Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“WHAT???” Blair stared at disbelief at her computer screen. There it was; a picture of her kissing Chuck in the Brooklyn grocery store. Of course, no one knew it was Chuck, and Blair would do her best to make sure no one found out. Things were so complicated right now, she just didn’t need this. Clenching her teeth, she grabbed her cell phone and punched in Serena’s number.
“Serena! Did you see what’s on Gossip Girl?!”
“Yeah, I did. Blair, I’m sorry. But come on, in a grocery store? I thought you were classier than that.” Blair rolled her eyes.
“Look, I know, okay? But it was just one kiss, and someone was there to catch it. And I need to find out who.”
“Well, I’m sorry, B, but Dan’s taking me out of the city today, and our cell phones won’t get any signal until we come back in the evening. Maybe someone else can help you?”
Once Blair had hung up, she thought of who else could help her find the person who did this to her. Maybe Is and Kati? No, they were too oblivious to the world outside Manhattan to give a crap about Brooklyn. Blair thought of Jenny. She would be perfect. But wait, B thought, a realization coming to her. Obviously, the person who took the photo lived in Brooklyn. What would an Upper East Sider be doing at a commoner’s grocery store, or at a grocery store at all? Those were two of the reasons why B had decided to go there with Chuck. But Jenny lived in Brooklyn. Could it be that Little J had been the one to rat her out? Of course not, B assured herself. Jenny values being part of my clique too much to do that to me. Plus, she knows I warned her not to cross me. Blair dialled Jenny’s number.
“Oh, hey, Blair,” Jenny said nonchalantly when she picked up the phone.
“Hey, Jenny,” Blair said in a sweet voice. “Um, by any chance have you seen what Gossip Girl posted about me?”
“Oh, uh, yeah, you mean the picture? Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“That’s alright,” Blair said, picking at her nails. “Me and Nate are over, and I have a right to be with whoever I want. But, something like this can’t go without a punishment. I was wondering if you would mind helping me find the person who did this to me?”
On the other end, Jenny bit her lip. “Um, no, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Blair smiled evilly. “Great. I’ll come by later this afternoon so we can talk.”
“Okay, Blair. Sure.”
Just as Blair was about to hang up, Jenny added, “Oh, and um, just wondering, who was that guy you were kissing?” Blair smiled a little.
“Oh, Little J, don’t you worry about that.”

“Come on, Chuck, let me in. I need to talk to you, man.” Nate was banging on the door of Chuck’s suite at the Palace Hotel. Finally, Chuck opened the door and hesitantly let his friend in.
“Nathaniel, what a surprise.”
“Yeah, sure, you didn’t hear me knocking on the door for the past 10 minutes.”
“Please, sit.” Chuck guided his best friend over to one of the sofas. The both sat down. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“Actually, I came over to talk to you about Blair. Did you see that picture on Gossip Girl with her and that guy?”
“Yeah, I uh, I did…” Chuck nervously sipped the cup of coffee on the table nearby.
“Well, I can’t bear to see her with some other guy, Chuck. I’ve realized now that I still love Blair, and I’ll do anything to win her back.”
“…Are you sure? I mean, didn’t you guys make it final and everything?”
“I don’t know, but obviously she thinks it’s over, and it’s up to me to prove that I still care about her.”
“Uh, Nate, just a thought here, but uh, do you think you might be acting just a tad hypocritical?”
Nate raised his eyebrows. “Do you mean about that photo of me and the girl hugging? That’s different. I wasn’t kissing her. God, who does that guy think he is, anyway? If I ever find out…” Nate clenched his fists. Chuck squirmed on the couch next to him.
“Anyway,” he concluded, “You’ve got to help me get back with Blair. Don’t you have some scheme up your sleeve like always?”
“Uh, not this time, pal. I’m gonna be busy the next couple of days.”
“Oh yeah? Doing what?”
“…Planning the next party with Blair.”
“Well, that’s great, then. You can try and squeeze some info out of her; see if she opens up to you. We can go from there.”
“Uh, listen Nathaniel, I don’t really feel comfortable doing this for you…”
“Really? Because it’s never stopped you before.”
Chuck sighed. “Alright. For you, I’ll try and talk to her. But I’m not making any promises.”
“Fine.” Nate got up to leave.
Just as he was about to walk out the door, Chuck called after him, “Wait, who was that girl you were with during Blair’s party?”
Nate smiled a little. “No one, just a friend. You don’t need to worry about her.”