[short chapter but the next one will be much longer…]

Chapter 13

"So, what's the deal with you and Serena?" Chuck asked Nate as they walked back towards the park after leaving the girls.
"Um, we're friends," Nate answered, though not sure if that was true anymore.
Chuck shook his head, "Why are you lying to me, Nate?"
The other boy was caught off guard by this, "What? I'm not lying to you. We're just friends."
"You know I'm not one for petty gossip," Chuck began and Nate rolled his eyes, knowing that was hardly true. "But first I read this Gossip Girl post about you two and then we run into Serena and Blair just now and... Serena is not a quiet person, but she barely even said a word." He sighed and looked over at his friend, squinting his eyes slightly, "And the look on her face when you kissed Blair? Pure jealousy. There's something you're not telling me."
Nate took time to think this over, his mind still hazy. He'd known about Gossip Girl's musings and knew he couldn't tell Chuck what really happened. But could it be that Serena really did have feelings for him? Maybe she really was just protecting Blair by saying she didn't want to be with him.
"Jealousy? Really?" was all Nate could ask, remembering it was Chuck he was talking to.
His friend nodded and said with a laugh, "Trust me. She looked like she wanted to seriously hurt someone."
------------------------------------------------

When Blair had pulled herself together, she and Serena had walked to her building in silence. The blonde was now sitting on her bed while she furiously brushed her teeth for the third time, beginning to taste blood but unable to stop. Unable to get clean.
She spit into the sink, seeing the now bright red toothpaste slide down the drain. Her mind flashed to Lady Macbeth and she wondered if she was having a nervous breakdown. She looked into the mirror and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, still clutching the toothbrush; its bristles were coated in blood.
"Jesus, B," Serena's voice pulled her out of her trance and she looked over at the girl standing in the doorway, then back down at the incriminating toothbrush.
Serena walked over to her, taking it out of Blair's hand and setting it down before pulling her into a tight hug. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "You're scaring me."
Blair rested her forehead against the taller girl's shoulder, inhaling slowly. There was something about Serena's scent that calmed the girl greatly. "I'm sorry."
Serena pulled away and looked at the brunette. "Its not your fault," she told her, though she knew it wouldn't make a difference. Blair just buried her head back into Serena's shoulder.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," the brunette's voice broke and so did Serena's heart. She couldn't help but think this whole situation was her fault as she held on to the frail girl in her arms.
"Come on, baby. Lets go lay down," Serena whispered soothingly before taking Blair's hand and leading her out of the bathroom.
----------------------------------

Ashley sat down at her usual table in the cafeteria. She'd realized Serena had skipped out when the girl didn't show up to Spanish. Ashley was kind of disappointed that the blonde hadn't asked her to come along, but she wasn't going to dwell on it. Though it did feel sort of weird to be eating alone.
She decided to text Spencer, since she was so bored and also because she'd use any excuse to talk to the girl. She leant down and reached into her bag for her phone, but was startled when she heard the chair next to her being pulled out. Sitting up so fast she almost hit her head, Ashley's jaw dropped when she saw the blonde sitting next to her.
"Hey there," Spencer said with a smile.
Ashley continued to stare, completely confused. She wondered if she was imagining things. "Spencer? What're you doing here?"
The blonde shrugged. "Alumni are allowed to visit the school whenever we want."
"Oh yea, right. I forgot about that."
Spencer tilted her head to the side, "There's another reason too," she said softly.
The brunette raised her eyebrows, "Really? And what would that be?"
Spencer looked around before leaning in a little closer to whisper, "I'm here to bust you out."
Ashley laughed, "Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack," Spencer shot back without hesitation. "S called me. She felt bad about leaving you alone for lunch and since she can't come get you, she sent me."
"Wow." The brunette was taken aback by the gesture.
"Yup. So are you going to come willingly or am I going to have to carry you?" Spencer teased, standing up.
Ashley grabbed her bag and stood up, too. "Well they both sound very appealing. I don't know if I can choose," Ashley joked while pretending to take a second to think it over.
But before she could even say anything else, the blonde was already scooping her up into her arms. Completely stunned by the action, Ashley couldn't even speak as Spencer carried her out of the cafeteria, catching the attention of the whole room.
Once outside the doors, Spencer set her back down. "Think you can take it from here?"
Ashley nodded mutely, still in shock, and Spencer laughed. "You okay?"
The brunette nodded again, "You're really strong," was all she could say.
Spencer shook her head, "No I'm not. You're just really light." The blonde chuckled again as Ashley just nodded. "Come on," she said, lacing her fingers through Ashley's and pulling the younger girl down the hall. "They're waiting for us."
Ashley began to follow but then paused. "Wait... They?"
Spencer looked back and nodded, "Yeah, Serena and Blair."
"Oh," the brunette said, a little put off. "Um, maybe I shouldn't go. Blair and I... we don't get along... at all..." she explained vaguely.
Spencer rolled her eyes. "If you don't start walking I'm going to carry you again. Besides, there's something we all need to talk about."
The last part had piqued Ashley's curiosity, and also the fact that she'd be spending time with Spencer instead of in class was too good to pass up.
"Alright, I'm in."