never turned down a party。 Usually Serena had a blast hanging out with them； but tonight； she felt a little… off。 It was two days after Christmas and her parents had just left for their villa in St。 Barts； while her brother； Erik； was already back in Melbourne； Australia； where he was spending his sophomore year abroad。 It wasn’t like Serena wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with her family； but she also didn’t like waking up in their huge Fifth Avenue apartment alone。 She downed her champagne in one gulp； telling herself that she just needed to have fun。
After all； she is the expert。
“Hey； you’re that farm chick！” one spiky…haired brunet guy stuttered； not looking Amanda in the eye。 He wore a pink and white striped button…down and his teeth were Chiclet white。
“Yes。” Amanda sighed。 “I am。 But I have to stand over here now。” She took two steps away as Alysia and Alison snorted in laughter。 Serena offered the guy a sympathetic smile。 Even though she was beautiful； she was never mean。
An infuriating bination。
“God； you’d think Knowledge would know to not to let guys like that in。 Did you see his hair？ It was； like； sprayed on。” Amanda flipped her long blond extensions over her shoulder as she named the beefy bouncer whose job was to keep Saucebox as exclusive as possible； even though； to Serena； it felt exactly the same as every other bar she’d been to recently。
“Serena？”
Serena whirled around； ready to have another one of those so what are you working on now？ conversations with someone in the industry she’d probably met once。 Instead； she saw a familiar； smiling face that immediately took her back in time； and eighty blocks north。
“Oh my God； Iz！” Serena squealed excitedly。 She slid off the smooth oak bar stool and threw her arms around Isabel Coates； a fellow Constance Billard alum who’d gone to Rollins College down in Florida。 Her skin was deeply tanned and her thick dark shoulder…length hair had been straightened。 Her chest looked suspiciously larger than it did the last time Serena saw her。 She automatically looked over Isabel’s shoulder； sure she’d see Kati Farkas； Isabel’s BFF and constant wingwoman。 Isabel and Kati had done everything together since the fourth grade。 Kati had even turned down admission to Princeton so she and Isabel wouldn’t have to be separated。 But instead of Kati； a girl with a ski…jump nose and chin…length straight brown hair stood next to Isabel。 She wore a tight black sleeveless satin dress and looked like she could be Kati’s slightly older sister。 But Kati didn’t have sisters。
“This is my girlfriend； Casey；” Isabel announced proudly。 She readjusted her white Marc Jacobs tote strap on her shoulder。
Girlfriend girlfriend？ Serena noticed Isabel’s hand intertwined with the girl’s。
“We met in a women’s studies class。” Isabel smiled adoringly at Casey。
There’s her answer。
“This is Serena van der Woodsen。 We went to school together；” Isabel explained； her hand now resting lightly on Casey’s back。
“Nice to meet you； Casey。” Serena smiled； holding out her hand to the tall girl； who took it gingerly。
“Nice to meet you too。 I haven’t seen any of your movies；” Casey announced bluntly。
As if anyone asked。
“Oh； that’s okay。 How’s Kati？” Serena asked Isabel； easing back onto her stool。 She couldn’t help but wonder if Isabel was really gay； or just going through the fashionable bisexual phase of college she’d heard about。
Isabel sighed and shook her head。 “She has this； like； football player boyfriend and is pledging a sorority that wears pink sweat suits to class。 It’s awful。 Casey and I pretty much do our own thing。 But what about you？ I saw the movie。 You were pretty good；” Isabel allowed。
“Thanks。” Serena blushed。 She hoped Isabel really meant it and wasn’t just being polite。 “Things are okay。 Just working a lot。 We’re filming a sequel to Breakfast at Fred’s that’s ing out in the summer； so that’s fun…。” Serena trailed off。 Even though she’d been on the cover of the October issue of Vanity Fair； part of her felt stuck。 She’d e home from her big premiere； thinking it would be the greatest night of her life； to her same pink childhood bedroom in her parents’ sprawling Upper East Side penthouse。 If possible； she almost felt less grown…up than she had before graduating； especially since she now had an agent and a publicist who told her exactly what to wear； what to say； and who to be seen with。 The real world felt a lot different than she’d imagined。
“A sequel sounds great！” Isabel cooed。 “Anyway； I was just showing Casey all of our old haunts。 Remember hours trying things on at Barneys； and then so much time just eating spaghetti and meatballs upstairs at Fred’s？ That all feels like so long ago now；” she mused； nuzzling her head against Casey’s。 The guys standing around them were all drooling over the lesbian…chic couple。
“It does；” Serena agreed wholeheartedly。 Just a matter of months ago； she and Blair and Kati and Isabel would meet before school to smoke Merits on the Met steps and imagine their lives in college。 Now； Blair was pre…law at Yale； Isabel was a lesbian； Kati was running around with pink Greek letters on her ass； and Serena was trying to make a go of it in the movies。
“So； have you seen anyone yet？” Isabel asked。
“No。” Serena shook her head。 For her； only two people really mattered： Blair and Nate。 She and Blair had kept in touch since Blair headed up to New Haven； and once Serena had sent Blair a package full of Wolford stockings and black…and…white cookies； in a bow…tied Barneys bag—some of Blair’s favorite New York things。 Blair had reciprocated with a stuffed bulldog wearing a Yale T…shirt。 It was sitting on Serena’s dresser； next to a silver…framed picture of the two of them wearing enormous hats at a Kentucky Derby party sophomore year。 They’d send e…mails and texts； but never anything long or involved。 It was fine； though。 Blair and Serena were the type of friends who could go for weeks and even； one time； months without speaking； then pick up right where they left off。
As for Nate… Serena hadn’t talked to him since he left； to sail the world for a year。 He had left her crushed； and she wondered if she’d ever see him again。 But she didn’t want to think about that right now。
Or ever。
“Are you going to Chuck’s New Year’s party？” Isabel asked； draining the rest of her Grey Goose and cranberry。 “I mean； I know he’s； like； such a misogynist； but I figured； you can only protest so much； you know？ I prepared Casey。”
“Wait； Chuck is back from military school？” Serena asked； suddenly eager to hear everything。 She hadn’t thought about Chuck—with his sketchy history； his trademark monogrammed scarf； or his questionable sexuality—since graduation。 But the last she’d heard； after getting rejected from all twelve schools he’d applied to； he’d gone to some tiny underground； remote…country…boot…camp men’s college。 Of course her parents saw Chuck’s parents socially； but they never mentioned what he was doing。 It was an unspoken rule on the Upper East Side that parents didn’t discuss their unsuccessful children。
“He must be。” Isabel shrugged。 “The party’s on。 I saw Laura Salmon at City Bakery this morning and she told me she was hanging out with Rain Hoffstetter at some lame Constance alum tea party that Mrs。 M organized。 Thank God we missed that。 But； anyway； I guess she talked to Chuck。 I don’t know。 It’s at his place at the Tribeca Star。 But I guess since you’re a movie star and all now； you probably have to host some MTV countdown special or something； right？”
“Well…” Serena trailed off。 In truth； she already had an invite to a New Year’s party at Thaddeus Smith’s West Village loft。 Thaddeus had been her Breakfast at Fred’s costar and was a true friend。 But he wouldn’t mind if she stopped by to say hi and then went off to Chuck’s party。 Maybe seeing old friends was all she needed to pull herself out of her mood。
Alysia tapped Serena urgently on the shoulder。 “Let’s go someplace else。 There’s no one fun here；” she pronounced as Amanda and Alison nodded their bobbleheads in agreement。
“Please？” Alison whined。 She stuck out her Stila…glossed lower lip and whined like a shih tzu。
Serena nodded before turning to Isabel。 “I’ll see you at Chuck’s；” she promised。 She smiled faintly as she trailed the three A’s toward the door。 How could she not see her old high school crowd？ While she might not have been thinking of them all that much recently； it wasn’t like she’d forgotten them。
And they certainly haven’t forgotten her。
a trip can’t last forever； even for n
Nate Archibald’s elbow hit a beam； and he woke up with a start。 His tanned； athletic frame was wedged in the crow’s nest of the Belinda； the ship he called home。
Nate was traveling the world with his mentor and friend Chips。 Chips had been Nate’s father’s mentor way back when he was in the navy； and for the past four months they’d followed the wind and the stars and the moon； aided only by Chips’s antique silver pass。 It was amazing。 Nate had always been a sailor； and had even taken his father’s boat； the Charlotte； up and down the eastern seaboard with his girlfriend； Blair； last June。
Doesn’t he mean ex…girlfriend？
Nate rubbed the sleep out of his glittering green eyes and yawned。 They were somewhere in the Bahamas； but it felt light…years away from the Upper East Side。 Maybe it was the tropical air and the nautical living； but everything about his old life seemed far away。 Sometimes； he’d try to remember a specific event—the first time he’d bought pot from the pizza dude on Lex by asking for two slices with extra oregano； the time he’d stolen the Charlotte and spent a weekend with Anthony and Charlie； doing bong hits and eating Oreos； cruising toward Bermuda at half a mile an hour—but the scenes were always fuzzy。 It was like remembering an old movie； where you could recall random moments； but not the beginning or ending。
Nate leaned back against the rough…hewn beams。 There were some memories； though； that he replayed almost every night。 In the moments before the subtle rocking of the ocean lulled him to sleep；