Chapter 31

There was nothing awkward about the fact that they weren’t talking. It was nice. When the cab pulled up in front of the old Barneys building on Seventeenth Street, Dan was expecting to see Jenny waiting for them outside, but the sidewalk was empty. “I guess I’m going to have to go in there and get her,” Dan said. He turned to Serena. “You can go ahead home. Or you can wait. . . .” “I’ll come with you,” Serena said. “I may as well see what I missed out on.” Dan paid for the cab, and they got out and headed for the door. “I hope they let us in,” Serena whispered. “I threw my invitation out.” Dan pulled the crumpled¹ invitation Jenny had made for him out of his pocket and flashed it at the bouncer at the door. “She’s with me,” he said, putting his arm around Serena. “Go ahead,” the bouncer said, waving them on. She’s with me? Dan couldn’t believe his balls. He’d had no idea they were that big. “I’d better look around for my sister,” he told Serena when they got inside. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.” The room was full of old familiar faces. So familiar that no one there was quite sure whether Serena van der Woodsen had just arrived or if she’d been there all night. She certainly looked like she’d been having a good time. Her hair was windblown, her dress was slipping off her shoulders, there was a run in her tights, and her cheeks were all pink, as if she’d been running. She looked wild, like the kind of girl who’d done everything everyone said she’d done, and probably a whole lot more. Blair noticed Serena right away, standing² on the edge of the dance floor in that funny old dress they’d bought together at Alice Underground. Blair pulled away from Nate. “Look who’s here,” she said. Nate turned around, gripping Blair’s hand when he saw Serena, as if to demonstrate his devotion. Blair squeezed his hand back. “Why don’t you go tell her?” she asked him. “Tell her you can’t be friends with her anymore.” Her stomach rumbled³ nervously⁴. After all the throwing up she’d done, she really needed another tuna roll. Nate stared at Serena with grim, slightly stoned determination. If Blair thought it was crucial that he tell Serena to get lost, then he’d do it. He couldn’t wait to get this all behind them so he could relax. In fact, after he talked to Serena he was going to head upstairs and find somewhere private to light up. Waspoid rule #1: When things get intense, smoke a joint⁵. “All right,” Nate said, letting go of Blair’s hand. “Here I go.” “Hey,” Serena said. She reached up and kissed Nate on the cheek. He blushed. He hadn’t expected her to touch him. “You look mahvelous, darling,” she said in a silly, hoity-toity accent. “Thanks,” Nate said. He tried to put his hands in his pockets, but his tuxedo⁶ didn’t have any. Stupid thing. “So, what have you been up to?” he asked. “Well, I kind of blew off the party,” Serena explained. “I’ve been out dancing at this crazy place in Brooklyn.” Nate raised his eyebrows⁷ in surprise. But then again, nothing Serena said should have surprised him anymore. “So, you want to dance?” Serena asked. She put her arms around Nate’s neck before he answered, and began to swing her hips⁸ from side to side. Nate glanced at Blair, who was watching them carefully, and collected himself. “Look, Serena,” he said, taking a step back and removing her arms. “I really can’t . . . you know . . . be friends . . . not like the way we were before,” he began. Serena gazed into his eyes searchingly, trying to read his true thoughts. “What did I do?” she said. “Did I do something?” “Blair is my girlfriend,” Nate continued. “I have to . . . I have to be loyal to her. I can’t . . . I can’t really be . . .” He swallowed. Serena crossed her arms over her chest. If only she could hate Nate for being so cruel and so lame⁹. If only he weren’t so good-looking. And if only she didn’t love him. “Well, I guess we should stop talking then,” she said. “Blair might get mad.” She let her arms fall to her sides and turned abruptly¹⁰ away. As she crossed the room, Serena’s eyes met Blair’s. She stopped in her tracks and reached into her bag, searching for the twenty-dollar bill Blair had left on the table at the Tribeca Star. She wanted to give it back. As if, somehow, it would prove she hadn’t done anything wrong. That night, or ever. Her fingers found her cigarettes instead. She pulled one out and stuck it between her lips. The music was getting louder and around her, people were dancing. Serena could feel Blair watching her, and her hands trembled as she fumbled¹¹ around in her bag for a light. As usual, she didn’t have one. She shook her head in annoyance¹², and glanced up at Blair. And then, instead of glaring at each other, the two girls smiled. It was strange smile, and neither girl knew what the other meant by it. Was Blair smiling because she had won the boy in the end and stamped all over Serena’s party shoes? Because—as usual—she had gotten her way? Was Serena smiling because she felt uncomfortable and nervous? Or was she smiling because she hadn’t stooped to Blair’s petty level of spreading nasty rumors¹³ and playing with Nate’s mind? Or was it a sad smile because their friendship was over? Maybe they were smiling because they both knew deep down that no matter what happened next—no matter what boy they fell in or out of love with, or what clothes they wore, or what their SAT scores were, or which college they got into—they both would be all right. After all, the world they lived in took care of its own. Serena pulled the cigarette out of her mouth, dropped it on the floor and began walking toward Blair. When they were face to face, she stopped and fished the twenty-dollar bill out of her bag. “Here,” she said, handing it to Blair. “This is yours.” And then, without another word, she kept on walking, heading for the ladies’ room to splash some cold water on her face. Blair looked down at the bill in her hand and stopped smiling. Over by the door, Rebecca Agnelli from the Central Park Save the Peregrine Falcon¹⁴ Foundation was just putting on her mink¹⁵ coat and kissing Kati and Isabel goodnight. Blair walked over and pressed the twenty-dollar bill into her hand. “That’s for the birds,” Blair said with her fakest smile. “Don’t forget your gift bag!” Serena turned on the tap and splashed her face over and over with cool clean water. It felt so good she wanted to peel off all her clothes and jump in. She leaned against the row of sinks, patting her face dry. Her gaze slipped to the floor, where she saw a pair of black wing-tipped shoes, the fringed end of a blue scarf, and a girl’s black handbag. Serena rolled her eyes and walked over. “Chuck, is that you?” she said into the crack in the door. “Who’ve you got in there with you?” A girl gasped¹⁶. “Shit,” Serena heard Chuck say. Chuck had stood Jenny up on the toilet-seat lid in the end stall and pulled her dress down so he could get at those massive