice to Joy. She hadn't been nice to many people. She didn't know what to say. Usually she wouldn't care, or already tossed back a pot shot, but she'd never been called out so directly by someone before.
"In fact, I don't think you've asked me a single question about myself since we moved in. I think you've made an assumption on who I am, and that's all I am to you."
"I'm sorry," Blair said quietly. "I shouldn't have judged you, but you have to admit, we have nothing in common."
Joy closed her laptop and sat up. "I wouldn't say that. We were matched together as roommates for a reason."
For the first semester, Blair begged to differ. She still was apprehensive to agree to such a blasphemous statement.
"If you think so," Blair said.
"I know so. Everything happens for a reason," Joy said. "There isn't anything wrong with being faithful."
Clearly, Joy didn't know her boyfriend Chuck. He had less faith and trust in their relationship than she did. If anything, given Chuck's reputation, she should have been lest trusting of him. She thought over the reasons Chuck thought they should take a break, and she still didn't understand what she did was wrong. What she did was harmless. A game. They both consented, so what was the big deal?
But if he wanted a break on his terms, Blair was certain to give him as much time as he needed.
"If only our boyfriends had more faith in our relationships," Blair said.
"Tell me about it," Joy said. "He didn't want to do long distance, so he ended it. He didn't think we'd make it to Thanksgiving since I'm so far away."
Blair couldn't imagine going to school so far away from Chuck. Yale wasn't in New York, but it certainly wasn't cross-country. She couldn't even imagine what kind of decision that would be, and having to choose. She would think Chuck would choose her in that scenario, but now she was beginning to question him.
"Maybe you're better off without him. That seems like a terrible thing to do," Blair said.
"I like to think so too, but it doesn't make living without him any easier. I just see all of his pictures on Facebook living it up, and having the time of his life. If only I could show him how good of a time I'm having."
"Who says you can't?" Blair said.
Joy looked up at her with a blank stare. "What do you mean?"
Blair shrugged. "Make him jealous." The more and more she thought about it; the more she realized she needed to do the same. She couldn't let Chuck know how her break was ruined because he wanted a break; she needed to retaliate. Maybe she could teach her roommate a thing of two about the art of revenge.
"Jealous." Joy said the word like she tasted a new food for the first time. "How would I do that?"
"Easy. First, we're going to…" Blair gestured to her overall appearance. "Change all of that."
"Give me a makeover? I'm not that kind of girl, Blair."
"Oh don't worry. It'll all be done for you. And we'll make sure the haircut is low maintenance so you have a chance of maintaining it."
Blair clapped her hands together. Joy was really an exciting prospect really. She had good bone structure and a decent enough body shape. She had lots of potential, but she just needed some guidance with her fashion choices.
Joy stood up revealing that she was still wearing teenage mutant ninja turtle pyjama bottoms. Blair shuddered. This girl needed her help more than she thought.
In the meantime, she texted Dorota to set up Joy's makeover. Then, she scrolled to the conversation she'd been having with Marquez, and quickly typed a message inviting him to the dorm party tonight. Marquez was one of her fellow new members of the Locke and Key society who reached out to her over the break. He sent her a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year message. Blair appreciated Marquez for his quieter nature. He was thoughtful too, and it gave her reassurance that some people like Marquez understood common courtesy. He would be the best option to make Chuck jealous.
"Why are you doing this for me?" Joy asked.
"Because we need to remind our exs what they're missing out on." Blair reached for her arm and dragged her out the door.
During the first week back at school, Ozzy struggled to return to his usual routine of swim practice, school, and visiting his grandfather afterschool. Most of this was attributed to his mother forbidding him to visit or speak with his grandfather, but he just didn't feel all that motivated to stay dedicated with his interests anymore.
He wished he were still in Turks and Caicos where his day consisted of swimming, sleeping, and drinking. For his mother and Philip's honeymoon, they decided to take a family trip to the Caribbean for the winter break, and invited him and Dash to join. Ozzy was grateful to return to a place where there were palm trees and sand. It had been over 2 years since he lived in a tropical climate, and he acclimated to it quickly.
Despite the trip being a 'family' one, Ozzy made a conscious effort to avoid his mother. After the wedding day debacle, he didn't want to see her much less talk to her. As far as he was concerned, he was done trying to appease his family and wanted answers.
Ozzy arrived home after school to what he thought was an empty house. He dropped his backpack in the hall, and moved to the kitchen to get something to eat. He opened the pantry cupboard hopeful for his selection.
He was about to settle for a bowl of bits and bites when his mom breezed through the room. "Ozzy. Welcome home."
She used that tone on their vacation as she did now. It was as if nothing had happened on her wedding day. He didn't reply to her.
"How's school today?"
"Fine." It was his first day back, and nothing particularly interesting happened. It was a new semester with new classes.
"Well I'm glad you came straight home afterschool. Now that the wedding is over, I'll be home more when you are."
"Great," Ozzy said sarcastically. He understood the connotation to what she was saying. She would be home expecting him to come straight home after school. This was the closest he'd ever been to being grounded. It sucked.
