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Chapter Text

The loud pop music was starting to make his head hurt. It’s not that Sparrow didn’t like it. All of his closest friends knew about his secret love for Nelly Furtado. But you can only listen to so many electronic beats until your brain turns to mush. 

He was starting to get a headache, and that, with the feeling of being out of place, was not a good pairing. He awkwardly stood in the corner, drink in hand. Parties like this weren’t his scene. Social gatherings in general, weren’t his scene. Faybelle had dragged him out to an Upper East Side party because she said he needed to talk to people more. He agreed to it, thinking it would be fun to explore other sides of the city, but now that he's actually there... He kind of regretted it.

It's not like he didn’t want to talk to others; he just didn’t know how. He was a fish out of water flopping around the ground. Faybelle tried her best to include him in conversations, but whatever he did, it seemed like they just weren’t interested. So he let her go and hang out with her friends. He didn’t want to drag her down with him.

His moping was depressing. If he wasn’t going to do anything, he needed to leave. Once he mustered up the courage to leave, he immediately felt himself bump into something. Of course, he would knock into someone the second he decides to move; just his luck. He frantically apologized, but the white-haired girl he talked to shook her head. “Ah, don’t worry about it! I didn’t like this dress anyway.” She assured, looking at the stain his drink left on her white iridescent dress. Once she fully turned to face him, her hair's black and lavender strands distracted him. 

She kept on talking, but it wasn’t really a conversation. He wasn’t saying anything. She seemed to notice this and stopped talking about the fashion designers her dad had invested in or something like that. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before... Where are you from?” He took a second to respond, not realizing he was even asked a question. 

"Oh, – Uh, I’m from Nashville, but I, uh, just moved into my dad’s last week.” 

“Well, welcome to the city! Feeling homesick?” She asked, turning her head to the side.

“Eh, I’ve been visiting for years, so it’s like a second home.” 

She hummed in response and looked for something else to ask. Usually, this is where whoever he’s talking to would say: ‘Well, it was great talking to you! See you around!’ But it seemed like this conversation was actually going to last. He didn’t really want it to end, either. Judging by her outfit, she had money. A lot of it. He was intrigued. He needed to know more. 

“I'm guessing you’re a student, right?” He nodded. “Do you know what school you’re going to?” 

“I'm not 100% sure. My dad keeps flip-flopping between his options. But I think Nottingham is starting to win him over.” 

She flinched jokingly at the mention of the school. “My mortal enemy…” He looked confused. “I go to Ever After, Nottingham’s like our biggest rival.” 

“Rivals as in ‘we compete against each other, but it’s whatever’ or rivals as in ‘we literally hate each other’.” 

“We literally hate each other. Seniors tp’d their court right before their last game last year, and the bleachers were drenched in eggs.” 

“Wow, I never imagined that actually happened in real life.” 

“New York doesn't feel like real life most of the time.” 

He let out a small laugh. They stood in silence for a little bit. 

“I’m Sparrow, by the way.” He held out his hand. She shook it, but before she could reply, a blonde girl came and interrupted them.

“Duchess!” She screamed loudly. “I didn’t know you came back!” The white-haired girl looked startled. “Uh – Yeah! It’s nice to see you too! Listen, um, let me finish this up, and I’ll go catch up with you and Daring.” The blonde replied with a loud Okay. You could tell she could barely hear herself over the music. 

Duchess sighed. “Well, I’m Duchess, as you heard.” Sparrow nodded. “You can go with your friends if you want. It was really nice talking with you.” 

“Same! Hope to see you around.” After she walked away, another figure replaced her spot immediately. Faybelle stood behind her, mouth agape. 

Sparrow's face contorted in confusion. 

“You talked with Duchess Swan… And you gave her a handshake ?” 

Detention was anything but new to Ramona. Even back in Nottingham, she’d get into trouble. It has improved over the years, but her temper management still needs work. She gets passionate about little things quickly, and those strong emotions can take over. She sticks to her values and never surrenders. If you upset her about something, it’ll probably take a year for her to not be angry about it anymore. This even included teachers sometimes. If it weren’t for her above-average grades, athletic prowess, and her willingness to go through any punishment the faculty chose, she would be expelled by now.

However, her fighter spirit was starting to die down once she started high school. She was getting ready for college. She needed to be ‘more serious,’ whatever that meant. After everyone was surprised by all her honors awards at her middle school graduation, she realized she needed to change her ways. She needed to focus on school, and getting into a good college. Plus, being stuck in a classroom after school hours turned into the most tedious part of her everyday routine. 

