A/N: Hello readers! Thank you so much for your patience as I wrestled to get this chapter right. December is a crazy month as it is, but it got even crazier once some unexpected life events got in the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Read on!
Chapter 34: The Bass with the Golden Locket
There are three things we do alone. We are born, we die, and if you're a high school junior headed for college, we take the SAT's. And while the test is set to measure our best traits, preparing for it ultimately brings out the worst. Humility becomes self-doubt. Striving becomes obsession. Some are driven to self-medication while others cling to the security of being a part of a group. And anyone used to bending rules will just end up breaking them.
Evelyn shuffled her vocabulary cue cards for the third time that day. She straightened all the edges of the crooked cards to form a neat rectangular deck. Evelyn took a deep breath and looked at the first word in the deck: 'obsequious'. She had correctly defined the word in her previous review, but now she struggled to catch the definition as it tumbled off the tip of her tongue. She flipped the card over and read: "Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree".
She groaned. There was no way she could compartmentalize this much information. She already felt like she was going to burst. Evelyn flipped to the next card, hoping It wasn't a word that resembled 'obsequious' too much.
Evelyn still had one week to practice and prepare for the test. It helped that she felt more confident in the math section, but there were so many words and less and less time to memorize them. In math, she was confident enough with the basic concepts, yet she still struggled with word problems.
"Labyrinthine," Eric read over her shoulder. "That's something very convoluted, right?"
"You're right," Evelyn said before she needed to flip the card over.
"Nice. It's good to know I understand one obscure word out of the other fifty thousand they might use."
"At least you're off to a good start," Evelyn said. She shuffled her deck and looped a rubber band around it.
"So are you. You started studying way earlier than I did."
"I know," Evelyn sighed. "But everything is starting to blend together. Information overload."
"Are we talking about the SATs?" Jenny appeared and sat at their usual lunch table.
Evelyn picked up another deck of cards and shuffled them. "Unfortunately."
"I'm so behind on my studying," Jenny pushed her hair behind her ears. "With the fashion show, and catching up on my schoolwork, and Queen duties, I'm nowhere near prepared."
"Aren't your minions studying too?" Eric said.
"Yes, but they need my help to study."
"That is a form of studying," Evelyn said.
"It is, but it's distracting me on the areas I need work on. I just wish there was a way to distract them."
Evelyn flipped through the cards in her deck, the words blurring into splotches of black ink. "It's too bad we can't just throw an SAT party the week before. That way, they feel like they aren't missing out on something and there would be enough people to distract them," Evelyn said. It wasn't a fully formed idea in her head at all. Sure, she planned Dash's birthday, but that took so much time and work. She couldn't afford to lose any more time studying.
"That's actually a thing," Eric said. "The juniors last year had a studying party. Whole grade was practically invited."
"Eric's right," Jenny said. "No one even got suspended or anything."
Evelyn looked up from her deck to see Jenny and Eric looking at her intently. "What?"
"Nothing," Jenny said. "It's a good idea, but—"
"Wait, you want me to plan it?"
"No," Jenny said. "It's just…I can't offer anything to my minions right now at the loft. You know?"
"Of course. Maybe we can have a de-stresser at the Penthouse tomorrow? What do you think, Eric?"
"Count me in," He said. "Especially if you hire masseuses."
Evelyn chuckled. "Only if you help me convince our parents to make it happen."
"I'll handle that, and you spread the word."
"Inner circle only," Jenny said. "So it doesn't get too crazy."
"That'll be way easier to sell too," Eric said.
"Alright," Evelyn said. She'd witnessed the stress Jenny had been under for the past couple weeks and knew she needed to lift the burden of her minions off of her. Besides, it would be a bring all of her friends together, Jenny, Eric, Dash, and Ozzy in one space again.
Ozzy. She thought of him often. She didn't see him in school, partly because they didn't share the same classes, but he was also very difficult to find during break times. Not only would it be a good opportunity to actually see if he was doing okay since the swim meet, she didn't end up going, but he could also help her with the algebra concepts she was struggling with.
Evelyn set her cards down. "Let's do it," she said. "But I have first dibs on the massage table."
Bart could barely concentrate during Bass Industries' monthly board meeting that afternoon. Across from him, his brother sat, entrenched in his devotion to the Thailand project. He pulled up numbers and contacts to silence any worries the board members might have. Bart could care less about the Thailand project. All he could think about was what Jack had to gain from completing this project with Chuck's help.
The negotiations continued as Bart leaned back in his chair. What was Jack's angle? Control of the company? He doubted his brother was capable of that. There was no way he could be voted into office over him. He lacked the experience, expertise, and finesse. And why else include his nephew in a key contract? Sure, Chuck did an excellent job, he would never doubt that, but why use him like that?
He wanted to turn Chuck against him. It wasn't that hard of a task. Bart would admit that he's partially responsible. But why? Chuck was young, impressionable. His brother was many things, but a good influence was not one of them. Did he want to use Chuck as his lackey? Surely Chuck would see right through that.
The meeting adjourned, and Bart packed up his things quickly and followed his brother down a long corridor.
"So I've, uh, heard that Chuck's been working with you on the Thailand project."
"Which bird told you that?" Jack smirked.
"Cut the crap Jack. Why are you involving my son in this deal? He's got to focus on school."
"Hey, hey, hey. Relax. It's no big deal. I just needed an extra pair of eyes one afternoon, and he offered his help. He keeps asking for more work, so I thought it would be good experience for him."
Doing the work Jack didn't want to do was not good experience. It was bitch work. "Let me ask you something. Why are you choosing now to spend time with my son?"
"The same reason you chose to reclaim your daughter last year."
Bart halted. "That's not the same thing."
"Guilt shows itself in many colours," Jack said. "Intention on the other hand, we'll, we both have the same one."
"I'm not sure about that," Bart said. "What's your intention with Chuck?"
"The same as yours with Evelyn."
Bart's lips were white. "I really don't know what you're getting at."
"I remember what happened sixteen years ago. I was there. Wasn't pretty."
"What's your point?"
Jack shrugged. "I dunno. I don't think Evelyn would think your intentions of reconnecting with her are as pure as you want her to think."
"You don't know anything," Bart said.
"Your right, but that's about as much as your children know, right? You always liked it when those around you were ignorant."
"Jack, that's enough."
Jack raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, alright. You never did like it when someone pointed out that you're wrong."
"You need to leave," Bart said.
"Gladly," Jack said.
"No. For good," Bart said.
"Let me guess. Australia?"
"It's for the best that this family has its space," Bart said.
Jack shook his head. "You know, you can't always pay to make your problems go away."
But he could this time, and he would.
"Pack your things," Bart said. "Your ticket will be sent to you this evening."
Blair tapped the tip of her pen against her legal pad of paper. It was finals season, and all she wanted to do was ace her classes and finish the year strong. She did well last semester, and she had no intention of letting her GPA drop.
Blair wracked her brain for possible thesis statements that could apply to specific works in her "Introduction to Literary Studies" class. Sadly, Joy didn't take that elective, and opted for another English course elective on Harry Potter instead, so she couldn't study with her. Why on Earth Joy would take a course on magical children's books was beyond her. She may be friendlier with her roommate, but that didn't mean she completely understood all of her idiosyncrasies.
