Sparks, Chapter Nine
TITLE: Sparks
DISCLAIMER: I don't own GG.
RATING: PG - 13 (for now)
SHIP: Nate + Jenny of Gossip Girl
SUMMARY: I'm really bad with summaries. Basically, this is a multi-chaptered fic that will map out what I think NJ's storyline should be like in season three.
So take a look at me now, there's just an empty space
There's nothing left here to remind me
just the memory of your face. Take a look at
me now, there's just an empty space
you coming back to me is against the odds
and that's what I've gotta face.
- The Postal Service
A day or two after his talk with Scott, Nate received a text from Serena. She wanted him to take a walk with her, and he happily obliged; Serena had been his best friend since childhood, and yes, for the longest time he'd been in love with her, but that was over now. He'd been extremely busy lately and honestly had no idea how to begin pursuing Jenny, so he could use Serena's counsel, even if she didn't exactly know the entire story about the two.
"Blair told me that Scott told her that you two talked about how Jenny needs you. I'm glad. I've been trying to fix things, you know, after what my father did," Serena said all in one breath, not even a second after they'd hugged hello. Nate silently nodded. Ever since the accident that killed Vanessa, Serena hadn't been the same. From the moment she heard the news to the second her father's trial started (Keith Van der Woodsen got off easy, like everyone knew he would) to even now, Serena carried a sad shadow in her eyes. Keith had skipped town not even days after the decision had been made, and Serena was heartbroken that her father hadn't changed at all. He had left, like he always did. And Serena had been trying to pick up the shattered pieces of the lives he'd left behind. She was desperately trying to piece everything back together again so that everyone could move on, all except for one person who was not in this world anymore, so that everyone could go on as if Keith had never come to New York and screwed things up.
"Jenny's been the most difficult to fix," Serena continued with a slight frown. "She's like my sister. She's not like she used to be, we all know that. But for the longest time I couldn't figure out why. I'd take her out to places and eventually I got Blair to come with us to see that Jenny had changed. But... why? Why did she change? Why was she so cold? One time I asked her why and she said it was because you had to be cold to be Queen. It made sense to me because I've been through that. You do have to be tough to be Queen. When I mentioned it to Blair she looked scared, though, and she told me about this conversation she'd had with Jenny months ago..." For a few minutes Serena took the time to tell Nate about the conversation Blair had told her about, word for word.
"But that party was months ago. Why would Jenny take words Blair said back in May and let them influence her life now?" Serena questioned, looking at Nate seriously. "Something must have happened. Dan and I saw you two hugging after Vanessa's funeral. Nate, please tell me everything that happened between you and Jenny. I need to know so I can make everything right again."
And so Nate told her. He told her about that night at the manor and how Scott and Vanessa had showed up and how all he'd wanted was Jenny. How Jenny had met him on his boat, how they'd kissed until they couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. And then how everything fell apart.
She nodded and clapped and sighed in all the right places and then at the end was silent. "And then you said that you loved Vanessa in that one interview. I heard Jenny mention it to Eric a few days after the funeral and she sounded so hurt."
Nate wanted to punch himself in the face. "I couldn't have not said it though. I mean, her family was right there. It wasn't like I romantically loved her still. All I wanted... all I want is Jenny."
Serena nodded. "Good, because I think you're the only one that can save her. And the best way to start off is by talking to Dan." Serena stopped then in front of a cafe, and Nate's heart rate quickened, and not in a good way.
"What?"
"Dan's inside. I told him to meet us here. If you're serious about Jenny, then you'll go in there and you two will sort things out. He's ready to talk, Nate."
Nate breathed in deeply and then nodded. The two entered the cafe to see Dan Humphrey already waiting at a table for three, and for a moment Nate felt pity for him. He was paler than usual and there were shadows under his eyes; he'd been like this since Vanessa's death. Nate was sure Jenny's odd behavior wasn't exactly helping. Nate sat down across from him, and Serena took the other seat. Dan looked at them for a moment, and then sighed.
"She's stopped designing, you know." Dan said hoarsely, staring into his coffee. Serena made a surprised sound and Nate blinked as Dan kept going. "She just doesn't care anymore. It used to be her passion and now... she just doesn't care." They were quiet for a time as a waitress came up and took Nate and Serena's orders. Serena was staring at Dan vividly, as if she were waiting for him to say something. No words came from his mouth until their coffees came.
"You're good for her, you know. Maybe you weren't before but you are now." Dan finally admitted, and Nate could feel some sort of relief bursting inside of him. "She needs you... I give you permission to go after her." Dan's mouth turned into a crooked smile at his word choice, and Nate managed a laugh. "Just please go slowly with her. Please."
