A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much to everyone who left reviews for the last chapter, especially if you pointed out any factual inconsistencies the chapter had. We're almost 30 chapters into this story over a seven year period, so my apologies for not reviewing the details! Without further ado, read on!

Rating: In order to abide by the rules of this site, this chapter is rated strong T for referenced drug use.

Chapter 29: Dash the Line

Birthdays on the Upper East Side: It's not merely a time of celebration, but ultimate indulgence, and no one does it better than our very own favourites. From super sweet sixteen lambos gifted from daddy to smoking seventeen diamond pendants, every Upper East Sider is entitled to go all out. Unless you're D. We hear D's birthday's coming up, but we can't seem to remember a time when his birthday mattered. I wonder if E has anything planned to change that…

Mornings were much quieter in the Bass Penthouse now that Serena and Chuck were well into their second semester of college. Evelyn had since adjusted to the sight of her father reading the newspaper with his breakfast, and Lily drinking her much needed first cup of coffee while responding to emails. Eric was usually ready and seated at the table eating his breakfast too.

"Good morning everyone." Evelyn filled her plate with a croissant and fresh cut fruit.

"Good morning, Evelyn" Lily said. She removed her glasses from the bridge of her nose.

"Someone's in a good mood," her father remarked. He straightened and flipped to the next page of the newspaper.

"Three guesses why," Eric muttered under his breath. It usually took him an hour to fully wake up.

Evelyn elbowed him in the side. It's not like she was hiding her relationship with Dash from her father. She did mention that she was friends with him, and that she hung out with him at school…but according to her father, it's a purely platonic relationship. It was easier this way. She wasn't ready to tell him. For some reason, she feared that he would be disappointed in her for being distracted from her studies, or absolutely forbid it all together.

"I slept well last night," Evelyn said. It wasn't a lie; she did sleep for almost eleven hours. She actually woke up before her alarm went off that morning.

"Well I wish I could say the same," Lily said. She massaged her temples.

"Mom is everything okay?" Eric asked.

"Oh yes. Just a bit of a headache. It'll pass."

Evelyn felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She chewed on her croissant and checked the message. Dash. He was wishing her a good morning. He did this every morning. At first it was a bit much for her, but she started to warm up to the idea. Ever since their first date, they'd been texting everyday and getting closer. Dash reminded her that they'd been dating for over a month now (starting from the wedding), another thing she had forgot. Honestly, she was beginning to think that he was way more sentimental than she was.

Eric turned to Evelyn and said, "Ready?"

Evelyn brushed the corners of her lips with the white napkin and nodded.

"Don't forget, we have our family dinner tonight. We have to have it earlier than usual this week because your father will be away on Thursday," Lily said.

"No detours after school today please," Bart added.

"Okay," Evelyn said. "We'll be home right after school then."

Evelyn followed Eric to the elevator and once the doors closed, Evelyn let out a sigh.

"You still haven't told your dad have you?"

Evelyn groaned. "No. Do you think he knows?"

"He's Bart Bass. He knows everything," Eric said. He had this far away look of recalling a past memory. He shook his head.

"I think you're right. That's probably why he said no detours." Usually, she and Dash would hang out everyday afterschool. Soccer season wasn't going to start for another couple months and band practice was in the mornings, so she found herself having time off after school.

"You should really be honest. I don't think he'll have a problem with it."

"You don't know that though," Evelyn said.

"Yeah, but your brother is Chuck Bass. He wouldn't set a double standard for his favourite child."

"Favourite?" She scoffed. "Yeah right."

Eric shrugged. "I don't know, but I do know that your father would prefer you to be honest with him."

"As always, you're right Eric. It's just bad timing you know? Dash's birthday is this week, and I feel obligated to do something special for him, but we just started dating. I mean, I could barely figure out how to conduct myself on our first date. But a birthday? What am I supposed to do for that?"

"I wouldn't overthink this," Eric said. "I'm sure Dash would just want to spend time with you."

Evelyn crossed her arms. He made it seem so easy. It was something that a guy would think. If only she had a female to talk to about this. Jenny's face popped into her mind, but it faded away. They were no longer friends, and with each day that she continued to rule the girls on the steps, she doubted that would ever change. It seemed that Jenny had truly gone to the dark side.

"What's that face," Eric said.

"What face?" Evelyn said.

"Like you're not accepting my answer."

"Well, maybe I'm not," Evelyn said. "Do I plan something for him? Do I buy something for him? I wouldn't know the first thing a boy would want..." Evelyn pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Stop worrying. You're beginning to look like my mother."

Evelyn dropped her hand and walked out of the elevator. "How am I supposed to know what to do about this Eric?"

"Why don't you just ask him?"

Evelyn readjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. She didn't want to admit it, but Eric was right. Again.

"Don't you get tired of being right all the time, Eric?"

Eric chuckled. "I'm not right all the time. Just ask Jonathan."

"Dash, the car's here," Ozzy called from the front door.

"I'll be there in a minute!" Dash called back from upstairs.

"Try twenty," Ozzy mumbled. He wished he could just walk to school alone, but his mom demanded that he and Dash went to school together. It went along with her whole disciplining attempt and his grounding.

Ozzy leaned against the door and sighed. He was probably too busy straightening his tie or making sure his hair looked just right for Evelyn. Ozzy swore that Dash put more effort into his appearance than a girl did.

Ozzy's routine was simple. Wake up. Shower. Change. Eat. Why overcomplicate mornings? It didn't help that Dash was one to sleep in. He usually hit the snooze button twice every morning. Sometimes Ozzy had to throw a pillow at his head to wake up.

Dash thundered down the stairs and jumped from the third last step onto the landing. "See? I told you, one minute."

Ozzy straightened up and opened the door. Dash patted him on the back and said, "Cheer up. It's not even eight yet."

Ozzy rolled his eyes. Easy for him to say. At least he had something to look forward to today.

Ozzy could feel Dash's gaze on him after they settled in the car. "Is everything okay?"

Ozzy's forehead rested against the window. He didn't move when he said, "Yeah. It's fine."

"Are you still grounded?"

"Until February."

"That's rough," Dash said. "You can't even go out on weekends?"

"Nope." That was the worst part of this newfound discipline his mom found. Now that she was actually home on weekends, she could monitor if he was too. He was starting to feel stir-crazy.

"Even if it's my birthday?"

"Your birthday?" Ozzy looked at Dash for the first time.

"Yeah. It's this Saturday."

"Dude that's awesome," Ozzy said. His voice softened for the first time that morning. "Do you have anything planned?"

"Nah. I usually keep it low key."

"No big parties? I thought that's how it's done here," Ozzy said.

"Not for me. I dunno. I usually just have a dinner with my dad. Nothing too special…hey, maybe I could talk to your mom and use it as an excuse to get you out for a bit?"

Ozzy considered this. "It's probably the best excuse."

"Done. I'll start working on her tonight."

The car pulled to the curb, and the door unlocked. Ozzy stepped out first, and then Dash followed. He looked around and spotted Evelyn waiting for him at the front gate.

"See you later bro," Dash said. He slapped his back and jogged to meet Evelyn. Ozzy slung his backpack over his shoulder and moved past the gates as fast as he could. He would rather not witness a passionate embrace between Dash and Evelyn.

He walked through the halls and up to his locker. He was sick of the constant mundane routine his life had become. He hadn't heard from his Grandfather since the wedding. It was understandable because his mom made it clear that he was to have nothing to do with his grandparents. But if Ozzy were honest with himself, he'd admit that he kind of missed his grandfather.

Ozzy picked up his cell and quickly typed the message to Dash. Tell my mom I got detention this afternoon. I have to go somewhere.

Ozzy pocketed his phone and instantly felt better. For the first time in weeks, he had something to look forward to, and it wasn't his search for his father.

Chuck sat in his limo and watched for any people to enter the tall gothic building further down the street. In the distance, he could see a warm glow through the sheer curtains of the building, and he was certain it was the meeting room for the Locke and Key Society. Since Blair refused to quit her little group, he had to take matters into his own hands. The first step: study the enemy. So here he was, on a weeknight, waiting to see Blair emerge or disappear into the building, whichever one came first. The sun had set hours ago, and Chuck was getting impatient. When was this meeting over?

At a quarter to ten, he began to see a cluster of people leaving the building. They walked down the stairs, talking and laughing. He couldn't help but also notice that Blair was the only girl.

Chuck leapt out of the limo, and started walking toward them. Some had split in the other direction, but Blair was walking towards him, her curls bouncing. She walked alongside that Simon guy, deep in conversation.

Then, Blair saw him and looked visibly repulsed. "Stalk me much, Bass?"

"Blair. Simon," Chuck nodded his head at the guy. "Good to see you on a nice night like this. How was your little meeting?"

Simon's eyes widened. Blair looked unfazed. "We have no idea what you're talking about," she said flatly. "If you'll excuse us, we would like to get back to campus," Blair said.

"I'll walk with you. I was on the way myself," Chuck said.

"Convenient."

