Chapter 19 -Part 6

Chapter 19
Part 6

When Nate entered the hallway, it was empty. He could have sworn he heard Blair’s voice outside. Forgetting it, Nate entered the elevator. When he reached the ballroom, he spotted Jenny. She had just been dismissed by a handsome 10th grader with whom she had been dancing. Hurrying over to her, Nate pulled J over to a table.
“Have you seen Blair?” he asked.
“No, I thought she was with you. Why?”
“Well, we just broke up.”
“That’s terrible! What happened?”
“I don’t know, Blair got all upset with me. But it’s for the best anyway. Besides, I had my eye on someone else.” Nate winked at Jenny.
Overcome with emotion, J’s heart soared, then sank. Her and Nate? Blair wouldn’t allow it. As much as Jenny had always wanted Nate to notice her, she knew them being together would never happen.
“Nate…” Jenny said slowly, getting up from the table. Nate stood up and moved toward her.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he whispered. He moved closer, leaned down, and kissed her. Jenny struggled, but Nate got a hold of her waist and held her in.
Finally, Jenny was able to push away from him. “Nate!” she said, shocked at what he just did. Before N had another chance to make a move, Jenny grabbed her purse and hurried outside. She hailed a cab and headed straight for home.
Meanwhile, Nate just stood there, confused. Two girls in one night had rejected him? Maybe he was getting rusty.
A girl nearby stopped the video recording on her cell phone. When the clip was saved, she sent it in a text:

Gossip Girl:
Nate & Jenny -poor Blair!

Blair and Chuck had heard Nate coming down the hallway so they had quickly hopped in the elevator and headed to the lobby. Since they didn’t want to risk running into anyone they knew, Chuck had rented them another suite. This one had candles and soft, lavender sheets. When Blair entered the room, she smiled and immediately ran over and flopped down on the huge four-poster canopy.
“Isn’t this bed perfect?” she said, awed, as she rubbed the velvet on one of the throw pillows.
“Well, I think it’d be much better with a couple of half-naked girls on it,” Chuck commented, walking over to the bed. “Or even better, fully naked girls.”
Blair rolled her eyes as he sat down beside her. “But you’re just as wonderful,” Chuck said, smiling.
“Wow, thanks,” she said sarcastically. “But seriously, Chuck! Don’t you just love this room? It’s so romantic.”
“I can be romantic,” Chuck said, flicking off a lamp nearby. The room dimmed. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”
Blair laughed. “Thanks for trying.”
“You are most certainly welcome,” Chuck said. “I don’t do this very often, so you’re lucky.”
“The luckiest girl in the world,” Blair said, beaming. “Chuck, I’m so glad you’re here to look after me.”
“Is that all I am to you? A babysitter?” Chuck flopped down on the bed beside B.
“You know what I mean.”
The both smiled at each other. Suddenly, Chuck remembered something.
“Where’s your ring?” he asked.
“What ring?”
“The one Nate gave you; the family heirloom one.”
“Oh, that ring.”
“Didn’t you wear it tonight? I thought you would, considering you and Nate were ‘back together’.”
“I just didn’t feel like wearing it.”
“Hmm.”
“What? Why do you care, anyway?”
“Well, I just thought you would wear it considering how much you love him.” Chuck looked at her.
“I don’t love him. And I think I knew it all along; maybe that’s why wearing the ring didn’t feel right.”
“Well, I’m glad. I hated seeing you wear that ring.”
Blair looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “Were you jealous?”
“Of course not. I just thought the ring was really ugly.” Chuck stared straight ahead into the dim room. Blair laughed.
“Right. Sure.” Blair shuffled across the bed to lie next to him. She rested her head on his chest. “You are such a jealous boyfriend,” she teased, looking up at him.
“Again, you wish.” Chuck smiled down at her.
“I sure do.”
Blair scooted up and kissed him. Chuck pulled her up on top of him, sliding his hands up the backs of her thighs. Her legs were smooth and warm. Blair pushed back the collar of his jacket, wrapping her hands around his neck.
Never before had Blair felt so good. With Chuck holding her close, she felt safe in his arms. It all felt so right. Blair finally realized that with Nate, she had never had that feeling. That feeling that there was nothing else in the world she could possibly do at that moment than be with him.
Suddenly, Chuck pushed her back a little. “Are you sure you won’t regret this later?” he whispered.
“I’ll never regret this,” she whispered back. And with that, Blair smiled and slipped out of her dress.

