Blair sat at home by herself all night, sure, she should be used to this, but without Dorata; the place never felt so empty. To her surprise she began reading Catcher in the Rye; it's not as if she had anything better to do. Relate to Holden Caulfield, seriously? Why didn't he just tell her to earn Nate's forgiveness, and let Chuck off the hook?! Ok, seriously, enough with the ex's.

"You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when its gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?"

The ducks. She fed the ducks every summer with her father, or Dorota. Yet, she never knew where the ducks went when the pond is frozen. She had always just assumed they found another pond, somewhere similar, somewhere safe to go until the pond was ready for their return. She never knew where the ducks went, it was just a sense of faith and knowledge of purpose, that the ducks had something planned for them, like the lake froze over for a reason, and they followed their natural path. But that could just be her inner optimist, as she's never witnessed the where the ducks actually go in the winter; she'd never seen what was next for them. Truth be told, it was unknown, uncertain, and this was the first time she really thought about it. It never occurred to her that their routine, their lives would change.

She felt pathetic thinking such things over, but as of the late it had just been her alone with her thoughts. Browsing around her room she found her old headband collection. She used to love them, adore them, refused to go out without one placed firmly on her head. It was if she no longer needed them, she no longer needed the protection they provide; nothing else could hurt her anyway.

What did it matter, why did anything even matter! What's the point of it all?

She used to live her life like a fairy tale, her white knight eager to save her from her lonely tower. She never stopped living this fairy tale even when her beloved white night was lured elsewhere by a desperate blonde. It, like many others, was just a small obstacle easily overcome in the journey to her fate. But life wasn't a fairytale, her white knight didn't want her, he never did. Nobody did, he own mother liked her best friend more, he father preferred his French lover, and her ex-lover is repulsed by her.

XOXOxoxoXOXOxoxoXOXOxoxo XOXOxoxoXOXOxoxoXOXOxoxo XOXOxoxoXOXOxoxoXOXOxoxo

School was a bore. Maybe this never occurred to her before, as she was too busy controlling minions and dictating outfits, but when you take away the social aspect it's rather tiering.

Trudging towards her library spot she spotted someone sitting in her usual chair, whom she soon recognised to be Mr Benson. He was reading a book and eating a sandwich. Blair staggered closer to take a look at his predictably boring reading material… or not so boring.

"Didn't take you as a Hemingway fan," Blair smirked from behind him.

This startled him and he dropped his sandwich and his book.

"Sorry, I thought you were the library lady," he explained gathering his belongings off the ground. "No way is she confiscating my sandwich again."

He looked sort of adorable.

"Yea, she takes the no food policy a little too seriously," Blair chuckled leaning against a shelf.

"She makes me feel rebellious. I feel as if I'm breaking laws eating in here," he winked turning his chair around to face her.

"You're a criminal," she grinned.

Truth be told, this was the first time she spoke to anyone all day, even if it was a teacher. Serena was off with Brooklyn, and was in hardly any of her classes. And nobody else was talking to her.

"Sorry, I stole you hiding place," he apologized. "But it's quite incredible, the only spot in the entire school no one will bother you."

The old Blair would had snapped at him and ordered him to find another place. It was hers, she found it and he was ruining the purpose of it.

"You're lucky I'm so gracious to allow you to share it," Blair exclaimed taking a seat on the other side of the desk.

He smiled and tried to throw his sandwich in the bin but missed. As he shamefully got up to toss it again, Blair took a look at his book. *

"A Farewell to Arms," Blair read. "Would of picked you for more a 'The Sun Also Rises' fan."

"You kidding, come on! Henry is the best protagonist, he knows what he wants and goes after it," he informed her. "Jake seems a little unsure. That is why he doesn't get the girl."

"Oh I'm not arguing, I agree. But Henry doesn't get what he wanted in the end, he doesn't live happily ever after," Blair argued.

She remembered crying when reading A Farewell To Arms, she thought Henry and Katherine would live together forever. But like her recent epiphany, fairy tales don't happen, they're not real, Hemingway had it right the whole time.

"Yes, but he lived, he really lived. He got what he wanted, and sure it went to hell later, but for a while his life was perfect. Whereas Jake came off a little too desperate, thus he never achieving happiness and his life become ever so tragic."

Blair nodded and smiled. So what if she was practically becoming Dan Humphrey, she enjoyed the occasion intellectual discussion.

Grabbing a yogurt from her bag, she began eating it. Even though she no longer sat at the met steps, she sure as hell wasn't going to stop eating yogurt.

"Blair Waldorf, didn't take you for a delinquent," he teased.