His mom ignored her attitude. "I know you may be wondering what your grandfather is doing right now, but its better this way."
"It doesn't feel that way," Ozzy said. She still hadn't told him why he shouldn't want to spend time with his grandfather.
"It will," his mom said. "One day, you'll understand. Trust me."
Ozzy didn't say anything. What he understood was that his mother wasn't going to tell him anything about why she hated grandfather so much. It made him surer about his call to the P.I. on the night of the wedding. His mother couldn't be trusted. She made that abundantly clear with her actions.
His phone started to buzz in his pocket. It was the P.I. Ozzy left the kitchen without a word and closed the door to the bathroom down the hall. "Hello?"
"Mr. Taylor?"
"Hi Steve. Have you found anything?"
"Not yet. I know it's been a couple weeks, so I wanted to touch base with you regarding this case. I haven't found anything yet, but I have two leads. Just so you know, one of these leads might lead out of country."
"Out of country?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Mexico."
Ozzy tried to process that information. It shouldn't have been a surprise to him. He always knew he was mixed race, but he always thought he was American. This information unsettled him. He got the feeling that there was more to what his mom wasn't telling him than he originally thought.
"Okay," Ozzy said slowly. He found his voice again. "So you're going to follow both of these leads?"
"Yes. I just wanted you to know that I may have to go to Mexico, and that will be an additional cost."
"That's no problem," Ozzy said. He'd never been in a position where he was financially sound enough to say that, but Philip had set up a trust for him, and he was planning on using that money for this.
"Alright then. I should have more concrete results in a couple weeks. We'll set up a meeting then."
"Thank you," Ozzy said.
He hung up the phone and gripped the granite sink. He thought he would feel relief to know the truth, but he just felt more confused. He looked at himself in the mirror, and really inspected his reflection. Dark brown eyes, olive skin, curly black hair.
Ozzy returned to the kitchen where his mother sat. "Where'd you go?"
"To the bathroom," Ozzy said, his voice low.
That silenced his mom from asking any more questions. He sat down and ate his snack, and didn't say a word to his mother. It felt like prison, having to be home at a certain time, and doing everything she asked on such a regimented schedule. All of the feelings he felt in that moment, he couldn't express to anyone, so he kept it to himself and ate. But inside, he felt like screaming. If he wasn't a truly respected Taylor then who was he?
He wasn't sure if wanted to know the answer anymore.
What was one supposed to wear on a first date? It was a questioned Evelyn agonized over since Friday afternoon in her bedroom. She took each hanger from her closet with a different shirt or dress and draped it against her body. Each time, Evelyn would find something wrong with the shirt or dress, and she'd toss it on her bed. Now it was evening, and Evelyn was still wearing her sweats.
She wished Serena or Lily was around to help with this situation, but they were nowhere to be found. Serena had left for Providence at the beginning of the week, and Lily and her father had already left for a couple's dinner. Was she supposed to dress up a bit more, or was this going to be casual? Dash had given her no indication of what they would be doing for their date, and Evelyn didn't want to look bad.
Evelyn threw the last hanger on her bed and sighed. Why did this have to be so complicated? She thought about texting Dash and asking, but each time she had the phone in her hand ready to type, she threw her phone on her bed. Evelyn figured it must be so much easier for Dash to get ready, especially since he knew what occasion he was dressing for.
"Let me guess, you don't know what to wear on your date?"
Evelyn turned to see Eric leaning against the frame of her doorway.
"Yes," Evelyn sighed with relief. "I have no idea what I'm doing, and Dash is going to be here soon."
Eric stepped into her room, and leafed through the piles of clothes on her bed. "Do you know what you're doing on your date?
Evelyn crossed her arms. "No. Dash kept it under wraps, so I have no idea what to expect."
"Ah yes. The surprise first date," Eric said wistfully. "It can go really well or really poorly, depending on how well your date knows you."
Evelyn's eyes widened. "Poorly?"
"You and Dash have known each other for a while now, so I doubt it'll turn out to be worst case scenario. Think about it. Wear what you're comfortable in."
"But what if that's not what has in mind?" Evelyn said. Dash didn't strike her as someone who would pick something high scale and formal for a date, but she didn't know what he was thinking.
"How about this," Eric began. "I'll greet Dash when he gets here. Then, I give you a text letting you know if what you're choosing to wear is acceptable. Will that make you feel better?"
Evelyn's shoulders dropped and she smiled. "Yes, yes it would." She picked up a dark pair of skinny jeans and loose flowing shirt. "How about this? I would be comfortable with this."
"Casual look works. I'll let you know if he's dressed just as causally."
"Eric, you are a lifesaver," Evelyn hugged him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. What would you do without me?"
Evelyn smiled at him and said, "I hope to never find out."
Bart felt his cellphone buzz in his pocket as he was out for dinner with the Thompsons with Lily. After the second buzz he knew it wasn't a text message, but a full on call. Lily prattled on about thinking about what to do for March Break this year. She even asked Mrs. Thompson if she had any ideas of a good destination.