jugs¹⁷. Serena had come at the worst possible time. Chuck pushed open the stall door a few inches. “Fuck off,” he growled¹⁸. Behind him Serena could see little Jenny Humphrey, her dress pulled down around her waist, her arms hugging herself, looking terrified. Someone pushed open the bathroom door. “Jenny? Are you in here?” Dan called. Serena suddenly registered: Jenny was Dan’s sister. No wonder she’d sounded weird¹⁹ on the phone. She was about to be mauled by Chuck. “I’m here,” Jenny whimpered. “Get out of here,” Serena snapped at Chuck, pulling the door open just wide enough for him to get past her. Chuck pushed by her, knocking her against the stall door. “Well, excuse me, bitch,” he hissed²⁰. “Next time I’ll be sure to ask your permission.” “Wait a minute, asshole,” Dan said, sizing Chuck up. “What were you doing to my sister?” Serena pushed the stall door closed and stood outside it, waiting for Jenny to step down from the toilet and fix herself before her brother saw her. Inside, she could hear Jenny sniffling. “Fuck off,” Chuck said, pushing Dan out of the way. “No, you fuck off, Scarf Boy,” Dan said. He’d never been in a fight before. His hands began to shake again. Serena hated it when boys fought. It was so pointless, and it made them look like assholes. “Hey Chuck,” Serena said, poking²¹ Chuck in the back. Chuck turned around. “Why don’t you go fuck yourself? You know no one else will,” she hissed. “You bitch,” Chuck hissed back. “You think you can come back here and act all high and mighty²² after everything you’ve done? You think you can act like such a princess and tell me to fuck off?” “What have I done, Chuck?” Serena demanded. “What is it that you think I’ve done?” Chuck licked his lips and laughed quietly. “What have you done?” he asked. “You got kicked out of boarding school because you are a perverted²³ slut who made marks on the wall above the bed in your dorm room for every boy you did. You have STDs. You were addicted²⁴ to all kinds of drugs and busted²⁵ out of rehab and now you’re dealing²⁷ your own stuff. You were a member of some cult²⁸ that killed chickens. You have a fucking baby in France.” Chuck took a deep breath and licked his lips. Serena was smiling again. “Wow. I’ve been busy,” she said. Chuck frowned. He glanced at Dan who was standing there, watching silently with his hands in his pockets. “Fuck off, Chuck,” Serena whispered. Chuck shrugged²⁹ and grabbed a bottle of Evian off the counter. “Whatever, bitch,” he said, pushing past Dan and out the door. “You know you love me!” Serena yelled after him. Dan knocked on the bathroom stall. “Jenny?” he said gently. “Are you all right?” More sniffling. Jenny couldn’t get control of herself. She just could not believe that of all the people in the universe, it had to be Serena van der Woodsen who found her like this. Serena must think she was so pathetic. “I’m okay,” Jenny finally managed to say. She picked her purse up off the floor and pushed open the door. “Just take me home.” Dan put his arm around his sister and Serena took his hand. Together, they wound their way through the crowded party. “Wait! Your gift bags!” Rain Hoffstetter squealed³⁰ from her post at the front door. She handed Serena and Jenny each a black Kate Spade tote bag. Dan pushed open the doors and ran out into the street to hail a cab. When he found one, Serena got in first, then Jenny, and then Dan. Jenny put her feet up on the hump in the floor and hugged her knees, resting her head against them. Serena reached down and stroked her curly brown hair. “You guys go home first,” Serena offered. Dan glanced at Jenny. She needed to go to bed. “All right,” he agreed, and gave the driver his address. Serena leaned back, still stroking Jenny’s hair. “Wow,” she said ironically. “I haven’t had this much excitement since I left boarding school.” Dan stared at her, his eyes wide and trusting. “So, those stories . . .” he said, and then he blushed. “I mean, did any of that happen, for real?” Serena frowned. She fished in her bag for a cigarette, and then thought better of it. “Well, what do you think?” she asked. Dan shrugged. “I think it’s a bunch of bullshit,” he said. Serena raised her eyebrows playfully. “But how do you know for sure?” she asked. Her mouth was open, the corners of it quavering up and then down. Her blue eyes glowed in the light of a passing car. No, Dan couldn’t imagine her doing any of the things Chuck had accused her of. The only thing he could imagine her doing was kissing him. But there was time for that later. “I just don’t see you that way,” he said. The corners of Serena’s mouth spread wide and she was smiling again. “Good,” she said. She took a deep breath and let her head fall back against the seat. Dan let his head fall back beside hers. “Good,” he agreed, closing his eyes. As they sped past the flashing billboards³¹ and bright lights of Times Square, Serena kept her eyes open. She had always thought Times Square was ugly and depressing compared to the quiet, manicured streets of her neighborhood. But now the brilliant lights and loud noises and the steam rising from the grates on the corners gave her hope. In the darkness of the taxi, she reached for Dan’s hand at the same moment he reached for hers. She couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Disclaimer: All the real names of places, people, and events havebeen altered or abbreviated³² to protect the innocent. Namely, me.
hey people! Well, I had a great time at Kiss on the Lips. I must have lost fifteen pounds dancing—not that I needed to. Needless to say, I’m feeling good.
SightingsB and N going into his townhouse together late Friday night. C wandering down Tenth Avenue looking to get lucky with some Jersey³³ girls. D and J and their scruffy³⁴ dad eating a family breakfast on Saturday morning at that diner where they used to film Seinfeld. V renting horror movies with her new boyfriend in Brooklyn. S handing a black Kate Spade tote bag to a homeless man on the steps of the Met.
Your E-mail Hey GG,Just wanted to tell you that I’m writing my college thesis on you. You rock!—Studyboy Dear Studyboy, I’m flattered. So . . . what do you look like? —GGQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Why worry about college? I’m having way too much fun right now. And there are so many questions to be answered: Will S and D fall in love? Will S grow tired of his corduroys? Will J swear off high society and fancy dresses and stick to friends her own age (even if they’ll never be her bra size)? Will V bust²⁶ out and start wearing all sorts of bright colors? Will she grow her hair? Will she and that bartender get it on? Will B stay with N? Will C stop harassing³⁵ young girls and admit that he’s a loser? Will S really make a movie? She’s never even used a disposable Polaroid. Will people stop talking about all of the above? It’s unlikely. I know I won’t. It’s all so good. Until next time. You know you love me

