𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗; 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭
( 𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗂, 𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗑 - '𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖻𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽' )
𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 had been going as normal as it could be for a bunch of 'super-rich kids with nothing but losing ends'. Chuck and Blair's competition had been going strong — breaking Brooklyn girls' hearts type of strong... Oh and not to mention the brief week when Blair was trying to get Chuck to sleep with her and the Bass heir, for once in his life, played hard to get. As for Serena, the it-girl now had her eye on an artist — Gwen was just waiting for the moment it all went wrong and Blair and she would have to go and comfort a very sad Serena. Also, there was no news of Nicholas — not even Blair mentioned her brother, which was something she sometimes did. It was fine by Gwen though, their story had ended in the summer pretty much when it started. At least now Gwendolyn was free from dramas in her own personal life. Truly the most turbulent moment of the last few weeks in Gwendolyn Vanderbilt's life was when she discovered her cousin was living with the Humphreys — in Brooklyn!
Nate explained how the Archibald Residence had been seized by the police, and to say Gwen felt betrayed was an understatement. They were family and yet she had to overhear a conversation between Dan Humphrey and her cousin to find out what was really happening with the Archibalds. Honestly, Gwendolyn was sure her father knew about it as well — hence why he told her to ask Nate to live at their penthouse — it just infuriated Gwen more, how was she supposed to help if she didn't know what was going on? And why did Nate seek Dan's help and not hers? Well, after a few days of being angry, Gwendolyn realized she was being straight-up selfish, and petty. The entire situation wasn't about her at all, it was about Nate going through hell and needing any support he could get — even if it meant living with the Humphreys. So in the name of peace, Gwen agreed to go to the movies with both Nate and Dan.
"I just... I really think they're up to something, man." Dan Humphrey complained to Nate while Gwen just walked next to her cousin acting as if she cared about Jenny Humphrey's doings. "With their closed doors and this private thing for Eleonor. Jenny, she didn't say anything to you?"
"Uh, no, no." the Archibald boy stammered which raised suspicion from Gwendolyn, why did the topic of 'Jenny Humphrey' was making Nathaniel stammer? "But we haven't talked much this week so..."
"She seemed weirdly happy when we were leaving the house." the Brooklyn boy continued. "Like, how much privacy does she really need to watch 'Project Runaway' and eat pizza?" the boys chuckled while Gwen just wished she was somewhere else. "Oh, it's Jordan." Dan said when his phone started ringing.
"Who?"
"The, uh, you know, the TA from Yale." Humphrey explained but Nate continued as clueless as ever. "She was trying to get me a recommendation?" still nothing. "You hooked up with her."
Suddenly Nate's memories were refreshed. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Jordan."
"You're such a boy." Gwen rolled her greenish-blue irises at her cousin.
"Oh, it's good to be Nate." Dan sighed and shook his head before starting to read the text. "'I had three professors read your stories, call you later.'"
"Hey, that sounds like good news!"
"Good? No. It means like she had the first one read it. He didn't like it. Neither did the second and after the third, she probably just gave up."
"You're such a pessimist, who knows if that's what really happened?" Gwendolyn said to the boy Gossip Girl nicknamed as 'Lonely Boy'.
"Why text before calling if you don't need to soften the blow?" he questioned as if it was the most obvious thing ever.
"Maybe she was somewhere she couldn't talk so she sent a text." Nate tried to be positive.
"With an imagination like that, you should be a writer." Dan gave said before turning around.
"Hey, where you going?" Nate followed him and, after a long sigh, Gwen did the same.
"I- I can't concentrate on a movie right now. I-I-I gotta..." he was stuttering so much Gwen considered advising him to try for the role of Porky from Looney Tunes, but she guessed it wasn't the right time to joke like that. "I gotta go home and stare at my phone. Maybe you could go talk to Jenny and figure out what's going on." he then suggested to Nate as if it was the most brilliant idea he had ever come up with.
"Yeah, yeah. Sounds like a great idea." Nate agreed.
"Wait, I came all the way here and we're not gonna watch the damn movie?" Gwendolyn had her hands on her hips and a frown between her brows as she questioned the boys.
"We have really good waffles at home if you want." Dan shrugged while offering.
As much as she loved waffles, going to the Humphrey's meant having to deal with whatever drama Little J was going through at the moment and that was something Gwen really wanted to avoid. So she looked at the diamond watch from Tifanny & Co — the generous gift her grandfather gave her for her last birthday — on her wrist and sighed. "Thanks, but I'll just get to training early."
"We can watch a movie some other day, okay?"
"Sure, Nate." the Vanderbilt girl smiled towards her cousin, even though she doubted the three of them would ever get to watch a movie together. "Oh, and Dan, you can send me a copy of your stories and I'll give it to my dad. Maybe he could help."
