Chapter Six- Good and Bad of it All
[Dan's P.O.V]
She's even in my dreams. She's invading every aspect of my life. I thought I was done with Elizabeth Hurley. I mean that was teenage years, and now she's come back to seduce me but she does look good now…real good. I can feel Waldorf moving beside me but I can't stop dreaming about Ms. Hurley nor do I want to stop. She's finally stopped moving, I was beginning to think she was trying to ruin my alone time with Elizabeth but now I can drift further into….my alarm clock is going off. I've got to go to class, if I'm even still a part of the class, I needed more sleep though. Quickly getting up to hit the alarm clock, I lean down to put my boxers on while Blaire quickly hops out of bed as well. I forgot that we both agreed on the time to be set so that we both could get up on time. I'm scrambling around the room putting on clothing as is Blaire, then once I've become halfway decent I head into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. We're both running around the loft like we're two chickens with our heads cut off like it used to be in this house or should I say loft. Throwing her things together in her bag, she begins to put on her make up the best she can because she thinks my restrooms are disgusting. She's said that about every aspect of my loft but yet she spends the night at least two to three nights out of the week the other nights she's either too tired to come over or we just watch movies down at the theater.
"Coffee?" I ask as I begin to pour myself a cup
"No, I do star bucks" Blaire replies before I pour her a cup anyways
"Coffee" I say as I push it towards her then she realizes that she's suppose to be open minded
"Do you have hazelnut crème with a touch of cinnamon?" Blaire asks thinking that I seriously have it in the cupboards
"How about two sugars and crème with a touch of milk" I said as I pour in the described mixture before she reluctantly takes the cup and takes a sip
"Who is Elizabeth?" Blaire asks me as I walk over to the coat rack to grab my coat
"No one" I mutter not wanting to confess to the fact that I was dreaming about Elizabeth Hurley
"Really? Because the way you were moaning her name, it sounds like you know her very well" Blaire smiles at me knowing that she had me cornered
"I don't know her, personally" I reply
"Then how do you know her?" Blaire asks
"Because she's a movie star. It's Elizabeth Hurley" I mutter as I put my cup in the sink as does she before I quickly walk over to the door wanting to end this conversation as much as possible when I hear her laughter
"Elizabeth Hurley" Blaire laughs hysterically before I opened the door to see an warning of eviction notice on my door, grabbing the note I look it over and I begin to realize that my luck is running out "What is it?" she asks me
"It's reality. I'm my reality, and its closing in on me" I sighed not wanting to deal with this right now because I knew that instead scrambling to get to class, I needed to drop the class so I could pay my bills "Lock up behind yourself" I then tell her as I head out
[Blaire's P.O.V.]
Humphrey does have the flare for the dramatics, though I know that this wasn't something he had particularly planned. I don't know why he's being so stubborn and won't just go to his dad or better yet Lilly…sometimes his stubbornness can be annoying but I somehow respect it. After locking up the loft which I'm not sure how beneficial that will be since I'm sure crime lurks whether deadbolts or not….sorry, I'm suppose to be open minded…I'm most certain crime exists everywhere. Well anyways, I'm heading over to the penthouse to do lunch with Serena and hope that I can scheme my way into figuring something out for Humphrey but I'm pretty sure that I have to keep this on the down low because Humphrey's stubbornness doesn't leave room for an open mind. Stepping off the elevator, Serena pranced down the staircase looking like a million bucks as always because lets face it, she always does. Heading over to the sitting area, we both sit down and go through our purses making sure that the necessary make up is there. Finally making it to the restaurant after Serena made a marathon call with Ben, who is officially annoying me with how stupid he can be, we order our food and make small chit chat because Serena knows I'm up to something.
