CHAPTER THREE
POISON IVY LEAGUE
"it's obvious i wanna be into you"
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There's plenty of upside to being the spawn of the fabulously wealthy, but the downside, super successful parents expect nothing less from their offspring and when it comes to college that means the Ivy's. It's more than just getting into college, it's setting a course for the rest of your life and for those few who aren't legacies, the pressures are no less. When parents have sacrificed for their children's future, what kid would want to let them down?
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"Good morning students. I ask all of you to show a little sympathy for our junior class. They are almost through with Ivy Week."
Although Amelia Hopper's mind should have been on Ivy week and school, that was the last thing gracing her thoughts. The Kiss in the Lips party, the brunch and not to mention last night was all too much for her to focus. After Dan had arrived at her apartment last night, she had been informed of all the happenings at the brunch. Not only had he bumped into Chuck again, but he had aggressively shoved him directly into a passing waitress, sending the dishes crashing to the ground. It had been his officially cue to leave. But before that, he had discovered the ugly truth about why Serena ran away from New York to begin with; she got drunk and slept with her best friends boyfriend, Nate, at a wedding. Which was why Nate had been waiting for Serena at the Palace before brunch. He wanted to, in his own words, to 'talk about why they weren't talking'. Trust me, the sentence got dumber for everytime someone spoke it.
Amelia had heavily sympathized with Dan, but at the same time she didn't support his decision to break it off with Serena over the discovery. Sure, what she had done was horrible, but it had nothing to do with him. Amelia couldn't make sense of punishing someone for something that happened in their far away past, for something that didn't even affect him? And from what Amelia had seen, which for the record wasn't a whole lot, Serena appeared to be trying her best to change. Which was really all anyone could ask for. What happened was for Blair to be angry at, not Dan. But the buzzcut teen was a judgy one, so much Amelia knew, and an indiscretion of that likes was sure to be heavily judged.
At the very moment Amelia was listening to her headmistress ramble about Ivy week. It was her moment to get the know different ushers from all of the elite schools, which she desperately needed to figure out her future. Everyone at Constance appeared to have their entire future planned out, and here she was, not even with a shred of clue as to what school she wanted to attend, or what courses she wanted to take. Dan was dead set on Dartmouth, Blair had her heart on Yale. Even Serena had a school in mind, Brown, which literally left Amelia with a whole lot to figure out and little time to do so. In her mind? She was royally screwed.
Words couldn't explain how many times Amelia found herself wishing she was one of those girls you'd see in the movies. One of those girls who plastered their dream college merch on their wall, sleeping in the school t shirt every night. But she just wasn't, she was the girl with no dream, no passion and absolutely no idea what to do.
Just peachy.
"As is our long standing tradition, the Constance Billard girls will be in charge of Friday night's mixer and the St.Jude's boys will provide the ushers for the visiting representatives." The headmaster continued, looking over at the headmistress to take the lead.
""For those of you dreaming of attending an Ivy League school this mixer is the most important event of your life." She informed sternly. Amelia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the pressure getting to her.
"But no pressure." The headmaster crack, causing himself at the headmistress to chuckle at the joke meant to break the tension. It only amplified it, at least for Amelia. She could feel the air around her thicken, the walls closing in. Words couldn't explain how much she looked forward to ending of this week.
Dan had been in a mood since yesterday, and it didn't look like he was about to snap out of it anytime soon. Whatever had happened between him and Serena had really upset him, even though they only had gone to one failed date and one disastrous brunch together. Ivy week wasn't exactly helping to ease his nerves. He had to ace his interview to make sure he got the Dartmouth usher position. Logic spoke on his behalf, he had one of the best gpa's in all of St. Jude's, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that someone would surpass him for the position, which is why he was currently a nerves wreck sitting at the assembly.
Amelia shifted in her seat once again, fiddling with the tie that belonged to her uniform. The pressure was definitely more on the boys today, as they had to attend interviews and compete for the usher position. But ushering at least gave you an opening into talking with the representatives. The thought of approaching and striking up a conversation with the representatives made her headache. Especially she had no good idea where to even begin.
Soon enough the assembly ended, and the packed room emptied. Amelia scurried to her feet, rushing out of the room, desperate for a breath of fresh air. But not before slamming into someone.
Amelia began falling backwards, but a secure arm snakes around her waist, pulling her safely back on her feet. A light coat of blush grew on her cheeks in embarrassment. "Woah there, you're in a hurry." Nate observed, smiling widely at the girl.
"You can let go of me now." The Hopper girl stared, eyes locked on the arm that was still secured around her. Nate quickly pulled his arms to his side. "Thanks for the, uh, rescue. My butt is thanking you for not dropping me flat on it."
