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Chapter Text

GOSSIPGIRL.NET

Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play and sleep - sometimes with each other. We all live in huge apartments with our own bedrooms and bathrooms. We have unlimited access to money and booze and whatever else we want, and our parents are rarely home, so we have tons of privacy. We're smart, we've inherited classic good looks, we wear fantastic clothes, and we know how to party. Our shit still stinks, but you can't smell it because the bathroom is sprayed hourly by the maid with a refreshing scent made exclusively for us by French perfumers.

It's a luxe life, but someone's got to live it.

Our apartments are all within walking distance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue, and the single-sex private schools, like Constance Billard, which most of us go to. Even with a hangover, Fifth Avenue always looks so beautiful in the morning with the sunlight glimmering on the heads of the sexy St. Jude's School boys.

Your E-Mail

Q: Dear GG,

I just moved to Manhattan from Beverly Hills and I'm wondering if you have any tips? I'll be starting as a freshman at L'École this year. -CaliGurl

A: Dear CaliGurl,

Get out of L'École before its too late. -GG

Q: hey gossip girl, pretty sure I saw Liam selling drugs in Brooklyn. He's too cute to sell drugs! -NoDrugz

A: Dear NoDrugz,

I'll admit, Liam has enjoyed the odd joint. But he's essentially a puppy! He's not selling. -GG

SIGHTINGS

Quinn arriving at JFK back from a summer of modelling Europe. Louis and Liam playing soccer in Central Park. Zayn buying new school shoes at Barney's. Harry getting hit on by a cougar in Grand Central Station. Lena leaving an office building, a frown on her delicate face. Katie arguing with her mom in front of Louis Vuitton - and the cameras of course!

The Upper East Siders are all coming home for the new school year. And with us all in one place, something is bound to happen.

You know you love me,

Gossip Girl

Chapter Text

Sunday morning breakfast was always awkward in the Tomlinson household. It had been a tradition Louis's late mother had always kept, and his father, Seth, insisted they keep it up in her memory.

"You all ready for school tomorrow?" Belle asked, her ice rink of an engagement ring shining in the morning sun. Belle was soon to be Louis's fourth step-mother, though she looked like she only graduated from high school within the last five years. Probably had. Belle and Seth had met at one of those crummy holiday parties last winter and had been dating since New Year's. They got engaged this summer while in Paris and Belle had been talking with her hands a lot more since then; like she wants every one to notice. As if they don't know about the engagement.

"I think so," Louis gave her a fake smile. He honestly just wanted this breakfast to be over. He was supposed to go over to his girlfriend, Quinn's, place later that evening for the Sinclair's annual end of summer dinner party and he had some errands to run before then. But not wanting to face the wrath of his father (who wasn't at breakfast, the hypocrite) here he was; trying to act like he doesn't hate woman he knows will never replace his mother. A woman who will never even be a mother figure to him. Just a gold digger, not that they ever got a cent after the divorces. Prenups are a real bitch.

After another ten minutes of awkward silence, Belle finally excused Louis who immediately went up to his room, which was actually an entire floor of the Tomlinson's townhouse. Seth often gave Louis many material items, like they would make up for his lack of a mother and all the step-mothers he's had to deal with. Louis would never admit this out loud, but his first step-mother, Sandra, had actually been wonderful. She was warm, friendly and loved to bake. At age 8, Louis had felt guilty for loving Sandra a little bit like a mom. Now he just wishes his father could've kept his dick in his pants and not fucked that marriage up.

Louis changed out of his silk pyjamas, throwing them on his king-sized bed, and into a slim-fitting white and navy striped shirt, dark skinny jeans and navy Toms. He was heading out to meet Harry at their favourite cafe in Brooklyn. He gave himself one final look in the mirror, making sure his caramel locks had that sex look about them before heading out.

+ + + +

Quinn Sinclair was excited. After spending a whole summer doing modelling gigs all over Europe, she was finally home. She had missed her boyfriend terribly and was thankful she was able to make it back in time for their anniversary. Tonight would be a big night for her and Louis. She had been thinking about it all summer, the best way to celebrate their year together and it hit her on the plane home what would be perfect: sex. Things had gotten pretty heated between them in the past, but Quinn had always put a stop to things before it went too far. She knew its what Lou wanted, but she just was never ready. Now, after spending all this time apart, she couldn't wait to jump his bones.

Quinn had gotten up bright and early so she would be ready to hit Barney's as soon as it opened. She needed to find herself the perfect lingerie set for tonight. So far, her favourite had been the emerald green lacey set that looked amazing next to her sun kissed skin. Knowing it would look even better on - she was a model, everything looked better on her - she made her purchase and walked home so she could start prepping for the dinner party her family was hosting that evening.

+ + + +

"Son, the Sinclair's dinner party is tonight. I'll need you to be sober for at least the start of it," Bart Malik told his son, Zayn, who had just kicked his latest one night stand out through the staff elevator.

"Oh hey, dad," Zayn greeted, a little surprised. His father almost never visited him at the penthouse suite in the Tribeca Star he had been living in since he was fifteen. Thank God he had decided to party out last night. The room was in decent order, paintings hanging straight, the red leather sofa was still in new condition (it had been a couple of months since it had been replaced, which was a record or something Zayn was sure) and no empty booze bottles were littering the place. His father knew his lifestyle, but that doesn't mean Bart wanted it rubbed in his face. With a quick glance around the living room, Bart said he would see Zayn that evening and left.

Zayn hated the look on his father face that was always there in his presence. Zayn grew up with the guilt that his mother had died giving birth to him. He thought that Bart blamed him for the loss of his mother and was constantly trying to make it up to him. As a child, Zayn had top grades and was every parent's dream. But Bart still always looked miserable; no matter what award Zayn was being given or how many trophies he had won. Eventually, Zayn gave up. And that's when the partying, smoking and whoring around began.

Zayn sighed, making his way to the bathroom for a quick shower. The bathroom had marble everywhere; floors, counter tops, tub, shower. The place was bright, almost glowing. He took a glance at himself in the mirror and winced. His dark hair which was normally styled into a quiff was flat and everywhere, the bags under his eyes were quite prominent after a summer of non-stop partying. His mocha skin lacked that glow that everyone but Zayn only seemed to be able to achieve with photoshop. His brown eyes were dull, though they had been for years. Zayn didn't feel much of anything anymore.

+ + + +

As a young child, Lena Golden had basically grown up on movie sets as her father, Carl Golden, was one of the most in-demand actors of his time. At age 6, she realized that as cool as her dad's job was, the work behind the scenes was so much cooler. Her parents had gotten her her first camera for Christmas when she was ten. At twelve, Lena had written her first screenplay; it was a fairytale. Her best friend Quinn had volunteered herself and Louis to star in it and to this day, they loved bringing the movie out when they were drunk.

Now, at sixteen, Lena wanted to get professional experience. Due to her dad's job and mother's social status, she could easily get in anywhere she wanted. The problem? Every interview she went for some how turned into a talk of her acting career. This frustrated Lena beyond belief. She was appreciative of the opportunities being who she is brought her, but there were days when she wished she was a more normal person. It's a hard business to get into and one would think with her connections, she'd be in it already. But no, everyone in the business was severely stupid. At this rate, she wouldn't be getting any professional training until university.

She had thought of finding someone looking for an assistant locally on Craig's List or something, but then she saw a Criminal Minds episode based of the Craig's List killer and that put an end to those thoughts. Lena was very petite. With her sunshine gold hair, 5'3" height and natural size double zero body, she looked like a fairy. If she got attacked, she would for sure lose.

Lena sighed as she went through her notebook full of ideas. She was trying to decide what movie she was going to make herself when her mother walked in.

"Hi sweetie," Holly greeted. Holly literally just looked like an older Lena. There was no doubt who this kid's mother was. "I picked up a few dresses for you to try on for the dinner party tonight. I'm thinking the blue one will do wonders for bringing out the colour in your eyes, but its up to you." Holly smiled sweetly. Lena thanked her mom and then started to go through the dresses. The film dilemma would have to wait.

