A/N: Sorry for the long chapter! I find this one to be a sort of important milestone in Seth and Blair's relationship, so I hope you guys don't mind. The first half was written in Blair's POV, while the second half started with Seth's POV. I will play around with Seth's POV in later chapters. I'm forever grateful for the kind feedback and the follows so far. It really does keep me motivated and wanting to release a chapter every day!
Additional note: I hear that Blair Cohen was trending on twitter today! How crazy is that?! I wonder if our Blair is going to end up as Blair Cohen in The Runaway? *wink*
"Okay," Blair said, setting down a binder in front of Seth as she suddenly sat in front of him while he was waiting for Ryan to show up to join him for lunch. "First things first. These are your research materials." She looked at him expectantly and waited for him to open the file.
Seth furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at Blair. "Easy there, Waldorf. I think you're taking this sidekick thing a little too seriously. What is this, an encyclopedia detailing what women want?"
Blair rolled her eyes at him. "Just open it, Cohen."
"Woah!" Seth jaw dropped open as he opened the binder to reveal a collage of topless men with bodies of Calvin Klein models. He immediately closed it. "And why are you bringing me chick porn, may I ask?"
Blair opened the binder again. "This is not porn. This is reference material. For you. Look. This is what girls like, especially girls in the O.C. There are only several types of guys that are appealing for girls like Summer. One is the rich, womanizer type that functions like a girl magnet – which you would never be able to pull off with that skateboard of yours. Another is the beach body, hot lifeguard type, which – let's be honest, doesn't really scream Seth Cohen either."
"Great. So you put me a collage to highlight how much I suck. I really appreciate it, Blair," Seth said sarcastically.
"Well, you can't blame me that you've chosen to fall in love with a superficial, brainless bimbo," Blair answered. "I'm merely supplying you with market information." Seth made a face. "Okay, fine. There is one other way around it." Blair paused dramatically to wait for his reaction.
"First of all, I resent that comment about Summer being superficial. Second of all, what other way?" Seth asked eagerly. Blair felt slightly annoyed by Seth's defense of Summer, but was too excited about her brilliant plan to care. She leaned forward and looked right at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. It's been a while since Blair had schemed, and nothing felt better than to get back in the game. Seth also learned towards her anxiously.
"Make her jealous."
Seth immediately pulled back. "How's that gonna work? She doesn't even look at me. What makes you think she would even care to be jealous?"
Blair smiled knowingly. "Just shows how little you know about the opposite sex, Cohen. Girls like that are tired of being chased and worshipped. You said so yourself. You've been there for her all your life. She knows she's already got you eating out the palm of her hand," she watched as Seth nodded along thoughtfully, as if processing this new information. "What you really want to do is ignore her, and stop giving her all that attention. Once you start doing that, she'll wonder why you've suddenly lost interest, and it'll be her chasing you." Blair leaned back and crossed her arms, satisfied.
Seth still looked a little doubtful, and opened his mouth in protest. "But – "
"Shh! Here she comes!" Blair clamps her hand over Cohen's mouth, and shifted to sit next to him. She flashed a sweet smile at Summer. "Hi, Summer! Are you sitting with us for lunch today?"
Summer looked at the both of them, with an expression of confusion on her face.
"Here, Summer -" Seth was about to ask Summer to sit when Blair elbowed him sharply in this ribs. "Owww!" screamed Seth. Blair reacted quickly.
"Oooh Seth, are you alright?" She put her hand on his stomach and cooed in a babyish voice. "Is your tummy still hurting?" Blair looked up at Summer to explain, "he had a little too much ice cream after dinner last night."
Summer narrowed her eyes at Seth and Blair. "Who cares?" she responded, then stomped away, appearing vexed. Just then, Ryan and Marissa appeared with their lunch trays.
"Hi Blair, again," said Ryan, giving Seth with a meaningful look. "What happened to Summer?"
"Um, I'm going to see if she's alright," Marissa said, getting up. She smiled politely at Blair, then left the table.
"Oh, Ryan! Blair was just helping me get Summer's attention. And I think it worked! Did you see her face? She was totally pissed." Seth pumped his fist in the air and offered his hand to Blair for a high-five.