"I'm sorry it's the office. I have to take this call."
Bart excused himself from the table and answered the call on its last ring. "Hello?"
"Hello Mr. Bass, it's Andrew Tyler. I followed a lead for your brother Jack's whereabouts. I now have evidence that might suggest why he was staying in Hartford a few months ago."
"By all means, tell me."
"I have security footage showing that Jack was driven to Southington County on September 23rd. I tracked down the specific driver, and it appears he went to the following address. 87 Marcy Drive," Andrew said.
Bart knew that address well. He took a deep breath.
"Does that information mean anything to you?" Andrew asked.
Bart's lips formed a thin white line. "Yes, yes it does. Thank you Andrew."
Bart, now in the front lobby of the restaurant, hung up the phone. His suspicion was correct. Jack wasn't here to work closely with him on a new Asian expansion deal. That was merely a diversion. Jack was back for a specific reason; to destroy him, and his first ally he coerced to make this happen was Kim. That didn't surprise Bart since she really disliked him, but he knew his next move.
He needed to go to Connecticut.
Hours later Joy and Blair put on the finishing touches to their outfits for the evening. Blair swept a blush brush over Joy's high cheekbones. She then stepped back, and her shoulders lowered. There. Joy's transformation was now complete.
Joy looked at her expectantly. She was unsure if Blair was done with her or not, and she knew better than to ask for the fourth time.
Blair handed Joy her favourite silver mirror her father and Roman had gifted her last year. "Look," Blair commanded.
Joy brought the mirror up to her face. She gasped, her mouth forming an o. Her eyes widened and then knitted with confusion.
"Well?" Blair said while applying red lipstick to her own lips.
"It's just… I can't believe this is me!" She looked up at Blair and then back in the mirror. "I mean… I've never done this before."
"You're welcome," Blair said. "Now you need to take as many pictures tonight as you can—preferably with the hottest guys in the dorm. So long as they're hotter than your ex, that should do the trick."
Joy picked up her Nikon camera. "I will. It shouldn't be too hard really. I like taking photos at all these events for everyone anyway."
"Just make sure you are on the other side of the lens this time."
Joy's face reddened at the thought, and she grinned at the ground. "What about you? What's your plan to make Chuck jealous?"
Blair sighed breezily. "Well let's see." She picked up her phone and saw a message from Marquez. He arrived and was waiting at the front door. "I've invited one of my friends to join me this evening."
"Just friends?" Joy said.
"Yes. But Chuck doesn't need to know that," Blair smirked. She picked up the silver edged mirror and checked her reflection. As always, she was still the fairest of them all.
Blair checked her watch. It was almost ten. Blair sighed, picked up her things and said to Joy, "It's show time."
Eric knocked on Evelyn's door twenty minutes later. Evelyn was just putting on the finishing touches of her makeup, a skill she still couldn't master, but was grateful to have learned a couple tips from Blair in the summer.
"What's the verdict?" Evelyn asked as Eric shimmied through the door.
"He's dressed casually. You're good."
Evelyn's shoulder's relaxed. "Good. I'll be out in a minute."
When Eric closed the door behind him, Evelyn walked up to the mirror and examined her reflection. Her loose waves cascaded over her shoulders, and she put a touch of eye shadow on her eyes that glimmered. Then, she applied lipstick and mascara. The basics.
Her cheeks were flushed and hands cold, and she could feel her heart beat a bit faster. Why was she nervous? It was only Dash for God's sake. They were just hanging out like they were before they decided to be a couple.
Evelyn took a deep breath and picked up her purse on the way out of her room. She closed her bedroom door behind her, and paused. She could hear Dash and Eric talking down the hall and started toward them. Evelyn turned the corner and approached Dash and Eric who were waiting at the kitchen counter.
Dash stopped what he was saying midsentence when his gaze fell on her. He smiled at her, his eyes bright, and she could feel her cheeks become warmer.
"Well hello, partner," Dash said. Unlike earlier that week in school, he didn't come up to her and kiss her.
"Hey yourself," Evelyn said. Dash was dressed equally as casually as her. He was still taking her in, his eyes wandering all over her outfit. Evelyn turned to Eric to avoid such an intense gaze. Eric just smiled knowingly at her.
They walked to the elevator, both saying their goodbyes to Eric. "See you later, Eric," Evelyn said.
"Text me if you need anything," Eric said to her.
The elevator door chimed, and Dash grabbed her hand and guided her into the elevator.
Once the doors shut, Dash said, "Your hands are cold."
She looked down at her free hand and saw her fingernails had turned blue. "You know what that means?"
Dash laced his fingers with hers. "Warm heart?"
Evelyn smiled. "That's right."
Dash stole another glance at her.
"What is it?"
Dash tore his eyes away from her. "Nothing." His eyes found the floor, and Evelyn knitted her brows in confusion. Where was the confident and charming Dash she knew? He looked at her again and grinned.
"You know, this is my first date," Evelyn admitted. "Like ever."
"Mine too," Dash mumbled.
