Chapter 9

Instead, he began flipping¹ through the pile of poems, reading quickly. Some of them were pretty awful, but some of them were original and brilliant. He thought of asking Mr. Castle what he thought was wrong with the poems. Or maybe he could leave the poems he liked in Mr. Castle's in box with a note asking him to reconsider them. But then again, the less he had to do with Siegfried Castle, the better. When he'd gotten control of himself again, he pulled a blank piece of paper out of the stack near the printer and clicked open his pen, jotting² down the first few lines of the poem that had been in his head all afternoon. Petite mignonette, sweet coquette I taste your cookies, your bread You fill my plate The last line sounded familiar, like maybe he'd already used it in another poem. He crossed his legs, pondering, and heard the sound of a toilet flushing. He could pee, he decided³. Pee and then finish the poem. He got up to go to the bathroom. Inside, there was something written in Latin on the wall in red ink, but he couldn't decipher it. When he got back to his desk the piece of paper with his poem on it was gone, but the entire staff was still in the conference room. Dan didn't dare investigate. He could only hope his fragment of a poem would be published under ?Anonymous⁴? in the next issue ofRed Letter . Eventually, he could leak the information that the poem was his, and the literary world would clamor for more. He'd publish a book?or maybe ten books?and become world-famous, just like Mystery Craze. Although maybe not quite as notorious.  I, mystery man Jenny and Leo held hands throughout the entire movie and kept holding hands as they walked out of the theater. Jenny hadn't even paid attention to the movie. All she could think the entire time was,He's going to take me home afterward⁶. We're only five blocks away from that big doorman building on Park. And then I'll meet his dog and his mom and her personal trainer and their ten maids ? ?So, I was thinking maybe we could walk over to the Guggenheim now.? Leo smiled down at her with his cute cracked-tooth smile. If he was so loaded then how come his parents didn't get his tooth fixed⁷?Jenny wondered. Then again, she was glad they hadn't. ?It's after eight. Aren't all the museums closed by now?? ?They have these once-a-month things at night,? Leo explained. ?And it's kind of cooler, you know, seeing the paintings when it's dark out.? If Jenny had been thinking properly, she would have thought this was just about the best thing anyone had ever said. First of all, how cool was it that she and Leo were both into art and museums? Second of all, how cool was it that he knew about these funky⁸ nighttime art happenings and that he wanted to takeher to one? But all Jenny could think was,He's not taking me home! What's wrong with me? What's wrong with him?What's his story? ?Do you have any pets?? she demanded suspiciously as they crossed Second Avenue and headed east toward Fifth. ?Pets? No. Why?? Leo wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ?Brrr. You warm enough? Do you want my scarf?? Another heart-meltingly romantic gesture, but did she notice? No pets?Jenny brooded, too distracted to be bothered by the cold.But why would he lie? And how come he's trying to change the subject so quickly? ?Well, here we are.? The ghostlike coil-pot structure that was the Guggenheim Museum hovered⁹ above them in the dark. ?Kiss, Kiss,? a banner proclaimed, flapping over the museum's entrance. Leo blushed when he noticed Jenny looking at it. ?Come on, let's go in.? Jenny opened her purse to pay for her half of the admission, but Leo motioned for her to put her wallet away. ?That's okay. I'm a member. We can get in free.? A member? Well, well, well. And hadn't Elise said that Leo had been seen at that big Frick Museum benefit on Thursday night? His family probablyowned the Guggenheim. They wound their way up the graded halls of the museum, stopping at the first painting on exhibit. It was Marc Chagall'sBirthday, a painting of a woman holding a bouquet¹⁰ of flowers, kissing a man who is flying in the air above her head. The woman looked as if she had just been doing something boring, like setting the table, when the man swooped¹¹ down and caught her lips with his. ?I love the blue,? Leo said, studying it. ?You would think blue would make it cold, but it doesn't. It warms it up.? ?Mmm.? Jenny wasn't listening to a word he said. She was studying his profile, his hair, his clothes, his shoes, his finger-nails, looking for a clue, some sort of explanation. Leo glanced at her, blushing again. He took her hand. ?May I kiss you? I mean, before we look at the next one?? If she hadn't been paying attention before, she was now. ?Oh! Um. Sure.? Jenny took a step backward and almost lost her balance. Leo held her hand even tighter. ?I've got you.? Jenny let him pull her toward him, and she lifted up her face to meet his. What they did next was no mystery at all, although she kind of wondered where he'd learned to kiss so well. If only she could stop thinking so much. S has a stroke of genius Serena van der Woodsen sipped¹² her latte and squinted¹⁴ gloomily down at Fifth Avenue from her perch¹⁵ on the steps of the Metropolitan¹⁶ Museum of Art. Her abundant pale blond hair overflowed¹⁷ the hood¹⁸ of her belted white cashmere sweater coat and spilled onto her shoulders. There it was again on the side of the M102 bus?the ad for Serena's Tears. She had no problem with the way she looked in the picture. She liked how the cold wind had whipped her yellow sundress up