el was going to
totally lose his shit when she told him。
“Hello？” Daniel Humphrey answered his cell phone on the third ring。
He was standing on the corner of Seventy…seventh Street and West
End Avenue； outside Riverside Prep； smoking a cigarette。 He
squinted his dark brown eyes； trying to block out the harsh October
sunlight。 Dan wasn’t into sun。 He spent most of his free time in his
room； reading morbid； existentialist poetry about the bitter fate of
being human。 He was pale； his hair was shaggy； and he was rock…
star thin。
Existentialism has a way of killing your appetite。
“Guess who’s back？” Dan heard his little sister squeal excitedly into
the phone。
Like Dan； Jenny was a bit of a loner； and when she needed someone
to talk to； she always called him。 She was the one who had bought
them both cell phones。
“Jenny； can’t this wait—” Dan started to say； sounding annoyed in
the way that only older brothers can。
“Serena van der Woodsen！” Jenny interrupted him。 “Serena is back
at Constance。 I saw her in Prayers。 Can you believe it？”
Dan watched a plastic coffee…cup lid skitter down the sidewalk。 A
red Saab sped down West End Avenue through a yellow light。 His
socks felt damp inside his brown suede Hush Puppies。
Serena van der Woodsen。 He took a long drag on his Camel。 His
hands were shaking so much he almost missed