Chapter Text
She was gathering her thoughts as she looked through her options for the night. She wanted to look perfect, so her mother wouldn’t have what to say. Her comments always had a way of destroying her mood for the day, depending on how bad sometimes even triggered a relapse and she didn’t want that, she wanted to feel good about herself for one night. She wanted to feel like all her fights for power were worth something.
Her phone was ringing and she was prepared to ignore the call in favour of choosing accessories when she noticed who the caller was. She never ignored his calls and she didn’t plan to start then. “Eric, how have you been? Unfortunately, I can’t come today because of the party. Mother arrived yesterday and expects me to be perfect, but Chuck said he’ll come before he arrives here, so it should be fine.” She caught him up on their visiting decisions of the day. They tried to visit him once a day, either only one of them or together. They didn’t want him to be lonely and the three of them have gotten closer with the mess that followed Serena leaving.
He wasn’t surprised to hear she wasn’t coming. The party was that night and with Eleanor back home, it was a bad combination for her mental health. Her mother was her relentless critic no matter what she did, but he couldn’t do anything to help with that as long as he didn’t plan to go to Eleanor and yell at her for what she was doing, knowingly or not, to her own daughter. He was surprised she answered his call and didn’t just ask him to text her. “I’m okay, Blair. Don’t worry.” He assured her, her mother hen tendencies only becoming worse with time, especially after he ended up in the hospital. Her mother also made her more thoughtful with those she cared about, the woman’s harshness clearly affecting her and she did more than usual to remind herself that she wasn’t Eleanor.
He still remembered her terrified face when he woke up in the hospital. He woke up to have Blair asleep in an uncomfortably stiff hospital chair holding his hand and Chuck holding Blair in his arms to release as much of the pressure on her muscles as he could by supporting her, so she could finally rest. He noticed the dark circles on both of their faces and the way Chuck was gently playing with Blair’s hair, his eyes filled with adoration as he took care to not wake her up. He stayed unmoving and silent for another hour before letting them know he was awake, he didn’t want to interrupt their moment even if they would refuse to call it that. He was secretly rooting for them since then, already having a suspicion they liked each other before he saw them, but the normalcy and domestic feelings from the moment solidified what he was seeing. He was given a two hour lecture after they noticed he woke up. The two had a huge speech on his confidence and worth and how much he meant to them, so if he doubted his mother’s or Serena’s feelings then he should call them and they’d remind him just how important he was no matter where they were or what time it was.
They never let him out of their sight after he woke up until he was safely in the room at the Ostroff centre and they arranged the room to fit with what he liked. Lily wasn’t there since she was dating some new guy and was on a trip she couldn’t say no to and she left him alone to go to Ostroff. It was a pleasant experience all things considered, with Blair and Chuck being there every step of the way and not letting anyone try to kick them out. They made some thinly veiled threats to get approval to put up some posters and bring him some items in his room to make it feel more homey, aware he wasn’t leaving any time soon. They wanted the room to feel like a temporary safe space and not a prison cell like it would’ve ended up being without their interference. They visited him, texted him, called him, sent him things ever since. He would be forever grateful for them. They might be the devil and the ice queen to others, but to him they were his saviours and closest friends, maybe even siblings in his heart.
She bit her lip worriedly on the other line. She didn’t like the word ‘okay’ anymore, she should petition to take it out of the dictionary. “Eric, I know you’re better and I’m incredibly proud of you for admitting you need help, but I’m not worried, I’m terrified you might do it again and I wouldn’t even see the signs just like I didn’t before. The therapist said "to give voice to your feelings and okay isn’t a good enough definition in my book.” She admitted and felt the shame of not being there to save him all the way to her heart. What was the point of threatening people into leaving Eric alone if he would hurt himself. She had no idea what to do to help, but the therapists at the centre told her it was good she was consistent and proved time and time again she cared, so she had to take their word for it. Plus, she and Chuck did their own research and even reached out to some of the renowned therapists and psychologists in the country to double check.