"So how is life?" Serena asks quizzically
"Life is great. I'm doing great at work so that Epperly has no choice but to compliment me on my impeccable work that has managed to creep into her job description" I reply
"A slow takeover, that sounds like you" Serena smiles "And is there anything else that your up to?" she asks
"I'm not up to anything" I reply knowing that Serena didn't buy that for one second. Sometimes I forget how well she knows me and that though a regular dumbass would believe my response while she knew it was a bald faced lie "Okay, I need to have information on the building owner of where Humphrey stays" I finally spit out
"For Dan?" Serena asked
"Yes" I reply
"Okay, excuse me as I try to process this. You want information on the owner of Dan's building, now I really have to ask, what are you up to?" Serena asked me with a serious look on her face
"Relax, I'm not trying to destroy Humphrey. I want to…I want to help him" I told her
"Why?" Serena asked "I mean I find it a bit weird that you want to help Dan when you can barely stand him" she pointed out
"All of which is true but I don't dislike him that much, Dan is actually a good person" I said "Look he's been skipping class because he's been getting these crappy jobs just to pay the rent, and now he's got an eviction notice on his loft" I told her
"How do you know about this?" Serena asked me
"We do attend the same school, and seeing as I don't have a lot of friends…I had no choice but to convert to Humphrey" I told her only giving half the truth of how I knew because lets face it, the whole truth isn't necessary when the point is Humphrey needs help
"So hoe exactly are you going to go about helping him because I know Dan well enough to know that he wouldn't want Rufus or Lilly to know about this because then that will only reaffirm what they think" Serena said
"Yeah, I was hoping that I could do a secret payment to the building owner and Humphrey will never have to know about it" I told her
"Wow, you doing something generous to help Dan. I should really photograph this picture" Serena laughed as she made fake camera noises along with the motions
"Do you know the owner?" I then asked trying to get her attention back
"Yes, his name is George. He's your typical round and bald building owner" Serena relayed to me "But he's a hard ass though, he means business and hardly cuts anyone any breaks. One time he charged them extra one month because he thought I was living there, I had to give proof that I didn't live there along with staying clear for a week" she then added
"I've dealt with worse. The balder the better in my opinion" I smiled
"Blaire Waldorf feeling the need to help Dan Humphrey, this is just too good to be true. I almost wish that you would make this effort with Ben" Serena said still amazed with the simple fact that I wanted to help Dan
"Oh, wow. Now we're comparing Dan to Ben, lets just focus on one shocker" I laughed "My opinion stays the same on Ben" I then told her
"Your right, lets focus on one shocker" Serena quickly replied not wanting to get into an argument over Ben
"Wise suggestion" I laughed before I grabbed my water glass and took a sip from it
[Dan's P.O.V]
That burrito hit the spot. I can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed a burrito, ever since I was a little kid I had this thing about burritos where I always felt every germ possible was rolled up in a burrito so I made it a point to never eat a burrito. Of course as I got older I began to succumb to the burrito and was fully seduced by a bean and cheese with the green sauce that gives it that tangy taste…so yeah, I dig a good burrito. As you can see, my life is so boring that a burrito is what I'm thinking about. Cleaning up behind myself because lets face it…I'm the maid of the house now and because I kind of enjoy a clean house, I half expect Waldorf to not to come seeing as its so late but when I hear her heels walk down the outside hallway I know that she's here. Meeting her at the door I flash a smile because I'm more than ready to have sex, in fact it's the highlight of my crappy day, which somehow involved my rent getting paid miraculously. Note to self, go see George about that..don't ask too many questions though because I don't want him to get suspicious of the fact I have no idea how it got paid but I will find out.
"What do you have that goofy ass smile on your face for?" Blaire asks me as she walks over to take a seat on the sofa
"Because I'm actually glad to see you. I know surprising" I laughed as I headed into the kitchen to pour her a glass of wine before heading back out to hand it to her
"To an open mind" Blaire said as she sniffed the scent before taking a sip of her wine "So what exactly are you excited about?" she then asked as she kicked her heels off to make herself comfortable
"I surprisingly had a less crappy day than anticipated" I smiled taking a seat in one of the recliners
"So you kept your classes?" Blaire then asked
"No, I dropped one and I was on my way to drop another until I got a call from George" I said "George, is the building owner by the way, he told me to disregard the eviction notice and that I was caught up" I told her
"Wow, that is good news" Blaire said playing along
"Yeah, so now that buys me time to get a job that will cover the rent and hopefully I can get back to my usual work load at school" I told her as she looked at me confused
"Your still dropping out of school? Your rent was caught up though so now you can go to school and not have to worry" Blaire said
"For now, but I still have to worry a month from now. I'm just taking a year off so I can save up enough money to be secure" I said
"That's the dumbest thing you've ever said Humphrey" Blaire stated
