from the rooftop that was supposed to be reserved for twilight v&t？s with Vanessa while they
planned a way to sabotage Serena？s run for senior speaker； Blair had hadenough 。 She dug into her
Fendi purse and grabbed her cell phone； pressing the buttons frantically。
？Blair darling？ To what do I owe the pleasure； chica？？ Chuck Bass answered in a loud voice；
sounding more gay than usual。 ？Don？t tell me； you？ve secretly been in love with me all these
years and now that we？re about to graduate； you？re finally bold enough to tell me。？
？Not exactly；？ Blair snapped。 ？You？re the only one I know with a car。？
？A pearl gray convertible Jag isn？t just a car； it？s a mobile pleasure den。？ Chuck tooted the horn
in the background。 ？I happen to be in ？the car？ as we speak。？
？Whatever。？ Blair threw open the loose…hinged plywood door to the cramped； mothball…smelling
coat closet in the living room and yanked out her two matching brown leather； gold…embossed
Louis Vuitton duffel bags。 The bags were still partially packed； since Vanessa didn？t have enough
closet space to acmodate Blair？s endless wardrobe。 All she had to do was fold in the dresses
hanging from the closet rail and fill a shopping bag or four or five with the mere thirty…six pairs of
shoes she？d brought with her； and she？d be ready to roll。 ？Can you e get me？？
？Of course； my sweet。？ Chuck？s voice took on a faux paternal tone。 ？You？re not in any sort of
trouble； are you？？
Blair grimaced at the sight of a roach motel camped in the back of the closet； a half…dead roach
flailing its hind legs on its doorstep。 ？I？m inWilliamsburg ；？ she wailed； as if she were being held
hostage in somebody？s basement。
？And Manhattanneeds you；？ Chuck intoned。 ？We absolutely need you！？
Blair giggled。 It felt good not pretending anymore that she was going to bee one of those
hipster girls who wore striped kneesocks and vintage kilts and kooky glasses； ate hummus all the
time； and went to art galleries after school instead of to Barneys。 She pulled her favorite
red…and…white polka…dotted Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress off its hanger and put it on；
shedding her black Habitual jean skirt and boring dark gray C&C California T…shirt。 Manhattan
needed her。 Of course it did。
？I？ll be there in five； honey。 I？m just getting on the bridge now；？ Chuck assured her； the Jag？s
engine roaring in the background。 ？So； where am I taking you； anyway？ Back home？？
Blair hadn？t thought about this。 Or rather； she had； but home wasn？t her first choice。 Her mother
was still mentally unsound after marrying Cyrus Rose that fall and having his baby daughter that
spring。 Cyrus was loud and sweaty and obnoxious and preferred to wander the house wearing only
a loosely tied green silk robe and nothing else。 Baby Yale was adorable most of the time； but she
had taken over Blair？s room； shunting Blair into Aaron？s old room； where Blair？s cat； Kitty
Minky； had developed a peeing problem in reaction to the scent of Aaron？s boxer； Mookie。
Speaking of？wherewas Mookie？ He usually came with Aaron when Aaron stayed over at
Vanessa？s instead of sleeping in Blair？s brother Tyler？s room or passing out on the leather sofa in
the penthouse library after too many organic beers。
Nudge； nudge。
？Maybe now that I？m into Yale； I won？t mind being at ho ？？ Blair？s voice trailed off as
inspiration hit and a new； fabulous idea began to form in her head。
After her father had moved out of the penthouse and before he？d left for France to live with his
gay French lover？Jacques or Jean…Claude； or whatever the fuck his name was？he？d camped out at
the Yale Club for a few months。 It was right across the street from Grand Central Station； but；
unlike the old train station； the Yale Club had never really been renovated and still had that
shabbily elegant Old New York vibe。 It was the type of place Blair？s former best friend Serena
would adore； while Blair would normally have preferred a more sumptuously elegant suite at the
Carlyle or one of the city？s other landmark hotels。 But she？d already stayed in a suite at the Plaza；
where she？d been treated like just another well…to…do guest。 At the Yale Club she？d be ？Harold
Waldorf？s daughter；？ which was almost as good as being royalty。
Almost。
？Actually； I？m moving to the Yale Club？at least until I figure out what I？m doing this summer；？
she announced into the phone； smiling down at her perfectly manicured coral pink fingernails as if
this had been her plan all along。
？Is that so？？
Blair looked up from her overstuffed black Barneys shopping bags full of shoes。 Vanessa was
standing in the open doorway to the apartment； hands on her pale； round hips； wearing a black
wifebeater T…shirt and black cotton Hanes underwear。 That scraggly boy Blair thought Vanessa had
dumped for good was standing behind her； wearing only a pair of gray Fruit of the Looms； while
the rest of his worn…too…often…to…ever…e…clean clothes were bundled in his arms。 A huge grapey
bruise stood out on his throat； just below his Adam？s apple。
Ew？a hickey！
？It？s the one with the graffiti all over the door。 I？ll be downstairs in five minutes；？ Blair
instructed Chuck before hanging up。 She put her hands on her hips； trying to think of a nice way to
tell Vanessa that she was out of there。 It was amusing being friends with the shaven…headed girl
everyone in her class thought was so weird； and Blair genuinely liked Vanessa for her no…bullshit
approach to everything and her dark； sarcastic sense of humor。 But as graduation approached；