Detention was a very new concept to Justine. Getting into trouble was very unfamiliar to her. Having a huge family of 12 siblings made it hard to hide anything. This wasn’t a problem when she was younger. What big secret are you hiding when you're 7 years old? But now that she’s 17, there were many things she didn’t want her family to know. She didn’t want them to know she had failed her chemistry test. She didn’t want them to know she didn’t get a callback for any of the Broadway shows she had auditioned for during the summer. And she especially didn’t want them to know that keeping these secrets led her to smoke weed as a coping mechanism. 

"I hope you two understand why you're here. This school takes its policy very seriously. I’m especially surprised at your behavior Justine. I expected better from you," Madame Yaga lectured while she sat behind her desk. 

The words hit her like a truck. She bowed her head down and spoke so only she could hear. “I’m sorry, Miss, it will never happen again.” 

The older woman returned to the paperwork on her desk after mumbling, ‘Good.’ “Now, normally, this situation would’ve led both of you to the Headmaster’s office.” She looked back up to both of them. Ramona was calm, while Justine looked terrified. “However, you’re both great students, and I would hate for this to damage your relationship with this Academy. Can I trust that this won’t happen again?” They both nodded. 

“Well, I have some paperwork to deliver. While I do that, you will write an apology and an explanation of your actions. Both must be done by the time I return.” 

As the teacher left the room, an uneasy silence settled. Justine tried her hardest to write her apology. But the words didn’t come to her. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted it to be simple yet genuine. Despite her reluctance to apologize, she wasn't ignorant that she was in the wrong. She just wanted to write the stupid note so this would all be over.

Justine turned around to find Ramona engrossed in her writing. With her head tilted to the side, she seemed intensely focused, piquing Justine’s curiosity.

Regrettably, Ramona glanced up, catching Justine’s lingering gaze.

"Do you have a staring problem?" Ramona frowned.

"You're the last person I want to be looking at, let alone be stuck in detention with," Justine swiftly retorted.

"Same here. If you hadn't been such a bitch, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation," Ramona reclined in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You were the one that started it!”

“I’d say you got yourself into trouble the second you decided to smoke weed at school,” Ramona replied. 

Justine didn’t reply. She turned back to her paper. Deciding that was more important than arguing with her. Yet Ramona wanted it to keep going.

“I don’t get why you’re so worried over all this. Madame Yaga said you're off the hook even though you were doing drugs at school. If I were you, I would be ecstatic.” 

Ramona finished writing her apology and dropped it off at the desk. She sat on the roller chair and propped her feet on the wooded surface. 

“Well, I’m not someone like you, so I’d never do that.” Justine scoffed, slowly losing her patience. She was starting to sound a lot more conceited. 

“Someone like me?” Ramona prodded while playing with a Rubik's cube she found in between Madame Yaga's things. 

“A troublemaker, a punk, maybe even a nuisance.” The dancer listed.

“Is that what your daddy told you poor people are? Maybe you should focus all that brain power on writing your paper.” 

“Whatever, you don’t know me,” Justine argued.

“People talk, princess. I think I know enough.” Ramona challenged.

“Okay, then you should know things are rough for me right now, so I don’t want to deal with your bullshit.” Justine quickly replied. Ramona stayed quiet for a second. Looking her up and down. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little hypocritical for you to be angry that I’m making assumptions about you when you did that same thing to me earlier?” Ramona retorted.

Justine didn’t respond. 

“Yeah, I don’t know you, and I’m glad I don’t. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even fucking be at this shit hole right now.” 

After saying that, a lightbulb went off in Ramona’s head. She walked toward her desk, grabbed her things, and left. 

“Madame Yaga isn’t here yet!” Justine yelled. 

“Who cares!” Ramona responded halfway down the hall.

Justine was left alone and confused. Looking down at her blank piece of paper. 

“Who the hell is this ‘Gossip Girl’?” Briar asked. Whoever they were, had contact with nearly everyone in the Upper East Side, so word of Duchess’ return spread like wildfire. Briar was supposed to be helping Apple get ready for her mom's monthly friends & family dinner, yet the sudden ringing of their phones interrupted them.

