Chapter 12
With Blair's boyfriend Nate helping to close up the family yacht for the season, Blair is free to focus on the most important event of the fall…her annual sleepover. A tradition since the year 2000, each one more decadent than the last; no expense or reputation is spared. With everything from trundle beds to truffles in place, all that's missing is sleepover star and BFF of Waldorf, Serena Van Der Woodsen.
"Today is the day," Blair thought silently as she oversaw the setting up of her penthouse for the event of the fall. She had been looking forward to this for so long and she knew for a fact that she wasn't the only one. An invitation to this event was coveted almost as much as an invitation to have lunch with Blair herself.
Receiving an invite would mean that you were on a trial basis of becoming a part of the inner circle of the ruling class of Constance. If you did well then you could consider yourself on the fast track to popularity, but if you didn't…let's just say that you gave up your best chance to ever be a member of Blair Waldorf's elite group.
Unfortunately for the masses, this year the coveted five spots for this event were filled with no potentials, only elitist. Thanks to hers and Serena's making up just last week, Serena took the last open spot and Blair couldn't be happier. Don't get her wrong she loved trying out the potentials to see if they were worthy of her attention, but tonight was going to be about reconnecting and having a good time with girlfriends.
As Blair arrived at Constance and took her spot at the center of the courtyard with her minions, she couldn't help but smile as she looked at all the people looking at her exclusive group in envy. Everyone wanted to be a part of Blair's inner circle and she knew it. It made her feel powerful as well as appreciative of her crown as Queen. She sat back on her post as her minions Kati, Iz, and her two new ones Miranda and Chelsea Williams, daughters of a long line of oil tycoons, talked excitedly amongst themselves over the events that were to happen tonight as they all waited for Serena.
Blair sighed happily as she checked her watch, noting the time and mentally calculating how long the group should linger in the spotlight before deciding to join in on the conversations happening around her. Not too long later Blair heard the voice of her best friend as she finally made her appearance in the courtyard while talking on the phone.
Blair stood up with a smile as Serena hung up the phone with a goodbye to her brother, "What was that I heard? Eric's coming home? It's perfect timing."
"How so?" Serena asked as she walked over to Blair with that Humphrey girl trailing behind her not saying anything.
"Well it gives your mother and brother time to bond alone tonight while you get drunk on schnapps and moon the NYU dorms from the limo," Blair laughed a bit with Kati and Iz at the memory of a sleepover a few years passed.
Serena laughed before asking, "Blair what are you talking about?"
"S it's only the most important night of the fall," Blair said as if it were obvious what she was talking about, nudging Serena lightly as she smiled.
A look passed over Serena's face as she remembered, "Oh, the sleepover."
"I prefer soirée," Blair said with a nod before frowning, "Sleepover is so sophomore year."
"You know I can't go to that, right?" Serena asked hesitantly, "I have that plan."
"Serena when there's a Waldorf soirée, there is nothing else on the social calendar," Blair stated as if it were a fact. And for her it was.
"Blair, the plan is Dan," Serena says bluntly, "Remember? The guy you realized is actually a human being worthy of your time and attention?" Blair mentally rolled her eyes as Serena quickly turned to Jenny with, "No offense."
"Already she's ditching me for this Humphrey guy and they aren't even exclusive," Blair thought silently to herself as she glanced briefly with a frown at Jenny, but not saying anything to her as she responded to Serena that no offense was taken before giving her attention back to Serena.
"Look, I'm really sorry. But this date is unbreakable." At the sight of Serena's genuine apologetic face and her apology on the situation, Blair forgave her since it wasn't as if she ditched her on purpose and she seemed to really like this Humphrey guy. Before she could assure her that she understood, Serena gasped as an idea apparently popped into her head, "Maybe we can swing by later or-"
Blair interrupted that thought quickly, forgetting about trying to reassure Serena that she was fine with her inability to come to her soirée with, "I am not a stop a stop along the way, I'm a destination, and if you refuse to attend then I'm going to have to find a replacement. Girl's the waiting list." She waved her hand towards Kati and Iz for what she asked for, immediately giving it her full attention.
"Okay…well, I should get going," Serena said softly. Blair looked over at her best friend and waved gently to show that there really wasn't any real hurt feelings and that she'd call her later this weekend to check in. She watched as Serena said her goodbyes to Jenny and left before once again glancing at Jenny herself; an idea forming in her head at the sight of a potential making an appearance.
A slow smile began to form over her face the longer she looked at Jenny before she spoke in a sugary sweet voice as she tossed the sheet of paper back at Kati without looking, "Little Jenny Humphrey, why didn't I think of you before?" Blair placed her hand on Jenny's shoulder as she continued, "You have no plans, come to my soirée."
"Me?" Jenny asked, showing the appropriate amount of excitement for the occasion, "Really?"
Blair smiled as she tilted her head to the side as she heard from behind her Kati and Iz asking in unison, "Her, really?" Blair swore that those two could be twins if they looked anything alike.
