Don't You Forget About Me (16 page)

She began punching the keys on her cell. She’d been calling his phone every five minutes but had gotten voice mail every time. She tried Serena’s, too, hoping for someone to commiserate with, but she wasn’t there either. Where were they, anyway?

She
really
doesn’t want to know. . . .

Blair surveyed Vanessa’s dusty black shorts and grit-streaked army green tank top. She could definitely benefit from some quality time in the stylist’s chair. Blair was happy to help—she’d always liked a challenge, and God knew she could use the distraction.

Vanessa was beginning to wonder who Blair thought it was so important to call every five seconds when a cell phone started to blast Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” Vanessa turned around and spotted Isabel Coates and Kati Farkas seated next to each other under the dryers, their heads sporting matching strips of aluminum foil. Kati talked loudly on her cell, holding her palm against her other ear to block out the roar of wind. She was wearing some kind of frilly pink sundress that hung from her body like a sack, and Isabel wore the exact same thing—but in a bilious shade of green. Isabel looked up and spotted Vanessa sitting in a stylist’s chair. She elbowed Kati, who burst into a fit of laughter.

“Getting a new look?” Kati yelled out, holding the phone away from her head.

“Obviously,” Vanessa mumbled, before turning back around and facing the dreaded mirror. Blair was leaving yet another message.

“. . . so I’m
still
here at the spa, and you need to call me when you get this. Just don’t do anything stupid, okay?” She crankily snapped her cell shut and sighed.

“Where’s Nate?” Vanessa asked as a perky blond assistant dressed entirely in white spandex placed a glass of ice water with lemon slices on the countertop in front of her. Vanessa grabbed the glass, swallowing the cold water greedily.

“Fuck if I know.” Blair sighed. “And it’s not like I don’t need help, getting ready for Yale and everything.” “I know what you mean,” Vanessa said sympathetically, placing the empty glass back on the countertop. “It’s not like I’m spending a lot of time with Ruby now that she’s getting married. Or Dan,” she added. “He’s so busy with his job and his new boyfriend that I might as well not even exist.” Blair turned to her in surprise, a smile moving across her lips. “I’m going to ignore the Dan-being-gay info in favor of the much more interesting news here—your sister’s getting
married
?” she asked, her eyes lighting up. “When, when,
when
?” Shit. Vanessa should have known better than to mention the M-word in front of a girl like Blair. “Um, the bachelorette party is tonight and the wedding’s on Saturday afternoon.” “Okay, this is more serious than I thought.” Blair sat up in her chair as if energized with the mission, her posture stick-straight. “You
have
to look amazing for the wedding.” Blair pointed at Vanessa’s bald head. “Louis! Louis! Give her something really dramatic. Blond to her waist!” She turned to Vanessa again. “Oh, and by the way, after the wedding you should come by the Met—my mom’s throwing a goodbye party for me. Plus you’ll already be all dolled up from the wedding. Bring whoever.” She waved a hand as if renting out one of the largest and most opulent museums in the world wasn’t a big deal at all.

Vanessa nodded. “Oh, okay. Maybe I will. Thanks.” Louis quietly circled Vanessa’s chair, touching her scalp with his long, cool fingers. “Zer iz not too muuch to vork vith,” he observed, foraging in the roots of Vanessa’s troubled head.

“That’s okay,” Vanessa replied dejectedly. “I’m beyond hope,” she added dramatically.

“Ah!” he cried, snapping his fingers. “Ve have some fabooluuuuuuus hummus-har wigs—long and blond.” Long blond hummus hair? Vanessa stared at her bald scalp in the mirror and tilted her head to the side.

“Very Ashlee Simpson.” Blair held up the
Us Weekly
on her lap and pointed at the cover. “Brilliant!” She clapped her hands together excitedly.

Normally, the mere thought of trying to look like someone on the cover of
Us Weekly
would force Vanessa to dry heave. But these were desperate times. Another eruption of giggles emitted from Kati and Isabel’s end of the salon. Vanessa peered thoughtfully at herself in the mirror. She was ready for a change.

“Bring it on,” she nodded confidently to Louis, smiling into the mirror.

