A Boutique on the Upper East Side; New York City
Sitting around in a store where all the clothes were both way out of Dan's price range and mainly for women wasn't exactly on Dan's list of fun things to do.
"You know, usually when you text someone saying there's an emergency there's usually some kind of, I don't know, dire situation you need help with," Dan said to his sister.
"This is an emergency. A fashion emergency," Jenny said, adjusting the straps on the red dress she was trying on. "I've never been to a big dance like this before."
"Well neither have I."
"Yeah, but mom's gone and dad's allergic to department stores," Jenny said. She twirled around to face Dan. "What do you think of this?"
Dan took a moment to look at the dress, even though he had no experience in picking out these things. "You look good, Jen. Really, you do."
Jenny beamed. "Thanks. Too bad it costs more than our rent, but I think I can sew something like it--"
There was a pause and Jenny looked over Dan's shoulder with a surprised look on her face. "Oh my god. It's Serena."
Dan whipped his head around and, sure enough, the girl of his dreams was walking into the store they were in. Jenny grabbed her purse and walked past Dan, fishing for something in it. "Hey, Serena!"
Holy god, why was she talking to Serena? Dan felt like he was having a mild panic attack. He needed to get out of there, but Serena was blocking the exit. Improvising, Dan did the one thing he thought he could do.
He hid inside a clothes rack nearby.
This wasn't his proudest moment, no.
Serena made her way towards Jenny, and Dan could hear what they were saying, and managed to sneak a peak of what was going on. Man, Serena looked beautiful.
"Hey, Jenny, right?" Serena said, smiling.
Jenny smiled back, looking absolutely thrilled that Serena remembered her. "Yeah, hi!"
Serena made a gesture to her side and Dan had to tilt his head a little, but he saw that there was a young guy standing next to her. "This is my--"
"Stylist, and personal shopper, Eric," the kid joked. "Hi."
"Hey. Oh, and this is my..." Jenny turned and frowned. Dan simultaneously congratulated himself on his hiding spot and rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "Um..."
Dan felt this was all kind of weird, after all the stuff the older Chuck told him. Okay, he knew that some version of him had dated Serena, and he was not trying to get too excited about that at all, because it was the same version that got Serena and Chuck as stepsiblings later on. It was all very confusing and Dan had wished that Chuck had never opened his mouth about anything. His future didn't have to be that future, he knew that, but with his parents on the rocks and Serena coming home, it looked like it was heading in that direction.
"Is that your dress for the Kiss On The Lips party?" Serena asked Jenny, jolting Dan out of his thoughts.
"Sort of," Jenny said, looking a bit embarrassed as she held out an invite that she made. "Speaking of--here. I made you one during free period. But if anyone asks, you didn't get it from me."
Dan frowned. Who wouldn't want Serena at a party? He thought it was being thrown by her friends.
"Thanks," Serena said, giving Jenny a smile. She absentmindedly put the invite into her purse, and in doing so her cell phone dropped to the ground. No one but Dan seemed to notice. "I might see you there. Oh, and Jenny? That dress would look amazing in black."
"Black, thanks," she said. Jenny waited until Serena left before turning back to where she saw her brother last. "Dan?"
In what would be a pretty embarrassing display if he were doing it in front of anybody but his sister, Dan managed to crawl out of the dressing rack. "Um, hey."
"I had no idea you could move that fast," Jenny said, looking amused. "Your thing for Serena is ridiculous."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dan said, walking over so he could pick up the phone Serena dropped.
Jenny was not buying it. "Come on, Dan, Serena said hi to you during a party in the ninth grade and you haven't forgotten it."
"How could I? She was the only person that spoke to me," Dan said. "She probably thought I was someone else."
"You know, she's actually really nice," Jenny told him. "And if she did know you, I think she'd really like you."
Dan rolled his eyes. "I don't know, she might be overwhelmed by the glitz and glamor of the Humphrey lifestyle."
"I heard she's living at the Palace Hotel now."
"My point exactly." The Palace is where Chuck lived for god's sake.
"But you're missing my point," Jenny said, looking down at the cell phone in Dan's hands. "She needs her phone back."
"Oh. Right." Dan frowned. "I guess I should go give it back to her."
Jenny grinned and pushed Dan towards the exit. "I'll tell Dad you'll be late for dinner. Have fun."
