Gossip Girl

The Opera

Maddie rushed around the room trying to shimmy on her dress for the opera. Carter had kept her out all night into the early morning and when she arrived home she had fallen asleep still partially drunk while also partially hungover.

The maid had just knocked on her door informing her that her father was leaving in 30 minutes. This meant Maddie had just enough time to make herself look presentable.

Not caring about her hair she threw it into a quick updo and did some light makeup.

She rushed down the stairs heels still in hand.

"Ready?" Her father asked.

"Yup" Maddie replied while slipping on her heels and grabbing her clutch.

The opera house was packed with both tourists, New York City residents and New York's most elite.

Cameras flashed constantly as her and her father as the two climbed the steps to their private viewing box.

Everyone began to settle down in their seats right before the opera was about to start.

"I'm going to grab a drink" Maddie whispered to her father before heading to the bar.

"One martini, dirty" Maddie ordered.

"I heard you got into Yale. Drinks on me" Chuck said turning around from his seat at the bar flashing to the bartender to put it on his tab.

"Thanks. You know how I feel though. You're really the only one" Maddie muttered. Chuck looked he was about to say something when his attention was called another way.

"Chuck" Lily called out walking with a man Maddie hadn't seen before.

"Who's this?" Chuck asked turning away from Maddie and towards Lily.

"Bruce Chapman. I'm your father's family lawyer. Before he died, your dad was going to legally adopt Serena and Eric"

"And I was going to legally adopt you" Lily added. "We were serious about becoming a real family, and we had the papers drawn and your father had signed them. I just- didn't get to it in time"

"Your stepmother asked me to get these faxed over"

"So if you adopt me-" Chuck began

"Then I'm your legal guardian" Lily finished. Maddie could tell these two were scheming together. After all Chuck Bass was always scheming.

Not wanting to be involved Maddie began to tap her foot, hoping to get the martini quick so she could down it and return to her seat.

While Maddie wanted to remain unaware of the situation she could see out of the corner of her eye that Chuck was signing the papers. Agreeing to become the adoptive son of Lily Van Der Woodsen.

"What are you doing. You know you can't sign anything without my permission" Jack spoke out.

"Not anymore. I'm sending you back where you belong.... you just lost the company" Chuck said handing over the papers to Lily.

"Join me in my box? We can catch up" Chuck asked Maddie while holding her full martini glass.

"Let me go to the bathroom first" Maddie said with a smile. She had been wanting to talk to Chuck and make sure his absence didn't change how he felt about her...and make sure he was okay.

Chuck shook his head and walked right past Jack who looked fuming. Maddie walking the other way headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Maddie was in the midst of trying to fix her hair when the bathroom door opened to reveal Jack.

"Wrong room" Maddie called out with annoyance her voice. Jack was the last person she would want to have to talk to.

Jack continued into the bathroom despite Maddie's statement and locked the door. Maddie in that moment began to panic internally.

"What do you think your doing?" Maddie asked turning to face Jack.

"I should have asked you the same thing. Was that your plan? That's why you begged me to bring him back?" Jack asked.

"What Lily adopting Chuck? I had nothing to do with it" Maddie spoke out.

"It didn't look like that to me" Jack sternly stated.

"You're clearly high. I'm leaving" Maddie muttered grabbing her clutch and heading towards the bathroom door.

Jack's arm gripped Maddie's pushing her closer to the wall.

"I earned that power and you threw it away to your little lover. Get it through your head he doesn't love you. He's a womanizer...always moving on to the next....that just what Bass men do" Jacks aggressively spat in Maddie's face.

She once more tried to go around him but was brutally pushed up against the wall.

Jack forcefully tried to kiss Maddie who tried dodging her head left and right.

"STOP. GET OFF OF ME!" Maddie yelled trying her best to get someone's attention on the opposite side of the door.

Jack's hand tightly covered Maddie's mouth while the other slide under her dress and up her thigh.

The bathroom door breaks up revealing Chuck and Maddie's dad.

Chuck pushes Jack off of Maddie and begins to throw punches while Maddie is consulted by her dad.

Security comes and escorts Jack off the property immediately.

"Thank you" Maddie mutters to Chuck grabbing him in a hug.

Maddie's father, however, pushes the two apart.

"Bass Industries and Rose Real Estate is over. A child can't run a business" Maddie's father yelled.

"Sir-"

"Dad Chuck saved my life"

"It's over. Don't ever speak to her again" her father sternly said grabbing her arms and escorting Maddie to the limo outside.

"He saved my life" Maddie spoke out trying to change her father's opinion.

"No he almost ruined your's. Don't test me. I'm pressing charges against Jack Bass immediately and for Chuck.... he's no good"

"Dad" Maddie whined.

"ENOUGH!" Her father snapped. "Driver Upstate New York please"

"Where are we going?" Maddie asked.

"We are not going anywhere. You need time. Time away from your friends. Time to think about who you are. Time to reflect on your bad decisions in life. Yale doesn't need a reason not to have you attend in the fall"

"I don't want to go to Yale - I applied to NYU and got in" Maddie sternly and proudly said.

"Non-Ivy is really your goal? The Rose family doesn't have a reputation for you to throw it away at some private college in the village. You'll be back in time for Constance prom.... unless the reform school deems it necessary for more time"

"Reform school. You have to be kidding" Maddie cried out.

"I came across your Bass File. You almost got expelled from school and had Bart Bass cover it up. You if you must have forgotten where arrested for possession of drugs which I had bailed you out. You almost died in an alley way overdosing. Did you not learn anything at the Ostroff Center? No you became 10x worse. My decision is final"

Maddie unable to talk herself out of this one rested her head on the window of the limo defeated.