hall。
“Okay； I better go；” Serena said。 “Love you。”
“Bye。”
Serena clicked off。 On the end of her bed was the invitation to the
Kiss on the Lips party that Jenny had made for her。 She snatched it
up and tossed it in her wastepaper basket。
Erik was right。 She didn’t have to go to some stupid benefit just
because everyone else was going。 They didn’t even want her there。
Fuck ’em。 She was free to do what she pleased。
She carried the phone over to her desk and shuffled through a pile
of papers until she found the Constance Billard School student
directory； which had arrived in the mail on Monday。 Serena read
through the names。 She wasn’t the only one skipping the party。 She
could find someone else to hang out with。
“Yo；” Vanessa said； picking up the phone。 She was getting ready to
go out with her sister and her friends； and she was wearing a black
bra； black jeans； and her Doc Martens。 She didn’t have any clean
black shirts left； and her sister was trying to convince her to wear a
red one。
“Hi。 Is that Vanessa Abrams？” a girl’s voice said on the other end of
the phone。
“Yes。 Who’s this？” Vanessa said； standing in front of her bedroom
mirror and holding the red shirt up to her chest。 She hadn’t worn
any color but black in two years。 Why should she start now？
Please。 It’s not like wearing a red shirt was going turn her into a
bouncy cheerleader with blond pigtails。 She’d have to be
brainwashed for that to happen。
“It’s Serena van der Woodsen。”
Vanessa stopped looking at herself and threw the shirt on her bed。
“Oh；” she said。 “What’s up？”
“Well；” Serena said。 “I total