"You're not the only law breaker 'round these parts," she shrugged eating another spoonful.

She watched him as he smiled meekly and ran his fingers through his hair. He had certain innocence to him—

"Miss Waldorf!" The library lady screeched. "No food in the library! And Benjamin! You should know better," she shook her head snatching Blair's yogurt and storming off.

Oh I guess she could do without the extra calories.

Blair just stared at Mr Benson until she started laughing.

"Why are you laughing? This is not a laughing matter, you just committed an offence," he mocked.

"Benjamin Benson?" she chuckled. "No wonder the other teachers don't hang out with you."

"You should hear my middle name. My parents were… creative," he explained rolling his eyes. "And the reason the other teacher don't like me is because I wasn't born and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan," he mocked poshly.

Blair had always been a proud resident on the UES , it was her birth right to be wealthy and respected. Old money was held with the highest regard within a society like this, but it always came with a downfall. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother? **

"Some people spend years trying to fit in, become one of us, but sometimes you can't even buy your way in. it's a birth right," she explained.

"I'm starting to see that. They act like I don't deserve to be here," he sighed leaning back in his chair.

"Where are you from then?"

"Brooklyn."

For someone so manipulative and devious, Blair was never really good at hiding her emotions when put on the spot like this.

"Don't give me that look, it's just over the bridge," he assured her.

"But… Brooklyn? Ew," she scoffed.

"Brooklyn is a fine place, heaps of great people grew up there," he argued.

Yea Cabbage Patch, fine addition to the great of today.

"Yea, like who?" Blair rolled her eyes.

"Issac Asimov, W.H. Auden, Neil Diamond," he listed. "To name a few."

"HA! How about Woody Allen, J.D Salinger, Jack—"

"Woody Allen was born in Brooklyn, he moved to Manhattan," he retorted smugly.

"Well at least he had the sense to get out," she replied.

"You read it."

"I read what?" she asked.

Blair knew exactly what he was referring to, but she sure wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing she took his orders.

"J.D Salinger, the author of Catcher in The Rye," he smiled.

"I only know because I have to look at that stupid book every day," she lied.

Before he could get another word in the bell rang for class.

"I guess I'll see you in class Blair," he smiled gathering his belongings and leaving her there.

Of course, she had AP English next, great Penelope was sure to be there mocking her and calling her names. Lately she had grown accustomed to ignoring her, but she just wasn't in the mood for her childish teasing.

Making her way out of the library she spotted someone hurry in the other direction.

"Humphrey?" she called immediately recognising his disgusting scruffy hair.

He turned around to face her looking shocked.

"Blair, umm… hi," he greeted her.

"What are you doing lurking around, shouldn't you be with Serena."

After all, he was the one who took up all her time, stole her.

"Oh yea, no.," he stuttered. "I was trying to find a Mr Benson, someone said he'd be in here. I need to get transferred to his class. They accidently put me in regular—"

"Tragic, I'm sure. I have to get to class. Move," she demanded.

She pushed Dan out of her way and began to make her way to her locker. She never liked him, something about him seemed off. And she certainly didn't like the way he was loitering around.

Grabbing her books from her locker she made a quick stop to the bathroom, making sure the mean girls weren't in there. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her porcelain skin was starting to glow again, and her eyes didn't look so tiered. Maybe she could get used to this alienation after all. She applied another coat of red lipstick and fixed her hair.

Here goes nothing she thought as she walking into the class room. As she entered she spotted Mr Benson sitting at his desk waiting for the late student's arrival. He gave her a gorgeous smile as she made her way to her seat: something that certainly didn't go unnoticed by Chuck.

"I thought I smelt skank," Penelope sniggered.

"It is your signature sent after all, isn't it," Blair muttered just loud enough for Penelope to hear.

Penelope sniggered, not being quick enough to spit out a retort. A few of the jocks and even Chuck chuckled a bit. ***

"Ummm hi, oh ummm, do you know where Mr Benson is?" A familiar voice asked.

"That would be me," he answered looking up at the fellow Brooklynite.

Dan made a quick unsubtle look to Blair and continued rambling about his class mistake. Why did he look at her? He must have been spying on her, but she was only talking to him anyway, that was hardly a serious crime… unlike eating food in the library. ****

"Well then, take a seat Mr Humphrey," he suggested coolly, continuing to sort through his notes.

Dan staggered through the class room, and took the seat right next to Bair (In front of Chuck)

"What do you think you're doing Cabbage Patch?" Blair interrogated him.

"It was here, or over by your minions," he explained.