Blair began to speak, ignoring the looks of confusion from her minions, "The thing is, if you come, you'll have to be up to a little more than just sleeping." Blair winked playfully as she waited for Jenny's answer, not worried that she would not jump at this opportunity.
"I'm up for anything!" Jenny said excited, unaware that those could be her famous last words.
Blair smirked, "My place. 7 o'clock sharp."
Jenny nodded energetically before leaving with, "Kay! Bye!"
As Blair watched the young blonde walk away, her smirk grew as she sat back on top of the courtyard table that was her original seat as she mused out loud to herself lethargically, "Oh, a girl's first sleepover. Something she'll never forget," Blair crossed her legs as she rested her arms on top of them a sigh, glancing down at the Williams twins as she added, "Let's make sure of it."
Miranda smiled as she said to the group, "Taking bets on how long she lasts."
Chelsea gave the first bid as she watched Jenny walk down the hall away from them with, "50 bucks says an hour and not a minute more."
They all laughed softly in fun as they continued to speculate on how long they had to play with their new potential while Blair just smiled silently. "Let's just see how far Little Humphrey is willing to go to be on the inside…" she thought to herself before dismissing the group to go to class.
xoxo
After finishing up with giving the last minute details to her minions for the night's events Blair dismissed them to go home and prepare as she began walking home alone. Not too long into her trek she heard the sound of a car driving along beside her; she glanced over and smirked at the sight of Chuck hanging out in the back seat.
He called out to her with a grin, "Care for a ride and a drink, Waldorf?"
She laughed once as she responded, not stopping her walk, "What are you up to Bass? You know I have plans tonight."
Chuck had the car stop and opened up his door, inviting her inside, "I know, but you have time for just one drink for a friend, don't you?"
Blair stopped and turned towards the car, smirking a bit before climbing inside, "Only for a select few," she joked as she shut the door behind her. Chuck continued to smirk as he handed her a couple of fingers of scotch as he took a pull from his own.
Blair took the glass and took a light sip as she leaned back in the seat, getting comfortable, "So, how are things with you and Nate now that Carter's gone?" she asked him, having already heard the story of the more important events that occurred during the boys' Lost Weekend not too long ago.
Chuck sighed softly and shrugged before responding, "Things are going better. Nathaniel is still insisting on paying me back for the 10,000 dollars."
Blair frowned briefly before asking hesitantly, "So he still doesn't know that you paid his debt by letting Carter keep your ball and your watch?"
Chuck shrugged it off as if it wasn't a big deal, but Blair looked at him in a new light. This new information showed her how much he actually valued his friendships and it revealed how generous he is when it came to people he cared about. Blair began to feel a strange tightening in her stomach at this revelation which she quickly ignored as he asked her about her soirée.
"Originally it was just going to be a girl's night, but since Serena is going out with that Humphrey guy from Brooklyn, I was left with an open spot. Fortunately, I came up with an entertaining alternative," she smirked over her glass.
"Really? Do share," Chuck asked softly as he feels the car come to a stop outside of Blair's building.
"I'm sure you remember little Jenny Humphrey…" she smirked at him, knowing full and well he does.
"What about her?" Chuck asked intrigued.
"She'll be this year's potential," Blair sighed, liking the idea the more she thought about it.
Chuck nodded his approval as he spoke, "Even though she and I ended on not so nice terms, I think this would be good for her. See how far she'll go and if she's got what it takes to survive in our world," He raises his glass to Blair in salute, "I look forward to seeing if she comes out on the other side unscathed, Waldorf."
Blair chuckled as she clinked her glass with his, "As do I; I'll be sure to keep you updated, Bass. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a soirée to prepare for." She leaned towards him and kisses his cheek affectionately, not sure why she did it, but it felt right, "I'll keep you posted."
Chuck smirked after her as she slid out of the car after handing him her empty glass and shut the door behind her as Arthur drove on. Chuck finished the remainder of his glass, ignoring the warm feeling he felt inside at the feel of Blair's lips on his cheek, contributing it to the alcohol he was drinking.
xoxo
A few hours later, Blair welcomed her guests with a smile, making sure that everyone had a gin martini before leading everyone to the manicure and pedicure station where the Kati and Iz got settled and lead the Williams twins over to their assigned clothing racks on the other side of the room. Since Jenny wasn't due to join the party for another thirty minutes, the girls were able to relax and have a good time without having to put on airs for the freshman.
The girls laughed and discussed what was on the agenda as they all got dressed for the night. Chelsea and Miranda just switched with Kati and Iz at the stations when Blair vaguely heard the sound of the elevator doors opening, announcing a new arrival. Not bothering to go greet the newcomer as she talked with the stylists she hired for the make overs for the girls, picking which dress would go well with each girl at the party.
