Ouch, right? I know, but it had to get to that point. Dan's getting desperate. I know that he seems more calm in a lot of ways, but he's pretty much on the verge of a breakdown, that's why he's letting people be so terrible to him, that's why it's easy. Because he doesn't have the energy to fight against it anymore and he's forgotten the reasons why he would want to. That was something I was kind of worried about in the chapter, I know that, in Dan's mind, he's transcended above all the drama and games, but he's actually sinking right now.

…and it's going to have to get worse before it gets better. This chapter is shorter than the others, because it's really just an introduction to the next chapter. So, there's not really a big event, it's just Dan talking to different people. Three chapters to go!

Dan told himself life had gotten easier. No more Yale to worry about, no more cater waiter job, no more Blair, no more Chuck. His life had pretty much gone back to how it used to be, and that was good for him. It was easier.

It couldn't fully go back though, with his dad and Lily getting more and more serious each week, and the fact that he may not be going to Yale, but he was going to have to figure out his future at some point. He'd talked it over with his dad a little, briefly with Vanessa and even Jenny had encouraged him to go to NYU – but Dan wasn't ready to commit to anything. He had put a lot of energy into getting into Yale, for a little while, he just wanted the weight of trying to live up to a plan off his shoulders. He didn't talk about it much, and no one outside of his dad, Jenny and Vanessa even knew. He'd been avoiding Serena and Nate since Chuck's dinner party and there was no one else he'd even consider telling – who else would even be interested? He already knew how they'd react, they'd feel sorry for him and Serena would no doubt beg him to just let her mom pay for college, and Dan wasn't ready for that conversation quite yet. He kept to himself at school, counting down the days till it was all over, and spent his free time at the gallery. The gallery was his whole Brooklyn, it was a safe place for him. No one else who shouldn't be there would come. Until Blair did.

"Humphrey," she greeted, walking in casually as if they were still friends – like they ever really were, "I didn't see you at the Kandinsky exhibit."

"I was busy." Dan replied curtly, then turned his back to her as he rearranged the coffee cups, hoping she would go away.

"Still doing your cater waiter job?" She asked as she sat at the counter. Dan ignored her. "So, I haven't got any new writing from you in a while."

"I know I promised you every word that I wrote about you," Dan replied, finally turning to face her, "and I lived up to that promise. But I think I'm done writing about you now."

She pursed her lips and swallowed. Dan knew he had hurt her – he assumed it was just her pride though.

"Blair, what are you playing at here? Walking in here and acting like we're still friends….we were never really friends though, were we? I mean, if you're too ashamed to let the world know that you're even hanging out, then that person can never really be your friend, can they?"

"I miss you." She admitted as if she was doing so under torture.

"Why? Can't you get your ego boosts from Chuck?" He knew he was being harsh, but he just really wanted her to leave him alone.

"Chuck and I aren't back together." She said with a lot of conviction, trying her hardest to make Dan understand.

"But it's just a matter of time, right? Why fight it?" Dan shrugged.

"I don't know if that's what I want anymore." Blair admitted, still desperately attempting to get Dan to take her seriously. "And you're the reason for that, doesn't that count for something?"

"Blair, I have no interest in being a pawn in another one of yours and Chuck's games."

Blair held his eye contact, trying to find a new way to convey what Dan just wouldn't listen to. But he was impenetrable. He couldn't back down. He couldn't let her words get in his mind, because he knew exactly where that would lead…it would lead straight back to him being heartbroken again when she did inevitably choose Chuck. Vanessa walked into the room, but stopped hastily when she saw the scene in front of her.

"Hey, Vanessa, thanks for covering for me." Dan said quickly, before she could excuse herself. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere more important to be."

He left before either girl could try to stop him.

The 'more important place' he had to be was another Humphrey/Van der Woodsen brunch. They had become a more and more common occurrence over the last few weeks. He was quiet, but he could be because everyone else talked enough. Jenny and Eric talked a lot about the summer they'd be spending together in the Hamiltons and Rufus also briefly mentioned to Lily that maybe they should take a trip too – Dan's mind went straight to a honeymoon, but he didn't think anyone else picked up on it. The subject of prom then came up, it was only a day away and Lily seemed more excited about Serena's dress than she was. Dan sidestepped the question when he was asked about it – he wasn't planning on going.

Dan thought he could make a quick escape afterwards, but Serena thwarted him as she jumped inside the elevator at the last moment.

"Dan, I've been meaning to apologize to you about what happened last week-"

"That's not necessary. It had nothing to do with you." He replied, keeping his head down and wishing Serena would just leave it alone.

"Still, I feel bad-"

"Serena, just…don't. I get it, okay? It will always be you, Blair, Nate and Chuck. I'm on the outside. That's just how it is, no point feeling bad about it."

"How can you say that? We're practically family!"

"It's not the same." Dan said with an air of finality that Serena couldn't argue with – even though she still didn't believe it was true.

"Have you talked to Blair recently?" She tried to fill the awkward silence. She just made things more awkward.

