(Untitled)

[turnthebadinme]

Cliché has it, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This isn't entirely true, but there's some merit to the old adage. If you want something done right, it's alright to let other people do all the work - just so long as you're the one supervising

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[turnthebadinme]

It was a truth Serena had long known, but which she often conveniently forgot: strappy white sandals didn't make for good beachwear.

She fidgeted in them, shifting her weight from one foot to another as she looked up and down the small stretch of shoreline she and Blair had commandeered for their party, eager for any sign that her guests were enjoying themselves. Sooner or later, she knew, she'd have to kick them off, leave them under a table, probably forget she'd worn them at all. For the moment, however, those sandals and the plain gold necklace she'd been wearing upon her arrival were all she had to go with the swimsuit she'd coaxed out of the clothes box for the occasion. It was built nearly like a dress and went well, she thought, with the theme they'd settled on. There never had been a theme the Waldorf women hadn't loved, and this one was catered precisely to Blair's tastes. If that meant Serena was wandering her own party in a swimsuit -- well, she'd attended parties with way worse themes

[captainjack]

Jack had been there at the beginning, had disappeared for a while, and returned after dark. It wasn't hard to pick out the hostess and he was probably contractually bound, or something, to compliment her. Serena fell into the Too Young category, but that had never stopped him from saying hello.

"Serena," he purred, his thousand watt grin flashing in the twilight. "You really pulled this off. It's fantastic."

[turnthebadinme]

"Thanks in part to you," Serena reminded him earnestly. She was well aware that the party was something she and Blair couldn't have pulled off without help, and though she'd always been able to find it readily at home, it was heartwarming to have accomplished so much on nothing but kindness and a few promised favors. "I think it really came together."

[captainjack]

"I just catch it. Bill's the wizard in the kitchen," Jack chuckled. He was a little tipsy, but after some heated words and a brisk walk, most of the liquor he'd had was already burned out of his system. Ah, adrenaline.

"You've done this before, haven't you? It's not too hard to get a party going here...but it's not easy to make it a good party." He cocked his head in thought for a moment, then added, "Although, I don't think I've even been to a party that wasn't good. Maybe I'm lucky like that."

[anewwaive]

Gideon had no fucking idea who was throwing the party. Really, all he got out of Penny was names and the fact they'd be going to it, and she left little room for him to protest whether he wanted to or not. He didn't really have much to work with for this kind of party, so he just went with the only decent shit he could find in the clothes box - swimming trunks and a white shirt, which he didn't bother buttoning because it was too fucking hot outside.

Parties, at least, meant alcohol. Gideon had pretty much made a beeline for the supply and poured a glass for himself as soon as he was able. After the shit weeks he'd had, he was pretty ready to relax for a while.

He eyed the rest of the area once he had a full glass, seeing if he spotted anyone interesting, or at least where Penny ran off to.

[turnthebadinme]

As one of the hostesses, Serena intended to greet every single person who attended -- or at least try. She'd noticed the guy who'd shown up with Penny Lane (and okay, how exciting was it that Penny Lane was at her party? Penny Lane!), but it took her a while to make her way to him. When she did so, with a glass in one hand, she offered him the other and smiled. "Hey, I'm Serena," she said. "Enjoying the party?"

[anewwaive]

Gideon looked over at the unfamiliar chick standing by him. He knew he'd heard the name Serena mentioned, so he figured she was one of the people who put the shit together.

"Gideon," he said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Yeah, it's not bad. Different from the usual dress up shit that goes down around here. You're the Serena that's throwing this thing, right? Penny mentioned you."

He normally wouldn't have minded the formal parties, but he still hadn't found a decent suit to replace the one that got ripped up. It fucking figured, really.

[turnthebadinme]

"I'm that Serena, yes," she said, laughing. Was there any other Serena on the island? She was sure she was the only one, tonight at least. It sparked a memory that barely had time to form, leaving her only with the vague idea that their next party, after her birthday, should involve masks. "It's nice meeting you, Gideon. I'm so glad you could come. Penny's great; we wouldn't have music without her."

[all_happening]

It wasn't quite vintage, but the bathing suit Penny was wearing was the closest to it the clothes box would give her, and admittedly, she wasn't objecting, either. She'd found something good to wear over it (that she'd discarded almost immediately), too, one red thing among all the other red and blue clothes she'd gotten out of the box lately -- for that, she blamed Gideon wholeheartedly, but she'd take what she could get, anymore, especially when it was for an event like this. It seemed strange, that a party thrown by two rich Upper East Side girls from a TV show she'd watched most of while bored one afternoon could make her feel like she was at home, when it wasn't as if she'd frequented beach parties while on the road with bands, but even so, between the live music and what they alternately played on her gramophone, it was the closest to her old self she'd felt in a long, long time. Mingling was hard with her gramophone left unattended, but after getting herself a drink, she started doing exactly that, a wide smile on her face.

