But now that you?ve graduated, it?s time to strike out on your own, like I did when I was
eighteen.?
?Fine,? Vanessa snapped. ?That?s cool. I get it, I?m all grown up and on my own now. I get it.?
?Don?t be like that,? Ruby pleaded guiltily. ?Come back and sit, let?s talk things over a little
more.?
?No, it?s cool, really. Let me just grab my stuff and I?ll be out of Pita Bread or
whatever-the-hell-his-name-is?s hair immediately.? Shaking a little, Vanessa stormed out of the
kitchen and into the living room, where Pizza Face sat smoking some rotten-smelling Czech
cigarettes. Vanessa snatched her still photograph of a dead pigeon off the wall above his head and
tucked it under her arm. It was her favorite, and she wasn?t about to leave it behind so he could
copy it in one of his paintings. She could see it now: he?d become known as the ?dead pigeon?
artist, when all along it had beenher dead pigeon andher freaking apartment.
A few minutes later, Vanessa crashed down the stairs, lugging her camera equipment and one
giant black duffel bag. She burst out into the late afternoon sun and stumbled down Bedford
Avenue, dodging indifferent, funkily dressed passersby and piles of dog shit and wondering where,
exactly, she was going to go.
She dropped her duffel on the ground and sat, using the fully stuffed bag as a perch. Digging her
cell phone from her pocket, she hit speed dial. There were two rings and then the familiar sound of
Dan?s voice.
?What?s up
?My sister kicked me out.? Her voice cracked. She tried desperately not to cry. ?And I don?t
have any money, and I don?t have anywhere to go, and I don?t know what I?m going to do.?
Guess she?ll be taking that job.
s is for spirituality, among other things
?Hey,? Dan whispered into his black Nokia cell as he ducked behind an aging metal bookshelf at
the Strand. It was the kind of place only a guy who had readHamlet five times could love. ?I was
just thinking about you.?
He couldn?t quite make out Vanessa?s response: she sounded out of breath and near tears.
?Wait, wait,? he soothed. He stacked up a pile of Ronald Reagan biographies and sat down on
them. ?Slow down. I didn?t catch any of that.?
?I said I?ve been kicked out of my apartment,? Vanessa shouted. ?Ruby?s back from Europe and
she has this new asshole Czech painter bullshit boyfriend and she told me to get lost.?
?Shit,? Dan muttered, looking around. He wasn?t really supposed to be on his cell phone on the
job.
?What am I going to do? Where am I supposed to go
?What about my place Dan asked, before he even had a chance to think about what he was
saying. He fingered an old dusty hardcover about Walt Whitman and considered taking it home.
?Your place Vanessa repeated, pitifully. Dan wasn?t sure he?d ever heard her sound so weak,
and even though he kind of knew it was wrong, he sort of liked how it made him feel.
Like he was some macho stud and she was frail and helpless. He made a mental note to use the
feeling for a poem.
Rice paper girl, I?m the quill, the ink, the well. . . .
?It?ll be fine,? he assured her. ?Take your stuff, get on the subway, go to my place. The door?s
unlocked?you know my dad always leaves it open. I?ll be home in a couple of hours.?
?Really Vanessa asked tentatively. She?d always been so fiercely independent. Dan knew she
hated asking for any favors. ?Are you sure it?s okay with your dad
?It?ll be fine.? He rubbed some dust off the top shelf and it sprinkled in his eye. ?You?ll see. I?ll
be there soon. Don?t worry.? He rubbed his eyes, listening to Vanessa breathe on the other end of
the phone.
?On the plus side, Ken Mogul offered me a job today.? Vanessa laughed bitterly. ?It looks like
I?m going to have to take it.?
?That?s awesome!? he cheered, though he couldn?t help feeling a little disappointed. He was
working, and now Vanessa was going to work too. That would definitely put a damper on his
romantic plans. When would they have time to ride the tram to Roosevelt Island and drink sake in
the park?
?Shit, that?s my call waiting,? she mumbled. Dan heard her take the phone from her ear. ?It?s
Ken. I better get it. I?ll see you at home, then? Your home, I mean.?
?No,? he corrected her. ?Yours too.?
Aw.
Dan pressed the end button on his cell and slipped back into the narrow aisle of the biography
section. He smiled. Maybe Vanessa getting kicked out was actually the best thing that could
happen to them. Living together would make their last summer before leaving for college
sointimate . It would be even more memorable.
He grabbed a few of the Reagan biographies and crouched, trying to find a place for all of them
on a shelf.
?Excuse me, I?m looking for a copy ofSiddhartha and I just can?t seem to find one. Can you help
me
Dan rose from his crouching position, his knees cracking from bending over, ready with a clever
barb about where to find enlightenment. But once he saw the customer, he swallowed his words.