"Not really. I don't really see the point, she's obviously going to get back together with Chuck. I think I was just a phase for her, anyway."

The doors opened and Dan planned on stepping out without another word to Serena, but she grabbed his arm and pulled her back.

"Dan, I know that is probably how things seem to you right now…but I was there the night she read your notebook. You are not just a phase. And I've been there this past week, too and I know how much she cares about you. I don't know what she's going to do, but….you can't give up on her quite yet."

He didn't quite smile, but he gave her a little nod and walked away. He didn't want to be rude. But he didn't want to let what she said in, either. It was easier to shut out Blair, he could convince himself that she was acting on a subconscious level to hide from her feelings for Chuck. But Serena had no motive – she wouldn't tell him anything that she didn't think was true. Still, it was too late to change his mind now. He'd already let Blair go.

"Hey, I picked up an NYU brochure for you." Vanessa threw onto his lap as she let herself into the loft.

He was lying on the couch reading a book that he didn't look away from. He said thanks, but knocked the brochure off his stomach onto the floor. Jenny came out of the kitchen and stood next to Vanessa and the two of them stared down at Dan.

"What?" He asked, still not taking his eyes off the book.

"Don't you want to look at it?" Vanessa asked.

"I will. Later." He replied.

"Okay, that's enough." Jenny snatched the book out of his hand.

"Hey!" Dan sat up on the couch, as Jenny and Vanessa placed some chairs opposite him and sat down.

"Dan, this is an intervention." Jenny started.

"Are you kidding?"

"We're worried about you." Vanessa added. "You've got a week left of high school and you're spending it like….this. Moping around either here or at the gallery.

"I'm finishing high school the same way I began it. You guys never complained about it before."

"But so much has happened in the last few years! It's like you've just taken a huge step back." Jenny protested, as Dan ran his hand over his face. These two were really overreacting in his eyes.

"I know that losing Yale was hard for you," Vanessa began, "but you can have another dream. You've been working so hard and fighting for this and now it's like you've just given up. On everything."

"What do you mean?" Dan asked, knowing that she was building up to another point.

"When you left the gallery this morning, Blair stayed a little while." Vanessa explained with a shrug, like it wasn't a big deal.

"Really? And the two of you…talked?" Dan asked in disbelief.

"A little." Vanessa replied. "Is all this really about her?"

"No. I'll admit that the timing sucks, losing Yale at the same time things came crashing down with her, but I've not given up because of her. I've not given up at all, I'm just…tired. Like you said, I've been fighting really hard and I need some time to recover before I chase my next dream. Whatever that might be – I think I'm allowed some time to figure it all out."

"Of course you are." Vanessa agreed sincerely.

"But you don't get unlimited chances." Jenny spoke again, trying to catch up on whatever might have happened with Blair. "Dan, you are eighteen, you don't need to figure out what you want to do with your whole life right now, but…you're sinking. I'm sorry, but I think that this is about Blair."

"It wasn't all that long ago you two were starring in The Age of Innocence." Vanessa followed on with Jenny's point seamlessly. "Do you remember all the things you were saying about Newland Archer and how his decision to just follow the path of least resistance cost him so much? You said you didn't want to be like that anymore. You said you wanted to be a man of action."

Everything she said was very familiar. It really hadn't been all that long ago where it seemed like he had all the energy in the world and could have moved mountains if he wanted to. He had been a man of action – with both good and bad results. He wasn't ready to do that again.

"I appreciate your concern, you guys," Dan began as he stood up, "but I think I'm going to call it an early night."

He skulked off to his bedroom and shut the door. He wasn't lying when he said that he was tired. He lay in bed, but he couldn't sleep. He was desperate to shut out their words, and what had Serena had said earlier, what Blair had been trying to say.

Then a strange thing happened. For the first time in weeks, he was hit with inspiration. He sat at his laptop for two straight hours as he typed up his final Claire Carlyle story. But it wasn't really about Claire Carlyle – or even Blair – that much, it was about him. It was partly a confession, partly a memoir and partly closure.

Then he called Nate.

"Hey man, I need a favor." Dan explained, without much a pretense. "I know that your grandfather has some links with New York Magazine."

"What kind of favor is this?" Nate replied nervously.

"Well, they've butchered my story and that last chapter is going to out tomorrow. I think that I should be the one to finish it."

They met up shortly afterwards and Dan handed him the usb with his final chapter, Falling for Claire Carlyle, on it. Dan wasn't sure exactly how Nate did it, but he came through and somehow replaced the article they were set to print.

Gossip Girl went crazy the next morning, Dan imagined most of the UES did as his feelings became very, very public. But he paid it little attention.

Well, well, looks like Lonely Boy hasn't been as lonely as we all thought lately. And Queen B certainly hasn't been lonely, having entertained both Lonely Boy and Chuck Bass recently – but now she has a choice to make. What will it be, B? The prince or the pauper?

Xoxo, Gossip Girl