第21部分(第1/7 頁)

ook　the　tray　from　the　side　table　and　brought　it　back　to　the　bed；　balancing　it　on　her　knees。　Her　boyfriend　had　deserted　her。　She　didn’t　have　to　worry　about　calories。

It　had　been　four　days　since　Pete　had　gone　to　stay　with　his　brother　Jason　in　Philadelphia。　Since　then；　Blair　had　barely　left　the　Tribeca　Star。　She’d　been　ordering　room　service；　but　room　service　was　never　fun　when　you　had　no　one　to　share　it　with；　and　she’d　caught　up　on　all　of　her　favorite　gossip　blogs　and　online　shopping　sites　until　she　felt　like　she’d　reached　the　end　of　the　Internet。　She’d　meant　for　this　break　to　be　relaxing；　a　reward　for　surviving　an　academically　challenging　semester。　Instead；　it　was　more　stressful　than　an　early　morning　final　exam。

The　hotel　room　looked　like　it　had　just　been　cleaned　by　the　maid　service；　even　though　she’d　placed　a　DO　NOT　DISTURB　sign　on　the　doorknob　Saturday　morning。　She’d　kept　the　room　clean　just　so　it　would　be　ready　for　Pete　whenever　he　came　back。　It　was　only　now　that　she　realized　he　probably　wasn’t　ing　back。　All　of　her　phone　calls　had　gone　directly　to　voice　mail。　All　of　her　texts　had　been　unanswered。

Last　semester；　she’d　taken　a　psychology　class　in　which　they　learned　about　the　five　stages　of　loss。　Right　now；　Blair　had　just　passed　stage　one—denial—and　was　in　stage　two：　anger。　How　could　Pete　do　this　to　her？　At　least　she’d　been　honest　with　him。

Blair　pushed　her　anemic…looking　omelet　around　on　her　plate；　suddenly　losing　her　appetite。　It　was　cold　and　she　was　tempted　to　call　the　downstairs　restaurant　and　plain；　just　to　have　the　satisfaction　of　hearing　someone　apologize　to　her。

Or　the　chance　to　speak　to　another　human　being？

She　unearthed　her　iPhone　from　the　depths　of　her　white　down　forter；　but　dialed　her　mother　instead。

“Hello；