Chapter Four
Ta-da, an original chapter! This was in fact inspired by Blair's annual Waldorf Sleepover
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"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Eric asked, glancing down at the finely laminated card in his hand. It wasn't just any card - it was an invitation, one that he had been working on all day to perfect.
With a careful finger, Jenny traced the beautiful calligraphy her step-brother had taken the time to craft for her. Humphrey Sleepover, it read, a mirror image of Blair's annual 'Waldorf Sleepover', but with a twist. Instead if nair-tinis and mani-pedis, there would be board games and hot chocolate.
"Positive," she said with conviction. "It's the perfect way to bond with the girls and hopefully get them to change their mindset."
Eric neatly trimmed the edges of each invitation before enclosing them into little black and white envelopes. "I'm with you about the bonding part, but I'm not entirely sold on the changing their mindset part. I mean, do you know how stubborn these girls can be?"
Jenny scoffed, chucking a paper ball at him, which he narrowly missed. "Um - as a girl, I take offence."
"Well, you can be stubborn at times," Eric admitted, without missing a beat, "but at least you're aware that there's more than one side to a story. Other girls are so caught up in their ways to even consider another point of view."
A brief image of Blair flashed across her mind. Then Serena. Then all the other upper east side girls who Jenny went to school with. They all were exactly the type of girls Eric was referring to. From their insistence that the world revolved around them down to their failure to see the bigger picture, and how their actions could affect others. At one point in her own life, Jenny had been guilty of doing the exact same thing. It was fairly easy to lose yourself in the upper east side. In a crowd full of rich kids, she had felt like a lamb amongst the lions, someone who was an easy target, and in a desperate attempt to prove herself, to show that she was worthy of their approval, she had lost herself along the way.
It had cost her relationship with her father and brother, her fashion career with Eleanor Waldorf and her brief period of homelessness to show her that. She still remembered the sheer panic she had felt, accompanied by the shame and disgust of her own actions. She really had hit rock bottom, and never did she want to feel that way again.
Perhaps that's why she was so adamant about destroying the social hierarchy - she felt as though it was a contributing factor toward her downward spiral. Jenny hated the entire monarch system. The way the queen had the utmost authority and power to invalidate others was dangerous - not only to her subjects, but to the queen herself. She had the power to destroy the self-esteem of young girls, the same way her own self-esteem had been destroyed, and the ability to corrupt lives at her fingertips. She recalled Blair's harsh reign, the way the older brunette had relentlessly preyed upon the weak and used the elite as her pawns, and much like her predecessor, Jenny was vulnerable to giving into that kind of power. It was enticing and addictive and gave her a certain thrill, but she knew better than to indulge in it. What if one day she had given in and lost herself again? The road to hell was paved with good intentions, but it was one Jenny couldn't risk.
"Ain't that the truth," she said finally. "But it's worth the attempt. Who knows, maybe one of them will give in. It's better than nothing, right?"
"I guess so."
Finishing the last of the invitations, Eric stacked them up into a neat pile on the coffee table. "There," he said, "they should be ready to hand out tomorrow."
"Thanks," Jenny said, grinning. Although this was a mission of sorts, she was still excited at the prospect of hosting a sleepover. The only other sleepover she had been to was Blair's in freshman year, and it wasn't exactly the most fun experience, which was why Jenny was determined to do things her way this time around.
Just then, the elevator dinged and Serena stepped out. She was clutching a large, bulky shopping bag. Hauling it onto a nearby sofa, she smiled and sat down opposite the duo.
"What's all this?" the older blonde asked, picking up one of Jenny's invitations.
"It's for a sleepover Jenny's hosting Friday night," Eric answered.
Serena rose a perfectly arched brow as she studied the invitation. Her expression was unreadable and Jenny wondered what was going through her head.
Eventually, Serena asked, "Like the one Blair throws every year?"
"Sort of," Jenny replied carefully. "Since I'm the new queen, I thought it would be nice to get to know the girls. But I don't want it to be an exact copy of Blair's sleepovers."
"Well, I think it's an awesome idea," Serena said. She put the card back onto the pile and sat up straight in her seat. "Look, Jenny, I need a favor. I know it's short notice, but I really need you to make a dress for one of my clients, or KC will have my head in."
"Oh, uh, what kind of dress?" Jenny asked.
Serena retrieved her shopping bag, containing what Jenny now noticed were a bunch of clothing material, and produced a sketchpad. She flipped through the pages until it landed on what appeared to be a roughly drawn ballroom gown. Jenny tried not to squirm at how badly drawn it was.
"My client is adamant that she wears this particular design," Serena said, visibly cringing at the sketch, "and no other designer is willing to make it."
Jenny could certainly see why, the contrasting red and green clashed horrendously. It was the kind of dress that one might wear in christmas, but it was only October, so the only logical answer was that Serena's client must have suffered from some sort of color blindness. That, and a poor taste in fashion - the dress was all kinds of frilly and looked as if it belonged in the nineteenth century.
"Uh…" Jenny was ready to turn down the offer, but at Serena's pleading pout, she paused.