Chuck sat across from her typing away at his phone, his textbooks unopened and abandoned.
"Hey." Blair snapped her fingers in front of his face. "You're supposed to be studying."
"Later. I'm talking to Jack about business."
"If only you put in half the effort into studying as you have been with this business deal."
"I still have time," Chuck said.
"Your macro final is two days away. You haven't even opened your textbook."
"Blair. Just focus on your studying."
She continued to tap her pen against her pad of paper. "I'm trying." There was only so much she could say about Lord Byron's "Kubla Khan". It was a poem that started strong, and then petered out after three lines. Byron may claim it's because someone came knocking on his door, but Blair just thought it was an excuse for poor execution.
Chuck set his phone down and stretched his back. "Just think," he said, "We're almost done the semester, and then we can relax. Have a nice summer break together."
"We won't be together if you are in Thailand overseeing the new development project."
He smirked. "Then you'll just have to come visit me."
"I've never been to Asia," Blair said.
Chuck raised his brows.
"We'll see," Blair said. "I want to see Daddy and Roman at their Vineyard this summer, but maybe I can do both?"
"Breaking up the flight would be easier if you stop in Europe along the way to and back."
"I'll think about it."
Blair continued writing her ideas in elegant cursive while Chuck returned to his phone.
"What is so pressing that you need to be texting Jack?"
Chuck didn't look at her. "It's just business, Blair. It moves fast."
Blair put the tip of her pen against her lips. "Really?"
"Really."
"Look, I support you with this venture you have with your Uncle, but you're still only a freshman. What could possibly have your attention so intently?
Chuck dug in his pocket and revealed a locket on the table. "This."
Blair turned over the half locket and saw the picture of Chuck's mother and Uncle in an embrace. "What…what does this mean?"
"I don't know. I found it in Jack's suite."
"Is this you in the picture?"
"Yes."
"Chuck…" Blair stared at the picture. Chuck appeared to be sleeping in his mother's arms, a small, plump bundle, and his Uncle…uncle…
"What do you think this means?" Blair said quietly.
He shrugged. "I don't want to jump to conclusions, so I hired a P.I. and have been trying to track down where this locket came from. There has to be a matching half out there."
The first conclusion Blair had was that maybe Jack was Chuck's father. It was an incredulous leap, but the picture led her to believe that Chuck's mother and Uncle were intimate.
"Do you have any leads?"
"My P.I. found a jewelry store in Midtown that has a record to have sold this piece of jewellery. I was thinking of going by to see if there is a record of the other locket, or rather who purchased this locket."
Blair took his hand in hers across the table. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I know it's important for you to do well in school, and I didn't want you to feel distracted."
"Don't. You need to tell me these things, Chuck. We can figure this out together."
"Are you sure?"
Blair nodded. "I am a very diligent student. I've been preparing for the past week already. A couple hours won't change anything."
Spotted: B discovering that a family secret can't be untangled by the eye of the beholder
Ozzy kicked off his creased black converse and padded to the kitchen after school. His warm feet left footprints down the wooden floors creating a trail of sweaty footprints.
It was odd being home so early. For months, he'd return home well after five from swim practice. He'd be just in time for dinner, then attempt to keep on his other classes. He didn't know what to do with himself. He should be studying for his SATs, but he lacked any motivation. He could play COD on Dash's X-box. He could listen to music (He'd have to dig out his old I-Pod for that). He could play FIFA too.
Ever since regionals, his coach and Mom discussed appropriate actions for his no-show for the relay. It was agreed that for the rest of the season, he would be suspended. Despite the disappointment and disgust his swim team mates showed him since then, Ozzy wasn't too sad that he wasn't swimming anymore. In fact, he wasn't feeling much period.
His mom was in the kitchen unloading groceries. She didn't smile when she greeted him. Instead, she always had a perplexed look, unsure what she should do with him.
"How was school?"
"Fine."
He opened the pantry and picked up a bag of Sweet chili heat chips. Ever since the swim meet, his mom had also grounded him indefinitely. He was only allowed to go to school and come home. The car waited for him, and even though Dash would occasionally spend time with Evelyn after school, their driver, Ed, was always watchful. Even if he was late leaving school, he'd call him.
Ozzy opened the bag and poured chips into a bowl. He watched his mom find any nook or available space to put more groceries. He'd never seen their fridge so full. He saw cartons of milk, eggs, kale, spaghetti squash, melons, strawberries, toast, the list went on.
"Philip won't be home tonight for supper, so it'll be the three of us," his mom offered. She could barely stand to look at him.
Ozzy still wasn't used to seeing his mom so domesticated. She now cooked, and liked it? Once a week, Philip usually had a business dinner anyway. His mom wasn't that unsettled by it, but ever since she married Philip, the urgency of her errands and being present in her romantic relationships had dissipated.
"Okay."
"I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Ozzy trudged up the stairs while chewing on a chip. The house was quiet; there was no Dash around to distract him. He usually preferred the peaceful silence, but this time it unsettled him. There was no one around. He couldn't go anywhere. He couldn't do anything. It was boring.
What the hell was he going to do? The first thing he wanted was to go see Catherine. At least he had a good time with her. Maybe he could sneak out later?
But even Catherine wasn't enough. He wanted more. Ozzy thought back to Catherine telling him that his cousin Thom was a dealer. It surprised him at first, but it began to make sense. Maybe he didn't need to use Catherine as a channel anymore. Sure, the sex was great, but did he really need to rely on her to get high anymore? He had a trust account he could easily access.
Ozzy rested on his bed and surfed TV channels. He settled in on the movie channel and let his mind drift to what it would feel like to have his own stash in his desk drawer. For the foreseeable future, it seemed like he wouldn't be allowed to do anything, so maybe it would be better if he was equipped for a little pick me up. It wasn't just something he wanted, but something he needed. He munched on his chips and didn't realize that the difference between his want and need were becoming one.
"Where are we going?" Dash said as they walked down fifth later that afternoon.
Evelyn felt her phone buzz in her pocket. It was a message from Eric:
Parents are on board. As far as they know, we are hosting a few friends for a study session, which isn't too far from the truth, right?
Evelyn pocketed her phone and laced her fingers with Dash's. They usually took a ride in her limo afterschool or when the days were colder, they went for a hot chocolate. This time, there was too much to do to consider any of those activities.
"Are we going on another adventure?" There was a mischievous glint in his eye at the thought.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no. We are preparing for a last-minute SAT study session tomorrow night that I'm hosting."
"SAT party? How could you possibly make that a party?"
"That's why I need to prepare. I was thinking hired masseuses, a good spread of food, maybe some drinks, team games to help us study smarter rather than harder."
"And you're planning it?" Dash said. "I mean, I think you've come a long way since you first moved here, but isn't that something the Queen usually does?"
"This is extenuating circumstances."
"Extenuating? Good word."
Evelyn kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. I just think it's a good way for all of us to de-stress before the test."
