Manhattan School of Arts chap 18
Summary : Nate and Chuck are friends. Blair and Serena are friends. They all gain places at the prestigious Manhattan School of Arts and the year is set to be very interesting. Definitely AU but may go on to contain other GG characters.
Hello! I know it's been a while and I am so sorry, I don't even have a decent excuse for leaving it this long, I guess work/exams/new year just takes away all my time :( but I am back with a new chap! Thank you so much for your reviews and alerts, they really do mean a lot and keep me writing :) I have discovered an app on my phone that allows me to basically use word, so hopefully I will update more regularly now I can write on the go! Anyway, thank you so so so much for continuing with this and hope you enjoy the chap!
ps, in the show..anyone else miss Chuck and Blair even interacting much? :( (evidently, i'm not a huge 'Dair' fan...too much hate history there for them to be a credible pairing imo)
And as always, a huge thanks to my beta Kate2008, who is speedy and awesome :)
Disclaimer : I'm sure you're all aware I don't own GG or any of its characters :( boo.
Blair awoke with a giant grin pasted on her face, today was the day she'd show that arrogant ass who was boss. She hopped out of bed, humming her song as she selected an outfit. As she placed a deep red headband in her dark curls to complete her look, Serena peered around the door, "Hey B!" Seeing Blair looking confident and ready, Serena walked in and sat down on Blair's bed. "Someone's smiling." She teased lightly, testing the waters.
"Of course." Blair said smugly before letting out a satisfied sigh, "Today will be a good day."
"I've always admired that about you." Serena sighed.
"What?" Blair snapped her head round and looked questioningly at her friend.
"The way you command a day to be something, and miraculously it seems to work out." Serena giggled.
"Says the girl who can get anything to work out without even trying!" Blair replied with a good natured grin.
"Not everything." Serena protested weakly with a shrug, although she knew there was some truth to Blair's words, "You look wonderful." She added as she caught Blair turning back to her reflection in the mirror again.
"Thanks, S." Blair regarded herself in the mirror, she'd opted for a casual navy one shouldered dress that stopped just above the knee, it was cinched at the waist with a dark red belt that went with her headband. She liked to match. Except when she matched with -
"And very slim." Serena added with a smile.
"Oh." Blair turned to she faced the mirror side on and grimaced, the dress was a wonder at hiding her imperfections.
"I mean it, B!" Serena insisted, sensing Blair's hesitation. "Ready to face the music?" Serena giggled as she realized her pun.
Blair allowed herself a wry smile, "Absolutely." She smiled confidently at her reflection, if only to reassure her racing heart. She would not let nerves get the better of her. She turned to face her friend, "Now get out of here so I can change for dance." She needed to work off the nervous energy before her performance.
"Okay." Serena smiled, hopping off the bed, "I'll meet you in the living room."
Blair emerged ten minutes later in casual attire and the two girls left the apartment. They'd just stepped into the elevator when a shout rang through the corridor, "Hold on!"
Recognizing Nate's voice, Serena grinned and hit the button to stop the lift doors closing, "Hey you." She smiled at him as he stepped into the elevator and placed a kiss on Serena's waiting lips.
"Hi." Blair smiled at Nate, a smile that didn't last as Chuck followed him into the elevator.
"Waldorf." He smirked at her, eyes twinkling.
"Bass." She ground out, "What are you doing here?"
"Well…we are ten floors up, as much as I'm sure you'd love for me to throw myself off the top of the building…" He proclaimed dramatically, "I'd much rather take the lift." He grinned at her.
"Don't be silly." Blair shot back staring straight ahead, "That's not what I meant." She paused before adding, "And for the record, I couldn't care less what you do."
Serena and Nate exchanged an awkward look as they stood in the confined space, feeling the tension radiate off the two bodies stood behind them.
"Are we still talking about me taking the lift?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, smirking as he noticed her cheeks redden very slightly.
Blair opened her mouth to reply and breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator dinged to a stop, saved by the bell. "We're not talking." She shot him a final glare before tossing her chocolate curls over her shoulder and stepping out of the small space. She walked quickly towards the building door before realising she was alone, "Serena!"
