she was at a basketball game and her team had just scored。 She waited for the members of the
group to punch the air with their fists and whoop along with her； but they just stared at her
blankly。 ？All right。 Good。 Now I want you all to pair up。 We？re going to do a little exercise I like
to call ？Go to hell； demon！？ One of you is going to be the thing you just named； the thing you？re
trying to break away from。 I want the other person to stand in your face and tell that demon where
to go。 Tell it anything you want； but do it withfeeling 。 Make itreal 。 Okay； go ahead； pair up。
There？s only seven of us； so someone will have to pair with me。？
Hannah raised her hand。 ？Wait。 Are we talking totheir demon or our own demon？？
？Yourdemon；？ Jackie clarified。 ？This is going to help you exorcise it！？
Blair waited for Nate to walk over to her； but before he even had a chance the pale bitch in the
totally inappropriate orange satin short shorts minced up to him and took his hand。 ？Be my
partner？？ Blair heard her whine。 Everyone else had already paired up； so Blair was stuck with
Jackie。
？All right； Blair！？ Jackie screeched at her。 She was wearing clumpy brown mascara and her eyes
were toad brown。 ？Let？s tell that demon where to go！？
Suddenly Blair wondered if rehab was really the right place for her。 ？I have to go to the
bathroom；？ she announced。 Hopefully the exercise would be over when she got back； and she
might be able to snag a seat next to Nate before they all sat down again。
Jackie eyed her suspiciously。 ？Okay； but make it quick。 And let me remind you that all the
restrooms are monitored。？
Blair rolled her eyes as she pushed open the door and walked across the hall to the ladies？ room。
She washed her hands and reapplied her lip gloss； pulling open her dress and flashing the mirrors
with her bare chest； just to give whoever was watching a cheap thrill。 Then she walked back across
the hall and peeked in the door again； checking to see if they？d finished the exercise。
Nate and that Miu Miu short shorts？clad slut Georgie were standing near the door。 She had her
hands on Nate？s shoulders and their faces were only inches apart。
？I？ve been thinking of a way to thank you for the roses；？ Blair thought she heard Short Shorts
whisper。 ？I want to give you a pony ride。？
She wasn？t talking to her demon； Blair realized。 She was talking toNate 。
Blair waited for Nate to express his horror and disgust at what Short Shorts was saying； but all he
did was grin at her with his tongue lolling； like he couldn？t wait to hear more。
？I？m going to cover you with？？ Blair didn？t wait to hear the rest of Georgie？s sentence。 It was
pretty obvious why Nate liked rehab so much and why he was so into reforming all of a sudden。
She backed out the door and into the hall； pulling her cell phone out of her purse to call her mom。
A car was supposed to e and get her in two hours to drive her back to the city； but no way was
she waiting that long。 Rehab was nothing like a spa； it was just another classroom full of pathetic
losers who needed to get a life。
？You can？t use that in here； miss！？ an aide shouted at her in the hallway。 Blair glared at her and
marched down the hall and into the lobby。 One of the receptionists was reading a newspaper with
a full…page color ad for Serena？s Tears on the back。
Suddenly something occurred to Blair。 She？d never really thought about it before but Serena van
der Woodsen？her supposed best friend？was the absolute queen of ebacks。 This past fall Serena
had been kicked out of boarding school and had e home to the city； her reputation so smeared
only the most desperate wanna…bes would talk to her。 But in a series of show…stealing cameos
Serena had won everyone back； Blair included； and now she was the star of a fucking international
perfume ad campaign。 If anyone could help Blair shimmy her way back to the top and make
everyone fall in love with her again； Serena could。
Blair pushed open the glass doors of the rehab clinic and stood at the top of the marble steps；
gasping in the cold。 Quickly； she punched Serena？s number into her cell phone。
？Blair？？ Serena shouted； her phone cutting in and out。 ？I thought you were mad at me。？ She
coughed loudly。 ？God； am I sick。？
？Where are you？？ Blair demanded in response。 ？Are you in a cab？？
？Right；？ Serena answered。 ？I？m going to a movie premiere with some people I met at the
perfume shoot。 Want to e？？
？I can？t；？ Blair answered。 ？Serena； I need you to e get me。 Tell the cab to take I…95 up to
Greenwich。 Exit 3。 There？s this place called Breakaway on Lake Avenue。 Get him to stop and ask
someone if he can？t find it。 Okay？？
？Greenwich？ But that？s going to cost like a hundred bucks！？ Serena argued。 ？What？s going on；
Blair？ Why are you in Greenwich？ This doesn？t have anything to do with that old guy I saw you
with the other night； does it？？
？I？ll pay you back；？ Blair interrupted impatiently。 ？I？ll tell you all about it when you get here。
Will you do it； S？？ she asked； using the endearment she hadn？t used since they were little。