The Vintage Ball turned out to be more dramatic than we had expected. Lucky for you, I’ve got all the deats.
Serena: Back with Dan, happy as ever.
Vanessa: Left all alone at a party she wasn’t even invited to.
Nate: Left single and still standing. But we have some news that might soon knock him off his feet.
Jenny: Heading home, torn up with yet another secret.
And as for Blair and Chuck, well, no one knows about them, but we have a few ideas…

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Chapter 19 -Part 5

Chapter 19
Part 5

Serena was sitting at her table alone. Blair had gone off with Nate, and Jenny was dancing with another freshman. She sighed, and looked around. Suddenly, she saw the last couple she thought would ever show up.
Dan and Vanessa.
Staring wide-eyed at them, Serena was shocked. How dare they! Serena was pretty sure they weren’t even invited.
Seeing S gaping at her, Vanessa dismissed Dan and walked over to Serena. “Well, well, well,” Vanessa said in a noticeably fake sweet voice. “I didn’t expect you to show up; least of all, dateless.” V looked around, pretending to search for Serena’s date.
“Well, I didn’t expect you to show up either,” Serena replied, narrowing her eyes. She so didn’t want to do this tonight.
“I couldn’t let Dan down,” Vanessa said. “I know how much he loves a good old fashioned Upper East Side party.” Serena stared at her, a bitter look in her eyes. She knew Vanessa had dragged Dan here, insisting that S wouldn’t show up. And of course, the only reason she had done that was to rub Dan in Serena’s face.
Serena smiled. “Excuse me,” she said sweetly, rising from the table. Vanessa looked after her, amused.
S rushed into the bathroom, getting out her lip gloss. She fixed her makeup and hair to be perfect, and then ran back out. Luckily, Vanessa was still mingling with some of the richer kids. Spotting Dan alone near the entrance to the ballroom, Serena gracefully strode over to him.
“Dan,” she said, acting genuinely surprised. “I didn’t expect to see you here! I thought you hated these events.”
“Uh, hi, Serena. I, uh, I didn’t know you were going to be here either.”
“Well, you know me,” Serena said, beaming. “I can never turn down a good party.”
“Um, yeah.” Dan looked past her, probably for Vanessa. Realizing small talk wasn’t going anywhere, Serena decided to use the direct approach.
“Dan, actually, I wanted to talk to you about us.” Dan turned to her quickly, surprised.
“Why? I thought you dumped me. Don’t you want nothing to do with me?”
Serena stared at him, confused. “What? I thought you broke up with me.”
“How did you get that idea?” Dan was just as bewildered as she was.
“Well, Vanessa came by a while ago and said you were dumping me. She said you realized I wasn’t the type of girl you wanted.”
“But how can that be? She came by and told me that you were kissing some other guy, and that you realized I wasn’t the type of guy you wanted!”
“What? But I didn’t say that! And I definitely didn’t kiss any other guy!”
“Well, if you didn’t break up with me, and I didn’t break up with you, then why would Vanessa lie to both of us like that?”
“To split us up, maybe? I mean, she kept going on about how you rejected me for her.” Serena looked over to where Vanessa was laughing with another girl from Constance Billiard. Good, Serena thought. She hasn’t noticed us yet.
Dan thought for a moment. He ran everything through his mind, and realized what Vanessa had done. “I can’t believe she would do that! She knew how much I cared about you. And she just broke us up so she could have me! Who would do that?”
“Vanessa Abrams would do that,” Serena sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Serena! I never should have believed her in the first place.”
“That’s okay. At least we know now, and we’ll never let her get in the way of us ever again.” Serena smiled at Dan. He smiled back. They hugged, and he kissed her cheek.
“So what do you think we should do?” Dan asked. “Like, should we tell her that we know?”
“Well, she’ll suspect something if you just stop being her date for the rest of the night,” Serena laughed, adjusting Dan’s necktie.
“Hmm. I guess you’re right. But I don’t feel like getting into a huge feud tonight. To tell you the truth, I’ve missed you so much that all I want to do is be with you.” Dan smiled shyly as Serena looked up at him.
“I feel the same way,” she said softly. “I’ll tell you what; how about we ditch this place?”
“Do you think Blair would mind?” Dan looked worried.
“Probably not. She knows how much I like you, and besides; I think she’s gonna be busy for a while.” Dan raised his eyebrows at her, but she didn’t go on.
“Well, alright then. Vanessa can just hang out here with Blair’s groupies.” They both laughed. “We should stop for ice cream. I’m hungry.”
“Oh, yes, definitely,” Serena said, relieved. “All they have here is salad and sugar-free mints.”
Smiling, the two walked outside together, heading for a nearby ice cream parlour. “I’ve missed you so much,” Dan said as they were walking. “You’re so much funner than Vanessa.” Serena laughed.
“Is ‘funner’ even a word?” she said, looking at him sceptically.
“Probably not, but it’s funner than saying ‘more fun’.” They both laughed as they continued down the sidewalk.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Serena said after a while. “I definitely didn’t enjoy being single, and I couldn’t muster up the nerves to ask Cedric out.”
Dan smiled. “Well, that’s good for me, then,” he said. “Because that Cedric really knows how to treat a girl.”
Serena laughed and kissed Dan’s cheek. Oh, how good it was to have her boyfriend back.