Chapter Text

The cameramen were back, but honestly they were always following the Karamel family around. They've had the same camera crew for the seven years they've been filming the reality show and its not that Katie didn't like them. It's just, she was tired of having her life on TV for strangers across the world to judge.

Yes, it was cool having fans and people looking up to her, but Katie just wanted to enjoy being a teenager. She wanted to be able to make mistakes without having millions of people feeling the need to criticize her for it.

"Hey Katie," Jim, the show's producer smiled. "This season, I was thinking we could start to incorporate you into the show more. Now that you're older, more is happening in your life. Your mom and I discussed even getting you into modelling. New York is one of the best places for the career." Katie was absolutely shocked. She had always had a place on the show, but it was mainly about her sisters. They were the ones with the crazy antics, douchey boyfriends and drama. Also, what is this about a modelling career? Modelling is the last thing she wanted to do. The industry is not friendly.

"I'm not sure," Katie told him, "I mean, modelling is kind of scary."

"Your classmate, Quinn Sinclair? She's a model. We could get in contact with her agent and have you work together. That'd make things easier, right?" Jim responded. Of course he had thought this all through, the bastard. "I don't need an answer right now, but the contract is up at the end of next season. We want to keep ratings high so we can renew. The show is several years old now, so we're at a risky stage in its career."

That scared Katie. Her family spent money like it was water. Yes, they made plenty from the show but almost all of it was spent as soon as the cheque was cashed. As much as Katie didn't want to admit this, her family needs the show.

"I'll definitely think about. Maybe even chat with some friends about it tonight," Katie
gave Jim a small smile and then was off to her room to decide on a hairstyle for that
night.

+ + + +

Harry was nervous about his coffee date with Louis. He and Louis had been having their affair since New Year's. Quinn had been in Tokyo for a magazine shoot and Lou had gone to Harry's to talk, needing to get thoughts of his father's new girlfriend off his chest. They had ended up getting completely crunk and Louis had received the best blow job he'd ever experienced from Harry and things had just continued on from there. In June, Harry told Louis he loved him but Lou never said the words back, only hummed what Harry assumed was supposed to be an 'I love you too.' Harry thought he was ok with this, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how not ok he was.

He was Louis's dirty little secret and he knew he deserved better. He also knew Quinn deserved better, but he was not about to go fucking around with that. Today, he would lay it all out there for Louis, let him know that he needed to choose.

"Hey, babe" Louis greeted Harry with a kiss. Harry looked so damn hot in such a simple outfit; white v-neck tee, dark skinny jeans and beat up converse. But his chocolate curly locks, bright green eyes and dimples made him absolutely adorable. Harry Styles should honestly be illegal.

"Morning," Harry greeted back. Louis launched into a conversation about how awful breakfast had been that morning and how his father didn't even have the decency to show up and so on. Harry didn't let him to finish though.

"Do you love me?" Harry asked, looking up from the banana chocolate chip muffin he was picking at. 

"I...what?" Louis stuttered, completely unsure about what to say.

"I need to know if this is all worth it," Harry responded, "I don't want to be your dirty little secret. You need to pick Quinn or me."

"Harry, I can't. This...we happened so fast. I mean, no one even knows-"

"That you're gay?" Harry cut Lou off. "I get that that can be hard to come to terms with and I don't want to pressure that, but I am not going to let you hurt Quinn anymore. What we're doing is so horrible. I love you, but I can't watch you - can't help you do this anymore. You need to choose."

"Harry, please. You don't understand I have so much to sort out," Louis tried to explain.

"You basically spent your summer in bed with me while Quinn was off in Europe. Even the day she got back you spent with your cock up my arse!" Louis's eyes widen at Harry's bluntness.

"Harry-"

"Do you love me?"

"Haz-"

"Louis. Do. You. Love. Me?"

"Haz, I...I..." But no words were coming out of Louis's mouth.

"Well that answers that question for me. I won't tell Quinn about anything that happened between us, but treat her right, ok? I got errands to run, bye Louis." And with that, Harry was gone.

"But...I love you" Louis whispered, fighting back tears. The disappointed look in Harry's emerald eyes burned into his mind.

+ + + +

"I'm hungry," Niall Horan pouted.

"You're always hungry," Liam Payne laughed. Niall really was always hungry; known for his bottomless pit of a stomach. "We can stop for those New York hot dogs you love." Niall cheered. After they made their purchase, they sat down in Central Park so Niall could eat comfortably.

"Can't believe it's already been over a year since I moved from Ireland. Feels like I just got here sometimes," Niall said, staring at the clouds.

"I feel like you know me better than some of the people I've been going to school with since kindergarten," Liam truly meant this. He had been going to school with Upper East Siders since he started, but he was a Brooklyn boy himself. His family wanted him to be a graduate of a fancy school though and Liam got along with people, so he didn't complain. He did feel out of place though. The Payne's were not poor, however they could not afford to drop five grand on a handbag without thinking about it. It's one of the reasons Liam liked the Horan's so much; they had money, but they don't rub in people's faces.

"I feel the same way, mate" Niall smiled brightly at Liam. Even his blue eyes were shining. It was honestly one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to Niall. He got up and gave Liam a famous Horan hug. After letting go, Liam ruffled Niall's blonde hair.

"Hey man! I had it semi-styled for tonight so me mum wouldn't flip. I wish I didn't have to go to this stupid party. You're lucky your family doesn't go to all these stupid events," Niall complained.

"I suppose so," Liam laughed, though what Niall said hurt a bit. He knew his family couldn't afford to go to all these parties, even if they were invited, but it was like every single one of these events just proved to Liam how on the outside of everything he was. No matter how long he'd gone to school with these people, no matter how well he got along with them, he wasn't good enough.

"Oh shit, I gotta get home. Mum is texting me like mad," Niall said as he got up.

"See ya tomorrow. Don't party too hard tonight," Liam smiled, waving good bye as he headed in the direction of the subway.

+ + + +

Avery Levine had a love-hate relationship with dinner parties. She was never one to get along with people her own age, often being labeled as a loner at school. But she was damn good at bullshitting her way through conversations with her classmates' parents. Her parents thought it was wonderful how she was able to "hold conversations that actually interested their colleagues." Avery was happy cause it showed her parents she wasn't completely hopeless and got them to leave her alone.

Sometimes, Avery did wish she had at least one friend. Just someone who understood her. But being on her own gave her the time to write. She wrote short stories, novels, screenplays, poetry, anything really. It was the one thing she had found in life that she had true passion for. Though playing the guitar was a pretty close second, it just didn't quite satisfy her like writing did. Unless she had written song lyrics, but whatever.

Looking at the clock, Avery figured she should put her dress on or her mother would flip about her "not looking presentable." The dress chosen for tonight was a black cocktail length, with a lace bodice. She paired them with matching red clutch and heels. Her long dark hair back in a high and slick ponytail and she had a smokey eye. Her mocha skin had a summer glow about it, though it would soon fade. However, tonight she just looked sexy. Her mother came in then and ushered her downstairs and into the town car.

Chapter Text

The Sinclair penthouse had been redecorated over the summer in shades of turquoise, cream and chocolate. Their art collection was one that would impress anyone with any knowledge of art. Tonight, all the Upper East Siders were attending the annual end of summer dinner party the Sinclair's hosted.

Quinn looked absolutely stunning. Her honey-blonde hair, bleached to a slightly lighter shade from all the sun, was curled and she had a short, slim fitting sapphire blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly and silver heels on.

"Lou won't be able to keep his hand off you," Lena giggled from her spot on the cream leather sofa. Lena herself was dressed in a rose-pink dress that went out at her waist, making it look even tinier than it already was, and gold heels.

"That's the idea," Quinn winked at her. Since she was five, Quinn thought she and Louis would get married. They were just so perfect together. They had now been dating a year and losing their virginities to each other would be the perfect way to celebrate. Or so Quinn thought. Louis decided to make his appearance then. He was dressed in a dark suit, crisp white shirt and a tie that matched Quinn's dress perfectly. Yeah, they were that couple.

"You look gorgeous babe," Louis kissed Quinn's cheek, "You want a drink?" Quinn nodded and he was off to get them champagne.

