A/N: Hey, my luver-ly reviewers and readers. Thank you for the reviews, they meant a lot.

Whoo. Well, now that we're past my least-favorite episode of the season (not including the last five minutes of the season finale), we can finally move on to the fun stuff. Which, this chapter, means School Lies.

And just to reiterate…THESE ARE ALL UNCONNECTED. For the Roman Holiday chapter, the events from the Pilot episode to Hi, Society all happened the way the writers of GG wrote them—not how I wrote them.

Kudos to any of you who got the Gilmore Girls reference last chapter. Yes, Rory's dad is named Christopher Hayden, and yes, I kind of hate him. Java Junkie all the way! XD

Here you go…

"Sometimes you need to step outside, clear your head and remind yourself of who you are. And where you wanna be. And sometimes you have to venture outside your world in order to find yourself."

1x12: School Lies

Chuck lounged on the lifeguard chair, eyes uncharacteristically alert and focused on Blair's flirtation with Nate. Blair was brief and when her eyes met Chuck's, she pulled away from Nate almost immediately.

Knowing the look on her face, Chuck began to prepare himself for the enivitable encounter with the girl who had broken his heart—and didn't even know it.

Sure enough, Blair Waldorf began striding along the edge of the people towards his chair. He didn't move or acknowledge her presence, but that didn't stop her from saying anything.

"Enough with the blackmail, aren't you bored already?" She paused, but continued when he didn't answer. "I can't avoid Nate forever."

Chuck lazily rested his head on his hand. "I didn't say forever, just until the sight of you two together doesn't turn my stomach." He glared at her as though it were her fault, which, she supposed, in a way it was.

"And when will that be?" asked Blair defensively, placing her hands on her hips.

"Only time will tell, I'm afraid." Chuck smirked, enjoying the power. "So unless you want dear Nathanial—" He indicated the swimming boy "—to know how you lost your virginity to me in the back of a moving vehicle, I encourage patience and restraint." He smirked triumphantly, turning back to watch the pool.

Blair threw up her hands in exasperation. "Isn't there someone else you can torture?"

"Probably." Admitted Chuck. His lips curled into a smile. "But…I choose you."

Blair stalked away, muttering under her breath.

Chuck stared at the key as he played absentmindedly with it. Such a small thing, but able to do so much damage.

Just like the girl he suspected it belonged to.

Said girl was currently striding through her penthouse, past clusters of UES-ers. She saw him, and what he was looking at, and her eyes widened. She walked over, grabbing the key out of his hands.

"What are you, stupid?" she hissed, glaring. "You're just waving it around!"

Chuck grabbed her hand as she turned to leave, leisurely getting up from his seat.

Blair glared at him in a combination of confusion and irritation. "Let go of me, asshole."

Chuck pursed his lips, running his thumb along her hand. She stiffened and stopped breathing for a moment. "Drop your Archibald habit first."

Blair scoffed. "You know I already have."

Chuck pretended to look thoughtful. "Really? A kiss does sort of send the wrong signal." He mentioned the kiss he had seen Nate and Blair engage in at the pool. He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to furiously retort. "Let's not waste time denying."

Blair glared. "You know what? I'm tired of this. Go ahead and tell him." She shrugged uncaringly.

Chuck raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Really, Waldorf? Really?" He smirked. "You want me to tell him how you slept with me and then faked your virginity for him?"

Blair smiled sweetly, and Chuck became worried, though he managed to keep up the appearance of confidence. Blair only smiled like that when she knew she was going to win. "I'll just tell him you're lying." She wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "And you do you think he'll believe? You, who bangs anything in his field of vision—" She paused, enjoying the look of incredulity on his face, and her face morphed into her society expression. "—or me, his pure and honest girlfriend of many years." She smirked, feeling victorious.

Chuck stared at her in shock. "So that's really how you're going to play this, then?" He murmured. He absentmindedly brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face. "Lying and cheating." He was vaguely impressed and knew she was right—Nate would always believe Blair.