Oh dear. Remember girls, it’s always better to stick to what you were born with—anything stuck on might . . . fall off.

the more things change, the more they stay the same

Serena purred happily, snuggling closer to Nate’s warm, naked body. Lying in his arms felt so incredibly right. When they’d lost their virginity to each other, more than two years ago, it had been amazing, their every curve a perfect fit. This time was no different—they’d sunk into the soft sheets and each other’s bodies like they had been made for one another. Serena couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt with Nate—how comfortable she’d always been with him. She never, ever wanted to get out of bed. Couldn’t they just stay wrapped in each other’s arms forever, ordering Chinese takeout every few hours and feeding each other greasy spareribs?

Nothing says romance like pork-fried rice!

She buried her nose in his ear and he pulled her close, wrapping the sheet around their naked, sweaty bodies. Serena reached up, twining her arms around Nate’s neck.

The minute his lips had touched hers and their clothes had fallen away, Serena knew she’d been right all along—she really loved him. She felt like she was going to burst with it, and had been holding the words in for so long that all she wanted to do now was repeat them over and over again.

“Serena?” Nate asked, rolling on his side and propping his head up on one hand.

“Yes, Natie?” She rolled him back over and placed her head on his chest, snuggling under his armpit. She loved the sound of her name when he said it.

“I have something to tell you.” He traced his fingertips along her bare shoulders. It felt electric.

Serena sat up, pulling the sheet with her to cover her smooth skin, her blond hair falling over her bare back. “What?” She whispered, trying to stay calm.

“I didn’t get my diploma,” he said quietly. He grabbed her kilted teddy bear from the corner of her all-white canopy bed and hugged it. “I’m not going to Yale next year—I’m going to have to stay here in New York and repeat senior year.” Serena opened her eyes wide with surprise. Not going to Yale? Did Blair know? She looked at her teddy, as if he might convey some answers, and pulled the covers up higher around her torso, shrugging off the thought of Blair, because with it would come guilt, masses and masses of guilt.

“I wish I could just take off.” Nate pulled a faded green T-shirt over his head, his voice muffled inside the soft cotton. “Just sail away and never come back.” His head popped through the cloth, and he pulled the material over his tanned chest.

He ran his hands through his hair and flopped back down next to her. Her eyes were so brilliantly, deeply blue that it was hard for him to imagine ever looking anywhere else. He looked at her tanned, lightly freckled face, and he knew that he’d never forget the way she looked right now—her cheeks flushed pink, her long body wrapped up in white sheets—as long as he lived.

If Blair finds out, that might not be for long.

“What are you going to do?” Serena asked, pushing her hair from her face.

“Stay here, I guess,” Nate answered dejectedly. “It’s not like I’ve got much of a choice.” Serena stroked his hand, wishing she could kiss him and make this all better. The late-afternoon sunlight filtered in through the open windows, and she looked out at the wide blue sky outside. She could hear the faint sounds of the city below, the buses rumbling by with the posters of her face on their sides. Suddenly her pulse began to race. “You know . . . I’m not so sure about going to Yale either,” she said quietly.

“What?” Nate demanded, his green eyes glittering. “Why?” “Well, I keep trying to picture it . . . but I just can’t.” She had been about to say,
whenever Blair talks about it
, but then she stopped herself. “And then at that press conference yesterday, the director announced that he’s filming the sequel to
Breakfast at Fred’s
in New York in a month and . . . I don’t know. I just . . . I think I need to stay here.” The minute the words left her lips, Serena knew they were true. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever really wanted to go to Yale, but she knew for certain she didn’t want to go to Yale without Nate. And from the way he was staring at her, it looked like the feeling was completely mutual.

“Really?” Nate asked. He’d been picturing himself as the only guy with a five o’clock shadow taking Algebra I at St. Jude’s. But with Serena here, maybe he wouldn’t feel so out of place after all. It would be just like always—except without Blair.Wait, Blair.

Remember her?

But maybe he could still go visit Blair on weekends. People did that, didn’t they? Like having an apartment in the city and a house in the country. When he thought about it that way, it all seemed so simple. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? He could spend weekdays with Serena and weekends and holidays with Blair, and everyone would be happy.

Sounds like he’s thinking with the whole package. “Really.” She smiled and he pulled her closer.

Then, with his breath tickling her ear, he whispered, “I love you too.” Aw. So cute. Unless you’re a certain girl with newly implanted Warren Tricomi extensions.

v gets in touch with her wild side

“Yeeeeehaaaaaaaw!”