"Don't get too drunk," Lena whispered in Quinn's ear, "tonight's gotta be perfect."

+ + + +

Niall really didn't want to be at this party. The meals were always so huge and he
noticed he had gained a few of pounds recently. He had managed not to make himself
sick for a week now, but he could feel himself blowing up like a balloon. What he
needed was a good distraction.

"Nialler!" Harry almost ran to give Niall a hug, Katie following him. Thank God, Niall thought. Harry and Katie were always up for a good time, literally the perfect distraction.

"Look at you Haz," Niall laughed, "Your tie matches your eyes! When did you start doing that?"

"Shut up," Harry mumbled, "my mom picked it. And your tie is salmon, so I know your mom picked yours too." Niall stuck his tongue out in response.

"We don't give two shits about these parties. Why do we even bother coming again?" Katie asked.

"I think it those damn parents," Niall, Katie and Harry laughed.

"Damn parents."

+ + + +

Louis's heart almost stopped when he saw Harry. He just looked so fucking perfect. Suit that showed off his long, lanky body that Louis loved. Tie matching the emerald eyes that Louis loved. His curls as unruly as ever, which Louis loved. He just loved Harry so much and couldn't figure out why he could only express these feelings to himself.

"Careful, you're drooling," Zayn smirked. He looked like a fucking Italian model. Louis rolled his eyes.

"I know you're fucking, so don't bother with that shit, man. I've fucked a few guys myself, so no judgement from me," Zayn shook his head at his best friend, "I can't believe you tried to keep that from me. You two were giving each other sex eyes all summer." Louis's mouth fell open in shock. He knew he shouldn't have tried to keep anything from Zayn, the guy always managed to figure him out.

"I won't tell Quinn, it really isn't my place. But watch it. We've all known each other since
we were in diapers; do you really want to hurt the people that close to you?"

"Jesus, Zayn. When did you get so deep?"

"It's all part of my charm, Tommo."

"I guess we can call it that," Louis teased. Soon Quinn arrived to collect Louis and take him to her room for a night neither of them would forget.

+ + + +

"You look a little bored, Avery," Seth Tomlinson frowned.

"To be honest, I'm pretty bored, sir." It was midnight already, Avery was done for the
night.

"I used to feel that way at your age too. Never understood why we all come to these. Sometimes I still don't," Seth laughed.

"I feel like this is a forbidden conversation or something we're having," Avery laughed too.

"It sort of is," Seth grinned, "but I won't tell anyone if you won't." He winked. He then asked Avery about her writing and not just to be polite. He actually seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. It was a nice feeling to be able to speak so freely about what she loved and to have someone just as passionate it. Though, Seth was a well-known author himself, so of course he'd be happy to talk about writing and novels and whatnot. Before Avery knew it, it was two in the morning and most people had already gone home. Seth left with Belle, saying that he and Avery should talk more at the next dinner. "The next one is always around the corner," he had said with another damn wink.

+ + + +

Quinn was ecstatic. This was finally happening! She loved Louis and Louis loved her too and they were now about to lose their virginities to each other. As soon as her bedroom door was locked, she pounced on him.

"Take your clothes off," she whispered in Louis's ear, making him shiver. I really should tell her, Louis thought to himself. But once Quinn started kissing him, he couldn't stop. It wasn't feeling completely right, but he was a little beat up after what happened with Harry that morning. He was sure it would be fine once they got more into it. Following her instructions, he stripped down to his boxers. She then instructed him to unzip her dress.

Quinn looked like a Victoria's Secret model in the set she had chosen. But the set was emerald green. Instead of thinking about how fucking hot his girlfriend looked, Louis's thoughts were focused on Harry. Harry smiling, laughing, crying. The disappointed look from this morning.

"Quinn, I...I need to tell you something," Louis stuttered.

"What's wrong?" Quinn frowned. Nothing good ever came from those words.

"You remember that trip you took to Tokyo?" Quinn nodded, of course she remembered. It had been the best trip of her life; she just wished Louis could have been there.

"I cheated on you then. But the affair continued on from there," Louis confessed. Quinn stared at him in shock for about a minute before grabbing her pink robe and covering herself up.

"How long did it go on for?" Quinn asked, fighting back tears. How could Louis have done this to her? Was he not happy? She thought he supported her career, guess she now knew why.

"Don't do this, Quinn," Louis pleaded.

"How long, Louis?" She hissed. Louis's eyes were begging her to take the question back, but she just glared. No way was he getting out of telling her.

"Things ended today," he eventually whispered.

"And who ended things? You or her?"

"They did," Louis was now looking at his feet, figuring he probably shouldn't mention that it was actually a him that he'd been with. Quinn screamed at him for five whole minutes, none of it even really coherent before locking herself in her bathroom, where she finally let the tears fall.

"I'm sorry," Louis told her through the door, after getting redressed. "I had to tell you because I love you. Just not the way I'm supposed to."

Quinn cried until there weren't any tears left. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been, staying with Lou for so long. Her trip to Tokyo had been eight months ago! Louis had been cheating on her for over half of their relationship. By the time she fell asleep the only thought on her mind was fuck this shit.

Chapter Text

Zayn woke up in a grungy apartment. He had promised himself the last time he woke up in this toxic place that he'd never do this again, but here he was.

Zayn had first tried coke at a party about a year ago. He had sworn to himself that it would be only a one time thing, but he had felt the need for it grow every day. He thought maybe he should get help, but wasn't sure where to go or how to ask for it. His father had raised him to solve his own problems, to man up and whatever.

"Get up," Chris, Zayn's dealer, shook him a little. Zayn winced. He needed some pain meds now. He slowly got up from where he was lying on a rug that probably hadn't been cleaned since it was installed. Zayn was sure he smelled of cat urine, cigarettes and God knows what else and would need a shower. If he was late for school (or just didn't go) then so be it. Not like his father gave much of a fuck anyway.

As soon as Zayn stepped out of the old and falling apart building, he slipped on his sunglasses and hailed a cab. No way was he gonna walk home feeling like this.

+ + + +

Constance Billard and St. Jude's were two schools in the same building. One half was Constance and the other St. Jude's. They often collaborated with many events, as most of the students had already known each other since they were in diapers. One of these events was morning assembly.

Morning assembly was always the most boring part of the day. Either the head master of St. Jude's and the head mistress of Constance Billard would go through announcements that needed to be made, usually about useless shit.

"And finally," head master Smith's booming voice rang through the auditorium. Smith was a middle aged man who was proud to say he still had a full head of hair. He was a rounder fellow and looked like he would be quite kind. He was actually damn scary and no one fucked with head master Smith. Some staff members were even frightened of him. "There's a fundraiser coming up at the end of the month, a dinner and dance to raise money for the falcons. We're looking for volunteers to organize it. There'll be a sign up sheet posted in the main office. Now head to class," he dismissed the students.

"What's up, Nialler?" Liam asked, noticing the frown on Niall's face.

"Zayn's not here " Niall said, ocean blue eyes darting around the hall.

"Maybe he's just hungover," Liam shrugged; he wasn't the biggest Zayn Malik fan. He didn't hate the guy, but if Zayn decided not to show up somewhere, you'd never find Liam complaining. He wasn't sure why Niall was always trying to save him from himself. Niall nodded but was still looking for scanning around for Zayn. From the moment Niall met Zayn, he knew something was off. He had yet to figure out exactly what that was, but he was determined to find out one day. Niall had also made a silent promise to look out for Zayn, try and prevent him from getting into too much trouble. He decided he'd have to run to the Tribeca Star at lunch to check on him.

+ + + +

If it weren't for the fact that Quinn took her studies very seriously, she wouldn't have even come to school. She loved her career as a model, but her goal was to attend Yale just like her father had. She took all AP courses and volunteered for all sorts of events, organizing the falcon fundraiser included. She needed a distraction anyways, given how horrible last night had gone. She had almost burst into tears when she saw Louis in the hall, though she was pretty satisfied that he looked just as miserable as she felt. She was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that his mistress had dumbed him yesterday. It is probably her who he loves "like he is supposed to," she thought bitterly.

