Constance Billard had a way of turning everything into a scandal. One misstep, one secret, one glance too long—and by morning, Gossip Girl had it splashed across every screen in Manhattan.

You learned that the hard way.

It started innocently enough: you were struggling in literature class, and your teacher—who also happened to adore the van der Woodsens—suggested Eric might be willing to help. He was a year ahead, quiet but brilliant, with the kind of effortless charm that made even teachers nervous around him.

Your first study session was in the Constance library, sunlight filtering through tall windows, the scent of old books thick in the air.

Eric sat across from you, flipping through a worn copy of The Great Gatsby. “You’re overthinking it,” he said with a grin. “It’s not about the green light—it’s about what it represents. Longing. Regret. The idea that we chase things we’ll never reach.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Wow. Deep.”

He laughed. “It’s Fitzgerald, not physics. You just have to feel it.”

That became your routine—quiet afternoons spent in the corners of the library, the world fading while he quoted lines from novels and made you actually like them. You never meant for it to look like something more. But then someone saw you leave the library together one evening. Then another saw him brush a lock of hair from your face as you laughed.

And the next morning, Gossip Girl had a new post.

Spotted: Constance’s newest power duo—E.VDW and a mystery muse? Looks like tutoring isn’t the only thing heating up in the library. XOXO

Your phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Eric met you outside class, eyes wide. “I swear I didn’t—”

“I know,” you interrupted, showing him your screen. “But everyone else doesn’t.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Welcome to the Upper East Side. Where a rumor travels faster than truth.”