The blonde scurried over to her friend with a nervous look, "Well B, the thing is, Nate's going to Dance too, so I thought we could walk together..." she trailed off, looking uncertainly at her friend.
Blair glanced over at Chuck and Nate who had caught up with them and were standing awkwardly by, "I guess it makes sense for him to come with us," She sighed, "But what're you," She turned to Chuck, "Like his babysitter or something?" She asked scathingly.
"Something like that." "NO!" Chuck and Nate responded simultaneously and Blair couldn't help but smile at Chuck's casual and Nate's indignant manner.
"Whatever." She said flippantly, "Come on S, let's go, we're wasting time standing around here and I swear if that Bass is the reason I'm late for anything..."
"Okay, okay." Serena replied hastily as she allowed herself to be pulled from the building. "Guys, come on!" She held her hand out towards them and Nate grabbed it laughing, Chuck and Blair rolled their eyes and smirked at each other before Blair remembered she was hating him. In that moment though, she hated Serena more as she ran off with Nate giggling.
"Looks like it's just you and me." Chuck commented, eyeing her up.
"Lucky me." Blair did not even try to conceal the sarcasm in her voice.
"Don't be so rude, Waldorf. I'm kind enough to walk you to your class and this is how you repay me?" Chuck said in a hurt voice.
"I didn't ask for you company." Blair shot back, "What are you doing anyway? You don't have class until after lunch."
"How do you know that?" Chuck asked suspiciously, hiding his playful tone.
"Oh for heaven's sake." Blair replied in an exasperated voice, "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Dance is the only class they do here before lunch. And you don't do dance."
"I could have done dance." Chuck mused thoughtfully, almost to himself.
Blair scoffed at his response, "Oh sure." Chuck scowled, again with her sarcasm. "And why didn't you?"
"Well God save me if I upset your triple threat status." He smiled at her, thinking back to the day he first saw the little brunette. As much as he loathed to admit it, things changed that day, he had never pursued a girl who put up such a fight before.
Blair laughed, "Good answer."
"I aim to please."
"I'm sure you do." Blair replied, more suggestively than she'd intended.
Chuck smirked as they arrived at the building, "I guess this is where we part." He gestured towards it.
"Yes. See you later Bass!" Blair called and before he could reply she disappeared quickly into the building and away from sight. She frowned at herself as she hurried away, that was definitely an un-Waldorf like exit but being pleasant to each other just felt wrong - well, it felt so right it made Blair extremely uncomfortable and she just had to get away. Sighing, she took a deep breath and entered the dance hall hoping she would be able to get through the next 2 hours without Chuck penetrating her thoughts
Chuck stared after her as he always seemed to do when she walked or in this case, practically ran, away from him. She was the strangest girl, he decided, prone to mood swings and impossible to read - even for Chuck Bass, who prided himself in his intuitiveness when it came to women. He'd always thought if he encountered a near equal, he would hate him (for some reason Chuck had always assumed if there was anyone near equal to him, it would be a guy). But Blair Waldorf proved him wrong on both counts, firstly she was very much not a guy, and secondly he did not hate her - infact, he was absolutely fascinated by her.
Chuck frowned at himself, he definitely needed to be careful. He was discovering a new side to himself that whilst he didn't hate it, absolutely terrified him.
Two hours later, Blair left dance a much happier person, she'd worked off a bit of the nervous energy that she'd woken with that morning and they'd been working on a slow lyrical dance piece that had given her a chance to put things into perspective. And by 'things' she meant the situation with a certain Chuck Bass. By the end of the two hour session, she had concluded that there was in fact no situation and that it was entirely pointless to work herself up about something or someone so insignificant. Complicated was something Blair could happily do without and Chuck was exactly that.
"Ready for lunch B?" Serena pulled Blair from her thoughts as they packed up their bags in the dance studio.
"Sure." Blair shrugged casually, already thinking ahead to what awaited her at the end of lunch. "Your choice." she smiled at the blonde.
"Well, I'm not that hungry really" Serena replied, "Let's just grab a sandwich and a coffee," She paused, "Just a water for you, gotta preserve that voice." She added with a grin.
"What would I do without you eh?" Blair smirked.