She shook her head at him smugly. "You are such an amateur. That was nothing. If you really want to make her jealous," she pulled out two tickets and placed them on top of the binder. "Take me to the dance. That'll really get to her."
"I thought you said high school dances were lame," Seth pointed out.
"They are. But so's the girl you the have the hots her, so she'll care."
"Uh – Summer already has a date to that. Some guy on the water polo team asked her and we're all going together this Friday. Marissa told me," Ryan interruped matter-of-factly.
"That's good information, Chino, but that was before Summer realized that Seth may not be into her anymore. Just watch and learn, boys. Watch and learn," Blair assured. "Now if you'll excuse me, boys. I have some girls who are waiting for their queen," she got up and looked in the direction of a bunch of girls dressed in vibrant colors of the rainbow, looking like miniature Blair Waldorfs, waving at her excitedly, each with a yogurt in their hands. "Enjoy your lunch." Bending down slightly, she whispered next to Seth's ear, "Pick me up at 7 sharp. Oh and -" she pulled out a package from her Chanel handbag and handed it to Seth. "I have this thing about ties. See you!" With that, Blair walked away slowly and deliberately, allowing the girls to wait for her.
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about her not finding friends here," Ryan said, watching Blair as she apparently began schooling her minions on their inappropriate attire.
Seth snorted. "Did you really think it would take her long? She's got the attitude of a French poodle and the bank account of Bill Gates. I knew the little lamb would find her place sooner or later in a place like Newport."
Ryan laughed along with Seth, talking about the girls and their otherwise uneventful day at school. Meanwhile, Blair watched from the corner of her eye and smiled to herself, satisfied that her scheme was going exactly as planned. Summer had gotten on Blair's nerve the moment she arrived at Harbor. Watching her squirm from Seth's new attachment to Blair and making sure that Seth would take her to the dance would be killing multiple birds with one stone. It was true that she thought high school dances were so beneath her, but she couldn't risk not being seen at a major social event at Harbor. Even if it meant showing up with Seth Cohen. She had managed to collect a handful of followers in the past couple of weeks, but the boys were still a little too intimidated to approach her. Plenty of chances after I take care of this, she told herself.
Friday came before Seth knew it, and he found himself struggling to put on his tie due to a serious case of nerves. He hated these sorts of events, and always came up with whatever excuses he could in order to sit out. However, with Ryan in town, it seemed that he was attending these parties every single weekend. Plus, this one would be different, he told himself. This is the one time where Summer Roberts would finally notice him, and she would be the one chasing him.
He wasn't sure how he had gotten himself into this situation in the first place, but he had to admit that he had begun to enjoy spending time with Blair. Drama lessons were not so ridiculous anymore, as he watched the look of concentration on her face as she threw herself into her portrayal of every single character. Granted, she was even scarier than Summer when you got on her bad side – which was saying a lot considering Summer suffered from rage blackouts – but she also had this charming wit to her that Seth found rather captivating. Too bad he had been sure since the moment he laid eyes on Summer Roberts that she would be the one for him. And you don't mess with destiny. Finally giving up, he tore the tie away from his neck and stuffed it in his pocket. Blair would just have to do without the tie.
He showed up right on time at Blair's door, and was led inside by Dorota, Blair's housekeeper. Seth found it quite amusing, actually, that Blair had her own housekeeper, considering that the majority of Seth's acquaintances were all loaded, but not even they had their own personal maids and chauffeurs. Blair Waldorf was of a different class altogether. He casually examined the hydrangeas that were carefully arranged by the hallway mirror when he was distracted by the apparition standing on the steps. In front of him stood Blair Waldorf, looking immaculately flawless in a lilac Elie Saab detailed with embroidered lace that was just elegant enough without making her look overdressed. He knew that not everyone could pull off such a classy look at a high school dance, but that Blair would be the obvious exception. Seth was sure that he would have on his arms the most beautiful girl in Newport tonight, Summer or no Summer. He opened his mouth, but couldn't seem to find the right words.
"B-b-blair, you look…you look -" he started, then stopped.
Blair kept calm through his stammering, even though she had a good idea of why he became tongue-tied. She gestured nonchalantly at herself. "Oh, this? My mother's good friends with Elie, so he sent me an original." She stopped suddenly, then frowned. "Where's the tie I gave you?"