Chapter 19 -Part 4

Chapter 19
Part 4

“Woah, dude, slow down.” Nate laughed as he came up to Chuck, who was still gulping down more alcohol. He didn’t want this to be a night to remember.
“What’s the point?” Chuck asked dully, putting down his glass. “It’s not like the evening is going well.”
“Why not? There are tons of girls here, and most of them have packed away a few drinks already.” Nate grinned at his friend.
Chuck gazed over to where Blair, Serena and Jenny were hanging out at a table. “Let’s just say I’m not in the mood for hunting today.”
Nate frowned. “Since when? I swear, Chuck, you get less and less like yourself every day now.” Chuck didn’t say anything; he just ordered another drink, and got rid of it quickly. He got up, and walked over to the girls’ table.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, holding his hand out to Jenny.
“Leave her alone, Chuck.” Serena glared at him.
Chuck looked offended. “What? Can’t I just share a dance with Little Jenny Humphrey over here? Just one dance; that’s all.” Jenny looked nervously at the other girls.
“Fine. But we’re watching you.” Serena eyed Chuck suspiciously as he led Jenny out onto the floor. She could see he’d had quite a few drinks; and a drunken Chuck was a dangerous Chuck. But he only smiled, and moved swiftly across the floor, holding onto Jenny by the shoulder, not the waist like usual.
“Having fun?” he asked Jenny as they moved gracefully across the room. Jenny looked nervous.
“I guess…” she said finally.
“Blair’s taken you back?”
“Yeah, I uh, I guess…”
“Don’t be scared,” Chuck reassured her, noticing how anxious she was. “I don’t hold anything against you. We’re even.”
Jenny relaxed a little, but she still looked uneasy as he dipped her.
When the song was over, Chuck led Jenny back to her table. Blair had started dancing with Nate again, but Serena was still sitting. She eyed Chuck, looking pleased.
“Did I pass the test?” he asked, sitting Jenny back down.
“Surprisingly, you did alright. But luckily for you, the dancing is freestyle. I doubt you could have walked in a straight line, considering all the liquor you’ve stored away.” Chuck narrowed his eyes at her, but smiled.
After Chuck had wandered away, Serena turned to Jenny. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, he was good. Didn’t make the slightest move.”
“That’s strange for him to do. But I guess he’s only got his eye on one girl tonight.” Jenny looked at Serena suspiciously, but S didn’t say any more.