"So what do you both do at these meetings? Sacrifice rituals? Hazing? I had a run in with a secret society once at Yale, so I know the nature of these secret societies."

"None of the above Bass. We are a legitimate society. No hazing."

Simon shot a panicked look to Blair for not denying that the society exists.

"Really? Are the rules different for girls?"

"No," Blair said sharply. "Why do you care, Bass? You declined your invitation."

"Actually, I didn't know I had an invitation until a few months later," Chuck said.

"Really?" Simon piped up. "How'd that happen?"

Chuck's lips curled into a frown. "I think it got kicked under my bed by mistake. I didn't see it until my maid cleaned out my room at the end of term."

"That's too bad. I'm sure if we told—"

"Don't stress about it Simon," Blair said. "Chuck would decline his invitation anyway."

"Blair's right. I guess I don't need to feel more important than I already am. There's nothing your little society can offer me that I don't already have."

"Well, you can just go back to playing bartender with your friends and leave us alone." Blair looked over her shoulder and said, "and you might as well just use your limo to get home, so it doesn't keep following us."

"And miss out on talking to you?"

Blair stopped walking. "Fine. Then we'll just take the limo and you can walk."

Chuck scoffed. "You're serious aren't you?"

"It's the least you can do." She smiled sweetly and opened the door. "Simon, do you want a ride?"

Chuck kept the door open and watched Simon get into his limo. Alright, if this is Blair's form of punishment, then he can surely take it, but he was definitely not walking home. He got into the limo, and with Simon in between them, they stared at each other, locked in a standoff. Just when Chuck thought he had the advantage, Blair always turned it into her advantage.

Spotted: A standoff on West 114th Street. Word is, B has the upper hand, but don't count C out for long.

Evelyn took a seat at the back corner table in the courtyard and began to unpack her lunch. Dash had already taken her out for lunch the day before, and she told him that she wanted to stay at school today. The courtyard was reliably guaranteed as a safe space at lunch because Jenny and her minions always ate lunch on the steps. In fact, most students left school for lunch anyway, and a few times a week Evelyn enjoyed the serenity.

"Hello, partner." Dash dropped his bag on the table, and shuffled in to sit down. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "How was your morning?"

"Uneventful. Well, unless you consider Terrance Mason getting detention for throwing scissors around during Algebra interesting."

"Why was he throwing scissors?" Dash chuckled.

"I sit near the front, so I didn't actually witness it. I think they were cutting paper to roll up joints or something." Evelyn shrugged. "Anyway, we need to talk about something way more important."

"Oh really? What could that be?" Dash said. He began to unpack his lunch.

"Saturday."

"Date night?" Dash said. He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. "Do you have something special planned?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Saturday is a special day…"

Dash scowled. "Evelyn—"

"It's your birthday, and I thought we could discuss what you want to do for it."

Dash dropped his arm. "We don't have to do anything special really."

Evelyn furrowed her brows. "Really? Nothing at all?"

"Yeah. I keep it low key. It's no big deal." Dash kept his eyes on his food as he spoke.

"It is a big deal, Dash. It's your seventeenth birthday, and we're together now, so I want to do something for you."

"You don't have to do anything special," Dash said.

"Are you sure? For some reason, I always thought you'd want a big party given the lost weekend, and all the other parties I've seen you at."

"Well, given that we're kind of on the outs socially, I think it would be best not to make waves."

Evelyn put her hand over his on the table. "Since when did you care about what others think?"

"I don't really. I only care about what you think."

Evelyn brushed a lock of his straight brown hair out of his eye. "As you should." She leaned forward and kissed him.

But something felt off about Dash. Sure, she could relate to not wanting to do anything special for her birthday, she was equally guilty of that mentality, but why? She would imagine that Dash would love to have a party in his honour. For some reason, she felt like Dash wasn't telling her something.

After kissing Dash goodbye, she found herself in the Constance hallway. She thought back to her 16th birthday party she threw last year with Jenny. Sure it ended in disaster for specific reasons, but for the most part it was a good party. With the help of Serena, she learned all the components of throwing a party.

Maybe Dash was downplaying his birthday because no one had ever done anything special for it. Given that his mother left him when he was so young and his father being so busy with Bass Industries, maybe Dash never had a special birthday.

Evelyn spotted Jenny, without her minions, putting her books in her locker.

A smirk graced her lips as the idea formed in her head. Maybe, she could change Dash's attitude toward his birthday and give him what he secretly wanted.

Evelyn marched up to Jenny and smiled. "I have a proposition for you."

Careful E. Shake hands with the Queen, and you might find yourself begging for mercy.

When Bart arrived at 87 Marcy Drive, the street was silent. It wasn't the same silence he experienced late at night in the penthouse after everyone had already gone to sleep, but a silence that was replaced whenever a gust of wind whistled in his ears. The street was deserted, even if it was early afternoon, and Bart found himself on Kimberly Ainsley's front porch. There was a wooden porch swing that creaked from its hinged roof joist, and a screen door covering the white door.

It was so quiet; Bart could hear Kim heavy shuffling get louder and louder as she neared the door. Her face appeared behind the screen, lips even, and hair slicked back into a tight ponytail. As usual, she was less than pleased to see him—it had been that way since the beginning—but she still kept pushed the screen door open for him. He stomped his feet on the front mat, and removed his car length wool winter coat and gloves.

"Thank you, Kim," Bart said as he handed her his coat.

Bart followed her to the kitchen, where a teakettle and cups were set up on the kitchen table. "Did you have a nice holiday?" Bart figured starting with small talk as the best approach

"Yes, we did. It was nice to have Evelyn back home again." She poured him a cup of tea, the steam exfoliating her face. "She told me all about how things are going in the city."

Bart took a spoonful of sugar in his tea. "Good things?"

Kim sat down and held the cup between both palms. "Sometimes." She blew the steam away from the cup and set it down. It was still too hot to drink.

Bart leaned back in his chair. "What do you mean?" He doubted that Evelyn would have the audacity to tell her aunt she skipped school a few times. She didn't even tell him, and lied to his face.

"Oh you know, the Ivy League Mixer, where she met the Ivy League reps for Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford."

"She did very well there and also at my annual Charity fundraiser. I think she'll be set up well this summer if she choses to work as an intern at one of the hospitals in the city," Bart said.

"Mhh hmm." She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. "You and your connections with those board members right? I remember how it works in your world."

Bart took a sip of tea to sooth his scratchy throat.

"Bart, let's cut to the chase," Kim's cup clinked against the saucer. "We can talk about Evelyn as much as you want, but why are you really here?"

Bart cleared his throat and sat up in his chair.

"I think you forget that I know you Bart, and I know you'll only come to me when you need something. You might as well tell me what it is." Kim locked her fingers together and looked at him with a calm expression.

It occurred to Bart that as Kim continued to age, she resembled her sister less and less.

"My brother has surprised me with a visit," Bart said.

"Jack?" Kim said with surprised tone. "Hasn't he been living in Australia?"

"Yes," Bart said immediately. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"I remember when he left. It wasn't long after my sister died." She said the word died with such detachment, it almost made him flinch.

"Yes, uhhh, well, he's back. I was wondering if he came to visit you?"

"Why would he have anything to do with me? I only knew him through Misty and you," Kim said.

"I know, but he said he came to Connecticut before New York."

Kim shook her head. "No he didn't."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Why are you asking?"

Bart took a moment to think of an appropriate response. "Well, uhhhh, when Jack arrived he seemed out of sorts. Something was off, and he won't tell me. I thought you might know. If he came here first that is."

Kim's gaze lingered. "Well, I don't know anything about that unfortunately."

Bart sighed. "Okay, then. I'll have to seek other means to help him out."

In other words, he hit a dead end. Kim was lying to him, and it started to make him antsy. Did she know? Did she know what happened that night? Bart pushed away the thoughts he'd repressed for so long. The trip to Connecticut wasn't a complete bust. Kim, wittingly or unwittingly, confirmed one thing. Jack was coming for him, and he needed to be ready.

Once the final school bell rang, Evelyn took her time arranging her books in her locker and packing her bag. She knew she wasn't supposed to dawdle today, as they were having an early family dinner, but Evelyn had to stay behind at school for some unfinished business.

Evelyn closed her locker door and saw Dash walking toward her. He put his hands on her sides and pulled her closer. "What are you doing right now?"

"Getting ready to go home."

"And here I was hoping we could get lost together. Take an adventure."

Evelyn pecked his lips. "That adventure will have to wait. My dad said I had to come straight home after school for our family dinner. Tomorrow?"

He sighed dramatically. "I guess it can wait until then."

Evelyn smiled and looped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

Dash leaned forward and captured her lips with his. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Evelyn watched him leave. She waved when he turned back and grinned at her before finally turning a corner. She counted to five before running into the deserted courtyard. Jenny sat in the middle table. Her eyes flickered to her as she entered.

"You said you had a proposition."

Evelyn took a seat across from her former friend. "Right. I have something that I want to do this Saturday that I think requires your help. If you help me with this, I will forgive you for what you did at Cotillion."