"I can think of many other ways for us to de-stress." Dash stopped walking and circled his arms around her waist. He leaned forward and kissed her.
His lips moved against hers, and she relaxed in his grip. Her lips parted, and she moaned as he explored her mouth. The sound of a loud truck passing startled Evelyn out of their intimate position.
"See what I mean?"
Evelyn pushed him away and rolled her eyes. "We're focusing at this study party—"
Dash snorted. "Good luck with that."
"Well, I am focusing. I don't care what the rest of you do."
"The rest of us? Why don't we do something a little more intimate? We can focus for a bit, de-stress, focus again…"
"It will be intimate," Evelyn said. "There will be like fifteen people, tops."
He put his arm around her shoulder. "So no one will notice if we go off to your room while you give me some one-on-one tutoring?"
"Ugh. You're unbelievable," Evelyn said. "Is that all you think about?"
"When I'm stressed? Yes."
Evelyn picked up her pace, and Dash matched her stride. She fished out her phone from her pocket and continued to make a running list on her notepad. The thought of Dash being in her room was an odd one. The few times that he was over at the Penthouse, the door was never closed. If Lily and her dad weren't around, there wasn't anything stopping them. She just felt uncomfortable with the idea that any of their classmates could walk in at any moment. She didn't have a lock on her door. It didn't thrill her, it just felt invasive.
"Well, I wouldn't count on that kind of de-stressing happening tomorrow night. I am hosting this party after all."
"Fine, fine," Dash said. "But be ready to beg if you need any de-stressing from me."
"Of please. We both know by now that it doesn't take much to please you."
"That's only true around you," Dash smirked. He lowered his arm from her shoulder, fingers grazing her back, her skirt until they found their way around her fingers.
"I'm not disagreeing with that," Evelyn said. "But we need to focus. Masseuses first, then food, and we need to contact our guests too."
A gold bell jingled above the door when Chuck and Blair entered the small jewellery store in Midtown. An older gentleman with grey hair and glasses sat at a small wooden desk. Piles of file folders formed towers on either side of his arms.
"Mr. Towles?"
The man stood, wearing a black vest, starched white shirt, and emerald green bowtie. "That's me. And you are?"
"Chuck Bass." He offered his hand. "I called earlier today."
Mr. Towles stood and took his hand. "Ah, Mr. Bass. You mentioned something about a locket?"
Chuck offered the golden chain to the man. Mr. Towles used a magnifying glass to inspect the intricate design of the outer shell of the locket. His magnifying glass than moved up the chain and finally to the clasp.
"It's my work alright."
"Do you remember who you sold this to?" Chuck asked.
"Hm. That's a good question. I know for a fact it was bought for this woman, because she came so I could resize her engagement ring."
"Do you know who bought it for her?"
"I would imagine it would be her husband at the time, Bartholomew Bass. In fact, it appears the other half is missing."
"Other half?"
"Yes. Like most lockets this one has another side that sealed closed. I repaired one that was quite similar to this. It may have been the other half. I fixed the hinge, encasement and everything."
"Who came in to have it fixed?" Blair asked.
"Oh, it was many years ago. It was a woman in her twenties. She was short with dark hair. I don't remember much else."
"Look," Chuck pulled out a wad of cash from his coat pocket. "I would be very grateful if you could share any of the other information you may have."
"I'm sorry," the man said. "Client confidentiality."
"My father is the original client. I think both lockets must be two halves of the same locket. Please. This is all I have left of my mother."
The man picked up the cash. "Very well." He turned and looked through the wooden drawers filled with handwritten order forms.
After a few minutes of searching, he located the form. "Kimberley Ainsley. She paid in cash and picked it up from my store." He handed the order form to Chuck.
Chuck and Blair looked at the order form. It was dated in September, nineteen-ninety-six.
"Thank you," Chuck said. He pocketed the order form and the door jingled on their way out.
"Who is Kimberley Ainsley?" Blair snatched the order form from his pocket.
'She's my aunt. My mom's sister."
"Why would she have the locket?"
"This was repaired more than a couple years after my mom died. She was in possession of it for some time."
"Maybe it was left for her?" Blair said.
"I doubt my mom's will was that well-crafted to consider most of her things."
"I don't know Chuck. Most people have their wills changed right after they have their first child. She had at least a year to sort it out before…you know."
Chuck wondered if there was a copy of his mother's will in the same safe in his father's office where he found the legal documents for Evelyn's custody battle. He never saw a will in the safe, and he wondered what happened to it. It had to exist somewhere. Maybe that would explain the mystery that was his mother.
"Maybe. But why does Jack have the other half?"
"You're going to have to ask him that yourself," Blair said.
Chuck wondered where he'd seen the same locket before. Before he could ask Jack, he needed to know who was in possession of the other half. He was sure someone wore a locket, usually hidden underneath the collars of shirts. Maybe it was his Aunt Kim? He'd only seen her a handful of times, but she wasn't the type of woman who would wear jewellery. If Aunt Kim didn't have it, there was only one other person who could be in possession of it. Someone who lived with Aunt Kim for all of those years.
"I think I know who has the other half of the locket," Chuck said.
"Who?"
"Evelyn."
With enough time we all find what we're looking for. But we don't always understand the truth in those answers.
Friday was unusually unbearable this week. Now that his mom had him on lockdown, there was no prospect of leaving the house for the weekend. He had nothing to look forward to. All he had was a weekend of studying for the SATs.
Ozzy pushed his Spanish textbook in his locker. That course was going well enough, but he began to struggle with the present participle tense. Fortunately, Spanish didn't matter whatsoever for the SATs, so he wasn't even going to bother doing his Spanish homework that weekend. Everyone seemed to be putting their testing on hold in every class to give them the opportunity to study. That was a perk of going to a private prep school. Parents practically paid for their children to do well, and the SATs were no exception.
He closed his locker door, ready to head home for the weekend when he heard someone call his name.
"Ozzy!"
Evelyn was racing towards him, her pleated skirt fanning around her legs. She skid to a stop in front of him. He held her by the arms, in an attempt to help her brake before she ran right into him.
"Hey," He said. It came out sounding like a question.
"Hi," she exhaled, breathless. "I swear I haven't seen you in months. I ran to catch you before you left. You are fast."
"Is…something wrong?"
"Oh, not at all. I just wanted to tell you that I'm hosting an SAT cram session at my house tonight, and I want you to come."
She looked at him in the same way a parent did when their child returned from summer camp. Her blue eyes were full of warmth, and if he wasn't making it up, there seemed to be some longing there. He felt it too.
"I can't."
"What? Why?"
"I'm grounded. Seemingly indefinitely."
"You can't be serious."
He shrugged. "It is what it is."
"Why are you grounded?"
He found himself looking at the rusting locker doors across the hall. "It was a stupid mistake."
"Can I call your mom to ask then? Like seriously, I of course want you there, maybe we could even catch up, but I do need your help with word problems."
For the first time in months, he grinned. "You need my help, now?"
"Yes."
"In math?"
"Yes."
"Even though you were the one to tutor me in the first place?"
"Yes. I can detect the irony of the situation."
He absently rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll talk to my mom. I'll—I'll be sure to be there."
