[February 15th, the Catscratch Club]

[turnthebadinme]

Spotted: Nate Archibald, birthday boy extraordinaire. When in doubt, it's been said, turn to the local strip club. It may not exactly be tea and cupcakes or dinner at Socialista, but with the alcohol flowing and friends around, who cares? I'm sorry, was that sappy? Call me nostalgic, but put these Upper East Siders in a club and I just know all my

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[learnwhatsreal]

In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to have invited Jason as her +1 to Nate's birthday party. All things considered, though, Jenny wasn't overly concerned. As far as anyone else had to know, the two of them were just friends, if friends with an unusually large age gap between them. And sure, Serena knew about the kiss at midnight on New Year's, but that was always an exception, and it wasn't like anyone else had been there with her.

They'd specified no presents, but Jenny had come with gifts anyway: some clothes she had made, in what she had eyeballed to be as close to Nate's size as she could get them without asking him for measurements. Her dress, though, wasn't one of her own creations, but rather a Badgley Mischka she'd borrowed from Serena, with Louboutin heels to go with it. If ever there were a time to look her best, she figured this was it.

[turnthebadinme]

For her own part, Serena was having a blast, happy with the way everything had come together, easily thrilled by little things. Heading over to Jenny, she laid a hand on her shoulder as she looked her over, grinning. "It really suits you," she said, pleased with the overall effect. The island had been kind to her and she saw no reason not to share the bounty. "Are you having fun?"

[learnwhatsreal]

"Oh, yes," Jenny said eagerly, bouncing just a little. "This came together so well, it really was a great idea." Privately, she was pleased they'd decided to hold it in the strip club. It wasn't like she was interested in watching people pole dance or whatever, but just knowing that she wouldn't have otherwise been allowed in only heightened its appeal. "And the dress is perfect, thank you so much."

[turnthebadinme]

"It's really no problem," Serena insisted, shaking her head absently. With a closetful of dresses, it wasn't like she didn't have enough to go around. As for the idea, she was sure it wasn't the most original, but at least they were first. That wasn't supposed to mean anything, and the part of her that felt guilty for being giddy over couture felt bad about that note of entitlement, too, but it was true all the same. They were always meant to be first, and no one else had had a party at the club yet. "I'm just glad it all worked out and that the cake's probably not going to poison anyone."

[learnwhatsreal]

"'Probably' being the operative word in that sentence?" Jenny asked, one corner of her mouth hitching up in a smirk. She was teasing, of course, and obviously so. At the very least, previous parties had made clear enough that there was no chance of that, and there was no way Serena would have gotten anything less than the best, anyway. It was different here than back home, of course, but the Upper East Siders had still somehow managed to keep their reputation intact.

[turnthebadinme]

"Yes," Serena agreed, sheepish, wrinkling up her nose even as she laughed. "But Ellie helped me with it -" Her gaze automatically flickered through the crowd to find Ellie where she stood. "- so it should be safe. Maybe even edible?" She had to hope, at least. That might have been, to some extent, what cooking class was for, but then, they weren't covering the baking part.

[learnwhatsreal]

"Oh, well, in that case," Jenny laughed, eyebrows raised, as if that were all the more reason to give the cake a try. Actually, it kind of was. She'd have tried it either way, of course, but that wouldn't have said anything for baking skills that Serena may or may not have possessed. "When are we doing cake, anyway? Soon?"

[turnthebadinme]

"Yeah," Serena said, nodding, rocking back on her heels with practiced ease. "Soon. I should check when Nate wants to do that in a bit." It was his party, after all; they'd only organized it.

[learnwhatsreal]

"I should find him, too," Jenny said in agreement, nodding. "I haven't yet, and I brought presents. I mean, nothing big, just a couple shirts. I figured there was no reason not to." It was a peace offering of sorts, a way to put all that lingering awkwardness behind them. Any feelings she had about him aside, he was too good a friend to leave things like this.

[turnthebadinme]

All Serena had managed for Nate was a party and a cake. Though she knew that he, of all her friends, minded the least about that kind of thing, it still felt kind of hollow. It should have been the opposite, she thought, that the material things should have been what felt like they weren't enough. It was what they knew, though, and she couldn't provide more than a ghost of their home experience. "I'm sure he'll love it."