Thankfully, Lena was a dream of a best friend and was doing a wonderful job at keeping Quinn's mood up. She also didn't ask too many questions, knowing Quinn would explain everything when she was ready. Lena even took her to their favourite cupcake shop, Caketini, a couple blocks away from the school. Quinn didn't regret a single bite of her four dollar cupcake.

+ + + +

"Zayn?" Niall called out as he entered Zayn's suite at the Tribeca Star. He glanced around. The room looked in order, thankfully, so if Zayn had done any partying it was elsewhere. He called out for Zayn again, who stumbled out of his bedroom in just his boxers. He looked like he had had a really rough night.

"You look like shit, mate'" Niall frowned, "and what the hell happened?"

"I feel like it too," Zayn mumbled, "and just a party. Nothing new." Rather than say anything, Niall just gave Zayn a hug. Zayn was always stunned when Niall hugged him. As a child he barely got affection like this. It was weird.

"It seems as though you don't give a shit what happens to you, but I do. Please don't kill yourself. Or get killed. Or anything," Niall whispered into Zayn's ear. Zayn had no idea how to respond so he just tightened his hold on Niall. They stood there like that for about five minutes before Niall suggested that they ditch the afternoon and get Zayn some greasy breakfast food at IHOP.

Zayn decided that it was the best idea he had heard in a while.

Chapter Text

GOSSIPGIRL.NET

The school year has just started and already so much has happened...

COMFORT FOODS

Quinn was spotted out with Lena at Caketini, chowing down and some of New York's finest cupcakes. Now Quinn usually only breaks her strict model diet for very important/stressful/etc. moments in her life, which lead me to do some digging. And ladies and gentlemen I have good news: Quinn and Louis are over. Yes, Louis Tomlinson is single. Quinn Sinclair is single. Honestly never thought I'd see the day. Everyone just kind of assumed they would get married.

Your E-Mail

Q: hey gossip girl, what can you tell me about Niall? He seems so sweet, I just wanna
cuddle with him and cook him dinner lol. -catee93

A: Dear catee93,

What I can tell you is that Niall is a sweet heart. Not too sure which way he swings
though. He hasn't been on dates or anything since moving here from Ireland last
summer. And cooking him dinner is definitely a good way to get to his heart. He's known
for his bottomless stomach. -GG

SIGHTINGS

Zayn leaving a rough apartment building and then later dining with Niall at IHOP, curing a hangover I suppose? Louis smoking a joint on the Metro steps, looking absolutely miserable - cheer up, love! Avery reading at 3 Guys Cafe.

Within a week, we've already seen the power couple of the Upper East Side fall. You can only imagine what else this year has in store for us. 

You know you love me,

Gossip Girl

Chapter Text

After making himself sick, Niall always sat crying on the floor for a bit. He had been fighting temptation all week and this weekend, his parents had to make an emergency trip back to Ireland, leaving Niall home alone. He had eaten almost everything he could in the fridge. The guilt immediately set in afterwards and he was sprinting to the bathroom to shove his fingers down his throat.

Niall had first started making himself sick when his family moved from Ireland. He loves his friends here in New York, but he felt like he had no control over anything. This was something only he had power over. He knew this wasn't healthy; he wished he could tell someone. But he was scared about being sent away. That's how people deal with these things, just send "the ill" away to an institution to be given drugs and fake happiness. At IHOP on Monday, he had almost talked to Zayn about it, but chickened out before he could even plan out what to say. For now, Niall could control himself. He had managed two weeks before temptation kicked in, which he thought was pretty impressive.

Getting up off the floor, Niall brushed his teeth and then decided to call Liam over. He really didn't want to be alone this weekend.

+ + + +

Katie and Harry were taking advantage of Katie's "camera free" day and were out for pumpkin spice lattes at a Starbucks in Brooklyn - far, far away from where her family and the cameramen would be. Wouldn't want to have to deal with an accidental run-in. They were playing a bit of catch-up as they obviously didn't want to have personal conversations taped. Katie told Harry about the plans Jim had for her and Harry told her about breaking up with Louis. Harry had originally told Katie about the affair in June, when he realized he loved Louis.

"So what are you gonna do about this modelling idea?" Harry asked her, "I know it's not what you want. I do see you succeeding though. Your chocolate coloured hair, ice blue eyes and your face are fucking gorgeous." Katie blushed.

"Thanks Hazza, but I'm really unsure. Like I really don't want this, but maybe I should give it a try? I mean, I could end up really loving it. I guess it's all I can do. Jim said he was in talks about getting me to walk in the Victoria's Secret show, which actually kind of excited me," Katie explained and Harry nodded. Katie really couldn't blow it off until she tried it, so what she said made perfect sense. Plus, the Victoria's Secret fashion show? That was just awesome.

"But enough about me," Katie sipped her latte, "I wanna hear how you're doing. Louis and Quinn did break up this week. Gossip Girl announced it." Harry would be lying if he said his heart didn't sore a little when he read the Gossip Girl post, but he still had no idea what Lou felt for him. Harry figured Louis had confessed to Quinn he cheated because what Harry said to him made him relaize he needed to be honest wiht her. Louis had been looking quite sad recently, but Harry figured it had to do with his break up with Quinn. Harry told Katie all of this.

"Well, we could test that theory out," Katie had this spark in her eye she only got when she was scheming. "We could 'go out,' even go to this falcon fundraiser together and see how Louis reacts. Plus, sorta dating you will make Jim happy cause shit will be happening in my life." Harry thought about Katie's proposal for about minute before agreeing. He really didn't want to play with Lou's emotions, but this could work. Even if Louis wasn't interested him as anything more than a sex buddy, at least he'd be helping out his best friend.

+ + + +

Liam took the service staircase at the back of the Horan's townhouse to the second floor and let himself in. Niall had given him a key about 4 months back as Liam was practically living there part time since his parents started fighting constantly. He entered directly into Niall's room.

Niall's bedroom was huge, probably twice the size of Liam's, and was decorated in shades of grey and green. Hanging above Niall's cluttered, dark oak desk was an Irish flag. Around it, pictures of Niall with friends and family from there were posted. It was Niall's little piece of home when he was an ocean away from it.

"Leeeeeyuuuummm!" Nialler hollered in joy when he saw him, instantly giving Liam a hug. "Thank you for coming. I just hate being home alone" Niall mumbled into his neck.

"I know, buddy. It's no problem. Mom and dad are at each other's throats again so I was actually praying I'd get to come over here." Niall then assured Liam, for the thousandth time, that he didn't need to be invited over and "that's what the bloody key was for, mate." The boys popped a bag of popcorn in the kitchen and then headed back up to Niall's room where they cuddled on the couch - as friends, no big deal - and watched Toy Story, The Avengers and Tangled.

+ + + +

Quinn and Lena were working extremely hard to get this falcon fundraiser organized since they had so little time. They had decided to name it Kiss on the Lips - which was a name that had nothing to do with falcons, but honestly who actually gave a shit about the falcons? With some sweet talking, and some extra cash, they had managed to get all the invitations done and in the mail before the weekend had even started.

Normally, Quinn would've been pissy that they had such a little amount of time to organize something like this, but this time around she was glad. She had barely thought about Louis and even if he started to creep into her mind, flower arrangement decisions or DJ selection would get in the way. It was perfect really.

Lena was worried about Quinn. She hadn't told her anything about what had happened with Louis. She knew she should wait until Quinn came to her but she couldn't help it, she asked her anyway. Quinn stiffened where she sat on the cream leather sofa in the Sinclair's living room. She honestly wasn't expecting Lena to bring it up. Sighing, she figured she should talk to Lena about it and get it out of her system. It was healthier to do that, right?

"He cheated on me. For eight months. The girl he was with called it off the morning of the party. I honestly don't know if he would've of told me if it hadn't ended." Quinn's eyes were starting to water now. Lena hugged her. "I mean, I would've lost my virginity to him. And it would've meant nothing."

"I think that's why Louis told you," Lena whispered as Quinn fought back tears. "I think he didn't want to take that from you with what he was doing behind your back." The last thing Louis had said to her flashed through Quinn's mind. I love you. Just not the way I'm supposed to. Quinn was still upset (obviously) but maybe Lena was right. Louis had never been an asshole.

