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Vanessa nodded with an amused smile。 How could she forget Duke； the dumbest guy on the
planet？
？You？d have your own car； your own apartment； free equipment； and whatever else you need；？
Ken added。 ？Are you with me？？
Vanessa noticed for the first time that Ken Mogul had very little definition in the chin area。 In
fact； he was practically chinless。 ？I？ve always wanted to go to Cannes；？ she replied； thoughtfully
slurping her cappuccino。 ？And your new project sounds really 。 。 。 awesome。 But I got accepted
early to NYU。 I？ve wanted to go there since I was eleven years old。 There？s no way I？m
deferring。？
？But what about my film？ Child prostitution！ Animals abandoning their young！ This is
groundbreaking stuff！？ Ken Mogul spluttered； spitting all over the counter。 Vanessa thought that if
he？d had more of a chin； the spit might not have gone so far。
Over Ken？s shoulder Vanessa noticed a light blue flyer pinned to a bulletin board。
Rivington Rover Poetry Club Open Mike
featuring readings by
Daniel Humphrey and Mystery Craze
Thursday； 8P。M。
No wonder Dan had been blowing her off all week。 He was busy being famous。
？Vanessa？ Are you still with me？？ Ken demanded。 ？First lesson you learn in this business is the
clock never stops ticking。？
Vanessa smiled her half…amused； half…pissed…off Mona Lisa smile。 As flattered as she was that
Ken had asked her to work with him； she had no intention of being a mini…Mogul。 She wanted
to develop herown voice and herown career； not put all her energy into someone else？s work；
however brilliant。 She shook her closely shaved dark head。 ？I？m sorry。？
Ken Mogul？s barely there chin disappeared altogether as he lost his cool pletely。 ？I？ve never
offered to partner with anyone；？ he said grimly。 ？This is the opportunity of a lifetime。 I？m giving
you the chance to make a feature film before you turn twenty。 It？s unheard of！？
That old guy at the Culture of Humanity show had advised her not to take her talent too seriously。
Ken obviously took his way；way too seriously。 She stood up and yanked the light blue flyer off the
bulletin board behind Ken？s head。 She and Dan were supposed to be working on a filmtogether ；
but if she could slip into the club and film him reading without him even knowing she was there；
that would be even better。 Dan was always better when he didn？t know she was watching。
？Thank you；？ she told Ken。 ？I？m honored； I really am。
But I？m working on something new； of my own。 I think I？d like to finish it。？
Ken Mogul pushed his sunglasses down on his nose and glared out the window。 ？It？s your loss。？
？Thanks for the coffee；？ Vanessa said； even though he was no longer looking at her。 She folded
up the blue flyer and tucked it into her pocket。 ？Good luck at Cannes。？
Ken Mogul zipped up his fur…trimmed Prada parka and pulled the hood up over his head as if to
block her out pletely。 ？？Bye。？
Vanessa headed home to sort through her camera gear and figure out what she needed to bring to
the reading at the Rivington Rover Poetry Club tomorrow night。 When Dan was finished reading
she？d pop up out of the crowd and surprise him with an enormous mug of Irish coffee； his favorite
drink。 Then they？d trade stories about all the feebleminded famous people they？d met in the past
week。 And then she？d bring him home and remind him of what he？d been missing。 She？d show
him how to lose his virginity again the way he？d written in that crazy poem。
As if he needed showing。
sreinvents the tear
？Want to take Mook out for a walk with me？？ Aaron asked Blair through her closed bedroom
door。 It was Wednesday afternoon and she？d been holed up in her room since Monday； only
opening the door to receive the brie…and…tomato baguettes and mugs of hot chocolate Myrtle
brought her at ten and five o？clock。 She？d even conned the family doctor into writing her a note
excusing her from school for the week。 She wasn？t sick exactly； the doctor assured her mother。
Schools like Constance just worked their girls too hard； especially the seniors； and then there was
all that additional pressure to get into one of the best colleges。 Blair simply needed a few days of
rest and she？d be herself again。
Well； not exactly。 Blair was using her few days of rest to reinvent herself all over again。 Like
Madonna。
Aaron pushed open the door and poked his head inside her room。 The air was pungent with the
chemical odor of cigarette smoke mixed with minty mouthwash。 Blair？s head was wrapped in a