"Drink coffee." Serena giggled and Blair couldn't help but smile fondly at her friend. "Just gotta say bye to Nate, I'll just be a sec." She hurried off towards Nate who was smiling at them from across the room, he wrapped his arms around Serena as she smiled adoringly up at him and gave him a kiss before pulling herself away and running back to Blair.
"Let's go." The girls made their way through campus and found a cafe they both agreed on before entering.
"So..." Serena started as soon as they settled down, "Can I come watch your performance?" She looked at Blair hopefully.
"What?" Blair laughed, "No S, sorry but it's a class performance only." She paused, glancing suspiciously at her friends across the table, "You've already heard me sing it anyway, why the sudden interest?"
"No reason!" Serena protested unconvincingly and proceeded to stare hard at the menu before her.
"Serena!"
"Okay fine," Serena put the menu down, "But if Nate asks, I didn't tell you."
"What!" Blair frowned impatiently at Serena in confusion, "Definitely not following you right now S."
"Basically, Nate said that Chuck's stressing out over this performance...going back and forth with song choices and stuff."
"So?" Blair asked flippantly, although the fact that Chuck was the least bit concerned with the performance was news to her, she figured he'd put as much effort into it as he did with most things in life, which was very little - except when it came to annoying her, that he seemed to spend a lot of time on.
"Well, you can't deny there's some weird chemistry between you two." Serena started uncertainly before being cut off almost immediately by Blair.
"Absolutely not, I refuse to entertain that idea." Blair snapped, but feeling heat rising to her cheeks. Before, she could just pretend she was imagining something between her and Chuck, but now Serena had mentioned it, she couldn't even do that.
"Alright, alright," Serena backtracked hastily, "I hadn't figured it was such a sensitive topic for you." She added under her breath with a suppressed grin.
"It's not." Blair replied hotly. "I just don't like people speculating over things they don't understand." She glared pointedly at her friend, then relaxed with a sigh as she saw Serena's upset look. "I just need to get through this afternoon. That's all."
"Fine. I was just saying, you're not the only one fretting over it."
"Noted, thank you."
The rest of the lunch passed in idle chatter for the two girls as Blair stressed over her performance and Serena did her best to reassure her. As they were paying, Serena's phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller id and pulled a face, "Nate." She looked apologetically at Blair.
"Go, go. I've got to head to Vocals now anyway." Blair said, glancing at her watch.
"Ok B, if you're sure." The two stood and Serena wrapped her arms around Blair in a massive hug, "Good luck. I'll be back at the apartment after."
"I've got Drama straight after, but I'll come find you after that." Blair smiled as Serena released her and went on her way.
With a few minutes to spare, Blair strolled leisurely towards the Vocals building. As she approached her classroom, she released a breath she hadn't known she was holding as she stood outside the door, contemplating the task ahead.
"Are you going to just stand there all day?" An annoyed voice broke through her thoughts. When she made no reply, he continued, "Scared?"
This prompted an immediate reaction from Blair, "Of course not!" She muttered without turning around before storming into the room and seating herself on a stool next to Ryan.
Chuck stared after her and chuckled before casually walking into the room, taking a seat in the vacant stool next to her. Blair groaned.
Mr. Silmer entered the room soon after with a huge grin on his face. "Hello again, it's been a while!" He greeted the class of expectant faces. "This is my favorite part of the whole year. Let's see what you've got." He looked down at a notebook in his hands, "First up…Sarah and John." He gestured at the open space in the middle of the room, "Take it away."
Chuck and Blair couldn't help but exchange smug glances as they sat through the performances of the four other couples, clearly with the same thought in mind, good – but not exceptional. Although Ryan had sent shivers down Blair's spine with his rendition of You've Got the Love, even though Paula was standing by, Ryan was clearly directing his song at Blair. A fact that did not escape Chuck as he narrowed his eyes at the blonde boy, this turned into a full on glare as he noticed Blair smile back at Ryan. Chuck shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and after what seemed like an age, the song finished. Needless to say, he did not join in as enthusiastically with the applause as the rest of the class.