Nate chuckled, her humour making him feel all giddy. "No problem. You know I still don't know your name."
"Oh, eh my name is—"
"Nate? Are you coming?" Chuck interjected Amelia before she could inform the Archibald of her name. The Bass waited impatiently by the exit of the school. Nate groaned, internally cussing his friend off for interrupting.
"I, eh, I should go. I'll see you at the usher. . . Yeah, I'll see you." Nate spoke, jogging away from the girl and over to Chuck, their conversation ending just in time for her to eavesdrop on another.
"Aww too bad you missed the assembly. Not that it matters, Brown doesn't offer degrees in slսt." Blair spat venomously at her former friend, Kati and Is backing her up with their presence.
Amelia found herself rolling her eyes, and before she could stop herself, she was finding herself defending the Van Der Woodsen. "Oh yeah? Since when does Yale offer a degree in raging heinous bitch?"
The brunette's eyes widened at her words, regret filling her. Usually she'd sit back and observe, never uttering a word to anyone. Before Blair or her friends could think of a clever reply, the Hopper girl scurried away, disappearing into the sea of people filling the hallways.
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Spotted! S not so fashionably late and dressed down by B. And mystery girl recruited as S' personal soldier? Game on ladies.
Hey Upper East Siders. We hear that World War Three just broke out and it's wearing knee socks. Choose your side or run and hide. We have a feeling that this one is to the death.
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Amelia Hopper was well on her way home, Dan Humphrey almsot stomping next to her. To say he was pissed would be a huge understatement. His sneaking suspicion had been completely and totally right. Nate Archibald, who was around the last in the class, had surpassed him from the position. It really didn't suprise him that the wealthy kid had gotten he position, he had legacies at the school, but it struck a nerve nontheless. Dan could tolerate a lot, but his future being jeopardized by Nate Archibald? It was just really getting in his nerves.
Amelia was walking at a quick pace in an attempt to keep up with the Humphrey. He was practically marching down the street in the direction of the loft. Right now he just wanted to slam the door on his way into his bedroom, flop down on the bed race first and scream into his pillow.
The Hopper girl knew the Humphrey boy well enough to know that silence and time was what he needed to get over this mood. There was no use giving him a pep talk or distracting him. When Dan had something on his mind it was there for quite sometime. That explained why the duo was walking down the street in silence, neither one of them daring to utter a single word, especially Amelia.
Her apartment complex was beginning to get into her line of sight, relief washing over her. She loved Dan, but being around him he was like this was like juggling a ticking time bomb bound to blow up in your face. Much to her suprise, a familiar face lingered before the entrance of the building. Her eyes furrowed in confusion and quite frankly, annoyance. What was he during here?
"I'll see you at the mixer later on, Dan." Amelia said, already letting her legs carry her toward the figure. Dan nodded, muttering something under his breath before rushing down the street and out of sight. The Hopper girl trudged towards the entrance, eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here." She grumbled.
"Hey! I've, uh, been waiting for you." He spoke, eyes softening at the sight of her.
"Really? Cause I thought you were waiting for my neighbor Mr. Herbert." She spat sarcastically, brushing past him and into the building.
Devon followed closely behind her as she headed for the stairs. "Would you wait up?" He exclaimed, having to fall into a slow jog to keep up with her fast pace.
"Why are you here, Dev?" Amelia queried, spinning around to stare at him, arms sternly crossed over her chest. Her boyfriend looked as good as ever. Tall, lean and perfectly styled hair. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a sweater she had bought him forever ago. Devon was a good looking guy, there was no denying, but his good looks weren't enough to get in her good graces.
"Because I'm your boyfriend and I've missed you?" He replied, head tilted as he stared at her.
"Really? You've missed me? I'm sorry if I didn't pick up on that after last night." Amelia retorted, her annoyance growing. The Hopper girl didn't want to settle for someone who spoke to her that way, and she was making damn sure he knew that.
Devon huffed loudly. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday, I am. I should never have spoken to you like that, I was just so tired and frustrated, and I know that's not an excuse but at the very least an explanation."
Amelia remained silent, gesturing for him to continue. "I brought your favorite flowers." He tempted, flashing the beautiful bouquet of tulips. The Hopper girl chewed on her buttom lip, contemplating her options. "I figured we could watch a movie or something? I can cook."
"Fine. But you can't stay long cause I have the Ivy League mixer in a few hours, and I have to go." Amelia accepted.
Her boyfriend cheered, jogging up to her. He threw his arm around her shoulder, letting her body relax against his as they continued the journey for her apartment. Amelia took a deep breath, letting her nostrils fill with his soothing perfume, her eyes almost slipping closed at the scent.
As she forgave, she quickly forgot too, like she always did. The odd phone call slipped away from her mind, the only focus being cuddles and food.