It wasn’t his job to make others get over their guilt or influence their feelings, a piece of advice he had been discussing with his therapist about, but he still wished he could change something for Blair, she had enough problems without adding guilt over past things. “Blair, you didn’t have what to see. It all went extremely bad while you were away with Eleanor in Paris and Chuck went to Beijing with Bart. I was just tired and didn’t know how to deal with my mother, Serena’s absence and the ruthless rumours anymore and I didn’t respond to any of your calls or texts in any way except short and only trying to tell you how well I was doing. It was in no way ignorance on your part.” He explained gently and he heard her sigh. It wasn’t a secret, he asked his therapist if Blair and Chuck could attend some of his sessions and it helped all of them, mostly him to come to terms with his feelings and guilt for hurting them, he didn’t hurt them he had his own pain and it wasn’t a reason to feel guilty.
She nodded mindlessly as she took a seat on her bed and sorted through her earrings. She wanted to be a perfect daughter for her mother, so Serena wouldn’t impress her again. Her mother could find a flaw in her no matter what she did, but Serena was perfect in front of her eyes. She didn’t know what to do to change her mind, to make her see the flaws she spent years hiding for her best friend, to magically change her into a parent who cared about her child’s happiness. “I understand. It was and is your pain, I should be the one to understand it best.” She said bitterly the last part. She still despised that Eric had to witness her greatest shame even if he told her there was nothing wrong with having an eating disorder.
He and Chuck were worried about her disappearance the day after they had a surprise sleepover when Eleanor left for Paris without warning again, this time one day before her birthday. They came to check on her to find her sobbing on the bathroom floor after she threw up all the macarons and other snacks she had previously eaten. They sat down on the floor with her and held her as she cried and tried to explain through her tears what happened. She noticed that after the incident and the story behind it that neither Eric or Chuck looked at Eleanor with anything except disdain and always kept on hand some sort of snack that they knew she would eat without feeling guilty.
“We’re children, we shouldn’t have to deal with it at all, but I’m glad I have you and Chuck to keep me company in this mess.” He smiled at the last part. He came to accept his part in their weird trio after some long therapy sessions and some talks with the two of them. It used to make him feel weird that they cared about him as a person and not just as Serena’s brother, so it took time and effort to get over that. He was okay with it now. “Word of warning, I spied on my mum while she was on the phone, Serena is coming back today.” He warned his friend of his sister’s future arrival. He didn’t want Blair to wake up to Serena at her party or on Gossip Girl, she needed some time to come to terms to seeing Serena again. He was worried himself about his sister coming back, she usually found a way to make waves wherever she went and he wasn’t sure if he could stand her storm.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and focused on breathing. She counted to five in her mind before she replied, “I see. Thank you for giving me a warning.” She hoped Eric could hear how grateful she was for the heads up. It gave her time to consider the chances of her being back and how it would affect them. She needed to call Chuck. She needed some moral support and maybe some alcohol.
He wasn’t too assured by the tone. He’d talk to Chuck when he visited to keep an eye on her, because he didn’t think Nate would even check on her after he found out Serena was back. “You need as much warning as you can. Will you be okay?” He was worried about her. She was closer to the more stressful part of highschool, college applications, interviews, internships if she wanted and she also had her personal drama to deal with. Serena coming back was like the cherry on top for Blair’s anxiety and he was scared that if they weren’t careful the whole cake would come tumbling down to smother them.
She was Blair Waldorf. She didn’t have the option of not being fine, unless she was sick and when she said sick she meant on her deathbed. She gave herself one more check in the mirror before she decided she was happy with how she looked. “I survived the scandal of my parents’ divorce, figuring things out with Nate, taking the crown and taking down anyone who was against me. I will survive Serena coming back.” She told him with a confidence she didn’t feel and he clearly wasn’t buying it based on the unamused ‘hm’ on the other line.
He didn’t like how she phrased that response, but it was better than her shutting down or closing the call on him. He learned to pick his battles when it came to the stubborn people he grew to care about. “That was not exactly my question, but I got my answer, so I’ll consider it a win.” He noted to make Blair aware that he wasn’t fooled while also offering her the win. He checked the time and he knew it was time to end the call before she got swept up in party planner mode, he was not a fan of Blair when she was in focus mode, she was scary. “Bye, Blair. Good luck with your party, I’m sure it’ll be great.”
