Free You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Ziegesar

and the wood floors were scratched and
     dull. Ancient, mammoth dust bunnies had gathered in the corners and along the baseboards
     like moss. Once in a while Jenny and Dans father, Rufus Humphrey, hired a cleaning service
     to scrub the place down, and their enormous cat, Marx, kept the cockroaches in order, but
     most of the time their home felt like a cozy, neglected attic. It was the kind of place
     where youd expect to find lost treasures like ancient photographs, vintage shoes, or a
     bone from last years Christmas dinner.
    Jenny was eating half a grapefruit and drinking a cup of peppermint tea. Ever since shed
     gotten her period last spring, shed been
    eating less and less. Everything she ate went straight to her boobs, anyway. Dan worried
     about his little sisters eating habits, but Jenny was as spunky and energetic as ever, so
     what did he know? For instance, he didnt know that Jenny bought a toasted, buttered,
     chocolate-chip scone almost every day on her way to school at a little gourmet deli on
     Broadway.
    Not exactly a great strategy for breast reduction. Dan was eating an Entenmanns chocolate
     donuthis secondand sipping instant coffee with Coffee-mate and four teaspoons of sugar. He
     liked sugar and caffeine, which was probably part of the reason why his hands shook. Dan
     wasnt into being healthy. He liked to live on the edge. While he ate, Dan was studying
     Vanessa Abramss script for her short film, the film he was supposed to star in. He kept
     reading the same line, over and over, like a mantra: Life is fragile and absurd. Tell me
     you dont care about Serena van der Woodsen being back, Jenny challenged Dan. She put a
     piece of grapefruit in her mouth and sucked on it. Then she stuck her fingers in her
     mouth, pulled out the white pulpy skin stuff, and put it on her plate. You should see her,
     she went on. She looks so completely cool. Its like she has this whole new look. I dont
     mean her clothes; its her face. She looks older, but its not like wrinkles or anything.
     Its like shes Kate Moss or some model whos like, been everywhere and seen everything and
     come out on the other side. She looks like shes totally, like, experienced. Jenny waited
     for her brother to respond, but he was just staring into his coffee cup. Life is fragile
     and absurd. Dont you even want to see her? Jenny asked. Dan thought about what hed heard
     Chuck Bass say about Serena. He hadnt wanted to believe any of it, but if Serena looked as
     experienced as Jenny said, maybe what Chuck said was true. Maybe Serena really was the
     sluttiest, druggiest, most venereally diseased girl in New York. Dan shrugged his
     shoulders and pointed at the pile of grapefruit carcasses on Jennys plate. That is so
     foul, he said. Cant you just eat a Pop-Tart or something, like a normal person? Whats
     wrong with grapefruit? Jenny said. Its refreshing. Watching you eat it like that isnt. Its
     disgusting, Dan said. He stuffed the rest of his donut in his mouth and licked the
     chocolate off his fingers, being careful not to smudge any on his script. Dont look, then,
     said Jenny. Anyway, you didnt answer my question. Dan looked up. What question?
    Jenny put her elbows on the table and leaned forward. About Serena, she said. I know you
     want to see her. Dan looked back down at his script and shrugged. Whatever, he said.
    Yeah, whatever, said Jenny, rolling her eyes. Look, theres this party the Friday after
     next. Its some big fancy benefit thing to save the peregrine falcons that live in Central
     Park. Did you know there were falcons in Central Park? I didnt. Anyway, Blair Waldorf is
     organizing it, and you know she and Serena are best friends, so of course Serena will be
     there.
    Dan kept reading his script, completely ignoring his sister. And Jenny went on, ignoring
     the fact that Dan was ignoring her. Anyway, all we have to do is find a way to get into
     that party, Jenny said. She grabbed a