black…and…pink Pucci scarf； and she was lounging on the bed with her bare ankles crossed；
wearing a white terrycloth robe and smoking a Merit Ultra Light through a long black cigarette
holder。 The look was very Greta…Garbo…in…hiding； which was exactly the effect she was going for。
Across the room；The Great Gatsby starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow played silently on
TV。 Blair puffed on her cigarette； staring dramatically into the near distance。 She couldn？t bear to
look at Aaron because he was wearing his Harvard sweatshirt again； as if he？d specifically dressed
to piss her off。 She？d already ripped her Yale pendant off the canopy over her bed and thrown it
out her bedroom window along with her father？s old Yale sweatshirt。 ？If you don？t mind； I？d like
you to please get the fuck out of my room。？
？I was just leaving；？ Aaron replied。 ？Hey； have you talked to Serena lately？？
Blair shook her head。 ？Why？？
？No reason；？ Aaron shrugged unfortably。 He？d been hanging out with his buddies in
Scarsdale since Friday night and hadn？t seen or talked to Serena since the Les Best show。 He
pulled a tin of herbal cigarettes out of his back pocket and tossed them onto Blair？s bed。 ？Try
those；？ he advised。 ？They？re 100 percent natural and they smell way better than that
mass…produced shit。？
Blair kicked the tin onto the floor。 ？Have a nice walk。？
Aaron pulled her bedroom door closed behind him and headed outside with Mookie。 He entered
the park at Seventy…second Street； taking the path that led to a little wooden footbridge over a
stream that fed into the lake。 Every now and then Mookie stopped to dig furiously in the snow
with his brown…and…white paws； as if he were looking for a doggie toy he？d dropped there last
summer。 Then eventually he？d give up and trot on again。
A petite blond in dark sunglasses and a blue Yankees cap jogged by wearing an I
LOVEAARONT…shirt over her red
velour tracksuit； the same I LOVEAARONT…shirt that Serena had worn at the Les Best show。
Aaron was pretty sure the blond was the actress Renee Zwingdinger； or whatever her name was；
but he couldn？t be sure。 It was pretty funny to think that famous actresses and models might be
wearing shirts with his name on them when he was just some dude who went out with a beautiful
girl who he guessed he wasn？t really going out with anymore。
When the wooden footbridge came into view； Aaron noticed that it was filled with people and
equipment； a crew of some sort。 As he came closer he saw that in the icy water opposite the
footbridge a cameraman was standing up in a small inflatable raft； adjusting his tripod。
Aaron let Mookie hunt for squirrels under a tree as he watched the proceedings。 The huddle of
people on the bridge parted to reveal a girl dressed in a skimpy sunflower yellow sundress and
blue sandals； her golden hair blowing in the icy wind。 It was Serena； of course。 She was
unmistakable。
All of a sudden Mookie hurtled across the snow in Serena？s direction； howling with delight and
wagging his stubby little boxer tail。
？Mookie； no！？ Aaron shouted。 Everyone on the bridge； including Serena； turned to look。
？Mookie！？ Serena squealed； crouching down to kiss the dog on his wet nose as he wriggled
excitedly between her legs。 ？How？s it going； handsome？？
Aaron ambled over to the footbridge； his hands shoved deep into his green army pants
pockets。 ？Sorry；？ he mumbled to the crew of makeup artists and stylists。
？That？s okay；？ Serena said； standing up。 She broke away from her entourage and kissed Aaron
lightly on the cheek。 Her yellow dress was stenciled with iridescent blue birds and her lip gloss
smelled like watermelon。 ？We？re just shooting a perfume ad。 You can watch if you want to。？
Aaron kept his hands in his pockets。 There were a million things she could have said to make
him feel guilty for hiding out in Scarsdale and never calling her； but Serena was too cool for that。
She was truly magnificent； which was part of the reason he had to let her go。 It was too much
effort to match someone who shone as brightly as she did。
？Don？t let me keep you；？ Aaron said。 He opened his tin of herbal cigarettes and offered her one。
She took it and held it between her coral…glossed lips as he lit it for her。 ？Oh； and thanks for the
roses。？
Serena exhaled； blowing sweet smoke into the chilly air。 ？We never got our tattoos。？
Aaron smiled tenderly。 ？That？s probably a good thing。？
A perfect tear began to form in the corner of Serena？s right eye and trembled on the edge of her
lower lid。
？Let？s get this done！？ the photographer shoute