“But I thought we would stay here for a while. Wait for everyone else,” Serena said. “Where are you going, anyway?” “I have a practice SAT tomorrow morning,” Blair said, feeling extremely superior, even though she was lying her ass off. “I need to prepare for it, and I want to go to bed early.” “Oh,” Serena said. She crossed her arms and sat back on her stool. “I was hoping we'd all wind up partying in the Basses' suite upstairs. They still have it, don't they?” Back in tenth grade, Serena and Blair and her friends had spent many a night in Chuck Bass's suite, drinking and dancing, watching movies and ordering room service, taking hot tubs. Together, they'd pass out on the king-sized bed and stay there until they were sober enough to make their way homeOnce, during a very drunken night at the end of tenth grade, Serena and Blair were soaking in the hot tub, and Blair had kissed Serena full on the lips. Serena hadn't seemed to remember it the next morning, but Blair never forgot it. Even though it was just an impulse move that didn't mean anything, thinking about that kiss always made her feel hot and itchy and uncomfortable. That was another reason why it had been such a relief when Serena went away. “The Basses still have the suite,” Blair said, standing up. “But they really don't appreciate people using it. This isn't tenth grade anymore,” she added coldly. “Okay,” Serena said. She couldn't say anything right, could she? At least, not to Blair. “Well, have a good weekend,” Blair said with a stiff smile, as if they'd only just met. As if they hadn't known each other all their lives. She dropped twenty dollars on the table for their drinks. “Excuse me,” she told the three tall boys who were blocking her path. “Can I get by?” Serena twirled her drink straw around in her glass and sipped the dregs of her Cosmopolitan, watching Blair leave. The drink tasted salty now, because she was about to cry again.“Hey Blair–” Serena called out after her friend. Maybe if she just blurted it all out, asked Blair why she was really mad, even confessed to sleeping with Nate that one time, they could go on being friends. They could start over. Serena might even start taking an SAT prep course, so they could take practice SATs together, or whatever. But Blair kept on pushing her way through the crowd and out the door to the street. She walked over to Sixth Avenue to catch a cab back uptown. It was starting to rain and her hair was frizzing. A bus roared by with Serena's picture on the side of it. Was it her belly button? It looked like the dark pit at the center of a peach. Blair turned her back on it and waved her hand in the air to flag down the next taxi. She couldn't get away fast enough. But the first taxi that stopped for her had the same poster in the lighted advertising box on its roof. Blair got in and slammed the door angrily. She could never get completely away–Serena was fucking everywhere. b & n come close, but no cigar Serena reached for another cigarette and stuck it in her mouth with trembling fingers. Suddenly a pinky-ringed hand proffered a Zippo and lit the cigarette for her. The lighter was gold, with the monogram C.B. So was the ring. “Hey Serena. You look seriously hot,” Chuck Bass said. “What are you doing sitting here all by yourself?” Serena inhaled deeply, quelling her tears, and smiled. “Hey Chuck. I'm glad you're here. Blair ditched me and now I'm all alone. Is anyone else coming?” Chuck clicked his lighter shut and put it in his pocket. He glanced around the room. “Who knows?” he said casually. “They could come, or they could not come.” He sat down in the armchair where Blair had been sitting. “You really do look hot,” he said again, staring at Serena's legs like he wanted to eat them. “Thanks,” Serena said and laughed. It was kind of a relief to see that Chuck was still exactly the same, even if everyone else was acting like freaks. She had to love him for that. “Another round,” Chuck called over to Missy. “And put everything on my tab.” He handed Serena the twenty Blair had left on the table. “You can keep that,” he said. “But it's Blair's,” Serena said, taking the bill and looking at it.“Give it back to her, then,” Chuck said. Serena nodded and stuffed the bill into her red velvet handbag. “There you go,” Chuck said, when Missy put the drinks down. “Bottoms up!” He clinked glasses with Serena and poured scotch down his throat. “Oops,” she said, as her Cosmo sloshed onto her dress. “Damn.” Chuck grabbed his cocktail napkin and dabbed at the stain, which happened to be on her hip. “There, you can't even see it,” he said, letting his hand linger near her crotch. Serena grabbed Chuck's hand and put it back in his lap. “Thanks, Chuck,” she said. “I think I'm okay.” Chuck wasn't even a tad embarrassed. He was unembarrassable. “Hey, let's get one more drink and take it up to my suite, okay?” he offered. “I'll tell the bar staff to tell anyone who comes to meet us up there. They know who my friends are.” Serena hesitated, thinking about what Blair had said about the Basses not liking people in their suite anymore. “Are you sure it's okay?” she said. Chuck laughed and stood up, holding out his hand to her. “Of course it's okay. Come on.” Even though it was raining out and he was freezing his ass off, Nate was in no hurry to get to Blair's house. It was pretty ironic, really. Here he was, a seventeen-year-old guy, about to have sex with his girlfriend for the first time (hers, anyway). He should have been running. She must know by now, he kept telling himself, over and over and over. How could she not? The whole city had to know by now that he had had sex with Serena. But if Blair knew, then why hadn't she said anything? Thinking about it was driving Nate insane. He ducked into a liquor store on Madison Avenue and bought a half pint of Jack Daniels. He'd already smoked a little joint at home, but he'd need a shot of courage before he saw Blair. He had no idea what he was in for. Nate walked the rest of ............