"Is your client okay in the head?" Eric asked incredulously, squinting at the design as if it were magically going to improve.
"Debatable," Serena said to her little brother, before quickly fixing Jenny another pleading look. "Please, Jenny, do it for me? I'll even pay you!"
She knew Serena wouldn't stop asking until she relented, so with a sigh, she agreed. "Okay, but if she does end up wearing it, can you please not disclose my name to the press? I don't want my name associated with that."
"Done," Serena agreed quickly. She got up and engulfed Jenny into a hug. "Thank you so much! You're honestly such a lifesaver."
"Don't mention it," Jenny said. She scanned the contents of the shopping bag. The material was of fine quality, she could work with that. "When do you want this by?"
"Friday night. Chuck and Nate are hosting a party for his cousin Tripp's election campaign at the Empire. So some of my clients are going to be there, Patrick included."
Jenny's eyes widened. That only gave her four days. "Friday?" she exclaimed. "But I have my sleepover to arrange. I'm not sure I can manage all that."
"Eric and I can help with that," Serena said, shooting her brother a pointed look.
"Speak for yourself, I'm not exactly knowledgeable about girly sleepovers," he shot back.
At the panicked expression on Jenny's face, Serena was quick to assure her, "Don't worry, J. I'll handle it. While you work on the dress, I'll arrange everything you need to ensure it's the best slumber party yet."
"Okay." Jenny exhaled noisily.
If she could trust anyone to make arrangements for her sleepover, it was Serena. The older girl had a knack for party planning, seeing as she was an avid party-goer herself.
"I'll get to work as soon as I can," she promised.
The remainder of the days flew by. As soon as school would let out, Jenny would run home and sit at her sewing machine, spending hours upon hours working on the dress. Sometimes she would miss dinner, but thankfully someone always brought food up to her room. If she wasn't in a frantic rush, Jenny would take a break and eat her meal, but when she was too preoccupied, her food would remain untouched and grow cold.
As she worked on the dress, her mind would often wander back to her sleepover. She had already handed out the invitations to the girls at school, and they had all agreed to come, some even sent her RSVP cards of their own. Jenny hoped Serena had managed to make the suitable arrangements she needed, such as ordering food from her favorite restaurant, Tony's, or ensuring there was enough hot chocolate and marshmallows to go around. Maybe she could even rent some movies that they could watch, like the Notebook. You could never go wrong with a good chick-flick.
Thursday night rolled around and Jenny was finally done. She held up the dress and inspected it carefully, looking for any loose stitches or frays. After double checking and ensuring everything was fine, she called Serena who agreed to come and pick it up.
Eventually, Serena arrived and brought Eric with her, who stared at the dress in undisguised fascination.
"Wow, that's hideous, and I mean that in the best way possible," he remarked, while Serena hummed in agreement.
"I think this is exactly what my client was going for," she said. "Though I have no idea what possessed her."
Jenny folded the dress carefully and handed it to Serena. "Honestly, it's probably the most challenging piece of clothing I've created. I can't say I did a bad job with what I had to work with."
"You did a great job, J. My client is going to love it and KC is going to hate it. Tomorrow is definitely going to be an interesting night."
"Speaking of an interesting night," Eric interjected, "I heard that you'll be spending it with Patrick."
Jenny noticed Serena's cheeks flush as she avoided their gaze. "I won't be spending the night with him. It's just a publicity stunt. I have to pretend to be his girlfriend until he's casted in his next movie."
"Uh huh," Eric continued. "Then why does Blair think you're really dating him?"
"Because she's Blair. What else can I say?"
Serena made her way to the door and Eric followed closely behind. The siblings continued bickering as they left Jenny's room, the sounds of their chatter fading away until nothing but silence reigned. Too exhausted to do much else, Jenny laid on her bed, closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
Eric and her parents were at the loft, playing board games with Dan and Olivia, which meant that Jenny had the penthouse to herself. The girls would be arriving shortly and Serena had assured her that she had already taken care of the preparations. But when Jenny checked the pantry for all the food she had requested, it was empty.
Grabbing her phone, she quickly dialled Serena's number, but it went straight to voicemail.
"Ugh," Jenny groaned, snapping her phone shut. It seemed her older step-sister had flaked on her, after all. The girls would arrive within half an hour, what was she going to do?
She kicked the couch. "Damn it."
As if luck were on her side, the elevator suddenly dinged and before she knew it, an army of caterers stepped out, pushing carts and carts of food.
"Jenny Humphrey?" one of them asked.
"Um, that's me."
"We've been instructed to serve the food at nine p.m sharp, on Miss Van Der Woodsen's orders. We'll go and set up now."
Though slightly confused, Jenny nodded and watched as the team of caterers wheeled their carts into the kitchen area. She could smell the delicious aroma of roast chicken, stuffed peppers and many more delectables. Okay, so maybe Serena didn't forget about her sleepover, after all. Jenny made a mental note to call and thank her later.