She shoved the key into the lock, flicking her wrist to unlock the door to her apartment. The two stepped in, kicking off their shoes and diving for the bed. Amelia cuddled up to her boyfriend, happy and content nestled into her bed.
Maybe this week wouldn't be too bad after all.
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Standing at the Ivy mixer dressed to impress was Amelia Hopper. Her eyes scanned the area around her, a mixture of known and unknown faces staring back. The mixer was in full swing, as was her anxiety. It was biting and nibbling at the pit of her stomach, the overwhelming urge to escape the scene settling in. The girl had retreated into a quiet corner, sipping a drink she had gotten from the 'drink pourer', Dan. His father, as sweet as he was, had manage to create a whole new position at the mixer just to make sure his son got a fair shot at getting into his dream school.
All of the representatives were there and ready to be charmed. Amelia weighed her options, trying to figure out a tactic for how to attack the situation at hand. Starting with the Yale rep could be lethal. Everyone knew Blair Waldorf had called dips on Yale, and the chances of them letting in two students from Constance were slim to none. Brown was a little too hipster for her taste, and the Dartmouth rep was being charmed by both Nate and Dan tonight. Her options remained Princeton and Harvard. Harvard was a little too law and order for her taste, so Amelia found herself approaching the Princeton representative.
But just as she was about to reach the rep, someone else cut infront of her, striking a conversation. Amelia sighed in defeat, quickly scurrying over to Dan at the drinks.
"I suck." The girl groaned, announcing her arrival next to the buzzcut teen.
He handed a man his drink before turning to face the girl. "What happened?"
Amelia was happy to see that Dan had snapped out of his mood. He wasn't exactly ecstatic over having to pour and serve drinks at the mixer, but he was pleased he at least got to attend. After arriving at the loft, Rufus had given him a pep talk that defiantly helped. And after making sure to land him a spot at the mixer, Dan couldn't exactly brood. Somehow Amelia had convinced him that he was in the most powerful position out of everyone at the mixer. He held down the refreshments, and everyone needed to drink. Dan was like the crocodile, lurking at the edge of the water, waiting for the zebra to be tempted enough by the water to risk it. And the second J.L Hall needed a drink, Dan was going to pounce.
"I'm never going to college, my parents were right about dropping school to backpack through Europe." The girl sighed in defeat, grabbing a refreshment for herself.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out there! This is the perfect opportunity to figure out what school suits you." Dan encouraged, gesturing towards the crowd.
Amelia shrugged hesitantly. "I don't know. . . I just, there's people here with dreams and who deserve this all more than me." The Hopper girl didn't want to jeopardize somebody else's dream by highjacking a rep when she had no idea if she even wanted to attend that school.
"Would you stop thinking about everyone else for a moment and begin looking out for yourself? Look, here you have a drink. That Princeton rep over there looks parched. Go give her a drink and ask some questions about the different degrees." Dan ushered the girl away, shooing her towards the rep.
Dan was right. Amelia was going to walk up, and she was going to nail that conversation. With a deep breath, she marched towards the rep, determination glittering in her eye.
"Here's goes nothing. . ." Amelia paused, turning to face Dan. "Dan, ditch your drink pouring career and approach the guy. You deserve that spot more than anyone here, I know it and you now it. Now go over there and make sure he knows it too."
Dan nodded, stopping what he was doing to take his own advice. Apparently the friendly duo were both getting what they wanted today.
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Honesty may the best policy in some zip codes but not in this one and not this week cos "I Was a Teenage drսg Addict" is not exactly a winning college essay. Another bomb lands in Blair's lap. Will she use it as ammunition or will she finally surrender and put down her arms?
Spotted in Central Park: Two white flags waving. Could an Upper East Side peace accord be far off? So what will it be? Truce or consequences?
We all know one nation can't have two queens. What happens next? Only time will tell. XOXO Gossip Girl.
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Confidently and yet idiotically enough Amelia had truly believed that a single pep talk from Dan would help her strike an award winning conversation with the Princeton rep. Her courage not only died but got burried six feet under in the matter of minutes when Chuck Bass interrupted her conversation, completely hijacking her entire shot at figuring out what school to attend. And why was the Bass suddenly so interested in Princeton? Because the representative was 'hot', and he wanted to get into her specifically. And apparently the rep wanted the same, which is why Amelia took her cue to leave.
The mixer had pretty much ended for Amelia when Blair Waldorf climbed the stage, introducing this year's charity; the Ostroff Center. The shit hit the fan when the Waldorf girl told the entire party, including each and every college representative, that Serena Van Der Woodsen was a recovering drug addict who had spent her time in rehab at the center. Little did Blair know that it was actually her little brother, Eric, who had spent time at the center, and for reasons completely different than addiction. Jenny had informed both Dan and Amelia of the truth. Amelia's heart ached as Serena got on stage, taking the full blow to protect her little brother. It reminded her for Dan and Jenny's relationship and it made Amelia want to cry.
