I Like It Like That (13 page)

“Now we're dressed exactly alike,” Blair said as she stepped out of Georgie's mom's bathroom, wearing only a towel.

Erik put down the ski magazine he'd been reading while he waited for her on the bed. “Cool.”

The room had a high, slanted, timber ceiling and gigantic mismatched triangular windows facing Mount Baldy. Headlights on the Snowcats grooming the runs for the following day twinkled in the darkness. Blair wondered fleetingly if Nate was still out there, wandering around in the snow in his sneakers, or if he'd come to his senses and come back inside. Not that she cared. She spun her ruby ring around and around on her finger and shifted her gaze back to the bed. I'm about to become a woman, she reminded herself.

Even with cookie crumbs scattered all over his chin and bare chest and his hair damp and matted from soaking in the hot tub, Erik was irresistible. She walked over to the bedside table and took a swig of champagne right from the bottle.

“Okay. I'm ready.”

Erik took her hand and pulled her down on top of him. Their lips met in a thrilling mixture of chocolate and champagne. He pressed himself against her hip. He appeared to be ready, too.

She closed her eyes as music filtered up from the party downstairs, some hip-hop song she didn't recognize. The night she'd thought she was going to do it with Nate, she'd burned a mix CD and filled her room with candles. Then nothing had happened. This time she was in a strange house with strange music playing. But maybe it was better this way—the looser the script, the more room for experimentation. Not that she wanted to try anything weird.

Of course not.

“Open your eyes,” Erik murmured, nuzzling her neck. “You have beautiful eyes.”

Blair opened her eyes and giggled to herself. She was kissing Serena's hot older brother. She closed her eyes again, diving in for another round of mouth-to-mouth. It seemed easier to just do it rather than think about what she was doing or who she was doing it with. Erik pulled back the cinnamon-colored silk duvet and scooted underneath it. Blair shimmied in after him and removed her towel, tossing it onto the floor with more flourish than she'd actually intended.

Ta-da!

“You've done this before, right?” Erik asked as he drummed his capable fingers slowly down her spine.

Blair shivered—partly out of pleasure and partly out of fear—and squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh, sure.”

She could feel Erik bulging hugely against her leg. Maybe they wouldn't have to do it all the way, just a little bit. Then she remembered what she and Serena always told the ninth-graders in their peer group. Don't do it just to do it. Do it with someone you love who cares about how you feel. And don't do it unless you know without question that you're ready.

That had always been easy for Serena to say. She had lost her virginity way back in the summer after tenth grade, with Nate, no less. It was the constant, invisible, unspoken thing between Blair and her. The albatross in their friendship.

When Blair approached the topic of sex in peer group, she spoke with such authority, she almost believed she'd done it herself sometimes. And sure, she'd come pretty close—with Nate on several occasions while they were together—but not that close. She'd always stopped him, just in the nick of time.

Which, considering the fact that she and Erik were both naked and lying very close together, was like, right now.

“Are you nervous or something?” Erik asked, stroking her hair and looking into her eyes in that pleasant, gorgeous way of his.

“No. Why? Do I seem nervous?” Blair replied a little too hastily.

“It's just the way your knees are kind of pushing me away …”

Blair hadn't even realized what she was doing with her knees. Even though she desperately wanted to do it and get it over with, her body clearly had other ideas.

How was she going to lose her virginity when her body wouldn't even cooperate?

Nate was on his way back to Georgie's house, his legs numb with cold and his sneakers soaked through from the snow, ready to give in and jump in the hot tub. He'd thought a good long walk alone would help clear his head, but he had so much to think about—getting into Brown, not making lax captain, Georgie's erratic behavior, the way Blair seemed to look right through him—all he could really think about was how great it would be just to smoke a joint and forget all his troubles.

“Damn,” he swore under his breath as he hurried along the shoulder of Wood River Drive.

“Please help?” He heard a tiny, pleading voice whimper from the ditch to his left.

Nate whirled around, his eyes bulging out of his head when he recognized the pale blond hair and the familiar body strapped inside the overturned ski patrol toboggan. If he hadn't been so sober, he would've thought he was having some sort of mental allergic reaction to weed or something.

“Serena?” He knelt down and began unbuckling the straps. “Jesus, what happened?”

As soon as Serena's arms were free she reached up and hugged Nate around the neck, sobbing wordlessly. She wouldn't have minded if it had been Jan who'd rescued her, but Nate was ten thousand times better.

“You're okay. You're okay,” Nate murmured, stroking her hair with one hand as he worked the rest of the toboggan straps with the other. When all the straps were undone he pulled back the heavy wool blanket, never imagining what he'd find underneath.

“Whoa.” He grabbed her under the arms and helped her to her feet before wrapping the blanket around her once more.

Serena swayed against him, too overcome to be embarrassed or even to explain how she'd wound up naked in a ditch, strapped to a ski patrol toboggan.

