Serena was smiling again.
“Wow. I’ve been busy,” she said.
Chuck frowned. He glanced at Dan who was standing there, watching silently with his hands in his pockets.
“Fuck off, Chuck,” Serena whispered.
Chuck shrugged and grabbed a bottle of Evian off the counter. “Whatever, bitch,” he said, pushing past Dan and out the door.
“You know you love me!” Serena yelled after him.
Dan knocked on the bathroom stall. “Jenny?” he said gently. “Are you all right?”
More sniffling.
Jenny couldn’t get control of herself. She just could not believe that of all the people in the universe, it had to be Serena van der Woodsen who found her like this. Serena must think she was so pathetic.
“I’m okay,” Jenny finally managed to say. She picked her purse up off the floor and pushed open the door. “Just take me home.”
Dan put his arm around his sister and Serena took his hand. Together, they wound their way through the crowded party.
“Wait! Your gift bags!” Rain Hoffstetter squealed from her post at the front door. She handed Serena and Jenny each a black Kate Spade tote bag.
Dan pushed open the doors and ran out into the street to hail a cab. When he found one, Serena got in first, then Jenny, and then Dan. Jenny put her feet up on the hump in the floor and hugged her knees, resting her head against them. Serena reached down and stroked her curly brown hair.
“You guys go home first,” Serena offered.
Dan glanced at Jenny. She needed to go to bed. “All right,” he agreed, and gave the driver his address.
Serena leaned back, still stroking Jenny’s hair. “Wow,” she said ironically. “I haven’t had this much excitement since I left boarding school.”
Dan stared at her, his eyes wide and trusting. “So, those stories . . .” he said, and then he blushed. “I mean, did any of that happen, for real?”
Serena frowned. She fished in her bag for a cigarette, and then thought better of it. “Well, what do you think?” she asked.
Dan shrugged. “I think it’s a bunch of bullshit,” he said.
Serena raised her eyebrows playfully. “But how do you know for sure?” she asked.
Her mouth was open, the corners of it quavering up and then down. Her blue eyes glowed in the light of a passing car.
No, Dan couldn’t imagine her doing any of the things Chuck had accused her of. The only thing he could imagine her doing was kissing him. But there was time for that later.
“I just don’t see you that way,” he said.
The corners of Serena’s mouth spread wide and she was smiling again.
“Good,” she said. She took a deep breath and let her head fall back against the seat.
Dan let his head fall back beside hers. “Good,” he agreed, closing his eyes.
As they sped past the flashing billboards and bright lights of Times Square, Serena kept her eyes open. She had always thought Times Square was ugly and depressing compared to the quiet, manicured streets of her neighborhood. But now the brilliant lights and loud noises and the steam rising from the grates on the corners gave her hope. In the darkness of the taxi, she reached for Dan’s hand at the same moment he reached for hers.
She couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
Disclaimer: All the real names of places, people, and events have been altered or abbreviated to protect the innocent. Namely, me.
hey people!
Well, I had a great time at Kiss on the Lips. I must have lost fifteen pounds dancing—not that I needed to.
Needless to say, I’m feeling good.
Sightings
B and N going into his townhouse together late Friday night. C wandering down Tenth Avenue looking to get lucky with some Jersey girls. D and J and their scruffy dad eating a family breakfast on Saturday morning at that diner where they used to film Seinfeld. V renting horror movies with her new boyfriend in Brooklyn. S handing a black Kate Spade tote bag to a homeless man on the steps of the Met.
Your E-mail
Hey GG,
Just wanted to tell you that I’m writing my college thesis on you. You rock!
—Studyboy
Dear Studyboy,
I’m flattered. So . . . what do you look like?
—GG
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why worry about college? I’m having way too much fun right now. And there are so many questions to be answered:
Will S and D fall in love? Will S grow tired of his corduroys?
Will J swear off high society and fancy dresses and stick to friends her own age (even if they’ll never be her bra size)?
Will V bust out and start wearing all sorts of bright colors? Will she grow her hair? Will she and that bartender get it on?
Will B stay with N?
Will C stop harassing young girls and admit that he’s a loser?
Will S really make a movie? She’s never even used a disposable Polaroid.
Will people stop talking about all of the above?
It’s unlikely. I know I won’t. It’s all so good.
Until next time.
You know you love me,
Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip Girl
(Series: Gossip Girl # 1)
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