"That would be great, Gwen." Dan brighten up for a bit but then reality crashed on him again and he decided to not put his expectations so high. "Thanks."
"No problem." it was Gwen's time to shrug. "I'll see you guys later, I guess."
-ˋˏ ༻ 🎾 ༺ ˎˊ-
𝐆𝐖𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 getting two extra hours of training — meaning she stayed at the Tennis Club for about 4 hours. After having finished her own training, Gwen's instructor asked her if she could help some kids that were just starting to learn. Then later, she even had time to play with some friends she had from the club. It was fun to play without the pressure of winning a competition, Gwendolyn missed that. All she wanted now was a long bath before spending the rest of the night eating all the calories she burnt while playing tennis.
Obviously, the universe didn't cooperate with Gwen's plans. Right when she entered her building's elevator Blair sent her a text about needing her help to babysit a teenager, then Serena also sent a text but saying she needed help helping babysit said teen. It sounded like a mess Gwen wanted to avoid. The elevator opened at the last floor where the Vanderbilts' penthouse was located and Gwendolyn stepped out, too focused on her phone to notice the mess of suitcases and people walking everywhere, that was until she bumped into someone.
"Sorry, Miss Gwen." apologized Kevin the loyal assistant that was always around the house working on some task Vivienne gave him, Gwen didn't find it strange to meet him.
"It was my bad, Kev, I wasn't looking ahead." Gwendolyn reassured him. Now looking around her living room. "Why all these people are here?"
"You don't know?" from the man's tone it was clear he was surprised by her cluelessness. "These are all your mother's assistants, plus stylists, hairdressers, and makeup artists. She's back in town and you guys are going to a gala tonight. I thought she was going to tell you."
Gala? The bath and calories plan was definitely a distant dream now. It was so like her mother to appear without warning and have a big event planned for them, Gwen hated it. As if the mention of the matriarch was enough to summon her from whenever she was, Vivienne Vanderbilt appeared at the top of the stairs looking as elegant as ever — even though, she was wearing a simple silk robe and had several rollers in her hair.
"Hello, dear!" the woman smile as she went down the stairs — yes, Vivienne had a thing for dramatic entrances. "How was your training?" the blonde questioned after noticing her daughter was using her training outfit. "Better than the mandarin lessons I hope." one of Vivienne's many talents was the ability to criticize her daughter — or anyone really — while sounding like she was giving a compliment. That's bitchcraft in its highest form, Gwen thought even Blair wasn't on such level. "We wouldn't want to lose that nice trophy from the East Coast Championship now would we?"
"I'm good at tennis, mom." Gwen assured almost bitterly. Almost being the keyword. "Everything is under control."
"I know, but good isn't enough." finally stepping on the same floor as her daughter, Vivienne pat the girl's cheeks. "Do you think I'm the CEO of the biggest renewable energy company in the continent by simply being good? You need to be extraordinary to win in this world, my dear."
The first time Gwen played tennis was still a vivid memory to her, she was five years old and her family was vacationing in Barcelona. At their hotel, there was a tennis court for children. Little Gwendolyn thought that the bright yellow balls were pretty and decided to play with them, it was then that she saw the older children holding the racquet and hitting the pretty ball back and forth. Somehow in her five-year-old mind that seemed like magic, the way the ball went so quickly from one side to the other. It wasn't easy for her to convince the older kids to let her play with them, and when they did agree she barely touched the ball with her racquet — she did touch it with her forehead though, there was even a bump later to remind Gwen of the collision. Still, it didn't matter how disastrous Gwendolyn's first tennis match was, it was fun! When she got back in New York, Ed and Vivienne agreed to hire a tennis instructor to teach their daughter about the sport she spent the entire trip talking about. It was just fun to play, with no high expectations, and Gwen loved that. Then she became a really good player and that was when Vivienne started to enroll her daughter in competitions. The fun time spent at the tennis court turned into serious training to win prizes and make her mother proud. Truth be told, Gwendolyn didn't want to be extraordinary she just wanted to have fun doing something she loved.
"Now go and take a shower, you need to get ready for the gala." leaving no more space for talking the businesswoman turned her back to her daughter and walked towards the makeup artist who was waiting for her.
'Welcome home, mother.' Gwendolyn thought sourly as she went to do exactly what she was told, like the perfect little girl always tried so hard to be.