For some reason, this was comforting for Evelyn to hear. "So what do we have planned?"
Dash shrugged. "I figured we could work for our appetite first—unless you're really hungry?"
The elevator door chimed, and they both got out on the main floor. "I'm not," Evelyn said. "But I'm interested in how we're going to work for our appetite?"
Dash grinned and opened the door to his limo for her. "Seeing as how competitive you are, I figured we should do something that's sports related."
"Really? What sport are we talking here?" Evelyn shuffled to the middle seat, and Dash closed the door behind him.
"61 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn please," Dash said to his driver.
"And Brooklyn too?" Evelyn said. She moved their hands to rest in her lap, still intertwined.
"Brooklyn's underrated," Dash said. "Besides it's the best place to go for what we're doing."
"Which you still haven't told me yet," Evelyn said leaning into him.
"It's a surprise."
"But can I convince you otherwise?" Evelyn asked. She untangled their hands, and leaned close to him.
"Why don't you try and find out?" Dash said with a smirk on his face.
Evelyn smirked and guided his lips to hers.
When Blair arrived at the party, it was already in full swing. The hallways were brimming with students who sloshed their drinks around their red solo cups. The music was loud enough that the walls vibrated. Blair wrinkled her nose at the smell of beer, probably tapped from the kegs on the rooftop, and with each step, it was getting more uncomfortably hot.
"Should we get a drink?" Marquez asked. He was taller than Blair expected when she first met him, whose dimples deepened when he showed his crooked smile. His eyes were strikingly grey, and he had a scar that cut through his left eyebrow.
"They should be upstairs on the roof," Joy said.
As they talked, Blair looked around the room in search for Chuck. He and Nate were nowhere to be found.
"Yes, let's go get a drink, Marquez," Blair decided. She tugged him by his wrist through the throngs of people.
"Blair, we discussed this. We don't have to go by our titles when we're not in the meeting room," he said while she continued to drag him through the hall.
Blair ignored him. She continued to drag until one person emerging from their dorm room crashed into her.
"Woah, easy there!"
Blair looked up and saw Nate. He patted his button down plaid shirt where his beer had spilled. Behind him, Chuck appeared. She scowled when their eyes met.
"Nate. Good to see you," Blair said.
"Good to see you." He looked behind her and saw her date behind her. "Who's this?"
Blair let go of her date's wrist and turned to call for Joy. They had lost her a while back, and she was busy talking to some girls on their floor for whom Blair refused to waste her time speaking to. Joy caught her eye, and Blair urged her to follow her. Before she forgot, she knew they needed to take a picture of Joy with Nate.
"This is—" Blair began.
"Simon." He held out his hand.
"Nate. Nice to meet you."
Chuck pushed Nate to the side. "Chuck Bass. Pleasure," He said through gritted teeth.
Simon shook his hand too and looked between the boys and Blair.
"So, uh, where are you guys from?" Simon asked.
"We're from the city," Nate said. "Actually, all of us," He pointed between Blair and a seething Chuck, "went to the same school since kindergarten."
"Oh wow. Small world," Simon said.
"Where are you from exactly?" Chuck asked.
"Los Angeles."
"Oh so Bel Air?" Chuck said.
"Um no actually. Pico Rivera."
"Oh," Chuck said. He looked genuinely sorry for him for clearly not being apart of the elite neighbourhood.
"Lets take a picture," Blair said. She noticed Chuck's intense gaze at Simon and she smiled to herself. He always made this part of their game so easy.
Nate greeted Joy who immediately blushed when he spoke to her. "That's probably a good idea to do it now before things get really crazy. Did you get a haircut?"
Joy's smile intensified. "I did. It was Blair's idea." She rolled her eyes like it was no big deal.
"It looks really good," Nate said.
Joy unconsciously tucked her hair behind her ear and bit back her smile.
"Chuck, can you take the photo?" Blair asked. "Joy is always taking pictures at these parties, so its only fair if she's in this photo."
Joy looked up at Chuck innocently. "Fine," Chuck growled.
They all gathered together, Simon beside Blair, and Joy beside Nate. Chuck took a couple pictures and handed the camera back to Joy. She checked to make sure the photos were of good quality.
"Simon," Blair said. "Let's get a drink."
They started to move away until Blair felt a hand pull her back. "Blair. We need to talk."
"No we don't. We're done talking, Chuck. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink with my date—"
"Date? Please. I thought we were over this petty jealous game with that incestuous British Lord last year."
"I'll go up with him Blair," Nate interrupted. He sensed another Chuck and Blair battle was brewing. "We'll be upstairs at the keg."
Blair nodded her approval and then turned her attention to Chuck. "I'm not that petty. Simon is a good friend I've made at Columbia."
Chuck scoffed. "Good friend? He looks like a poor man's attempt of being Liam Hemsworth."
"At least he had the decency to check in on me over the holidays," Blair said.
"Blair," Chuck said. "We were on a break." He put his hand on her waist, trying to pull her closer.
"Were?" Blair shook his hand away. "We still are."
"So we're going to play this game now?" Chuck said.