There was a knock on her door and she held her breath for a moment, not ready to interact with her maid or her mother yet. She recognised the knocking as a pattern and instantly relaxed when she connected who it was. She went to open the door and let Chuck in. She hugged him close and breathed in his cologne to feel that safety only he could offer, his arms wrapping around her waist without a second thought.
He knew the answer before he asked the question, but it wouldn't be them if they didn’t ask obvious questions when it mattered just for the sake of offering the other the choice of remaining silent or taking things off their chests. “Did Eric tell you?”
She turned her back to him and handed him a necklace while pulling her hair aside from her neck so he could put it on. She still had to do the finishing touches for her appearance to be up to her standard. The party would start soon and she had to be ready. “I just finished talking with him.” She informed him as she applied lipstick.
He didn’t need details of their conversation. They had different dynamics with Eric, but they balanced each other well in terms of doing what he needed and wanted. He noticed that glint in her eyes that she had when she had a scheme in place. He was told she wanted to retaliate, but she hadn’t caught him up in any direction, he was intrigued. “What do you plan to do, Queen B?” He asked, using the nickname that made her roll her eyes. She was incredibly attractive when she was pretending to be annoyed with him.
They exchanged a look of mutual understanding. She didn’t like what she had chosen, but it was either this or no plan at all and she liked to have an idea, an outline on what to do. “See how long she plans to stay and take it from there. In case she stays, I’ll let her make the first move or I’ll be the one they call a bitch even if I have all the right to begin this. All I have to do is play the perfect daughter and caring girlfriend until Serena is ready to play. I don’t believe this whole reformed good girl image she’ll likely put on now that she’s back. The rotten parts are still there waiting for their chance to shine. The rest will come later.” She explained her decision with a smirk and was glad Nate wasn’t there to ruin her mood further. Her boyfriend would’ve jumped in by then to tell her she wasn’t being fair or she should give Serena one more chance or she wasn’t supposed to play with people for her amusement. She hid this part of herself after one too many fights about her scheming tendencies.
“What about Nate?” He asked even if it was futile. She hadn’t dumped him after the betrayal, she wouldn’t dump him now. He had no idea why he even bothered asking.
Now came the second part of her plan. She thought it through and she was ready to do it and it would be nice to think she had her first time with her long term boyfriend. “Our relationship needs to become more serious don’t you think?” She didn’t use the direct words for it, but she didn’t doubt that Chuck got the idea. She was inspired by one of their talks actually, he said that intimacy was one of the biggest factors when thinking of a relationship, so she decided it was as good of a time as any. It didn’t matter that much that the thought of finally taking that step with her boyfriend wasn’t as exhilarating as she expected.
He wasn’t opposed to pain, but he wasn’t a masochist. He would not take any part in that particular decision. The only thing he could do was to try and make her see it wasn’t right.“I think you’re scared of breaking up with him and possibly disappointing your mother, so you settled for the easy option.”
He was reading her too well and she hated it almost as much as she secretly loved it. Her relationship wouldn’t be a model for others or anything like it, but it wasn’t terrible either with some exceptions in between. Plus, she already took too long, if she wanted to break up with him she should've done so the year before, the moment she was done crying and realised what he had done. “It’s not perfect, but I love him and he loves me.” She argued like that was enough reason to stay with someone who was repeatedly hurting you.
“People who suffer from celiac love gluten too, but it hurts them just the same.” He warned her, a silent plea to finally give up, to understand that maybe while searching for perfection she was destroying herself into a ghost of who she is. “Just watch him tonight, actions speak louder than words. And you forget I was there when it all went down, for everything.”
She felt like he stabbed her. She spent so long trying to forget what happened that she sometimes preferred to believe it was just a bad dream, only Chuck and Eric never let her. “I haven’t forgotten and I never will.” She whispered into the tense air between the two of them. She couldn’t handle the utter pain and disappointment mixed together on his face, so she left with the excuse of the party, like the coward she was when it came to him.