Blair smiled. "I learned from the best." They shared a smirk, almost falling into their old habits, before Blair shook her head, irritated, and stalked away. Chuck watched her go, feeling almost content for the first time in days.

Blair walked up the stone steps, rummaging through her bag in an attempt to locate her Sidekick. She smiled victoriously as she hit upon a piece of metal. She felt the edges and her eyes widened as she realized what it was—the key. She hurriedly stuffed it back to the bottom, and remember that her Sidekick was in the front pocket, locating it almost immediately.

"Miss Waldorf?" said a woman's voice at the top of the stairs. Blair looked up in surprise to see the new headmistress standing there.

"Yes, Ms. Queller?" she replied, unworried.

"We need to search your bag." The headmistress smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid we've come to find it necessary to search every student. It's routine."

Blair felt herself stiffening nervously as she thought of the little key stuffed at the bottom of her bag, but handed the bag over with an easy smile. "Of course. I understand."

Ms. Queller shuffled through the folders and notebooks held inside Blair's bag, and opened all the pockets. She handed the bag back to Blair, who smiled her sweetest at the headmistress.

"You're free to go Miss Waldorf." The headmistress sighed.

Blair walked past, head down. She sighed with relief, closing her eyes.

And tripped.

The normally poised and graceful Blair Waldorf fell flailing, the contents of her bag flying everywhere. Blair began to get up, cheeks burning with embarrassment. As she got up, she noticed Ms. Queller looking at a certain object quizzically. The now-austere woman picked up a tiny key from the ground, and Blair sighed.

Her mother was going to kill her.

Ms. Queller glared at Blair, and crooked a finger. "Miss Waldorf, I think you should accompany me to my office."

Chuck was sitting with a group of friends (including Nate) when he heard the news about Blair.

"So, apparently, she tried to call the Waldorf parents, but her mom's in Paris and her dad's…" the boy speaking trailed off, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"What happened?" questioned Chuck, hearing the name Waldorf.

"Apparently, Blair was the one who broke into the swimming pool. They found the key in her bag." The boy informed him.

"What?" asked Chuck, knowing Blair and knowing what would happen if she got expelled. "Never mind, don't answer that." He rounded on Nate. "Why aren't you with her?"

Nate looked confused. "What can I do?"

Chuck rolled his eyes, irritated, and stalked away. He arrived in the headmistress's office a few minutes later.

"It was me." He announced to a shocked Ms. Queller and an even more shocked Blair. "I broke in. Blair was covering for me because…" his mind scrambled for an excuse. "She didn't want to effect my already slim chances of going Ivy. But it's not fair for her to take the blame."

The phone rang in the now still office, and Ms. Queller picked it up. Chuck smirked in pride, knowing what was being told to her over the line. He had made a call on his way to the office, and that was all it took.

"Well, Mr. Bass, since you confessed, your sentence will be relatively lenient. You are suspended for four days, effective immediately." She glared at him. "Now go. Miss Waldorf, you may go too."

Both students silently departed.

The moment they were outside of the door, Blair turned to Chuck. "What the hell was that?"

"What, no thank you? I'm crushed." Said Chuck, smirking.

"Oh yes, you're just my knight in shining armor." Said Blair sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Chuck sighed. "I know how much Yale means to you, and you shouldn't have to take the blame for something that was everyone's fault."

Blair's eyes widened. "Chuck Bass…was that a grand romantic gesture?" She asked, incredulous.

"…maybe…?" Chuck ventured.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me." She murmured, stepping closer. She held her hand up to his face, and drew him close. Their lips touched softly and sweetly, before Chuck, being Chuck, deepened the kiss.

"I think you're getting soft." She said, giggling, after they broke apart.

"As long as you're the only one who knows." He teased back.

Sorry, it's been WAY hot in Boston, so my computer keeps crashing. And I have finals, and stuff, so I couldn't get to this. As soon as this heat wave (from hell) is over, I'll be updating more regularly.