A relieved smile stretched across her face. "I'm so glad. I've really missed you."
He missed her too. God, he hadn't felt this light in what felt like forever. Could one feel this relieved from the burdens of sorrow? He wanted, no needed, to find out. It was only a matter of time before this elation was replaced with the hollow burden again.
"I'll see you tonight. Come with Dash at seven. Okay?"
"Okay."
She bounced away and he watched her until she disappeared. How is it that she was also thrown into this crazy world and still maintained her sense of self? Here he was, a disfigured version of himself, tearing from inside out. Why couldn't he be that put together? Why couldn't he know right from wrong?
He wanted to tell her everything and nothing at the same time. How was that even possible? He couldn't tell her anything. She wouldn't understand.
Ozzy's phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Thom.
Heard there's a party tonight. You going?
"Are you sure she has it?" Blair asked in the elevator. They ascended to the Bass Penthouse where Chuck re-read the order form again.
"Positive."
The elevator doors chimed and Chuck and Blair saw caterers setting down plates of cookies, fruit platters, and brownies. Five massage chairs were lined up behind the couches and two people sat at family table with textbooks, pencils and calculators spread out in front of them.
Evelyn appeared from the end of the hallway and checked the spread of food on the counter. Chuck and Blair approached.
"Hey," Evelyn said. She picked up a strawberry and popped it in her mouth. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We're here to see you."
"Oh." Evelyn swallowed. "Is something wrong?"
"We're not sure," Chuck said. "Are you wearing a locket necklace?"
Evelyn reached under her shirt, producing a gleaming gold necklace. "Always. Why?"
"Can I borrow it?"
"Why?"
"I can't explain right now because I'm not sure myself," Chuck said.
"Okay." Evelyn unclasped the necklace. "Please be sure to return it though."
"We will," Chuck said. He inspected the locket and it was a perfect match to the one he had. "Who gave this to you?"
"Aunt Kim. Said it was mom's."
"Did you know she repaired it?"
"No," Evelyn said. "I got it when I was a baby. It's always looked at that. Why?"
"I'm not sure. But I will tell you when I know." Chuck continued to inspect the locket and opened it. Inside was a picture of their mother holding a newborn. Alone. She was smiling.
Blair meanwhile, was looking around the place, inspecting all of the party favours. "Are you having a little soiree?" She asked.
"Yeah. It's a de-stresser from SAT studying."
Blair nodded in approval. "Jenny planned this?"
"No. It was unwittingly my idea. She's coming soon," Evelyn said.
"Wait a minute. You did all the work and she's going to get all the credit?"
"She's been very stressed. This was nothing."
"I see," Blair said. "And Jenny is still Queen?"
"Yes. If you want a more detailed account, just go on Gossip Girl instead of playing twenty questions," Evelyn said. She looked over her shoulder to see if anything were missing.
Blair glowered and looked to Chuck.
"We'll leave you to prepare before the guests arrive," Chuck said. He pocketed the locket and returned to the elevator with Blair at his side.
"What now?" Blair dug into his pocket and inspected the locket herself.
"We go see Jack."
More and more fellow junior students kept arriving at the Bass Penthouse that evening. They all dragged their books with them with stresses and fears written all over their faces. Evelyn greeted each and every one of them and showed them to the oasis that awaited them. After giving a tour of the food, massage stations, and private tutors available, their weary faces turned jubilant.
Evelyn sided up to Eric who picked up a brownie. "Not bad right?"
He took a bite of his brownie. "Mmmm. So good!"
"I meant the party."
Eric gave a thumbs up as he chewed. "I had faith that this would come together well."
The elevator pinged announcing Jenny's arrival. Her eyes immediately darted around the room like a startled squirrel.
"Hello?" Eric waved.
"If you're looking for us, we're right here," Evelyn said. She plucked a grape and popped it in her mouth.
"I was. Hey." Jenny smiled. "This…this is amazing."
"Thanks," Evelyn said. "I finally understand why it's so great to have connections."
"Spoken like a true Bass," Eric said.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Anyway, would you like something to eat? There are plenty of comfort foods you Humphreys are very fond of."
"I'll grab some later. I just really need to get to studying."
"Do you need a quieter space to start?" Evelyn asked.
"Yes. Is that okay?"
"It's no problem. I have all the bedroom doors open, so you can take Serena's for now."
"Great. I'm going to go set up."
"We'll check on you," Evelyn said.
They watched Jenny disappear down the corridor. Eric leaned into Evelyn and whispered, "We should help her later. Get her confidence up. That's half the battle with the SATs."
"Good point, Eric," Evelyn said. "Keep me updated if we need to have an intervention."
Evelyn turned and walked to her own room. She had her study aids strewn all over her bed. There were too many books stacked on her desk to actually study, so she resorted to using her bed as her new study space. She organized her supplies into the three categories of the test.
Evelyn picked up the math set she was struggling with and placed it on top of the pile. There. It would be much easier once Ozzy arrived, so he could help her.
A pair of arms snaked around her waist. Evelyn felt hot breath against the shell of her ear. "Did someone hire a private tutor?"
Evelyn laughed. She spun around to see Dash, his proud smile faltering. "What?" He asked as she continued to laugh. "I thought that was a pretty good line, no?"
"It is. I just didn't schedule our session until later." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She felt herself melt against him, her anxieties and fears melting off of her. Maybe she could wait to study later?
"Are you sure?" Dash said, breaking the case. "Seems like you want it now."
He leaned forward for another kiss, but Evelyn pushed him away. "No! I have a study party to host."
Dash pulled her arms toward him. "Oh come on. The planning is done. What are you going to do? Watch people you don't like get massages?"
"No. I actually need help. Like math help."
"Oh. What about it?"
"Don't worry about it. I don't even know how to explain it, but I am determined to be able to by the end of the night. How's your studying going?"
"It's going," Dash said.
"Good. Keep on it. Once we ace this test, opportunities will be opening up for us!"
"Us?"
"Well yes. I'm not that selfish."
Dash gazed at her, with a distant yet focused look. "I know you're not."
The intensity of the gaze was so strong that Evelyn had to look away. "Alright. Let's go see how the guests are doing."
They returned to the party, hand-in-hand, where groups of people were playing SAT family feud game in the living room. Evelyn tugged Dash to the kitchen where she could get a comfortable overview of the room. The minions, plus Catherine unfortunately, were seated around the breakfast table, each quizzing each other on concepts. She saw other St. Jude's boys currently occupying the masseuse tables while others were in small groups, sitting on the carpet, either studying alone or in pairs. Evelyn saw Ozzy in the corner, reading his textbook and smiled. He did come! She made a mental note to approach him soon for some much-needed math guidance.
Then her eyes found Jenny. She spoke with another blonde boy, who's face was partially covered with Jenny's figure. Evelyn cocked her head to the side and saw that the boy was none other than Thom Taylor.
"Oh my God."
Dash gripped her elbow. "What is it?"
"Who the hell invited Thom Taylor?"
"What?" Dash whipped around. When his eyes found Thom's, they narrowed. "I have no idea." He returned his attention to Evelyn. "Do you want me to kick him out?"