Blair had led Nate off of the dance floor and into a hallway. They were smiling and laughing and kissing.
“This is the most perfect night ever,” Blair whispered, pushing back the collar of his suit jacket.
“It certainly is,” Nate said as they wandered into an elevator, not parting.
After a steamy make out, they arrived on the sixth floor. They stumbled into the hallway and, still kissing, reached Chuck’s suite. Nate opened the door, and they squeezed through, laughing.
Surprised, Chuck rose from the sofa. “Well, well, well,” he said, not moving.
Nate and Blair parted, and stared at him. “Chuck,” Blair exclaimed, “What are you doing here?” Chuck looked at her skeptically.
“Well, this is my suite, isn’t it?” He looked at Nate. “But I see you two need it much more than I do.” Giving Blair one heartbroken glance, he left the room.
Blair sighed. “Maybe,” she said slowly, running her hands down Nate’s chest, “Maybe this isn’t the classiest way to do this. I mean, in Chuck’s room.”
Nate started kissing her neck. “Do you want me to rent our own room, then? Whatever works, right?” He mumbled, slipping his hands around her waist. Blair pushed him away.
“Nate! Maybe tonight isn’t the right time.”
Nate slipped back over to her, and began again. “The right time for what, losing your virginity? Like it matters.”
Blair, shocked, pushed him even harder. “I’ll have you know, I’ve already lost my virginity.”
Nate stepped back. Astonished, he said, “What? To who?”
Blair brushed off her dress. “None of your business,” she said coldly. “But maybe tonight isn’t the right time to do anything, least of all get back together. In fact, I don’t think there ever will be a right time to do that. Nate Archibald, we are over. Forever.”
B stormed out of the hotel room, leaving a shocked Nate standing in the middle of the suite.
As Blair rounded the corner, she saw Chuck leaning against the wall next to elevator. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking down at the red carpet below him.
“I’m sorry,” Blair said, walking over to him. He looked at her, not saying a word.
“I was so stupid,” she continued. “Getting back together with him was a huge mistake.”
“Well, letting you get back together with him was a huge mistake on my part.” Chuck looked straight ahead. Blair smiled a little.
“You really care about me, don’t you?” she said quietly.
Chuck swung his head over to her. “Please. You wish.” Blair laughed, thinking of their balcony conversation at her birthday party. She hugged him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he leaned his head on hers.
Blair looked up at Chuck after a few silent minutes. “Chuck,” she said, gazing into his dark brown eyes, “I hope you haven’t killed the butterflies.”
Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her.

