Chapter 20

Serena put down her tea and blew her nose into a paper napkin. She, too, had a terrible cold. ?What??  ?Sex. With Nate.? Serena crumpled¹ up the napkin and stuck it under her tray so they both wouldn't have to look at it. Was this a trick question? Was Blair just waiting for her to say the wrong thing so she could pounce² on her with her claws out and rip Serena's head off with her teeth? ?It was really ?? She paused, waiting for Blair's expression to turn ugly, but Blair just sat there looking genuinely interested.She really wants to know, Serena realized. ?It was amazing. We were both kind of scared, but because it was with Nate, it was fun.? She smiled, remembering. ?And we weren't embarrassed about it afterward³.? Blair nodded and looked down at the table. That was all well and good, but what about her? How were she and Nate ever going to do it if they weren't?? Over Serena's shoulder Blair could see the girls from their ninth-grade peer group heading toward the table. It was time to change the subject. ?Never mind,? she muttered, grabbing her bag off the floor to get out the materials for peer group. ?Hey, guys, how was your break?? Mary Goldberg, Vicky Reinerson, and Cassie Inwirth asked the two seniors in unison⁴. The three perky freshman⁵ girls were all wearing matching black V-neck sweaters. They set their lunch trays on the table and sat down practically on top of one another. ?Ours was totally crazy.? ?Good,? Blair said without much enthusiasm. She gave each of them a handout⁶. ?If you could just read this before we get started.? The girls glanced down at the handout and giggled⁷ as if to say,Like we're really going to talk about that? ?So, Serena, did you have to do any modeling over break? I heard you were in a shoot with the Dutch Olympic snowboarding team, like for some lip balm or something?? Mary Goldberg asked. Serena flashed them a wry⁸ smile. The shit people made up about her was so insane, she almost wished it were true. ?Yeah, it was awesome⁹!? The other two members of the group, Jenny Humphrey and Elise Wells, came over carrying their lunches in brown paper bags. Instead of the tired cafeteria salad bar or hot lunch of fish sticks with sweet potato fries, they were eating egg rolls from the Chinese restaurant over on Lex, which they'd had delivered right to the school doors. It was always surprising to discover how crafty¹⁰ the two girls could be when?except for Jenny's gigantic chest?they were the picture of innocence¹¹ and goodness. ?Jenny is depressed,? Elise announced as she sat down. She pulled a piece of shrimp¹² out of her egg roll and popped it into her mouth. ?She needs advice. Bad.? Jenny nudged her friend irritably¹³. ?I'm fine.? She stared at her egg roll, which was soaking, untouched, in a deep bath of sweet-and-sour sauce. After what she'd done to it, it was basically inedible¹⁴. ?See, Leo turned out to be totally normal instead of a French duke or something,? Elise explained, as if they all knew exactly who Leo was, or even cared. ?And the only reason he knows stuff about fur and dog boots is because he walks Madame T's dog for her, and we all know she wears a ton of fur.? Blair yawned rudely and dumped a packet of Equal into her tea just for something to do. Hopefully Serena would take care of this one. Suddenly, Serena grabbed the empty Equal packet out of Blair's hand and wrote something on it. Then she passed it back. He's still in love with you,Blair read. The ninth-graders looked back and forth¹⁵ between the two seniors. ?What are you guysdoing ?? Mary Goldberg and Vicky Reinerson whined¹⁶ with annoyance¹⁷ at being left out. Blair folded up the packet of Equal and dropped it into her bag. ?So, who here knows how to knit?? Jenny wasn't sure what the hell was going on. ?I do. I learned at arts camp last summer.? Blair blew her nose. ?Doesn't everyone learn to knit up at boarding school?? she sniffed¹⁸ in Serena's direction. Serena shrugged¹⁹. ?I never learned, but all the models are doing it. It's all they do backstage at the shows.? ?We've always wanted to learn!? Cassie, Mary, and Vicky piped up. ?Knit?? Elise asked, completely lost. Blair zipped up her Coach hobo bag and stood up. ?Come on,? she told them. ?We're going out to buy yarn²⁰. And after school, we're all knitting booties at my house.? Across the cafeteria, that shaved-headed senior weirdo, Vanessa Abrams, was filming their meeting, a crazy pink plastic spaceship whirling and blinking on the table in the foreground. Serena stood up and gathered her things. ?You mean socks,? she countered. ?No.Booties ,? Blair corrected with a smile. At least it was something they could do with their hands besides smoking. And after school would be a great time to start, especially with the boys otherwise occupied. The ninth-graders trailed Serena and Blair out the school's great blue doors, thrilled by the idea of being on a field trip led by the two coolest girls in the entire school. After so many cold months, the warmth of the sun was so intense, it was shocking. ?I'm sorry we were fighting,? Serena told Blair as the group of girls walked east toward Third Avenue. ?It's not even worth it if we always wind up friends again, anyway.? ?That's okay,? Blair said, blinking her eyes slowly like a cat in the sun. Maybe it was the weather, but all of a sudden, she felt strangely optimistic. Every day babies were born and given cool names like Yale; boys and girls who were broken up got back together; best friends fought and made up; and people got into college?particularly a college called Yale. ?It's such a nice day. I think we'd better go to the park after school instead of to my house.? ?I can run home and get a blanket,? Serena offered. ?We can meet in the meadow.?  