03 Dangerous Liasons

Blair Waldorf grabbed her books and headed into the hallway, carefully going over an essay she'd written. She had been given 89%. This was simply unacceptable! How was she expected to get into Yale with such dismal marks? Did Mr. Henshaw not understand how this worked? She would have to remind him. First, though, she would have a quick bite for lunch. You can't go into battle on an empty stomach after all.

She turned the corner and expected to see Nate waiting for her like he always did. To her surprise, she saw him chatting with some boy who looked like he might be asking for spare change.

"Nate!" she called, waving at him.

He looked up at her, his eyes not as happy as they usually were. Several moments passed before she realized he wasn't coming to her. She sighed and walked over to him, her eyes narrowing on him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked coldly.

He smiled and shrugged casually.

"Not at all. Why?"

"You didn't... No reason. Come on, I'm hungry," she stated, her eyes surveying Nate, as if hoping he'd yell out that this was all some sort of prank.

Nate looked from her to the strange boy.

"Actually, I'm eating lunch with my new friend, Dan," he advised her.

Her heart sank. What was going on?

"What?"

"Yeah. Dan, this is Blair. Blair, this is Dan," he introduced.

"Dan" looked at her and smiled feebly. She half-winced.

"I'm his girlfriend, actually, and I would appreciate some alone time with my boyfriend," she coldly added.

"Not today," Nate refused, "Turns out, Dan, like everyone else, is doing better than me in Algebra. He's offered to tutor me."

"Sweetie, I took Algebra last year and finished top of the class. I don't mind helping you."

"I know, but you already have so much on your plate, I didn't want to bother you-"

"I really don't mind!" she insisted, her voice getting shrill.

Nate leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Blair, we're allowed to have other friends. Really, Dan doesn't mind."

Blair looked at Dan. He was avidly avoiding her gaze. She sighed, rolled her eyes and smiled weakly.

"You know, I do have a lot going on already. It probably is better for someone with more free time to tutor you," she commented.

Nate smiled.

"Exactly. Well, we have a lot to cover. Bye, Blair."

Dan gave a half-hearted wave as he and Nate walked away.

"Bye, Nate."

Chuck Bass came up behind her.

"I see you've met Archibald's new plaything? Humphrey, was it?" he asked.

"Humphrey? I thought he said his name was Dan," she muttered, watching as Nate and Dan turned a corner.

"Dan Humphrey? It sounds almost as awful as his outfit looks," Chuck growled, laughing to himself.

Blair faced Chuck.

"Chuck, we have to-"

"We don't have to do anything, Waldorf," he interjected.

"Chuck, please, I can't lose Nate to some unknown hipster!"

"Lose him? You afraid Nate might switch teams?" Chuck teased.

"Damn it, Chuck, you know what I mean! First Serena, now this? Nate is always distracted! If I want to have any chance of turning him into Dartmouth material, I need to have 100% of his focus! I can't show up at Yale with a boyfriend who isn't attending an Ivy League school!"

"Who says it has to be Archibald?" Chuck wondered, "There are others, you know."

"Like who? You?" she laughed, "Oh, God, you don't-"

"Don't flatter yourself, Waldorf. You couldn't keep me interested long enough for a kiss."

"Gee, thanks-"

"I just mean that maybe you shouldn't set your sights on Nate. You might end up disappointed."

Blair detected something in Chuck's tone, but couldn't figure it out.

"Anyway, it just so turns out that our plans coincide. Neither of us wants this Dan Humphrey in the picture. I just might let you help me with this one."

"Let me help?"

"Yes, Waldorf, and you're lucky I'm letting you do that. If you had been keeping a closer eye on Nate, we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"Me? What about-"

"Serena? If memory serves, and it usually does, I took care of her. You've been enjoying the fruits of my labour for far too long."

Blair failed at out-scowling Chuck. He sneered.

"It's about time you showed me some respect. Okay, so, we have work to do. I want you to ask around about Humphrey. I want to know everything there is to know about him."

"Fine."

"And Blair? If I sense you're not trying or I'm not impressed with your work, I will make you very sorry."

She nodded. Chuck was serious this time.

"I promise," she whispered.

Chuck smiled, caressed her face and walked away. Blair hated that she needed Chuck's help. She hated that Chuck had something over her, like he did everyone else. She hated that Nate was distant again and she hated Dan Humphrey. But what she hated most was for a brief moment, she felt lonely and missed her former best friend, Serena van der Woodsen.