Chapter 19 -Part 3

Chapter 19
Part 3

Blair and Serena were in the bathroom fixing their lip gloss, talking about the night.
“Nate is being so perfect,” Blair went on. “It’s amazing! I just really am sorry about Dan.”
“Well, it’s okay. At least now, if he never calls me again, I won’t ever have to deal with Vanessa again.”
“But what I don’t understand is why he dumped you for her! I mean, you’re so much better.”
“Thanks, but I guess he just loved Vanessa all along.”
Suddenly, Jenny came into the restroom.
“Blair,” she said, “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Jenny, I have nothing to say to you and I don’t want to hear a word that you have to say.” Blair made for the exit, but J stopped her.
“Will you just listen to me for a second?”
Serena kissed Blair on the cheek. “Meet me outside later,” she said before leaving. Blair waved, and then turned her attention to Jenny.
B crossed her arms and waited. “Talk.”
Jenny took a deep breath. “Blair,” she began, “I’m sorry for everything I did to you. I didn’t mean for anything to hurt you. The night of your birthday party, Nate and I just talked. We were both on the outs with you, and couldn’t bring ourselves to battle you; not on your birthday. And then, with the picture I sent to Gossip Girl, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I was just so caught up in trying to impress you, that I got carried away.”
Blair stared at Jenny. “You seriously thought giving me and Chuck away to Gossip Girl would impress me?”
“No,” Jenny continued. “I just wanted you to be devastated, and come to me for support. I didn’t think about what would happen after that, and I should have. I only did it so you would need me. Blair, I’ve wanted you to need me for so long. And I was stupid, and willing to do anything to get your attention.” J looked desperately at Blair.
“Fair enough,” Blair said finally. “I appreciate you apologizing and explaining it all to me, but that doesn’t make what you did okay. You betrayed me, Little J. After all I did for you; after everything I handed to you on a silver platter, you decided to throw it all away and ruin me.”
Tears started rolling down Jenny’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to ruin you, Blair. I just wanted to mean something to you. And there’s nothing in this world I want more than for you to forgive me.”
Blair stared at Jenny, thinking. Finally, she said, “Jenny, if you’re going to live in this world, you can’t betray the people who keep you here. If it weren’t for me, you would still be living your boring little Brooklyn life, and hanging out at Wal-Mart with your loser friends. You need to learn to respect the elite, Little J. They can make you and destroy you with a snap of their fingers. I’ve made you, Jenny, and I really don’t want to destroy you. You have so much potential here; I’d hate to see you give it all away.”
Jenny wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, Blair. I really am. I… I really want you to accept me. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to accept me.”
Blair sighed. “You remind me of Serena. You completely ruin everything, and then come running back, expecting to be forgiven. Of course, with Serena, she’s my best friend. And she really wanted to change. So I gave her the gift of forgiving her. Now, the question is, are you important enough to me to be forgiven?”
Jenny’s lip quivered. “I really want to be,” she said, her voice shaking.
Blair’s eyes softened. “We’re friends, Jenny. And I want to keep it that way. I don’t want to hate you, because then you’ll have to fight me. And you’re no match for me. You’d get scorned. But I do think our friendship can be salvaged.”
Jenny looked up at Blair. “Really? I mean, thank you so much, Blair.”
“Of course,” B continued, “You’ll need to work for it, but maybe you can be accepted back in.”
“Oh, thank you, Blair! You don’t know how much this means to me!”
“But I’m warning you, Jenny.” Blair’s voice turned cold again. “One more time, and it’ll be suicide. Social suicide, that is. But really, I think that’s the worst kind.”
“Don’t worry. I swear on my life. I’ll never do anything to cross you ever again.” Jenny was smiling and crying, all at the same time.
“You better not. Because I just gave you your last chance, and you don’t know how unforgiving I can be.”
“I promise, Blair. No more. I’ll be faithful and loyal to you forever.”
Blair smiled. “Good.” She held out her arms. Jenny came running into them. After a very emotional hug, the two went back outside. Serena saw them, and came over. Blair explained to her what happened.
“Well, that’s good,” Serena said, relieved. “I just hate it when someone’s on your bad side, Blair.” The girls laughed, and headed back into the crowd. Jenny, now newly accepted back into Blair’s life, followed eagerly.

Chapter 19 -Part 2

Chapter 19
Part 2
“I’ve missed your smile,” Nate said happily as he gazed at Blair. They were still waltzing across the floor, oblivious to the rest of the world.
Blair giggled and kissed his cheek. Oh, how she too had missed this. Just her and Nate. Before Serena; before Chuck. Before anything had happened to jeopardize their love.
Slowly, the couple made their way over to some tables on the edge of the ballroom. Laughing, they sat down.
“This is perfect,” Blair said as she leaned across the table to kiss Nate. He leaned, too, and their lips met halfway to each other. When they parted, Blair smiled. It was too good to be true.