"Of course. Thanks, Dan." Nate said when he was done laughing, glad that Dan didn't look at him like he hated him anymore.
Serena was smiling too and it felt odd, being able to smile for the first time in ages. Dan's smile was soon replaced by a distant expression and he was quiet for a while, sipping on his coffee, before becoming alert again. "Serena, you said there was something urgent. Something you had to tell me. Us."
"Oh, that's right." Serena blanched, her smile disappearing. "I completely forgot... Okay, so Eric came to me yesterday. I don't think you guys know her, but there's this girl named Emma at their school who seems to enjoy challenging Jenny for some reason. Well anyway, they're having a sort of competition tonight... I don't think she's going to listen to anyone but Nate about this..."
Dan looked confused. "What sort of competition are we talking about here? Like who can shop the most or something?"
"Not exactly." Serena looked pained. "Well... Emma's been obsessed with losing a certain card of hers for a long time. She and Jenny are going to see who can lose that card first tonight."
Dan blinked. "Like a Mastercard?"
"A certain card you carry in your back pocket..."
Nate almost spat out his coffee, but he ended up choking. Serena patted him on the back as he spluttered, "Her virginity?"
The whereabouts of Jenny Humphrey were revealed by Eric through multiple texts as Nate tried desperately to track her down that night. But for some reason, she was always one step ahead of him; a few minutes at this mall, that bar, this park. Eric could hardly keep up with Jenny, and he was actually with her, right there by her side. Eric had given up on trying to change Jenny's mind long ago. All the dangerous things she'd done lately hadn't been nearly as bad as this, though. Eric normally just went along with the flow, and occasionally he'd reprimand her, and sometimes Jenny would listen. And sometimes she wouldn't.
She wasn't satisfied with what she was seeing and she was getting impatient according to the texts Nate was getting. Only an hour after Nate's search begun was Eric able to get Jenny to agree to go to Butter, and Nate went there ahead of time.
'Tell her that there's a potential candidate on the roof.' Nate told Eric in a text when he reached Butter. They wouldn't come for several minutes, so Nate was able to lie down and stare at the muddy New York sky and catch his breath.
A while later Nate received a text from Eric that they had arrived, and he pulled himself to his feet and stood up, shoving his hands on his pockets. Nate realized that if she saw him as soon as she opened the door, she could turn and run, so Nate went to the railing and turned his back to the door, peering out at the city. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Eric would convince Jenny to go to the roof by herself... or maybe she wouldn't even care who was up here...
He heard her high heels clacking on the stairs before she opened the door, and he could hardly breathe. One would think he would get accustomed to becoming breathless because of Jenny Humphrey but that was simply not the case; it knocked him off his feet each and every time. And when she actually stepped onto the rooftop, the door shutting slowly closed behind her, he could hardly even remember how to breathe, because she was near him, a rare thing indeed. He heard her feet stepping closer until he was sure she was close to him, and he finally turned.
Jenny stared at him coldly. "I should have known. What are you doing here?" She demanded, and Nate stepped toward her. She didn't move.
"I'm preventing you from making one of the worst decisions you could ever make," Nate replied. "Look, Jenny... you don't want to lose your virginity in some competition. It means more than that."
"Are you really one to talk, Nate? Run by me how many girls you've slept with, again?" Her voice was harsh and Nate winced.
"And because I've been with so many, I can tell you that losing it like this is such a mistake."
"I really don't care, Nate."
Nate sighed and chewed on his bottom lip. Jenny turned to go but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, moving his hands to cup her face so that she had to look into his eyes. "Why are you acting like this? Like you don't care?"
"Are you serious? You're lost, too. You don't care about anything either." Jenny responded, and Nate came to the realization that her eyes weren't dead but simply lost and cold.
"But I care about you - why the hell else would I come here? Why the hell else do you think I always look after you? You're the one thing I care about." And he expected her to say something like I know, or I care too, but she didn't. She just looked at him with those frigid blue eyes and he realized he had lost his Jenny.
"Please don't do this. I will do anything for you, just don't... don't do that with some guy you don't know. I'll do anything you ask me, Jenny." Part of him expected her to ask him to be the one she'd do it with tonight. How would he be able to deny her now when she felt more forbidden than ever?
"Anything?" She whispered softly, and he closed his eyes for a moment before nodding.
"Then leave me the hell alone." Nate's eyelids flew open but he kept calm. He nodded again and pulled his hands away from her face, holding them up and taking a step away from her. When she started walking away Nate called out to her.
"I'll leave you alone for now. But expect to see me again soon, Jenny."
"And I'll keep my side of the bargain, then... no boys, for now."
He thought he saw a smile grace her face before she disappeared.