The End

1 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

2 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。

3 rumbled   

发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）

参考例句：

• The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
• Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

4 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

5 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。

6 tuxedo   

n.礼服，无尾礼服

参考例句：

• Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。
• Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？

7 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

8 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

11 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

12 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

13 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

15 mink   

n.貂，貂皮

参考例句：

• She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat.她穿着一身蓝色的套装和一件貂皮大衣。
• He started a mink ranch and made a fortune in five years. 他开了个水貂养殖场，五年之内就赚了不少钱。

16 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 jugs   

（有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two china jugs held steaming gravy. 两个瓷罐子装着热气腾腾的肉卤。
• Jugs-Big wall lingo for Jumars or any other type of ascenders. 大岩壁术语，祝玛式上升器或其它种类的上升器。

18 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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。

20 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

21 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

22 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

23 perverted   

adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落

参考例句：

• Some scientific discoveries have been perverted to create weapons of destruction. 某些科学发明被滥用来生产毁灭性武器。
• sexual acts, normal and perverted 正常的和变态的性行为

24 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

25 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。

26 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

27 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。

28 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

29 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》

30 squealed   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squealed the words out. 他吼叫着说出那些话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The brakes of the car squealed. 汽车的刹车发出吱吱声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

32 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.。

33 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

34 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

35 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句