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[turnthebadinme]

Try though Serena might to keep herself busy, sooner or later, around here, it seemed she always ran out of things to do. More often than not, she wound up sitting in the Hub on the weekends, just to be somewhere with a crowd. It was a little sad, she thought, but more so because she knew, if he'd still been here, Chuck would have told her it was.

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[apoorupbringing]

Chase wandered into the Hub barely dressed and nut brown. He'd been hitting the surf with the board he'd gotten way back when it was snowing, and as he walked into his favorite place to get obliterated he leaned it against the wall. Carrying it back to the treehouse later would be a bitch. He was probably going to pass out on top of it on the beach.

Maybe he'd get eaten by crabs.

He pushed his hair back from his face with both hands where it stayed, coarser than usual with the drying salt water, and surveyed the bar. He smirked a little and ambled over to Serena.

"What is this, more speed dating? Don't even tell me you're chilling solo."

[turnthebadinme]

"Okay," Serena said, grinning, leaning her chin on her palm, "then I won't tell you. In case you hadn't noticed, Chase, I've been chilling solo for a long time now."

It just wasn't Blair's scene, for one thing, and for another, Nate had a girlfriend and Kate had never struck Serena as the type to hang out in bars. Times like this, it seemed like every guy around here was gay. At least she had Chase to keep her company.

[apoorupbringing]

He slid into the seat beside her and planted his elbows on the counter.

"I'll drink to that." He gestured to the person behind the bar, who looked at him with a sort of wary resignation which Chase chose to ignore, before returning his attention to Serena.

"So how's it going?"

[turnthebadinme]

"Very, very slowly," Serena decided, looking to the barkeep with a quick smile, following Chase's gesture. It was almost like home in this one respect - she never had to worry about who was paying for the drinks. She grinned at Chase, shaking her head. "No parties, no one keeping me company until just now - I was almost starting to miss school."

[apoorupbringing]

"Y'know, it's funny," Chase said, looking at the ceiling, "but I really don't miss school, like at all. I mean, I guess I'd be in college now?" He shrugged.

"Or in some time line I would be, anyway. Not the one I came from. But." His gaze went to track the bartender's movement. Drink now.

"Well, whatever."

[turnthebadinme]

"I always figured I'd be at Brown by now," Serena admitted. Maybe it had just been because it was her mother's alma mater, but it had seemed perfect back then. "But I don't know. The idea of college just doesn't seem right now, you know? I mean, maybe someday, but now... now I just miss having a life."

[apoorupbringing]

Chase accepted his drink from the bartender on duty with a nod, and drank about half of it down without blinking.

"This place isn't so bad," he said with a shrug. It was possible, though, that was both lying and not entirely sure what month it was.

[turnthebadinme]

"What, the Hub?" Serena asked, brow going up. "'cause the rest of it -" She stopped and sighed. This time last year, she'd been in love with this place, with the whole goddamn world. Now she was down two brothers and a boyfriend. "It's hard to keep looking on the bright side when there isn't much of one left."

[apoorupbringing]

Chase didn't reply for a minute. He turned his glass in a circle on the bar, absently thumbing the rim.

"...Yeah," he said eventually. "The Hub." He took another drink.

[turnthebadinme]

She'd always been the bright one - not, maybe, when it came to intellect, but in terms of spirit, she'd been the group's sunshine and she tried hard to stay that way. Sitting in a bar, drawn to someone by dint of shared sadness, didn't sit right with her.

"Would you go back if you could?"

[apoorupbringing]

Chase nodded a little, shaking the ice around the glass.

"Oh, yeah, Heartbeat." He made a popping sound by pressing his lips together tight and then letting out a breath.

"Like that. But I mean, that's been true sine Gert went, and that was like..... jay eff see, I don't even know how long ago, now. A fuckin' while, though." He glanced at her, brow knotting at the center.

"Wouldn't you?"

[turnthebadinme]

"As fast as my feet could go." There was a time it was enough to know some other her was back there, but she wanted now to be the only one living her life. "I hate the idea of making Nate and Blair hurt like that, but... I just wanna be home."

[apoorupbringing]

"Yeah," Chase said.

"But if you don't, one of them will. It's kind of how this place works. Hopefully not Blair, though. Nothing against your boy Nate, he seems cool. Haven't talked to him much." He stared at his drink for a long moment, then finished it.

"That was shitty. I'm sorry I said that."

[turnthebadinme]

"No," Serena said quickly, swallowing against the lump in her throat, "it was true. It's part of living here. And... and Nate has more to lose. At least Blair would be happy to be home." It was strange; Nate had always been the only one to see this place as temporary and now he was the only one left with a stake in staying.

She choked on a half-hearted laugh, shaking her head. "God, this is horrible! Look at us, we should be having fun."

[apoorupbringing]

"What, getting shitfaced and maudlin doesn't fall into your 'fun' definition?" Chase scoffed, holding up a hand to flag down the bar tender again.

"New Yorkers are so picky. So, what, okay, let's make it happen."

[turnthebadinme]

"I didn't say I had anything against getting totally wasted," Serena informed him, smirking. "What, they like being sad in California?" There had to be an alternative to maudlin. "'cause I can do that on my own any day."