Sorry this chapter took so long. Thanks everyone for your reviews!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own GG.
RATING: PG - 13 (for now)
SHIP: Nate + Jenny of Gossip Girl
SUMMARY: I'm really bad with summaries. Basically, this is a multi-chaptered fic that will map out what I think NJ's storyline should be like in season three.
So take a look at me now, there's just an empty space
There's nothing left here to remind me
just the memory of your face. Take a look at
me now, there's just an empty space
you coming back to me is against the odds
and that's what I've gotta face.
- The Postal Service
A day or two after his talk with Scott, Nate received a text from Serena. She wanted him to take a walk with her, and he happily obliged; Serena had been his best friend since childhood, and yes, for the longest time he'd been in love with her, but that was over now. He'd been extremely busy lately and honestly had no idea how to begin pursuing Jenny, so he could use Serena's counsel, even if she didn't exactly know the entire story about the two.
"Blair told me that Scott told her that you two talked about how Jenny needs you. I'm glad. I've been trying to fix things, you know, after what my father did," Serena said all in one breath, not even a second after they'd hugged hello. Nate silently nodded. Ever since the accident that killed Vanessa, Serena hadn't been the same. From the moment she heard the news to the second her father's trial started (Keith Van der Woodsen got off easy, like everyone knew he would) to even now, Serena carried a sad shadow in her eyes. Keith had skipped town not even days after the decision had been made, and Serena was heartbroken that her father hadn't changed at all. He had left, like he always did. And Serena had been trying to pick up the shattered pieces of the lives he'd left behind. She was desperately trying to piece everything back together again so that everyone could move on, all except for one person who was not in this world anymore, so that everyone could go on as if Keith had never come to New York and screwed things up.
"Jenny's been the most difficult to fix," Serena continued with a slight frown. "She's like my sister. She's not like she used to be, we all know that. But for the longest time I couldn't figure out why. I'd take her out to places and eventually I got Blair to come with us to see that Jenny had changed. But... why? Why did she change? Why was she so cold? One time I asked her why and she said it was because you had to be cold to be Queen. It made sense to me because I've been through that. You do have to be tough to be Queen. When I mentioned it to Blair she looked scared, though, and she told me about this conversation she'd had with Jenny months ago..." For a few minutes Serena took the time to tell Nate about the conversation Blair had told her about, word for word.
"But that party was months ago. Why would Jenny take words Blair said back in May and let them influence her life now?" Serena questioned, looking at Nate seriously. "Something must have happened. Dan and I saw you two hugging after Vanessa's funeral. Nate, please tell me everything that happened between you and Jenny. I need to know so I can make everything right again."
And so Nate told her. He told her about that night at the manor and how Scott and Vanessa had showed up and how all he'd wanted was Jenny. How Jenny had met him on his boat, how they'd kissed until they couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. And then how everything fell apart.
She nodded and clapped and sighed in all the right places and then at the end was silent. "And then you said that you loved Vanessa in that one interview. I heard Jenny mention it to Eric a few days after the funeral and she sounded so hurt."
Nate wanted to punch himself in the face. "I couldn't have not said it though. I mean, her family was right there. It wasn't like I romantically loved her still. All I wanted... all I want is Jenny."
Serena nodded. "Good, because I think you're the only one that can save her. And the best way to start off is by talking to Dan." Serena stopped then in front of a cafe, and Nate's heart rate quickened, and not in a good way.
"What?"
"Dan's inside. I told him to meet us here. If you're serious about Jenny, then you'll go in there and you two will sort things out. He's ready to talk, Nate."
Nate breathed in deeply and then nodded. The two entered the cafe to see Dan Humphrey already waiting at a table for three, and for a moment Nate felt pity for him. He was paler than usual and there were shadows under his eyes; he'd been like this since Vanessa's death. Nate was sure Jenny's odd behavior wasn't exactly helping. Nate sat down across from him, and Serena took the other seat. Dan looked at them for a moment, and then sighed.
"She's stopped designing, you know." Dan said hoarsely, staring into his coffee. Serena made a surprised sound and Nate blinked as Dan kept going. "She just doesn't care anymore. It used to be her passion and now... she just doesn't care." They were quiet for a time as a waitress came up and took Nate and Serena's orders. Serena was staring at Dan vividly, as if she were waiting for him to say something. No words came from his mouth until their coffees came.
"You're good for her, you know. Maybe you weren't before but you are now." Dan finally admitted, and Nate could feel some sort of relief bursting inside of him. "She needs you... I give you permission to go after her." Dan's mouth turned into a crooked smile at his word choice, and Nate managed a laugh. "Just please go slowly with her. Please."