"Really?" Jenny quirked a brow. "Who says I want your forgiveness anymore?"

Jenny might be used to putting on an intimidating act with her minions, but Evelyn wasn't falling for it. "I do. I see how bored you are with your minions, and this might help them keep in line a bit."

Jenny tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Go on."

"I need you to help me plan Dash's birthday."

"And how does this benefit me?" Jenny asked. Her brows knitted together.

"I want to throw Dash a party, and we all know it isn't a party unless the Queen shows up."

Jenny looked sceptical. "So if I do this, we can be friends again?"

"Yes. Think of it this way, the social calendar has been lacking a bit lately, so this would be good for you. I mean, you haven't planned any parties since the fall. If you're not careful Catherine will make a move soon."

Jenny's lips pursed. "Perhaps there would be some benefit to having a big party," Jenny said. "Even if it's for Dash."

"Exactly. We can you know hang out at the party. He's a really good guy, Jenny. I don't know what you have against him, but if you spend a little bit of time with him you'll see he's pretty great."

"I don't have anything against him," Jenny said. "I just…" She bit her lip and shook her head. "Never mind."

"So is that a yes?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

Jenny sighed. "A conditional one."

Ozzy walked into his grandfather's house to the sound of the big grandfather clock striking three. The butler let him in as usual, and Ozzy found his way through the maze of a house, knowing where the drawing room was, and how it led to the formal dining room, to the butler's pantry and kitchen. He knew there would be a glass of water ready on a serving platter in the drawing room, and that his grandfather was probably across the hall in his study.

Ozzy took a seat of the velvety couch in the drawing room. He propped his one ankle to rest on his thigh and let his body sink into the couch. He inhaled the smell of old books; a mix of vanilla and almond and felt cozy on such a damp January afternoon.

"Ozzy? My boy, is that you?" His grandfather appeared at the door and walked as quickly as he could to him. He limped, favouring his left leg, giving him a big embrace. "I'm so happy to see you." His grandfather couldn't hide the surprised tone of his voice.

"It's good to see you," Ozzy said. "I'm sorry about what happened at the, you know…"

"You have nothing to apologize for boy. I understand you were trying to bring us together, but as you saw, your mother wants nothing to do with me."

Ozzy watched the butler top up his glass of water. "Yeah, I noticed that. Why was she acting like that? She made it seem like you left us, you know, like a long time ago."

"Listen, your mother has her version of the story, and I have mine. At the end of the day, she left on her own volition. End of story. That's all in the past, and I'm willing to move forward."

But Ozzy knew his mother wouldn't. She was too stubborn, too set in being right all the time.

"Life's short, Ozzy. Take it from an old guy like me," his grandfather chuckled.

Ozzy grinned. Life was short. Too short that it would be wasted if he didn't spend his time the way he wanted it. One of those ways was with his grandfather, with or without his mother's consent.

"Just between you and me, you're welcome here any time. If you need anything, anything at all, just let me know."

"Thanks Grandfather."

His grandfather patted his shoulder with a wistful smile on his face. "So other than that, how are things?"

"Fine," Ozzy said. General questions like that were always easy to avoid with a little white lie and a diversion tactic. "Dash's birthday is on Saturday."

"Dashiell's birthday? Is he turning seventeen?"

Ozzy nodded.

"Ah I remember when he was young. He was best friends with your cousin Thom when they were in grade school. They were inseparable," Grandfather said.

"Thom?" Ozzy asked.

"Ah, yes, you probably haven't met him yet. He's your second cousin. Meaning your mom and Thom's dad are first cousins," Grandfather explained.

"I see. I didn't know Dash had a best friend," Ozzy said.

"He did. Thom moved away to New Hampshire, but I know he's back in the city this weekend. You should surprise Dash and invite him. I'm sure he'll be happy to see an old friend."

Ozzy did the math in his head. Maybe Dash wouldn't mind inviting a third person to his birthday celebration? This could be a way for Ozzy to do something nice for Dash for once. He owed him after he prevented him from making an ass of himself at the wedding.

"You know what, I think I will," Ozzy said.

"Excellent. I think you would get along very well with Thom. He's on a water polo team last time I spoke with him. Which reminds me." Grandfather stood up and disappeared to his office.

When he returned, he held a crisp envelop in his hands. "If he can make it to Dash's birthday, can you give him this? It's urgent, and the next opportunity I'd be able to see him would be in two weeks."

"Sure," Ozzy said. He accepted the envelope.

Ozzy chatted with his Grandfather for a while longer until Ozzy looked at the clock to see it was past four. "I should get going." He knew detention didn't run this long, and his mom would be wondering where he went.

"I meant what I said Ozzy. You are welcome here anytime under any circumstance, you understand me?"

"I do. Thank you, Grandfather," Ozzy said.

He left the house feeling elated and happier than he'd felt since the wedding. He padded the envelope in his pocket, careful not to crease it, and picked it out. It wasn't licked shut. Ozzy, not normally one to be nosy, curiously opened the flap to peak what was inside. There was a short note and a check.

The feeling of elation evaporated when he saw that the check was for fifteen thousand dollars.

By midweek, Evelyn had already gotten the green light to book a place out to have Dash's party by Lily. She still avoided telling her what the party was for, specifically, she avoided telling them it was for boyfriend. Friend was less accurate, but a more palatable answer.

Evelyn hung up the phone as Eric strolled in to see papers, her laptop strewn at the kitchen table.

"This takes studying to a whole new level. Are finals here and I didn't know?" Eric gripped the back of his chair.

"Nope. It's still January. This is actually for party planning," Evelyn said.

"Party planning?" Eric said. "You?"

"I was paying attention last year when Serena helped me throw my birthday party. This is good practice."

"That's true. Who's the party for?"

"Dash. It's his birthday this Saturday."

"And you're throwing him a party?"

"Yes. I mean, I tried to think of something to get him, but its not really about the stuff with us. We always do things together, so I figured giving him an experience would be the best gift."

The elevator door pinged, and the sound of high heels clicking echoed through the quiet penthouse. Eric turned his head and his eyes widened. Jenny stood their flanked with her minions.

Eric's head twisted back and forth. At first he looked shocked followed by confused.

Evelyn gestured for all the girls to sit down. She made no attempt to tidy the papers on the table.

"Is it me, or is Jenny standing in our house right now?" Eric whispered.

"You are correct, Eric."

"Why?" He asked incredulously.

"I'm trying to mend fences. And use her services."

"Are you sure you want to do that? She's gone to the dark side."

"It's strictly probationary terms. Now, I have to start this meeting. Can I count on your help this week?"

"Yeah… I guess," Eric said slowly.

Evelyn reached out and squeezed his arm. "Thank you, Eric." She then turned to the girls. "Thank you all for coming."

They minions all looked uncertain if they should be happy to be at this meeting or not. They all looked at Jenny for approval. "So what's the theme?"

Evelyn grinned. The theme idea came to her right before she fell asleep last night. It was something she was certain Dash would like. "Here's what I was thinking…" She turned her computer screen to face the girls and they each squinted to see what was on the screen. They all looked to Jenny to see her reaction.

Jenny's face remained even. "It'll do."

"Great. Let's get started."

The minions smiled and bounced in their seats. Clearly, they were excited for another event, and Jenny noticed. Perhaps Jenny needed her more than she thought.

Spotted: Queen J and her minions making a stop at the Bass Penthouse. Is collusion the key to getting back your best friend? We hear Queen J is desperate to find out.

Joy startled when Blair slammed their dorm room door. Blair dropped her bags on her bed, kicked off her heels, and immediately dug for her stash of Lady Godiva chocolates. She popped one in her mouth, enjoying the smooth chocolately taste melt in her mouth.

"Bad morning?" Joy asked cautiously.

She swallowed the chocolate and said, "Bad week." Wherever she went, that stupid Basshole was. She was convinced he was stalking her now, and he was out to get her. Blair extended her hand holding the box, offering Joy a chocolate.

Joy picked a dark chocolate flavoured candy and popped it in her mouth. Her face went through many reactions to the chocolate. "Those are great."

"They're the gold collection," Blair said. She popped another in her mouth.

"Is this about Chuck?" Joy asked.

Blair rolled her eyes. Didn't she see she didn't want to talk about it? Why would she talk about it anyway? Blair looked up to Joy's screen to see that Facebook was open in her browser.

"How did the pictures work to get back at your ex?" Blair asked.

"They worked like a charm!" Joy said. Blair noticed that her usually ponytail hair was now replaced with a wavy natural look. Because of the hair colouring and shoulder length cut, Joy's face was much more framed, and her finer features were more defined.

"My ex started messaging me, saying he missed me." Joy rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to get back together with him?" Blair asked.

Joy chuckled. "No way."

"What? Why?"

"There are way too many great options here."

Blair, thankful she didn't have to talk about her own problems became interested. "Like who?"

Joy closed the Facebook tab. "No one in particular…yet."

"Of come on. You can tell me."

Joy looked at her sceptically.

"Come on. I'm your roommate," Blair said.

