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Rikki Vandermeer's phone buzzed on her nightstand. Half asleep, she rolled over and grabbed it, squinting to make out the words on the screen.
'Spotted: The Upper East Side's finest indulging in pastries and mayhem at The Bass's Brunch. Serena van der Woodsen's receiving her dirty laundry from Blair and Chuck right in front of Lonely Boy (ouch). Nate Archibald stuck in the middle, as always. And what's this? A new player enters the game? an Aussie, perhaps? Careful, R... the past has a funny way of showing up when you least expect it. XOXO, Gossip Girl.'
"Seriously? Gossip Girl again?" "Whoever's behind this must have no life. Who the hell actually enjoys this?" she thought, tossing her phone onto the bed. She glanced to the side and spotted her alarm clock. 7:30 AM. Shit. She was late. Her mother hadn't even bothered to wake her up! Scrambling out of bed, she managed to land face-first on the floor.
— 10 MINUTES LATER — Groaning, she got up and rushed to the bathroom. In record time, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand, swung the door open, and sprinted down the stairs. "No breakfast?" her mother called after her. "No. And thanks for waking me up! I'm so late," Rikki shouted while grabbing her keycard and heading toward the elevator. "I told you to set your alarm." She barely paid attention, already distracted by the piece of paper in her hands.
✵
Again. Absolutely no directions. Frustration clouded her mind, making her oblivious to the person in front of her, until she bumped into him, sending her papers flying. "Shit, sorry," she said quickly. "It's fine."
Wait. That voice sounded familiar. She looked up, trying to see his face, but they both moved at the same time and ended up bumping foreheads.
"OW!" she yelped, rubbing her forehead as heads turned toward them. "Ow," he groaned, doing the same. They looked at each other, and realization hit her.
"You're Nate." "And you're Rikki," he said with a smile, his forehead still red from their little accident. "Oh, so you're the girl who called me ugly," another voice chimed in.
Rikki sighed. Of course. Chuck Bass. Why was this guy literally everywhere?
"And you're the guy who... quite literally forced himself onto a girl," she snapped back mockingly.
Chuck smirked. "Didn't force myself. We were both up for it until you had to interrupt us." Her face scrunched up in disgust. "Yeah, because a girl saying stop totally means she's up for it."
Before Chuck could reply, Nate stepped between them. "Okay, how about we stop arguing and you guys reintroduce yourselves?" he suggested, handing Rikki her papers.
Both she and Chuck disagreed in unison. Nate started to walk away with him, but Rikki stopped them.
Chuck groaned.
"Uh, Nate... I don't really know where to go. Do you think you could take me to the office?" she asked awkwardly, glancing at his bow tie.
"Sure! We're heading to the same place. Come on."
Chuck groaned louder.
✵
After what felt like an eternity of listening to a teacher drone on about Ivies, it was finally P.E. Here's the thing: Rikki had zero athletic ability. The only sport she could tolerate was swimming.
Sighing, she plopped down on the ground and watched as Blair Waldorf and some blonde girl practically tackled each other to death. A laugh escaped her as they got more aggressive. Eventually, the ref called the match.
✵
As soon as she got into the limo, her mother immediately started talking her ear off.
"We're going to the Ivy Week party now. This way, you can introduce yourself properly." Rikki groaned loudly. "Seriously? I'm not in the mood for colleges."
"These aren't just any colleges. These are Ivies, which you are obligated to attend. And you should've changed your clothes beforehand."
"How was I supposed to know?!" she yelled. As they stepped out of the limo, she recognized a few familiar faces. Blair, Chuck, Dan, Serena (who she finally knew by now), Nate, Jenny... and that was about it. Her memory could only hold six names at a time.
Heading straight for the drink stand while her mother reunited with old friends, she greeted the guy behind the counter. "Hi." "Hey," he replied. "We meet again."
She smirked. "Yes, yes we do." He chuckled. "Guessing you're here for the ivies?"
He quickly put down the drink scooper, wiped his hands, and reached out for a handshake.
"Yep. Haven't even talked to anyone yet, and I couldn't care less about college, but, Why are you working refreshments?" She shook his hand before retracting hers.
"Well, not all of us have a trust fund and an easy way into college," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
She grinned. "Right. Hey, I mean, I get it. Used to, at least."
"Used to?" he asked, curious. "Yeah. I lived with my dad for a while. We weren't rich rich. More like lower middle-class, I guess. Then I moved in with my mother."
Dan nodded. "Well, finally. At least someone can kinda relate—" Before he could finish, Serena and Nate walked up to the table, and suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.
Weird tension.
Clearly, that was her cue to leave.
Why does everyone have beef with each other here? Even my hometown wasn't this bad. She thought.
Then, she noticed Chuck. A lightbulb went off in her head.
Looking down at her red drink, she walked toward him and accidentally bumped into him, spilling it all over his suit.
Chuck immediately glared at her. "Watch where you're going, slut!" he snapped. The man he was talking to sighed and walked away.
"See? You just scared him off." Chuck shouted. Rikki raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Are you serious? Maybe he walked off because he finally realized you're pathetic."
He stepped closer, suddenly yanking her braided pigtail. "OW!" she shouted, immediately kicking him in the shin.
He let go of her hair and kneeled over in pain as she smirked in satisfaction. "Just wait till the next time I see you, whore," he spat in disgust.
Shaking her head, she spit on his shoe.
"Yeah. Good luck with that, buddy," she said, walking away.
'SPOTTED: at the Ivy week party: New girl, Rikki stepping into the lion's den, and going head to head with none other than Chuck Bass. Surrender? Please. Bass doesn't back down without playing every trick in his book. The real question is... can Rikki keep up? Only time will tell. Stay tuned. XOXO, Gossip Girl.'