Vanessa had grown slightly manic？asking Blair to paint her toenails on an almost nightly basis and
even getting Blair to try that stupid brush…on hair…highlighting kit with her。 Thank God it had only
been temporary。 Vanessa seemed to crave pany； so if two…timing Blair？s stepbrother； Aaron；
with this straggly Dan guy made her happy； Blair honestly didn？t care。 She personally was
through with men。 In just a few short minutes； Vanessa would have the apartment all to herself
again？she could go ahead and have a full…fledged orgy if she wanted to。
？Someone？s ing to pick me up；？ she said in lieu of an explanation。
Vanessa had just been caught cheating on Blair？s stepbrother； Aaron； with Dan； who was
supposed to be history。 Most people would have acted at least slightly sheepish in such a situation。
Not Vanessa。 She blinked her big brown eyes accusingly at Blair。 ？You？re leaving？ How e？
Are you pissed at me？？ She cocked her shaved head and corrected herself。 ？I mean； more than
usual？？
To call Blair and Vanessa the Odd Couple was an under…statement。 Blair had been raised by a
team of nannies and had attended preschool at Park Avenue Presbyterian； just like all the other
children from the best Upper East Side families。 Vanessa had been raised by her hippie artist
parents in Vermont and been homeschooled until the age of ten。 She？d moved to Williamsburg to
live with her older sister； Ruby； at the age of fifteen and had spent her first two summers working
double shifts at the local Kinko？s copy shop to earn enough money to buy her first digital video
camera。 Blair had spent her summers playing tennis on her father？s estate in Newport； Rhode
Island； or helping Serena filch bottles of Stoli out of the liquor cabinet in Serena？s Ridgefield；
Connecticut； country house。 Blair modeled herself after Audrey Hepburn； and her favorite color
was bright pink。 Vanessa modeled herself after no one； except maybe the great Swedish
avant…garde filmmaker Ingmar Bergman； and wore only black。 They couldn？t have been more
different。
？No。？ Blair shrugged； allowing a small smile to play on her foxlike face。 ？Why would I be
mad？？
Vanessa padded into the kitchen and retrieved one of the waterlogged tofu pups Aaron had left in
the pot on the stove； eating half of it in one bite。 She？d developed a taste for them since hooking
up with Aaron。 ？Want one？？ she offered both Blair and Dan； waggling it at them like a chewed…on
finger。
Gee； thanks。
？I？m good；？ Dan mumbled； fumbling with his rumpled pants。
Blair flapped her hands at the tofu pup； the half…naked Dan and his icky hickey； the
dingy…despite…its…new…coat…of…paint apartment； and all of Williamsburg outside。 ？It？s just not me；？
she tried to explain。
Vanessa nodded slowly。 Ever since Blair had found Serena and Nate colluding in the pool house
bathtub at Isabel Coates？s Hamptons beach house； she？d been acting a little manic。 ？Are you sure
the Yale Club will even take you？ It？s not like you？re an alumna yet。？
Blair shoved an armload of jewel…toned Juicy Couture tracksuits into her already…heaving duffel
bag。 She used to be so sensitive about the subject of Yale； but that was before she got in。 ？My
dad？s a member。 They？ll take me or he？ll kick their asses。？
Vanessa was still watching her。 Blair could hear the ticking of the electric clock on the old
stove。 ？Oh。 I almost forgot。？ She picked up the Browns of London shopping bag she？d lugged all
the way home from school。
Not that she？d actually walked all the way。
？I got you a dress for graduation。 It was too perfect； and I figured you didn？t know where to buy
anything that isn？t black。 I even have the perfect shoes you can have to go with it。？
Vanessa tugged the white…tissue…wrapped bundle out of the bag and shook out the dress。 Even
though it was white； it was awesome。 Sort of Morticia…Addams…meets…Bride…of…Frankenstein。 Of
course； she didn？t have the heart to tell Blair that Aaron had proposed they leave town before
graduation even happened。
And we thought she？d forgotten all about that。
Vanessa stood on one foot and scratched the back of her calf with the black…painted toenails of
her other foot； still holding the dress。 She was already freaking out about graduating and what lay
ahead； and now this。 ？Shit。 This is sad。？ She threw her arms around Blair。 ？I？m going to miss
you。？
Blair hugged her back。 ？Look； we？re practically the same height；？ she murmured gently； giving
Vanessa？s doughy half…naked body an affectionate squeeze。 ？We？ll totally be next to each other in
the graduation lineup。？
Vanessa smiled and wiped away a stray tear。 She pointed to one of the myriad pairs of Manolo
stilettos scattered on the dusty wooden floor。 ？Not when you wear those。？
？Well； you can always borrow a pair；？ Blair offered gently。 The two girls laughed； and in an
instant all was forgiven。 Even the loud sex with Aaron last night and the random sex with Dan on
the roof in what was supposed to have been Blair and Vanessa？s special spot。 If that was what she
needed to do to fend off pregraduation jitters； then so be it。
？I？m going to take a shower；？ Dan announced； even though neither of the girls was paying any
attention to him。
Vanessa picked up the black jean skirt Blair had discarded on the floor and pulled it over her butt
without even attempting to button it。 Then she slung the handles of one of the Louis Vuitton duffel
bags and two of the Barneys bags full of shoes over her shoulder。 ？e on。 I？ll help you carry
your bags downstairs。？
Chuck was waiting