Chips with the rope。 ？I just wanted to make you sweat a little。？ His phone rang again in his pocket
and he pulled it out？even though he knew who was calling。 He silenced the ringer。
Chips arched an eyebrow。 ？Which one is it？ Does she know where you？ve gone？？ ？She doesn？t。
Neither of them knows； actually。 They both think I？m meeting them at Grand Central right now。？
Nate thought about Blair and Serena standing in the train station； wondering where he was； and
felt bad？but only for a minute。 He closed his eyes as he pictured Blair？s excited； happy face and
Serena？s wide； gorgeous smile。 It really was better this way？for everyone？whether they realized it
or not。 Serena and Blair would be friends again？without him getting in the way all the time。
？You didn？t even tell them？？ Chips coiled a length of rope around one arm； his brow
furrowed。 ？Did nothing of my using…your…balls speech make its way through that thick hair of
yours and into your head？？ Nate looked out to sea。 The sky above him was flooded with bright
morning light that bounced off the calm surface of the water。 ？No 。 。 。？ he began。 ？I got it。 It？s
just 。 。 。 better this way。 If I？d told them； they would have tried to stop me from leaving。？ His
phone started beeping wildly； breaking the perfect silence of the calm morning。 Nate pulled it out
of his pocket and silenced it again。 ？And I might have let them。？ He glanced at