Serena hesitated； but Blair could tell she was intrigued by the idea of an adventure with her old
friend。 The phone crackled as she heard Serena give the driver directions。
？I have to hang up because my phone is running out of juice；？ Serena yelled。 ？I？ll be there soon；
Blair； okay？ Oh； and by the way； Aaron and I broke up。？
Blair sucked cold air in through her nostrils； her freshly glossed lips turning up in a smug smile
as she absorbed the information。 ？We？ll talk about it when you get here。？ Clicking off； she sat
down on the cold； hard steps and buttoned up her sky blue cashmere toggle coat； pulling the hood
up over her head before firing up a Merit Ultra Light。 If anyone had passed by on the road； they？d
have seen a mysterious girl in a blue hooded coat； looking defiantly sure of herself； even though
the plot had changed and the script had to be entirely rewritten。
what we talk about when we？re not talking about love
？Everyone get their coats；？ Serena told the ninth graders in peer group on Monday。 ？We？re
taking you out for hot chocolate at Jackson Hole。？
？Don？t worry； we have permission；？ Blair added； checking herself out in the cafeteria mirror。
She？d gone back to the salon to have her hair touched up and now she looked like Edie Sedgwick
from the Andy Warhol Factory days。 It was totally far out。
？Wow；？ Jenny breathed； staring at her。 ？You look great。？ Jenny was so happy since meeting Leo；
she was practically bursting with love for everyone she encountered。
Blair turned around； remembering something。 ？Have you been checking your e…mail？？ she
demanded。
Jenny？s eyes lit up。 ？Oh； yes。 Yes； I have！？
Blair thought about taking credit for Jenny？s obvious state of plete ecstasy； but it was
actually more fun to watch Jenny glow in plete oblivion。 Maybe it wouldn？t be so horrible
being a big sister after all。 She noticed Elise Wells was wearing a tight black cropped sweater
instead of one of her trademark prissy pink cardigans。 Good。 Maybe her mom had finally
murdered her father for being such an asshole。
？How are things with your dad； Elise？？ Serena asked； practically reading Blair？s mind。
To Blair？s surprise； Elise smiled happily。 ？Fine。 He and Mom went away together this weekend。？
She laughed and nudged Jenny in the arm。 ？But never mind me。 I think Jenny has something to
say。？
Jenny knew her face was beet red； but she didn？t care。 ？I？m in love；？ she declared。
Serena and Blair exchanged disparaging looks。 The last thing they wanted to talk about
waslove 。 ？e on； get your coats；？ Serena urged。 ？We？ll meet you outside。？
The atmosphere in Jackson Hole on Madison Avenue was thick with the smell of hamburger
grease and the tittering sound of gossip。 As peer group A walked in and sat down at a table near
the large glass windows； Kati Farkas and Isabel Coates huddled together in the back corner；
discussing the latest developments with anyone who would listen。
？Did you hear about Nate Archibald and that girl from Connecticut？？ Kati asked。 She？d had her
hair cut short over the weekend and it made her Germanic nose look twice its size。 ？They got
busted for having sex in the broom closet at rehab and now he has to go to private therapy in the
city instead。？
？Wait； I thought it wasBlair and Nate in the broom closet；？ Isabel sniffed。 She was wearing a
sample of Serena？s Tears that she？d gotten from her mom？s publicist friend who worked atVogue 。
It made her nose run。
？No； stupid。 Blair is seeing that old guy； remember？ She？s not having his baby anymore； though。
She had a miscarriage。 That？s why she missed so much school。？
？I heard that Blair and Serena both sent in applications to the University of California school
system today；？ said Laura Salmon。 ？They have rolling admission； so you find out which
UC school can take you； like； a few weeks after you apply。？ She raised her thin strawberry blond
eyebrows。 ？Hey； maybe we should all do that！？
Not that any of them wouldreally have considered going to a UC school。
？So what was it like； being in that perfume ad？？ Mary Goldberg asked Serena while the girls in
peer group A were waiting for their hot chocolates。 Cassie Inwirth and Vicky Reinerson pricked
their ears up on either side of her。 The three girls had gotten matching short haircuts over the
weekend； but since none of them had gone to see Gianni at Garren； their cuts were only pale
imitations of Blair？s old one； andnothing pared to her new one。
？Cold；？ Serena answered。 She blew her nose on a paper napkin and then pulled her long； golden
blond hair up on top of her head； twisted it into a bun； and stuck a pencil through it to hold it up。
Of course now they all wished they hadn？t cut their hair。
？I？d really rather not talk about it；？ she added mysteriously。
Blair leaned across the table。 ？She and Aaron broke up during the shoot；？ she told the ninth
graders in a confidential whisper。 She sat up straight again。 ？End of subject。？
The waiter brought their hot chocolates； g