She would need to have a chat with Louis sometime soon.

Chapter Text

Louis was absolutely miserable. He missed Harry like mad, but had no idea how to tell him. He planned to spend his weekend in bed, huddling under his white, navy and red striped duvet. He was faking sick so he wouldn't have to deal with anyone. Belle may be annoying as hell, but at least she had enough brain cells to understand that Louis wanted to be left the fuck alone. His father was at his "writing apartment" working on getting his latest novel going. It wasn't uncommon for him to just not come home. Louis's phone buzzed and he groaned, but he got out of his duvet cocoon to check it anyways.

Gossip Girl Blast

Harry and Katie spotted at the animal shelter playing with all the adorable puppies and kittens. How darling!

Attached was a picture of Harry and Katie. Harry looked dazzling in a forest green sweater and dark jeans, holding an orange tabby kitten. His eyes looked bright and full of life. Unlike how Louis was feeling. Even Katie, who Louis knows is usually pretty miserable when filming her family's reality show, looked happier than him. Her ice blue eyes shining as brightly as Harry's as she held a fluffy white puppy.

"I knew I shouldn't have checked this," Louis grumbled to himself.

+ + + +

Seth Tomlinson was waiting for his caramel macchiato when he spotted Avery. She had just received her drink - he didn't catch what it was - and he waved her down. 

"Good morning, Mr. Tomlinson," she greeted.

"I understand that I'm old, but please don't call me that. I like to think I'm young at heart," Seth smiled as he received his beverage.

"Isn't that drink kind of...more girly?" Avery asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh shut up. I have a horrible sweet tooth. One of my ex-wives got me hooked on these actually," he laughed. He quite enjoyed Avery's company; she's was very honest and funny. And they both loved writing, which is a definite plus. Though the fact that she was young enough to be his daughter made him feel a little creepy. But they weren't doing anything inappropriate. Talking is hardly illegal (excluding death threats and whatever).

"Actually Avery, since you're here. Do you have any plans for the day?" She shook her head in response. She was honestly just going to read or something.

"Excellent. Would you mind reading over some chapters of my new book? I'm not sure it gives the feeling I want." Avery accepted right away. She couldn't believe that an author as well known as Seth Tomlinson was asking for her opinion on his book. She may have been internally fan girling a bit (not that she would ever admit it).

+ + + +

Zayn was pretty pleased with himself. Just as he planned, he had stayed in Friday night curled up on his sofa, drinking nothing but water and Pepsi. So at ten o'clock in the morning, when his phone started ringing, he actually didn't want to punch whoever was calling him in the face.

"Hello?" Zayn answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Zayn? Can I come over? I would invite you, but Belle's home and if I can get out-" Louis sounded a little desperate.

"Then you'd like to," Zayn cut him off. "Yeah come on over. We can order room service and hang out." Louis thanked him, saying he'd be there in about ten minutes.

True to his word, Louis was walking into Zayn's suite ten minutes later. He hadn't even bothered changing out of his pyjamas, the poor soul. Zayn himself was still in his boxers and t-shirt that he had slept in, so it worked.

Sitting on Zayn's king sized bed, an America's Next Top Model marathon on for background noise, the two boys stuffed their faces with scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, waffles and every other breakfast food imaginable. Zayn had obviously ordered one or two of everything on the menu.

"So, care to explain why you risked calling me on a Saturday morning?" Zayn asked. Everyone in all of New York knew you do not call Zayn Malik before four in the afternoon. And even then, it was risky.

"What you said about Harry and me at the party," Louis started, staring at the food on his plate, "it's true. We've been messing around since New Year's."

"Is that why you and Quinn broke up?" Zayn asked. Louis nodded.

"Yeah, I told her the night of the party that I had cheated. Left Harry's name out of it. Hell, I left the fact that it even was a guy I had cheated with out of it."

"How does Harry feel about you?"

"He told me he loves me."

"How do you feel about Harry?"

"I," Louis looked up from his plate to Zayn, "I love him, Zayn" He was so glad he could finally tell someone how he feels. Even if it was the wrong someone. Zayn nodded, knowing Louis really meant what he was saying. Never had Louis ever been this torn up about someone.

"Does Harry know you feel this way?" Louis shook his head. He explained how many times he tried to tell Harry, but always lost his confidence before he could even find him. He then showed Zayn the Gossip Girl Blast and how happy Harry looked, like this break up did nothing to him.

Zayn did the only thing he could think to do. He hugged Louis and popped Grease, Lou's favourite film, into the blu ray player.

Chapter Text

Pretending to be kind of dating your best friend wasn't as weird as Harry was expecting it to be. Honestly, all him and Katie were really doing was holding hands, the odd bit of flirting; things that made them look more couple-like but didn't really confirm that they were together. They decided that their weekend trip to the animal shelter would be their 'first date' if they had to deal with any questions from the reality show producers. They also planned that if asked about their relationship status, they'd say they were testing out taking things farther than friendship. Not officially together, but not completely apart. Harry thought it worked, considering it was all a fake relationship anyways.

Louis felt his heart shatter when he saw Katie and Harry holding hands. How could Harry love him one week and then be dating Katie the next? He didn't realize love meant nothing to Harry. Well fuck this, Louis thought to himself. Two can play at this game.

+ + + +

Zayn wanted to slam his head into a brick wall. Because at least then when he stopped, it'd be over.

Meanwhile, this Louis/Harry drama was worse than the soap operas Zayn's nannies used to watch. He had thought that after their talk on Saturday, Louis would've worked out something to do about Harry. And maybe he had. But obviously Harry had worked something out too.

Zayn wasn't blind; he knew Harry felt nothing for Katie and everything for Louis. Sadly, Louis just seemed to see red and was now snogging some curly brunette sophomore girl. He seriously questioned his sanity when he agreed to come with Louis to a party on a Wednesday night. Zayn was always up for a party, but Louis was just broken in a way that could be fixed. Unlike Zayn. Louis could get out of this and he didn't have to make a complete and total fucking mess of himself to do it.

But then again, Zayn had never been in love. What would he know about fixing this?

+ + + +

Lena was pretty disgusted with what Louis did to Quinn, but she knew Louis. Cheating wasn't him. Lying wasn't him. This miserable pit he's been in since his double break up wasn't him. Quinn was saying that once she forgave Louis, they'd need to talk. Lena was pretty sure Louis needed a kick in the ass sooner.

"Louis!" Lou turned to see Lena running after him. Weird considering she's best friends with Quinn. Shouldn't he be on her shit list or something?

"How may I help you on this fine Thursday morning, Lena?" Louis asked, just wanting her to stop yelling. His hangover was awful.

"You're seriously hungover on a Thursday? Lou, what are you doing?"

"That's really none if your concern, Lena." Louis saw Harry and Katie - or "Karrie" as some of their stupid classmates were calling them - rounding the corner and just needed to leave. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat but I need to get going."

Lena had never seen Louis scurry off as fast as he did just now. With a hangover at least. She turned to see what Louis saw that made him want to leave but only saw Harry and Katie. The realization hit Lena like a tone of bricks. What if Louis cheated with Katie?

Chapter Text

Exiting the elevator, Liam could already hear his parents. This was one of their louder fights. It all started about five months ago. Why? Liam had no clue. His parents were attempting to shield him from it but honestly, he's sixteen. He's not as oblivious as a young child may be in this situation. As soon as he cracked the faded red door open, the fighting stopped.

The Payne's apartment was cozy. There was a small hall with a closet that lead to the office just off the entry. The kitchen wasn't far from the entrance. It was bright, cheery and clean. Mrs. Payne was an excellent cook. Liam's parents were standing in the living room, smiles on their faces.

"You know I heard you all the way down the hall, right?" Liam said. Linda, his mother, frowned.

"We know we can get pretty loud and we understand you're not a child. But that doesn't mean you need to hear this." Linda explained. Liam looked at her mother like she was insane. They claim he "doesn't need to hear it" but he can always hear the hushed fighting when he's in another room. He may not understand a word they're saying, but he still knows its happening. Still hearing it.

