第25部分(第1/7 頁)

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