“Go ask her to dance!” Serena was pushing Chuck over to Blair and Nate’s table. “How are you even going to be her friend if you never talk to her?”
With one final push from Serena, Chuck stumbled over to their table. “Um,” he said nervously, glancing at Blair. “May I have this dance?” He held out his hand. Giving him a little smile, Blair accepted.
Swiftly, they moved across the floor. Chuck’s eyes never left Blair. She stared back, studying his content face.
“Tonight is so perfect, isn’t it?” Blair said finally, glancing wistfully back at Nate. He waved.
“Uh, I guess so.” Chuck looked over at Nate. He seemed happy.
“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” Blair looked back up at him.
“Sure.”
Blair shifted nervously. Chuck wasn’t acting like himself. They danced silently for the rest of the song, and when it ended, Blair went back to Nate and Chuck dashed back to the bar. He ordered another drink and thought miserably of Blair and Nate at the other side of the ballroom, being with each other. This definitely wasn’t Chuck’s perfect night.
Suddenly, Jenny was at his side. She sat down and ordered a virgin cocktail. “Shouldn’t you be off looking for the drunkest and easiest girl here?” she said, sipping her drink.
“They don’t get drunk enough to be easy until later,” Chuck said, swishing his glass around on the counter.
“Then… shouldn’t you be off with Blair?”
Chuck looked up at her in surprise. He glared at her. “She’s with Nate,” he said coldly, swallowing more whisky.
“Chuck… are you and Blair… I mean, did you…”
“No and no. Nothing happened. You may not know me very well, but I’m not as bad as you think.”
“Well, from what I know so far, you aren’t exactly a saint.”
“Humph, yeah, well, nobody is.” Chuck looked over at Blair. She was laughing while Nate was smiling.
Jenny followed his gaze. “Why don’t you try and win her back?”
“What are you talking about? I never had her to begin with! And why does everyone want me to be with Blair so badly? She’s with Nate. And she always will be.” Chuck got up from the bar stool and left. Jenny watched as he made his way across the floor, dodging dancing couples.
(The night went on in a similar way: B and N being the perfect couple, C staring on jealously, S longing for D to show up, and J trying to find a way back into Blair’s heart. Until…)

Chapter 19 -Part 1

Chapter 19
Part 1

Well, the day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. No, not the grand opening of the latest Sephora downtown. The other one. The Vintage Ball. And I hear it’s going to be a drama-fest. But don’t worry if you miss it; I’ll be there to catch all the details on our most favourite UESers.
This’ll definitely be a night to remember. And you might actually want to head to Sephora on your way there, B, S and J; you’ll definitely need some tear-proof mascara.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

