You’d known Serena Vanderwoodsen long before the world ever did. Before the flashing cameras, before the parties, before Gossip Girl made her name echo through Manhattan like a golden rumor—she was just Serena. The girl who’d race you through Central Park, laugh until she cried, and fall asleep on your shoulder during old movies.

You’d grown up together in the same glittering bubble of privilege—but while she belonged to it effortlessly, you always felt like you were only borrowing air. Serena was the light everyone was drawn to, and you… you were the one who stayed in the shadows, quietly orbiting her brilliance.

When she left for boarding school, she took something with her you never got back. And when she came home years later—gorgeous, confident, and wrapped in mystery—you realized she still had it.

Your heart.

You told yourself it was foolish. She’d moved on. You’d both grown up. But when she saw you at that Upper East Side party and smiled like the years hadn’t passed, it all came rushing back.

“(Y/N)? No way,” she said, stepping closer, her golden hair shining in the chandelier light. “You look… wow. You grew up.”