Vanessa Abrams is the childhood best friend of Dan Humphrey. Prior to Dan's relationship with Serena, she and Dan were inseparable, and the two developed a mutual attraction that was dashed when she moved to Vermont. A year later, she returned to move in with her big sister, just as Dan was trying to make things work out with Serena. Despite her continued attraction to Dan, she backed off when she saw that Dan genuinely loved Serena. Later, she strikes up a relationship with Nate Archibald but they break up before the summer and resume by the time it's over. Unlike most of the cast, Vanessa is home-schooled, and thus has the free time to man a cafe she added to Rufus's art gallery during his summer absence. After many complications with Nate, ranging from his summer fling with Catherine Mason and subsequent troubles, his sudden relationship with Jenny and his return to the Vanderbilt family circle, their relationship ends when Nate and Blair get back together. Nate's one-time favor of her applying to college has led her to attend NYU. Vanessa then embarks on a relationship with Scott Ronsson that ends when she is forced to let him go because of the damage it could do to Rufus and Lily's relationship.