[NFI and NFB due to distance. Events tweaked and taken from Gossip Girl 1x01]
"You know, usually when you text someone saying there's an emergency there's usually some kind of, I don't know, dire situation you need help with," Dan said to his sister.
"This is an emergency. A fashion emergency," Jenny said, adjusting the straps on the red dress she was trying on. "I've never been to a big dance like this before."
"Well neither have I."
"Yeah, but mom's gone and dad's allergic to department stores," Jenny said. She twirled around to face Dan. "What do you think of this?"
Dan took a moment to look at the dress, even though he had no experience in picking out these things. "You look good, Jen. Really, you do."
Jenny beamed. "Thanks. Too bad it costs more than our rent, but I think I can sew something like it--"
There was a pause and Jenny looked over Dan's shoulder with a surprised look on her face. "Oh my god. It's Serena."
Dan whipped his head around and, sure enough, the girl of his dreams was walking into the store they were in. Jenny grabbed her purse and walked past Dan, fishing for something in it. "Hey, Serena!"
Holy god, why was she talking to Serena? Dan felt like he was having a mild panic attack. He needed to get out of there, but Serena was blocking the exit. Improvising, Dan did the one thing he thought he could do.
He hid inside a clothes rack nearby.
This wasn't his proudest moment, no.
Serena made her way towards Jenny, and Dan could hear what they were saying, and managed to sneak a peak of what was going on. Man, Serena looked beautiful.
"Hey, Jenny, right?" Serena said, smiling.
Jenny smiled back, looking absolutely thrilled that Serena remembered her. "Yeah, hi!"
Serena made a gesture to her side and Dan had to tilt his head a little, but he saw that there was a young guy standing next to her. "This is my--"
"Stylist, and personal shopper, Eric," the kid joked. "Hi."
"Hey. Oh, and this is my..." Jenny turned and frowned. Dan simultaneously congratulated himself on his hiding spot and rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "Um..."
Dan felt this was all kind of weird, after all the stuff the older Chuck told him. Okay, he knew that some version of him had dated Serena, and he was not trying to get too excited about that at all, because it was the same version that got Serena and Chuck as stepsiblings later on. It was all very confusing and Dan had wished that Chuck had never opened his mouth about anything. His future didn't have to be that future, he knew that, but with his parents on the rocks and Serena coming home, it looked like it was heading in that direction.
"Is that your dress for the Kiss On The Lips party?" Serena asked Jenny, jolting Dan out of his thoughts.
"Sort of," Jenny said, looking a bit embarrassed as she held out an invite that she made. "Speaking of--here. I made you one during free period. But if anyone asks, you didn't get it from me."
Dan frowned. Who wouldn't want Serena at a party? He thought it was being thrown by her friends.
"Thanks," Serena said, giving Jenny a smile. She absentmindedly put the invite into her purse, and in doing so her cell phone dropped to the ground. No one but Dan seemed to notice. "I might see you there. Oh, and Jenny? That dress would look amazing in black."
"Black, thanks," she said. Jenny waited until Serena left before turning back to where she saw her brother last. "Dan?"
In what would be a pretty embarrassing display if he were doing it in front of anybody but his sister, Dan managed to crawl out of the dressing rack. "Um, hey."
"I had no idea you could move that fast," Jenny said, looking amused. "Your thing for Serena is ridiculous."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dan said, walking over so he could pick up the phone Serena dropped.
Jenny was not buying it. "Come on, Dan, Serena said hi to you during a party in the ninth grade and you haven't forgotten it."
"How could I? She was the only person that spoke to me," Dan said. "She probably thought I was someone else."
"You know, she's actually really nice," Jenny told him. "And if she did know you, I think she'd really like you."
Dan rolled his eyes. "I don't know, she might be overwhelmed by the glitz and glamor of the Humphrey lifestyle."
"I heard she's living at the Palace Hotel now."
"My point exactly." The Palace is where Chuck lived for god's sake.
"But you're missing my point," Jenny said, looking down at the cell phone in Dan's hands. "She needs her phone back."
"Oh. Right." Dan frowned. "I guess I should go give it back to her."
Jenny grinned and pushed Dan towards the exit. "I'll tell Dad you'll be late for dinner. Have fun."
[NFI and NFB due to distance. Events tweaked and taken from Gossip Girl 1x01]