沸腾文学

第21部分（第1页）

ook　the　tray　from　the　side　table　and　brought　it　back　to　the　bed；　balancing　it　on　her　knees。　Her　boyfriend　had　deserted　her。　She　didn’t　have　to　worry　about　calories。

It　had　been　four　days　since　Pete　had　gone　to　stay　with　his　brother　Jason　in　Philadelphia。　Since　then；　Blair　had　barely　left　the　Tribeca　Star。　She’d　been　ordering　room　service；　but　room　service　was　never　fun　when　you　had　no　one　to　share　it　with；　and　she’d　caught　up　on　all　of　her　favorite　gossip　blogs　and　online　shopping　sites　until　she　felt　like　she’d　reached　the　end　of　the　Internet。　She’d　meant　for　this　break　to　be　relaxing；　a　reward　for　surviving　an　academically　challenging　semester。　Instead；　it　was　more　stressful　than　an　early　morning　final　exam。

The　hotel　room　looked　like　it　had　just　been　cleaned　by　the　maid　service；　even　though　she’d　placed　a　DO　NOT　DISTURB　sign　on　the　doorknob　Saturday　morning。　She’d　kept　the　room　clean　just　so　it　would　be　ready　for　Pete　whenever　he　came　back。　It　was　only　now　that　she　realized　he　probably　wasn’t　ing　back。　All　of　her　phone　calls　had　gone　directly　to　voice　mail。　All　of　her　texts　had　been　unanswered。

Last　semester；　she’d　taken　a　psychology　class　in　which　they　learned　about　the　five　stages　of　loss。　Right　now；　Blair　had　just　passed　stage　one—denial—and　was　in　stage　two：　anger。　How　could　Pete　do　this　to　her？　At　least　she’d　been　honest　with　him。

Blair　pushed　her　anemic…looking　omelet　around　on　her　plate；　suddenly　losing　her　appetite。　It　was　cold　and　she　was　tempted　to　call　the　downstairs　restaurant　and　plain；　just　to　have　the　satisfaction　of　hearing　someone　apologize　to　her。

Or　the　chance　to　speak　to　another　human　being？

She　unearthed　her　iPhone　from　the　depths　of　her　white　down　forter；　but　dialed　her　mother　instead。

“Hello；　Blair　darling；”　Eleanor　Waldorf　answered　the　phone　breathily。　“I’m　just　in　the　middle　of　my　private　doga　session。　Mookie　loves　it！　I　may　not　let　Aaron　bring　him　back　to　Boston；”　she　trilled；　naming　Blair’s　stepbrother　and　his　mangy　mutt。

“Hi；　Mom；”　Blair　sighed。　She　was　immediately　reminded　why　she　didn’t　often　call　her　mother。　Eleanor　Waldorf　had　always　been　slightly　batty；　but　living　in　LA　had　pushed　her　over　the　edge。　Now；　in　addition　to　a　maid　and　a　chef　on　the　payroll；　she　also　had　a　reflexologist；　an　astrologist；　and　a　crystal…arts　healer。　And　apparently；　a　dog…yoga　teacher；　too。

It　takes　a　village。

“So；　how　is　New　York？”　Eleanor　asked；　doga　forgotten。

Blair　shrugged；　even　though　her　mom　couldn’t　see　her。　She　flipped　the　channels　on　the　muted　TV；　setting　down　the　remote　when　she　got　to　an　old　black…and…white　film。　“It’s　sort　of　weird　to　not　have　a　home　here　anymore。”

“That　must　be　hard；”　Eleanor’s　voice　softened　a　bit。　“But　you　must　be　having　fun　showing　Pete　around。　Has　he　met　Serena　and　Nate　yet？”

No；　but　he　knows　all　about　them。

“Yeah；”　Blair　said　dismissively。　“But　I　don’t　think　I’ll　be　back　here　for　a　while。”　She　took　a　bite　of　crispy　bacon　and　wiped　her　fingers　on　the　duvet。