Joy scoffed. "Since when did you care?"

"Since now. Tell me," Blair pressed.

"No!" Joy's face became red.

"Is it Joe who sits in front of us in law class?"

"No?"

"What about Carl from your Christian club?"

"Blair I'm not going to tell you."

A knock on the door disrupted Blair's interrogation. "Come in," Blair said.

Nate appeared with a deck of cue cards in his hand. "Blair."

"Nate. Did Chuck send you for something?"

"No actually," Nate said. "I just want to return these to Joy." He walked in the room and presented them to her. "Thanks so much. This was a total life saver."

"Anytime," Joy said. She leaned on her chair and smiled dreamily, as Nate left for lacrosse practice.

"I can't believe it," Blair said.

Joy finally snapped out of her daze and tried to turn away from Blair and get to work at her desk.

"It's Nate isn't it?"

Joy didn't respond.

"Sweetie, that's cute, really." In Blair's mind, it was. Joy reminded her of the Constance girls who drooled over Nate when they were boyfriend and girlfriend at the time.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Every girl who has a decent pair of eyes can see why. I dated him for years."

Joy's shoulder's seemed to sag at that fact. Blair felt the need to comfort her for some reason, so she got up and offered her another chocolate.

"Don't worry," Joy said. "I know there's no way it's ever going to happen."

Blair appreciated that she wasn't delusional about it. Unlike Penelope, who always threw herself at Nate, Joy at least knew she was in no way qualified to ever date someone like Nate.

Joy took another chocolate. "It's okay. There's are plenty more fish in the sea right?"

Blair started to wonder if she could ever follow that rule of thinking. No matter how mad she was at Chuck, she had to admit the only fish she wanted was her Bass.

After Algebra, Evelyn spotted the back of Ozzy's curly head a few feet in front of her. She weaved through the other uniform clad students and pulled his sleeve. "Hey."

He turned snapping out of his daze. "Hey. What's up?"

"If everything falls into place, a birthday party."

Ozzy shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor. "Dash?"

"Yes. This Saturday. Which means I need your help. I want it to be a surprise, so I was thinking I would take him out for dinner. Then, you can tell him you're taking him out for drinks after. Come straight to the place, and the party will be in full swing."

"I thought Dash said he didn't want a party," Ozzy said. For some reason Dash was very adamant about it.

"I know, but it's Dash. When hasn't he wanted an opportunity to party? I think he only said that to not put the expectation on me or something."

"Yeah, maybe," Ozzy said.

"Can I count on you for your help?"

Ozzy grinned. "I'm kind of grounded, but—"

"Grounded?"

"Yeah for the wedding thing, but Dash said he was going to talk to my mom to lift that for Saturday anyway. Shouldn't be a problem."

"Good." She grabbed his hand and squeezed. He flinched. "Thank you so much!"

"Oh wait," Ozzy said. Before she could speed walk off, Evelyn twirled to face him. "My grandfather mentioned that Dash had a best friend before he moved away. His name's Thom, and he's my cousin. He's in town this weekend. Maybe we can invite him?"

"Yeah of course. That'll be a great surprise. Text me his name, and I'll add him to the list."

She sped walked away to her next class, her hair flowing back. She artfully dodged other people who walked in different directions and disappeared into the last classroom at the end of the hall.

On Saturday evening, Blair heard a knock on her door. Joy was out with her bible friends at the movies, and she was enjoying the serenity of being alone in her dorm room as she got ready for her most important evening at Columbia so far. Tonight, she was going to be initiated into the Locke and Key Society, and she couldn't be more excited. She was finally finding her place in Columbia, and she couldn't wait to use her new position of power to dominate the campus.

Blair's genuinely happy disposition when she opened the door to see Chuck on the other side. "Bass."

"Waldorf. I see we've regressed to referring to each other by last name," He said.

She put her hands on her robed hips. "What do you want?"

Chuck stared at her body appreciatively. No doubt, he was imagining what was underneath her robe, as he licked his lips. "I have a proposition for tonight."

"I'm busy," Blair said.

"Another society event?" Chuck said. "You have to admit that's a little weird to have a ceremony on a Saturday night."

Blair ignored his jab. "Sorry Chuck, but no matter what time of day the ceremony is held, I'll still be attending."

Chuck avoided her question. "Look, I know I was a little hasty at the wedding, but things are clear to me now like I said they would be."

"Are they?" Blair said. "What if they aren't clear to me?"

"Come on, Waldorf. Let's go to a bar, catch up…" Blair caught the suggestion at the end of his sentence. He wanted her to go out with him, in hopes that they could play one of their games, humiliate someone, and then end with make-up sex.

"I told you. I have plans."

"Just ditch them. Are you telling me your society is more important than me?"

Blair thought about it. It wasn't that it was more important, but it troubled her that he wanted her to give it up for him. What if she didn't want to live her life to solely revolve around him? He had his mixology club, Nate, and his other ventures. She was more than entitled to have something for herself.

"No, but right now, you don't seem to understand that there are other things that are important to me. My life doesn't revolve around you, you know."

Chuck's eyes flashed with hurt, and for a moment, Blair almost regretted her words. Maybe she should quit the society. She could find another way to rule Columbia, couldn't she? They kept a gaze of longing for one another, before Blair found her voice again.

"Unless you have anything else to say, I have to get ready," Blair said, her voice slightly shaky. The front of her robe sagged a bit, revealing her black La Perla bra. She pulled it across tightly, covering up any exposed skin on her chest.

"I think you've said it all," Chuck said. He backed away, like she'd physically hurt him and said in a defeated voice, "I hope you have fun tonight."

Blair closed her door and let the tears that she'd been holding fall down her porcelain face. Why did this Basshole have this effect on her? She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took a shaky breath. She wanted this, no deserved this coronation tonight, and she wasn't going to let Chuck Bass ruin it for her.

Evelyn stepped into Brooklyn Bowl and felt as if she was transported to another country. She looked around to see the ice bar light up with a rainbow of colours, over to the karaoke station set up, anime playing against the wall of the dance floor, and enough cushioned seating for all to sit down.

She and Dash had already went out for dinner earlier that evening. Dash was none the wiser that this party was happening for him. They went to Burger Priest and had a great time. Dash would steal bites from her plate; she would do the same from his. It was such a couply thing to do, and Evelyn couldn't believe she was actually okay with it. What was happening to her? Everything she thought she knew about relationships was completely getting disproven.

She dropped off Dash at his house in the limo since he was then scheduled to go out with Ozzy for the rest of the night. Dash was kissing her goodnight, running his hands up the outside of her thigh and to her sides he whispered, "Come inside for a bit."

"What?" Evelyn said.

He pulled away from her, his cheeks flushed. "You can come inside if you want for a bit. We're still not going out for a couple hours…"

The suggestions hung in the air between them, and the thought of being in Dash's bedroom alone made her uneasy and slightly uncomfortable. "I can't. I, um, have to be home soon. Curfew."

Dash's hands began to rub light circles on her lower back. "Since when has that stopped you before?"

Up until recently that had been the case. Evelyn grinned, but still didn't know how to tell Dash no because she still needed to set up for his surprise birthday party. She didn't want to resort to lying, so she thought of another way to avoid the question.

"That's true," Evelyn sighed. She cupped his cheeks and kissed him. Evelyn leaned forward, pushing Dash against the seat. He chuckled into their kiss, and gripped her hips urging her to get closer. If it meant that she could distract Dash from his previous idea, maybe it was worth a shot.

Evelyn pulled away, her chest moving up and down, heaving with breath. She swung her one leg over his and found herself straddling Dash.

"What did I do to deserve the sexiest girlfriend in the world?"

Evelyn forced herself not to laugh. Dash was completely sincere, but sexy? She couldn't get behind that one. That was just…weird to hear someone say that about her for the first time. She forced herself to smile and leaned in to kiss him again silencing any further discussion.

Dash groaned but happily ran his hands through her hair, pushing the small of her back toward him.

Evelyn pulled away and gasped. Dash's lips continued to trail a path down her neck. "I think we've sufficiently said goodnight."

Dash broke away and took her appearance in. He sighed. "Maybe. You do look sufficiently ravaged."

Evelyn climbed off his lap, much to Dash's protests, and she practically had to shove him out the door. Once he was successfully in the house, Evelyn sent a text to Ozzy and Eric respectively. She checked the time. She still had to get ready, and insure set-up was secured.

Now, here she was, dressed without any traces of her detour with Dash. Evelyn completed a final check to make sure everything was in place. The room was full of the majority of Constance and St. Jude's students, drinking and mingling. All of her work was pretty much done.

Evelyn saw Jenny by the refreshment table. "All set?"

"Yup. Just waiting for the guest of honour," Jenny said. "Are you ready?"

"I think so."

"This reminds me of our birthday party last year," Jenny said.

A found smile graced her lips. "Oh right. That. I hope this one goes better than that."

"It was still a good party," Jenny said. "Drama set aside."

