Chapter 5 -Part 1

Chapter 5
Part 1

Hey everyone. Ready for the scoop? Serena was seen on a nice trip out with brother Eric. Good going, S. looks like you’ve achieved ‘perfect sister’ status. Dan hasn’t been spotted anywhere since his visit to Manhattan with V. He must be up in his loft playing with Cedric (don’t ask). N was spotted roaming the streets. Looks like he’s just waiting for everything to play out on its own. Little Jenny Humphrey’s been shopping. In Brooklyn. Now, I know you may say, “So what? That’s where poor people shop.” And that may be true, but I have a feeling the reason she wasn’t in Manhattan had to do with avoiding a certain couple. And it definitely wasn’t Dolce & Gabbana.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Blair scanned Gossip Girl’s latest blog entry on her computer. Good. It didn’t mention her or Chuck. Well, at least not directly. She could definitely do without the anonymous blogger following her every move. Jenny would have to wait till later, though.
An instant message popped up on her screen. Chuck.

NYC Devil: You ready for our date?

Blair glanced at the clock. 6.

Queen B: Is that what it is? A date?
NYC Devil: Well, dates are classy, right? And you deserve classy.

Blair stared at the screen. Was that just a compliment? Was he just being sweet?

Queen B: …I’ll talk to you later. I have things to do.

Blair logged out before Chuck had time to reply.
She needed to think. First, he was disgusting. Then, still disgusting. Okay, he was disgusting for a long time. Until the night of Victrola. Then, he was drunk, but slightly sweet. Then, disgusting. Then, more disgusting. Okay, he was disgusting until… until he came in to see Blair when she was crying at her birthday party. There he was so amazingly sweet. Still sweet. Then cocky. Then disgusting. Then sweet again. Boy! Blair thought. He has more mood swings than I do during my time of the month!
Blair logged on again, but she stayed signed out of her instant messenger. She checked her email. There was an unread message from Chuck dated the day after the party. B hadn’t checked her email all week; but what was strange was that that was the only new email she had. And Chuck never sent out emails. IMs, yes. But no emails. He said he didn’t like the feel of writing to someone and having to wait on them until they were online to reply. The last time Blair had received one from him was when she was 13.
There was no subject. She hesitated, then clicked the message open.

Happy Birthday, Blair. -Chuck


Blair stared at the message. Tears came to her eyes. Sure, it was just an email, but it was from Chuck Bass. He didn’t expect a reply, and he didn’t throw in any of his usual lines. He was just wishing her a happy birthday. And a simple email had never made Blair so happy in all her life. Because no one else had said a word about her birthday on the actual day; the day after the party, the day the email was written. Blair was always the forgotten one. People comforted her about Nate, but no one seemed to remember the birthday.
So that was why Chuck had insisted on their breakfast meeting the day before. It was his way of showing he cared. And the email was a (not at all) subtle reminder of it.
Blair pushed back her chair and walked over to her dresser. Pulling a little black box out of the bottom drawer, she opened it. Blair stood there for a while, just staring at the beauty of the diamond necklace. Chuck cared. He cared about her.