Seth reddened, then pulled it out from his pocket. "Oh, it's here. For all the parties I've been to in Newport, I've somehow still managed to not know how to put on a tie. My mom usually does it for me, but she was out today, so - "
"Shhh!" Blair stepped down gracefully from the stairs and took the tie from his hand. Without a word, she looked him in the eye and swung the tie over his neck, then expertly knotted it into a full-windsor, her eyes never leaving Seth's. Seth felt something stir inside of him, and grew uncomfortably hot. He noticed her full eyelashes and that she had put on some light makeup today, which highlighted her delicate features. Her lip-gloss made her lips full and fleshy, and for a moment, Seth allowed himself to stare at her them. He glanced at her impeccable color coordination right down to her shoes, then noticed the shade of his own tie.
"Did you get me this to match your dress?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I told you I have this thing about ties," Blair answered, a smile forming on her perfect lips. After helping Seth adjust his collar, she stepped back and looked him over, as if examining a piece of artwork.
"Not bad, Cohen, if I do say so myself. You clean up nice." It was the closest Blair had come to paying a compliment ever since Seth has met her. For some reason, it gave him all the confidence he needed to confront the rest of tonight. That's right – tonight. Seth suddenly remembered the whole point of all this, and glanced at his watch.
"Oh! We're gonna be late! We've got to get there before Summer does so she can see us when she walks in with her pathetic water polo player," Seth exclaimed, pulling Blair towards the door. He was in so much of a rush that he didn't notice Blair's look of disappointment as he rambled on about his expectations of Summer's reaction. Blair rode beside him silently to the dance, as Seth jabbered on continuously about all the times he had successfully ignored Summer at school that week.
As soon as they arrived at the dance, Blair began to relax and started to enjoy herself. Seth looked around anxiously for Summer and her date. Finally, he caught a glimpse of Ryan and Marissa, then next to them, Summer and her date, chatting with each other by the bowl of fruit punch, that had probably been spiked with enough alcohol to keep the entire school drunk by then. Summer looked as cute and charming as ever in a red strapless dress with a short tulle skirt, and Seth had trouble deciding who he found more attractive – the elegant and flawless Blair Waldorf, who was on his arm, or the sexy and radiant Summer Roberts, who was standing across the room. Just then, Summer's gaze met Seth's, and her eyes quickly darted away again, avoiding his glance.
As if on cue, Blair quickly pulled Seth aside and whispered in his ear, "Dance with me." They moved to the dance floor just as the intro of Death Cab's A Lack of Color came on. "I love this song! Not bad for a lame high school dance," Blair joked.
"Meh, sometimes they get a thing or two right," Seth answered distractedly. The truth was, he wanted to approach Summer as soon as possible, or at least make sure that they were dancing in full view of her. But Summer was already happily chatting with Marissa, and seemed to barely notice Blair and Seth. He shifted uncomfortably next to Blair, and accidentally stepped on her toes.
"Ow! Seth! These are thousand-dollar Louboutins!" Blair exclaimed, stepping away. She glared at him menacingly. "Now concentrate and stop ruining the moment!"
"Sorry," mumbled Seth. He swayed along with her a little more, but couldn't help but turn his head every five seconds to check on Summer and her date.
"Cohen!" Blair looked extremely cross, hands on her hips.
"Look, Blair. You think maybe we're doing this wrong? Summer isn't even looking at us anymore! Maybe I should just go and try to talk to her," Seth said, already walking in Summer's direction.
"What? Where are you going? STOP!" Blair demanded. "Get back here, Cohen!"
"I thought we were here so I could get Summer," Seth pointed out. "Look, your plan clearly isn't working. So let's just call this off and I can explain to Summer before she gets the wrong idea about - " Seth gestures towards the both of them. " – this." He starts to walk off.
"No! Who cares about Summer Roberts and her brainless date?!" Blair responded, frustrated.
Seth whirled around to face her again. "I do. That's the only reason why I came here in the first place. Look, you said you had a plan! I'm no closer to getting her than I was before this whole thing. Now would you please let me go?"