"From what I've learned, that's what makes a party here," Evelyn said. They both laughed, and it felt so good to talk to Jenny again. She knew she wasn't fully gone like Eric believed. She's still there, and she couldn't help but think that she looked lonely too. Evelyn didn't realize that being at the top could be just as lonely as being on the outside.

"Guys! He's coming!" Wyatt Tarquin said. He waved his arms trying to get everyone's attention.

Evelyn checked her phone. Ozzy texted her a couple minutes ago that they just left. They couldn't possible be here already…

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted. Evelyn looked up to see a boy who was definitely not Dash. He was tall, blonde, and had a strong build. He definitely didn't go to St. Jude's, but everyone around her seemed to know him.

By the time the boy weaved through the first cluster of people, he stood in front of her. "Hi I don't think we've met before. I'm Evelyn Bass."

She held out her hand to which he began to shake it. His hand was smooth, almost slippery. "We haven't, but you really are as beautiful as they say."

Who are they? What do they say? Evelyn hadn't considered it much, but she knew it was meant to be a compliment. "Thank you."

He kept shaking her hand. "I'm Thom Taylor."

Evelyn slipped her hand away from him. "Oh yeah! You were best friends with Dash before you moved right?"

"The one and only," He smiled at her in a way that would make most girls in the room faint. To Evelyn, it made her uneasy.

"I'm so glad you could make it. He should be arriving soon, so you can get yourself settled with a drink."

Evelyn's phone dinged. It was a text from Ozzy.

Arrived. Will be up in 2.

Evelyn marched up to the corner with karaoke station and picked up one of the microphones. "Everyone!" Evelyn said. "He's here for real. Get ready for the surprise."

Everyone tried to find some sort of object to hide behind, and Evelyn found herself hiding behind where the door would swing open. Evelyn could hear muffled voices on the other side of the door, until it opened.

"SURPRISE!" Most people, already tipsy, shouted.

Dash looked stupefied. His mouth hung open, and his face then morphed to confusion. Ozzy slapped his back and said, "Happy birthday, man."

Dash remained immobile. He looked around the room, not so much noticing the decorations and carefully selected activities, but rather, he saw the faces of people in the room.

Evelyn stepped to his side and knotted her hand with his.

Without looking at her, he said, "So this is why you shoved me out of the limo."

"Did you really think your birthday spent with me would just end there?" She kissed him on the cheek.

"After I told you not to do this," Dash said. His voice was slightly monotone and annoyed.

Thom was making his way toward them through the crowd.

"Oh," Evelyn said. "We also invited a special guest."

Dash furrowed his brows and before he could say anything, he was face to face with his former best friend.

"Montgomery?" Thom grinned wryly.

"Taylor," Dash said.

Thom made the first move and wrapped his arms around Dash. He patted his back. "Long time no see, brother!"

"Yeah," Dash said.

"It's been so long," Thom said pulling back. "Last time I saw you was when—"

"End of sixth grade," Dash cut him off. "Good times."

"They were," Thom said. His eyes glazed over like he was recalling a fond memory. "Happy birthday by the way."

"Thanks," Dash said. "If you'll excuse me, I just need to use the restroom."

Evelyn and Ozzy exchanged a concerned look. So far, Dash was anything but happy for his birthday. Why was he so cold toward Thom? Evelyn had many questions, and she decided to wait a little bit before following him.

Evelyn heard a loud cheer erupt from the bar. Sure enough, the talented bartender she hired was performing a crazy set of tricks while pouring drinks. She was partly inspired by her brother's fascination for mixology, and it happened to be included with the venue. Most of her classmates watched in awe as the bartender juggled and perfectly poured a neatly stacked pyramid of martini glasses.

Thom shrugged as Dash walked in the opposite direction of the crowded bar. He joined the group for the show.

"Do you think he's okay?" Ozzy said.

"I don't know," Evelyn said, her lips pursed. "But I'm going to find out."

Blair waited in the St. Anthony Hall common room wearing a modest black dress. She had been instructed to wear all black for the ceremony, and as she sat with her fellow new members, there were eight in total, she was the only girl. She was told she didn't need to wear anything very formal, but Blair couldn't resist her new Calvin Klein dress she just purchased from Saks the week before. All eyes were on her as they once were at Constance, and that's the way she liked it.

Blair had also swept her hair in a twisted bun. She opted to not include jewellery, for they were not allowed to have painted nails, sparkling jewellery, or any other accessory. They weren't allowed to talk either. Blair could only express conversation through stares, and most didn't share her impatient eye rolls for the ceremony to begin.

One of the members, faceless from his black hooded cloak, approached them. "It's time," he said. "Walk in single file like we've done before. No talking."

Blair assumed her position as the last member in the line-up. Although she would like to think she was saved as the best for last, she knew it was more likely that she was last alphabetically. She found her place behind Simon who smiled at her before raising his eyes and showing his clenched teeth. He had told her earlier that week he was a bit nervous; he was uneasy with the cult like atmosphere of the club meetings, but Blair urged him to continue.

They marched to the meeting room, beyond the curtain and down the stairs to the basement. Blair had become familiar with the dank smell of the basement, and the darkness, the feel of the smooth wood railing against her hand. She heard a deep hum as she descended down the steps. She couldn't make out the words, but if Blair could guess, it was Latin.

The usual round table they would sit at was gone, and the usual dark room was filled with candles. The members stood in their usual hooded cloaks at the front of an altar. Blair followed her fellow new members as they still remained in a single file line.

The singing silenced, and the one member stepped forward. He held a leather book in his hand and began to recite the history of the Locke and Key society. Blair held onto every word.

"When your name is called please step forward."

Her fellow initiates before her stepped up one by one, and they each recited the same pledge.

"Blair Cornelia Waldorf," the voice called.

She stepped forward and swallowed. She hadn't drank water or spoken for the past hour, and she hoped her voice didn't crack or was scratchy.

"Please repeat after me. "I do solemnly promise on my honour as a woman," the voice paused.

Blair raised her right hand and repeated the words. "I do solemnly promise on my honour as a woman." Her voice was soft but grew more confident

"That I will ever be, a true and faithful member of the Locke and Key Society."

Blair repeated the words.

"And I will not reveal its secrets and uphold the standards and principles of St. Anthony Hall in prosperity and in peril."

Blair repeated the words with little difficulty. She was the only member to repeat them with no hesitation.

Now that she was done with the pledge, Blair watched as the member conducting the ceremony moved on to the next ritual. He presented the last key to her and said, "with this key, I now unlock your destiny."

Blair took it, and gripped onto the cool medal. It was a small key, small enough to put on a keychain or necklace. Blair gripped onto it, sure she didn't want to let go.

Blair took her spot as the last initiate across from Simon, and the surrounding members sang another hymn as they were escorted out of the basement. The member who chaperoned them out of the basement told them all to sit down. He pushed off his hood and said, "Welcome, new members to the Locke and Key Society!"

Blair's fellow new members whooped and cheered.

"Those cloaks can get pretty hot sometimes." He wiped his brow, and revealed a super white smile.

"Now what?" One of her members asked.

"Now that you're full members, we can get to know each other more," their chaperone said.

Suddenly, a group of people bustled from the basement. "It means it's time to party!" One of them said. He then signalled all the new members to a new part of the house. "Come to the back where the kegs are!"

Blair's face looked repulsed. This is what she signed up for? She thought this was more than a fraternity.

Simon was the last to get up and noticed Blair hadn't moved from the couch. "Are you coming?"

"In a minute," she said. She needed some time to collect herself to realize what she got herself into. She turned the key over in her hand. It was beautiful. On the back, her initials were engraved on it along with the year.

"Not in a partying mood?"

Blair looked up to see a tall, lean male she'd never seen before. He wore a long L&L Bean sweater and jeans. His hazel eyes were warm and comforting. She could have sworn she'd heard his voice during meeting before.

Blair crossed her legs. "Not quite. I just didn't realize I joined a fraternity."

He had one of those lopsided grins that showed a perfect line of straight white teeth. "It's not all about that. Forgive us, ninety percent of our members are male. They thought this was a good informal way to meet everyone. You know, break the ice and bond."

"Ah. I guess toe nail painting and slumber partiers were out of the question for the one new girl, huh?" Blair said.

He chuckled. "You could say that. You aren't the only girl here though. The other girls inside are excited to meet you."

Blair looked away from his friendly eyes. Why was he being so nice? She wondered what the other girl's code names were. For some reason, she suspected she was the only one with the title of Queen. She wanted it to stay that way.

"You might be wondering which member I am," he said.

"The thought crossed my mind," Blair said.

His lopsided grin returned to his face. She wasn't even being nice to him and he was enjoying it? "I'm Kennedy," he said. He held his hand out.

Blair snapped her head to his direction. Kennedy—her mentor? She stood up and shook his hand. His eyes never took themselves off hers.

"Or more officially, I'm Julian, President of the Locke and Key Society."

It took everything within Blair to not squeal at her luck. The President? This was just like Constance when Heather, the former Queen of Constance, had selected her to be her protégée. This had to be the same thing.

