Chapter 6

The rest is history. They both had sex for the first time. It was awkward and painful and exciting and fun, and so sweet they forgot to be embarrassed. It was exactly the way you'd want your first time to be, and they had no regrets. Afterwards, they turned on the television, which was tuned¹ to the History Channel, a documentary about the Red Sea. Serena and Nate lay in bed, holding each other and looking up at the clouds through the skylight overhead, while they listened to the narrator of the program talk about Moses parting the Red Sea. Serena thought that was hilarious². “You parted my Red Sea!” she howled, wrestling Nate against the pillows. Nate laughed and rolled her up in the sheet like a mummy. “And now I will leave you here as a sacrifice to the Holy Land!” he said in a deep, horror-movie voice. And he did leave her, for a little while. He got up and ordered a huge feast of Chinese food and bad white wine, and they lay in bed and ate and drank, and he parted her Red Sea once again before the sky grew dark and the stars twinkled in the skylight. A week later, Serena went away to boarding school at Hanover Academy, while Nate and Blair stayed behind in New York. Ever since, Serena had spent every vacation away–the Austrian Alps at Christmas, the Dominican Republic for Easter, the summer traveling in Europe. This was the first time she'd been back, the first time she and Nate had seen each other since the parting of the Red Sea. “Blair doesn't know, does she?” Serena asked Nate quietly. Blair who? Nate thought, with a momentary³ case of amnesia⁴. He shook his head. “No,” he said. “If you haven't told her, she doesn't know.” But Chuck Bass⁵ knew, which was almost worse. Nate had blurted⁶ the information out at a party only two nights ago in a drunken fit of complete stupidity. They'd been doing shots, and Chuck had asked, “So, Nate. What was your all time best fuck? That is, if you've done it all yet.” “Well, I did it with Serena van der Woodsen,” Nate had bragged⁷, like an idiot. And Chuck wasn't going to keep it a secret for long. It was way too juicy and way too useful. Chuck didn't need to read that book How to Win Friends and Influence People. He fucking wrote it. 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, utterly⁸ irresistible⁹, 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 dread¹⁰ and anticipation¹¹. 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 shrugged¹². “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 Plaza¹³ Hotel and see some weirdo film until cocktail¹⁵ 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. Chuck clapped Nate on the back. “Sorry, Nate,” he said. “But you can't bogey¹⁶ the van der Woodsen all night, you know.” Nate snorted and tipped back his glass. Only ice was left. Serena looked at Blair. Or at least, she tried to. Blair was making a big deal of pulling up her black stockings, working them inch by inch from her bony ankles up to her bony knees, and up around her tennis-muscled thighs¹⁷. So Serena gave up and kissed first Kati, then Isabel, and then she made her way to Blair. There was only a limited amount of time Blair could spend pulling up her tights before it got ridiculous. When Serena was only inches away from her, she looked up and pretended to be surprised. “Hey Blair,” Serena said excitedly. She put her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders and bent¹⁸ down to kiss both of her cheeks. “I'm so sorry I didn't call you before I came back. I wanted to. But things have been so crazy. I have so much to tell you!” Chuck, Kati, and Isabel all nudged each other and stared at Blair. It was pretty obvious she had lied. She didn't know anything about Serena coming back. Blair's face heated up. Busted¹⁹. Nate noticed the tension, but he thought it was for an entirely²⁰ different reason. Had Chuck told Blair already? Was he busted? Nate couldn't tell. Blair wasn't even looking at him. It was a chilly²¹ moment. Not the kind of moment you'd expect to have with your oldest, closest friends. Serena's eyes darted²² from one face to another. Clearly she had said something wrong, and she quickly guessed what it was. I'm such an asshole, she scolded herself. “I mean, I'm sorry I didn't call you last night. I literally²³ just got back from Ridgefield. My parents have been hiding me there until they figured out what to do with me. I have been so bored.” Nice save. She waited for Blair to smile gratefully for covering for her, but all Blair did was glance at Kati and Isabel to see if they'd noticed the slip. Blair was acting²⁴ strange, and Serena fought down a rising panic. Maybe Nate was wrong, maybe Blair really was mad at her. Serena had missed out on so much. The divorce, for instance. Poor Blair. “It must really stink²⁵ without your dad around,” Serena said. “But your mom looks so good, and Cyrus is kind of sweet, once you get used to him.” She giggled²⁶. But Blair still wasn't smiling. “Maybe,” she said, staring out the window at the hot-dog stand. “I guess I'm still not used to him.” All six of them were silent for a long, tense moment. What they needed was one more good, stiff drink. Nate rattled²⁷ the ice cubes in his glass. “Who wants another?” he offered. “I'll make them.” Serena held out her glass. “Thanks, Nate,” she said. “I'm so fucking thirsty. They locked the damned booze cabinet up in Ridgefield. Can you believe it?” Blair shook her head. “No, thanks,” she said. “If I have another, I'll be hungover at school tomorrow,” Kati said. Isabel laughed. “You're always hungover at school,” she said. She handed Nate her glass. “Here, I'll split mine with Kati.” “Let me give you a hand,” Chuck offered. But before he could get very far, Mrs. van