Blair glanced towards her foyer and felt her excitement grow as she saw little Humphrey standing there like a fish out of water, "Jenny! Oh so glad you could make it!"
She smiled and made her way over to Jenny as a wait staff came by, offering a tray of grapes to eat. She watched as Jenny picked one from the stem and did the same as she wrapped an arm around her as a false sign of friendship. "Let the games begin," Blair thought silently to herself.
After finishing with making introductions to the rest of the girls, Blair declared that it was time for make overs, figuring that Jenny was the one that required the most work by way of making her over to be worthy of being seen with them in public, she let the girls go and dress themselves, reserving the right to veto any and all choices as she worked on Jenny's new look.
After a lot of no on the clothing choices and laughs at how ridiculous some of them were on Jenny and the others, Jenny Humphrey came down the stairs in a yellow strapless, empire waist dress that was by far appropriate of her temporary status as a member of Blair's inner circle. Blair smiled and applauded as she voiced her approval, "Well even I'm impressed."
As Blair lead Jenny to the mirror to get a look at herself, Jenny hesitantly said, "Um, I don't know. I don't really feel right."
Blair looked at Jenny through the mirror briefly before deciding to cut her a bit of slack, "Well as my mother always says: "Fashion knows not of comfort," Blair reached towards Jenny, cupping her face lightly as she finished, "All that matters is the face you show the world, and your face looks like it's going to bar mitzvah."
Blair released Jenny's face and went back to looking at her through the mirror, coming up with Jenny's first test of the evening as she spoke, "But before we continue with the renovation…" Blair passed by in front of Jenny to the wet bar that was next to them, picking up a martini and turning back to Jenny, offering it to her, "Martini."
Jenny tried to play it cool with a bright smile, "Oh, no thanks, I don't like vodka."
Blair, without blinking an eyelash, replied, "Well that's nice because this is gin; as it should be." Blair watched Jenny closely as she took the glass but did not drink from it. Getting irritated, Blair bluntly stated, "It's a party Jenny. Either swallow that, or swipe your metro card back home. It's up to you." She shrugged lightly with a smirk as if it didn't matter to her either way as she waited to see if Jenny would pass her first of many tests for the night.
As Jenny reluctantly took a sip from the glass and smiled as if she liked it, Blair mentally declared it a pass as she turned towards the rest of her minions behind her, "Alright people who's ready for a game of truth or dare?"
Before anyone could respond with more than a smile, Jenny jumped in excitedly as she giggled, "Oh, I love truth or dare! Once, I had to eat an entire bag of marshmallows!"
Blair felt her irritation return at Jenny's overenthusiasm, being over eager was a turn off in almost all situations and she needed to squash that trait in Jenny quickly if she had any hopes of sticking around. Letting her attitude come out a bit she replied, "That's nice little Humphrey, but that's not how we play."
Obviously getting the message loud and clear, Jenny almost instantly became hesitant as she asked her next question, "Well…how do you play?" She didn't have to wait long for her answer as she got the front row seat of the first dare of the night with Kati and Iz making out as if it was something they did all the time. Blair laughed as she stood by Jenny, enjoying the show and only rolled her eyes when Jenny said obviously uncomfortable, "I think I'll go with truth."
xoxo
About an hour later, Blair was sitting in front of the vanity, drink in hand as Chelsea came into the room after performing her own dare, laughing as she placed a hat on top of Blair's head as she said, "It wasn't easy getting the entire uniform but done and done."
The girls laughed as they took in Chelsea's new outfit of what the doorman was supposed to be wearing and took a sip from her glass; Blair took off the matching hat and set it aside as Jenny asked confused, "What's the doorman wearing?"
Blair rolled her eyes as she turned around slowly in her chair with a smirk as she crossed her legs and answered, "Don't you worry about that, little J. Just drink up, you're lagging behind," she ordered as she pushed her bangs to the side of her face and took a sip from her own glass, watching Jenny as she picked up her glass and drank from it.
Blair didn't break her gaze on the blonde until she heard a phone go off. Jenny quickly tried to reach for it, but Blair was faster and opened up the flip phone to read the message, "SOS! Still in prison!" she said with a laugh as she took in the attached picture, "Is that Eric Van Der Woodsen? Thought he went home for the weekend?" She asked as she snapped the phone closed and handed it to Jenny.
Jenny took it carefully obviously sad at the news, "I guess it didn't happen…"
Blair took a moment to think as she took another sip from her glass before coming up with a plan, "I do owe him one after that whole mess at the mixer." She silently thought to herself before looking up at Jenny and began speaking to Iz, "Iz, why don't you take the girls to Visconti. Meet you there in an hour." Everyone knew that although it sounded like a request, in reality it was an order and began to gather their things to do as they were bidden.
As the girls left, Blair handed off the doorman's hat to Chelsea and slowly stood up, glass still in hand as she got down to business, showing that she was done taking it easy on Jenny for the night and proceeded to give her her next test of the evening, "Let's wrap this up shall we? Truth or Dare? Oh, and you already used your truth," Blair smirked.
Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise before she answered, "So…dare?" she asked instead of making a statement.
Blair spoke bluntly, "I dare you to jailbreak Eric."
"Blair," Jenny tried to make Blair see how crazy that was, but she was not having it.
"It's perfect. You want in and he wants out. What's it going to be? Do or die Little J," Blair continued to smirk as she looked at the freshman, careful to make sure that she was always aware that she had a choice in all matters that happened tonight. It was up to Jenny to decide how far she was willing to go in order to be a part of this world and it was up to Blair to push her to her personal brink.
As Blair waited for her answer, not rushing her in the least as she finished up her martini, she smirked as she watched the wheels turn in Jenny's head; trying to decide if this request was her limit. "She's not a mindless follower, she actually thinks things through. There may be a potential queen standing in front of me, but we'll see how it goes by the end of the night." She thought silently to herself.
Spotlight on little J: Now put to the test by one Queen B. Will J take the bait and go from Brady to Britney? Or will her goody two shoes mindset turn into the night's biggest buzzkill?
After Jenny made her decision the girls quickly left the penthouse after grabbing their coats and coming up with a plan to free Eric from the Ostroff Center. Blair began to smudge up her lipstick and teased up her hair in the town car to look as if she were drunk and went in about five minutes after Jenny had been gone. She stumbled her way to the receptionist desk and leaned on the desk as she purposely slurred her words as she began to speak.
"Okay! I have a problem. I have a big problem!" She leaned towards the nurse with a smile, "It starts with a capital RX," before laughing to herself, resting her head on her hand as she tilted her head to the side.
"What drugs are you taking?" The nurse asked her, obviously not surprised to have a random walk in come and try to check herself in late at night.
Blair began throwing out names of prescriptions and drugs that one or two would be found in almost every Upper East Sider's medicine cabinet, "Hmmm….caffeine, nicotine, ketamine, GHP, PCP, LSD, ger-Gerasapam?" she stumbled as she looked at the nurse to confirm if that was the right one, "Flourasapam…all the pams really, you know I don't discriminate," she joked.
"Apparently not," The nurse said as she put her clipboard down carefully and picked up the phone and started talking into it, "Code Yellow. Floor 6." She hung up the phone as Blair frowned at her, hoping that the nurse wasn't going to actually commit her and would just go away already.
The nurse began to speak to Blair in a soothing voice, "Why don't you wait right here…I'll get a doctor."
Blair smiled as the nurse finally made to leave, not forgetting her role as a drug addict she called out after her as she leaned against the desk, "And I'd love a cappuccino!"
After the nurse was around the corner and gone, Blair quickly stood up straight and made her way over to Eric's assigned room and opened it, careful to not get caught she whispered to Eric, "Come on, let's go!"
Eric just took in her appearance for a moment, not able to say anything. Blair just rolled her eyes as she explained herself with a shrug, "I heard you were bored and I figured I owed you one."
"Yeah, try fifty," Eric smiled as he corrected her, finishing up tying his shoe.
"Okay! Come on, get a move on!" Blair urged them, being careful to keep her voice down in case the nurse and doctor should hear her. The trio quickly fled the center in the dead of night and got into Blair's waiting town car and headed to Visconti to meet the others, laughing as they went while Blair worked quickly on fixing her appearance.
xoxo
As Chuck sat at the bar alone drinking his scotch, he glanced around the room at large. He'd been at Visconti for a couple of hours, figuring he could use a change in scenery for his choice of conquest for the night, before he spotted Blair's minions making their entrance. What surprised him was that Blair was nowhere to be found amongst them and neither was that Humphrey girl.
"I wonder how little Jenny is faring being thrown into the lion's den for her debut," he thought silently with a smirk, knowing Blair the way he does, he knew that the brunette was not going to make it easy on the blonde. Their kind doesn't accept public weakness, but they relish in finding them in others and exploiting it. Blair and himself were no different.
In fact, the only people safe from that exploitation is they themselves: Nate, Serena, Blair and Chuck himself; looking back over the war that occurred upon Serena's return only proved that. As far as Blair went in regards to taking Serena down, with almost 16 years of secrets and ammo, she kept it pretty superficial. Never once crossing the invisible line that they all knew, at least subconsciously, was there. It was because of this, Chuck wasn't surprised that the war wasn't permanent between the two girls. As long as neither one crossed that line there was always an opportunity to go back.
It showed that even though Blair was mad, she was more hurt than anything, that along with the mix of her insecurities of being inadequate and all the drama involving her family gave her the opportunity to lash out at someone without too much consequence, and that person was the one that added the last straw that broke the camel's back, Serena.
Almost as if he conjured her by thought she, the focus of his thoughts, Blair Waldorf, slid onto the bar stool beside him without even noticing that he was there. He smirked as he leaned towards her as he spoke, "If I didn't know any better, Waldorf, I'd say you were following me."