The Payne's had always been a close family. They weren't filthy rich, but they definitely weren't having to choose between food or paying rent. His parents love him more than anything. Growing up, Liam got almost anything he wanted. Except for a sibling. His parents had told him that he was their "miracle" and that they wouldn't be able to have another baby. This used to upset Liam, but then the extra toys, extra slice of cake or extra bedtime story kind of made up for it. He became glad that he didn't have to share his parents. Now, he never wanted to be around them. The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"Could I stay at Niall's again? His parents are still in Ireland." Linda gave him permission and Liam quickly packed his overnight bag. He was out of his apartment in no more than ten minutes.

+ + + +

Lena wasn't sure how to tell Quinn her idea about Katie being who Louis had cheated with. She knew she should tell her, but how do you word this to someone?

Maybe she didn't have to figure out how to.

To: Gossip Girl

Louis cheated on Quinn. With Katie.

Before Lena could really think about what she was doing, she hit send.

+ + + +

Gossip Girl Blast

As we all know, Louis and Quinn broke up last week. What we didn't know? It was because he cheated on her. Supposedly with Katie, though I haven't received any photos/videos to confirm it.

"Katie Karamel?! Really?" Quinn was pacing back and forth on her bedroom's dark bamboo flooring. Of everyone on the planet, it had to be Katie that Louis cheated with? With her stupid sisters, stupid reality show and stupidly good looks. Honestly how many brunettes had blue eyes? And Katie's eyes competed with Jessica Stam's for beauty. Not. Fucking. Fair.

Right in the middle of the rant Quinn was having with Lena, her phone rang. Quinn's agent, Hannah, explained to her that she was to do a test shoot on Saturday and that "one of her fellow classmates, Katie Karamel, would be there too!"

"Mother fuck," Quinn muttered after hanging up the phone. "Katie will be at my photo shoot on Saturday." Lena's blue eyes went extremely wide.

Why was Quinn's luck so shitty?

Chapter Text

Katie was extremely thankful Harry and agreed to come to her photo shoot. She was quite nervous and just really needed her best friend. So far, everything had been going well. The photographer, Fiona, had long red hair that was tied back in a ponytail and glowing cerulean blue eyes framed by dark hipster-esque glasses. She was friendly and knew how give clear directions. Katie was very happy with the photographs so far. Harry was even getting involved, almost acting as an assistant to Fiona. He had all sorts of really awesome ideas, which Fiona absolutely loved.

The morning was to be an individual shoot for Katie and the afternoon would have her with Quinn. Katie was nervous about seeing Quinn. She hadn't cheated with Louis and wanted Quinn to know, but Quinn was the type to just be angry and ignore anything that made sense. Meaning this afternoon was most likely going to be very long. Again, thank God Harry is here.

The afternoon came sooner than Katie would've liked and before she knew it, Quinn was on set with her. They were wearing identical, slim fitting Eleanor Waldorf dresses with an open back and long sleeves. The only difference being that Katie's was orange and Quinn's was blue. Quinn hadn't been bitchy, but she wasn't really acknowledging Katie's presence much. She communicated only when necessary to make a good shot but other than that, nothing. Once the shoot was finished and the girls were changed back into their own clothes, Katie pulled Quinn to the side.

"Look, I need to let you know-" Katie started.

"I already know you're a huge slut. Made that nice and clear when you fucked my boyfriend," Quinn smiled bitterly at her. Katie was really taken aback; it was one thing to know Quinn was going to be a nightmare, another to actually experience it. Harry came up then, obviously picking up on what was happening.

"Better keep an eye on this one, Harry. She's not opposed to cheating," Quinn told him.

"You have no fucking clue what you're talking about," Harry hissed at her. He felt absolutely sick. He couldn't believe that his sweet, caring and loving best friend was getting blamed for what he had done. He was the slut, not her. Harry desperately wanted to confess that it was him, but then that would out Louis. And that would be a whole other mess to feel guilty about. He had no idea what to do to make this stop without hurting someone he loves. Quinn looked like she was about to respond, but Harry honestly didn't care. He grabbed Katie's hand and dragged her out of the studio, waving bye to Fiona.

"I'm so fucking sorry about all of this," Harry whispered to Katie. "I'll fix this. I promise."

Quinn was just confused. What he fuck does he know that I don't? she thought to herself. 

+ + + +

"Have you ever thought about working as an actress?" Derek, Lena's interviewer asked. He had dark hair that was slicked back, tanned skin and mud-brown eyes. he was wearing a navy sweater and jeans. Lena almost rolled her eyes at the question and had half a brain to rip this guy's face off and leave. But no, she was going to stay professional.

"Having seen what my father does, yes, I have thought about acting. But my real passion is in the creating. Directing, writing, filming, producing; all of it just makes me feel whole. It's where my true passion is," she explained for the millionth time this year alone.

"Well, I've got a movie in the works that I think would be a great intro for you as an actress. You could be a supporting role; can't give you the lead right away. We honestly got some amazing people lined up for the lead roles though. Currently talking about male lead being Josh Hutcherson or Liam Hemsworth. As for the female lead? Lucy Hale or Leighton Meester."

"Thanks for the offer, but acting really isn't the path I'm interested in taking." Had this guy not heard a word Lena had just said? What the fuck is wrong with him?!

The interview ended shortly after that and once again, Lena just wanted to scream. She decided to call Quinn up and go out drinking. Her photo shoot would be done by now and she most likely needed to blow off steam after having to deal with Katie for an afternoon.

+ + + +

"Louis!"

Louis perked up at the sound of Harry's voice. Holy shit, Harry is in my house. Holy shit
Harry is looking for me. Harryharryharry.

"Louis!" Wait, Harry sounds angry. A very pissed off Harry made his way up the stairs to Louis's floor of the Tomlinson townhouse then.

"What's wrong, Haz?" Louis frowned.

"Tell Quinn to stop being a bitch to Katie. She doesn't deserve this," Harry hissed. Louis had barely ever seen Harry this angry in his entire life. 

"People seriously believe that Gossip Girl post? There's no proof! For fuck's sake," Louis mumbled.

"Well, obviously people do anyway. You know how Gossip Girl works. Now are you going to talk to Quinn or not?" Louis frowned. On one hand, Katie didn't deserve the wrath of Quinn (even if Louis was insanely jealous of her and just wanted her to fuck off so he could fix things with Harry). But on the other hand, would Quinn even believe him?

"Yeah, I'll talk to her." Louis bit his lip. This was obviously really upsetting for Harry. He cared so much about Katie. And Louis cared a lot about Harry. So if Harry was hurting from all this, then Louis would do whatever he could to make sure Harry would stop hurting. Harry thanked Louis and then left immediately after, almost like he couldn't stand being in the same room as Louis. And Louis wasn't about to lie, that really hurt.

Harry was so close to jumping Lou's bones and fucking him into the mattress; he had to get the hell out of there. All this from Louis biting his lip! Get a hold of yourself, Styles. Harry shook his head. Since starting his fake relationship with Katie, Louis hadn't done a thing. He acted exactly the same. Moped around and ignored Harry. Harry was now trying to move on, but today made him realize how complicated that could be.

+ + + +

After last weekend, Avery had been over to Seth's writing apartment every day to revise and go through ideas with him. He was even helping her out by going over some of her older works, critiquing and giving ideas to improve them.

Honestly, it was like a dream come true. No writing workshop could ever help her out quite like one-on-one time with the Seth Tomlinson. She'd show up after school and stay until midnight usually. They'd always order some sort of delivery for dinner and just chat. She had never connected with someone quite like she did Seth and yeah, maybe he was a little older than her friends 'should' be, but Avery never was one to follow rules.

"It's midnight, Aves. You should probably head home," Seth yawned. Avery checked her phone and oh wow, it really was midnight. Time flies.

"Yeah, I guess I should," Avery mumbled. She honestly wasn't tired and her curfew wasn't until two on weekends. Not that her parents really enforced it. Throwing out the take away containers - they had eaten Chinese tonight - she turned to face Seth.