"Not yet," Evelyn said.
She crossed the room and appeared at Jenny's side. She smiled and waited for Thom to cut off his conversation.
"Hi, Thom" Evelyn said. "Excuse me for my curtness, but I don't remember inviting you tonight."
"That's no problem," Thom said. "Jenny invited me actually."
"No I didn't. In fact, I was just telling him to leave. He was party crashing, as usual."
Thom shook his head. "Are you sure that's wise, Jenny?"
Evelyn looked at Jenny and back at Thom. What did he mean by that? She had been suspicious of Thom and Jenny for long enough. Evelyn was sure something was going on, and she needed to know what.
"Leave," Jenny said.
He bit back a laugh and smiled. "Okay."
Jenny darted away before Evelyn could ask her any questions.
Dash was by her side immediately. "Is he leaving?"
Thom waited outside the coat closet. Evelyn watched him pick out his cell phone and start texting. "He is."
She folded her arms across her chest. What was Jenny hiding? And why did she feel compelled to not tell her? They were best friends, weren't they? Isn't that what best friends do?
"Hey if you see Jenny, can you bring her to me? She's kind of avoiding me."
"Okay," Dash said. "But why?"
"I don't know. But I think it has something to do with Thom."
Evelyn watched him for a couple beats longer, as he waited for his coat. He noticed her gaze and winked at her.
Evelyn tugged Dash away from Thom's sight. "Eugh, let's go study."
Didn't you know that it isn't a party unless someone crashes? You'd think E would know better. It looks like C should have given her some tips.
After much persuasion and backup from Dash, Ozzy was able to come to the study party. It felt good to be in a place that wasn't his home or school. He didn't see any of his swim teammates around, not that they would talk to him, and Dash was busy with Evelyn, so he found a space in the corner, away from everyone and started reading. He had his earbuds in and practiced reading and language. Although he felt confident in the math section, he knew he could use work in the other two sections.
After working uninterrupted, Ozzy looked up from his book to see Thom straight ahead. He spoke with Jenny, they looked like they were in a serious conversation. Then, Evelyn joined them and it looked like Thom was leaving.
Ozzy sprang to his feet and ran over to Thom, who now waited for the elevator. "Hey."
Thom smiled and slapped his arm. "Hey cuz! How's it going?"
"Fine. Are you leaving?"
"Yup. Got kicked out by the hostess with the mostess," he said, pointing at Evelyn who's back was turned.
"That's too bad."
The elevator pinged and Thom stepped inside.
Thom shrugged. "I wasn't in the studying mood anyway."
The doors began to close and he said, "Catch ya on the flip."
The doors continued to close and Ozzy shoved his arm through them before they could close.
"Wait," He said.
The doors opened again and he stood in between the elevator and tiled floor of the penthouse. "Catherine told me that you deal."
Thom sighed. "All that girl is good for is a good blow. What else did she say?"
"Nothing. I was just wondering…what if I wanted to have some on my own?"
"You want to buy?"
"Just a little bit."
Thom's scowl was replaced with a pleased smile. "Anything for you cuz. What do you want? E? Meth? Pot? Coke? I've got it all."
"A couple grams of coke?"
"No problem. Payment is either by cash or direct deposit, and since you're family, I'll give you a discount."
Careful O. Even if T is family, you better be ready when he wants to collect.
Chuck rapped his knuckles against the hotel door and waited. Blair rubbed his arm and sighed.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked. "It's been a long day. Maybe we could try tomorrow?"
Chuck knocked again. "No. This is the only way I'm going to get answers."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, her hand clasping his. "Is he here?"
"He should be," Chuck said. He knocked a third time.
The door finally swung open. Jack's grimace turned into a pleased smirk. "Chuck. Blair. What a pleasant surprise."
"Uncle Jack. We need to talk."
Jack looked at Chuck and then Blair. "About what?" The words were slow, measured.
Chuck used his free hand to dig the locket out of his pocket. "This."
"Where'd you get that?"
"I found it on your coffee table when I dropped off the contract last week."
Jack collapsed against the door, so it would open. "Come in and please excuse the mess."
Clothes were thrown haphazardly over the couch and chairs. Empty tumblers were stuck to the glass tables, each with a sticky brown ring. Beyond the living area, the doors to the bedroom were open, two suitcase open on his bed.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Yup. Australia."
"What?" Blair said. "For a trip?"
"No," Jack said. "For good. Bart thought it would be best."
Oh no. Chuck knew that phrase. When his father thought anything would be best, it meant that he told you what to do. Bart told Jack to leave.
"But the contract is still under negotiations."
"That's true, but it would be better if one of us was actually close to Thailand, should the deal go through."
"He forced you to leave, didn't he?" Chuck said.
"In a matter of speech…but, yeah."
"I can't believe this," Chuck said. His hand tightened around the locket. "After all the work we put in. Who's going to take over the project now?"
"Probably him," Jack said.
"This is unbelievable."
"Chuck," Blair said, her voice soothing.
"Blair this is so unfair! Of course he'd do this. He'd do anything to take away something I'm actually passionate about."
"You and me both," Jack said.
"And to think…" Chuck's gaze caught the glint of gold from his hand. Right. The locket. That's why he was here in the first place.
"The picture," Jack said. "You're wondering about the picture."
"Not just the picture, but the locket. This is only a half. Evelyn has the other half. Why do you have this?"
Jack sighed. "That locket was one of your mother's only possessions she had on her when she died. It broke that night."
"You were there?"
"We all were. Your father, myself, her parents, her sister Kim. It was a shitty day."
"What happened between you and my mother?"
Jack began to pick up his crumpled clothes on the floor. "It's history, Chuck. It's not important."
"If it's not important, then why do you carry a locket with a picture of you and my mother holding a baby? Are you…"
"Your father? Holy fuck, no." Jack laughed. "Your imagination is something else, nephew."
"Then what is this?"
"It's a locket that has the only picture of her that I have. I happened to really…respect your mother. She was way too good for my brother, and I didn't want to forget her or what she went through. And yes, that's you in the picture too. You always took a shit when I got to hold you. You look so concentrated in that picture that you probably did in that moment."
Many questions swirled in his mind. He didn't know what to make of this situation. "What happened that night?"
Jack tossed another shirt into his suitcase. "I don't think I'm allowed to tell you."
"Come on. My dad just banished you. Why listen to him now?"
"Because it's not my story to tell," Jack said.
Blair was at his side, her touch tentative. "Chuck, maybe we should leave your Uncle to pack?"
"No," Chuck said. "Jack, you can't leave. Not now."
"My ticket is on the bar. I'm leaving tomorrow."
Chuck picked up the ticket and ripped it in half. "Not anymore."
"Chuck!" Blair said. "What are you doing? You can't do that."
"Yes I can. You may want to leave this hotel, but you are not leaving town because my dad said so," Chuck said.
Jack, who stopped packing, stared at Chuck. "And what am I supposed to do?"
"Take back the deal. You didn't think we're just going to give up do you? I'll be done finals next week, and then we can reconvene then."
