chapter FOUR.

Blair let her dark and currently damp brown hair cascade down her back luxuriously. Her body was clad in nothing more than one of the hotel's signature white robes and her eyes looked a little swollen from all the crying that had gone on in the taxi ride here.

Serena already lay strewn upon the bed's silk sheets dramatically, her pale blonde hair fanned out around her face and her navy blue eyes shut tightly.

Blair scoffed and rolled her eyes, twisting her dark hair into a knot and jumping onto the bed with as much force she could muster, forcing Serena to bolt upright in sudden awakeness as the television remote bounced off of the bed's cushions and onto the carpeted floor.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! I thought you were supposed to be helping me get over everything that went on yesterday?" Blair folded her arms across her chest, honetly feeling quite a bit better than she had several hours earlier. It was amazing what a big difference a hot shower and being with her best friend could make. "Which, in Blair World, means staying up late watching Audrey Hepburn movies and dipping spoons into a pint of Blue Bunny. I called room service while I was in the bathroom."

Serena fell back onto the bed, defeated. She allowed just one eye to pop open and look up at Blair while the other remained lazily shut. "I hope your plan also involves at least nine hours of sleep, B. Because I'm beyond tired."

Blair grabbed Serena's arm and tried to pull her back into a sitting position, but the young blonde just groaned defiantly, snatching up one of the surprisingly soft pillows that occupied the california king size bed and placing it over her face, shielding her blue eyes from the painful bright light of their hotel room.

Blair kicked Serena in the shin and hopped off the bed, grabbing the remote back up and flipping it to a channel that constantly aired classic movies - a channel she clearly knew all too well. Marilyn Monroe and all her blonde splendor filled the small screen as Some Like It Hot appeared at the bottom of the television set. Blair rolled her eyes. She'd seen this movie at least twenty times and watching it again would be so predictable.

Just as she was about to switch the channel to MTV or VH1 or one of those equally yawn-inducing-slash-exciting channels, there was a sharp rap on the door. Blair rushed over to it and peeked out of the eye hole. It was just the room service. . . The extremely hot room service.

Parting the white folds of the robe she wore a little more to hint at some cleavage, she finally pried the door open and smiled up at the boy waiting for her. He had purposely-untidey almost-black hair, soft blue eyes, and a defined chin. . . Come to think of it, he was pretty much a perfect physical combination of both Chuck and Nate and just the thought made Blair's stomach flutter with a mixture of excitement and sadness.

"Good evening, ma'am," said the boy, flashing her his pearly whites and wheeling in a silver cart. He didn't look much younger than her - in fact he actually looked a few years older - but Blair figured he was simply required to address every girl he came across as 'ma'am.'

Blair shut the door behind him and managed to catch a peek at his backside. Mm. Not bad. Not bad at all. . . But then she noticed the boy noticing Serena and her fists automatically clenched into furious balls, all by themselves. Why was it that her best friend always got so much more attention than she did?

The boy finally pried his eyes away from Serena who was now snoring ever-so-softly, and then whipped off the metallic lids that covered the food Blair had ordered. Ice cream, chocolate cake, whipped cream, and a few Chips Ahoy cookies were scattered across seperate pieces of china, each piece of dessert looking and smelling more delicious than the last.

"Enjoy your meal," he trilled, flashing her another gorgeous smile and opening the door, slipping out into the hall and slamming it as he went.

Blair watched him leave but then turned back around to take in the sight of all the food she'd ordered. Oh. My. God. He must have thought she was some over-eating pig! And since Serena had been sleeping, he probably assmued every last piece of dessert would be stuffed down Blair's throat and her throat alone. . . Suddenly the young brunette didn't feel much like eating at all. In fact, she felt more like she needed to throw up instead.

Hastily, Blair concealed each plate with its matching cover and rushed toward the bathroom, slamming the door shut, flipping the lid of the toilet up, and retching horribly into it. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her entire face felt like it was on fire, but even as she did this she began feeling. . . Relieved.

And suddenly Chuck's words from the day before yesterday cut through her mind: "You held a certain fascination before. . . When you were beautiful." And not once did Blair stop.

In the room adjacent to the bathroom, Serena sat up, hugging a silk pillow to her chest and flipping the television set to mute. Blair must have heard her listening in though, because suddenly the shower started running and all sounds of the young brunette puking her guts out left the hotel, replaced by the sound of running water instead. Serena sighed and walked over to the cart of food, shoving it outside and locking the front door as she did so.


Seems like S is always at the scene of EVERY crime. . . But what the outcome is, we won't know until it actually happens. She can use this information to make or break little old B. Who's betting it'll be a little of both?

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl