i want it all - gg

𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙨

"I can't believe all those guys offered to escort you already," Delilah Bass gaped at the list of names Hadley had written into her moss-green leather Moleskin notebook. They were sat around at the tables in the Constance courtyard  waiting for the bell for first period.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter," she said, loving the attention the list was getting her from her friends and cousin. "I'm not going with any of them."

"What?" Agnes blinked. "Not even Conrad Gregory? He's so hot."

"And possibly the dumbest person ever," Hadley said flippantly. "He asked me by text and couldn't spell Cotillion."

Maybe a good match for Delilah, then.

"I wish I had all those suitors," Agnes moaned. "I'm going with some boy from that French school Uptown."

As if she's really annoyed about her date with a French boy.

"So who are you gonna go with, then Hadley?" Azaria asked, ignoring Agnes' grievances. "Cotillion's tomorrow night, you need an escort."

Hadley shot her a look. "Yes, thank you Azaria, I know that," she said passive-aggressively. "I already have a date, as a matter of fact. Felix Sinclair, he goes to Trinity."

"Oh my god, like the hot lacrosse guy?" Agnes' eyes widened like a dog with a bone. "I think my brother's friends with him."

"That's the one," Hadley smirked, basking in the floods of attention.

A pair of hands clapped down on her shoulders, and Hadley turned to see Gabriel smiling down at her.

"Felix Sinclair, huh?" He mocked.

Hadley shook him off and glared. "What about him?"

"No, nothing, really," Gabriel suppressed a laugh. He was acting like he was enjoying this, but really the idea of Hadley on he arm of some hot lacrosse player made his skin crawl.

"What?" Hadley demanded, crossing her arms. She looked very French in her L'Agence black and white tweed jacket and red beret, her chestnut hair falling in waves down her back.

"Last I heard about that guy," Gabriel said. "He had a little... problem."

"What?" Hadley said again.

"Chlamydia," Gabriel lied. In truth, he'd never even heard of Felix Sinclair.

Hadley glared and turned away. She had to believe that was bullshit, and besides, she wasn't planning on sleeping with the guy. In truth, she wasn't even planning on talking to him that much. He was just there to make Gabriel jealous.

This seems a little like history repeating itself, am I right?

"You can go now," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Bye kiddo," Gabriel said, giving Hadley a patronising pat on her rosy cheek before heading off.

"Gabriel's so hot," Azaria drooled once he was gone. "Is it true that you two... you know."

Hadley shook her head. "Of course not," she denied. "That was probably some freshman trying to start drama." She looked over at her cousin, who was gazing off into the distance in an uncharacteristic silence. "You're very quiet today, Delilah."

Delilah smiled deliriously, before turning back to what she was looking at. Hadley looked in that direction, and her eyes landed on Salinger Van der Woodsen-Humphrey messing around with his stoner friends. And it occurred to her - her cousin was in love.

xoxo

Allegra and Scarlett had taken the morning off school to help Lily and Serena Van der Woodsen our with organise and set up Cotillion. Instead of being any help, the pair of them sat in the corner giggling while Lily argued with the caterer on the phone.

Across the hall, the door opened, and in walked Blair Waldorf, followed by Henry Waldorf-Bass holding a garment bag.

Scarlett's eyes met his across the room, and she smiled giddily.

"Who's that?" Allegra asked.

"Hadley's brother Henry," Scarlett smiled wistfully.

"Oh," Allegra said, sounding a little downtrodden.

"B!" Scarlett's mother trilled, tottering over and pulling her best friend into a a hug.

"I finished the adjustments on Scarlett's dress," Blair said with a smile, beckoning for Henry to follow her. "Scarlett, would you try this on and see if the adjustments are any better?"

Blair had given the task of altering the gold Pamela Dennis gown that Serena had worn to Cotillion as a teenager to one of the most skilled girls in her atelier.

Scarlett hopped up from her seat and grinned, taking the dress and heading to the powder rooms.

"She's going to look incredible, S," Blair said.

Serena beamed with pride. "I know. Come, I'll show you the shoes I got to go with it." The two women walked off arm in arm giggling away like teenagers and leaving Henry and Allegra alone.

"So, do you go to Constance?" He asked her, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah, I'm new," Allegra said, picking at her red nail polish and staring off into space.

"You going to Cotillion?" He asked.

"Yeah."

This is almost as awkward as the charity gala's little dinner date, and that's saying something.

"Mom?" Scarlett's voice called as she peeped her head out from the powder room. "Help me with the zip?"

Serena strode over and disappeared into the powder room for a few moments.

Both Henry and Allegra's hearts skipped a beat when Scarlett stepped out. The dress fitted her tall, elegant frame like a glove, and her blonde hair spewed down her back. She looked like one of the angels painted onto the side of a Church or something.

Or the splitting image of her mother, not that that's far off from angelic.

"Wow," Henry and Allegra said in unison.

"Henry," Scarlett smiled shyly. "Could I talk ti you for a moment?"

Henry nodded and stood up quickly.

Never say no to the girl in the gold gown.

Scarlett shot Allegra a wink and grin as she took Henry over to talk.

"I know this whole Cotillion thing is totally lame," Scarlett began, feeling herself blush. "But if you're interested, I don't, erm, have an escort. It might be fun?"

Henry felt a little tickle in his stomach as his lips spread into a smile.

"Sure," he grinned. "Yeah, I'll come by yours at seven?"

Scarlett nodded, beaming.

I wonder what Hadley would say about this... Or Camille?

Allegra, who was in earshot for the whole conversation, pursed her lips and looked out the window, staring at the cars go by.