Amelia had snuck away during the Blair and Serena combat on stage, figuring it was the best time to escape. It wasn't like she was going to try to speak to any other reps after that shit show.
When trying to escape out of the venue, she bumped into none other than Archibald on the street.
"Hey, shouldn't you be up there ushering the Dartmouth rep?" Amelia questioned, catching the golden boy's attention.
Nate chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. "Yeah, no." He replied, running a hand through his hair. It was clear to see that the boy was frustrated, upset over something. Amelia found herself wondering what exactly the golden boy had to be upset over. The girl wasn't sure if it was pure curiosity tugging at her, or if was her strong sense of empathy for others that made her want to make sure the boy was okay. She decided that it was a mixture of the two. "You didn't get to tell me your name earlier."
Amelia extended her hand, shaking his as she finally introduced herself. "I'm Amelia. Amelia Hopper. My friends call me Bunny, you know because of the last name. Eh, but you can call me whatever." Amelia rambled nervously, pulling her hand back after the handshake.
Nate grinned at her. "It's nice to meet you Ame— Bunny, I'm Nate Archibald."
"Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Nate Archibald." The girl smiled, her college problems escaping to the back of her mind.
The sound of a phone ringing interrupted the interaction. Nate dug through his pockets to find the phone, flipping it open to see who was calling. His annoyance grew when he realized that his father was spamming him. No doubt the Captain wanted to lecture Nate about leaving the mixer and not showing any effort to get into Dartmouth. Nate switched his phone off, shoving it back into his pocket.
"Hey, you're not hungry by chance?" Nate suddenly asked.
As if on cue, Amelia's stomach rumbled loudly. Her cheeks grew hot in embarrassment as the two laughed. "In my defense, there's always ridiculously small foods at these types of functions."
Nate nodded in agreement. "You wouldn't want to grab some food with me? I just really want to get my mind off of everything college related right now."
It was like the wealthy boy read her mind, because there was nothing Amelia wanted more in the moment than to distract herself from today's events.
Without missing a heartbeat, she agreed. "I would love to. I'm totally craving Mexican. You like Mexican, right?" Amelia said as the two began walking down the street.
"Yeah, of course, who doesn't?" He replied with a grin.
"I know this really great place in Brooklyn. They usually have this two for one taco Thursday, it's really great. It's not exactly a restaurant, more like a guy selling the stuff from out the back of his van, but it's really great stuff." She happily chirped, momentarily forgetting who she was talking to. Nate chuckled, excited to switch catered foods and high end restaurants for some greasy street food.
"Well then, lead the way, Bunny." The nickname slipped from his lips with such ease it was like he was born to say it. Amelia felt a shiver go down her spine as the words left his mouth, something so enchanting about the elegance behind his voice. The girl shook of the feeling, trying to concentrate on keeping the conversation going.
"How do you handle spice?" Amelia queried, one brow arched as she patiently awaited an answer.
Nate quickly replied. "I'd like to think I can handle my fair share of it. Why?"
"Oh, no reason. The tacos are jus extra good if you get the extra spicy sauce instead of the milder one. Oh and you have to ask for the jalapeños. And— actually, is it okay if I just order for you? I know the menu like the back of my hand, and Xavier always gives me discounts and his freshest stuff." Amelia rambled. Nate found himself letting his shoulders relax, the tension leaving his body as he forgot everything with his father, everything with Blair and Serena.
The only thing currently on his mind, were tacos and Amelia, and he found himself enjoying it greatly.
Walking alongside the Archibald, swapping stories and lame jokes, made Amelia wonder how someone so seemingly kind and down to earth could ever have cheated on his long time girlfriend with her best friend, and then proceed to keep it hidden for one entire year. It wasn't like Amelia knew the guy, but it just felt so unreal that he was capable of being so shitty when in her eyes he appeared to be someone only wishing to be happy.
Either way, Amelia was enjoying getting to know the Archibald. And it had nothing to do with the fact that— actually, Amelia decided to blame the apparently blossoming friendship on pure coincidence of location and time. That was all it was.
word count; 4042
a/n
and there we have it, chapter three. it's so fun and so so rewarding to watch people vote and comment on my book this early on. like, i post a chapter before going to bed, and by the time i wake up there are already votes and comments. every single one, many or not, literally makes me so so happy and just lights up my entire day. the thought that people not only take time to read my stuff but show their appreciation honesty means the world. so here you go, chapter three, and pls stay tuned for more !
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