Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“So how is Blair?”
Dan and Serena were sitting in a public park enjoying their lunch at 2 in the afternoon. Neither seemed to mind that they were a couple of hours late.
“Oh, she’s fine,” Serena replied, reaching for another slice of watermelon. “She’s just having some problems with Nate and stuff. It’s complicated.”
“Yeah… didn’t they break up?” Dan flicked an ant off the blanket they were sitting on. He smoothed out the ripple in the cloth, and then looked up at Serena again.
“Um, yeah, sort of,” Serena said slowly. “But I’m not really that sure myself.” She finished her watermelon wedge and went for another. Dan smiled as he watched her shove the dripping wet fruit into her mouth.
“Well, I hope she’ll be okay. Hey, are there any new parties coming up? You Manhattanites seem to have a lot of those.” S laughed.
“Yeah, well, we do love to party.”
“I’ll bet.”
“But I don’t know when the next one is. Usually Blair hosts the big parties, and I haven’t heard anything about a new one from her. I don’t know, maybe the others are planning something. There’s sure to be a ball or something coming up for Christmas; it’s tradition.”
“Most Upper East Side parties are.”
Serena looked at him. “How would you know?”
“Please, I probably know more about tradition parties than you do. Jenny’s obsessed with each and every one. Trying to fit in with Blair and her crowd, you know.”
“Well,” Serena said, “She’s kind of hanging by a thread right now. She and Blair got in a fight before the birthday party, and Jenny never showed up. But I know how important fitting in with Blair is to your sister.”
“Yup, Waldorf’s her idol.”
Serena pursed her lips. “I just hope she doesn’t follow exactly in B’s footsteps.” Dan glanced at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“Nothing, really… Just, Blair gets caught up in it all sometimes,” Serena said quickly. She shoved a large, soft cookie in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to say any more.
Well, it’s more like Blair following in Jenny’s footsteps, Serena thought, reminding herself of the Kiss on the Lips party as she smiled at Dan with stuffed cheeks.

Spotted: D and S on a romantic picnic date in a Brooklyn park. Personally, I like my dates better when they have tables and ties. But I’m not one to judge. It looks like they were having enough fun. I wonder what, or who, they were talking about? Hope Serena didn’t spill.
S: Stuffing her face with more watermelon than what would normally fit.
D: Actually having fun without Vanessa. Looks like this Lonely Boy is a one-lady man; for now.

“So your mom actually forced you to wear designer lip gloss to last year’s Kiss on the Lips?”
Serena laughed. “Yup, she said that since that night was all about ‘kissing’, I couldn’t just settle for some Lip Smackers. She opened one of her makeup bags and pulled out like 20 shades of Chanel. Sometimes my mom is so shallow. Like anyone would care what brand lip gloss I wore! Except Blair Waldorf, of course. One of her main philosophies is, ‘Upper East Siders don’t wear cosmetics from Wal-Mart’. You either go to Sephora, or you don’t bother wearing makeup at all.”
They both laughed as Dan started putting the plates back in the picnic basket.
“It’s getting late,” he said when Serena questioned his actions.
She grabbed his wrist and glanced at his watch. “Dan, it’s 4:30,” she replied, laughing.
“I promised my mom I’d go and get groceries. And you know me, it takes forever just to find the Deli section, and they put up giant signs on the walls and everything.”
Serena smiled as she helped him put everything away. “Well,” she said, standing up, “See you later, then. And good luck getting that deli meat.” She kissed him and then hailed a cab.
Once she had gone, Dan sighed and picked up the basket. Slowly, he started walking back home. “Those van der Woodsens and their lip gloss,” he mumbled as he passed the afternoon Brooklyn crowd.