Vanessa shook the golden hair from her face and squared her shoulders before opening the bar’s heavy black door. Coyote Ugly was basically a frat-boy bar ruled by domina-trixlike, Amazonian female bartenders in cowboy hats. The bartenders were also fond of line dancing across the surface of the heavy wooden bar, dousing the crowd with water—or beer. It wasn’t exactly Vanessa’s kind of place, but it was the perfect location for Ruby’s bachelorette party. Ruby thought the bar, which had been made legendary in the totally watered-down film bearing its name, was hilarious—in a totally ironic way, of course.

Of course.

The bar was packed with people, elbow to elbow, mainly drunken frat guys in pastel polo shirts and loafers. Three stunning female bartenders worked the crowd furiously, throwing bottles in the air and knocking back shots along with the guys. The screech of country music filled the room. Vanessa stomped across the sawdust-covered floor in her black Prada platforms—Blair cast-offs—and looked around. Ruby was leaning against the wall wearing a short red dress and combat boots, doing shots with a group of obviously intoxicated girls. Vanessa walked up and elbowed her sister in the ribs.

“Watch it!” Ruby yelled, an annoyed look on her face. “Bitch,” she muttered.

Vanessa grabbed her sister’s arm and leaned in closer. “Ruby, it’s
me
.” Ruby’s face went blank with shock. She reached up, touching the strands of long blond hair framing Vanessa’s face, staring at her eyes, carefully outlined with brown pencil and expertly shadowed—courtesy of Ms. Blair Cornelia Waldorf, of course—and promptly began laughing like a lunatic.

“Oh my God,” she laughed, downing another shot of amber liquid, “I really
am
wasted.” As soon as she drained the glass, shivering slightly as the liquor hit her chest, she grabbed Vanessa’s arms again, looking her up and down and taking in the short black Anna Sui skirt and tight, beaded charcoal gray Chloé corset top Blair had practically shoved into Vanessa’s messenger bag. “Seriously, Vanessa, you look ridiculous. But also kind of . . . hot!” “Really?” Vanessa reached up to touch the wig. She was still a little uncomfortable in this getup—not to mention sweltering. The room was the temperature of a sauna, and her cascading wig of human hair wasn’t helping any.

“Do a shot!” Ruby yelled, shoving a glass in her hand. Vanessa tilted her head back, momentarily afraid her wig might fall off in the process, and downed the shot, which tasted like gasoline. She shook her head from side to side like she was trying to chase her impending hangover away.

Fat chance.

“What the hell are you guys drinking?” she croaked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“J&BwithaJ&Bback!” A girl Vanessa recognized as one of the bartenders from the Five and Dime, one of Ruby’s favorite Brooklyn hangouts, slurred, shoving another shot glass into Vanessa’s hand. “Drink it!” As if she had a choice.

The liquor burned Vanessa’s throat. She shook her shoulders and tried to regain her eyesight. “C’mon, sissy, I want to talk!” Ruby yelled into her ear.

“You want to walk?” Vanessa asked, pointing to a bartender wearing a tight Western shirt unbuttoned to her belly button, ridiculously short jean shorts, and red stilettos, strutting on top of the bar as though it were a catwalk.

“No!” Ruby pulled her into a darkened corner near the ladies’ room. At least it was slightly quieter. She clutched Vanessa’s arm like a drowning woman.

“I
said,
I need to
talk
.” Ruby had to shout over the frantic fiddle of the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” “I don’t think I can do this!” “Do what?” Vanessa asked, pouring another shot into her glass from the half-empty bottle of J&B Ruby clutched in her hand. “Drink?” She held up the bottle to her sister’s face. “’Cause you seem pretty good at it to me.” Ruby waved the bottle away impatiently. “I don’t think I can marry Piotr. I don’t know if I can go through with it.” Ruby’s face crumpled like a used Kleenex.

“Wait—what?” Vanessa bent down to place the bottle of J&B on the floor, then she stood back up to put her arms around her sister. “Why? What’s going on?” “Well,” Ruby sniffed, “he gave me this gift today—he said it was in honor of our future life together or some bullshit.” Vanessa wrinkled her brow in confusion. “Soooo?” “V, he bought me this Suzy Homemaker antique tea set for a fucking wedding present. He doesn’t fucking know me at all. I mean, if that’s what he’s expecting . . .” She trailed off and poured herself another shot, knocking it back expertly and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Does he think I’m going to be this perfect, stay-at-home Stepford Wife? Because that’s not what I’m about at all, and he should
know
that!” Ruby filled her shot glass again, and this time Vanessa held her own glass out for a refill.