"I thought me asking what significance is Marc Jacobs was the dumbest thing I've ever said?" I asked her a bit confused as to why she seemed a little irked by my plan
"Because how many people say I'm just taking a year off and then that year turns into two, then three, and then would you like paper or plastic" Blaire said
"That's a little extreme, don't you think? Look I have to do what is financially smart and not what I want to do. By the grace of God I was spared a month of rent but I don't like to lean too much on a giving hand" I replied
"And you education? that's not exactly something you can pick up and get back like a drop of dime" Blaire said
"I know that but I still have to do this" I replied "Why are you getting so bothered by this, its not like its your future that's on the line. Your covered, you don't have to worry about money" I then said as she set her wine glass down to shoot me a look
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Blaire asked with an angry tone
"It means that your Blaire Waldorf and you don't deal with common issues such as paying the bills. You barely even worrying about your laundry" I laughed
"So that makes you battle tested or something? What does that have to with anything?" Blaire asked
"It means that I'm a little more inclined to think that what I'm doing is right, and that school will have to be picked when I have to time to get to it" I told her
"Can you be anymore of a jackass" Blaire laughed to herself but not in a humorous way that had spurred our banter
"No, I like to think of myself as a realist" I replied
"Yeah, a real dumbass. Just so you know I experienced this new human emotion I'm not accustomed to called worry. I used that emotion to pay your damn rent to the pig of building owner" Blaire said as I literally fell out of my seat in shock
"I never told you to do that? You had no business" I said angrily
"No, I had no business but you had no brain so one had to prevail over the other. Your stubbornness almost got you kicked out" Blaire said
"Just because I don't crawl on my knees to mommy and daddy when I need something doesn't make me stubborn. I take care of myself" I said
"And you've done such a great job" Blaire replied sarcastically
"Oh, like you can talk. Darota is at your disposal day and night where you don't even know what the word independence is" I fired back
"Spare me that elitist attitude, I will not apologize for my upbringing and my wealth…Serena may have let you get away with that but I won't" Blaire said
"Because Serena actually cared about being independent from her family name and her reputation…she actually had an open mind and didn't pretend like she did" I told her
"Pretend? I'm sleeping with you, that's open minded if you ask me" Blaire yelled at me "But your one to talk about being open minded while you constantly judge" she said
"Judge? You mean actually know the difference between right and wrong" I tell her
"Right and wrong my ass. Your as hypocritical as the rest of us" Blaire tells me "Rufus claimed the Upper East Side as his home and you make him out to be some sort of zombie because he actually finds endearing qualities about it" she said
"Being permanently attached to Lilly isn't endearing its called having no life, which by the way is something he had in Brooklyn when it consisted of working" I said
"Whether he's being a kiss ass or not, he's far more open minded than you" Blaire said
"Talk to me when you can do one thing for yourself without calling for Darota" I said as she grabbed her purse to get up from the sofa "I'm not a damn charity case, I don't need your sympathy" I yelled
"And talk to me when you can get over yourself. You need help, admit that, but instead your as close minded as anyone else." Blaire said before she stormed out of the loft while I trailed behind to close the door behind her. Leaning up against the door, I didn't know whether to be angry or pissed until I just finally realized that I was both. What right did Waldorf have to do that? I mean I understand the intention but I don't need her to buy me, I'm not some damn charity case.
[Blaire P.O.V.]
The nerve of Humphrey. I try to do a good deed for him and he just turns around and gets mad at me. He's such an ass sometimes that he even gives Chuck a run for his money. Well, okay that's stretching it a bit but he's still annoying. I was just trying to help him out so that he wouldn't lose his home, that's all, I didn't see it as a charity case type of thing and if I did I wouldn't be donating to that booze hound. He took a perfectly good evening and ruined it with his crazed belief that the Upper East side is so corrupt and spoiled. Serena may let him get away with that crap but I'm not ashamed of my money nor the desire to keep it. I don't get too much of a chance to enjoy my anger because I have to stop off by the office to put the folders for tomorrows meeting in the execs boxes so they can have it in the morning. Three hours and two water bottles later I'm finally able to go home and soak in a bubble bath while sipping on the real deal wine, not that cheap stuff Humphrey has that's occasionally tastes well. Stepping off the elevator I motion to say goodbye to the security guard but he's nowhere to be found, he's probably on a cigarette break or something. Heading out of the building I reach in my coat to my gloves on and without even realizing I see what appears to be a guy run up to me in a black mask. I didn't have to be a genuis to know what was happening but I did all I could to pretend like I hadn't seen anything or noticed him but that became hard when he pulled a gun out on me. In that moment all the snaky comments I had stored in me just whiped away and I just froze.