between her St. Barts-tanned knees, and how even though she'd been wearing only sandals and a sundress in the middle of Central Park in February, the goose bumps that had studded her arms and legs had been carefully airbrushed out. She even liked how she wasn't wearing lipstick¹⁹, so her perfectly²⁰ full lips looked sort of chapped and bruised²¹. It was the tears in her enormous dark blue eyes that bothered her. Of course that was what had caused Les Best to name his new scent²² Serena's Tears in the first place, but the real reason Serena had been crying in the photo was because that was the day?no, the veryminute ?Aaron Rose (whom she was pretty sure she'd been in love with, at least for a week) had broken up with her. And what bothered her, what made her feel like crying all over again, was that now that they were broken up, she had no one to love, and no one to loveher . Not that she didn't love almost every boy she'd ever met, and not that every boy in the world didn't totally loveher . It was impossiblenot to. But she wanted someone to love her and shower her with attention the way only a boy who wascompletely in love with her could. That rare sort of love.True love. The kind of love she'd never had. Feeling uncharacteristically dark and melancholy²³, she pulled a Gauloise cigarette from out of her rumpled²⁴ black corduroy Cacharel bag and lit it just to watch it burn. ?I feel as ugly as the weather,? she murmured, but then broke into a smile when she saw her best friend, Blair, walking up the steps toward her. She picked up the extra latte she'd bought, stood up, and held it out. ?Kick-ass shoes,? she remarked, admiring Blair's latest purchase. ?You can borrow them,? Blair offered generously. ?But I'll kill you if you spill anything on them.? She tugged²⁵ on Serena's sleeve. ?Come on, we're gonna be late.? The two girls ambled²⁶ slowly down the steps and up Fifth Avenue toward school, sipping²⁷ their coffee as they went. Cold wind blasted through the bare-limbed branches of the trees in Central Park, making them shiver. ?Jesus, it's cold,? Blair hissed²⁸. She tucked her free hand into Serena's white cashmere sweater-coat pocket the way only a best friend can. ?So,? she began to vent⁵. She'd gotten control of her tears, but her voice was a little unsteady. ?Not only does my mother walk around, like, stroking her ovaries, but today the decorator is coming to turnmy room into Baby Central, in shades of radicchio andass! ? All of a sudden, Serena's longing²⁹ for true love seemed kind of trivial. Her parents hadn't gotten divorced because her dad was gay, her middle-aged³⁰ mom wasn't pregnant, her stepbrother hadn't come on to first her and then her best friend and then ditched them both, and she wasn't being forced to move out of her room. Not only that, she wasn't still a virgin³¹ at the grand old age of seventeen, and she hadn't kissed her Yale interviewer and then almost lost her virginity to her Yalealumni interviewer, completely messing up her chances of getting in. As a matter of fact, when she really thought about it, her life was just peachy compared to Blair's. ?But you get Aaron's room, right? And it's just been redecorated for him?it's nice.? ?If you like hemp³² curtains and ecofriendly ginkgo-leaf furniture,? Blair scoffed³³. ?Besides,? she added, ?Aaron is an idiot. Going to Oahu for spring break was totally his idea.? Serena didn't think Oahu sounded so bad, but she wasn't about to contradict Blair when she was in a bad mood and risk getting her eyes poked³⁴ out. The two girls crossed Eighty-sixth Street against the light, banging against each other as they ran to keep from getting mowed³⁵ down by a taxi. When they reached the sidewalk, Serena suddenly stopped in her tracks, her huge blue eyes gleaming excitedly. ?Hey! Why don't you move in withme? !? Blair crouched³⁶ down to hug her frozen bare calves³⁷. ?Can we keep moving?? she asked grumpily. ?You can live in Erik's room,? Serena continued excitedly. ?And you can totally screw Oahu and come skiing in Sun Valley with us!!? Blair stood up and blew into her coffee, squinting³⁸ at her friend through the steam. Ever since Serena had come back from boarding school Blair had completely hated her, but sometimes she totally loved her. She took one last sip¹³ and tossed her half-empty cup into a trash can. ?Help me move in after school?? Serena slipped her arm through Blair's and whispered in her ear, ?Youknow you love me.? Blair smiled and rested her trouble-weary head against Serena's shoulder as the two girls turned right on Ninety-third Street. Only a few hundred yards beyond stood the great royal blue doors of the Constance Billard School for Girls. Ponytailed girls in gray pleated uniform skirts milled around outside, chattering³⁹ away as the notorious pair of seniors approached. ?I heard Serena got a huge modeling contract after she did that perfume ad. She's going to bring her baby back from France. You know, the one she had last year before she came back to the city? All the supermodels have babies,? chirped⁴⁰ Rain Hoffstetter. ?I heard she and Blair are going to get an apartment downtown and raise the baby themselves instead of going to college. Blair decided not toever have sex with guys, and obviously, Serena has had enough sex to last her whole lifetime. Just look at them,? intoned Laura Salmon⁴¹. ?Total lesbos.? ?I bet they think they're making some big feminist⁴² statement or something,? Isabel Coates observed. ?Yeah, but they won't feel so good about it when their parents are, like, forced todisown them,? Kati Farkas put in.