"Are you sure?" Jack said. "You know your father won't like this, Chuck."
"I know," Chuck said. "But you misunderstand me if you think I actually care."
"Chuck," Blair said, her eyes wide.
Chuck waved his hand at her to quiet down. He didn't need her to remind him of his conscience. His father couldn't just steamroll anyone who disagreed with him. Not anymore. Before, he was too young and powerless to do anything about it. Now, it was different. He was different. He finally found someone, a relative of all people, who understood how his father could be, He felt a need to protect Jack from his father's tyranny.
"So you'll stay?" Chuck said.
Jack looked at his half-filled suitcase and back at Chuck with a smile. "I guess I am."
Ozzy returned to the party with his head bowed. He tried not to think about what he just asked for because it spurred questions of self-doubt. Did he sound desperate? Will Thom tell Grandfather? What the hell did Thom think about that?
He returned to his corner and tried to pick up his textbook again, but the words were uninspiring, and his mind was working through other problems. It wasn't a big deal if he had his own personal stash, right? He wasn't an addict. He didn't need a hit every day. He just had it on hand if it was necessary. Some days he felt really low than others. This hookup now meant that he had a bump whenever he needed it. That's all.
Ozzy dropped his textbook in his lap and rubbed his hands over his face. He saw everyone around him actually studying. It was a weird sight, but he sometimes forgot that although these people had money, they weren't all slackers. Some actually had to live up to an expectation: college. These were some of the many people he would be competing with to get into schools, or as his mom demanded, Harvard. She was clearly living in another world if she thought Harvard was remotely possible for him.
How the hell would he compete with these people? He gave less than have a tenth of what they do, and he had much less experience and extracurriculars than they did. Until this year, he didn't join any clubs or teams. Trying seemed useless. He wasn't in the same league as these people. He didn't care to be anymore.
Catherine appeared. She sat across from him, folding her legs under her pleated skirt. "I didn't know you were coming to this." She took his hand and smiled.
"Last minute," he said. "I'm grounded for eternity, so this is probably the last you'll see me in a while."
She frowned. "Oh? I'm sure you could find ways to sneak out again."
Ozzy agreed that he probably could, but he didn't really want to. Now that he talked to Thom, he didn't need to anymore. "I'll have to find a way to ditch the ankle monitor that my mom insists I wear."
"Really?" Catherine said.
"No. I was talking metaphorically." He looked at his textbook. "And this is why I do not do well in this section."
"Which section?"
"Evidence-based reading and writing."
"We could study together if you want. I could be your personal tutor."
"If you think you can get through to me, by all means." He handed the textbook to her. "This hasn't."
Catherine squeezed his hand and turned her attention to the book.
Chuck walked through the Palace lobby while Blair straggled behind. It was hard for her to keep up in her heels. She took twice as many steps as Chuck did, and she still trailed behind.
"Chuck." She reached for his arm, shoulder, any part of his body that would slow down his quick pace. All afternoon, she felt like she was chasing after him, like a cat that wasn't as quick as a mouse, and any time she was close to catching him, he'd jump through a tiny hole.
"Chuck. Stop it."
"No. I'm not going to let this happen, Blair."
"I know you don't agree with what your dad did to Jack, but I don't think getting stuck in the middle is the solution. Just take a minute and breathe."
Chuck, who was always calm and calculated, was unsettled. Rattled.
"So what do you think I should do?"
Blair tried to mimick the understanding tone Joy was able to use to ease the temperaments of the girls on their floor. "I think we should take a step back and regroup before we make any plans."
"There is no time, Blair. Jack is ordered to leave tonight."
"I think you already took care of that by ripping his one-way ticket."
"You don't get it."
Blair took a step closer to him. He was boarding up his feelings from her again. It was eleventh grade all over again. "Then tell me what I don't get."
"It's one thing for my dad to be ruthless in business, but I can't just allow him to be ruthless to his own family."
Blair reached for his hand and ran her thumb over the back of his hand. She tried to think of what she could say to understand, the best example she had was her father having an affair with a man, but that was an identity crisis. This was a family business. The dynamics were completely different.
"I feel it's necessary for me to get involved because I don't want this behaviour to be normal. It's not normal. I didn't really see that when I was younger. Hell, I've done it to Carter Baizen. I wasn't looking at it really, but now, knowing Jack, and Evelyn, and the fact that I don't know anything of what happened all those years ago when Mom died, I just, I see it now."
Blair nodded. "What do you want to do next?"
Chuck was contemplative. He had a faraway look, and his lips pursed. "I need to see my dad."
"Today?"
"Today. I need to know what this locket really means. Maybe I'll ask more. It'll depend on the situation."
That kind of discussion seemed very personal, and Blair doubted that Bart would reveal any information. She wanted to support Chuck by her very presence, so she asked, "Would you like me there?"
"I think I need to do this alone."
"Okay."
Blair began to let go of their grip, but Chuck tightened his. He pulled her close. "Thank you for being with me today."
"I'll always be with you," Blair said. She tried to read his face, gage what he was feeling, but she couldn't. She cupped his left cheek and kissed him.
"This," He said, "Is why I didn't want us playing games to be duplicitous with each other. The stakes keep rising, and it tears people apart. I have a feeling it tore my family apart."
"I understand." She kissed him again, her eyes fluttering closed. The harder she pressed against him, the more she hoped he understood that she loved him, understood him. That she was there for him.
"Go," Blair said. "I'll catch a cab."
Chuck's eyes bored into hers. He pulled her into his arms for a final kiss. "This is one of the many reasons why I love you."
Blair watched him swagger to his limo. As the limo pulled away, the smile on her face fell. She had a feeling that the conflict between Chuck and Bart wouldn't end well. She had a feeling that a war was about to start, and that Chuck would do anything in the fight. It worried her, surely, but when worse came to worse, she would stand by Chuck's side. She would support him, defend him, protect him.
No matter what the cost.
Once Thom left, Evelyn asked Dash if he'd found Jenny.
"I haven't. She wasn't in Serena's room like you said. Her stuff was still there though."
She scanned the room and Jenny wasn't in sight. She was probably avoiding her in the bathroom or something. "We'll just have to keep an eye out for her," Evelyn said.
"I will. But that massage chair over there will not be unoccupied for long."
"Go." Evelyn smiled. She was the first to get a massage, and she already felt the need for another.
Instead of worrying about Jenny, Evelyn knew she needed to study. She approached Ozzy, who was still in the corner, writing furiously in a notebook. Evelyn's footsteps slowed when she saw Catherine seated in front of him, holding his textbook.
Ozzy finished his sentence and then shook his hand. "Hand cramp," he said to Catherine, but his eyes darted up, noticing Evelyn for the first time.
"Evelyn. Hey."
"Hi. Sorry for interrupting. I was just wondering when you can help me with math?"
He began to stand up as she spoke. "We can now. I just finished my practice essay. I wasn't going to do anything except watch Catherine look over it."
"Okay. Let's go," Evelyn said.
Catherine glared at her as Ozzy excused himself. She also looked smug, like she knew something that Evelyn didn't know. What was that about?