Nate bent down and picked her up like an oversized baby. “Let's get you back. All you need is a nice warm bath and some warm clothes and you'll be good as new.”

He started down the road toward the house, his arms and legs ablaze with energy from his manly rescue. Serena let her head fall against his shoulder and breathed sweet, warm air into his ear. Maybe it was Nate—her Natie—who she'd been meant to be with all along. Her knight in shining armor. The love of her life.

When they got back to the house, ever-efficient Nate carried Serena upstairs to the guest bathroom and ran her a nice hot bath. While she relaxed in the bubbles, he went down the hall to Georgie's mother's room to look for a warm bathrobe and some cozy cashmere socks. The door was closed, but the cleaning staff had kept it closed ever since he'd arrived at the house, so he thought nothing of opening it without knocking.

Oops.

Nate stood frozen in the doorway, blinking. Blair's clothes were on the floor and her delicate hand with its little ruby ring was curled around the neck of somebody blond. The blond person turned his head, proving not to be a member of the Dutch Olympic snowboarding team—thankfully—but Erik van der Woodsen, Serena's older brother. Which wasn't much better.

“Sorry,” Nate muttered. “I just needed some stuff out of the closet.”

“Um, can you come back later? We're kind of busy,” Erik said, without a hint of embarrassment.

Nate just stood there staring at them with his hands in his pockets. He needed some sort of explanation or acknowledgment from the bottom half of the Erik-Blair nooky sandwich before he could turn his back.

But Blair just lay there with her eyes closed. Erik had almost talked her body into going on the trip she'd wanted to take in the first place, but at the sound of Nate's voice, she canceled the flight. Finally she heard the sound of the door closing and Nate's footsteps hurrying down the hall. Then she rose up on her elbows and inched her body away from Erik's, pulling the sheet up over her chest to cover herself.

“Actually, this was going to be my first time,” she admitted, blushing with shame for lying about it when he'd asked. “But I guess I'm not ready.” She looked up at Erik, her blue eyes round, hoping with all her heart he wouldn't be too mad.

Erik's adorable lips curled up in a half smile. “Nah. You're ready. I'm just not the right guy, that's all.”

And it's no secret who is.

gossipgirl.net

Disclaimer: All the real names of places, people, and events have been altered or abbreviated to protect the innocent. Namely, me.

hey people!

I know, I know, it's seems like forever since we last talked. Spring break is almost over, and by the sound of it, everyone has been pretty busy not thinking about the college acceptance letters that are due in our mailboxes in only two weeks. Yes, we've been busy, busy, busy. But before I get down to who's gotten into what trouble where, let me first clarify a few things in no particular order.

a) The members of the Dutch Olympic snowboarding team are not all gay or married or boring. I know this because I hooked up with one of them very briefly when my family was skiing in Banff. His name was Jansen, and he was gorgeous beyond belief.

b) If you are still a virgin when you go off to college, you won't be the only one. I know this … well, just because I know.

c) It is not a federal offense to drop mail into a river, unless you work for the postal service.

d) It is a federal offense not to answer a girl's e-mail when all she wants is for you to forgive her and kiss and make up. It is also a federal offense to receive a gift and not say thank you. And it is very definitely a federal offense to run naked down a public road, especially when the police are chasing you—see news below.

e) Last but not least, as much as I hate to say it, we all feel better about ourselves when we aren't fighting with our parents.

Glad we got that cleared up. Now, the latest news …

Infamous Connecticut heiress and Upper East Side boy-about-town arrested for indecent exposure

She shocked us by selling her favorite show pony for drug money, and he shocked us by appearing, all greased up, in a European aftershave commercial. Now they're at it again. G and C were arrested last night for prancing around on a public road, in the buff. It was later discovered that both were under the influence of all manner of substances and that they had also stolen a ski patrol toboggan, which was returned by authorities to ski patrol headquarters. Both parties were released on bail this morning and were flown home to Greenwich and New York, respectively, by private jet. It is rumored that both the Wood River Police Department and the Sun Valley Ski Patrol have already received substantial “anonymous” donation checks to keep quiet about the matter. G is already back at Breakaway, where she has earned a lifetime membership. C has been grounded, which means he may no longer use his family's suite at the Tribeca Star Hotel or his mother's chauffeur-driven town car. Poor baby. It has also been rumored that a very beautiful model/Upper East Side schoolgirl was involved in the incident, but she managed to avoid the police and escape. Later that evening, a mysterious handsome local boy escorted her back to her hotel. That's our girl!

Sightings

V looking longingly at the film cameras in the window of 49th Street Photo, like a kid at the window of a pet store. Poor thing can't wait till her parents go home. B and E and a bunch of Sun Valley Ski Patrol guys having a beer at a local bar in Ketchum, Idaho, with—believe it or not— no apparent sexual tension. I've heard this can happen to girls once they … you know. They lose their need to flirt. J creeping around the Upper East Side again, hiding behind trees. What's her deal, anyway? S and her brother, E, tearing up the slopes on their own in Sun Valley.