"Give me all your money!" The guy yelled as he frantically looked around
"I..I..I don't have any money" I stutter as I dig in my purse wishing I had something to give to him so he would leave me alone
"You better not be lying to me" The guy said before he walked over to pull my purse out of my hand while shoving me to the ground. Scraping my face along the sidewalk. "Nothing but damn make up in this damn purse" he griped at me as he threw my stuff out onto the pavement as I did my best to remain in control. Pulling my coat over my legs I quickly noticed the scrapes along my leg before he finally just threw my purse down only holding the wallet with my credit cards "Get up!" he screamed at me as he kept looking around to see if anyone was coming while I just slowly rose to my feet
"Please don't hurt me" I begged him as I couldn't stop the tears that were streaming down my face because at this point I was scared shitless
"Give me…give me your watch" The guy asked as I looked on at my watch before he just grabbed my arm and forcefully took it off. Squirming around in his grasp I just hoped that he wouldn't do anything crazy and while we both struggled he finally got the upper hand until he struck me across the face.
"Just take it" I cried as I just held my face hoping that he wouldn't grab my phone that was laying across the way. Kneeling down, he put the gun up against my head and with a deep breath
"You tell anyone…I'll kill you" The guy whispered to me before he slowly backed away then took off running. For a moment I looked on at the luxury I called the Upper East side and just realized yeah, its luxury all right. Looking on I wanted to make sure that he was and partially because I was scared out of my mind. As I rose to my feet I could feel myself trembling uncontrollably even with a coat on, I did my best to stop but I couldn't help it. Looking around nervously I walked over towards the phone and motioned to lean down before I just threw up. Yes, as disgusting as it was, I just started puking feeling like I wasn't in my body at this point. Picking up the phone I began to run through my head of who I should call. Serena…she's off to Connecticut with Ben. Nate…he changed his number again because of that girl, I haven't gotten the new number yet. Chuck….I can't anymore, and because I don't want him here. In that moment it seemed like I was truly contemplating who to call but really it was a mere flash second to where I knew who I had to call.
[Dan's P.O.V.]
My plan is simple. It's nothing that requires much thought. It's simply to get drunk. I'm tired of worrying about everything and being pissed at everyone at least for tonight but tomorrow I'm still pretty pissed. Ryan was suppose to meet me over here and was on his way until he saw a hot girl and decided to leave with her. So my drinking buddy is gone, but that's okay I will get drunk all by my lonesome. Placing my order with the bartender I can't help but think about what the hell my plan is when it comes to school. I'm in no way shape or form recognizing what Blaire said but maybe I do need to have a plan when it comes to school, hell when it comes to the loft. Letting the loft go is not an option so I'm not entertaining that thought whatsoever….but if I had to, I think that would be the nail in the coffin with my dad. A part of me feels like calling Jenny up and getting her opinion on it but I don't want her to worry. I'm in a bind and I just need something to take my mind off it…that girl over there has eyed me ever since I've come in. Maybe I should hook up with her tonight, it would take my mind off of my problems and would be a step up from Waldorf. Sex with her was the worst idea because now she thinks she knows me or has some liberty to make decisions for me. I mean its so damn frustrating when it comes to her because she thinks she's always right….she made rules on us having sex for crying out loud. My phone is ringing…I'm afraid to even look at my phone because with my luck it'll be someone that I don't want to talk to and surprise, surprise its Waldorf. She's probably calling to get back at me or end our little arrangement. I'm not in the mood to fight with her because its just pointless…..then again, why is she calling me? Especially when she knows I'm pissed at her and she's supposed to be pissed at me….I'm not answering….there's no point to answer. Fine, I'll answer but I'm ending things first.