Blair smirked as she looked over at Chuck, "I could say the same thing Bass." Her smirk grew as he motioned to the bartender that her drink was on him.
"When I saw your minions over there, I figured that you couldn't be too far away, especially tonight of all nights," he said as the two clinked their glasses as they did only a few hours earlier, "How is the night coming? Is the potential living up to her….potential?" he asked with a smirk implying something much more than what he was saying.
Blair chuckled as she took a sip of her martini before she answered, "Actually she is, I'm impressed."
"And you are one who's not easily impressed," Chuck said a bit taken aback at Blair's answer as she nodded.
"The night is young, I'll have to see how it ends, but from what I've seen…I may be looking at someone more than just a potential. Maybe even a future Queen…" Blair said voicing her thoughts from earlier at her penthouse.
Chuck just stared at her for a moment, very much aware of how big of a deal this was, before asking, "Already finding your predecessor?"
"A girl has to start thinking of her legacy at some point, Bass," she said with a light shrug, "But like I said before, the night's young and she would have to be groomed and molded a bit, but she does have that potential."
"Chuck smirked a bit as he mused to himself out loud, "Who would have thought…little Jenny Humphrey from Brooklyn, Queen of Constance. If anyone could make her worthy of taking the throne after you, it's you, Waldorf. But be careful, you and I both know what happens when climbers with ambition get a thought in their heads of potentially ruling it all."
Blair finished for him after swallowing her drink, "There's the risk of them taking over too soon for their own good." She silently mused over this warning, remembering how she got her crown in the first place. "I'll be sure to put her on a short leash and watch her carefully."
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that," Chuck grinned as he ordered her a fresh martini.
Blair smiled at him in thanks, mentally shaking her head of the dark thoughts that was always plaguing her in the far back corner of her mind of anyone who had the potential to come and take her crown away. "I better get back, thanks for the drink." She slid off of the bar stool carefully as he nodded his head to her as she took her leave of him and Chuck turned and picked his conquest of the evening to take home.
Even though the conversation took a dark turn, Blair found herself smiling as she left the bar. Unfortunately it didn't last too long before she heard another voice entirely behind her, "Hey baby! You wanna uh maybe show me the bathroom and get lost somewhere around coat check?"
Blair frowned as she looked at the obviously drunk pig as she turned towards him as if to think about the offer she paused before answering, "Well my answer is usually never say never…but for you I'll make an exception." With that she quickly left him standing there as his friends laughed at his expense at being cut down, as she reached her minions they all laughed too at the situation as Blair handed off her glass to Iz as she took a seat in the middle, "Who let the hedge fund mafia in here, I thought matchy matchy was over!"
She shared a smile with Kati as Jenny spoke up, obviously feeling more comfortable with the group then she did when she first arrived, "So, Eric's here, now it's your turn. Truth or Dare?"
Blair smiled up at Jenny as she spoke as if it were obvious, "You have to ask?"
"I dare you to make out with that guy," Jenny said motioning over to the guy Blair just rejected.
"Easy," Blair replied, not even seeing it as a real challenge.
"And mean it," Jenny added on with a smile. Blair shared a smile with her minions as she stood up, definitely up to the challenge at hand.
"Watch and learn Little Humphrey," she said as she patted Jenny's shoulder and passed by her and walked purposely toward the pig across the room.
When she reached his side she tapped his shoulder with her index finger to get his attention, not even waiting for him to turn his head towards her, Blair just grabbed him by his face and pulled him towards her as she took his lips with hers, throwing in some tongue to really give the girls and boys a show to remember. After about ten seconds, she broke the kiss; wiping her mouth of his disgusting saliva as she kept him from falling onto her in his inebriated state.
One of his friends called out, "I hope Amanda never finds out."
Blair frowned as she asked him outright, "Who's Amanda?"
It took the guy a moment to answer, "Just my girlfriend."
Blair smirked as an idea came to mind at how to keep this game going before she patted his chest and easily slipped his phone into her palm as she said to him, "Amanda never has to know does she?" With that she turned away from him again and walked back to her friends as he hooted about not being the one to tell her. Blair made a mental note to gargle some mouthwash the moment she got home or at least take a swig of her martini to get rid of the taste in her mouth.
As she made it back to the girls she waved her prize with a smile, "Look what I got!" the girls laughed as they waited to see what Blair would do next as she turned towards Jenny, "I dare you to call his girlfriend. Her name's Amanda."
Without even hesitating or thinking about it, Jenny took the phone out of Blair's hand and said with ease, "Done and done." As she found the number in the phone and called, the girls were silent as they listened, "Hello, Amanda? Hi, this is Bl-," Blair gave her a look that stopped Jenny in her tracks before quickly changing the name, "Clair," to which Blair nodded in approval as she continued talking, "Yeah. I just had my tongue down your boyfriend's throat and he neglected to tell me you existed until after it was over. Just thought you should know, he's a real catch! Bye!"