"What game? I'm just trying to move on."
"Please. We both know he's no more than a tissue you intend to use once in front of me and throw away."
"You couldn't be farther away from the truth," Blair said.
"What's his real name anyway? Kennedy?"
Blair's eyes widened. He'd brought up his name at Cotillion, and she still didn't understand how he know that name. "No it's not," She said sharply. "I have to go."
Blair stormed down the hallway and up the stairs to the rooftop. Chuck looked on, and his lips turned into a mischievous scowl.
Let the games begin.
Spotted: B with a new boy on her arm that isn't C. Ain't karma a bitch, C?
The limo pulled up to the curb to a red brick building. Evelyn looked through the limo window to see that all of the tall skyscrapers from Manhattan were replaced with shorter story buildings that looked rather industrial. Mounds of brown snow were melting at the curb, and Evelyn stepped over a giant puddle, as they neared a garage door.
The only information Evelyn was able to get from Dash was that they were going to play an indoor sport that required hand eye coordination. Evelyn tried to piece together what this meant, but her surroundings gave no information. This was Brooklyn? It was quieter than Manhattan, and it reminded Evelyn of Hartford slightly with the building structures.
"And here I thought you didn't get out of the city enough," Evelyn said as she stepped out of the limo. She reminisced about the afternoon where they drove to see the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn.
"I may have once upon a time," Dash asked offering his hand.
Evelyn accepted it. "And you never told me? I didn't take you for a secretive person, Dash."
"I wouldn't say I'm secretive. I just didn't offer that information at the time."
Dash led the way into the red brick building. Inside, they walked up two flights of stairs and entered a giant room that was completely open. Straight ahead there was a bar, and the further they moved into the room, Evelyn could see a line of bowling lanes lit up with leather couches lined up behind each lane.
"Bowling is the sport you're talking about?" Evelyn said. She looked up and noticed the exposed ceiling and wooden beams.
"Indeed. Have you played before?"
"I have at birthday parties. They had to put up gutter guards," Evelyn laughed.
They approached the desk where they could order bowling shoes. "Well, it's a good thing I can give you pointers."
They picked out a pair of shoes each and went to lane four. Evelyn eyed the ranging size of bowling balls after she laced up her shoes. They varied from five to ten pounds in a range of bubble gum colours. The crack of bowling pins crumpling from a well-tossed ball echoed off the cement walls.
Dash hovered over the computerized terminal to set up their game. He inputted both of their names.
Why bowling of all sports?" Evelyn asked.
Dash shrugged. "It's indoor, and I spent one summer picking it up."
"Too bad there's no bowling team at St. Jude's," Evelyn said.
Dash chuckled. "It's just a hobby. Nothing serious about it." He pressed the button 'BEGIN' and looked up at Evelyn. "I figured we could play a game, and whoever wins could decide where we'd go for dinner."
"Another bet, huh?" Evelyn said.
"If I can recall, that's usually how we do things," Dash said.
Evelyn thought back to the deal he offered her at Victrola when she was dared to steal his underwear. Montgomerys and Basses always were making deals with each other.
"It is. But just know I like to win," Evelyn said.
"So do I," Dash said.
Evelyn held out her hand. "Deal."
Dash shook it and smirked. He picked up a green ball, using the finger holes with his index middle and thumb. "I'm not that good anyway," He said over his shoulder.
Evelyn sat back on the leather couch and watched Dash lift the ball to align with his chin. He swung his arm back and released the ball, his left leg crossing behind his right. The ball zoomed down the lane in a straight line, hitting the first pin and knocking all of the pins down with a loud crack.
Dash turned around and smirked. "Your turn."
Evelyn gaped. "Not that good, huh?"
He took a seat and shrugged again. "Alright. I may have played a lot that summer."
"Just a little?" Evelyn got up and picked the smallest and lightest ball she could find. It was lemon yellow, and it weighed less than five pounds. She tried to mimic Dash's motions by bringing the ball close to her face, centre to her body, and then reeling her arm back before releasing. Unlike Dash, whose ball spun like a wheel down the middle of the lane, Evelyn's pall twirled halfway before falling into the gutter.
Evelyn hung her head and shuffled back to where Dash was seated. "It's alright. You have another try."
"This isn't fair. You rigged this so you could win," Evelyn said. The lemon yellow ball reappeared and she picked it up.
"I didn't rig it. I just wanted to show you something I like to do."
"But I like to win," Evelyn huffed.
Dash chuckled. "I can see that. Here. Let me show you what helped me."
He walked up to the lane with her. "Alright. You've chosen a lighter ball, which is good. That'll give you more control. What you need to do is make sure to aim for the pocket."
"Pocket?"
"Yeah, pocket. That means you want to make sure your ball hits between the one-pin and three-pin. If you hit them there, there is a greater chance you'll be able to knock all the pins down."
"Okay, but how do I do that?"
"Don't aim for the pins. You see these red arrows on the lane? Pick one of the arrows in the middle and aim your ball to roll over it."
"Okay," Evelyn said. "So I should aim for one on the right to hit the pocket?"