Blair and Serena walked into the hotel ballroom, their arms linked. Serena was perfectly coiffed, dressed as none other than Marilyn Monroe. Blair was also looking fabulous in her Audrey Hepburn inspired outfit.
“Had Dan called you yet?” Blair whispered to her friend as she smiled at a passing girl from school.
Serena checked her phone. “No; I don’t think he’ll show up,” she said, sounding disappointed as she stuffed the phone in her clutch.
Nate elbowed Chuck to get his attention. Chuck carefully took a second to balance his glass of whiskey before following Nate’s eye. He was staring at Blair and Serena, but his glance was more towards Serena.
“Check it out,” Nate said. “She looks amazing.”
Chuck raised his eyebrows. “Blair, or Serena?” Nate quickly glanced at his best friend.
“Blair, of course,” he said, as he turned his head back to the girls. Chuck just shook his head.
“Well, come on,” Nate urged, pulling his best friend towards the girls, who were making their way over to the bar. “Let’s go meet them.”
“Actually,” Chuck protested, looking nervously at Blair, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea—” Nate yanked on Chuck’s arm, interrupting him. N dragged his friend across the floor to meet Blair and Serena in the middle of the room.
“You girls look awesome,” Nate said, smiling at both of them.
“You guys look pretty awesome yourselves,” Serena grinned back, looking over the boys’ vintage suits with their little paisley bowties.
Chuck nervously took a gulp from his glass, swallowing all of the liquor. “Um, I’ll be right back,” he said, hurrying back to the bar counter.
“Blair, may I have this dance?” Nate offered his girlfriend his hand. Smiling, Blair took it. As she sashayed across the floor, she gave Serena a look that said, Isn’t he adorable?
Serena smiled, happy for her friend, and made her way over to the bar where Chuck was taking shots.
“Whoa, easy, there. The night’s just begun,” Serena laughed as she took another glass out of Chuck’s hands.
“Trust me; this isn’t going to be one I want to remember.” Chuck watched Blair and Nate move swiftly across the dance floor. Serena looked at his face. His eyes were dull with disappointment.
Serena sighed. “Chuck, this is bad.”
He looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, your feelings for Blair. I mean, she’s dating your best friend, and if he found out, he would never forgive you. You can’t like Blair. You just can’t.”
Chuck glare at Serena. “I don’t have feelings for Blair. I don’t have feelings for anyone. Chuck Bass doesn’t have feelings.”
Serena looked into his eyes. “Chuck, it’s okay to have emotions. You need to stop looking at it as a weakness. And everyone has feelings. You need to accept that.”
Chuck sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, I know Blair’s with Nate, but I can’t bear it. She’s the only person I’ve ever…” His voice trailed off. Serena was silent. She rubbed his arm comfortingly and kissed his cheek.
“Come on. Let’s dance.” S pulled Chuck up from the bar stool and led him out onto the dance floor. She smiled warmly at him as her hands went to his shoulders. Hesitantly, Chuck reached slowly for her waist.
Serena laughed and pulled his hands around her. “It’s okay,” she said, taking her place. Chuck looked at her, and smiled.

Jenny rushed into the ballroom, scanning the crowd for Blair. She spotted her dancing with Nate. Sighing, Jenny started across the dance floor. Suddenly, Is and Kati appeared before her. Jenny was taken aback.
“We don’t think going near Blair is a good idea right now, Jenny,” Is said, smiling.
“Yeah,” Kati added. “Especially since she’s with Nate.”
“Is she… is she still mad?” Jenny asked timidly.
“Of course! She’s always mad until she’s had revenge.”
“Just stay away from her for a while, and watch your back. You wouldn’t want her stabbing it.”
Is and Kati smiled sweetly and walked away. Jenny sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

NEWSFLASH: The annual Vintage Ball is being held tomorrow, and all our favourite Upper East Siders are getting ready. Well, at least most of them are.
B has been seen on many occasions shopping to complete her perfect Audrey outfit, sometimes with her boyfriend, sometimes with her best friend. Leave it up to Blair Waldorf to drag anybody along just so she can have a second opinion on an accessory she’ll buy no matter what they say.
N has been shopping with a Waldorf in hand, helping to pick out the tux that will match her dress the most. I wouldn’t say young Archibald likes these trips, but it’s something he’s got to deal with if he’s going to be dating our UES Fashion Queen.
C was spotted searching for a tux as well, but we’ve also been seeing him stop outside a certain florist’s to look at the hydrangeas.
Little Jenny Humphrey looks to also be searching for a dress, but let’s just say we don’t expect her to show up in anything from Saks Fifth Avenue. In fact, we don’t expect her to show up at all. But Little J isn’t one to be predictable.
And our favourite It Couple, D and S, seem to be on the outs with each other. In one of my previous posts, I sported photos of Lonely Boy and Vanessa being all couple-y. Gag.
But at least they were sticking to Brooklyn. Without S, Dan is just another little outsider to our big, wonderful UES world.

