chapter 11

Kati wrinkled her pert little ski-jump nose and nudged Isabel with her elbow. “I bet Serena is too busy, you know, dealing¹ with everything. All her problems. She probably doesn't have time to help us, anyway,” she said, smirking². Blair shrugged³. Across the cafeteria, Serena herself was just joining the lunch line. She noticed Blair right away and smiled, waving cheerfully as if to say, “I'll be there in a minute!” Blair blinked, pretending she'd forgotten to put in her contacts. Serena slid her tray along the metal counter, choosing a lemon yogurt and skipping all the hot lunch selections until she came to the hot-water dispenser, where she filled up a cup with hot water and placed a Lipton tea bag, a slice of lemon, and a packet of sugar on the saucer. Then she carried her tray over to the salad bar, where she filled up a plate with a pile of romaine lettuce⁴ and poured a small puddle⁵ of bleu cheese dressing⁶ beside it. She would have preferred a toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich in the Gare du Nord in Paris, eaten in a hurry before leaping onto her London train, but this was almost as good. It was the same lunch she'd eaten at Constance every day since sixth grade. Blair always got the same thing too. They called it the “diet plate.” Blair watched as Serena got her salad, dreading⁷ the moment when Serena would sit down next to her in all her glory and start trying to be friends again. Ugh. “Hey guys,” Serena said, sitting down next to Blair, smiling radiantly. “Just like old times, huh?” She laughed and peeled back the top of her yogurt. The cuffs⁸ of her brother's old shirt were frayed⁹, and stray threads dangled¹⁰ in the yogurt's watery¹¹ whey. “Hello, Serena,” Kati and Isabel said in unison¹². Blair looked up at Serena and turned the corners of her glossy¹³ lips upwards¹⁴. It was almost a smile.Serena stirred the yogurt up and nodded at Blair's tray, where the remains¹⁵ of her bagel with cream cheese and cucumber were strewn. “I guess you outgrew¹⁶ the diet plate,” she observed. “I guess,” Blair said. She smashed a lump of cream cheese into her paper napkin with her thumb, staring at Serena's sloppy¹⁷ cuffs in bewilderment. It was fine to wear your brother's old clothes in ninth and tenth grade. Then, it was cool. But now? It just seemed . . . dirty. “So my schedule totally sucks,” Serena said, licking her spoon. “I don't have a single class with you guys.” “Um, that's because you're not taking any APs,” Kati observed. “You're lucky,” Isabel sighed. “I have so much work to do I don't even have time to sleep.” “Well, at least I'll have more time to party,” Serena said. She nudged Blair's elbow. “What's going on this month, anyway? I feel so completely out of it.” Blair sat up straight and picked up her plastic cup, only to find there was no water left in it to drink. She knew she should tell Serena all about the Kiss on the Lips party and how Serena could help with the preparations and how fun it was all going to be. But somehow she couldn't bring herself to do it. Serena was out of it, all right. And Blair wanted her to stay that way. “It's been pretty lame¹⁹. There really isn't much going on until Christmas,” Blair lied, shooting a warning glance at Kati and Isabel. “Really?” Serena said, disappointed. “Well what about tonight? You guys want to go out?” Blair glanced at her friends. She was all for going out, but it was only Tuesday. The most she ever did on a Tuesday night was rent a movie with Nate. Suddenly Blair felt seriously old and boring. Leave it to Serena to make her feel boring. “I have an AP French test tomorrow. Sorry, Serena,” Blair said. She stood up. “Actually, I have a meeting with Madame Rogers right now.” Serena frowned and began to chew on her thumbnail, a new habit she'd picked up at boarding school. “Well, maybe I'll give Nate a call. He'll go out with me,” she said. Blair picked up her tray and resisted hurling²⁰ it in Serena's face. Keep your hands off him! she wanted to scream, jumping onto the table ninja-style. Hiyeeh-yah! “I'll see you later, guys,” she said, and walked stiffly away. Serena sighed and flicked²¹ a piece of lettuce off her plate. Blair was being boring. When were they going to start having fun? She looked up at Kati and Isabel hopefully, but they were getting ready to leave, too. “I've got a stupid college advisor²² meeting,” Kati said. “And I have to go up to the art room and put my painting away,” Isabel said. “Before anyone sees it?” Kati joked. “Oh, shut up,” Isabel said. They stood up with their trays. “It's so good to have you back, Serena,” Kati said in her fakest voice. “Yeah,” Isabel agreed. “It really is.” And then they walked away. Serena twirled her spoon around and around in her yogurt container, wondering what had happened to everyone. They were all acting²³ like freaks. What did I do? she asked herself, chewing on her thumbnail again. Good question. Disclaimer: All the real names of places, people, and events have been altered or abbreviated²⁴ to protect the innocent. Namely, me. hey people! WHERE THE BOYS ARE Thanks for checking in, although most of you had little to say about S or B. Most of you just want to know more about the boys. Your E-mail: Dear gg, D sounds sweet. Whats he so hot for S for? Shes just a ho. –Bebe Dear Bebe, I happen to know that D is not that innocent. He was up to some kinky shit back at summer camp in eighth grade. –GG dear GG, what does N do at lunchtime?? i go to school near him, and i wonder if i see him all the time without realizing it. Yikes! –ShyGirl Okay, if you want to know so badly, then I'll tell you. St. Jude's lets its senior boys out for lunch. So right now N is probably headed up to that little pizza joint²⁵ on the corner of Eightieth and Madison. Vino's? Vinnie's? Whatever. Anyway, they have good slices and one of the delivery guys sells pretty decent