Darting her eyes around the living room, Jenny focused on the trundle beds laid scattered about, adorned with perfectly fluffed pillows and fresh blankets. Each pillow contained an eye mask inscribed with the word Humphrey on it. Initially, she had wanted to go with sleeping bags but stopped short, remembering the crowd of girls she had invited. This wasn't Brooklyn. Girls in the upper east side simply didn't sleep inside sleeping bags, and would rather die than be caught in one.
"Excuse me, did you bring the hot chocolate?" Jenny asked the main caterer. The man squinted down at her in confusion.
"Hot chocolate?" he asked. "I was told we were to distribute gin martinis." He pointed to a cart, containing martini glasses and a bowl of olives.
"Oh, right," she said, masking her confusion. "That's, um, perfect, thank you."
This was starting to feel more and more like Blair's sleepover from freshman year, from the trundle beds down to the gin martinis. She wanted it to be different, distinct, but Serena seemed to have other ideas judging by the way she had organised everything. Jenny took a deep breath to soothe her nerves. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The guests had yet to arrive and the night was still young. Who knew how things would turn out, maybe the night would end up surprising her.
"I really like what you've done with the place," Celeste said upon entering the penthouse. She was dressed in pearls and silk pyjamas. Next to her, Jenny felt inadequate in her night dress.
"Thanks."
Celeste set her bag down on the coffee table and settled into one of the sofas, while the other minions followed suit. Jenny decided now was a good time to give the opening speech.
She grabbed a gin martini and took a sip. "Thank you for coming, ladies. Today is the first ever Humphrey sleepover. Only those of you who are worthy have been selected to come, for obvious reasons, and it will definitely be a night to remember."
Raising her glass in the air as a salute, the girls mimicked her gesture before they all took a sip.
"Now, who wants to play a game?"
Throughout the night, Jenny had noticed Carmen's look of scepticism and wanted to wipe it right off her smug face. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to start off the night playing twenty-one truths. It wasn't as risque as Blair's truth or dare.
"Alright, ladies," Jenny drawled, "shall we play Never Have I Ever?"
"I don't know, seems a bit childish to me," Carmen replied, folding her arms against her chest.
Jenny shot her a smirk. "Oh? But what if we raise the stakes higher."
This intrigued the other girls. Jane leaned forward and asked, "What do you mean?"
Feigning boredom, Jenny examined her nails and said, "Well, instead of skipping a drink if you've never done something, why not spill a secret. And it has to be a juicy, one that no one knows about."
The minions agreed instantly but Jenny was focused on Carmen, who had yet to answer. Staring her down, Carmen finally flinched at the intensity of Jenny's gaze.
"Fine," she said begrudgingly, propping a pillow onto her lap. "Should be easy."
The corners of Jenny's lips slowly lifted upwards. Challenge accepted, she thought.
"As queen, I'll start," she announced, deciding to start off with something tame. "Never have I ever kissed a boy."
Predictably, everyone present took a sip of their martinis.
"Good. Natasha, your turn."
"Never have I ever made it to third base," the brunette said, to which everyone but Jenny drank.
Instead of feeling ashamed at the pitying glances thrown her way, Jenny decided to manipulate the situation by revealing a secret that would blow them away.
"Last year I may have stolen a jacket from Eleanor Waldorf's boutique, gotten caught and lied to the police. In the end, I managed to trick them into letting me go scott free," she said, taking a sip of her martini regardless.
Celeste gasped and asked, "How did you do that?"
"Oh, you see, I already had a set of keys to Eleanor's store," she said, bending the truth slightly. "I've worked with her before. She called me extremely talented. Even told me that I had a career in fashion that would drag others out of business."
"Wow!"
"That's amazing!"
Jenny leaned back in her seat with a grin. Turns out manipulation isn't as hard as she thought. If she kept this up, the girls would definitely respect her as queen and never doubt her authority again.
The rest of the night flew by. Serena had arranged for massages, manicures and facials, all without telling Jenny, so it came as a surprise to the blonde when the team had turned up. Not that she was complaining, the girls absolutely loved it. As for their games, Jenny had learned a couple of dirty secrets from the girls that she could use in the future, but probably wouldn't. She was long past the days of blackmail and extortion, and didn't want to fall back into that particular rabbit hole. It was a dark and lonely place.
Once the girls were all asleep on their trundle beds, Jenny hastily went to her room, intending to call Eric and update him with their progress. With three rings, he picked up.
"Hey, how's it going?" he asked.
Jenny sighed. "It was a complete bust. I didn't make much progress. Don't get me wrong, we did bond and I think they respect me a bit more than they did before, but ultimately they're still the same shallow, self-entitled girls they were before."
"Well, what did you expect?" Eric said with a scoff. "You can't just change their entire ideologies within a night. If things worked like that, life would be much simpler."
"No need to sass me, mister. I get the message loud and clear. I guess it's back to the drawing board."
"Hey, on the bright side, at least you wasn't stuck with Dan and Olivia, and Mom and Rufus," he complained. "I felt like the ultimate fifth wheel. Your night was certainly more eventful that mine."
Resisting the urge to laugh, Jenny settled for a silent smile. Even without trying, Eric knew just how to make her feel better.
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thoughts?