They walked down the hallway toward her bedroom, side by side. "I didn't realize you and Catherine still spoke."
"Sometimes," he said. "It's nothing really. Why?"
Evelyn opened her door. "No reason. I just haven't seen you for a while. I would want to know If something's changed."
He focused his attention on the stacks of books and papers on her bed. "Nothing's changed."
"Well, I'm hoping with your help, that my fate with word problems will change in time for the SATs."
Ozzy stopped in front of her bed. "You have some system here."
"I know it looks like a disaster, but it's an organized disaster. This pile to the left is for reading and comprehension. The middle-ish piles is for vocabulary, and this right here," she picked up the stack, "is math."
"If you want, you can totally organize the disaster in my room."
Evelyn chuckled. "You couldn't pay me enough for that."
"I think I could. How about unlimited hot chocolates?"
Evelyn handed him the pile and began to pick up and put the other piles in front of her closet. "Tempting, but that offer would be better if we weren't approaching the summer months."
"It was worth a shot," Ozzy said. "Where should I put these?"
"You can put them on the floor beside my desk," Evelyn said. "I just wanted to make room."
Evelyn hopped on the bed and flipped through the loose pages of math problems she had attempted. Many were linear word problems with vicious eraser marks etched on the paper or scratch marks for abandoned steps. Equations were easy, but once words were involved, Evelyn couldn't seem to find the right answers.
Ozzy was still standing, looking around her room.
"You can sit down," Evelyn said. "I can assure you that the bed's comfortable since I've slept in it for so many hours."
Ozzy sat down. He sat with more than a hand-width of space between them.
"Okay," Evelyn produced a sheet of unattempt word problems. "I know it's a small part of the test, but I just can't wrap my head around it."
Ozzy read the problem. "Okay. Maybe it would best if you try to solve this, and then we can talk about it? See what's not working?"
"Wow. Just when I thought you didn't get anything out of our tutoring sessions."
"What do you mean?"
"You're using my own teaching strategies against me."
Ozzy smiled. "Hey, it worked for me. Who says it can't work for you? Now solve the problem."
"I'll try, but I'm telling you. I can't do it," Evelyn said as she began to scribble her steps on the page. She underlined key pieces of information from the word problem. Then, she chose a strategy to solve the problem, step by step. Evelyn arrived at an answer, and the more she looked at it, the less confident she was. She completed a therefore statement and passed it off to Ozzy without a second glance.
Evelyn looked at the answer sheet, where four choices were displayed. "See? I can't even manage to get an answer that is listed!"
"That's alright. I'm going to try to solve it, so then we can figure out the process, okay?"
Evelyn watched Ozzy's brows furrow in concentration. He hunched over the paper slightly, where she could see his black hair growing down his neck. He had a scar that slashed throw part of his edge of his eyebrow. She hadn't seen him in so long, that she forgot these details about him.
He stopped abruptly. "What?"
"Nothing." She crossed one leg over the other. "Just waiting patiently."
"I'm almost done." He turned his pencil over and erased part of his answer. He rewrote it then presented it to Evelyn. "The answer's B."
"How?"
He explained each step of his answer, but Evelyn heard voices escalate through the door. She got up and shut the door.
"I think what is happening with you is that you're identifying the right numbers that are needed in the problem, but you're mislabeling them. X and Y should be switched."
"But what about Y? The question doesn't even say what that is."
"We need to do some more work to figure out what Y is before we can solve the problem at large."
Evelyn shuffled closer to him to see the paper better. "Okay. So how do we figure out what Y is?"
"What do you think?"
She sighed. "I don't like how you keep using my tactics." She refocused her attention to the problem. "Okay. It says x is double the size of y, and we need to convert from yards to miles."
"They always try to trick you with that," Ozzy agreed. "Try it."
Evelyn completed the calculation. "Now what?"
"We need to use the right formula."
"Which looks like I didn't do."
"It's the hardest part. Once you have it, the answer is easy to find."
"Says the person I tutored who always did the process right, and would throw around random numbers."
"Adding and subtracting are not my friends. Stop avoiding the issue," Ozzy said.
They worked through the formula and arrived at the answer. It felt good to finally be right, but she was stuck with wondering how she could possibly come to this answer without Ozzy. Sure, when he explained it, and walked her through it, it made perfect sense, but could she do the same alone?
"Ozzy, this makes sense now, but how am I going to do this alone?"
"Don't worry. There's still time to practice. You just have to never lose sight of what you're trying to find out and use the right formula that makes use of all the variables you already know."
"And if I can't figure all that out?"
"Just pick one at random and move on. It's only ten percent of the math portion anyway. It won't make or break you. I plan to do this for some of the vocab."
'You can't do that for vocab." Evelyn picked up her cue cards in front of the closet. "Here. Start practicing with these. I've mastered them now. You can't go in without knowing anything."
"No these are yours Evelyn."
"Take them. I insist."
"Fine." He put them beside him. "Let's try another one."
They tried three more problems, and Evelyn was much closer at solving them this time. She remembered to consider if any piece of information given to her needed some sort of moderation before she tackled the problem. She still wasn't right, but she was much closer to the answers, even having two appear as an option.
"See? Just a little more practice and you'll be fine."
Evelyn, tired from the studying, lied back. Her back muscles relaxed but her head was filled with numbers. She closed her eyes and yawned. When she opened them, Ozzy was still sitting up, looking at her.
"Thank you, Ozzy."
"It's nothing."
"No, it's not nothing. It might bump me up on the SAT into a better percentile."
"You'll be fine. You're always on top of things."
"It's not easy," Evelyn turned on her side, and curled her leg under her. "I've been meaning to ask. How are you?"
"Fine. Why? What have you heard?"
She let out a laugh and sat up growing serious. "I'm serious, Oz. Ever since Valentine's Day, I've been worried about you. If there's something going on, you can tell me."
He looked at her for a couple moments, was it confliction, shame, she couldn't decipher it. He found fascination in a loose stitching on her blanket. "I just…got a bit carried away that night. I went too far."
"How did you even get home?"
"Thom drove me back."
"And he didn't check to see if you got inside alright? You weren't even wearing clothes!"
His face flushed. "He thought I was better off than I was. Cops came and we didn't have time to gather our stuff. It's fine."
Evelyn kept a steady gaze on him. What was he thinking? There had to be more to the story than that. Besides, what kind of ass was Thom to leave him like that? For once, she didn't think he was being completely truthful with her, and it scared her.
"You can trust me, Ozzy," Evelyn said. She edged closer to him. He had to know she was there. Physically, emotionally, whatever it took.
She put her hand over his. "Ozzy…"
"Promise not to judge me?"
Judge him? Why would she ever want to do that?
"Always," she said fiercely.
"Okay…" Ozzy turned his body towards her. His shoulders sagged, his head hung low. He couldn't look at her, and his breathes got shorter as he tried to speak.
Before he could, the door swung open. Dash appeared, a relaxed smile on his face that turned into a cold grimace.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Looks like E and O are in a massive display of PDA. And do you know what D is? Pretty. Damn. Angry.
