第14部分(第3/7 頁)

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elbow…length　sleeves。　Desperate　to　be　next　to　each　other　in　line；　they？d　done　a　survey　of　all　the

girls　in　their　class；　asking　what　size　heel　they　planned　to　wear　for　graduation。　Even

Doc…Marten…boots…wearing　Vanessa　had　said　she？d　be　wearing　platforms；　so　flats　were　their　best

option。　How　cool　was　it　that　not　only　were　they　together　in　line；　wearing　matching　outfits？they

werefirst　！

Yippee！

In　her　two…and…a…half…inch　white　kidskin　Manolo　dancing　shoes；　Blair　was　somewhere　in　the

middle。　Her　white　satin　Oscar　de　la　Renta　suit　had　been　flawlessly　tailored；　the　jacket　nipping　in

around　her　tiny　waist　and　accentuating　her　excellent　shoulders。　None　of　the　other　girls　had　been

creative　or　fashion…forward　enough　to　even　think　of　wearing　a　suit；　let　alone　the　shimmery　coral

pink　Chanel　lipstick　she？d　bought　especially　for　the　day　or　the　simple　pearls　she？d　chosen　for　her

ears。　She？d　memorized　her　speech　and　kept　reciting　it　over　and　over　in　her　head；　bouncing　on　the

balls　of　her　feet　to　keep　her　circulation　going　and　her　adrenaline　level　high。

Thank　you　for　ing；　ladies　and　gentlemen。　And　thank　you　to　the　senior　class　for　electing　me

as　its　speaker。　You　know；　some　of　us　girls　have　been　together　since　kindergarten。　We　learned　to

read　together。　We　lost　our　baby　teeth　together。　We　learned　how　to　get　the　most　Oreos　at　recess

together。　And　as　the　years　went　by；　we　learned　not　to　crack　under　pressure　together。　Now　here　we

are；　college…bound；　and　we？re　all　still　friends。　How　could　we　not　be？

There？s　something　else　I　learned　at　Constance　that　I　wanted　to　share　with　you　today：　how　to　get

what　you　want。　？

？Has　anyone　seen　Serena？？　Nicki　But