Then in the most unsubtle way he leaned over and whispered "And I need to talk to you."

For someone who prides himself in intellectual superiority he certainly was quite dumb sometimes.

Blair rolled her eyes and leant back in her chair trying to concentrate to what Mr Benson was saying. As he wrote on the board she watched his biceps tense. You could tell from his almost inappropriately tight shirt that he worked out a lot.

"Ok juniors, I want you to answer these questions I've put on the board. Full sentences, a paragraph for each answer," he ordered.

Where did Holden write his story from?

Easy, everyone seemed to think it was from a mental institute, but he never actually says that, he writes—

"What were you doing in the library?" Dan whispered.

She saw Chuck's head move up out of the corner of her eye, no doubt to listen in.

"Studying. Mind your own business Humphrey," she commanded.

Blair worked as fast as she could all lesson, just wanting to have an excuse to leave and escape the accusing eyes of Humphrey.

Mr Benson just happened to walk past her desk the moment she finished.

"For someone who hates the book, you seem to have a lot to write about it," he noted.

"There's a lot of criticising to be done," she retorted smiling back at him.

Ignoring Dan's worried looks at their exchange; she concentrated on the beautifully sculpted man in front of her.

He walked behind her and leant over her to read he answers. Sure, maybe he was little closer than the regular teacher would be, but no one else noticed as they were too busy discussing themselves.

His cool breath hit her neck and made the hairs on the back of it stand up whenever he chuckled at her responses. Not that she was complaining.

"Maybe try being a little less bias and stubborn," he suggested turning his head to face her.

"I can't help it if this Holden guy is so self absorbed and boring," she explained facing him.

He stood up straight and came around to the front of her desk. "Not everything's Hemingway and Fitzgerald, sometimes you just have to be open to the possibility that you're seeing the character in the wrong light."

"You say stubborn and close minded, I say passionate," she smirked placing her books in a pile.

He grinned his million dollar smile at once more and gestured towards the door.

She nodded, grabbed her belongings and walked down the hall. Glancing at her watch it read 2:45, she loved leaving school early. The halls were quiet and empty, no idiots blocking her exit path.

"Blair!" Dan yelled running down the hall towards her.

Ew, he's like a bug that just keeps following you around and refuses to go away. But he probably had more dieses.

"Wow Humphrey, finish your questions already?"

"Blair what's going on with you and that teacher?" he asked in as serious tone.

"God Humphrey, is your love life with Serena so dull you have to make up your own little fantasies about—"

"I saw you two in the library," he interrupted bluntly.

"Yes, we were both in the library. Chatting about the course work, not that it's any of your business," she spat.

Why did he even care? If he thought he was going to keep Serena by getting along with her, and caring about her life, he was so wrong.

"I saw the way he looked at you in class, the way he leaned over," he commented. "It was totally inappropriate, Blair, if he's-"

"Nothing is happening. You're deluded."

Dan looked down and nodded leaning back against the locker next to hers.

She honestly couldn't see what Serena saw in him, he was judgmental, pretentious, and possessed the grossest hair she'd ever seen.

"What are you two yelling about?" A familiar voice inquired. "Surely, you both have settled the battle for Serena's attention."

Perfect, just perfect. Chuck strolled down the hall towards them, both Blair and Dan rolling their eyes. Blair hadn't even talked to him since the bar conversation, when he compared her to his father sweaty horse. Call her crazy, but she had no interest in talking to him since, in fact sometimes it was just painful to see him.

"Nothing that concerns you,' Blair snapped. "Now if you don't mind, I'm heading home."

Blair slammed her locker and walked away. This situation was not something she desired to be a part of.

"I'll give you a lift home," Chuck suggested (well more of a statement).

"That won't be necessary."

Blair stormed off down the hall cruelly rejecting his offer, and even worse: leaving him with Dan. Cruel? Actually no, he deserved it, what on earth possessed him to think she would accept a ride for him after his little speech?

A/N:

* 'Blair took a look at his book.' I was proof reading and found this sentence, and laughed so much I kept it in.

** 'Chuck chuckled'. Once again, little things like this make me laugh.

*** A library lady at my school honestly took my lunch and banned me from the library for a month for eating.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate all the feedback I've been getting, I seriously am so grateful for each and everyone one of you who take the time to Review, you really make me smile Promise there will be loads more CHAIR stuff later.

Please Review and tell me if your still interested, or if you like the direction/or don't the story is going .

I'm sort of imaging Mr Benson like Dave Annable (google him) without the facial hair. Or even Matt Bomer. But let me know who you imagine him to be like