"And we come to our final couple, Chuck and Blair." Mr. Silmer said, eyeing the pair with interest, he had heard their performance in the karaoke bar during the first week at MSA and that was partly the reason he had paired the two together. There was something between them that exploded when they sang. "The stage is yours."
"Thank you." Blair said politely, as they walked to the centre of the room.
"Duet, or solo performances first?"
Blair spoke to Chuck and the two nodded at each other before Chuck returned to his stool.
"Solos first please." Blair replied, it was now or never and although never one to let nerves get the better of her, she feared if she did not sing the song now, she would struggle later.
The passed her backing CD to the guy in charge of the music and nodded after she'd placed herself in the middle of the room.
The opening tune of the song played and Chuck almost laughed. He'd spent a long time speculating over her song choice but he hadn't ever considered this.
Blair took a deep breath and began to sing.
I hope you hang yourself with your Gucci scarf
While jacking off listening to Mozart
A ghost of a smile graced he lips as she closed her eyes and continued to sing.
You bitch and moan about MSA
Wishing you were in the rain reading Hemingway
You don't eat meat
And drive electrical cars
Blair smirked as she approached Chuck slowly, grinning as she sang the next lines, looking pointedly as his pale skin.
You're so indie rock it's almost an art
You need SPF 45 just to stay alive
She circled Chuck's stool, smirking as she got to the chorus, evidently enjoying herself.
You're so gay and you don't even like boys
No you don't even like
No you don't even like
No you don't even like boys
She slowed to a stop directly in front of him and looked him straight in the eye,
You walk around like you're oh so debonair
You pull em' down and there's really nothing there
I wish you would just be real with me
She winked playfully at him and there were titters amongst the class. Chuck didn't even care that she was totally taking the piss out of him, in fact, he admired her for it.
Blair slowly made her way back to the centre of the room and sang the last chorus,
You're so gay and you don't even like boys
No you don't even like
No you don't even like
No you don't even like boys
She stood, breathing lightly as she soaked up the applause, and shot Chuck a smug look, nailed it.
Chuck wasn't entirely sure what to do as he put his hands together and clapped, she had definitely nailed it. Her vocals had been flawless and her performance oozed confidence. The girl had guts.
Blair made a final curtsey before returning to her stool and sitting down with a satisfied grin. She smiled at Chuck, to show there were no hard feelings and Chuck returned the smile whole heartedly before standing and taking his place in the centre of the room.
He grinned as he heard the opening bars of the backing music,
If I could write you a song,
and make you fall in love,
I would already have you up under my arm.
He stared Blair straight in the eye and winked.
I used to pull all my tricks,
I hope that you like this.
But you probably won't,
You think you're cooler than me.
He sang the next lines tauntingly at her,
You got designer shades,
Just to hide your face and
You wear them around like
You're cooler than me.
And you never say hey,
Or remember my name.
It's probably cuz,
You think you're cooler than me.
Like Blair did, he stood in front of her and sang directly at her.
See I got you,
All figured out,
You need everyone's eyes just to feel seen.
Although Blair smiled back good humouredly, he noticed her shift uncomfortably on her stool, a reaction he had anticipated. The lyrics hit close to home.
Girl, you're so vain,
You probably think that this song is about you.
Don't you? don't you?
Blair laughed and shrugged casually in response to his words.
If I could write you a song,
And make you fall in love,
I would already have you up under my arm.
Chuck grinned cheekily as he placed an arm over Blair's shoulders.
I used to pull all my tricks,
I hope that you like this.
But you probably won't,
You think you're cooler than me.
Chuck and Blair stared at each other as the song came to an end, for a few moments they continued to just look at one another until the class applause broke them out of their world. Blair wriggled slightly under Chuck's arm as she shrugged it off. Chuck shook his head at himself as he walked back to the middle of the room to take a bow. And just like that, an electric moment between them had passed.
"Wow. You two have great stage presence." Mr. Silmer gushed from his seat, "Can't wait to see what you have prepared for your duet."
Chuck acknowledged his comment with a nod as he went to his guitar case, Blair simply muttered a gracious 'thanks'.
Blair placed two stools in the middle of the room and sat on one whilst she waited for Chuck to get his guitar out. "We're going to sing Battlefield." She announced to the class as Chuck took his seat next to her. She nodded at him, indicating for him to start.