Blair couldn't hold in her laughter as Jenny wrapped up the phone call and the minions joined in in almost disbelief that Little Jenny Humphrey was actually proving herself worthy of being around them. Blair got control over herself as she exclaimed raising her glass in a toast, "Alright, sleepover of the year! Woo!"
xoxo
About an hour later, Blair and her group could be seen at the center of the dance floor, dancing without a care in the world and everyone has having some much needed fun, including Eric. The truth or dare game was put on hold for the time being. As Blair danced and laughed she found herself wondering if Chuck was still there or had he gone home with his conquest of the night.
Blair felt a tightening in her chest at the prospect, but couldn't even begin to figure out the source of it. Before she could delve too much farther into it though she was yanked around by that pig from earlier as he demanded, "Excuse me, hey! Where's my phone?"
Before she could respond with a snarky remark, that Dan character of all people and Serena showed up apparently to defend her honor as he pushed the pig away, "Hey, let go of her!"
As the pig in question asked who Dan was, Blair talked over him to answer his question with a look of disgust, "Your phone is at our table, and if you weren't so drunk and drooling over every girl in this place you would've seen that."
Next thing Blair knows is some short blonde woman is in her face threatening her, "I'm going to kill you!"
Not at all intimidated, Blair spoke in a condescending tone, "Oh, you must be Amanda, right? Well, I would think twice before marrying him," she pointed to Amanda's boyfriend with a laugh, "Because he's a pig."
Once again the blonde got in her face as if to do something as her boyfriend just stood back and watched the show; before anything could be done, Serena pulled Amanda back, "Hey! Back off of her, okay?!"
Blair frowned as she yelled over the music to Serena, "I don't need you to defend me."
Serena rolled her eyes just when Jenny joined the conversation, standing next to Blair as the rest of the minions stood back and watched the fireworks go off before them, "It wasn't even her who called you. It was me."
Blair vaguely heard Dan call Jenny's name in disbelief as Amanda started talking again, "So she's the one with the tongue?"
"Tongue?" Humphrey boy asked, "Tongue? What are you even doing here? You're supposed to be at a sleepover."
Blair and Jenny shared a brief look as if to say "oops, we're caught", both holding in their laughter as Amanda continued to put pieces together of a puzzle that really shouldn't have been started as she yelled at her boyfriend, "You made out with a girl from a sleepover?!"
"You made out with him?!" Dan yelled at Jenny, honestly it was like watching a three ringed circus as Blair just watched the stream of conversation go around and around.
The boyfriend finally spoke with, "I made out with her!" motioning over to Blair instead of Jenny.
Blair just found herself making a face of disgust as she glanced over at Serena's look of shock, "Ew! Please, it was a dare," she explained to Serena more than anyone.
"A dare?! What are you, children?!" Amanda yelled at them.
Dan of course had to put his two cents in with, "Yeah pretty much. She's fourteen." Blair was seriously starting dislike this Brooklynite again. Who even invited him into this conversation! He's just making the situation much worse than it already was.
The couple in front of Blair yelled in unison, "Fourteen!" Causing Blair and the girls to laugh at their shock, figuring that they did a very good job with little J's make over that they didn't even have a clue that she was so far under aged.
The pig began to make his excuses, "Jesus baby I didn't know, I swear. I mean look at her she's practically jailbait."
Big brother Dan of course had to jump to his sister's honor and it was like a repeat of the Sunday brunch all those weeks ago. The last thing Blair wanted was for another scene/ fight to break out because that would definitely ruin the party.
Jenny obviously sensing that her Queen wasn't finding much amusement out of the situation any more quickly tried to calm Dan down and the situation, "Dan! Stay out of it okay? You're just causing more problems than you're solving."
"Only thing causing a problem is that cocktail napkin you're wearing," Dan lashed back, to which the pig that started this whole mess started agreeing and leering at Jenny, which in turn caused the animosity between him and Dan to start back up again to the point that a fight was about to start before security asked them all to leave before calling the cops.
Blair started picking up her things, seriously ready to move to a new location. Big brother Dan was seriously cramping her style and ruining a very fun night with his lame knight in shining armor role. Blair sighed as Eric made his appearance and Serena glared and shook her head at Blair as if she were the bad guy in this mess! After making sure the girls got everything they headed outside, ready to head back to Blair's.
xoxo
Before the girls could even come up with a game plan once they were outside, Blair was called over by Serena to talk. Blair knew by one glance that Serena was furious at what Blair had done. She gave her minions a universal signal that she'd be right back before making her way over to her blonde best friend. Serena sighed as she asked the famous question, "What were you thinking?"
"He was bored!" Blair defended with, figuring it was best to start as simple as possible.
"So you took him to a bar?" Serena asked as she crossed her arms in disapproval.