pot. N is one of his regulars. There's usually a group of kids from L'Ecole standing²⁶ around outside the pizza place, so N will stop and flirt²⁷ with this one girl who I'll call Claire, who acts all shy and pretends she doesn't speak English, but she's actually really bad at French and a huge slut. N has this cute little gag where he buys two slices and he always offers Claire one. She holds onto it the whole time they're talking and finally takes a little weeny bit off the tip of the slice. Then N goes, “I can't believe you did that, you're eating my pizza!” and swipes the thing out of her hands and eats the whole thing in like two bites. This makes Claire laugh so hard her boobs nearly pop out of her shirt. The L'Ecole girls all wear really tight clothes and short skirts and high heels. They're like, the ho's of the Upper East Side school system. N likes to flirt with them, and so far that's as far as it's gone. But if B leads him on any longer, he might start giving Claire more than just a bite of his pizza. This time, though, Claire surprises him by asking if he's heard about S . Claire claims to have heard that S not only got pregnant last year, but that she gave birth in France. Her baby's name is Jules and he is alive and well and living in Marseilles. As for D–well, he's sitting outside in the Riverside Prep courtyard again, reading poetry and eating PB and J. I know that sounds extremely sad, but don't worry about D. His time is coming. Stay tuned²⁸. SIGHTINGS K was seen returning a pink, army-print handbag at Barneys. Personally, I thought the bag was cute. But someone must have talked her out of it. You know you love me,? messages “Hey Nate. It's Serena. I'm just calling to see what you're up to. I thought maybe we could go out tonight, but you know what? I'm tired. It's only ten, but I think I'm going to bed. I'll see you this weekend though, okay? I can't wait. Love you. Nighty-night.” Serena hung up. Her room felt very quiet. Even Fifth Avenue was still, except for the occasional passing taxi. From where she sat on her big canopy²⁹ bed, she could see the silver-framed photograph of her family, taken in Greece when she was twelve. The captain of the sailboat they'd chartered had taken the picture. They were all in bathing suits, and her brother, Erik, who was fourteen at the time, was making a big fart kiss on Serena's cheek while their parents looked on, laughing. Serena had gotten her period for the first time on that trip. She'd been so embarrassed, she couldn't bear to tell her parents, but what was she supposed to do, trapped on a boat? They were anchored off the island of Rhodes, and while their parents were snorkeling and Serena and Erik were supposed to be having windsurfing lessons, Erik had swum ashore³⁰, stolen a Vespa, and bought her some maxi pads. He came back with them in a little plastic bag, tied on top of his head, her hero. Serena had thrown her ruined underwear overboard. They were probably still there, stuck on a reef somewhere. Now Erik was a freshman³¹ at Brown, and Serena never got to see him. He had been in France with her that summer, but they'd both spent the whole time chasing or being chased by boys and girls, so they'd never really had time to talk. Serena picked up the phone again and pressed the speed-dial button for her brother's off-campus apartment. The phone rang and rang until finally the voicemail system picked up. “If you would like to leave a message for Dillon, press one. If you would like to leave a message for Tim, press two. If you would like to leave a message for Drew, press three. If you would like to leave a message for Erik, press four.” Serena pressed four and then hesitated. “ . . . Hey . . . it's Serena. Sorry I haven't called in a while. But you could have called me too, you big jerk. I was stuck up in Ridgefield, bored out of my mind, until this weekend, and now I'm back in the city. I had my first day of school today. It was kind of strange. Actually it sucked. Everyone is . . . everything is . . . I don't know . . . it's weird³². . . . Anyway, call me. I miss your hairy ass¹⁸. I'll send you a care-package as soon as I get a chance. Love you. Bye.” life is fragile and absurd “You're so full of shit, Dan,” Jenny Humphrey told her brother. They were sitting at the kitchen table in their large and crumbling³³ tenth-floor, four-bedroom West End Avenue apartment. It was a beautiful old place with twelve-foot ceilings, lots of sunny windows, big walk-in closets, and huge bathtubs with feet, but it hadn't been renovated³⁴ since the 1940s. The walls were waterstained and cracked, and the wood floors were scratched and dull. Ancient, mammoth³⁵ dust bunnies had gathered in the corners and along the baseboards like moss³⁶. Once in a while Jenny and Dan's father, Rufus Humphrey, hired a cleaning service to scrub the place down, and their enormous cat, Marx, kept the cockroaches³⁷ in order, but most of the time their home felt like a cozy³⁸, neglected attic³⁹. It was the kind of place where you'd expect to find lost treasures like ancient photographs, vintage shoes, or a bone from last year's Christmas dinner. Jenny was eating half a grapefruit and drinking a cup of peppermint⁴⁰ tea. Ever since she'd gotten her period last spring, she'd been eating less and less. Everything she ate went straight to her boobs, anyway. Dan worried about his little sister's eating habits, but Jenny was as spunky and energetic as ever, so what did he know? For instance, he didn't know that Jenny bought a toasted, buttered, chocolate-chip scone⁴¹ almost every day on her way to school at a little gourmet⁴² deli on Broadway. Not exactly a great strategy for breast reduction. Dan was eating an Entenmann's chocolate donut–his second–and sipping⁴³ instant coffee with Coffee-mate and four teaspoons⁴⁴ of sugar.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 smirking   

