Just as Bart and Chuck Bass exited the lobby, leaving Serena, clothes ripped in a disarray, someone else's face becomes visible to the beautiful blonde. It was none other her younger brother and most beloved friend Eric van der Woodsen. He looked shock to say the least but even then, his soft, demure blue eyes looked so damn innocent. Serena gazed at Eric and her once crestfallen face remained exactly the same. As much as he wanted to speak with her at this time, perhaps to possibly ask her to not leave and try and comfort her, he couldn't. His feet seemed like immovable objects, like all the blood had literally drained from his body and fell towards his ankles, holding them down as if they were one with the floor. "S-s-ser," he muttered, but only he could hear it as not one person around him turned to look at him. Before he knew it, his sister had picked herself up from the floor and gone, just disappeared from his sight completely. "Let's get out of here, people," he heard someone say from within the vicinity. "Nothing interesting to see here." Soon all the people that had collected to watch Chuck and Serena physically fight but never dared to stop them, began to go about their day. Eric also tore himself away from the scene, he knew who he had to see about this. Lily van der Woodsen sat in front of a vanity dressing table, probably touching up on her makeup and hair when she saw her son's reflection in the mirror. The woman who was tending to her perfectly blonde hair was dismissed immediately. Eric closed the door behind him, indicating that he wanted privacy and also that this talk was a big deal to him. "Eric," Lily said softly. "What is it?" The young van der Woodsen heir sighed and sat down on the bed Lily and Bass would sleep in at night. "What do you think, mother?" he asked, an obvious look of displeasure was worn on his face. "I found out what's going to happen with Serena." As he sat, he placed both his palms on the top of his knees simply because he felt like he was going to fall face first into the floor if he didn't have any mean of support after witnessing what he just witnessed. "Eric, sweetheart," Lily tried to console him. "You know that's the only way she can deal with this... problem she's had since her birthday." His mother takes a seat next to him on the bed and places her hands on his shoulders from behind. "I wasn't aware that making her run from her problems were going to solve them." he responded, a bit irritated, at no particular person as he could never hate his mother but rather the situation their family had been put in. Eric was under the impression that many people loathed their family because of the intense amount of jealousy they had felt towards the two tall, skinny blondes and their mother. Lily seemed to be the prettiest mother the upper east side had seen and she was with the richest man in Bart Bass. His sister Serena was naturally the best looking, sweetest and most amazing girl amongst her peers which is why Blair and Georgina were so envious of her. Mostly every man that lay eyes on her, wanted her and hated the other as their desires were alike. Eric was your average fifteen year old but he seemingly got more female friends than he would have if he were a pauper. Also his high optimism troubled many of the upper east siders who would usually find themselves engulfed in drama. "It's not running away per se, Serena is just going away for a while," she said trying to sugar coat it for him. She knew how hard this was on Eric and the last thing she wanted to do was let him be affected by it. "You were there, Eric. You saw how bad it was. People are going to talk, they are already talking. Do you think that's what Serena really needs?" "No!" Eric snapped back, standing up from the bed and turning to face Lily. "She doesn't deserve that but at the same time you just can't tuck her away somewhere so that these snobs that have set out to make her life hell because they're bored with their own can forget about her." Lily had never seen her son like this but it would be rather stupid to say she hadn't expected it. She knew her children quite well. "Do you know what happened the last time, mother?" he asked, coldly. "She went away to Belgium and they still found a way to blame her for Nate's accident. When she returned, they made it even worse for her. Do you remember what happened when she left for boarding school the first time?" he asks, holding his wrist up as a hint. "What do you want Serena to do, Mom? Leave Manhattan forever? Do you never want me to see my sister again just because her so called friends love to use her for everything she is? Why do you want to tear apart our family because these vicious little children enjoy hurting my sister? It's not Serena's fault, mom! Stop sending her away!" he yelled. The two of them, mother and son, stood there looking at each other for a moment. Eric was already infuriated with what he had heard prior to this talk. He felt like he had made himself pretty clear already and excused himself before slamming the door shut and walking off.