She was about four inches taller than he was, with long wavy platinum blond hair pulled back in
a no-nonsense pony-tail. She wore a faded gray gym tee and white denim cutoffs and had
matching green-and-white wristbands on both of her arms. She furrowed her brow a little, but
even worried, her blue eyes twinkled. She looked like Marsha Brady, only sexier and dirtier
looking, like Marsha Brady on her way home from her aerobic striptease class.
?Um, yeah,? Dan finally replied, flustered. ?Yeah, we should have a copy ofSiddhartha . I?m sure
we have one.?
?Oh, good,? Dirty Marsha cried, reaching out and squeezing his bony upper arm. ?I really want
to read it.?
?Yeah,? he muttered, leading her away from the presidential biographies and toward paperback
fiction. ?It?s actually one of my favorite books.?
It is?
?Oh, gosh, really Dan had never encountered a girl who managed to say ?gosh? and not sound
like a complete moron. ?It comes so highly recommended by my yogi.?
?Here it is,? he announced, standing on his tiptoes and tugging on the book?s thin blue spine. He
handed it to her.
?Cool.? She turned the book over to examine the back cover. ?This looks really great. Thanks so
much for your help. So you really liked it She gazed at him, her almond-shaped eyes matching
the twilight blue of the book?s faded cover.
?Well . . .? Dan paused. Books were his area of expertise? why couldn?t he think of anything to
say?
Maybe because he never read it?
?It was, um . . . inspiring.?
?Great. I?m really looking forward to it.? She cradled the book against her chest and leaned into
Dan a bit more closely. ?Maybe I?ll come back when I?ve finished it and you can recommend
another book for me
?I?m always happy to recommend books to our customers,? he replied smoothly.
?Awesome!? she cried with cheerleaderish enthusiasm. ?I?m Bree.?
?Dan.?
?Cool, Dan. This book isn?t long, so I?ll be back in a couple of days. Thanks again for your help!?
She turned and strolled away, an actual bounce in her step. Dan watched her small, round butt,
which closely resembled two scoops of French vanilla ice cream, disappear behind the News and
Current Events section, before remembering that he?d just asked Vanessa to move in with him.
How, um . . . enlightened.
Copyright ? 2006 by Alloy Entertainment
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored
in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Little, Brown and Company
Poppy
Hachette Book Group USA
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Visit our Web site atwww.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com
First eBook Edition: May 2006
ISBN: 978-0-316-01182-2
She is pure Alice in Wonderland, and her appearance and demeanor are a nicely judged mix of the
Red Queen and a Flamingo.
?Truman Capote
Gossip Girl novels by Cecily von Ziegesar:
Gossip Girl
You Know You Love Me
All I Want Is Everything
Because I?m Worth It
I Like It Like That
You?re The One That I Want
Nobody Does It Better
Nothing Can Keep Us Together
Only In Your Dreams
Would I Lie To You
Don?t You Forget About Me
If you likegossip girl you may also enjoy:
?
Bass Ackwards and Belly Upby Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Secrets of My Hollywood Lifeby Jen Calonita
Hatersby Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
?
?
And keep your eye out for
Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith, coming October 2007.
Contents
the honeymooners
one is the loneliest number
v?s date with destiny
s moves out
d learns the art of customer service
helmets are almost as important as condoms
love don?t live here anymore
s is for spirituality, among other things
the family that plays together stays together
a star is born (sort of)
you think you know someone
townies are people too
b is for betrothed
there?s something about danny
lights, camera, but no action
the runaway bride
a little bird told me. . . .
s follows in audrey?s footsteps. literally.
money isn?t funny, honey
it?s getting hot in here
n goes native
come up and see me sometime
tea for two
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
will v ever eat lunch in this town again?
reunited . . . and it feels so good
karma chameleon
from the frying pan to the fire
b and s decide it?s share and share alike
n hits the town
b takes charge
just another manic sunday in the park with v . . . and d
he?s lost that lovin? feelin?
v finds a father figure
a star is born?take two
a real hollywood ending
n?s woman trouble
back to the scene of the crime
d?s got a golden ticket
all the world?s a stage
what up, roomie?
look what the cat dragged in?and who he brought with him
b is an inspiration
threesome on the roof
n exits stage left
cue music, roll credits
the best stories begin with one boy and two girls
upper east side schoolgirl uncovers shocking sex scandal!
About this Title
This eBook was created using ReaderWorks?Publisher 2.0, produced by OverDrive, Inc.
For more information?about ReaderWorks, please visit us on the Web
atwww.overdrive.com/readerworks
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