chapter TWENTYEIGHT.

A wave of toasts broke out through the Waldorf Penthouse. Ironically, though, not one of them was dedicated to the actual benefit. Eleanor and all of her society-planning friends had unanimously decided to raise money to help preserve the almost-extinct peregrine falcons who lived in Central Park, but less than half of the wealthy people who were attending the benefit and handing out money had any idea what this was all about. They mostly just wanted a reason to get drunk off Chardonnay and flaunt all their cash, seeing which socialite was better at doing either activity.

Even though there was no clothing deal with Victoria's Secret any longer, Eleanor had managed to snag the models off of the runway for the night and convince them all to attend her party instead. Of course they had come with a rather hefty price considering they were so popular and it was Fashion Week, but between the woman's high-paying career and alimony from her gay husband, the price was like nothing for her.

And it was totally worth it to see the satisfied gawks of the men as the models flounced around the penthouse in lingerie, passing out glasses of champagne. Even some of the women were staring, but that was probably because they were insanely jealous and were guessing which personal trainer the models worked with and what food they ate - if any.

In the meantime, the adult partygoers' children all sat on the floor of the billiard room two rooms away, huddled together as they sipped champagne, smoked weed, spread gossip, and eyed eachother with either suspicion or lust.

It was just like those parties you were always forced to attend when you were seven and the adults sat at one table while the children were forced to sit at another. . . Except this was a much more grown-up version of that and the children had no desire to be sitting with the adults thank you very much. They were all perfectly satisfied with their Sidekicks and their joints and their delicious eye candy. Everyone felt perfectly fine being holed up in the game room without their parents waddling over them and bragging about whose child was thinking about getting into what college.

Everyone except Blair, Nate, and Jenny of course, the only three people in the billiard room who were feeling tension in their stomachs rather than in their pants.

Jenny was busy throwing hateful glances across the room at Blair all night while the brunette sat on the carpet sipping Chardonnay and Nate stood near the pool table, playing with one of his stoner friends from St. Jude's and desperately trying to stay out of either girls' way.

And then suddenly the door to the game room banged open and in stepped Eleanor Waldorf, her arm locked with Leo Dunne's. The strapless Oscar de la Renta gown she was wearing shimmered brightly in the light of the room, making everyone in it cringe with distaste.

"Hello children," said Eleanor, welcoming herself into the room and beaming at all the teenagers happily. No one tried to hide their joints or their crystal tumblers full of liquor because it was a well-known fact with the royalty on the Upper East Side that parents let their children have an unlimited amount of weed and booze without a word. They felt that if they let their children do as they please, then they'd be less prone to becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs. And the less addicts in their family the better, because they did anything to avoid a scandal.

"Excuse me, but Leonardo's parents arrived late." She led the boy over to the wet bar and nearly pushed him into one of the stools to sit down. Then she smoothed out her dress and made her way back to the door. "I trust you children will behave yourselves?" She winked at the room in general and then grasped the gold doorknob on her way out. "Oh and Blair darling, please consider changing those shoes. They really don't go with that shirtdress you picked out."

Blair swallowed hard and could feel the bitter taste of hate on her tongue, but instead of telling her mom that she was way too old to be wearing a strapless Oscar de la Renta gown in response, she simply kicked the pair of heels she'd been wearing into the corner. Now she was barefooted.

"Happy?"

Eleanor smiled that way-too-sweet-to-be-real smile at them all one last time and then shut the door as she left the room. Blair couldn't believe her mother. Even after the heartwrenching conversation they had just hours before the party, the woman was still being a bitch and embarassing Blair in front of all her peers.

And what was worse was the fact that after Blair returned from the Archibald's townhouse, she'd been forced to lie to her mother and tell her that everything was now good between she and Nate. Which also meant pretending like they were the best of friends again whenever their parents were in earshot, when all she really wanted to do was toss her drink all over the dress Nate had bought Jenny for the party tonight and knee Nate in the balls.

When she'd first lied to her mother she thought it was the right thing to do considering the fact that in return she'd get to keep living in Manhattan. But now that she thought about it, maybe rehab in Conneticut wouldn't be so bad. At least there she wouldn't have to run into people like Serena van der Woodsen and Jenny Humphrey.

The only sounds that could be heard throughout the room were of the ice cubes clinking around in people's glasses and Nate's stick hitting the balls around on the pool table. Kati and Isabel were busy in their corner whispering to eachother inaudibly, Jenny was staring at both Blair and Leo with those hateful blue eyes now, and Leo was busy shifting uncomfortably on the stool he sat on, worried that Jenny would tackle him at any moment or snap another embarassing photograph of him when he wasn't looking.

The rest of the teens in the room were far too drunk or too high to take note of the tension cutting through the air. It made Blair want to hurl.

Nate was losing the game of pool to Charlie Dern, but he did have a pretty good excuse: he was distracted. His light blue eyes swept over the room for a moment, hoping to see everyone else talking and giggling and having a good time suddenly, but the arrival of Leo Dunne had only seemed to make things worse. . . Which sort of made sense, since he was Blair's facet for revenge on Jenny and also the reason Jenny was currently hating on Blair so much.

He sighed and ran a hand through his golden brown hair, suddenly wishing he hadn't brought Jenny along with him to this stupid benefit party. . .

But then again, after Blair had left his home and he'd finished showering and toweling off in his bathroom, he'd gone back into his bedroom only to find the young blonde still laying on his bed expectantly. It's as if Jenny had invited herself to the Waldorf's little soiree, so technically he wasn't the reason for all the Jenny-Blair tension that lingered through the air like an infectous disease.

. . .And just when everyone thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, the door banged open yet again. In stepped Georgie Spark, a form-fitting white strapless dress covering her body. One that accentuated her breasts and all the rest of her curves in such a beautiful way that every single girl in the room wanted to tackle her with disgust. Three-quarter-length gloves enveloped her hands and arms and her face was make-up free, except for the bloody red lipstick that she'd painted on, of course. She looked like a runaway bride without the veil.

Blair stood up abruptly, still barefooted and a little dizzy from all the champagne she'd been drinking. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, crossing her arms and making no attempts to hide her distaste in the girl.

What, had her mother invited every person on the planet that Blair currently wanted to drop dead? This was getting ridiculous.

"Hey, bitch!" Georgie's lips spread wide in a smile and she wrapped Blair in a tight hug, ignoring the girl's question completely. "Long time no see!" As she hugged Blair, she winked knowingly at Nate. Then she sat down on the carpeted floor beside Jenny and the other partygoers and snatched up an unattended champagne flute, downing it in one sip. She clinked glasses with a still-furious Blair and giggled wildly as if she knew she was the life of the party all along.

"So! Who's up for a game of I Never?"


Someone always ends up getting dissed in those games, so count me out. . . But guess who's IN? Why yes, our favorite Queen B. Is she perhaps finally ready to take revenge on Georgie, the girl who'd jeapordized her and C's relationship all over again? I'll be the first to know and you'll be the second. After all, I can never keep a secret. . .

and that's why you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl