** VOTES AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED **
◾◾◾◾
◾◾◾◾
◾◾◾◾
In a blink of an eye, this year came and went for the Carringtons. So much has happened for Valerie in particular, and at the very moment everything felt like it was ending.
Liam and Valerie were taking a walk down at Central Park. Liam knew that Valerie didn't seem like she wanted to change her life from one night to the next.
Liam stopped and sat on a bench as people walked by.
"Tell me the truth", Liam muttered gaining a questioning expression from Valerie.
"What do you mean?", she replied.
He sighed, "you haven't been the same since that outing you took with your friends a couple weeks back".
How could she forget, it was the day she greatly wanted to forget.
"I'm fine", she smiled but it didn't full show, "I'm happy".
Liam knew her, a little too much for his liking.
"Are you committed to come live with me next fall?", he questioned.
She looked at him, but flashes of him glimmered.
"Ye-", she stuttered, "Yes, totally".
Liam knew her real answer.
"Look Val", he sighed, " I know your heart doesn't belong to me", her face changed, " and I'm not mad – how can I ", she sadly smiled, " you're the strongest, astounding, and remarkable person I've met", he smiled, " and you should give your heart to someone who parallels you in all aspects, someone you love".
Valerie's eyes watered, "I'm trying - desperately to let him know that this is right – ".
He placed his hand over hers, "I know how we men act, and he's doing it because he feels he doesn't deserve you", he paused, "but you're the one he's missing".
"Liam – ".
"Let's just enjoy the remaining of today", he voiced, "and tomorrow I'll be cheering for you at your graduation as a friend", he moved towards her - - hugging her.
"Like everything on the upper east side, high school graduation is done a little differently. Who needs pomp and circumstance when you have paparazzi?".
The morning of graduation; Blair, Valerie and Serena were having a quick meal before the ceremony.
Sighing, Serena turned around from the girl holding the newspaper; "Ever since 'Gossip Girl' broke my arrest, it has been everywhere. Do you know Eric found it in 'Pravda'".
"It's better than my scandal way back when", Valerie inputted.
The pair looked at her, "trust me you don't want to know".
Blair laughed, "you're famous because you got arrested – of course this happened to you"
"I just can't wait for this day to be over", Serena groaned, "the end of high school means the end of me on 'gossip girl'".
"Since I arrived here, she has plagued you more than anyone", Valerie affirmed.
"She was the first blast – 9th grade, if I remember correctly", Blair joined, "it involved a white dress, some rain, and a recently docked aircraft carrier".
"Impressive", Valerie muttered.
"Okay, let's just hope that my mug shot is the last thing she ever prints about me", Serena hoped.
"Look on the bright side", Blair added, "Gossip Girl does not report in college".
"Okay, can you just take my mind of me?", Serena sighed looking at Valerie, "talk about anything –".
"I love Valerie"?, "I love her?"; Blair voiced.
"I totally set myself up for that one", Serena chuckled as Valerie and Blair.
"You know how Chuck feels about you Valerie", Serena voiced.
Valerie rolled her eyes, "the problem isn't his feelings, it's his inability to express them to the right person", Valerie signaled herself, "who cares who he tells if he doesn't tell me?".
"Does he even know that you and Liam broke up?", Blair questioned.
Valerie looked at them, "how do you know-".
"We have our sources", Blair and Serena said simultaneously.
"Have you girls not told him?", Valerie questioned.
"It's not like we stay up at night, braiding each other's hair and having heart to hearts", Serena stated.
Blair reached over and took the menu from Serena's hand, "then why are we still here? By the way we've already paid the check".
"I've been meaning to remind you girls", Valerie laughed as they all got up.
Just as they walked through the doors, camera shutters started snapping as they walked towards the limo.
"Serena!"
"Is that Valerie Carrington?".
"Valerie!".
Serena got in first, followed by Valerie, but Blair had other things in mind – those things being having her picture taken multiple times, before Valerie hauled her inside.
◾◾◾◾
Back at Constance, Serena and Blair spilt from Valerie who saw her brother in the crowd.
"Richard!"
He turned around, hugging his little sister.
"I thought you weren't going to make it", Valerie questioned, "your flight wasn't until tomorrow".
