"So, Dad..." Jenny asked. "What do you think?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"About me going back to school at Constance."

"Oh. Well, Jen, that's great and all but aren't you forgetting that mistress Queller kind of expelled you?"

"I already talked to her. She'll take me back if I write a ten thousand word report and then do thirty-six hours of community service."

"And why do you want to go back?"

"Dad, I'm a dress-less, carreer-less, dreamless teen who's been at home for months doing homework. I want to go back," Jenny said earnestly.

"Okay."

"Thank you!" she hugged her dad. "I'm going to go see Eric, okay?"

"Yeah."

Jenny left. Okay, so she wasn't going to meet Eric. She was going to meet John. Since her father was still amandant on the fact that she wasn't old enough to date, she and John had been doing a lot of sneaking around. But it was kind of like the whole Romeo and Juliet thing. She liked it. But, in all fairness, Jenny and John weren't actually a couple yet.

"Hey," she told John, sneaking up behind him.

He jumped, but returned the greeting. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Really?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

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Nate stopped, shocked at what he was hearing.

"So, Jenny, listen. I've had a really great time with you these last few days. So I think that we should officially go together now."

"Really?" Jenny trilled. "Well, uh... I think so too."

Nate closed his eyes and leaned his head against the cold cement of the wall. John and Jenny were just around the corner, sitting on a bench. Not good, not good, not good. Bad, bad, bad! Jenny had no idea what kind of person John was. He was like Chuck Jr. But worse, if that was possible.

John and Jenny parted soon after. As luck would have it, John went away and Jenny stayed. Nate rounded the corner. "Jenny! Hey," he said, just a bit too cheerily.

She looked up. "Uh...Nate. What are you doing here?"

"Um...I was in the neighborhood."

"Oh, right. Vanessa." Nate sat down beside Jenny. "And I heard your conversation with John."

"Yeah," she said simply. "Wait, how do you know his name?"

"Because I sent him to talk to you in the first place. I just never thought it would develop into this. And I think that I should warn you about John."

"What do you mean?"

"John is like Chuck. He's a terrible person."

Instantly Jenny became offensive. "What?"

"John is not what you think. He's dangerous."

Jenny laughed bitterly. "I can't believe you!"

Nate sighed.

"Okay, you know what? You're just mad that I will not be there to be a social rebound when your relationship with Vanessa crashes. Because John is a great person. He's been nothing but sweet to me since I met him."

"Jenny, wait, you have to believe me!"

"Nate. I punished myself for days for what I did to Vanessa. And I'm sorry, okay? But that's over now, and I'm ready to move on. But you have to let me. You chose to be with Vanessa and now you have to accept the fact that I'm with someone else now."

"Jenny..."

Jenny stood up and walked away. She never looked back. Why did he feel like his life had just deserted him?

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"I can't believe that he called you and you didn't tell me!" Blair yelled.

"Look, he was going away. It's not like you could run after him again. You didn't find him the first time. And I didn't think that this time was going to be any different," Serena said. Blair was being so difficult. Jack Bass had showed up at Serena's house yesterday, asking about Chuck. Serena had had no choice but to tell him that Chuck had ran away. Jack had left immediately but Blair had been drilling Serena about it ever since. When had Chuck called? How much money had he needed? Did he say where he was going. And why hadn't Serena informed her about this newest development.

"Serena? You have a visitor!" Lilly called up the stairs.

"Thanks, mom!" Serena called back. She turned to Blair and smiled. "I'm sorry, okay. I should have told you."

"Next time?"

"Promise." Good. That fight had been averted.

"Oh. Hey, Dan!" Serena exclaimed upon seeing Dan sitting on the sofa. He stood up.

"Hey. How was your trip?" he asked, almost immediately.

"It was uh...well, it ended with Aaron and I breaking up."

"Wha- Oh." Dan looked confused, then happy. "So what, does this mean..."

"No." Serena said. "Aaron and I are going to get back together. But I just wanted to let you know."

"O...kay. I'm going to go."

"Wait, Dan!"

"Why would you tell me that?"

"I just thought that maybe you should know."

"Whatever. I'm leaving."

Serena was going to run after him, but her phone rang.

"Hello?" she said.

"Serena? This is Jack. I've got Chuck and our plane is landing soon. Can you meet me at Chuck's suite?"

"Uh...yeah. Sure. I'm on my way. Blair!" Serena put her phone in her bag.

"What?" Blair came running down the stairs.

"We need to go."

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From the window, Blair watched Jack drag Chuck out of the limo. "He doesn't look too good," she observed.

"That's why we have plenty of coffee and food."

When Jack and Chuck arrived, Blair was sitting at the bar and Serena was seated on the sofa. Jack half dragged, half carried Chuck into the room. "Coffee," he snapped.

Serena poured him a cup. Chuck slurped it down.

"Where did you find him?" Serena asked.

"At a strip club in Bangok."

"Oh," Blair said. "How nice."

"Chuck you can't keep living like this," Serena said.

Chuck smiled lazily. "I know. But Bart would be so...disappointed in me if he knew. Then again, he always was."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Chuck, the whole sorry act has expired. It's been a month."

"Right," Jack said. "Which is why you are returning to school and are going to stop these charades."

"If you say so." Chuck took another drink of his coffee agreeably. He looked at Blair, who was staring at the countertop and his eyes softened. Serena suddenly felt very lonely.

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okay, guys, several major scandals in the next chapter!!! Be warned!!!!

I need reviews, so please review as soon as you're done reading. XOXO