"Well, it's nice to officially meet you Mr. President."

"Please, just call me Julian."

Blair finally found herself smiling. Why wouldn't he want to be called Mr. President? It sounded so much more official.

"So you are the one who picked me as the new member?" Blair said.

He bowed his head. "Indeed."

Blair looked at him like he was a piece of art. "I'm sorry, but why did you pick me?"

"Why wouldn't I pick the strongest, most driven woman of the incoming freshman class? We could really use someone with your perspective. It was a no brainer really."

Blair found herself standing up taller. With her heels, Julian was still much taller than her. It was enough that she had to look up at him.

"Now, would you like to grace the rest of the members with your presence Queen Isabella?" He said offering his arm for her.

Blair placed her hand on his forearm. "If I must, Mr. President."

Julian guided Blair to the party where everyone whooped and hollered when Blair arrived. She looked at the now tipsy faces of her members. They weren't that bad. Blair decided that they all looked well bred enough, and she accepted a shot glass from Julian.

"To our new members!" They all raised their glass with whatever they were drinking.

Blair let the vodka burn down her throat, enjoying the feeling of warmth it brought. Chuck asked her to give this up? She considered not following through with her initiation, but as she looked around the room, the community she just joined, she realized that there was no chance she would give it up.

The Queen was back.

Evelyn knocked on door. Dash looked up at her and scowled. "I brought you a drink."

"I'm not in the mood, Evelyn."

"Dash, I don't understand, I thought you'd appreciate this."

"No, you don't understand. This isn't what I wanted," Dash said. "I told you that, and you didn't listen."

"It's not like you gave me a reason why." Evelyn crossed her arms. "Sorry for trying to do something special for you."

"For me?

"Yes! If you took the time to look around, you'd notice that I picked out everything you like. You've always been down for a good party. I don't understand how that doesn't apply to your birthday."

Dash leaned his elbows on his thighs, like he was hunching over. "I don't like celebrating my birthday, okay?"

"Why?"

"It's not important."

"Clearly it is," Evelyn said. She took a seat on the bench beside him. "Why won't you tell me?"

He sighed. "It's really embarrassing, alright?"

"It can't be as embarrassing as me admitting to you that I like Justin Bieber."

"Oh it's much worse than that," Dash said.

"Does this have to do with your mom?"

He shook his head. "No. She'll send me a card and some money for my birthday, but that's not the problem."

"So what's the problem?" Evelyn asked again.

"Jesus Christ Evelyn. You're not going to let up are you?"

Evelyn threaded her arm with his. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "No."

He shook his head and shrugged her off. "Fine. The last birthday party I had was in sixth grade." Dash started fiddling with the cuff of his shirt. "Everyone in our grade was invited."

"Naturally," Evelyn said.

"Thom and I were best friends at the time. Real close. I told him I liked this girl. Her name was Savannah. Anyway, he invited her to the party and he also brought alcohol."

"In sixth grade?" Evelyn's eyes widened. She was still playing house with her friends at recess in sixth grade.

"Yeah. Thom wanted to make it a more adult party. He brought a bottle of rum, and we all had to take a drink. Since I was the birthday boy, I had to drink more."

"Of course you did."

"When the bottle was empty, we used it to decide who had to go with whom for seven minutes in heaven. I was up first. The bottle landed on this other girl, Sophia. It was the longest seven minutes of my life."

"And nothing happened?"

He scoffed. "No. I was terrified. Luckily, so was she, and we just sat in the dark."

"Was this all Thom's idea?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes," Dash exclaimed heavily. "It's all an unfortunate sequence of events. Thom spun next, and it landed on Savannah."

"Three guesses what happened next."

"Exactly. He made out with her, and the next day they started going out."

"I had a feeling he was skeezy when I introduced myself," Evelyn said.

"That wasn't all. When he came out after clearly being with her, I mean we saw it when the door opened, he came out to celebrate. He…"

"He what?"

"He pantsed me in front of everyone. Underwear and all."

Evelyn's face scrunched in horror. "Why would he do that?" That would be like living your worst nightmare where you go to school naked.

"Because he's an asshole and thought it would be funny. He didn't realize he pulled both down, but everyone has you know, seen it."

Suddenly, Evelyn felt awful. How could she do this to Dash? She hoped she didn't embarrass him too much with this surprise party…

"Dash—"

"They all laughed. Called it small. Other names. The usual. It took years for them to stop talking about it. I still get it sometimes. Try to play it off."

"Wait, didn't Thom leave in sixth grade?"

"He didn't leave. He was expelled. Got caught smoking in the bathroom, but I didn't want anything to do with him after that. He changed. We wanted different things in life I guess."

"Dash, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"I know you didn't. When I saw Thom, it just brought it all back."

"So what happened after he moved?"

"Everyone started going crazy. Drinking and stuff. I don't have a problem with it now, but I just wanted to you know just be a kid a little bit longer then. Hold onto what was familiar."

"I can confirm most other people were doing the same. Myself included."

"You can easily lose sight of that with these people. I know I'm guilty of it."

Evelyn thought of her Aunt's words that still haunt her to this day. Don't let them change you. Here she was, having planned an elaborate birthday party for her boyfriend. She had a boyfriend! She hadn't even mentioned it to her Aunt Kim. If she was in Connecticut, she was fairly sure it would not be allowed.

"Me too," Evelyn said quietly.

"I just never wanted to celebrate my birthday like that again."

"I understand now, but its kind of happening on the other side of that door," Evelyn said. "We can leave if you want."

Dash was quiet for a moment. His lips always pursed when he was being pensive. "No. I'll stay. I can't let him win again."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I at least need to see what you planned," Dash's lips upturned for the first time.

"It's the least you can do," Evelyn said.

Dash offered his hand, and Evelyn accepted it. She led the way into the main space where Dash could properly take it in. His eyes swept over the bowling lanes, the dance floor, a girl singing an awful rendition of Since You've Been Gone, a buffet of picked over food, and the bar densely packed with people.

Evelyn watched Dash's reaction. It was a mix of shock and awe. She pulled him in the direction of the bar. Everyone was progressively more drunk, and they all wished Dash a happy birthday as they tried to find a spot at the bar. Evelyn saw Jenny wave her over.

"Just so you know, Jenny helped me plan this party," Evelyn said.

"Jenny? Why would she do that?"

"Because I asked her," Evelyn shrugged.

Jenny flagged the bartender and ordered three shots. She pushed two of the glasses to Dash and Evelyn. She lifted her glass and said, "Happy birthday, Dash."

They all clinked glasses together and tipped the liquid back. Dash looked confused at why Jenny was being so nice to him. "Thank you." He tipped his empty glass to her. His other hand rested on Evelyn's lower back.

"Jenny, did you know that Dash is familiar with Williamsburg?"

She blinked. "Familiar?"

"I used to live here for a bit," Dash said. "I come here every now and then."

"Oh," Jenny said. "Where do you usually go?"

Dash started to explain the places he'd taken to Evelyn over the past few weeks, until he was interrupted to a raucous cheering that erupted in the middle of the bar. They all turned to see Thom in the middle of performing a huge trick. Dash looked away, and Jenny rolled her eyes. "For the record, I never liked that guy," Jenny said honestly.

Dash brightened at this. Although Evelyn doubted that she was invited to the party, she probably heard about it. Evelyn smiled, happy to finally see common ground met between the two.

"Dash!" Ozzy appeared from behind, poking Dash's shoulder. The music had been turned up for karaoke, and more and more people were singing in groups drunkenly.

"Bro, how's it going," Dash said.

"It's good. I was hoping to borrow you," he said looking at Evelyn for approval.

"Go!" Evelyn said. She didn't want to stand in the way of Dash getting to spend some of his birthday with Ozzy. "But you owe me one song," she said pointing to the karaoke stage. "I'm thinking a rendition of Dead of Alive would be appropriate."

"I was thinking more Lady in Red," Dash gestured to her outfit.

Dash smiled and turned to follow Ozzy through the crowd. Evelyn turned to Jenny and ordered another round of shots.

"To an excellent night of debauchery," Evelyn toasted.

"It will only reach an excellent level if we get drunk enough to sing Girls Just Want to Have Fun," Jenny said.

Although Evelyn still wasn't ready to forgive and forget, she was ready to have a little fun. A little fun between former friends was never a bad thing, right? She signalled the bartender for another round. This party was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Spotted: Two former best friends toasting to the party of the year…so far. Could this mean these two hotties are working out their issues? It looks like Queen J has finally given D her gold stamp of approval.

Ozzy found himself at the bar. He spent the past couple hours drinking with Dash, but let him go off with a crowd of St. Jude's students to the bowling lanes. Ozzy opted to hang back from the action. He was much more of a person who was an observer rather than the centre of attention.

He nursed a beer while his eyes drifted to another sight: some of the girls from Constance attempting to sing Avril Lavinge's Sk8ter Boi. Most stumbled over the words, a couple were able to spit them out. It didn't matter since the crowd was too drunk to criticize their singing abilities. No matter how drunk he was, he would never be caught up there. He would never subject anyone regardless if he knew them or not to hear him sing. Singing wasn't his thing, but with an audience? Never.