Her words were like fine cuts across his skin, leaving him in pain, but unable to stop them from bleeding him dry. He had become addicted to the pain she caused and wasn’t willing to go through rehabilitation, always begging for another dose. “But you forgot who was the reason.” He said quietly into the empty room as he took after her.
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The two of them stepped outside the bedroom, ready to join the party which was now beginning. He let Blair take the lead, knowing she needed the win to survive the night.
She was a picture of pose and grace as she stepped down the stairs. He couldn’t imagine what about this incredible woman was not enough for Eleanor Waldorf that she ruined her daughter’s self esteem into tiny bits without remorse every time she returned from one of her trips. She was the dream daughter of every elite and yet Blair couldn’t see it and her mother refused to acknowledge it, asking for more and each time complaining when didn’t get exactly what she wanted.
The two shared a secret smile, a promise of support in case anything happened, before they went their separate ways, Blair went to Nate and Chuck stayed next to the bar with Iz and Kati, Blair’s most loyal minions.
Blair was ready to take the next step. Nobody was told of Serena’s arrival and she had the last opportunity to convince Nate she was the one he wanted before Serena joined them. She took him away from a conversation he was clearly not enjoying and walked him to her bedroom, not even bothering to glare at Chuck for interrupting them for a brief second. Time was of essence or it would all be in vain.
She didn’t even close the door properly before she started to kiss him, but he never learned when to shut up. “What’s going on?”
She wanted to slap him around the head and ask him if he could be more oblivious. She was wearing lingerie, an appropriate but also kind of slutty dress and was throwing herself at him. She had to wear a sign, ring a bell for him to get what she wanted? “I want to do this. It. Now.” She explained in annoyance while continuing to kiss him. He threw him on the bed and started to work her way down his throat when he interrupted her again.
“Now? I thought you wanted to wait.” He asked and his confused expression would’ve been cute in other circumstances.
Not when my former best friend and your first time comes back tonight and she’ll most likely stop by. She had her opportunity and she wanted to use it if only he stopped questioning it. “Not anymore.” She told him sweetly and he finally started to kiss her back. They kissed for a few more moments before she felt him trying to work his way under her dress. “I love you, Nate Archibald. Always have.” She whispered to him like it was a secret. And in a way it was, because most people wouldn’t love their partner after they cheated, but she decided to cling to him and she was so far not inclined to agree or disagree with her past choice. The ‘always will’ part of her usual phrase was lost on her lips, not that Nate noticed. She just stared into his eyes and couldn’t promise him that, she hadn’t said it in over a year and she wouldn’t say it now. She didn’t think he even noticed.
“I love you too.” He told her back and she never felt an ‘I love you’ sound more insincere. The look in his eyes and his tone made it sound like a business deal, like an obligation he had to perform rather than an expression of his feelings. It suddenly felt a little too soon and rushed to do it, it felt cheap and ugly. She had to back down, take a break, but in a graceful manner, so as not to alarm him of what she was thinking.
There was suddenly a knock on the door and she had never been more grateful for someone interrupting her. “Blair. It’s Serena.” She heard her mother’s voice from the other side.
At that Nate showed all the enthusiasm in the world. She was starting to feel like a cheap replacement for Serena and she didn’t like it. “Serena?” he asked with a confused expression before the words seemed to click in his mind. “I think your mum meant she’s here. Don’t you want to say hey?” He made it sound like a suggestion, but he already pulled away from her and was getting dressed.
She felt like a mistress being forced to sneak around when the wife came home unexpectedly with the way he was acting at the mention of Serena. She couldn’t believe his audacity. He was going to have to make it up to her big time when they did finally have sex. “I think we’re expected to greet her.” She mumbled as she readjusted her dress and fixed her hair. She wasn’t exiting the room until she looked flawless. Fooling around with her boyfriend was not an excuse to not look her best. “Timing as perfect as always, S.” She grumbled as she struggled to put on her heels.
She walked out of the bedroom and he saw Nate and Serena looking at each other across the room. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, there wasn’t anything scandalous about looking, but there was something about it that made her feel like an intruder.