1 flipping   

讨厌之极的

参考例句：

• I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！
• Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

2 jotting   

n.简短的笔记，略记v.匆忙记下( jot的现在分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下

参考例句：

• All the time I was talking he was jotting down. 每次我在讲话时，他就会记录下来。 来自互联网
• The student considers jotting down the number of the businessman's American Express card. 这论理学生打算快迅速地记录下来下这位商贾的美国运通卡的金额。 来自互联网

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

5 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

6 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

9 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

10 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

11 swooped   

俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The aircraft swooped down over the buildings. 飞机俯冲到那些建筑物上方。
• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it. 鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来，并把它杀死。

12 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

13 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

14 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

15 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

16 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

17 overflowed   

溢出的

参考例句：

• Plates overflowed with party food. 聚会上的食物碟满盘盈。
• A great throng packed out the theater and overflowed into the corridors. 一大群人坐满剧院并且还有人涌到了走廊上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

19 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

20 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

21 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

22 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

23 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

24 rumpled   

v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She rumpled his hair playfully. 她顽皮地弄乱他的头发。
• The bed was rumpled and strewn with phonograph records. 那张床上凌乱不堪，散放着一些唱片。 来自辞典例句

25 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 ambled   

v.（马）缓行( amble的过去式和过去分词 )；从容地走，漫步

参考例句：

• We ambled down to the beach. 我们漫步向海滩走去。
• The old man ambled home through the garden every evening. 那位老人每天晚上经过花园漫步回家。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 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。

28 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。

29 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

30 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

31 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

32 hemp   

n.大麻；纤维

参考例句：

• The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
• The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

33 scoffed   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。
• A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。

34 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 mowed   

v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The enemy were mowed down with machine-gun fire. 敌人被机枪的火力扫倒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. 人们割了大片草地的草，然后在上面播种。 来自辞典例句

36 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

37 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

38 squinting   

斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了，"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
• Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛，富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。

39 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

40 chirped   

鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的过去式 )

参考例句：

• So chirped fiber gratings have broad reflection bandwidth. 所以chirped光纤光栅具有宽的反射带宽，在反射带宽内具有渐变的群时延等其它类型的光纤光栅所不具备的特点。
• The crickets chirped faster and louder. 蟋蟀叫得更欢了。

41 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

42 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。