"Exactly."
Evelyn pursed her lips and nodded. She shuffled to the right and lined up her ball with the arrow. Dash stepped back to give her space and Evelyn reeled her arm back. She took a couple steps forward, and released the ball. It rolled more quickly this time, threatening to veer off and into the gutter until it knocked down two pins.
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"Probably, but I can't give you all of my trade secrets," Dash said. He picked up the green ball again. "I still want to win you know."
Evelyn folded her arms over her chest. Her eyes watched every movement Dash made, studying him, trying to figure out how he was successful. She wanted to win too. Dash knocked eight pins down, the remaining two side by side.
"We'll see about that," she said under her breath.
Chuck watched Blair talk with Simon for the past hour. Blair laughed and touched him affectionately, and he all knew it was a show to piss him off. And it was working. It was another one of her little games. He already caught her off guard when he mentioned that he knew Kennedy, but just like Blair, she shrugged it off, keeping the lie going.
As if this Kennedy guy had a shot. Honestly, he was either deluded or plain incompetent if he thought he had any chance to keep Blair's interest.
He finished another drink. Unlike everyone else who drank from keggers, Chuck opted for his scotch stash. It turns out, he was running low, and he was almost through with his last bottle.
In light of Blair's attempt to make him jealous, Chuck retaliated. He started talking to one girl who made eyes at him, Stephanie. She was one of her floor mates, and she did most of the talking. He made sure that they were in view of Blair, but she didn't seem to be paying attention, but rather deeply engrossed in conversation with Simon.
Blair and Simon made their way to the door, so Chuck excused himself and followed them. It seemed he was leaving, so Chuck decided to wait in Blair's room. It's how they preferred to finish their evenings, so why not be there ready?
Blair opened the door to her room, and was surprised to see Chuck waiting on her bed.
"Chuck?"
"Did you see your little friend home?" Chuck said.
"Yes I did not that it's any of your business."
"Kennedy was it?"
"No it wasn't. His name is Simon. He goes by a different name during our meetings."
"What's yours?"
"I can't tell you," Blair said.
"It's too bad really," Chuck said. He pulled out his crumpled invitation. "Nate found this after Ina cleaned my room over break."
"Wait…you were invited too?" Blair said. "But—"
"It doesn't matter Blair. I wouldn't have joined anyway."
"What? Why?"
"I don't need these people to feel powerful. I'm Chuck Bass."
"Yeah, well I'm Blair Waldorf, and that doesn't seem to matter much here."
Chuck stood up. "Doesn't matter? Of course that matters Blair. Who cares about your floor mates. It matters to me. And Nate. Serena—"
Blair's eyes trailed the grey-carpeted floor. Her arms twisted in front of her chest. "Yes, but what about people at Columbia?"
"I wouldn't write them off. I mean, I think it would mean more to someone like Joy if you opened up more," he said.
Blair scrunched her nose. "But she went to public school."
"She didn't look like that today at the party."
Blair rolled her eyes. "That's beside the point. What are you doing here Chuck?"
"I've done a lot of thinking over the break, and I'm wondering if you thought about what I said."
"About how you don't trust me?"
"No. It's about how you were lying to me about this little club of yours. I think it would be best if you didn't join it."
Blair gaped at him. "You want me…you want me to give up my friends, Chuck?"
"They're not your friends, Blair. They're wannabes."
"Why do I have to sacrifice that? How about you?"
"I didn't lie to you," Chuck said. "I gave you no reason to break your trust in me."
Blair dropped her hands to her sides. "This is ridiculous. This is why I waited to tell you that I loved you. If something went wrong, it would just lead us to destructing each other."
"Blair, I'm just saying that I don't think these people have your best interests at heart like I do."
"You know, I'm not so sure about that. They didn't compare me to a sweaty horse. They didn't abandon me in Tuscany. They didn't hire a PI to spy on me, or break up with me when the first sign of trouble came around."
Chuck stood up. "Well they weren't there for you when you didn't get into Yale. They weren't there for you to go to Prom with you, and they certainly weren't there for you when we began Columbia like I was."
"Chuck. Please leave."
Chuck looked at her downcast teary eyes. "Fine. But this isn't over."
Spotted: C&B ready to go to war. Its time to pick sides kiddies or else you might be destroyed if you end up in the middle of their wrath.
"I'm sorry, can you say that again?" Dash said as they emerged from the limo and into the yellowy lit streets of Brooklyn.
Evelyn sighed. "You won. Congratulations."
Dash put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "I did. Congratulations to me indeed."
Despite the brief lesson he gave her, Evelyn was unable to beat Dash. His superior skill level made him unbeatable, and Evelyn grew more frustrated as the game progressed. She was competitive evidently, but Evelyn wasn't used to losing to boys. Usually, boys would underestimate her because she was a girl, and would go 'easy' on her. It always motivated her to try harder, and to beat them just to wipe the smug looks on their faces.
