A Cinderella Story

Long ago, when European royals grew bored of palace balls, they took a page from the peons, and added some pageantry. Couture and canapés are just another Saturday night... until you add a mask. This bit of Old World decadence flourished in New York. Palaces were replaced by The Plaza, and Truman Capote -- the author of Blair's beloved Breakfast at Tiffany's -- made the Ball Masque a New York institution. Now all this time later, the young people of NYC are still enjoying these masquerades. Our favorite resident party planner, Blair Waldorf, is getting ready for what will surely to be the ball of the year. With so much prepping to do, B has gained an extra set of hands: loveable freshman Jenny Humphrey. J has been all over Manhattan running B's errands; picking up everything from jewelry to dresses to undergarments (talk about commitment!). Oh, J. What won't you do to be accepted by B and her clique? Gossip Girl can't wait for the ball! Because you know what the best part about a masquerade is? When the mask finally comes off... and the truth is revealed for all to see.

Spotted: Little J running up Madison. You could barely see her with all the bags she was carrying. Looks like B found her perfect little slave, I mean "handmaiden." And speaking of B, she was seen at Completely Bare getting a 'special wax'. Could B possibly be planning something with N? Hmm...S and little brother E walking down Park, eating hot dogs and drinking soda. How does that girl stay so skinny? Surprisingly, D was not with her. What's going on with them? Are they official or not? No one seems to really know quite yet. Meanwhile, D was spotted at Verb Café in Brooklyn drinking coffee with an aging rocker looking guy. They looked like they were having an intense heart to heart. N and C were trying on tuxes at Saks. C bought a red one. Oh, how this boy's devilish ways never cease to amaze us.

There's nothing Gossip Girl loves more than a masked ball. Drama, mystery, surprise and, of course, anonymity. Did you see me there? Of course you didn't, LOL. Chances are you didn't recognize a soul because everyone was hidden behind beautifully crafted masks. But for me, Gossip Girl, I saw it all. And trust me, it was a night full of bombshells, revelations and spectacle. Just the way I like it.

No one was more excited for the masked ball than B. She had the whole night planned with her beloved boyfriend, Nate Archibald. B figured everything out. Throughout the night, N would get clues from different girls who would lead him to his special prize: the most royal of all highnesses, B. Tonight was the night. B was finally ready to do 'it' with N. But only if N got to her by midnight. B wanted her best friend, Serena van der Woodsen, to give N the final clue. S seemed hesitant. Did B really want her to be part of what was supposed to be the most romantic night of B and N's life after all that's gone on? B explained that the masked ball was a night for starting over. New beginnings. B wondered if S was going to bring D to the masquerade. I mean, come on, they made out in the middle of a NYC street! He at least deserved an invite. S argued that D really doesn't like balls and society things and anything that involves costumes. It's totally not his scene. B told S that D really likes her. He would go anywhere and wear anything if it meant he'd get to be with her. S blushed and decided to give it a shot and invite D. Too bad she happened to call him at the worst imaginable time ever. Seems like D's long lost best friend/former love of his life, Vanessa Abrams, had returned after spending a year in Hippietown, Vermont. When S called D and heard a female voice in the background, she asked D who it was. Instead of being a man and admitting the truth, D flat out lied and told S it was just his little sister, J. And at that very minute who happened to enter B's bedroom struggling to carry box upon box? Why, none other than D's very own little sister, J. The A train can't get you to the Upper East Side that fast. S quickly hung up on D and told B she needed a date to the masked ball stat. Where were all the knights of Manhattan? There was a princess who needed to be rescued ASAP.

But getting a date for a girl like S is like tying your shoes: it takes 5 seconds and a child can do it. S scored a date with a senior from Dalton - captain of everything and straight up hot. Yum. When D found out about this, he quickly did what any normal guy would do: he rented a tux. He didn't come this close to getting S to let her go now. D was going to win her back at the ball if it was the last thing he did. Got to give it to him. The boy from Brooklyn has perseverance.