The blonde boy he saw earlier sidled up to the bar, blocking his view of the karaoke stage. "Hey, you're Thom right?"

The blonde boy looked over at him. "Yes. And you are?"

"Ozzy. Taylor. I, uh, think we're cousins."

Thom's annoyed expression softened. "No way. Grandfather told me about you."

Ozzy took another swig. "Did he?"

"Yeah. He said I should meet you."

"He said the same to me," Ozzy said. The way his grandfather explained it, Thom's dad and his mom were first cousins.

"Oh yeah," Ozzy dug in his pocket for the envelope his grandfather gave him. "He told me to give you this."

Thom perked up at the envelope.

"I didn't open it or anything," Ozzy said.

"Thanks," Thom said. He inspected the envelop and peaked at the contents inside.

Ozzy's attention jolted to a Constance girl who was dancing on top of one of the tables. She waved her hands in the air, almost convulsing. To some, it would appear that she was drunk and having a good time. She shook her body in a way that made Ozzy realize she was on another level. She was more than drunk.

"Is that girl…"

"High as a kite?"

"Yeah," Ozzy said slowly. It wasn't just her, but other groups of kids seemed more out of it than usual. "How—"

"I may have brought some party favours," Thom said.

"Like what?"

"Oh you know, just some weed, coke, and ecstasy. You want some?"

Ozzy felt his stomach drop. "Nah, I'm good."

"I see. So you're a good boy like your brother Dash?"

"Definitely not," Ozzy said. Thom nodded at him, impressed, but Ozzy felt the complete opposite. He wasn't proud of his history of experimenting with drugs. If he didn't stop when he did, he had no idea where he'd be right now.

"Why don't we do a line?" Thom presented a bag of powder. "Consider it cousin bonding."

Ozzy felt his heart beat faster. He stared at the bag and his breath hitched.

He shouldn't do it. He made a vow to himself not too. He wasn't sure if he was capable of only doing a line.

"Nah I shouldn't."

"Oh come on. Have a little fun with your cousin, huh? Just one line. You've done it before right?"

"Of course I have," Ozzy said. The loneliness he felt when he used to do it was something that crept back into him these past few weeks. But he was stronger than he was then. He wouldn't resort to it.

Would he?

"Well, if you're not going to help me finish this off, I'll go find someone who will."

"Would Grandfather approve?" Ozzy wondered allowed.

"Grandfather doesn't have to know. I've been his golden boy for a lot longer than you. Trust me, the dude doesn't know jack shit. I've been getting away with this for years."

"Alright," Ozzy said. He got away with all his drug use in Texas because his mom was never home. That wasn't too impressive to Ozzy.

"Last call," Thom said his eyebrows raised.

Fuck it. His life was in the shit already. The only thing he had going for him was finding his father to spite his mom, and that barely made any progress. "Alright," Ozzy exhaled. "But only one line for me. Got it?"

"You bet, cuz," Thom smiled and slapped his back. "I get the feeling we should start hanging out more often."

Evelyn teetered in her heels as she practically shouted the lyrics to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in the microphone. Evelyn and Jenny had reached the threshold of being acceptably drunk enough to do karaoke. The minions joined in, and Evelyn dedicated the song to Dash in honour of his birthday.

"Girls, they wanna have fun!" Evelyn sang. Her voice gave out half way through the line. It was for the best. She knew she had an awful singing voice. It's why she always opted for her saxophone. Now that made a beautiful sound.

Evelyn dropped the microphone once the song was over, and held onto Jenny's arm as they both stepped down the short staircase. Jenny was equally as tipsy, and gripped onto her shoulder to steady herself too. If she were sober, she would think it was weird that she was being so buddy-buddy with Jenny. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she could trust her still, and they would need to talk once sober about this incident. Evelyn let those thoughts go. Tonight was about Dash, and she could worry about those issues later.

Evelyn steered herself and Jenny toward the birthday boy, who was seated on the sofa that faced the stage. It was centred and up close, the best seat in the house. Ozzy was seated beside him, his head lolling to his one shoulder. They were talking and laughing as Evelyn and Jenny approached.

"Are you girls having fun?" Dash asked with a lazy smile.

"Yes," Jenny said. "We dedicated that song for you."

"I'm so honoured." Dash held his hand over his heart sincerely. "You both were amazing."

"And don't forget," Ozzy said finding the energy to point his index finger to the ceiling, "putting Cydnie Lauper to shame."

Evelyn giggled. "Yeah right!"

Jenny scoffed but thanked Ozzy for the compliment.

"Hey birthday boy," Evelyn nudged Dash's leg with her foot. "Why don't you get up there and sing a song?"

He sighed dramatically. "I like having songs sung to me."

"Yes, but you said that if you were drunk enough, you would sing at a karaoke bar."

Ozzy and Jenny looked between the two of them clearly lost as to what was being referred to.

"That was when I was fourteen in Korea."

"But it still holds up," Evelyn said. "Maybe you can duet with Ozzy!"

Ozzy lifted his head and had a confused smile on his face. "Nahhh"

"Tough luck, Evelyn. It's not going to happen."

Evelyn turned to Jenny and pouted. "That's too bad. I planned this party for you and everything, and you can't even do something to say thank you…"

"Yeah," Jenny added understanding Evelyn's strategy. "We put a lot of work into this. As Queen, I could even order you to go up there."

Dash rubbed his eyes. He opened them and smiled. "Fine." He got up and offered his spot to Evelyn and Jenny.

"Ozzy can you sit up?" Evelyn asked.

"'couse." Ozzy slowly lifted himself into a sitting position to give them more space. He smiled at her, and bounced to the music. Evelyn had never seen Ozzy to ever be a happy drunk. He was usually more stoic and moody. Weird. Evelyn sat in the middle of the couch. Jenny accompanied her on her other side.

"I'm so glad this all worked out," Evelyn sighed. She leaned her head back, slouching in the couch slightly. "You guys are having fun right?" She rolled her heavy head to Ozzy first.

Ozzy grinned at her. "It's pretty good." For Ozzy, that was as close to an affirmative statement as she'd get. She could tell he meant it because his lazy smile reached his eyes.

Evelyn rolled her head the opposite way to Jenny. Her gaze was in the distance, looking at a group of boys. They were too far away to see faces. "Yeah," she said.

"Would it have been better if Zach was here? You are still together aren't you?"

Jenny's eyes retreated to the floor. "Uh, no we're not. We broke up a couple weeks ago."

Evelyn frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said. If she didn't have money or the hottest boy on the Upper East Side, could she still hold the throne? The person who seemed most likely to overthrow her was Catherine. Where was she anyway?

"Hello?"

Evelyn's attention turned to Dash who was on stage holding a microphone.

"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming tonight."

Everyone was so drunk that the room filled with cheering and applause.

"I also want to thank my amazingly beautiful girlfriend for planning this party with the help of our Queen!" Dash said.

More cheering and applause.

"So, this one's for you, Evelyn."

The song started in the background, the drum beats and bass setting the tone like a horse clomping down a path. Evelyn immediately recognized the song, like everyone else in the room, and she started laughing. Of course he would sing this song.

"I take it he knows about your secret Bon Jovi obsession," Ozzy said. He sounded slightly shocked and confused that Dash would know an intimate detail about her.

She had told him when the song 'Dead or Alive' began to play during the Bruins game they went to the day after their first date. She proclaimed to love jazz, and she did, but she did have a soft spot for the New Jersey rock band. She had a playlist of 80s rock music on her IPod too.

"It's all the same…" Dash began to sing. He was quiet at first, probably realizing that he was in a room of people who ridiculed him for years, calling him small after seeing all of him in his sixth grade party. Now, Evelyn had no doubt Dash felt just as naked, with so many eyes on him, as he was about to do something that might be embarrassing.

Dash's eyes found Evelyn's and she smiled and clapped to the beat. She then began singing along with him, impassioned, sitting up and making wild hand gestures. Many of the jazz songs she listened to were strictly instrumental, so it was refreshing for her to have words to the music she could sing along to. It was a song about cowboys, but the loneliness of riding alone wasn't that far from the truth of how Evelyn felt transitioning to the Upper East Side. It's odd how she could find such resonance in a song, a song with such a different setting than hers.

"I'm wanted," Dash sang. His voice then dropped an octave. "Dead or alive."

Everyone started cheering, and Dash started to move across the stage. People were watching, taking video, and pictures. It could be seen that he was being laughed at, but Evelyn looked around the room to the people swaying to the music. They were laughing with him. However, it seemed like for the first time he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was keeping his eye on Evelyn and singing the song to her.

And she sang right back to him.

After the second chorus, Dash picked up the microphone from the stand, and knocked the stand over. He surprisingly hit the note and held on to it. "And I rideeeeeeeee."