With Dash, it was different. He didn't make fun of her or belittle her. He treated her as an equal, and with that equality came little sympathy when she missed out on getting three spares in a row because of one elusive pin she couldn't knock down. He won, fair and square (despite the forethought and clear idea that he knew he would win), and she begrudgingly had to congratulate him for it.
"You planned it this way," Evelyn said. "You knew you were going to win, so why not just take me to the restaurant first and then bowl?"
"To be honest, I thought you were going to be stiffer competition. For someone who has excellent hand foot coordination, your hand-eye could use some work."
"Oh really?" Evelyn said. "I can think of a few things that could use some work with you too!"
Dash chuckled. "That's definitely true. If it makes you feel any better, this is the only sport I'm good at, and it's also the lamest one."
Dash stopped them in front of a restaurant with a windowless door. There were no windows beside it, and Evelyn didn't see the sign that would indicate the restaurant Dash had chosen them to eat at.
"Where are we?" Evelyn asked. The street was darker than the one with the bowling lanes, and wooden boards covered some of the windows in the abandoned units across the street.
"I know this looks really sketchy, but just trust me. This is one of my favourite restaurants."
Dash opened the door to the dingy restaurant with yellowy white tiles and plastic black tables and chairs. The restaurant was narrow, and it only had about six tables in the front lobby before the door swung to the kitchen.
The only server smiled when he saw Dash. "Hwan-yeong Dash! Neoleul jamsi mos bwass-eo."
Evelyn scrunched her brows together when she heard Dash reply, "Annyeong Wilson. Mannaseo bangawo."
She shot him a confused look.
"Dul-eul wihae?"
"Ye," Dash said.
The server guided them to one of the six empty tables. Evelyn unbuttoned her coat and took a seat. Once the server gave them two menus filled with pictures of foods Evelyn had never seen before. Each picture was numbered.
Evelyn just stared at Dash. "I know this will sound stupid, but can you explain to me what's going on?"
"We are at one of my favourite restaurants that serves Korean Barbecue. Wilson and I go way back. He's known me since I was in kindergarten. I've been coming here with my Dad since that age when we used to live in Brooklyn, you know after the divorce. We needed a change from living on Park Ave, and Brooklyn was up and coming with real estate development."
"And when exactly did you learn Korean?" Evelyn struggled to learn the likes of Latin and Spanish. She couldn't fathom how Dash knew a language with such a fundamentally different script.
"I learned when my Dad and I spend the summer of ninth grade in Korea."
Wilson returned with two glasses of water. Dash thanked him and turned his attention back to Evelyn.
"You spent a summer in Korea?"
Dash folded his arms on the table and leaned on them. "That's right. My Dad had to oversee a new operation for Bass Industries. I think they opened a new hotel or something? First one in Asia since Japan or something like that."
"That's amazing."
Dash shrugged. "Kind of. Dad was working all the time, and that's when I picked up bowling."
"By yourself?"
"Definitely not. One of my dad's Korean business partners had a son my age named Sung-min. He was a serious bowler, so I learned from him."
"And you learned Korean too," Evelyn said.
"I had no choice since the only English words he knew were words like ass, bitches, and hoes."
Evelyn laughed. "Out of all words!"
"He was a big fan of rap. Snoop Dogg especially."
Evelyn continued to laugh and looked down at her menu. The menu lacked much explanation of all the dishes and Evelyn wasn't sure she knew what she wanted.
"I have no idea what to get," Evelyn said.
"How spicy do you like your food?"
"I don't know. I guess pretty spicy. When I order Pad Thai, I usually order it hot."
"Okay, and are you in the mood for chicken, beef, or pork?"
Evelyn paused. "I guess beef?" All three options sounded appealing, and she was fine with any option.
Dash waved his hand and Wilson retuned to the table quickly. "I got this."
Evelyn watched as Dash ordered their dishes in Korean, and then shared small talk with Wilson. Evelyn took a sip of her water, her chin in her hand, as she listened to Dash speak smoothly.
After Wilson left to place their order, Evelyn said, "So you are a bowling expert and Korean speaker. What else can Dash Montgomery do?"
"If you stick around long enough, you'll find out," Dash said.
Evelyn bit back a smile. "But seriously though. What else do you like to do when you're not depending on me to complete chemistry experiments?"
Dash spun his straw in his water. "I'm all for trying new things I guess. When the opportunity strikes of course. I once tried learning the banjo in seventh grade."
"The banjo?"
Dash took a sip of his water. "I had a country phase. It was a confusing time for me."
Evelyn smiled. "And it's not confusing now?"
"No. Things are levelling out. As for you though, is there anything I should know about? Any secret hobbies or fetishes?"
"I'm an open book. I'm a sports girl, and I like soccer and hockey. Realistically I like every sport except golf because it's so slow." Evelyn paused as she wondered who she was, and what exactly she liked. For some reason, the ideas didn't form as clearly in her mind as they used to. "I also like jazz music. I play the tenor sax too. I don't think any of this is particularly extraordinary."
"On the Upper East Side it is. Sports, music, and science? That's not a common combination of interests for girls here."