Meanwhile, our very own Cinderella was in for a rude awakening. J thought because of all her hard work helping B prepare for the ball, she'd possibly score an invite to the event. A jeweler even let her borrow a fancy diamond bracelet so she could show it off at the party. But poor, poor J. Turns out even if you assist the queen of the ball with all her dirty work you still do not get to go to the party. B told J the heartbreaking news. Freshmen don't go to the masked ball. Sorry, it's just the way it was. J was crushed. She schlepped all over the city doing B's errands and she got zip. Life was just so unfair. However, luckily for J, her very special fairy godmother had just returned from a year long sabbatical. Sure, V hated all this society crap but she didn't like seeing her best friend's little sister so upset. V decided J was going to the dance no matter what. And with the snap of a few fingers (and a trip to BAM for J's outfit and some makeup sampling at Sephora), J was transformed into a beautiful princess.

V led J through a backdoor at the masked ball. J thanked her fairy godmother for all her help and went off to have a good time. She surveyed the crowd and tried her best to hide from B. If B saw her she'd be dead. It didn't take long for the one person J never wanted to have contact with ever again approached her. Chuck Bass wandered up to her in his red tux and creepy looking mask. He may not have known who J was behind her cover but she sure knew he was. No one shakes a hand quite like C. Thinking on her feet, J decided it was time for revenge for what happened at the Kiss on the Lips party. J flirted with C and told him they were going to play a game of hide and seek. He'd hide. She'd seek. And she'd find him by the trail of clothes he would leave on the ground. C thought he died and went straight to heaven. But we all know for a guy like C, heaven is probably not an option. And boy was he in for a shock. C waited in just his boxers and undershirt on the roof of the party. He was expecting some kind of action with his mystery girl. What he got was a huge surprise. As J found him on the roof, she quickly snatched up all his clothes and locked the door behind her as she fled. C was left trapped on the roof and half naked. Hope it doesn't get too cold up there, C. Payback's a bitch.

While J snuck into the ball through the backdoor, her brother, D, snuck in through the front. Oh, you kids from Brooklyn and sneaking into places without invites. Luckily for the Humphreys both of them got into the ball and neither of them got caught (much more stealth than we give them credit for!). When D got to the dance floor he found S in a beautiful yellow dress, black furry wrap and, of course, a mask. She was dancing with her Dalton hottie and seemed to be enjoying herself. D marched right up to them and cut in. S was still mad at D. He told her the truth about V and apologized for lying. S took his apology and the two shared a very romantic kiss in the middle of the dance floor. BUT the romance was cut short when D looked over and saw his very good friend, V, watching them. She had come back to the dance to give J her keys and was in complete and utter shock to see D not only at the ball but also kissing a hot blonde. D was supposed to be writing an American History paper (oh yeah did we forget to mention that? D had told V he couldn't hang out with her that night because he had to write some dumb, made up paper. Didn't know having your tongue down someone's throat was an American history course - sign us up for that class!). V looked like she had been punched in the stomach as she started to run away. D chased after her. Not only did he lie to her about writing a paper but also what the hell was he doing at the ball? D hated this world as much as V. And then the truth was revealed: turns out right before V left for Vermont, D admitted he was in love with her. D told V that was the past. He loved her (ooh burn!). Things had changed. As V took off, D ran after her leaving S all alone.

Meanwhile, N was doing an awful job finding the clues that would lead him to B. He wasn't even trying! Maybe that's because he had other stuff on his mind. The Archibalds were having some issues. For starters, Nate's trust fund had been drowned to zero a little while back. But a few days later it was quickly replenished. Nate's dad, the Captain, said he was just 'moving accounts around'. That seemed odd to N. And then, while N and C were snooping around the Captain's office, N found something he never thought he'd ever discover: cocaine. It all made sense. With C and B both preoccupied, N reached out to the only person he thought would actually listen to him: S. Nconfided in S in her hotel suite. He told her about his family's problems and S was there for him. Things got a bit awkward when N held onto S's hand just a beat too long. S quickly rushed N away. Things could not go any further than this. They're just friends. Unfortunately for N, though, it looked like he might still be hung up on the vivacious S.