"He didn't do anything wrong," Blair shrugged off the question, "I thought you'd be happy."
"Well I'm not, okay?" Serena exclaimed, "I can't believe that you did this!"
Before Blair could say anything else, Eric came to stand beside her and began to speak his piece after getting himself a pretzel from a nearby food cart, "Hey, I wasn't kidnapped Serena. I left of my own free will, Blair was trying to do me a favor."
"Told you!" Blair said with a smirk, loving the fact that she was being proved right.
"Well it's no favor, Eric. You're in a lot of trouble." Serena said softly, almost sounding like his mother.
"Yeah I know…and you know what? It was worth it. To be out after dark and to talk to someone who isn't you or mom! Even if it is Blair. No offense," Eric tried his best to explain to Serena before directing his last sentence to Blair.
Who easily took it in stride with a slight nod, "None taken." She was glad that he was finally able to be heard and say what has been on his mind. She, more than most, could understand how important that was since she craved that for years from her own mother.
"Well, I'm sorry that this was the only way," Serena apologized, seeming to get where Eric was coming from, "We'll work on mom, okay?"
Blair watched as Eric nodded in agreement as Serena continued, "Since she knows you're okay…I guess there's no real reason to rush. How about we walk?"
Blair looked back and forth at the two, feeling as if she was on some twisted family sitcom instead of the real world and made a sound of disgust at the scene before her playfully as she said, "Call me," before heading back over to her minions.
"Yeah I will," she heard Serena call after her.
Blair simply replied over her shoulder as if it were obvious, "I was talking to Eric," earning a laugh from both of the blondes before getting back with her group, wondering briefly where Jenny was.
After spotting her across the street with Dan, she turned to her minions just when an idea popped into her head. It would be Jenny's last test of the night to see if she was willing to go as far as the very end of this game and come out on the other side a winner. She quickly explained the plan to the other girls who praised her for her brilliance and how funny it was going to be.
After nailing down the details, Blair called out to Jenny across the street, "Coming Jenny?!" she tilted her head to the side as she waited for a response, her minions following suit as they looked towards Jenny. After Jenny confirmed that she was coming and requesting a moment to finish up.
Blair turned towards her minions as they all talked about how epic this sleepover was, especially with having a potential there. She could see that Jenny had gained some ground with the girls throughout the night, which she'll need if she wanted to be a part of their group. Blair could only do so much to allow her to be accepted in the ranks. Not liking being kept waiting she called over to Jenny again, "Come on, we're leaving!"
Jenny responded that she was coming before, Blair guessed, she said her goodbyes to her brother and jogged across the street to them. Blair grinned as she led the way to her town car to take them to their last destination of the night before they headed back to her penthouse.
xoxo
Blair had the car park around the corner and going the opposite direction from their destination, the last thing they needed was to get caught red handed at this stage of the game. The minions were still giggling at what was to come as Jenny was completely oblivious of her final test coming just before midnight. It was when they stopped that Jenny looked towards Blair for some direction on what was going on. They were in front of Eleanor Waldorf Design's shop.
Blair looked to Jenny with a smirk as she dealt the final test of the evening to Little J, "I dare you to steal that jacket from that manikin for me."
Jenny paused and looked at the jacket before looking back at Blair as Blair just faced forward, looking into the display window with a smirk. "You want me to steal a jacket from a manikin?"
Blair nodded in confirmation as the minions stood behind them silently, "That's right."
"Blair it's your mom's store. I mean you can get anything you want," Jenny explained to her as if it weren't obvious.
Blair glanced at Jenny with a look that screamed "Are you seriously that naïve? As if that's the point of all this" as she moved to stand in front of her, holding the keys to the shop in her hand, "So can you. Unless you don't want to...which is totally understandable. And I wouldn't judge you for that," Blair, once again, giving Jenny a choice in the matter, the chance to walk away.
"I don't get it," Jenny stated, looking a bit confused.
"Then you don't have to do it," Blair shrugged lightly as if it wasn't a big deal, "It's just a shame since you've come so far."
Blair watched the indecisiveness war on in Jenny's eyes as she glanced again at the window display before she asked, "Just the jacket?"
"Just the jacket," Blair confirmed with a nod with an innocent smile, knowing that by just asking the question Jenny was already as good as doing it. It was only a moment before Jenny reached out for the keys and took them out of Blair's hand and headed inside as the minions and Blair laughed in excitement.
They all stood on the sidewalk as they watched Jenny timidly unlock the door and head inside, still smiling like a group of cats about to eat the helpless little canary bird. After Jenny shut the door behind her and went up to the manikin in question, Blair began to countdown out loud from five. When she got to one she quickly told everyone to run and they all did as they laughed back to the town car, leaving Jenny there in the store. They were around the corner when they heard the alarm go off in the distance and laughed at the situation as they told the driver to take them to Blair's with no regards to their sixth member left behind.
xoxo
About an hour later, everyone was in bed asleep, everyone that is except for Blair. She laid there in the darkness as she reflected over the events of the evening, not having any regrets on what she did. She found comfort in the fact that even if Jenny was in jail for the night she gave her a choice to back out. It was Jenny's decision to go through with it and take the jacket; it's not Blair's fault that she didn't take into consideration that there may have been an alarm to go with the basic lock on the door.