"I just really want to thank you for all the help, Seth. Honestly, this is a dream come true for me. You've helped me so much; I feel like my writing has improved immensely in this past week. I don't even know how I could ever repay you," she said with honest gratitude.

"Avery, you've helped me a lot too. This novel is moving along wonderfully with your help. It's really nice having another writer around to bounce ideas off of. Especially one who is different from me. You're young and have a completely different thinking process. Keeps things interesting," he smiled. "And really, don't feel like you need to repay me. I'm truly benefiting from all this too." Avery beamed at him and then got this urge to kiss him. Not that she was about to act on it. He was engaged after all. Happily so as far as she knew.

Seth walked her home, like always, because it was late and dangerous to walk alone. Normally this would annoy Avery, but she found it kind of sweet for some reason. Once they reached her building, she thanked him and then confirmed that she'd be over again tomorrow. The urge to kiss him was back. But again, she didn't act on it. That can never happen, she scolded herself as she took the elevator back up to her family's penthouse.

Chapter Text

GOSSIPGIRL.NET

NEW COUPLE?

Harry and Katie - or 'Karrie' is what they're being called - are not out, but the hand holding and him accompanying her to her photo shoot are really cute and, not gonna lie, I am shipping it. Obviously I'd rather take Harry for myself - the curls, the green eyes, his long, lean torso (whoa, getting out of hand here, sorry!) are perfect. He's also one of the sweetest guys to have walked the face of the earth. We should all really just start calling him Cupcake or something. But anyways, him and Katie have been best friends since the beginning of time and its just really adorable, ok?

VOCAB 

Some of you have been asking about these peregrine falcons since finding out about
the Kiss on the Lips party. I've dug out the dictionary for assistance.

Falcon, n. 1. any of several birds of prey of the family Falconidae, esp. of the genus
Falco, usually distinguished by long, pointed wings, a hooked beak with a tooth-like
notch on each side of the upper bill, and swift agile flight, typically diving to seize prey:
some falcon species are close to extinction.

Peregrine falcon, a globally distributed falcon, Falco perigrinus, much used in falconry because of its swift flight.

Hope that helps!

Your E-Mail

Q: hey gossip girl, saw a girl that looked so much like Katie making out with almost any
guy at the Tribeca Star bar. Slut much? -notawhore

A: Dear notawhore,

Though tips have said that Katie cheated with Louis, this is the first spot on a squeaky
clean record. I'm interested to see what happens. Personally, I just wish her and Harry
the best! -GG

Q: I'm pretty sure I hooked up with Zayn on a blanket in Central Park. He's got the quiff
and smells of cigarettes, Gucci cologne and weed, yeah? -blanketbaby

A: Dear blanketbaby,

Sounds about right. -GG

SIGHTINGS

Harry entering the Tomlinson's townhouse looking like he wants to punch someone and coming out looking rather hot and bothered. Zayn with Niall and some other guys eating Papa John's pizza in the middle of Times Square. Yes, tourists took pictures. Lena and Quinn drinking cocktails at Rico.

My Kiss on the Lips invitation got delivered today and now I'm inspired to go dress shopping. I'm planning to have a load of lovely stories to tell by the end of that night. Mark September 26th in your calendars boys and girls ;)

You know you love me,

Gossip Girl

Chapter Text

The Kiss on the Lips party was right around the corner and because Quinn and Lena are absolutely brilliant, the organization was already done. They had booked Rico, this new club that was amazing. It would be the hotspot until the next one popped up.

"We really can't thank you enough, girls," the chairwoman for the fundraiser exclaimed, "everything is going to be absolutely perfect." Lena and Quinn just smiled, giving the usual "it was our pleasure" and "it's such a great cause" bullshit. They're just high school students looking to have an impressive résumé for university. After their coffee meet up at 3 Guys Cafe, the two girls left to go shopping. They had a number of dresses on hold at Barney's, but just hadn't had the time to come together and pick out what they were going to wear.

After an hour of trying on dresses of all colours, cuts and styles, they each settled on the perfect dress. Quinn opted for a tight, short cobalt blue dress with long, lace sleeves. It almost looked like something Rihanna might wear on a red carpet. Lena chose an open back little black dress; it made her look impossibly tinier.

After parting ways with Lena, Quinn was surprised to receive a text from Louis, asking her to come over. She didn't really feel like talking with Louis, but figured it had to be important. Louis wouldn't just text up the girl he cheated on a few weeks later unless he really needed to talk.

+ + + +

Niall's parents were finally back from Ireland, meaning Liam was no longer sleeping over. Niall had started cutting back how much he eats - Liam didn't say anything about it, so Niall's hoping he just never noticed. Now, unless someone was around, Niall just took to not eating. He couldn't make himself sick if there was nothing in his stomach, right? The lack of food was taking its toll on Niall though. He was exhausted a lot of the time, but knew he'd overdo it if he ate. All of this was to keep himself under control. He knew he would be fine, it would just take time.

+ + + +

Not having received a response from Quinn, Louis figured she just wasn't coming over. Which is why when Quinn strolled into his living room about fifteen minutes after he'd sent the text, he was a little surprised to see her.

"Don't look so shocked. You invited me over," Quinn laughed.

"Sorry, I thought you weren't coming. You never responded," Louis explained.

"I figured it was important. So what's up?" She asked.

"I need you to know that I didn't cheat with Katie," he told her, "so please don't hate her or anything."

"Did she come to you?" Quinn asked, her perfect eyebrows furrowing. She wasn't sure if she should believe him or not. On one hand, Louis had always been honest with her. He may keep details to himself - like a whole fucking side relationship - but when asked directly about something, he always told her the truth.

"No-"

"So it was Harry?" Louis nodded.

"I'm not sure what happened exactly, but he asked if I would talk to you. Clear things up. Katie doesn't deserve to be punished for something she wasn't involved in." Quinn agreed with the statement. But if he didn't cheat with Katie, who was it?

"Who did you cheat with then? What did she have that I don't?" She looked directly into his eyes when she asked this, hoping to give off confidence. She was scared about the answer, but needed to know. Louis saw the fear though and felt like total shit for having done this to his lifelong friend.

"Quinn. Don't do that to yourself. It's not about what they have versus what you have. It's about me being an idiot, ok?" She wondered if Louis meant he was an idiot for messing things up with her or for messing things up with the other girl.

"Well, thanks for clearing things up. I'll just be on my way," Quinn waved at Louis, heading for the door. He stopped her with a hug. She hugged him back.

"I am really sorry for putting you through all this," he whispered in her ear, "you deserve all the best." And with that, the hug and visit was over.

+ + + +

"I was so close to fucking him, Katie. It's just not fair," Harry pouted. He and Katie were having a night in at the Styles's penthouse. Avoiding the cameras as Harry needed to get some things off his chest.

"I don't know Harry," Katie started when they heard the elevator open and in walked who they were just speaking about, Louis.

"Oh shit. Sorry, I didn't realize you were hanging out," Louis bit his lip. He would walk in on a fucking date and then have act like he was sorry when all he really wanted to do was drag Harry to his bedroom and fuck him, give him love bites. Show Katie that Harry belonged to him, not her.

"It's not that big deal. I was actually going to call my mom, I've gotten like a million texts from her waiting. Be back in a bit," Katie smiled and walked out onto the balcony. Louis looked like he needed to tell Harry something, she wasn't about to get in the way of what could be the conversation Harry has been waiting for. Louis waited for the door to close and Katie to be out of sight before opening his mouth.

"I just talked to Quinn. She seemed to believe me when I said I didn't cheat with Katie. I wouldn't expect an apology or whatever from her, but I think she'll leave you alone," Louis explained. Harry smiled and thanked him. Louis was starting to think maybe he should go, but he didn't want to leave Harry's presence. But what else could he say? I love you?

"I guess I should get going. Enjoy your night, Harry. See you at school," Louis waved and entered the elevator. He felt like a total fucking idiot. What if that had been his last chance with Harry? Then again, with Katie being right there, it was probably smarter to wait. He and Harry have classes together, he'll find an excuse to get them talking again.

Harry went out onto the balcony then to find a disappointed looking Katie.

"I was hoping you two would be fucking in your room," she frowned.

