You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Ziegesar Page B

falconry because of its swift flight. Im sure I had you on the
     edge of your seat about that one. But Im just trying to keep you in the knowthats my job.
     See you in the park! You know you love me,
    Well, its wonderful to have you back, dear, Ms. Glos, Constances college advisor, told
     Serena. She picked her glasses up from where they were hanging around her neck on a gold
     chain and slid them onto her nose so she could examine Serenas schedule, which was lying
     on her desk. Lets see, now. Mmmm. Yes. Right, she muttered, reading the schedule over.
    Serena sat in front of Ms. Glos, with her legs crossed, waiting patiently. There were no
     diplomas on Ms. Gloss wall, no evidence of any accreditations at all, just pictures of her
     grandchildren. Serena
    wondered if Ms. Glos had even gone to college. You would have thought that if she were
     going to dish out advice on the subject, she could have at least tried it. Ms. Glos
     cleared her throat. Yes, well, your schedule is perfectly acceptable. Not stellar, mind
     you, but adequate. I imagine youre making up for it with extracurriculars, yes? Serena
     shrugged her shoulders. If you can call drinking Pernod and dancing naked on a beach in
     Cannes an extracurricular. Not really, she said. I mean, Im not actually signed up for any
     extracurriculars at the moment. Ms. Glos let her glasses drop. Her nostrils were turning
     very red and Serena wondered if she was about to have a bloody nose. Ms. Glos was famous
     for her bloody noses. Her skin was very pale, with a yellowish tinge. All the girls
     thought she had some terrible contagious disease. No extracurriculars? But what are you
     doing to improve yourself? Serena gave Ms. Glos a polite, blank look. Who said she needed
     improving? I see. Well, well have to get you involved in something, wont we? Ms. Glos
     said. Im afraid the colleges arent going to even look at you without any extracurriculars.
     She bent over and pulled a big looseleaf binder out of a drawer in her desk and began
     flipping through pages and pages of flyers printed on colored paper. Heres something that
     starts this week. Feng Shui Flowers, the Art of Floral Design. She looked up at Serena,
     who was frowning doubtfully. No, youre right. Thats not going to get you into Harvard, is
     it? Ms. Glos said with a little laugh. She pushed up the sleeves of her blouse and frowned
     at the binder as she flipped briskly through the pages. She wasnt about to give up after
     only one try. She was very good at her job. Serena gnawed on her thumbnail. She hadnt
     thought about this. That colleges would actually need her to be anything more than she
     already was. And she definitely wanted to go to college. A good one. Her parents certainly
     expected her to go to one of the best schools. Not that they put any pressure on herbut it
     went without saying. And the more Serena thought about it, the more she realized she
     really didnt have anything going for her. Shed been kicked out of boarding school, her
     grades had fallen, she had no idea what was going on in any of her classes, and she had no
     hobbies or cool after-school activities. Her SAT scores sucked because her mind always
     wandered during those stupid fill-in-the- bubble tests. And when she took them again, they
     would probably suck even worse. Basically, she was screwed.
    What about drama? Your English grades are quite good, you must like drama, Ms. Glos
     suggested. Theyve only been rehearsing this one for a little over a week. Its the
     Interschool Drama Club doing a modern version of Gone With the Wind. She looked up again.
     How bout it?
    Serena jiggled her foot up and down and chewed on her pinky nail. She tried to imagine
     herself alone on stage playing Scarlett OHara. She would have to cry on cue, and pretend
     to faint, and wear huge dresses with corsets and hoop skirts. Maybe even a wig.
    Ill never go hungry again! shed cry dramatically, in her best