Blair panicked, and she decided to take control of the situation.

"I do not like Dan Humphrey." Blair declared loudly enough so that all of Gossip Girls' contributors lurking in the shadows could hear her, "In fact, I was just on a lunch date with Prince Louis."

Serena raised an eyebrow, "If that is true, then why is Prince Louis not with you right now, Blair?"

To her side, Dan burst into a laugh that he quickly disguised into a cough. With sudden horror, Blair realized that in her fierce, impulsive desire to make-out with Dan Humphrey, she had left Prince Louis sitting all alone at their table in the Green Tavern. What was she thinking? After all, didn't Princess Blair sound a hell of a lot better than Blair Humphrey?

"I am going to go back to my date with Prince Louis right now." Blair declared. She swiftly turned on her Gucci heels and disappeared without a second glance at either Dan or Serena. She could feel Dan's eyes drill the back of her as she walked away.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on with Blair?" Serena asked.

"No." Dan said, still gazing in the Blair's direction, even though she was no longer in view.

"Why not?"

"Do you think I know what the hell is going on in Blair Waldorf's head? She is as much of a mystery to me as to everyone else."

Serena caught the inflection of veneration in Dan's voice as he had said Blair Waldorf's name.

"Do you actually like Blair or did you just mess around with her today because you two were bored?"

Dan's long silence gave Serena all the information that she needed to know.

Serena cared for Dan and she would probably always have lingering feeling for him, but right now she was mostly worried about Dan's well-being. Serena sighed, "You are aware that Blair is madly in love with Chuck, right?"

Dan faced Serena, "Chuck is a selfish bastard. The more I get to know Blair, the more I realize that Blair is a really amazing person."

"Blair will always go back to Chuck, no matter what he does to her."

"Chuck doesn't deserve her."

Serena began to say something, but a tall, blond girl named Amber appeared out of nowhere. She was rushing towards Dan. Oh crap, Dan moaned in his head, He had forgotten he had been on a date with Amber before Blair had started kissing him.

"Hello, Amber." Dan said guiltily.

Amber gave him a dirty look. "You left me at our table fifteen minutes ago!"

"I'm really sorry, Amber." Dan offered lamely.

"Were you even planning on coming back to our date or were just going to let me sit there all night?"

"I was just about to come back," Dan lied.

"You are such a horrible person, Dan Humphrey!" There were tears surfacing in Amber's eyes.

"I really am sorry," Dan said hesitantly. Why was Amber so upset? For the heaven's sake, he had only left her at a table for fifteen minutes, yet she was acting like he had murdered somebody.

Out of the blue, Amber slapped Dan on the right cheek. Hard.

"Ouch! What was that for? I only left you at the table for like fifteen minutes!" Dan cried. He stifled an unmanly whimper. Indeed, he wanted nothing more than to sob, it hurt so badly.

"That wasn't for making me sit at the was for what Blair just told me about you!" Amber cried to Dan. Tears were freely falling down her eyes.

Even though Dan's face was starting to swell where Amber had slapped him, he was curious despite himself.

"What did Blair tell you about me?"

"Blair told me that—" Amber choked on a sob.

"What did she tell you?" Dan pressed eagerly, as wild thoughts ran through his head. Blair told you that she was madly in love with me? Blair told you that she was no longer in love with Chuck Bass?

Amber began again. "Blair told me that you are part of the KKK!"

"What!"

"How could you belong to the KKK? How do you possibly justify belonging to such an evil organization?"

"I would never, in a million years, belong to the KKK-"

Amber cut Dan off. "Racism is not tolerated in America. You are going to hell, Dan Humphrey."

"I do not belong to the KKK!" Dan cried angrily, "I think they are a horrible, out-dated organization! Blair is lying!"

"Don't try to deny that you belong to the KKK! Your denial makes me disgust you even more." Amber said, looking at Dan like he was worse than dirt.

Dan opened his mouth to try to protest again.

Yet before he could plead his case, Amber slapped him on the left cheek this time. She had slapped him with her weak hand this time, but her sharp, 14-carat diamond ring cut right into Dan's cheek. Ouch.

Dan let out a howl of agony. To top it all off, Amber stomped on Dan's foot with her three-inch Prada heels with the most force she could muster. Then Amber turned and disappeared into the busy New York Street. Dan was left kneeling in excruciating misery.

Serena bent down to help Dan, who was cradling both his face and foot in pain.

When the pain had subsided enough for Dan to speak he said, "Why would Blair say something like that to Amber? And more importantly, how could Amber be stupid enough to believe in such an atrocious lie?"

Serena started laughing her musical, twinkly laugh. Dan remembered the days when he had found Serena's laugh magical. Now her laugh just seemed to mock him.

"It's not funny." Dan protested, "That was a horrible lie that Blair told Amber. You know that I would never belong to or associate with such an unethical organization such as the KKK."

"I know you wouldn't." Serena said soothingly.

Dan felt agonizing pain, light-headed, humiliated, and extremely irritated at Blair.

Serena patted Dan's back. "Dan," she said, "Consider this your warning."

"What do you mean?" Dan groaned.

"Well, if you are going to like Blair Waldorf, it is going to cause you a lot of pain and humiliation."

This statement immediately sobered Dan's pain. He removed his hands from his face. He stood up, and straightened his back like a warrior ready for battle. His eyes seemed to shine brighter. Indeed, he looked like a completely new Dan Humphrey.

"Blair Waldorf is worth all the pain and humiliation in the world." Dan boldly declared.

Serena shook her head with admiration. "You are crazy, Dan Humphrey."

Dan laughed with half-humor and half-cynicism. "I know."

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Chuck Bass was being informed by Nate Archibald about rumors of Dan and Blair's relationship that were being spread like wildfire on Gossip Girl. Chuck Bass's relationship with Raina was over, and Chuck Bass wanted to win Blair back. And he wasn't going to let unimportant, dull, and pathetic Daniel Humphrey from a loft in Brooklyn stand in his way of what he wanted. XOXO Gossip Girl