our place？make a fortune！？
？Sorry； Dad； but I don？t think so；？ Jenny sighed。 ？I mean； I don？t think I want to go here。？
Rufus carried the paper cup of frothy hot liquid around the counter and handed it to Jenny。 ？You
mean you want to stay home with me？？ he asked； his bushy salt…and…pepper eye…brows arched
hopefully。
Jenny smelled the drink； made a face； and then handed it back。 ？No。 I just have to keep looking。
Croton？s on the way home anyway。？
Rufus winked at the big…hipped； hemp…dress…wearing； frizzy…haired woman ing out of the
kitchen with a tray of buckwheat scones in her hands。 He sighed。 ？You sure？？
From what Jenny could remember； the prep school guidebook she？d read from cover to cover in
the corner by the window upstairs at the Broadway Barnes & Noble had listed Croton Academy in
Croton Falls second on the list of party schools； right after Hanover。 Croton was supposed to be
full of kids who？d been kicked out of their New York City private schools for bad behavior。
Obviously the book hadn？t been updated recently if it still listed Hanover as the number one party
school； but maybe what it said about Croton was still true。
？e on； let？sgo 。？ Jenny tugged on the pocket of her father？s Carhartt shorts； all excited about
Croton now。
It sounded way cooler than Hanover。 And hopefully it had no disciplinary code。
Professor Pierre Papadametriou
English Dept。； The Evergreen State College
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Olympia； WA 98505
Daniel Humphrey
815 West End Avenue； Apt。 8D
New York； NY 10024
Dear Mr。 Daniel Humphrey；
I saw your query in Seeking Paid Summer Internship on college employment site。 I am poetry
and biology professor at college and I seek summer intern。 You live in my house。 I have two dogs
and a son。 My wife left for Greece。 Son is fisherman。 Dogs live outside。 You work on my very
interesting book with me。 I feed you good Greek food！ Tell me when you e and I will fix
hammock in attic。 Must go feed dogs。 They love my moussaka！
Please write back soon。
Pierre
D and v have d？j？ vu ？ all over again
？Wow。 Your place looks really ？lavender ；？ Dan remarked when Vanessa let him in。 When he？d
lived there the walls of the small； nondescript apartment had been plain； peeling； and white； and
there？d been black Halloween sheets hanging in the windows in place of curtains。 Now the walls
were painted a delicate light lavender with celery green trim； and black…and…white chintz curtains
hung from real curtain rods in the windows。 There were a nice Danish modern wooden table and
chairs in the living room and a cool； modern gray sofa。 The place looked like it had been
decorated by a real decorator。
Vanessa blushed； which was weird for her。 Since when did she blush？ ？Blair kind of spruced it
up a little。 You like？？
Dan was sweaty from the subway ride； and because he？d run all the way from the L stop； thirteen
blocks away。 He traced a sticky finger over the freshly painted wall； his heart beating fast。 ？It？s
different； I guess；？ he responded nervously。 Vanessa was checking him out in that unabashed；
direct way of hers； making him sweat even harder。
When Vanessa had gotten home from school； there？d been a little white box waiting for her on
the kitchen counter。 She？d opened it to find a silver ring in the shape of two hands holding hearts
that were welded together。 Inside the ring was the inscription FOREVER ANDALWAYS。 LOVE；
A。 Except for a brief dalliance with a lip ring； Vanessa rarely wore jewelry； and this type of
friendship/love ring was so corny it made her laugh。 She？d certainly never have considered
wearing it； no matter who had given it to her。 She？d dropped the ring back inside the box and
tucked it into the silverware drawer。 It was possible Aaron had given her the ring as a joke； but
then why would he have bothered to have it inscribed？ Even when they were going out； Dan
would never have given her such a sappy gift。 e to think of it； he？d never asked her to camp
out under the stars with him； either。 Vanessa was a running…water…and…flushing…toilets sort of girl。
She hated the sun； and the outdoors； with its spiders； ants； bees； and mosquitoes； creeped her out。
Of course； Aaron meant well。 It was the thought that counted and all that。 But she and he would
have to talk？something they hadn？t really done much of since they？d hooked up。 Despite Aaron
pouring on the love notes； giving her gifts； and sleeping over all the time； their relationship had
been purely physical thus far。
Not that she minded。 There was something about the stress of finals and graduation and turning a
new page in life that was secretly freaking Vanessa out。 She simply wasn？t herself。 Or maybe
living in an apartment with lavender walls with a girl who owned one hundred seventeen pairs of
shoes； including thirty…four pairs of Manolo Blahniks； had turned her into someone else。 Formerly
a loner； Vanessa could no longer bear to be alone； and she？d found that the best way to keep her
mind off the future was to drink a little vodka and then fool around。
She？s only just discovered this？
？You look pale；？ Vanessa told Dan。 Then she took a step toward him； wrapped her arms around
his neck； and kissed him on the cheek。 She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled his cute； musty
Dan scent。 ？Pale； but really good。？
Vanessa was wearing a black ribbed tank top and no bra。 Her head was freshly shaved； but she？d
allowed the dark hair around her face to grow half an inch or so； softening her broad white
forehead and big brown eyes。 And she？d given up on her lip ring。
Which was a good thing。
She was also wearing a flippy black miniskirt that she never would have considered before Blair
Waldorf moved in。 But she？d paired the miniskirt with black…and…white argyle kneesocks and her
ever…present Doc Martens； making it very clear that； despite her roommate？s influence； she wasn？t
about to buy a pair of snakeskin Manolo Blahnik stilettos anytime soon； even if they came in
black。
The smooth slope of her pale upper arms； the mocking curve of her red lips； and the defiant glow
in her big brown eyes made Dan wonder how he？d ever functioned without her。 He resisted the
urge to whip out his leather…bound notebook and scribble down a poem。 Instead he pulled a Camel
out of the pack and stuck it between his lips without lighting it。 ？So； you want to take a walk？ Get
some coffee or something？？ he ventured； trying to sound vaguely normal。
Vanessa shrugged her shoulders without moving away from him。 ？I？m having a major d？j？ vu；？
she confessed with a bemused smile。 Wasn？t this how they？d gotten together again the last time？
He？d e over and then they？d basically ripped each other？s clothes off。
？Me too；？ he admitted； secretly hoping that history would repeat itself。
？Blair and I just discovered a door to the roof of the building。 All this time I thought it was
padlocked； but the lock is totally broken。 It？s pretty cool up there？want to check it out？？
So was Vanessa into sunbathing now too？ ？Sure；？ Dan agreed。
To his surprise； she collected a quart of Absolut and a bottle of tonic water from the fridge；
tucking them into a paper bag with two plastic Scooby…Doo glasses； which she filled with
ice。 ？I？ve kind of developed a taste for this stuff；？ she admitted with a wicked grin。
Dan stared at her in amazement； his whole body trembling with anticipation。 Vanessa never could
hold her liquor； neither could he。
He followed her out of the apartment； down the dirty； cement…floored hall； and up the building？s
cruddy stairs； which were painted black and smelled of turpentine。 Two flights up； Vanessa pushed
open a black metal door marked DONOTENTERand stepped out into the bright hot light of the
rooftop。 Suddenly the city was all around them； and the Williamsburg Bridge seemed close
enough to touch。 Off to the right； the East River looked glassy and cool as a sailing yacht glided
past a barge pulling a load of Porta Johns； its white sails luffing in the thick afternoon air。 To their
left was the sugar factory； billowing smoke ou