v.傻笑( smirk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Major Pendennis, fresh and smirking, came out of his bedroom to his sitting-room. 潘登尼斯少校神采奕奕，笑容可掬地从卧室来到起居室。 来自辞典例句
• The big doll, sitting in her new pram smirking, could hear it quite plainly. 大娃娃坐在崭新的童车里，满脸痴笑，能听得一清二楚。 来自辞典例句

3 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》

4 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

5 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。

6 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

7 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

8 cuffs   

n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

9 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

11 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

12 unison   

n.步调一致，行动一致

参考例句：

• The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
• My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

13 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

14 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

16 outgrew   

长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的过去式 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过

参考例句：

• She outgrew the company she worked for and found a better job somewhere else. 她进步很快，不再满足于她所在工作的公司，于是又在别处找到一份更好的工作。
• It'soon outgrew Carthage and became the largest city of the western world. 它很快取代了迦太基成为西方的第一大城市。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史

17 sloppy   

adj.邋遢的，不整洁的

参考例句：

• If you do such sloppy work again,I promise I'll fail you.要是下次作业你再马马虎虎，我话说在头里，可要给你打不及格了。
• Mother constantly picked at him for being sloppy.母亲不断地批评他懒散。

18 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

19 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

20 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 flicked   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
• I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。

22 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

23 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。

24 abbreviated   

adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He abbreviated so much that it was hard to understand his article. 他的文章缩写词使用太多，令人费解。
• The United States of America is commonly abbreviated to U.S.A.. 美利坚合众国常被缩略为U.S.A.。

25 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

26 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。

27 flirt   

v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者

参考例句：

• He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。
• He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

28 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》

29 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

30 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

31 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

32 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。

33 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

34 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

35 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

36 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

37 cockroaches   

n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。 来自辞典例句
• It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。 来自百科语句

38 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

39 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

40 peppermint   

n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖

参考例句：

• Peppermint oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.薄荷油能很有效地调节消化系统失调。
• He sat down,popped in a peppermint and promptly choked to death.他坐下来，突然往嘴里放了一颗薄荷糖，当即被噎死。

41 scone   

n.圆饼，甜饼，司康饼

参考例句：

• She eats scone every morning.她每天早上都吃甜饼。
• Scone is said to be origined from Scotland.司康饼据说来源于苏格兰。

42 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

43 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

44 teaspoons   

n.茶匙( teaspoon的名词复数 )；一茶匙的量

参考例句：

• Add two teaspoons of salt. 加两小匙盐。
• Add 3 heaped teaspoons of sugar. 加满满的三匙糖。 来自《简明英汉词典》