chapter NINETEEN.

Blair couldn't believe that Aaron was now going to be attending St. Jude's along with Nate and Chuck. The mere idea was ridiculous, because it basically meant that she'd have to see the boy more often and she'd constantly be reminded of his annoying father, Cyrus Rose. Speaking of, Cyrus had suddenly come up with the idea to send his son from Riverside Prep, located on the Lower East Side, to the much more prestigious school located on the Upper East Side, right near Blair, just that morning.

And what was worse was the fact that she'd been instructed to show Aaron around Constance Billard and St. Jude's, leading him around both schools while he asked irritating questions and some of the girls at Constance eyed him with desire. . . And he wasn't even that cute! Sure, Blair liked his thin, reddish lips and his kind hazel eyes, and his sunken cheeks and his genuine tone of voice, but he was certainly no Nate Archibald or Chuck Bass. And the fact that he sported short brown dreadlocks and behaved so annoyingly perfect didn't help him, either.

"The pool's located right below the gym and just beyond that would be the locker rooms," explained Blair half-heartedly, stifling a yawn. She was supposed to be showing up at her penthouse to meet with Eleanor any minute, now that school was over - which is the only reason she'd even agreed to show Aaron around in the first place: it gave her an excuse to stall.

And besides, she wasn't even really showing him around either school, anyway. After touring half of Constance, she'd given up and dragged him to the benches outside where they'd been sitting for the last ten minutes while Blair simply described the neighboring schools to Aaron, him nodding enthusiastically at whatever she said and her sipping from a metallic flask full of scotch.

But then suddenly, she spotted Chuck Bass wandering through the courtyard looking rather glum, his scarf blowing in the wind, his head hung low, and his hands tucked into his coat pockets. He was heading their way and, before thinking, Blair threw her flask aside, leaped into Aaron's lap, and engulfed his lips with her own, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

She could feel Chuck's eyes falling over her and she couldn't help but smile as she kissed Aaron. Not because she liked it, no, but because that's what Chuck got for entering a steam room with the biggest slut of the city and staying in there for hours on end.

Blair finally broke the kiss and hopped innocently off of Aaron's lap, pretending to spot Chuck for the very first time, now standing just a few feet away looking shocked. "Oh hello, Bass," she greeted him impersonally.

Chuck looked disgusted and lunged forward, grabbing Blair by the arm and pulling her into a corner. "Excuse us," he called over his shoulder, to Aaron.

"What do you want?" Blair asked, yanking herself out of his hand and crossing her arms.

"I want to know what the hell you're doing with him, now. First it's Nate, then it's me, then it's Nate again, and now it's some random stranger with dreadlocks? I think I deserve an explanation."

Blair laughed bitterly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why? Because you ruined me, took all my friends, pushed Nate away, and called me a slut - all in one day?"

Chuck swallowed hard. "No, that's not. . . Blair, you know I didn't mean that." His voice sounded different when he talked to her, something he was noticing for the very first time.

"How would I know that? You're the reason I almost fled the country in the first place. You were the last person I could turn to and when I found you at the bar that night I was going to tell you that I no longer cared about Nate. I realized that he would always judge me and hate me for what I've done - that you're the one I wanted to be with. . . But you shot that straight to hell as soon as you compared me to one of your father's horses."

"Look, Blair, I know I hurt you but in all respects, you hurt me, too. As soon as Nate became available and apologized, you snatched him right off the market, forgetting about me compeltely. It's always been about you and Nate - ever since we were in kindergarden; you guys loved eachother and your parents loved you together. Where do I fit in, huh?"

He swallowed hard, his face a little red and his hands balled into fists, while fresh tears glossed over Blair's dark brown eyes.

"Chuck, you really don't get it, do you? Nate stepped up and apologized for all the wrongs he's done and I never heard a peep out of you! You ruined my cotillion, you threatened me constantly, you turned all my friends against me, and you publically destroyed me. . ." Her voice cracked sadly. "I'm sorry if you think I chose Nate over you - that's not it at all. Nate was just the easier pick. People expect us to be together. We've been dating since we were children."

Thin, cold drops of rain began falling from the sky.

"No Blair, you don't seem to get it. It's not even about Nate anymore. . . It's about you not knowing who or what you want! You just grab whatever's right in front of you and hold on as tight as you can, just because you think it'll be easier and you won't get hurt as much."

Blair's head was hung low in defeat and her long, damp hair covered her eyes, so Chuck couldn't gauge her reaction. But he knew what he was saying was getting through to her. "Look, the bottom line is whoever you think about before you go to bed at night," he explained. "The person who makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time and the person who drives you so crazy you can't help but love them."

He reached out and touched the diamond necklace he'd purchased her on her seventeenth birthday, the one she'd been wearing ever since. "Trust me, B. I would know."

And with that, he turned around and left the school, his signature scarf billowing in the wind behind him as he left her standing in the cold wind and rain all alone, to think about what he'd said.


Spotted: C pouring his heart out and B standing in the pouring rain. So what'll it be, you two? Fortune or fortitude?

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl