Chapter 7

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, utterly¹ irresistible², 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 dread³ and anticipation⁴. 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 shrugged⁵. “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 Plaza⁶ Hotel and see some weirdo film until cocktail⁷ 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 bogey⁸ 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 thighs⁹. 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 bent¹⁰ 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. Busted¹¹. Nate noticed the tension, but he thought it was for an entirely¹² different reason. Had Chuck told Blair already? Was he busted? Nate couldn’t tell. Blair wasn’t even looking at him. It was a chilly¹³ moment. Not the kind of moment you’d expect to have with your oldest, closest friends. Serena’s eyes darted¹⁴ 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 literally¹⁵ 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 acting¹⁶ 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 stink¹⁷ 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 giggled¹⁸. 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 rattled¹⁹ 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, touching²⁰ 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 elevenyear-old brother, Tyler, who had been at his place for over an hour, reading Rolling Stone magazine.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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》

6 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。

7 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。

8 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。

9 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》

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。

14 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》

15 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。

16 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。

17 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。

18 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》

19 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。

20 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。