Briar’s messages were flooded with thousands of people asking her if she had any idea who it could be. So she had to type out ‘No’ a thousand times. On the other hand, Apple was trying her hardest to keep calm. Sure, her so-called BFF disappeared for a year without letting her know. She then returned without letting her know again. But the more she thought about it, she realized that wasn’t why she was worried. 

Gossip had always been a massive thing among EAP students. Rumors about students dating and parents getting divorced had all been discussed before. Gossip Girl just made it more accessible. One of the biggest rumors that floated around the school was that Daring had cheated on Apple with Duchess. No one knows exactly how it started, but someone had started saying they went on dates together at his dad’s hotel, and it all escalated from there. It wasn’t true, of course. When she first heard it, Apple questioned them both for hours. But Daring was too confused, and Duchess was too disgusted for it to be true. That’s what she told herself, at least. She told Daring the situation didn’t bother her. She trusted that he told her the truth. But deep down, she had her doubts. The day she realized Duchess had left, a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. 

The days were those rumors were the main topic of conversation at school were the most anxiety-induced days of her life. She couldn’t help but analyze everything Duchess said. Her paranoia made her want to be with Daring at all times to ensure her nightmares weren’t becoming a reality. Apple believed the rumors, disregarding everything Daring had done to reassure her it wasn’t true. She managed to find the tinniest of holes in every story he told her. She made up reasons as to why Daring didn’t love her anymore, and that Duchess actually hated her. The elaborate stories she told herself were eating her alive, but no one could know about it. Especially her parents.  

The idea of Apple and Daring being a couple existed since before they were even born. Ever since Apple understood the concept of romance, she’s known Daring was the one . Ever since she understood how marriage worked, she made moodboards of what her marriage with Daring would look like. Ever since she saw pictures of her parents dancing at the Cotillion ball, she knew she would dance with Daring when it was her turn. It was what she wanted the most and Duchess was trying to ruin it.

What did Duchess have that she didn’t? They were both beautiful. They’ve both known Daring since they were kids but Apple knew him since birth. They’ve practically been dating since kindergarten, them getting married is like a prophecy for both of their families. Why did Duchess try to rewrite it? She could (and has) have any man in the world. Rockstars, monarchs, and even unknown, average, regular people. What made Daring so enticing? Or, what made Apple so easily replaceable?

‘Is it my style?’ She could change it. She could wear more makeup and dye her hair. With all the comments made about her not looking like her mother, she has definitely considered it before. 

‘My humor or hobbies?’ She could be more reckless and be more impulsive sometimes. 

Then it clicked. That was what Duchess had that Apple didn’t. Bravery, courage, the ability to be bold and take the next step. Duchess was never afraid of ‘what ifs’. The consequences of her actions never seemed to matter to her. That’s what made being in a relationship with her so fun. Dating Duchess was like going on a roadtrip without a map, while dating Apple was like following every little detail of a recipe down to the exact utensils they use. Apple had always been more traditional. No rough partying, very focused on school, and absolutely no sex before marrige. Duchess was more “modern” in her ideals, which meant the exact opposite. That was what made Daring want her. At least according to the story Apple kept telling herself over and over again.

It died down after Duchess left. Their relationship sailed smoothly. But now that she’s back and with the ball being 4 months away, she needed to lock in their relationship before it drowned. Even if that meant disregarding her ideals.  

Frantically, she left her room. At the top of the staircase, she looked through the guests in her home. She managed to pick out her boyfriend in the crowd and ignored Briar’s warnings. She smiled brightly as she got closer to him and the other men he was talking to. They were discussing college football or something. Whatever it was, it needed to wait. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but can I borrow Daring for a second?” 

“Ah, of course! Oh, Apple, we need to talk about your next charity gala. I think I have some amazing people you’ll want to invite.” Daring’s father chimed in. 

“Oh, perfect! Can’t wait to hear all about it!” She dragged Daring upstairs. 

The second they got away from everyone, she kissed him hard. He followed along even though he was confused. It wasn’t until she locked her bedroom door he realized what was going on.

“Whoah, okay! What’s up with you right now?” 

She sat close to him on the bed. Still with a brightly fake smile on her face. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, this is so not you. You said you wanted to wait.” 

“Well,” She sat on top of him. “Not anymore.” Daring was shocked.

“Now?” Clocks ticking. 

“Yes, Daring! I'm 100% sure.”  The second her lips touched his again, there was a loud knock at the door. It startled her, and she immediately backed away. Was it a sign? Was this an omnipotent being telling her to think before she acts? To think before doing something she knows she’ll regret afterward? 