As the guitar solo began, he jumped off the stage. Some girls gasped, others hollered, as they witnessed Dash, someone who had faded into obscurity since sixth grade, command the crowd with confidence. He then walked up towards Evelyn slowly. Evelyn felt her heart beat faster as he approached her with such purpose. She started to laugh at it all. He wasn't going to serenade her was he?

Dash got down on his knees and grabbed her hand. Then, he sang the rest of the song, singing it to Ozzy and Jenny whom sat on either side of Evelyn, and Evelyn didn't notice, but at some point all four of them started singing the song together. She looked around at Jenny whose eyes were squeezed shut as she felt the music, and Ozzy pumped his fist in the air along with the heavy drumbeats.

If anything, Evelyn wished she could freeze this moment, and erase everyone else around them. Here she was, surrounded with people she felt closest to (that she wasn't related to) at school, and they were all getting along. It all felt like a dream to her. A warped, drunken dream that she knew she wouldn't forget.

When the song was over, Evelyn couldn't focus on all the cheering that erupted around them. Instead, Dash tossed the microphone over his shoulder. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to him. Dash kissed her square on the mouth and he didn't let go. People cheered louder and Evelyn found herself pulling away for air. She was sure her face was completely red. Evelyn looked around to see Jenny and Ozzy had vacated their spots, and she felt something in her stomach drop. The moment was over. Dash tried to pull her in for another kiss, but Evelyn held him a breath away from her.

"Dash, not here," she said quietly. She could see cameras filming the encounter. She didn't feel comfortable showing such intimate behaviour in front of everyone. She knew it would inevitably lead to Gossip Girl.

His hands dropped to her lower back. "Then how about at my house?" He said.

Evelyn stiffened. His house? That was a little fast… "Dash, you're drunk."

"So are you," he said. He clearly wasn't getting what she was saying to him.

"I'm going to get some water," Evelyn said. She got up and so did Dash. Another group of people had taken the stage, ready for their turn at karaoke.

"Evelyn, when I said my place, I didn't mean—"

"I know," Evelyn said. She leaned against the bar. If she didn't sober up soon, tomorrow was going to be painful.

Evelyn requested a bottle of water. Evelyn made sure Dash got a bottle of water too, and she forced him to drink. By the time Evelyn looked at her watch, it was already after three.

Eric appeared at the bar with an empty wine glass. "Hey, Dash! Happy birthday," Eric said. Jonathan appeared beside him.

"Thanks, Eric," Dash said. "Are you having a good time?"

"I'm having a great time," His eyes bulged when he said it. He leaned forward to put his wine glass down and stumbled a bit.

"Eric, are you okay?"

"He's fine," Jonathan said. "They made a huge punch bowl of sangria, and Eric may have had some."

"How many have you had Eric?" Evelyn asked.

Eric shrugged. "I don't know. I always lose track after four." He then started to count how many drinks he had with his fingers.

Evelyn chuckled. A drunk Eric was a very entertaining Eric.

"I think it might be time to call it a night," Jonathan said. Eric nodded enthusiastically with him.

"I think you're right. It's already after three!" Evelyn said.

"The party isn't over until I say it is," Dash protested. He sat on one of the bar stools, and started to slump against the bar.

"Yeah and when is that, before or after your eyes are shut?" Evelyn said.

"Both."

"Jonathan, can you track down Ozzy? I think it's time we all called it a night," Evelyn said.

Jonathan agreed and disappeared to find Ozzy. Evelyn then turned to Dash whose eyes were closed. They opened sleepily, but he still reached up and grabbed her hand. "Evelyn?"

"Yes?"

He struggled to sit up. Dash found it possible to lean his head in his hand against the bar. "Thank you. For everything. This was the best birthday ever."

Evelyn squeezed his hand and said, "You're welcome."

Jonathan appeared with Ozzy who looked noticeably more sober than before. "Partied out?" He said to Dash.

"Never," Dash said.

Ozzy slung his one arm around this shoulder and carried Dash out. Evelyn opted to wrap his other arm around her shoulder. The three of them struggled down the stairs, but made it to the sidewalk.

"We'll just be in the limo," Eric told Evelyn.

"I'll be there in a minute," she said.

"Alright," Ozzy said as they arrived at their car. He opened the door and lifted Dash into the car. "Get in there," he had to push Dash to fall on his left side, falling on the seats instead of out of the car.

"Well, that'll have to do," Ozzy said.

"Make sure he's alright," Evelyn said.

"Don't worry. I know what to do," Ozzy said.

"Thanks."

They looked at each other for the first time that evening neither knowing what to say. Dash was lying in the car on the brink of passing out.

"Thanks for the party," Ozzy said. "I know it's not what Dash expected, but I think it was something he's always wanted."

"Well, thank you for helping out. Keeping the secret and all."

"It's no problem," Ozzy shrugged. He didn't feel like he contributed all that much to deserve any credit.

"Well, I have to go. Get home safe. Text me when you both get home," Evelyn said.

"I will. You do the same," Ozzy said.

Evelyn smiled and walked to the waiting limo. It was strange to be talking to Ozzy alone. He didn't look mad or hurt by the PDA she and Dash had after the song, but she had to wonder if it hurt as much to see her with someone else, as it was when she saw him with Catherine. She wondered what this new feeling she had for him was. It wasn't passion, but…fondness. It was a new feeling to her, and it gave her relief. Maybe, their newfound civility meant they reached a new normal.

Well Upper East Siders, I must say, D's party was a smashing success. Who knew bowling and karaoke could be so much fun when alcohol was involved? I guess you could say D has finally made the A list. I have the video to prove it. After that performance, we can all certainly agree that D is anything but dead. Hello, cowboy!

Chuck tipped another glass of scotch against his lips. He signalled the bartender for another round. He scrolled through Gossip Girl, noticing no other posts about Blair Waldorf had been posted since he sent the picture of her entering St. Anthony Hall. Instead, the Gossip Girl feed was filled with pictures from a high school birthday party. His sister hadn't mentioned she was dating the guy's birthday, whatever his name was, but he assumed they were together considering he had his tongue down his sister's throat.

He took another drink.

"Is this seat taken?"

His uncle appeared with his signature goatee. What was he doing there?

"No." Chuck gestured for him to sit down.

Jack waved the bartender down. "I'll have what he's having."

The bartender poured him a glass of scotch. "What brings you here drinking alone on a Saturday night?" Jack asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Chuck said. He further hunched over the bar, warming the tumbler in his hand.

"I'm old and am from out of town. What's your excuse?"

Chuck didn't say anything.

"Look, if it's girl problems, being alone isn't going to help you," Jack said.

Chuck thought about Blair probably drinking at her friend's clubhouse right now. Can't she see she joined a cult? The last thing he wanted was for them to brainwash her. He just wanted Blair back. Preferably back, so they could finally have make-up sex. God he missed her. It seemed the tighter he tried to hold on to her, the quicker she slipped through his grasp.

Chuck took another drink. "But scotch always helps."

"I can drink to that," Jack said. He tipped the glass between his lips and finished the glass in one swallow. "Listen, if you want to get your mind off of whoever this girl is, then you need to loosen up. Let go. Relax. Have a bit of fun. You do that, right?"

Chuck smirked. "I'm Chuck Bass." The words didn't seem to have as much power as they used to.

"If that means yes, then we might have more in common than I thought," Jack said. He put his arm around Chuck. "Listen, why don't we go out to your favourite place, I can order some great hookers if you want and just let loose?"

Chuck couldn't get the picture of Blair and that Kennedy guy out of his head. He knew she wouldn't cheat on him, they weren't even together, but the thought that they were getting closer at this moment irritated him because there was nothing he could do about it.

He swallowed the last of his scotch. "Why not?"

Jack smiled. "That's the spirit!"

Chuck followed his uncle to the waiting limo, his eyes droopy, and movements slightly impaired. The last thought he could think of what the fact that he could never do this with his father. His father would tell him to work harder to get her back, or focus on school, or some other bullshit answer. With his head leaned back on the seat, Chuck watched his uncle order the driver with specific directions. In his state, he found himself smiling, as he realized that maybe, his uncle understood him better than his father.

While some people think they change, I know that we all stay the same. C was spotted with an older man (an Uncle perhaps?) leaving the Palace for a night of debauchery. It looks like our favourite devil has returned to the playboy ways. Meanwhile B is conquering Columbia one secret meeting at a time. We have proof of her sneaking out of St. Anthony's Hall in the early hours of the morning. And she wasn't alone. As for me? I'll never change for you.

You Know You Love Me,

XOXO

Gossip Girl

A/N: And there you have it! Dash's birthday, Blair's initiation, and a bonding moment between Chuck/Jack. Lots of development in this chapter, and there is plenty more to come in the next chapter!

So what's next? The next chapter will be called "The First Temptation of Evelyn" and it will revolve around a UN Conference. I don't want to reveal too much more than that, so I'll let you all think what you will with that title.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I can't wait to hear what you all think! I'll be travelling (again...this is very unusual, but you'll forgive me for a second grad trip right?), so I'll be in touch at the earliest by the end of August.

Till next time,

XOXO EZ11