Uh-oh. They couldn't stay away ?Fifty bucks²¹ says she won't show,? Anthony Avuldsen challenged his friends. Nate, Anthony, Charlie, and Jeremy had walked over to Sheep Meadow directly after school let out, just to see if a certain popular online personality was actually going to show her face. The weather was fine and a bunch of guys were already throwing a Frisbee²² around. Nate recognized Jason Pressman, a junior from the St. Jude's lax team, and went over to say hello. ?Didja hear about Holmes?? Jason asked. There was a big bag of pot in his lap, and he was busy rolling tight little joints²⁴ and lining²⁵ them up inside an old Altoids tin. ?I heard he was missing.? Nate licked his lips as he watched Jason sprinkle pot inside a neatly²⁶ folded rolling paper. ?Busted,? Jason said. ?Dude got caught in the Miami airport with like, a bale of hash.? He sealed the joint²³ and dropped it into the tin. ?He's been expelled. Coach says yougotta be lax captain now.? Anthony, Charlie, and Jeremy were rolling their own joints just a little ways away. Nate turned around and grinned at them. It was an even better story that he'd given up lax captain only to get it in the end. Besides, he'd earned it. Jason reached up and slapped Nate's hand, passing him a joint as he did so. ?Nice work, man. Congratulations.? ?Hey, thanks.? Nate held the joint in his fist. ?What a day,? he observed, throwing his head back to catch the sun. Good thing there were more guys around than girls, otherwise the grass would've been wet with drool. The meadow was filling up with private-school boys pretending they just happened to all be in the park at the same time for absolutely no reason. Chuck Bass²⁷ was sitting cross-legged on a red camping blanket, wearing a black baseball cap withSun Valley Ski Patrol printed on it. Perched on his shoulder was a small white monkey. Yes, that's right. A live one. Chuck was an asshole, but he never ceased to entertain. Nate was too intrigued²⁸ not to check it out. He lit the joint Jason had given him and walked over. ?What is that, anyway?? he asked, sucking on the joint. ?A snow monkey. From South America.? Chuck scratched the monkey under the chin while the monkey looked up at Nate with trusting golden eyes. ?Sweetie, meet Natie. Natie, meet Sweetie.? ?Where'd you get her?? Chuck sneezed and blew his nose into a pink silk handkerchief. ?Him. Georgie's mom sent him to my parents as a thank-you gift?you know, for getting her out of the whole indecent-exposure fiasco?? He stroked Sweetie's long white tail where it draped over his left shoulder, as though he were wearing an expensive fur stole, only it was still alive. ?Actually, they have snow monkeys in the zoo right here in Central Park, but they're really rare as pets. Mom thinks Sweetie smells, but I have my own apartment now over on Sutton Place. So I get to keep him.? Well, isn't he just the luckiest? ?Cool.? Nate was pretty much over the monkey now and ready to move on to something else. ?Hey, Nate!? Jeremy shouted at him. ?This kid's seeing your old girlfriend. The ninth-grader with the huge boobies!? Twenty feet away, Jeremy, Charlie, and Anthony were talking to some kid with platinum²⁹ blond hair whom Nate thought looked familiar, but he wasn't sure. He walked over and shook the kid's hand, holding the joint between his lips as he did so, like Humphrey Bogart or something. ?We're notseeing each other,? Leo insisted nervously³⁰. ?We sort of met online and then became friends and then?? He stopped and frowned at Nate. ?Hey, I never knew she'd gone out withyou .? He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and kicked at the grass. ?Anyway, now we're not even talking.? Just then, Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf walked into the meadow, trailed by five younger girls, including Jenny Humphrey, the notorious ?ninth-grader with the huge boobies.? The girls helped Serena spread out a huge red fleece stadium blanket. Then they all sat down cross-legged on top of the blanket in a tight circle. Blair handed each girl a ball of pale yellow yarn and a set of pink metal knitting needles. ?First we have to cast the yarn onto one needle,? Jenny instructed. She made a loop of yarn, stuck the tip of her needle through it, and began casting on. The other girls leaned in, watching closely. Not fifty feet away, Nate continued to puff³¹ on his joint. ?But youlike her. I mean, admit it. She's pretty hard not to like.?

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 pounce   

n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意

参考例句：

• Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦？
• We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 handout   

n.散发的文字材料；救济品

参考例句：

• I read the handout carefully.我仔细看了这份分发的资料。
• His job was distributing handout at the street-corner.他的工作是在街头发传单。

7 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》

8 wry   

adj.讽刺的；扭曲的

参考例句：

• He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸，打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
• Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马，噘了噘嘴。

9 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

10 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

11 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

12 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

13 irritably   

ad.易生气地

参考例句：

• He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
• On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

14 inedible   

adj.不能吃的，不宜食用的

参考例句：

• The food was totally inedible.食物完全无法下咽。
• These chemicals make the fruit inedible.这些化学品使这种水果不宜食用。

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

17 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。

18 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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》

20 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

21 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 frisbee   

n.飞盘(塑料玩具)

参考例句：

• We always go to the park on weekends and play Frisbee.我们每个周末都会到公园玩飞盘。
• The frisbee is a light plastic disc,shaped like a plate.飞盘是一种碟形塑料盘。

23 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。

24 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

25 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

26 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

27 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。

28 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

29 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

30 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。

31 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。