She ran up to the door on nervous, shaky legs and opened the door. It was her mom and her message was far worse than anything any deity could’ve told her. 

“Apple, Duchess is here!” 

When the elevator doors opened to reveal Apple’s penthouse, a wave of discomfort drowned Duchess. The marble floor, glass chandelier, and roses decorating the entryway felt way too familiar. 3 years ago she probably would’ve been excited to enter the house unannounced. A pleasant surprise for her best friend. But now, all she feels is fear. 

Apple isn’t one to confront people. If she didn’t like you, you wouldn’t know. She tries to be open with everyone and ever since she became a freshman she was set on changing how students interacted with each other. She didn’t like the name-calling and the gossiping. She tried her best to make everyone get along but some things are just impossible to change. The straight-up bullying did end, at least. But gossip was still a rampant issue. It made Apple feel like her hard work was never enough, (typical since she puts way too much pressure on herself) but she can’t be that angry about it. Sure, Apple didn’t outright hate anyone. But she also went out of her way to separate herself from those she doesn’t like. Duchess didn’t blame her though. No one’s perfect. Especially not if you can afford going to Ever After. 

But this is different. Apple didn’t confront those who called her a spoiled brat. But she might confront her “best friend” who disappeared for a year when she suddenly decides to walk right into her house like it's nothing. Duchess felt fear while walking down the hall. Not because of what people were mumbling to each other. 

“Boarding school my ass! She went to rehab or something.” 

“She definitely had work done. I mean, look at her!”

“I heard she’s pregnant…” 

That last one did give her goosebumps. But the main source of her terror was not knowing how Apple was going to react to her arrival. She knew what she did was shitty. She deserved to be the first person Apple publicly yelled at and that’s what scared her the most. 

Her legs felt like jelly as she walked up the stairs. At the top, she took a second to breathe and think. ‘What do you say to your best friend after abandoning them when they needed you most?’ She didn’t have time to answer the question because of the piercing gaze she felt on her. She turned around to find Daring staring at her. Instinctively, he fixed his messy hair and shirt. The implication made Duchess wonder what changes had happened since she left. But their eye contact was broken by the door to Apple’s room opening.

“Duchess! So good to see you!” She knew Apple could see the goosebumps on her arms. She knew she was lying to herself about not feeling the tension between her best friend and her boyfriend. Apple could swear her fake smile fooled everyone, but Duchess has known her long enough to know what her genuine smile is like. On top of that, the hug she gave her felt a little too tight. It felt less like a ‘Welcome home!’ and more like an ‘I’m watching you’. 

“Yeah, we really missed you,” Daring added. “Want to join us for dinner?”

Duchess’s face contorted in a way Apple couldn’t decipher. Shame? Embarrassment? 

“Yeah, about that. Um -  I have to get home and talk to Dad. He doesn’t even know I’m here really! So uh, yeah..” 

“You’re leaving?” Apple could hear the disappointment in Daring’s voice. 

“Sorry, I just wanted to drop by for a second to let you know I’m here. But I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow!” 

“Oh great! We have so much catching up to do.” Duchess agreed and quickly walked down the stairs. Just like that, she's gone. 

Daring kissed Apple’s forehead and mumbled something about continuing what they were doing later. She nodded even though she wasn’t fully paying attention to his words. She looked around the room while walking down the stairs, spotting Briar and Ashlynn. 

“Well, she’s back for good. She’s coming to school tomorrow.” Slightly gritting her teeth.

Briar was busy answering the thousands of messages she had received inquiring about Gossip Girl. Ashlynn on the other hand was shocked by Apple’s words. “Did she not tell you she was coming back?” Her fake smile reappeared immediately. 

“Oh, of course, she did. I just… wanted it to be a surprise.” 

e-blast #2: Best friends for never?

2/8/07 - 7:45PM

Poor Apple White, always trying so hard but it never seems to be enough. Wipe that fake smile off your face, boo. It’s okay to yell at people sometimes. Especially if they mess with your man. Queen D’s arrival seems to have shocked everyone. Even her so-called BFF... Wake up Apple! Broken friendships fail. Drop her before ‘MVP’ Charming drops you. 

[ click to view foto ] 

Who’s going to be Apple’s prince charming if Daring runs off to another maiden? Maybe his brother will finally have a date to the ball afterall…

                                                                                                                                                                - XOXO, Gossip Girl