Bart stayed in the office after dinner that night. Evelyn and Eric had taken over the Penthouse to study for SATs, and the only place Bart wanted to be was in his office. It was the only place that allowed him serenity, a place that wasn't touched by anyone else. People came and left, but he always remained. It had been that way for many years, and he always assumed it would continue until retirement.
He couldn't stop thinking about what Jack said earlier. His words were meant to unsettle him, spook him, but all he felt was paranoia. Not knowing was far more frustrating than any chronic pain he could ever have. What he didn't know spurred different theories, possibilities, all of which would probably result to nothing.
Bart considered calling Andrew Tyler. His work had been modest lately, but Bart thought that it might be a good idea to have an eye kept on Jack. Once he returned to Australia, he would see how Jack ran the company, what he would do. He would find out what were his habits and routines. If one piece of information was found through this search, he could finally know something, and know how to counteract it. He may know his brother, but he didn't know his sophisticated tactics.
Someone knocked on the door.
He cleared his throat, his hand on the handle of his upper right-hand drawer. "Come in."
Chuck appeared, and Bart let go of the handle. "Chuck? Why aren't you on campus?"
"I need to talk to you."
"About what?"
Chuck produced a locket from his pocket and placed it on his desk. "I found this with Jack's things."
Bart inspected it. It was the same locket he gave Misty after he turned his first profit. His frown deepened when he saw the picture. "Why did Jack have this?"
"I don't know," Chuck said. "I thought you would know."
He had no idea this photo was taken. His wife and Chuck, who was almost two, smiled with his brother.
"I don't. I mean, I thought Evelyn had the locket."
"She has the other half. Aunt Kim repaired it," Chuck said.
Bart inspected the picture some more. Did Jack make it so Chuck would find this? It was a sneaky maneuver, but one that was characteristic of his brother. He set the locket down and laced his fingers in front of him.
"That's it?" Chuck said. "You don't care?"
"No. He was a good babysitter when Bass Industries was taking off at that time. He played with you a lot. It's unusual that he'd carry a memory with him on that."
"But, doesn't it look like he and mom…"
"Oh definitely not. Even if he wanted to, she didn't, I can assure you."
Chuck's eyes narrowed. "Can you, though?"
"You have my word."
Chuck began to pace the length of his desk, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"What?" Bart said. "You don't believe me?"
"It's all hearsay. What happened the night Evelyn was born?"
"We got to the hospital, she gave birth, hemorrhaged too much, and died. That's it."
"That's it?" Chuck said.
"I assure you it was more dramatic at the time," Bart said.
Chuck picked up the locket and looked at the picture. He didn't believe him.
"Son," Bart said. "Don't stress yourself out on worrying about the past. The past is always behind us. Just focus on looking forward with Blair and school. Finals are approaching, right? Don't worry about any of this."
Chuck pocketed the locket. "Fine. Have a good evening father."
Bart watched him leave, his face contemplative and sat back in his chair. He doubted that Chuck would give up on his mission to uncover the past, but he wouldn't be able to find anything. Nothing existed, only people's memories. And those that were there including himself, Jack, and Kim were about to be dispersed once again like pennies thrown on different sides of a fountain. Jack was on his way back to Australia, and he could begin his search on what he was up to.
He wouldn't fool himself this time thinking that anything was coincidental. The battle wasn't over, it was just beginning.
Evelyn withdrew her hands from Ozzy's and stood up. "Dash. How was the massage?"
"Don't change the subject."
She took a couple careful steps towards him. "Ozzy was just helping me understand word problems. You know, the same problems I was telling you about earlier tonight?"
Dash folded his arms across his chest. "Oh really? You needed to hold hands for that?"
Evelyn took a step towards him. "Dash. You're overreacting—"
Ozzy, who stood as far away from Evelyn as possible, said, "Dash, nothing…nothing like that was going on. Seriously. Evelyn asked me to help her earlier today, so that's the only reason I came tonight."
Dash's eyes narrowed. "That's a pretty specific reason."
"Come on, Dash. Evelyn would never do anything like that to you."
"And you would?"
Ozzy shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I crossed the line. It won't happen again." He moved past Dash and through the door.
"Ozzy, wait—" Evelyn said.
"Don't worry about it," he said before closing the door behind him.
Evelyn stared at the closed door. He was about to tell her everything. Her suspicions that something was wrong were finally confirmed, and Dash had to interrupt her. Again.
"What's wrong with you?" Evelyn said.
"What's wrong with me?" Dash said. "What about you? Aren't you going to run after him?"
"It's not like it would do any good now."
"Well that makes me feel better," Dash said.
Evelyn put her hands on her hips. "Dash, you are completely misreading this situation."
"Am I now?"
"Yes. All we did was come to my room where I had all of my studying supplies to review word problems. All I did was ask him how he was doing, and just when he was going to open up to me, you showed up."
"So now this is my fault?"
"It's no one's fault!" Evelyn said. "All I'm saying is that when I thought something was wrong with Ozzy, I was right."
"And what exactly is wrong with Ozzy? Please, diagnose him."
"I don't know! I could of if you didn't start attacking him."
"So now you're going to defend him? What was I supposed to do? I go off for a massage, and the next thing you know, I see my girlfriend with my step-brother holding hands on her bed. Tell me what you would think in that situation."
Evelyn took a step closer to him. "I wouldn't fly off the handle like that! Don't you trust me at all?"
The door opened. Both Evelyn and Dash were oblivious to the blonde figure that entered the room.
"I did."
Evelyn's eyes widened. She licked her lips and her vision became blurry.
"I-I did trust you, Evelyn. I want to, but you can't… be like that with him."
"Oh my God. Are you jealous?"
Dash's lips pursed. "I'm your boyfriend. He's not."
"Evelyn…" A small voice rang from the door.
Evelyn and Dash turned. Jenny stood in the doorframe, her pale hand gripping the doorknob. Dark black tears streaked her face. Her shoulders shook for she was not the image of a regal queen. She was a defeated commoner.
"Jenny," Evelyn rushed to her side. Jenny collapsed in her arms and began to sob. Evelyn rubbed her back and held her as she continued to sob.
"Jenny…" Evelyn said. Jenny let go of her and was able to stand up.
"I messed up," She said. "I messed up really badly, Evelyn."
"Jenny, what is it? Whatever it is, I'm here for you."
"I don't have enough. I'll never have enough."
"Of what?"
Jenny's voice broke. "Money."
"Um…okay. That's okay. That's okay. H-How much are we talking here?" Evelyn said.
"A hundred thousand dollars."
Sometimes in an effort to support those we love, we overlook the thing that's scandalous—the truth. And the only thing more shocking than the truth are the lies that people tell to cover it up.
You Know You Love Me,
XOXO Gossip Girl
A/N: And there you have it! Jack will be staying in town and provides few answers to Chuck regarding their family past, Chuck positions himself in the middle of a looming civil war with Blair's support, Dash catches Ozzy and Evelyn in a compromising position, and Jenny owes...100k? Another chapter, another cliffhanger. There are four chapters left in part 2, so more action and plot twists are coming!
So what did you think? Let me know if a review! Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and I'll be back with another update in January!
Till next time,
XOXO EZ11