der Woodsen joined them, touching²⁸ her daughter's arm. “Serena,” her mother said. “Eleanor would like us all to sit down. She made an extra place next to Blair for you, so you two girls can catch up.” Serena cast an anxious glance at Blair, but Blair had already turned away and was headed for the table, sitting down next to her eleven-year-old brother, Tyler, who had been at his place for over an hour, reading Rolling Stone magazine. Tyler's idol²⁹ was that movie director, Cameron Crowe, who had toured with Led Zeppelin when he was only fifteen. Tyler refused to listen to CDs, insisting that real vinyl records were the only way to go. Blair worried her brother was turning into a loser.Serena steeled herself and pulled up a chair in the space next to Blair. “Blair, I'm sorry I've been such a complete asshole,” she said, removing her linen³⁰ napkin from its silver ring and spreading it out on her lap. “Your parents splitting up must have totally sucked.” Blair shrugged and grabbed a fresh sourdough roll from a basket on the table. She tore the roll in half and stuffed one half into her mouth. The other guests were still making their way toward the table and figuring out where to sit. Blair knew it was rude to eat before everyone was seated, but if her mouth was full, she couldn't talk, and she really didn't feel like talking. “I wish I'd been here,” Serena said, watching Blair smear³¹ the other half of her roll with a thick slab³² of French butter. “But I had a crazy year. I have the most insane stories to tell you.” Blair nodded and chewed her roll slowly, like a cow chewing its cud. Serena waited for Blair to ask her what kind of stories, but Blair didn't say anything, she just kept on chewing. She didn't want to hear about all the fabulous³³ things Serena had done while she was away and Blair had been stuck at home, watching her parents fight over antique chairs that nobody sat on, teacups nobody used, and ugly, expensive paintings. Serena had wanted to tell Blair about Charles, the only Rastafarian at Hanover Academy, who'd asked her to elope with him to Jamaica. About Nicholas, the French college guy who never wore underwear and who'd chased her train in a tiny Fiat³⁴ all the way from Paris to Milan. About smoking hash in Amsterdam and sleeping in a park with a group of drunk prostitutes because she forgot where she was staying. She wanted to tell Blair how much it sucked to find out that Hanover Academy wouldn't take her back senior year simply because she'd blown off the first few weeks of school. She wanted to tell Blair how scared she was to go back to Constance tomorrow because she hadn't exactly been studying very hard in the last year and she felt so completely out of touch. But Blair wasn't interested. She grabbed another roll and took a big bite. “Wine, miss?” Esther said, standing³⁵ at Serena's left with the bottle. “Yes, thank you,” Serena said. She watched the C.te du Rhone spill into her glass and thought of the Red Sea once more. Maybe Blair does know, she thought. Was that what this was all about? Was that why she was acting so weird¹⁴? Serena glanced at Nate, four chairs down on the right, but he was deep in conversation with her father. Talking about boats no doubt. “So, you and Nate are still totally together?” Serena said, taking a risk.

1 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

3 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

4 amnesia   

n.健忘症，健忘

参考例句：

• People suffering from amnesia don't forget their general knowledge of objects.患健忘症的人不会忘记关于物体的一些基本知识。
• Chinese medicine experts developed a way to treat amnesia using marine materials.中国医学专家研制出用海洋物质治疗遗忘症的方法。

5 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

6 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 bragged   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He bragged to his friends about the crime. 他向朋友炫耀他的罪行。
• Mary bragged that she could run faster than Jack. 玛丽夸口说她比杰克跑得快。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

9 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

10 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

11 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

12 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

14 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

15 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

16 bogey   

n.令人谈之变色之物；妖怪，幽灵

参考例句：

• The universal bogey is AIDS.艾滋病是所有人唯恐避之不及的东西。
• Age is another bogey for actresses.年龄是另一个让女演员头疼的问题。

17 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

19 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

20 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

21 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

22 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

24 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

25 stink   

vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
• The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。

26 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

28 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

29 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

30 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

31 smear   

v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
• There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。

32 slab   

n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上

参考例句：

• This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
• The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成，它们共同支撑着一块平板。

33 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

34 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

35 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。