“Blair；　don’t　be　ridiculous。　It’s　your　city　no　matter　where　we　live。　Now；　do　me　a　favor；　go　to　Barneys　and　buy　yourself　something　fabulous；”　her　mother　urged。　Mookie　barked　in　the　background。　“Oops。　I　think　Mookie’s　losing　his　focus。　Gotta　jet—love　you；　sweetie！”　Eleanor　trilled　before　hanging　up。

Blair　sighed　and　lay　back　on　the　bed。　If　only　her　life　could　be　sorted　out　by　a　pair　of　Manolos。　But　Eleanor　did　have　a　point。　It　wasn’t　healthy　to　be　by　herself　in　the　room；　watching　endless　ancient　movies　and　episodes　of　year…in…review　shows。　Maybe　a　little　shopping　trip　was　what　she　needed。　Audrey　had　said　that　nothing　bad　could　ever　happen　at　Tiffany；　but　surely　that　rule　applied　to　Barneys；　too。

After　her　shower；　Blair　pulled　on　a　pair　of　new　J　Brand　skinny　jeans　she’d　ordered；　pleased　that　they　felt　a　little　loose　around　her　hips；　and　pulled　on　a　thin　eggplant…colored　Theory　cashmere　sweater。　She　belted　her　Burberry　coat；　pausing　for　a　moment　at　the　door。　What　if　Pete　came　back　and　she　wasn’t　here？　She　shook　her　head；　dismissing　the　notion；　and　let　the　door　close　with　a　definitive　click。

She　rode　the　elevator　downstairs　and　tromped　noisily　through　the　parquet　floor　lobby　in　her　dusty　pink　Chanel　pointy…toed　boots。　She　passed　through　the　revolving　door　and　took　a　deep　breath。　The　air　felt　cold　but　fresh。　She　looked　hopefully　at　the　bright　blue　sky。　This　was　a　new　day。

Blair　stepped　into　one　of　the　yellow　cabs　idling　at　the　entrance　of　the　hotel。　“Sixtieth　and　Madison；”　she　manded；　feeling　better　than　she　had　in　almost　a　week。

It　is　called　retail　therapy　for　a　reason。

She　entered　Barneys；　invigorated　by　the　multicolored　purses；　the　scent　of　Creed　Fleurissimo　in　the　air；　the　upbeat　chatter　of　excited　shoppers　surrounding　her。　In　her　hotel　room；　time　had　felt　suspended。　Here；　people　were　moving；　buying；　laughing　in　a　way　that　was　reassuring。

Blair　followed　a　thirtysomething　Gucci…clad　woman　toward　the　elevator　bank。　She　had　honey　blond　hair；　an　Hermès　scarf　tied　around　her　neck；　and　a　huge　five…carat　diamond　ring　on　her　left　hand。　She’d　probably　never　been　left　by　her　boyfriend；　Blair　thought　jealously。

Upstairs；　she　idly　strolled　through　the　expansive　loftlike　space；　not　looking　for　anything；　but　shopping　purely　on　instinct。　She’d　know　what　she　needed　when　she　saw　it。　She　picked　out　a　black　and　white　dress　by　Alexander　Wang　that　was　hanging　by　itself　on　a　silver　rack　in　the　center　of　the　sparsely　filled　floor。　It　looked　like　something　Edie　Sedgwick　might　have　worn　to　a　fabulous　Factory　party。

“May　I　help　you；　miss？”　A　saleswoman　came　up　to　her　eagerly；　her　Prada　pumps　clacking　against　the　floor。　Her　name　tag　read　DANIELLE。

“Thanks。”　Blair　offered　a　small　smile　as　she　plucked　the　dress　from　the　rack。　The　tag　sewn　into　the　thick　wool　said　eight；　far　too　large　for　Blair’s　size…two　frame。　“I　need　this　in　a　two。”

Danielle’s　friendly　smile　turned　into　a　frown。　“I’m　sorry；　it’s　the　only　size　we　have　left。　It　does　run　small　though。　Would　you　like　to　try　it？”