She closed her eyes and hummed under her breath until she came in, then she opened her eyes and sang directly to Chuck. She surprised herself by not feeling shy of afraid of the sparks that undeniably flew between them. Something had changed in the last ten minutes, and judging by the look on his face, he'd felt it too.
Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute it's love
And suddenly it's like a battlefield.
Chuck kept his eyes on her as he sang,
One word turns into a war
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down?
My world's nothing when you don't
I'm not here without a shield
Can't go back now
Blair drew a deep breath as she joined him,
Both hands, tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
Why we gotta fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for.
Blair relaxed as she listened to Chuck sing the next verse,
Can't swallow our pride
Neither of us wanna raise that flag
If we can't surrender then we both gonna lose
What we had, oh no
She was surprised by the serious tone of his voice, for the first time he sounded like he actually meant the words.
I guess you better go and get your armor
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor
Get your armor
To tell the truth, Blair didn't want to gear up for a fight against Chuck, it was exhausting and against her natural instinct. Whenever they were with each other the slipped easily into conversation and Blair had to constantly remind herself that she didn't like him. That wasn't the right circumstance for a war.
We could pretend that we are friends tonight
And in the morning we'll wake up and we'll be alright
'Cause baby, we don't have to fight
And I don't want this love to feel like
Chuck watched Blair's reaction intently as he sang, his heart quickened as he saw a shy smile form on her lips. He sang with meaning then, something Chuck never thought he'd be able to do. He knew he had an amazing voice, but he'd always been told that he lacked the passion necessary for his voice to take him far, that he didn't understand the words he was singing. But singing to Blair now, he found his voice filled with a desperation for her to understand that he meant what he sang.
The two never broke eye contact as they sang the last part in harmony,
I never meant
to start a war
Don't even know
What we're fighting for.
The class held their breath as the echoes of the final chord died away. Even when they burst into applause, Chuck and Blair continued to stare at each other, breathing heavily. It was only when the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson and the students started to exit the room did they break their gaze. Blair quickly returned to her bag as Chuck went to pack up his guitar.
By the time they were ready to leave they were the only students left in the room. "Wow. Just wow." Mr. Silmer approached them, "That was really something. One of the best performances I've seen in my fifteen years teaching at MSA." He declared as he grinned enthusiastically at them, "Your voices compliment each others beautifully." He walked towards the door before turning back and adding, "Oh, and Chuck?"
"Yes Sir?" Chuck looked up from his guitar case, still in a bit of a daze.
"I don't know what your references were talking about. That was one of the most passion filled performances I've ever seen." He smiled a final time and strolled off, whistling the tune of Battlefield.
"Seems like you and I make a good pair." Blair smiled ruefully as she turned to leave. "See you, Bass."
She'd made it halfway through the room before he responded, "Blair, wait." He stood up and quickly closed the space between them, "The passion that he was talking about…" He trailed off as he looked away from Blair.
Blair brought a hand to his cheek and turned his face to face her, "Chuck Bass. Are you blushing?" She teased but a soft smile played on her lips.
"No." Chuck replied indignantly, "Maybe. Yes." He sighed, he couldn't fight her anymore. "It was you. You brought the passion out of me. I meant every word I said."
"Me too." Blair admitted, "I'm tired of fighting, do you know how difficult it is to make sure I'm always one step ahead of you?" She swatted him playfully on the arm.
"Are you joking?" Chuck looked at her wide eyed, "You were not one step ahead of me."
Blair laughed, "You know I was. It's okay to admit it Chuck, I won't tell anyone." She winked devilishly at him and that was the final straw for Chuck.
He pulled her roughly against him and placed a kiss on her lips that he quickly deepened when she didn't pull away. Blair's body melted into his as she wrapped her arms around him. After what could have been several minutes, he pulled away, "Bet you didn't see that coming." His eyes twinkled as he looked down at her, she stared up at him and couldn't help the huge smile that broke out across her face.
For the first time in his life, Chuck Bass wanted to capture a moment and keep it forever.
There you go, phew. Hope you enjoyed it, and as always, reviews are much loved!
Ingrid x