xoxo, GOSSIP GIRL

“Hey man, thanks for sending those flowers. Blair loved them.” Nate was adjusting his bow tie as he inspected his tux for the Vintage Ball.
“Anything for Blair,” Chuck mumbled, checking his voicemail. No messages.
“Yep. But how did you even know that hydrangeas were Blair’s favourite?”
“Oh, she just mentioned it to me a while ago and I guess it stuck in my head.” Chuck checked his text inbox, too. No messages there, either.
“Well, she thought I sent them, and let’s just say she was extremely overjoyed.” Nate turned in front of the mirror, tugging at his pant leg to take out a fold. Chuck looked up at him.
“You mean… did you guys…” Chuck glanced nervously from Nate to his phone and back again.
Nate laughed. “No, not yet. It has to be perfect, you know?”
“Surprisingly, I would,” Chuck muttered under his breath, slipping his cell into his pocket.
“I’m thinking of ‘sealing the deal’, as you would say, the night of the ball. It’ll be classic and romantic. Plus, I think Blair’s getting a little anxious to lose her virginity.” Nate smiled. Chuck stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Yeah,” he said finally. “Must be.”
“So I’d better make it quick and get it over with. Once I sleep with her, she’ll know that I’m the only one she’ll ever want to be with.” Nate paused to fix his already perfect hair. “Oh, and by the way; you remember that time a while ago when I asked you to find out who that guy was? The one Blair was kissing in that grocery store? Did you find out?”
Chuck examined his fingernails. “Oh, uh, no, she didn’t tell me anything. But I don’t think he’ll be much of a problem now that you and Blair are back together.”
“Yup. I’ve sure got her wrapped around my finger, don’t I?”
“You sure do.”
Chuck began helping Nate with his suit, but when his friend wasn’t looking, young Bass was shooting more dark looks at him than a machine gun could have.

“Which do you think Nate will like better; diamonds, or pearls?” Blair was holding up different necklaces in front of her as she gazed into the mirror. Serena was sitting in an armchair beside her, helping with accessories.
“Well,” Serena said, grinning, “I know what Chuck likes better.” She nodded in the direction of the beautiful birthday present lying on Blair’s dresser.
Blair twirled around to glare at her best friend. “Shut up! I don’t care about Chuck. We’re just friends. Everything with him was just a mistake; he’s selfish and obnoxious, and Nate is the only one I want to be with.”
Serena raised her eyebrows at her best friend’s outburst.
“Pearls it is,” Blair decided, dropping the diamond jewellery back on the dresser. Serena just shook her head.

“Why do you even want to go to this stupid ball, anyway?” Vanessa sat on Jenny’s bed as J twirled around in a frilly, peach-coloured dress.
“Because this dance is going to be wonderful and classy and everything a girl could ever want. Besides a Debutante, of course.” Jenny smiled as she examined the hem in her mirror.
Vanessa sighed. “Balls are stupid. Especially themed ones. I mean, vintage? Come on, couldn’t they have thought of something better than that?”
Jenny glared at her. “I’ll have you know, vintage is in.”
“Oh, yes, and so original,” Vanessa said sarcastically. “I mean, they’ve only done this annual ball since vintage was invented.”
“Whatever. It’s important to Blair, and if it’s important to Blair, it’s important to me. I’ve got to win back her friendship.”
“Humph! Good luck,” Vanessa scoffed. “You’re just a footstool to that girl. Another one of her faithful servants.”
“That’s not true; Blair likes me. And so does Serena, actually. That reminds me; I wonder why she’s not coming.”
“Well, I can answer that. Serena doesn’t have a date.”
Jenny turned around to face Vanessa. “What do you mean? I thought Dan was okay with going with her.”
“He was, until they broke up.” Vanessa smiled as she examined her fingers.
“What? They broke up? Why?”
“Dan finally realized that girls like Serena are, oh, what’s the word? Undateable. They’re far too sl***y to hold onto a guy.”
Jenny looked at her, confused. “What?”
“Serena and Dan are over. Dan found his feelings for me buried deep beneath his dream of that van der Woodsen girl, and now he and I are officially an item.”
“Oh…” Jenny frowned as she adjusted her necklace.