"Of course. Thanks, Dan." Nate said when he was done laughing, glad that Dan didn't look at him like he hated him anymore.
Serena was smiling too and it felt odd, being able to smile for the first time in ages. Dan's smile was soon replaced by a distant expression and he was quiet for a while, sipping on his coffee, before becoming alert again. "Serena, you said there was something urgent. Something you had to tell me. Us."
"Oh, that's right." Serena blanched, her smile disappearing. "I completely forgot... Okay, so Eric came to me yesterday. I don't think you guys know her, but there's this girl named Emma at their school who seems to enjoy challenging Jenny for some reason. Well anyway, they're having a sort of competition tonight... I don't think she's going to listen to anyone but Nate about this..."
Dan looked confused. "What sort of competition are we talking about here? Like who can shop the most or something?"
"Not exactly." Serena looked pained. "Well... Emma's been obsessed with losing a certain card of hers for a long time. She and Jenny are going to see who can lose that card first tonight."
Dan blinked. "Like a Mastercard?"
"A certain card you carry in your back pocket..."
Nate almost spat out his coffee, but he ended up choking. Serena patted him on the back as he spluttered, "Her virginity?"
The whereabouts of Jenny Humphrey were revealed by Eric through multiple texts as Nate tried desperately to track her down that night. But for some reason, she was always one step ahead of him; a few minutes at this mall, that bar, this park. Eric could hardly keep up with Jenny, and he was actually with her, right there by her side. Eric had given up on trying to change Jenny's mind long ago. All the dangerous things she'd done lately hadn't been nearly as bad as this, though. Eric normally just went along with the flow, and occasionally he'd reprimand her, and sometimes Jenny would listen. And sometimes she wouldn't.
She wasn't satisfied with what she was seeing and she was getting impatient according to the texts Nate was getting. Only an hour after Nate's search begun was Eric able to get Jenny to agree to go to Butter, and Nate went there ahead of time.
'Tell her that there's a potential candidate on the roof.' Nate told Eric in a text when he reached Butter. They wouldn't come for several minutes, so Nate was able to lie down and stare at the muddy New York sky and catch his breath.
A while later Nate received a text from Eric that they had arrived, and he pulled himself to his feet and stood up, shoving his hands on his pockets. Nate realized that if she saw him as soon as she opened the door, she could turn and run, so Nate went to the railing and turned his back to the door, peering out at the city. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Eric would convince Jenny to go to the roof by herself... or maybe she wouldn't even care who was up here...
He heard her high heels clacking on the stairs before she opened the door, and he could hardly breathe. One would think he would get accustomed to becoming breathless because of Jenny Humphrey but that was simply not the case; it knocked him off his feet each and every time. And when she actually stepped onto the rooftop, the door shutting slowly closed behind her, he could hardly even remember how to breathe, because she was near him, a rare thing indeed. He heard her feet stepping closer until he was sure she was close to him, and he finally turned.
Jenny stared at him coldly. "I should have known. What are you doing here?" She demanded, and Nate stepped toward her. She didn't move.
"I'm preventing you from making one of the worst decisions you could ever make," Nate replied. "Look, Jenny... you don't want to lose your virginity in some competition. It means more than that."
"Are you really one to talk, Nate? Run by me how many girls you've slept with, again?" Her voice was harsh and Nate winced.
"And because I've been with so many, I can tell you that losing it like this is such a mistake."
"I really don't care, Nate."
Nate sighed and chewed on his bottom lip. Jenny turned to go but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, moving his hands to cup her face so that she had to look into his eyes. "Why are you acting like this? Like you don't care?"
"Are you serious? You're lost, too. You don't care about anything either." Jenny responded, and Nate came to the realization that her eyes weren't dead but simply lost and cold.
"But I care about you - why the hell else would I come here? Why the hell else do you think I always look after you? You're the one thing I care about." And he expected her to say something like I know, or I care too, but she didn't. She just looked at him with those frigid blue eyes and he realized he had lost his Jenny.
"Please don't do this. I will do anything for you, just don't... don't do that with some guy you don't know. I'll do anything you ask me, Jenny." Part of him expected her to ask him to be the one she'd do it with tonight. How would he be able to deny her now when she felt more forbidden than ever?
"Anything?" She whispered softly, and he closed his eyes for a moment before nodding.
"Then leave me the hell alone." Nate's eyelids flew open but he kept calm. He nodded again and pulled his hands away from her face, holding them up and taking a step away from her. When she started walking away Nate called out to her.
"I'll leave you alone for now. But expect to see me again soon, Jenny."
"And I'll keep my side of the bargain, then... no boys, for now."
He thought he saw a smile grace her face before she disappeared.
Sorry this chapter took so long. Thanks everyone for your reviews!