Although he wasn’t doing so well in the friends department.
Serena
didn’t seem to notice Nate’s uncomfortable silence. She sighed, bowing
her head to rest it on his shoulder. She no longer smelled like Chanel’s
Cristalle like she always used to. She smelled like honey and
sandalwood and lilies—her own essential-oil mixture. It was very Serena,
utterly irresistible, but if anyone else tried to wear it, it would
probably smell like dog poo.
“Shit. I missed you like crazy, Nate,”
she said. “I wish you could’ve seen the stuff I pulled. I was so bad.”
“What
do you mean? What did you do that was so bad?” Nate asked, with a
mixture of dread and anticipation. For a brief second he imagined her
hosting orgies in her dorm room at Hanover Academy and having affairs
with older men in hotel rooms in Paris. He wished he could’ve visited
her in Europe this summer. He’d always wanted to do it in a hotel.
“And
I’ve been such a horrible friend, too,” Serena went on. “I’ve barely
even talked to Blair since I left. And so much has happened. I can
already tell she’s mad. She hasn’t even said hello.”
“She’s not mad,”
Nate said. “Maybe she’s just feeling shy.”
Serena flashed him a
look. “Right,” she said mockingly. “Blair’s feeling shy. Since when has
Blair ever been shy?”
“Well, she’s not mad,” Nate insisted.
Serena
shrugged. “Well, anyway, I’m so psyched to be back here with you guys.
We’ll do all the things we used to do. Blair and I will cut class and
meet you on the roof of the Met, and then we’ll run down to that old
movie theater by the Plaza Hotel and see some weirdo film until cocktail
hour starts. And you and Blair will stay together forever and I’ll be
the maid of honor at your wedding. And we’ll be happy ever after, just
like in the movies.”
Nate frowned.
“Don’t make that face, Nate,”
Serena said, laughing. “That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”
Nate
shrugged. “No, I guess it sounds okay,” he said, although he clearly
didn’t believe it.
“What sounds okay?” a surly voice demanded.
Startled,
Nate and Serena tore their eyes away from each other. It was Chuck, and
with him were Kati, Isabel, and, last but not least, Blair, looking
very shy indeed.