He never looked at her like that. He told her he loved her and was ready to take the next step, but he never had that look in his eyes while his attention was on her. That look was reserved only for Serena. Nate looked at Serena like the male lead in movies right before they kissed the main character. He looked at her like she was the sun and he was a helpless planet spinning in circles around her just to catch some of her warmth. He looked at her like she was the only one he loved.
She was invisible in comparison to Serena in his eyes. She shouldn’t have been surprised after the events from last year, but he had gotten better and she thought it was a sign he liked her. She should’ve known it was too good to be true. She felt so bitter and helpless, but she couldn’t show that. She had to be the poster child or she’d disappoint her mother.
She moved her feet and greeted Serena with her best society smile. She was sick to her stomach as she pretended she didn’t know about anything other than the abandonment and hugged the blonde while giving the mothers a smile. “Hi. Serena, it’s so good to see you.” She said with a cheery tone, but those close to her could hear the danger lurking behind the sweetness.
She promised herself she would let the blonde make the first move and she planned to keep her word, it was just hard to not pull her blonde hair until she lost a few strands or dump a drink on her white shirt just for the faces of everyone she accidentally flashed before she caught on to what happened.
She was going to be a good host and not try to attack one of her guests. Her patience was thin when she had a good day and that night Eleanor already insulted her, her boyfriend ignored her and her backstabbing best friend was back. “We’re about to have dinner.” She announced to Serena as she pulled her towards the table. The Kill them with kindness people have clearly never been too experienced in life or they would change their mantra to If karma won’t hit you, I will , because she was this close to doing something she wouldn’t regret, but would have to pretend she did.
“I’ll set a place for you next to Blair.” Her mother, ever the lovely host, offered without a second thought.
She seemed to consider it for a moment before she shook her head and gave her most polite smile. “Actually, there’s somewhere I have to go.” She excused herself and gave the puppy eyes that made almost everyone forget what bad thing she had done.
She would’ve rolled her eyes at her friend if it weren’t for her words. Maybe she would be lucky for once in her life. “You’re leaving?” She asked and tried to keep the excitement out of her voice, nobody was supposed to see how glad the possibility made her.
“Yeah. I just don’t feel well. I wanted to come by and say ‘hi’.” She lied decently in Blair’s opinion. She “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
School. I guess she’s back for good. She thought to herself and made a mental note to start making plans for when Serena would make her move, because she had no doubt that the blonde would. She also figured out what she planned to do and knew she should extend the warning.
Blair: Warning from here. S is coming your way, E.
Eric: Got it. Thanks, B. I think it’s time I go to sleep anyway. I don’t want to deal with her while tired and grumpy.
Before she had the chance to reply, she heard Iz come up to her and she quickly hid her phone to avoid unwanted questions.
“Did you know she was coming?” One of her most trusted minions asked with faked nonchalance, her curiosity was too obvious to hide.
She was forever grateful to have Eric in her life. She would’ve been blindsided without him and she couldn’t afford any slips. “Of course I did. I wanted it to be a surprise.” She assured with a smile and was glad to see Iz seemed to buy it, her minion leaving to catch Kati up to speed.
Chuck, like her mind reading knight, came up right next to her and offered her a glass of champagne. “Here. I thought you’d need it.”
She took a sip and tasted gin and lemon mixed with the usual champagne. She should’ve expected him giving her something stronger without making it obvious. The two of them were a pair that didn’t even need words sometimes to communicate and he knew her well enough to give her exactly what she wanted and needed after a disaster with Nate and interaction with Serena. “Thank you.” She smiled at him, with her usually hidden smile and hoped he could read in her eyes how much he appreciated him for being there for her.
“My pleasure.” He returned the smile which said that he would continue to be there.
Word is that S bailed on B’s party in under 90 seconds and didn’t even have one limoncello. Has our bad girl really gone good? Or is it all just part of the act? Why’d she leave? Why’d she return? Send me all the deets. And who am I? That’s one secret I’ll never tell… You know you love me.
Xoxo,
Gossip Girl.
_________
He had to admit Blair was determined to prove him and Eric wrong. After three days of ignoring Nate and crying and making pro and cons lists, she went back to him because she hoped he would treat her better after he betrayed her trust and to not face her mother’s comments or society’s reaction to her getting cheated on. To her benefit and peace, he did seem to be making a decent effort when he wasn’t guiltily staring at her though he was still slacking in the support and non judgmental departments. He really had a problem with Blair being anything except a perfect and soft princess.
Though it went all wrong as soon as Gossip Girl sent a blast about Serena being back. Just like that his friend went from guiltily trying to make it up with his girlfriend to a puppy wiggling his tail when his owner came back and knew he would offer him attention. He didn’t even spare a second glance at his girlfriend who wanted to have sex with him and was wearing one delicious dress he would’ve loved to take off himself.
He was disappointed in Nate, he couldn’t understand why he would give Blair up for basic Serena. She was okay if you were into wild messy blondes who didn’t take responsibility for their actions. Blair was the better option in all the ways in his mind.
He was protective of Blair after that night last year. They were friends before, but that show of vulnerability in her tears and trust in her melting into his arms made the two of them even closer than before. They used to be partners in crime, but now they were also the other’s confidant and they knew they didn’t trust anyone more than the other, even if Blair was with Nate and Chuck was Nate’s best friend. The two of them just clicked and matched in a way those around them never did, Eric sometimes being the exception, but he was too sweet of a kid to truly appreciate their scheming. Unlike others though, he never judged them for it, sometimes he even asked to hear them plan a take down of a fictional person and he would give them a brief profile of and hear them come up with a plan for ruin.
He picked up Nate from home more times than he didn’t and he knew his schedule by heart, so he was in no way deceived by Nate’s attempt of a lie. His friend went to see Serena when Blair was dropping hints that she wanted to lose her virginity to him and told him she loved him.
He had no problems with keeping your options open and spending time with more women than it was accepted by society, but he always did that with women who were aware he didn’t want more. He never lied or pretended about his intentions, because he didn’t want to break their hearts over foolish hopes that it meant more to him than it was. He also didn’t have anything against commitment, but nobody seemed to believe him when he said that. He just hadn’t met the right girl or rather he couldn’t get that girl because of stupid reasons, like her being a stubborn mess over a guy who wasn’t worth it.
He was in the limo on the way to school with Nate next to him when his driver almost ran over some guy running across the street, probably losing his bus and thinking his method of transportation was worth more than his life which it probably did.
The interruption also seemed to make Nate want to talk about topics they’ve avoided, for good reason. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times before Chuck decided to take the lead in the conversation. His friend didn’t know he knew that he slept with Serena or that he became closer with Blair and Eric after that night and Chuck wanted to keep it that way. “Serena is back. That’s interesting.” He opened the conversation to an impressive amount of possible responses for Nate, but he didn’t have a lot of hope with his friend approaching the topic gracefully. He did it on purpose though, he wanted to see what he thought of the whole thing so he could later tell Blair about it.
He looked at his friend curiously. It wasn’t unusual for Chuck to ask him about things, but there was something about the way he asked about Serena that made him nervous. “She is. Why do you look so happy about it though? I thought you weren’t Serena’s biggest fan.” He mentioned and waited to see what was the reason for the conversation.
“Things were getting dull around here.” He simply said with a smirk as he took his phone out of his pocket, hearing the quiet sound of a message. He sent a message earlier to Eric to check up on him since he wouldn’t visit until later in the day.
Eric : Serena visited me today and promised she would be a better sister. It was weird as hell. The fighting between mum and her also started, so at least that didn’t change. What do you and B think?
Chuck : It’s your choice how you go about this. Blair told you she’s your sister and she’s okay with it. I honestly do not care what you choose as long as you’re happy.
Eric : I’ll go with the flow and decide later what I want to do. She seems sober, I want to see what that’s about. I’ve got therapy now. Say hi to B for me. Talk to you later.
Chuck never answered texts this early in the day, there was a limited number of people who he would’ve answered to at this hour and he didn’t text him and he was sure Bart would’ve called instead of text, so who was it. “Who are you texting? Did you send your PI to look for what Serena did this year?” he asked and tried to work out an angle so he could look at the screen.
He had to resist rolling his eyes, could his friend be more obvious about the fact that he was in love with Serena. He closed the phone and put it away before he had the chance to see who it was. “I’d have to care about Serena to waste resources on her without a reason. Going away to boarding school when she was in the middle of an addiction isn’t that fascinating.” He simply said with a cocky grin and knew he won for the moment when Nate sighed and changed the subject.
__________
She was sitting on the highest step with her minions on the lower steps of the Met. She couldn’t breathe at school without someone whispering about Serena. Her ‘best friend’ was back in town for less than a day and nobody talked about anything else.
She also had a lot of last minute things to do, she was thankful Eric offered to call some people for her and tell them what needed to be done or she wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without losing some much necessary sleep. The party she was hosting was in honour of a bird or an animal, maybe a disease. She had it written down, but she didn’t care that much about the cause. The party would be perfect, her reputation was hanging on every single party she was responsible for. She was the chairwoman of the committee and any mistakes were her mistakes. She had to plan this even closer than usual because there were pictures to be taken of the event and she couldn’t embarrass herself or her mother by not planning the most outstanding event of the year so far.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw the newest possible member of her group appear with the box of invitations. She didn’t react in any way other than a subtle nod for the girl to approach.
She noticed Jenny Humphrey by accident, but the girl had a certain spark about her. She was definitely trying to climb the social ladder and she didn’t seem unwilling to do dirty work to get what she wanted and needed, a trait Blair appreciated while also treading carefully. She learned a long time ago that social climbers were the most dangerous of them all, ready to do or say anything as long as they reached their goals. She would’ve normally admired that quality, but it was a potential struggle for her if she wasn’t careful with the girl. She already talked to Chuck about her and they agreed to keep her close and on a short leash. She wouldn’t allow a girl from Brooklyn to take her down. Plus, she had the best ally, nobody messed with a Bass or a Waldorf on a good day, attempting to take one of them down made it a bad day.
She looked at the cards and had to admit the suggestion was a good one. Jenny had wonderful handwriting that matched well with the type of invitation they were sending. She still scrutinised the invitation for longer than necessary to not make it obvious she was pleased. The two minions besides her seemed to refrain from saying something until she gave her approval. “Not bad work.” She gave her best bitchy smile and wanted to laugh at the uncertainty on the freshman’s face. Young and innocent little child who she planned to encourage to join the dark side. She handed Iz and Kati their invitations before she picked the one for the blonde. “And here’s yours, as promised.”
Jenny smiled widely at the card. Blair would have to work on the obvious emotions if she did want to keep her close, she didn’t like too much innocence and happiness without a gin martini in her hand. “Thanks.” The blonde said and seemed to linger, wanting to say something, but not quite daring to.
Serena came towards them and Blair had to stop herself from sighing. Why couldn’t she just mind her own business and leave her alone. She slept with her boyfriend and then ditched her without contact for a year and she seemed to be under some impression they were still best friends. She’d sooner die before she let that happen.
“Hey. Here you guys were. I looked all over the dining hall for you.” She said with a cheery smile, but careful eyes when she noticed who Blair was with. She didn’t understand why she kept such company around her, Iz and Kati were bad news. She then noticed the younger girl staring at her. “Oh, hi, I’m Serena.” She gave her a smile and offered her hand forward.
Jenny also tripped over her own feet even if she hadn’t moved from her spot. She couldn’t believe Serena van der Woodsen was introducing herself to her. “I know. I mean, hi, I’m Jen.” Her little blonde had so much to learn, but it was fine, she would teach her.
She had to keep her teeth pressed together when she noticed Serena taking one of her cards, she could see where this was going. If there wasn’t a chance it would end up on Gossip Girl I would throw an ink pot on you. She thought to herself and wished she could somehow make it clear to Serena what she was thinking without destroying her own reputation.
“So… when’s the party?” She asked as she scanned over the invitation. Parties were definitely different now compared to those from before. They had fancy invitations, a dress code and live music. Blair certainly played on the table during her absence.