[turnthebadinme]

It was really, really, really hard to move through a party towards Penny Lane and not throw her arms up in the air while announcing that it was 'all happening!' That she managed to rein herself in was a testament to Serena's willpower.

As it was, she bounced up to Penny with a broad grin on her face. "That's a really cute swimsuit," she enthused. "And the music is awesome, thank you so much."

[all_happening]

Penny was practically bouncing herself, as much as she ever let herself in situations like these, but her smile only widened at the sight of Serena. "It's the best the box would give me," she explained, sipping her drink before gesturing at Serena's bathing suit. "You got closer to the theme than I did. And the music's my pleasure, really." Of the crowd at the party, not many people knew what she did back home, or just how important it was to her, but it was still nice to be associated with it, to be with the band and responsible for the recorded music, too.

[turnthebadinme]

"Oh, I only got closer because I had more warning," Serena assured her with a little laugh. "As soon as we figured it out, Blair and I were raiding the clothes box for possibilities." It had taken several tries to hit this close to home, but Serena was pleased enough with the final result for it to have been worthwhile. "Anyway, music really makes a party, so this is great." There was so much she associated Penny with, and having the girl herself right there in front of her brought it all up and pushed it to the periphery. She was too real to bog down with all those old memories, and it was easier not to think about what she'd left in New York.

[filmstarbeauty]

The party was flawless and Blair had a themed dress to match. It was a halter dress, red with white polka dots and it suited the fact that it was fourth of July. Heck, she'd even broken out some of her sacred lipgloss for the ocassion. Besides, so long as the sun shine and the food and drink did run out, and the music wasn't so bad, the day was a hit.

Which wasn't surprising. No Waldorf had ever thrown a party that turned out to be a dud. An island wasn't about to change that. Doing her duty as co-hostess, she smiled cordially as she mixed and mingled and tried her hardest not to judge. The fireworks were meant to be in the sky, not in the crowd afterall.

[turnthebadinme]

Serena was beaming as she threw her arms around Blair for a hug. "Oh my god, B," she said, and it was all but a squeal, "we really did it. This looks so good. Do you think people are having fun? It looks like they're having fun." She really hoped they were anyway, and she was having such a great time, watching people enjoy themselves. She was limiting herself to one drink that night, but it was mixed with rum provided by Han Solo as she listened to music brought along by Penny Lane, so she sort of figured not having fun was just about impossible that night.

[filmstarbeauty]

With a laugh that was almost a sure sign that someone might have bodyswapped Blair Waldorf for another, more chipper yet equally moodswinging model. Figures. Hugging her friend, she bounced a bit on the balls of her feet and nodded. "People look like they're having fun, but who knows? I'll make them if they aren't. It just matters that they're here."

Numbers were infinitely important to success. Especially when you had no quantifiable celebrities.

[turnthebadinme]

"Nothing like a little violence to make sure people are enjoying themselves." Serena sipped her drink and looked out over the crowd. Things really did seem to be going well. She wouldn't wholly relax on that score until the evening was over, but she was already having so much fun, she couldn't worry about it that much.

[renegade_reaper]

Beat ain't seen a party so big in forever.

He didn't know most people, but Serena invited him, and he wasn't gonna back out on that. Now, he don't know what she meant by the theme, so he just settled on wearing something he figured would look aight - shorts and a shirt, nice and easy. Box even went along with him for once.

There was food, at least, good stuff too. He looked over the selection, tryin' to figure out what wanted first.

[turnthebadinme]

"Hey!" Serena called as she walked over toward Beat, giving a little wave. "You are such a sweetheart, thank you. Have you tried these?" She pointed just down the table to a plate of crabcakes Bill had made for them. "They're so good." Without Beat, Tim and Devon, she was convinced they would never have managed to get this all together, and she was determined to make sure they had fun tonight.

[renegade_reaper]

Beat's always happy to spot a familiar face, and he waved back, turnin' to face her instead of the food. Ain't like it was goin' anywhere.

"Ah, it's nothin'," he said, waving off the thank you. "Thing came together good. You weren't jokin' 'bout it bein' a big thing."

He grabbed a plate then, figurin' he'd take her advice. Seafood was always somethin' he was willin' to eat.

[turnthebadinme]

"Big parties are about all Blair and I know how to do," Serena said, laughing. The small and the intimate... Blair was better at those gatherings, the exclusive kind, than Serena was. Serena, much to her mother's dismay, preferred to open the doors wide. The more, the merrier, in her book. "I really think people are enjoying it, and that's what counts."