-ˋˏ ༻ 🎾 ༺ ˎˊ-
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘'𝐒 annual gala, in Gwen's opinion, was nothing but an excuse for rich people to wear their designer tuxedos or gowns and brag about the donations they made to some charity they knew little (or nothing) about. Honestly, the money spent on the event could've helped more than half of the charities they endorse — but who genuinely cares about starving children or that one bird species that's endangered when there's an opportunity to simply smile for the cameras and pretend to care? All that mattered in places like the Upper East Sider were the appearances. Oh, and make contacts that might provide more profits for your business — that was Vivienne's goal for the night. Gwen wasn't naive to think her mother only got back to New York in order to see her, that was never the case.
"I was thinking." the businesswoman ended the silence that was settled inside the limo ever since they left home, neither mother nor daughter having something in common to talk about. "We haven't spent much mother-and-daughter quality time together." no shit Sherlock, Gwen's thoughts were bitter than ever that night. "I figured out an amazing way we can solve that." oh no, the teen internally sighed as she waited for her mom to continue. "You may stay with me while I'm negotiating with my partners, that way not only can I spend time with you but also teach you about the company you will take over one day."
Gwendolyn simply blinked for a few seconds, was her mom being serious? How do shallow negotiations at an even more shallow event equals quality mother-daughter bonding?
Thankfully, there was no need for Gwen to come up with a polite answer as the car stooped in front of the Palace. The photographers were already clicking on their cameras before the two females even left the limo, the magazines would want every single photo of the female billionaire that never seemed to stop rising. As the two Vanderbilts entered the room where the event would happen, people already started approaching Vivienne to talk about business — of course. Gwen really admired her mother's fierceness and how she didn't get intimidated by the men who were the majority in her line of work, the woman was an inspiration for sure. Sometimes, though, Gwendolyn just wished she could be a caring mother too. Maybe she could even talk about Nick with her, and go shopping at Barneys before getting their nails done. It was silly, but that was the type of bonding Gwen wanted.
"Oh, look! It's your cousin." Vivienne ended her conversation with the old guy she was talking to and nodded towards Nate who was at the entrance accompanied by Jenny Humphrey (?). How was that girl everywhere, Gwen wondered. "Who's that girl with him? Is he no longer dating Blair?"
"They broke up last year." Gwen explained to her mom who was too busy to know about teen drama. "I'm gonna go say 'hi' to him, excuse me."
While crossing the room to greet her cousin and beg him to take her out of her boredom, Gwendolyn noticed Nate and Little J talking exasperatedly, but never in a hundred times would the Vanderbilt girl had expected to see Nate giving Jenny a Hollywood-like kiss.
"Ew." Gwen stopped in her tracks and looked at anywhere but the unlikely couple. The two talked for a bit and then Jenny finally left. "Jenny Humphrey really?" G didn't spare the judgment tone as she approached Nate. "Your taste in women is questionable, Nathaniel."
"Hey, Jenny is nice." the Golden Boy defended.
"She's also like a cloud that instead of rain pours drama, all the damn time."
"That doesn't even make sense."
Gwen only shrugged knowing she was right and that there was no point in arguing further with Nate. After that nothing happened besides the ordinary fake smiles at random people and small talk... Well, that was until it was time to give the award to the hosts, Lily and Bart Bass. Out of nowhere as the man spoke about the charities Mr. and Mrs. Bass had been funding, the light went out and some punk rock music started playing at the highest volume. 'Jenny Humphrey Designs' appeared on the screens that were previously showing pictures of Lily and Bart's good doings. Some guys with flashlights entered the room and made way for the models who walked in as if they owned the place. The girls soon climbed on the tables and started dancing and throwing out polaroids of Jenny's designs. Surprisingly, people were actually enjoying Little J's 'fashion show', even clapping to the rhythm of the song. The girl wasn't Gwen's favorite person, but even G had to admit she had talent. Still, as the young fashion designer ran towards Nate — who was standing next to Gwen — and jumped into his arms right before kissing him like they were long-time lovers Gwen wanted to barf.
"It looks great." the Archibald boy complimented as they broke apart.
"Thank you!"
Then, bursting the bubble of the joy of the new couple, Vanessa — Dan and Jenny's friend from Brooklyn who briefly went out with Nate — storm out from the crowd and left the place.
"Oh my God. Vanessa!" Jenny called after her friend. "Vanessa, wait!"
"Jenny. Stop." Nate held one of her arms stopping her from leaving. "No, just... It's not your place."
"No. I have to say something." the young blonde insisted. "Stop. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."
"Jenny." Nathaniel called after her but she was already on her way out.
"See, drama is pouring already." Gwen gestured with her fingers in a way that represented the rain falling from the sky. Nate simply scoffed.
↳ A/N
why is it that only when i have a lot to study that suddenly i have the inspiration to write and create new stories and then end up not studying anything at all?