Your e-mail

Q: Dear GG,

I have known a certain boy my whole life and I'm pretty sure I've been in love with him all that time, I just never realized it. He was with my best friend and now he's with another friend of mine, although I'm pretty sure that's close to being over. I need to find out if he feels the same way about me, but I'm not sure what to do.

—lost

A: Dear lost,

You know what I do when I'm not sure what to do? Grab him. Just kiss him and everything will fall into place from there. If he feels the same way, you'll know. And if he doesn't, you'll know. Good luck, sweetie.

—GG

Q: Dear Gossip Girl,

I love your page. You are a cool girl. I want to find out your name, because I think you may be the same girl I just met skiing. I might never meet you again because I live very far from America, but I will always love you from afar.

—Jan

A: Dear Jan,

I have a feeling we did meet, a long time ago. And even if I'm not the girl you're talking about, you have my permission to love me from afar. But let's keep it that way, okay?

—GG

See you back at school next week. It might actually be kind of nice to sleep in our own beds again.

You know you love me.

gossip girl

When the downstairs buzzer rang, Gabriela and Ruby were making yeast-free, sugar-free, organic whole-grain-and-wild-berry energy bars in the kitchen area of Vanessa and Ruby's small apartment, while Vanessa and Jordy helped Arlo tie the daffodils that he had stolen out of the local park onto the fishing net he'd found and dragged home. Supposedly, the daffodils represented hope, although Vanessa wasn't exactly sure what the fishing net itself was supposed to represent. The net was scratchy and was cutting up her hands, and Jordy was annoying her with the way he was suddenly all interested in her parents and their work. He'd even taken his shoes off when he came inside, just like they did, and he was wearing a beaded peace-sign necklace that he'd probably stolen out of a box of his mom's old things. Needless to say, the sound of the buzzer was a welcome signal to Vanessa to drop what she was doing and run.

“I'll get it!” she shouted, stuffing a daffodil into Jordy's helpful hands. She hurried over to the intercom. “Hello?”

“Postal service with a package, ma'am.”

Vanessa buzzed the postman in. He reached the top of the stairs and handed over a box. It was addressed to her, and Dan's name and address were written in the upper left hand corner.

She closed the door and sat down on the floor, tearing open the package with her teeth. Inside, wrapped in newspaper, was a bright pink plastic spaceship with three plastic little girls standing on top of it. The little girls had matching black pigtails and matching green plastic dresses. She turned the toy over and flicked the power switch to on, then set the toy down on the floor. A crazy Japanese dance song began to play as the girls on the spaceship whirled around and around and little plastic lights flashed on and off at their feet. It was tacky and horrible—superfantastically so.

“What on Mother Earth?” Gabriela exclaimed, coming over to look. “Who would send you such a thing?”

That wonderful boy you thought I might marry one day?

“I like it,” Vanessa declared. “It's so bad, it's good.”

Jordy walked over with a garland of daffodils draped around his neck. He frowned down at the thing like it was supposed to make sense. “What is it?”

“It's just a thing,” Vanessa replied, the ideas for her next film already stacking up in her brain. “Hey, could you come down here for a minute?” she asked, thinking of Jordy's nose. He bent down eagerly and she closed one eye, cupping her fingers around the other eye to form a camera-lens view of his astounding nose, the crazy pink spaceship toy whirling and flashing in the background.

Sounds like an Oscar winner already.

“Stay right there.” Vanessa sprinted toward her room to retrieve her camera from the closet. If she was fast, her parents wouldn't even notice what she was doing.

“Hold it,” she whispered, holding the camera to her eye as she zoomed in on Jordy's nose, making sure to leave the peace-sign necklace and the daffodils out of the frame. “Okay, got it.” She turned the camera off and tossed it into her black book bag by the door. From across the living room, her father was watching her curiously, the flashing lights from the toy setting his eyes aglow. She headed back into her room to gather some more supplies. From now on, she'd have to take the spaceship and the camera with her wherever she went, capturing whatever crazy thing she fancied, the spaceship being the only constant, forever in the background.

“Can I stand up now?” Jordy asked when she came back. He was still kneeling awkwardly in front of the spaceship, his eyes woozy from listening to its insane song over and over.

Vanessa grabbed the toy and switched it off, tucking it and her extra batteries and lenses into her bag. “Yeah, you can go,” she told him absently.

Meaning she had no use for him anymore.

“Hey, where are you going?” Ruby shouted at her from the kitchenette.

Vanessa could already tell from Ruby's tone of voice that her sister knew exactly what she was up to. She laced up her Doc Martens and pulled the black windbreaker she'd bought at the army-navy store on over her head. “Out,” she shouted back as she banged through the door, her father's eyes burning curious holes into her back as she went.