"But who's going to dance with me?" Blair whined, trying to keep her composure to prevent making a scene. "You get back here this instance and don't you dare walk away from me again, Seth Cohen. I'm not about to let you leave me here without a date like some first-class loser who gets dumped at the prom."
Seth gave her a dumbfounded look. "So…let me get this straight. That's why you made me take you to the dance? To make sure that you wouldn't have to look bad? So what does any of this have to do with me and Summer?"
"Nothing. I couldn't care less whether you got that dumb bimbo to fall in love with you. She's too stupid to appreciate what she's got, anyway." Blair had sincerely meant it as a compliment, but all Seth heard was her confession that he had been set up this whole time.
"I can't believe you and how completely self-absorbed you are. Did you even care about helping me at all? I thought we were friends!"
"I'm self-absorbed? You're the one who couldn't stop babbling on and on about Summer the whole goddamn night. Way to show respect to your date. I don't see why you're getting so upset! It's not like you didn't get anything out of it. Any of these guys would kill to be able to get to take me to a dance. You should be grateful that I chose you," Blair spat out defensively. She didn't understand why he was getting so worked up when she was the one with everything to lose.
Seth looked at the floor and shook his head bitterly. "You know what, you're right. I'm sure any of these guys would gladly dance with you. So I'm out." He grabbed his tie and pulled it roughly over his head. "And you can have your tie back. Give it to your next prop." With that, he stuffed the tie into her hand and walked off, marching straight to Summer.
Blair stood by the side alone, watching Seth approach Summer. Summer hesitated, looked at her date, then sighed and walked aside to talk to Seth. Blair glared at the two while they talked intensely, and she rolled her eyes as she saw Seth pleading with her. A shy-looking boy who Blair recognized to be in her History class walked up to her and asked her for a dance while she was looking on to the couple.
"Buzz off! Queens don't dance with frogs," Blair snarled at him. The boy backed away as if attacked by a rapid dog, and Blair let off a vibe dangerous enough to be left alone for the entire night, save one or two clueless suitors. She was literally seething with anger as she watched Seth prance around Summer pathetically, trying to win her approval. Finally, it seemed as if he had succeeded, since Summer finally took his hand as he led her to slow dance in the middle of the dance floor. Blair tried to look away as she sipped on a spiked glass of fruit punch. Real classy, she thought to herself, feeling downright miserable. She should have known that high school dances would be a bad idea.
As if out of nowhere, Ryan suddenly walked up to Blair, taking away her glass of vodka-punch. "Uh, I think we've had a little too much of that, don't you?"
"I don't need a chaperone, thank you very much," replied Blair, turning her attention back to Summer and Seth, who were now dancing to a faster song, bumping and grinding while all the time laughing on the dance floor. Marissa had joined them and the trio looked as if there were having the time of their lives.
"Why don't you join them?" Ryan asked, nodding in the direction of his friends. "I'm not much of a dancer, but you look like you could use some action."
Blair shook her head, and fought to hold back tears. It must be the alcohol getting to her head. "I think I'm just going to call it a night," she replied, without looking at Ryan. She turned sharply and marched out through the double doors, walking into the cool night air. She shivered a little as she held herself closer, then managed to hail over her chauffeur, who had thankfully been waiting for her, just for tonight. After her escapade involving Victrola and Chuck Bass, she knew better than to party irresponsible without a planned route of escape.
She walked into the limo and slammed the door behind her. Luckily, the tinted windows meant that the chauffeur wouldn't be able to see the tears that were streaming down Blair's delicate face. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to hold them in. Get a grip, Blair demanded herself. She didn't even know why she was so upset. It didn't seem like anyone noticed Blair was all alone, or even cared for that matter. Her minions were with their own dates, and were preoccupied for the night. She caught the attention of more than a few boys, and all in all, the night was a success in terms of her social agenda. There was just one thing that was nagging her, and it perhaps had something to do with the falling out that she had with Seth Cohen. Somehow, despite all the apparent roadblocks along the way, everything had in fact worked out perfectly in the end. Seth had successfully won Summer's attention, and Blair had proven herself to be the ultimate schemer. She just didn't understand why Seth was so upset, and why, preposterously, it made her so darn upset too. She laughed to herself all the way home, as the tears continued to stream down her face.