第6部分(第4/7 頁)

e　to　go

over　our　shot　list　anyway；　but　I　want　you　two　to　keep　working。　Go　to　dinner？it？s　on　me。？

？Thanks；　Ken。？　Thaddeus　stood　and　stretched；　yawning　noisily　and　giving　off　the　heavenly　odors

of　sweat　and　Carolina　Herrera　for　Men　cologne。　？It　really　has　been　a　long　day。　I　could　definitely

use　a　drink。？

？And　this　will　give　you　a　chance　to　work　on　your　chemistry；　right；　Holly？　Get　to　know　your

leading　man。　Talk　to　him；　listen　to　him；　learn　from　him。　I　really　want　to　see　youmeld　；　okay？？

Serena　nodded　and　stubbed　her　cigarette　out　in　the　mother…of…pearl　ashtray　perched　precariously

on　the　arm　of　the　brown　leather　couch。　She　could　meld；　especially　with　Thaddeus；　but　maybe　not

while　Ken　was　watching。

？Good；？　grunted　the　disgruntled　director。　？So　go；　have　a　bite。　That？s　your　homework。？

Dinner　with　a　major　Hollywood　hottie？　Is　there　extra　credit？

After　gorging　themselves　on　the　city？s　best　steak　tartare？　mixed　with　two　delicate　quail　eggs　and

served　with　a　healthy　portion　of　sea…salt…encrusted　French　fries？Serena　and　Thaddeus　emerged

from　As　Such　on　Clinton　Street；　currentlythe　coolest；　most　crowded　spot　for　the　summer。　They？d

shared　a　bottle　of　Veuve　Clicquot　and　a　molten　chocolate　cake　with　fresh　huckleberries　for　dessert；

and　Serena　had　tipsily　blurted　out　the　story　of　how　she？d　wound　up　not　getting　asked　back　to

Hanover　Academy　last　fall。

She？d　spent　the　summer　in　Europe；　partying　with　her　older　brother；　Erik；　and　flirting　with

Frenchmen。　Erik　had　left　for　Brown　in　August；　but　Serena　had　stayed　and　stayed。　School　just

seemed　so　boring　and　unnecessary　when　the　beaches　in　Saint…Tropez　were　so　inviting；　even　in

September。　Thankfull