That's what made it so difficult to relate to most of them for Evelyn. She leaned back in her chair and said, "Tell me about it. Usually it's makeup, fashion, and social climbing. For the more cultured, high art is up there too."
"Don't even get me started on high art," Dash scoffed. "If I see another post of a girl claiming to love Monet—"
"Or Picasso," Evelyn added.
"Exactly. This is why the dislike button needs to make a comeback."
Wilson appeared with two steaming plates. Evelyn looked down at hers. It was a noodle dish with beef and veggies, mostly peppers, with a small bowl of rice on the side. Evelyn looked at Dash's dish that was in a caste iron bowl. There was a mix of vegetables and noodles with a fried egg on top.
"Usually I could order more side dishes, but I figured this would be a less overwhelming start," Dash said. He watched her inspect her meal.
"It looks and smells great, Dash." Evelyn picked up the heavy grey chopsticks. She didn't expect them to be so heavy. She was no expert at using chopsticks, but she suddenly felt conscious that Dash would probably see her mess them up.
Sure enough, she looked up to see Dash was watching her. He used the chopsticks to mix his meal together with ease, and Evelyn tried to wield her chopsticks in her fingers. They were longer than the chopsticks she'd usually use for sushi, and they weighed down her hand much more.
Dash noticed this and flagged Wilson over. Moments later, Wilson returned with two forks.
Evelyn's cheeks felt hot as she meekly picked up one of the forks. "I feel like such an ignorant American right now," she admitted.
"Don't think that. These chopsticks are heavy. It took me awhile to figure it out too."
Evelyn forced herself to look up at him. Dash looked down at his food and shook his head.
"What is it?" Evelyn asked.
"I knew this would probably be too much. I should have taken you to the diner on Park Ave."
"No, it's not too much at all! Dash I think this is all so amazing. I had no idea you were so…" Evelyn tried to find the right to describe Dash in that moment.
"Weird?"
"No," Evelyn said. "Cultured."
Dash lips still pursed as he chewed his food. "You don't have to be nice about it."
"I'm not being nice. I'm serious. Dash, I've experienced more tonight than I did during my entire life in Connecticut."
"I just thought that I could show you a bit more about me now that we're together."
"Of course you can," Evelyn said. "I want to get to know you more. That's why we're here. Dash," She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "You can trust me with this stuff. No judgement. We're even outside the city, away from all that conformity."
Dash's loose grip tightened. "You sure?"
"Positive," Evelyn said. "If anything, everything I've leaned about you tonight just makes me have more questions. First, living in Korea, second, how well do you know Brooklyn, and third, the whole banjo thing? I tried learning a string instrument and it was a complete and utter failure. That must have been so hard to learn. If you claim to have taught yourself, I think I need to see it to believe it."
Dash grinned. "I mean, if you really want to see me play, I guess we could make an arrangement."
"We will. Just like I'm going to arrange us going to see a Bruins game. That'll be something you need to see to believe."
They continued to eat and Dash continued to elaborate on his travels to Korea, his bowling career, and the banjo. They laughed and finally relaxed around each other, as there was no other customers that came to sit at the restaurant as it got later and later.
When they were in the limo, and crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, Evelyn rested her head on Dash's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her side, and any worries or fears either of them had washed away.
Dash got out of the limo and helped Evelyn out. He kept a hold onto her hand as soon as she steadied herself on the sidewalk.
"Thank you for everything, Dash. Honestly, I had an amazing time."
Dash's eyes found the ground briefly, and he quietly said, "me too."
They both stood there in the cold January air and stared at each other, both with sheepish grins on their faces. Both wondered who would make the first move, but they both gravitated towards each other. Evelyn's hand cupped Dash's cold cheek, and they kissed. It was a peck at first, and Dash pulled her closer by pushing from the small of her back.
Evelyn pulled back first, seeing Dash leaning forward for more. She smiled to herself and leaned forward and whispered in his ear "Good night."
She stepped back slowly, holding onto his hand until their arms were too far apart. He looked back at her longingly. With a wink, she turned around and walked toward the Plaza's front doors. Dash watched her go, debating whether or not he should follow her.
Evelyn turned back around a few feet away from him now and said. "So are we on for a Bruins game? I have tickets for tomorrow's game against the Rangers."
Dash's eyes lit up as he smiled. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets. "Definitely."
Ah Young Love. Some say like Romeo and Juliet its fate, but its really about making choices. It looks like D's choice of a first date landed better than Taylor Lautner's career after Twilight. And what'll happen next? You know I'm dying to find out.
You Know You Love Me,
XOXO Gossip Girl
A/N: And there you have it! What did you think? I'm now resuming the same chapter structure as part one, so this should mean more regular updates. I will be going on vacation for a few weeks, but I will be updating the next chapter as soon as I return home in July.
Also, I am not a native Korean speaker, so I sincerely apologize if the translations in this chapter are totally off. Blame Google Translate!
I'll leave you with a teaser of the next chapter. It'll be titled "Dash the Line", and it features Dash's birthday and Blair's secret society initiation.
Till Next Time,
XOXO
EZ11