"Waldorf we're done" I quickly say before I hear trembling and muffled tears on the other end
"Can…you…can you come get me? I've been robbed" Blaire says in between tears. Grabbing my keys, I quickly booked it
"I'm on my way. Just tell me where you are?" I asked as a taxi pulled up and I wasted no time getting in
[Blaire's P.O.V]
I can hear the rats running along the cracks, and there's a part of me that is disgusted but is to scared to care. Kneeling down I make sure to cover my legs because the coldness of the night is beginning to pick up and the breeze turned from coolness on my cuts to insanely cold. Each footstep I hear I get even more worried because I have this vision that the guy knows I called for help and he's come to make his promise come true against me. Nothing about me feels beautiful or Waldorf at this point because all I want to do is just run away. I hear Dan's voice calling out my name as he runs and I immediately thank every taxi company in New York for getting him so quickly or maybe he knows backstreets to where I am, but I'm just relieved he came especially after what happened earlier. I'm just really glad he came is all I kept thinking as tears roll down my face as I get up and begin to walk towards him so he doesn't have to keep running around. About to turn the corner, he stops immediately once he see's me limping towards him. For a moment he takes in the sight of the once glamorous girl that was me and the mess that was made of me. Grabbing my hand, he walks me over to the waiting taxi.
The drive back to his place was in complete silence as he didn't need to ask a million questions to know what was wrong with me. Once we make it back to his loft, I hop in the shower wanting to get this grime off of me. I don't look that bad I keep telling myself as I look in the mirror at giant bruise that's on my cheek, and my body doesn't feel so stiff even though I have bruises up and down my leg…overall I don't look that bad I tell myself. I haven't necessarily gotten into the habit of leaving clothes over at his place because its just a rule I followed of my own so I'm in an oversized shirt that Humphrey has let me borrow. In some odd way I feel like a cloche of protection has been placed over me and I feel safe. Stepping out of the bathroom I can see Humphrey pacing the floor because he's not quite sure what do with me…he's contemplating calling the police or just telling Darota, anything that makes me feel safe and lets the person who did this meet justice in the swiftest fashion. Walking towards him he immediately stops once he see's me.
"The shirt fits good on you" Dan says shyly as a moment of silence comes over us and I'm just trying to hold myself together because Waldorf women face tragedy then move on like fashion "Do you want something to eat? I can order you pizza or go to pick something up?" he asks
"No. I just..I want sleep" I whisper softly
"Okay. You can take my room since its familiar to you and I can just take Jenny's room" Dan tells me before I agree to the plan. Turning off all the light in the loft we make our way to his room because some part of him feels like he should walk me there to be a gentlemen. Sitting on my usual side of the bed I stare out at his so called Brooklyn just taking in the sounds of Brooklyn wondering how the part of town I had always claimed as safe could be the same place that would do harm to me over the place I was almost certain I would never feel safe in. Looking over my shoulder to look at Humphrey, I can see he's still unsure of what he should do but then his natural nice guy instincts kick in and he comes over to sit beside me.
"I was wondering when you were going to act so weird" I laugh to myself as I choke back the tears "I just got robbed Humphrey, I'm not dead" I tell him
"But something worse could have happened" Dan replies a bit down on himself "That argument was stupid earlier" he then says
"It kind of was" I reply "I'm sorry for overstepping" I then say
"No. You were just…you were being a friend. A friend that needed to kick me in the ass to make me realize that I need help" Dan said as he placed his hand on top of mine "I should have never been such an jackass because maybe this wouldn't have happened" he then says
"I'm pretty sure you can't stop crime from happening" I laughed
"You know what I mean" Dan replied "I just feel like a complete ass" he sighs
"At least you feel better than I do right now" I joke "Nothing about tonight is something we could have predicted" I told him
"Maybe not" Dan sighed "Well I'm going to let you get some rest because I'm pretty sure you want some rest" he says as he gets up from the bed and begins to walk over towards the door
"Thank you. Thank you for coming tonight" I said before he slowly turned to look back at me
"You know we're gonna have to realize that we're actually friends now. This whole love to hate each other is good, but I think I want to be the first to say that you're my friend and that's what a friend…with benefits, would do" Dan tells me "You know be there for each other and all that other crap" he teased as I couldn't help but laugh
"Thank you Humphrey" I smiled at him
"No problem Waldorf. No problem" Dan smiles at me before he leaves the room
For a moment I lay on my side just staring out at hustle and bustle below as I just thought to myself that maybe my perceptions were wrong. Maybe Epperly was right about me in more than just fashion speak, what if what she was really telling me was that I was close minded from all things including fashion. I had always prided myself of being the best in whatever I did and everything that was me was the Upper East Side. This closed off perception had caused many arguments between Serena but they never counted worth much because Serena always found her way back so it just only reassured me that you could stray but you'd always come back. You always come back, always.