Looks like the blonde queen was still inside of the reformed image with that tone and calculated look in her eyes. Time to show her friend things changed while she was gone, her status was revoked the moment she went away and Blair had the chance to take over. She would’ve done it anyway, but it wasn’t for Serena to know that piece of information. “Saturday and you’re kind of not invited. Since until twelve hours ago everyone thought you were at boarding school now we’re full. Jenny used up all the invites.”
“Actually-” Stupid, little Jenny. She had so many things to teach her, but she had to learn first when to shut up and comply with the situation or she would have too many streaks for her to even consider mentoring her.
She held up a hand and all of them shut up around her, recognising this was an important moment, Jenny’s attempt to speak similar to treason in their queen’s eyes. Iz and Kati were smart enough to shut up and stand back to watch the show. “You can go now.” She said to the blonde sweetly, her eyes telling her the threat she was facing if she didn’t back off. She couldn’t let little wanna-be-rich be too confident or she would ruin her fun. “Sorry.” She pouted a little, but they could all see the tiniest smirk on her face as she blew Serena off. She would make Chuck take her out for drinks after school. She wanted a few martinis after the day she was having.
“No, it’s okay. I got a lot of stuff to do anyway.” Serena shrugged it off, trying to understand what was wrong with her best friend. She couldn’t understand what she did so wrong that Blair was behaving this way.
She wanted to play the hurt friend, she was free to do so, but honestly she had no idea what Serena expected when she came back. She wanted Blair to welcome her with a hug, an ‘I love you’ and a friendship bracelet. Serena left her in the middle of the night, never said anything to her while she was gone even if she knew about what was happening in her life, she didn’t have the right to come back and be upset. She would’ve been left with a confused Nate and a missing best friend, all alone and without support through the divorce scandal and her relapse if she hadn’t had Chuck and Eric with her.
She handed the box of cards to Iz, the two minions following her moves, reading the tension between Serena and Blair and not wanting to be caught in the middle. “Well, we should get going then. Unless you want us to wait for you. You still have a lot of yoghourt left.” She said with a cutting tone, looking down in disgust at the yoghourt in her friend’s hand. She was close to breaking her own rules if she didn’t take control of the situation. She wasn’t the same as when Serena left. She was better and she wouldn’t let anyone say otherwise.
“No, go ahead.” She said with a matching tone. She understood Blair was upset, but this was too much. She watched as her best friend walked away when she came up with an idea. “Blair, think we can meet tonight?” She yelled after her when Blair, Iz and Kati were starting to go towards Constance.
She’s shameless. She almost complained, but she kept it to herself, knowing who she was with and what she was supposed to do and say. She needed to play her cards to not come off as actually being cold without giving Serena an inch to make her throne be under scrutiny. “I’d love to, but I’m doing something with Nate tonight.” She gave the excuse easily, almost considering giving Serena a gloating smile, but realising it would be too much since she wasn’t supposed to know anything. She wondered if she actually sounded sorry to the people not used to fake pleasantries or a card castle of white lies. She didn’t remember the last time she could relax with anyone except Chuck, Eric and Dorotha, not even Nate succeeding to make her feel safe enough to let her guard down.
“The Palace, eight o’clock? Nate will wait.” She yelled back, knowing this would make the situation even harder since she was practically forcing Blair’s hand to agree, but she really wanted to speak with her and was sure her friend would understand.
Now that she said a time and a date, she couldn’t blow her off without it being seen as a weakness. Forget Chuck getting her drunk that night, he would play interrogate Serena for helping him evade the locked girls’ locker room at a strict christian school a few weeks back. “I should be able to manage half an hour.” She smiled sweetly at her former friend while giving her minions looks that clearly read that she didn’t expect anything to be said about her being pushed into agreeing to a meeting by her friend or she’d make sure they’d regret it.
Spotted on the steps of the Met: An S and B power struggle. Did S think she could waltz home and things would be just like they were? Did B think that S would go down without a fight? Or can these two hotties work it out? There's nothing that Gossip girl loves more than a good cat fight and this could be a classic.
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