He nudged her a little bit, "didn't think I was going to miss my little sister's special day".
"Me neither!", Liam exclaimed coming next to Richard.
"Dad couldn't make it", Richard uttered as Valerie got emotional for a moment, "but he sends his best".
"I actually have to go get my cap and gown", Valerie stated as she quickly went into the building.
After she got her gown and cap, she saw him with his back turned – without question she made her way towards him.
Before tapping him on the shoulder, she said, "Hi".
He turned to her.
"I haven't seen you around", she announced.
He smirked, "have you been looking?".
She didn't know what to say, just looking at him made her spin out of orbit.
"How are you?", he questioned.
She quickly responded, "I'm fine", he nodded, "No, I'm great", she fixed her answer.
He merely nodded.
"Um, but I could be better", she voiced lowly smiling at him.
Did he go deaf, Valerie thought to herself.
She shrugged, "I... was wondering – if you heard that I...".
He waited.
"I...I'm", she paused;
'I'm single', her inner voice yelled.
"I'm so happy high school's over", she sarcastically laughed.
He nodded.
"Congratulations", she congratulated him with her famous smile.
He reciprocated her smile, "You, too".
Just then, faculty voiced, "Everyone, let's line up so we can make our way down, please".
"Girls on one side, boys on the others", a teacher voiced, "just like we practiced".
Suddenly, everyone flooded around them, Chuck turned to Valerie, but she quickly said, "alright, good luck up there", and she was off, leaving him watching her every move.
While everyone was sitting, listening to the opening speech, phones started going off throughout the room.
It was Gossip Girl.
"Not so fast, you're not graduating until I give you my diplomas", the eblast read, "Mine are labels and labels stick – "
"Nate Archibald - - Class Whore".
"Dan Humphrey – The Ultimate Insider".
"Chuck Bass – Coward".
"Blair Waldorf – Weakling".
"Serena Van Der Woodsen – Irrelevant".
"And as for our newest member Valerie Carrington – Upcoming Elite".
"Congratulations, everyone. You deserve it".
Valerie looked so lost at that blast, sure back home she ruled, but out here was unfamiliar territory – well not according to Gossip Girl.
"Now please join me in welcoming the class of 2009", the parent's and families all stood up, "Class, please stand".
It seemed like the class was still in shock about the eblast.
"You guys are seriously going to let that bring you down", Valerie told Blair and Serena, "nobody can take this take away from us", she voiced.
"You're right", Serena agreed, "Gossip Girl is going down".
Oh, boy, 'not what I meant', she thought to herself.
◾◾◾◾
Later that evening, Valerie looked at herself in the mirror.
"Looks like your wearing that for someone tonight?", Richard questioned as he sat down on her bed.
"What I need is – 'I'm not wearing this for you, I'm wearing it for me, but I might let you unzip it if I think you're worthy of consent", Valerie stated fixing her hair in the mirror.
Richard laughed, "looks like you're having the jitters".
"Get out you're not helping!", she exclaimed as she kicked him out of the room.
Valerie had arrived at the party and couldn't help but let herself go on the dancefloor.
Her eyes soon found Chuck's, as she quickly made her way towards him.
She grabbed her hand and pulled him along towards a quiet room.
"I wanna talk", she purred moving to the center of the room.
He smirked, "I prefer to talk after", he lowly voiced.
Chuck got comfortable on the loveseat, as he looked up to her.
"What do you think about my coat?", she questioned.
"I like it", he responded, "why?".
Valerie then proceeded to take off her coat.
"And now?", she asked
He purred, "even better".
Valerie then raised her leg," and my stockings?".
He placed his hand over her leg, "Oh, I adore them".
"And my dress", Valerie voiced bringing her dress to her ankles.
"I worship it", he whispered tracing his hands over her body, praising the temple he had in front of him.
She leaned over him, "how do you feel about me?".
"I... -".
Suddenly, both their phones chimed with an alert.
"Serena Van Der Woodsen just couldn't leave well enough alone. Since she had to find out the truth about me, I'm going to tell you the truth about everyone. Every gossip bomb I've got is about to drop, and if you've got a problem with that, take it up with her", the esblast read, " Ever wonder why Miss Carr left town, a little bee told me Dan Humphrey had sex with her during the school play. Remember the sparks between Humphrey's sis and Nate during a hot photo session, thank god it stopped at PG-13, or someone could have ended up in jail like her brother. As for Blair Waldorf say 'uncle', we hear she kept it in the Bass family on New Year's. And as for Valerie Carrington, her nights were spent with a certain Liam almost ended up living together, but rumor has it Chuck spent some time in Brooklyn – metaphorically speaking, of course".
"You were going to move in together", Chuck questioned.
"Please, that's old news", Valerie exclaimed, but I mean you slept with Vanessa".
◾◾◾◾
After the whole show, Valerie went off to find Chuck.
Once he heard the door close, he turned around.
"Liam's old news", she stated.
"Leave me alone", he voiced.
"You're not mad at me because of that", she moved closer, "just like I'm not mad at you about Vanessa".
"Stop telling me what I feel", he declared.
"We're just doing what we always do – finding excuses", she told him, "well, I won't do it anymore".
"I know you told Blair and Serena you love me", Valerie voiced.
"They heard wrong", Chuck quickly answered.
"You tell them how you feel but me, why can't you tell me?".
"Is Gossip Girl right about you been a coward?", she questioned.
Chuck exclaimed, "that's not true and you know it".
Valerie took his face in her hands, "Chuck Bass... I love you".
Their eyes showed for much emotion; both their eyes glistened with tears.
"I love you so much, it consumes me", she whispered, "I love you and I know you love me, too".
Chuck said silent.
"Tell me you love me then everything that has happened, all the lies, the hurt will have been for something", she breathed, "tell me it was for something".
His mouth quivered, his eyes glossed over, then he gently brought his hands to hers, bringing them down away from his face.
"Maybe it was", he whispered, "but it's not anymore".
He then quietly left, leaving Valerie alone.
◾◾◾◾
The next couple of days went as a blur.
Blair and Valerie were at Serena's helping her pack.
Serena lifted a pair of heels, "both", Blair and Valerie voiced.
The all laughed.
"How are you today?", Blair asked Valerie.
Valerie sighed, "Miserable", Serena turned and looked at her, "but at least college will be the fresh start it's supposed to be. No Chuck, No Liam. No anybody, really".
"Except Gossip Girl", Serena voiced, "forget I said that".
"It's okay, I read them too", Valerie stated, "Spotted – Chuck Bass in France, Chuck Bass in Germany, Chuck Bass in Italy; I hope he has so much fun that they have to quarantine him", she laughed as Blair and Serena joined.
They said goodbyes to each other and left.
After Allison and Valerie had lunch, Valerie was walking back to her car when she stopped.
Her eyes picked up the famous limo, then him.
Dressed to the nines, there he was standing looking at her.
"Why aren't you in Europe?", Valerie asked him.
He moved from standing against the limo, to stand in front of her, "I was in Paris, but only to get your favorite cookies I heard you love so much from La Cure Gourmande", he raised a box that he held in his arms.
Valerie looked on in confusion but still took the box, "and Germany?".
"to pick up your favorite falke stockings – ", she smiled, "you know how I adore them", he voiced.
"What are you doing here then?", she asked him.
"You were right", he told her, " I was a coward, running away again, but everywhere I went, you caught up with me – ".
"So, I had to come back", he finished.
Valerie looked down, "I want to believe you, but I can't".
He just let her speak.
"You're hurt me too many times", Valerie spoke.
"You can believe me this time", he promised.
"Oh", she simply voiced.
"That's it?", she questioned.
He smiled and then confessed, "I love you, too".
Valerie didn't need another confession; she quickly jumped into his arms and connected her lips to his.
He brought her closer to him, kissing her like his life depended on it.
"but can you say it twice?", Valerie chuckled.
He laughed as well and kissed her again.
Valerie quickly pulled away, "No, I'm serious – say it twice", they laughed.
"I – " kiss, "love – ", kiss, "you – ", he kissed and proclaimed his love for her.
"I love you – five".
Kiss.
"I love you Valerie".
◾◾◾◾
A/N:
So i have decided to let this be the ending of the first Book of Suit & Tie!!
Let me know your thoughts?
and leave your input for the next book title!
Until then, my friends!
xxxx