"I don't think he feels that way, Kat," he said sadly, looking out at the skyline.

"Hazza. He loves you. He has heart eyes whenever he looks at you," she told him, "maybe this fake relationship wasn't such a good idea. I think we should still go to Kiss on the Lips together, but as friends. No coordinating colours or whatever and definitely no gifts." Harry just nodded, still looking out at the city.

"And I will do my very best to get you together by the end of that party," she winked. Harry turned to her then, his eyes containing a slight shine of hope.

Chapter Text

The Kiss on the Lips party was in full swing when Zayn arrived. He really didn't want to come, but a couple of lines of cocaine later and his carefree attitude was back. He got himself into a dark dress shirt and pants and had headed to the party. The venue was dimly lit, a bar was on the left side of the room as well as some seating. On the right, there was a large dance floor where many attendees were having a blast. Servers with trays of different appetizers were drifting around the room. One offered Zayn some sort of bite-sized meatball, which he declined. He really just needed a drink. Just one though, since he'd already done coke.

At the bar, he saw Niall looking into his glass miserably. He was dressed in dark pants and a cozy looking maroon sweater. Niall became Zayn's favourite person then; he looked like he wanted to be there as little as Zayn did.

"Want something stronger?" Zayn asked as he waved the bartender down.

"Maybe I should," Niall nodded. He ordered himself a beer and Niall a whiskey shot. Niall thanked Zayn and downed his shot quickly. Something about Niall seemed off, but Zayn wasn't thinking too clearly so he couldn't quite figure it what it was.

"You ok?" He asked Niall, genuinely worried. The kid looked ill. His normally bright eyes were dull with dark bags under them. He also looked like he was trying not to pass out. Zayn was thinking maybe he shouldn't have asked though, because Niall then gave him a toothy grin and a "of course, mate" before leaving Zayn alone at the bar. Zayn bit his lip and decided maybe he should try and keep an eye out for him. Just to make sure.

+ + + +

"I don't think this will work, Kat," Harry frowned. Katie had chosen his outfit for the night (though it wasn't something Harry wouldn't normally wear himself); dark, tight jeans, a pale blue v-neck tee and a navy blazer. Katie thought he looked great, claiming "Louis wouldn't be able to help himself." Katie was wearing a simple short hot pink dress with a black lace back. The lace was designed to look like skulls.

"It will definitely work, ok? I saw the way he was looking at you. Hell, he looked at me with such a blaze in his eyes. He was so jealous," Katie assured him. Harry considered what she said.

"Well, if you're really sure of this. I guess I'll give it a try," he nodded.

"Now, let's go dancing!" Katie cheered, dragging Harry onto the dance floor to join Niall and whatever random people he was already dancing with.

+ + + +

As usual, Avery was bored. She honestly didn't even know why she bothered coming to these stupid parties anymore. She was about ready to leave and head to some other club far, far away from here, except someone caught her eye.

The lighting was total shit, but from what Avery could tell the guy had brown hair and a friendly face. She knew he wasn't a typical Manhattan snob as she had never seen him at any of the dinner parties before. Deciding that talking to him would be worth a shot, Avery walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi, I'm Avery," she greeted, smiling brightly. The guy smiled back just as brightly.

"I'm Liam."

"Do you go to St. Jude's?" He nodded.

"Yeah and I'm guessing you go to Constance?" It was Avery's turn to nod. How had she never met this guy before? His warm, brown eyes and adorable smile made him come off as really genuine and kind of fucking perfect.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" She asked. Liam nodded, lightly grabbing her wrist and guiding her in the direction of the bar.

+ + + +

Louis frowned as he stared at the dance floor from his spot at the bar. Harry may be one of the only openly bisexual kids at their school, but he definitely wasn't the only gay or bi kid. A number of guys were not-so-discreetly checking him out. Or maybe they were doing it discreetly, and Louis is just that much of a creeper.

He had finally calmed down after the whole ''Karrie" shit. Harry and Katie had been acting way more friends than relationship this past week, unlike the ones before. Louis was guessing they called whatever they were off. But with all these eyes on Harry, Louis wasn't sure it'd be long before Harry was flirting with the idea of going out with someone else. Harry was the type that wanted love so desperately, he bounced from person to person searching for it. He needed to be wanted; it was a comfort thing for him. Louis wanted to be the one to provide the comfort. If only he could man up.

Thinking maybe a little liquid courage could help him out, Louis ordered a White Russian and started running through how he could get in a situation where it was just him and Harry.

+ + + +

Quinn was so glad that the party was going smoothly. Now, she was hammered. Fuck appearances, fuck everything. She had a shit month and deserved this. She stumbled over to Zayn, knowing he was going to be more fucked up than she was and demanded that they dance.

Zayn knew he was forgetting something. He had assigned himself a job to do, to watch over someone. But being the life of the party he was, he accepted Quinn's request and off they were to the dance floor.

+ + + +

Since that shot of whiskey Zayn had gotten him, Niall had continued with the drinks. They were making him feel lighter, more upbeat and ready for the night ahead of him. He had been feeling so exhausted and empty lately. After his ninth drink or so - he had honestly lost count a long time ago, so his number was probably way off - he wasn't feeling well. Something was very off.

He immediately started searching for anyone - Liam, Zayn, Harry, Katie - just someone he knew would help him. Stumbling around, his vision started getting hazy. His thoughts became unclear. Eventually, Niall gave up on finding someone and just let himself fall.

+ + + +

Avery was surprisingly having a great time. Liam was easy going and good at holding a conversation. It seemed like they never ran out of things to talk about. He was someone she would actually like to consider her friend. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone staggering. And not a I-drank-too-much-and-now-I-can't-walk staggering. Something was wrong. Turning her head to get a better view, she saw that it was Niall Horan, who everyone knew could hold his liquor. She wasn't particularly close with Niall, but she had talked to him a couple of times at parties before. You couldn't be mean to the guy; he was sweet as a cupcake. Liam followed her gaze before shooting up like a bullet.

"I'm sorry, but he's my best friend. I need to-" Liam started explaining. Avery got up and rushed with Liam over to Niall. The poor kid was definitely out of it; talking about cannibal cereal on TV commercials. They managed to get Niall off the ground, through the crowds and outside the building. Avery got her phone out, dialling 911 while Liam comforted Niall who was now shaking uncontrollably.

"He only smokes pot, so I'm not really sure what happened," Liam looked so worried for his friend. It was rather endearing.

"Maybe someone spiked his drink? It's crowded and dark in there, he probably never noticed," Avery theorized. People were always spiking others drinks, whether it be date rape or just to get the party going. Either way, they were all fucking douche lords. The ambulance arrived shortly after and the paramedics allowed both Avery and Liam to ride in on the drive to the hospital.

+ + + +

Katie was about ready to unleash her master plan to get Harry and Louis back together when her phone started buzzing like mad. Checking it, she saw she had several texts from Liam.

Niall was maybe drugged

He was really messed up

At Lenox Hill

Come come come

Katie found Harry easily as he had received the same messages and was looking for her. Together, they rushed out and into a cab. Katie sent an on our way text to Liam.

"He'll be ok," Harry whispered very quietly. Katie wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear it, so she just didn't respond.

Chapter Text

GOSSIPGIRL.NET

hey people!

Well, I had a great time at Kiss on the Lips. I must have lost fifteen pounds dancing - not that I needed to.

Needless to say, I'm feeling good.

Your E-Mail

Q: Hey GG, Just wanted you to know I'm writing my college thesis on you. You rock! -StudyBoy

A: Dear StudyBoy,

I'm flattered. So....what do you look like? -GG

SIGHTINGS

Liam, Harry, Katie and Avery sitting nervously in the waiting room at Lenox Hill on Friday night. Louis leaving Kiss on the Lips with a curly haired sophomore. Lena nursing a hangover on Saturday morning at the diner where they used to film Seinfeld.

But the big questions are...

What is Niall doing in the hospital? I think it's more than just a drugging. He looked very ill on Friday.

And where did Zayn and Quinn go? They both literally disappeared Friday night.

I'll get the answers for you as soon as I can, but until next time.

You know you love me,

Gossip Girl