Remembering that she promised to keep Chuck updated she reached for her phone and began to text him: The night is over and Jenny appears to have not made it till the very end.
She only had to wait for a few minutes before getting a response: Such a shame that she wasted a good impression on you by not thinking on her feet. What left her in the dust?
Blair smirked as she texted back: A little prank of having her taking a jacket from mom's store, forgot to mention the alarm after handing her the keys. Last I saw her she was having a hard time getting out.
She took a deep breath as she felt her eyelids grow heavy. It had been a long night and it was definitely a sleepover for the books; she almost couldn't wait for next year's party.
Blair looked at her phone as it went off again: Poor little J, always locked up somewhere ;)
She smirked just when the sound of her elevator bell went off as the door opened revealing someone coming into her home. Blair squinted into the light and took a moment for her eyes to adjust before she took in who was standing at the foot of her bed. "Well I'll be damned," she thought silently to herself.
It was Jenny Humphrey, wearing the jacket that she was sent in for at her mother's store.
Blair sat up in her bed as Jenny smiled down at her calling softly, "Catch," before tossing Blair her mother's store keys. Blair was genuinely shocked and impressed with this freshman. "Maybe I was right about her after all…" she thought silently to herself.
Blair scoffed to herself before she spoke, "Well, well. Looks like you came to play after all." She smirked as she patted the bed next to her lightly, "You know which trundle bed is yours, sleep tight. You've earned it."
"Actually, I'm going home," Jenny replied with a great deal of confidence, "But uh thanks for inviting me. It was a blast."
Blair frowned in confusion at Jenny's response and answered, "What do you mean you're going home? Nobody ever leaves a sleepover," she said as if it were obvious.
"Well I guess there's a first for everything. Oh, and I'm keeping the jacket, if that's okay with you," Jenny said softly as she looked Blair in the eyes. As she turned to leave, Blair began to think that maybe she was right in her assessment of Jenny before she came through her front door. If she worked this hard to come out a winner only turn tail and go home instead of staying and enjoying her victory, then she didn't have nearly enough ambition to be Blair's eventual next in line.
Just before Jenny walked to the elevator door and Blair was about to just write off the little freshman for good, Jenny turned around and asked with confidence as if she were Blair's equal, "Monday? Lunch on the steps?"
With those words, Blair began to smile sharing a laugh with the freshman, as she responded lightly, "Done and done." As she watched Jenny get into the elevator and left, "There's the ambition I was looking for," she silently thought to herself as she picked up her phone and lay back down on her bed, sending another text to Chuck: I stand corrected. She passed every test with flying colors. In fact she reminds me of me at that age.
Not too much later she got a response: Remember what I said earlier.
Blair nodded softly as she remembered and knew that Chuck was right about everything. Making little Jenny Humphrey into her protégée was risky and it had to be handled delicately, otherwise Blair ran the risk of being overthrown before her time. She sent a response to Chuck: I do and you're right. I will be watching her very closely.
With that she texted her good nights and rolled over in bed under her covers with a smile on her face. She may have to watch her back when it came to Jenny, but she knew that she wasn't the only one looking after her crown as steadfastly as she was. She had her partner in crime, and everyone on the Upper East Side knew it was one thing to go against a Waldorf or a Bass, but it was a whole different game entirely when they went against both.
Word is that Jenny Humphrey killed at Blair Waldorf's sleepover. It was a debut the likes of which haven't been seen since Blair herself.
If Blair's gotta watch her back, Serena needs to keep an eye on her heart. We hear it may have been stolen by Lonely Boy. Putting out an A.P.B.
Gossip Girl
A/N: I have to say I enjoyed writing this chapter so so much! I have always loved Blair since the pilot and I've always held her close to my heart. What did you think of the chapter and the added on Chair scenes. Looks like I wasn't lying when I said that things were going to progress a bit faster than in the story. And have I got a bombshell for you next chapter. As we know the handmaiden's tale is the next episode! People in masks and mistaken identities are just part of the decadence that is that episode. So what do you think of this chapter? What do you think my bombshell's going to be for next chapter?
I love you all and I dedicate this chapter to my Gemini twin Danae and an unknown reviewer who just signed in as a guest. I truly felt moved by reading their review last night that I wanted to co-dedicate a chapter to them for their wonderful words of encouragement!
Don't forget about my beta EvelynBas and her Return Someday story if you haven't already read it! See you guys next week, even though it's my Spring Break I still plan on posting the next chapter, especially since it's already done! :D
-Plei4fun