After witnessing D and V's confrontation, S retreated to the bathroom. This had been the longest and most puzzling night ever. J was in there too. She was throwing away C's clothes. S told J about what happened with D and V. J assured her V was just a friend and it's S who D wants. He'd go anywhere if it meant he could be with her. Well, maybe not the Ice Capades because that totally freaked D out when he was five. S and J decided to switch masks so J could avoid being discovered by C (if he were to get off the roof). S even gave J the black furry wrap she was wearing. When J left the bathroom she was grabbed by what looked like the Phantom of the Opera. It was actually N. In a case of mistaken identity, N whispered into J's ear and called her S. He told her he wasn't over her. If she didn't say anything, he would kiss her. J, too surprised for words, let him kiss her but quickly hurried off. To N's shock, he turned around and there was the actual S. If that wasn't just S, then who exactly did he kiss and confess his feelings to?

As J ran off, she was met by B who also thought she was S. B tried to stop her but J wouldn't slow down. B grabbed J's arm and accidentally ripped off the bracelet the jeweler had lent J. B looked down at the bracelet and knew exactly who that mystery girl was: little J. N finally found B but it was past midnight. The clock had already run out. Tonight was not going to be the night for N and B's first time; leaving B going home alone and still holding onto her V-card.

And when things couldn't get much worse for N, they did. N returned home after the dance and was greeted by his parents waiting for him. His mother had found the cocaine. It wasn't hers. And it wasn't the Captain's. It had to be N's. N was confused and shocked. His dad totally sold him out!

D and S finally reconnected. D told S that he really, really likes her. And would do anything and go anywhere just to be with her. He'd even go to the Ice Capades and that's a huge deal. The two kissed again on a crowded street. Enough with the PDA's! Get a room! JK, we still think it's endearing. The Princess and her Brooklyn Pauper.

In totally unrelated news, and it's even kind of weird that I'm writing about it here since Gossip Girl doesn't blog about old people, Eleanor Waldorf held a party at her penthouse. The theme was Morocco or something like that and it was to celebrate her Bendel's line. Geez, these Waldorf women would celebrate anything and boy, do they love their themes. S's mother, Lily van der Woodsen, brought D and J's dad, Rufus Humphrey, as her date (turns out they're old friends or something like that). But Lily's motive for bringing Rufus wasn't all that innocent. The real reason she took him was to make her current lover C's dad, Bart Bass, jealous. These parents are even more scandalous than their offspring! Seems like Bart can't keep his eyes off 25 year old models. Rufus told Lily the only surefire way to make a man jealous was to show him what he's missing. And with that Rufus grabbed Lily and gave her a big fat kiss in the middle on the room. Guess the Humphrey men love their kisses in public places. The kiss was actually pretty hot (for old people, of course). Rufus' plan worked. Bart came running back to Lily and Rufus' job was done.

The masquerade proved to be a night full of surprises. The biggest shock of the night was definitely J's Cinderella like transformation. Sure, her fairy godmother was a Brooklyn hipster and her horse and carriage was the A train but she even had her own version of the glass slipper: the diamond bracelet. What will B do now that she knows J went behind her back and came to the dance? Can't wait to see that altercation. Also, will J remain loyal to B and tell her the truth about what N said to her? Or will she keep the secret and use it as ammunition? And speaking of N, is B going to forgive him for not finding her before midnight? I mean, he knew there was a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow and yet he hung around and didn't do a thing. And how about D? He was once a lonely dork from Brooklyn and now he has not one but two girls in his life! We hear D and V talked everything out and are totally cool now. But we all know nothing can go back to being completely normal, especially when feelings were once involved. Two's company but three's a crowd.

you know you love me,

gossip girl