***hi guys, if you want me to finish the story, please rate! Thanks…
Later in the evening in Rachel's room, Monica was sitting in front of Rachel's vanity, and Rachel was crimping her hair.
"When crimping your hair, you should never exceed 10 seconds for each part, or else you would end up looking like you did freshman year, " Rachel said, with a smile playing on her lips as she remembered that disastrous day three years ago.
"Oh please Rach, like I need reminding of that day. It still haunts me in my dreams, for chrissakes!!" Monica whimpered. "Anyway, do you have any advice for me? I mean any techniques or process of snagging a guy like Chandler?"
"Gosh Mon, you make it sound like a machine or something. It's just simple actually, you just gotta have the guts. If you don't, then don't even bet that it would work."
"But that's my problem! I'm so shy, I don't even know how to talk to guys, let alone a guy that I actually like!" Monica cried. "Maybe I should just bail out on this whole thing."
"Again?" Rachel shouted. "Monica, are you kidding? I thought this is your year? Look honey, let me tell you something. All people have guts, it just needs to be brought out. And in order for it to be brought out, something big should happen, and for you, this is it. If you don't call three years of being a lovesick fool not big, then I don't know what is!"
"Well, that's easy for you to say, since you already have brought it out…I still need to bring it out, and that's the hardest thing I ever have to do!"
"Even harder than putting up with Ross playing Barracuda in his keyboard full blast every night in your basement?" Rachel snickered.
"Nothing is harder than that." Monica admitted with a chuckle.
****
While the girls are having their planning night, Joey and Chandler on the other hand are hanging out in their usual couch in Central Perk.
"Channy and Monny sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Joey sang.
"That is so juvenile, beat it Joe!"
"What? In English please." Joey said.
Chandler sarcastically answered. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize I'm speaking gibberish again, I said please stop, what you're doing is childish. Really the kissing song? You're much cooler than that!"
"Yeah I thought so too. Just like you not asking Monica out."
"That's different."
"No it isn't. It's exactly the same." Joey answered.
"Whatever buddy. Anyway," Chandler faced Joey, "since you're more of a ladies man compared to myself, maybe you could give me some pointers on how to ask Monica out." Chandler asked.
"Chan, I don't think I'm the right person you should ask about that. The most special thing I ever did for a girl was giving her a box of chocolates, and that's just because I didn't like rum in my chocolate, and I didn't want it to go to waste!" Joey told Chandler.
"You're probably right. Well, I'm sunk! Maybe I should just kiss the chances of being with Monica good-bye." Chandler said, dejected. Joey was silent, looking at his soda can.
"I said maybe I should kiss the chances of hooking up with Monica good-bye." Chandler repeated, but Joey remained silent and kept staring at the can of soda.
"Man, are you even listening to me? Or do you find the ingredients of your cola more interesting than my dilemma? Hello, buddy?" Suddenly Joey yelled.
"I GOT IT!" Chandler, who just took a sip of his soda, showered it out.
"WHAT!! Look what you did, I spilled soda all over myself!!" Chandler snapped at Joey while reaching for a tissue in the counter and wiped his shirt with it.
"Remember the geeky senior guy last year who kept following us? Afro hairdo, moustache, real gangly? I think he's Monica's friend or something, I often see him with her. I think his name was Ronald something, or Rob something…" Joey said.
"You mean Ross, Monica's brother. What about him?" Chandler asked.
"Hey, you really do like Monica, you even know her family tree!! Anyway, he's your key to Monica!" Joey excitedly said.
"Are you nuts?? He might kill me if he knew I'll make a move on his sister! I've got a reputation man, and I don't think he agrees with me. If I have a sister, I wouldn't let her date me too! Wait, wait I think that didn't come out right!!" Chandler stuttered.
"Who cares" Joey said, "look man, this is the best idea we could think of in such short notice. And we're not stupid enough telling him that right away. What I mean is, maybe we could befriend this Rob guy –"
"Ross" Chandler corrected.
"---okay, Ross guy and get on his good side. Then when we do, BAM! We go in for the kill!" Joey exclaimed, pounding his fist on his other palm.
"Isn't that a little, user-friendly?" Chandler doubted.
"So? You want the girl right? It's not like you're going to hurt his sister anyway. Do you really, really, really like Monica, or is she like your flavor of the month or something?" Joey inquired.
"You know better than I do that that will never be my intention when Monica is involved." Chandler irritatingly answered.
"Hey, don't bite my head, I'm just saying. I want you to hook up with her as much as you do, and unfortunately, you don't like my idea, so we're back to square one…I guess you should get used to the idea of Monica cozying up with some guy from her class…"
"Okay, okay Joey! Let's do your stupid idea! We don't' have time to waste!" Chandler said.
"Heh-heh, I knew you'll see it my way Channy-fanny!" Joey teased.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT JOE! COULD YOU BE ANY MORE LOUDER?" Chandler bellowed. "Tomorrow night at my house, don't be late." Chandler added.
"What if I have a date, you know the J-Man keeps his schedule open for possible opportu–" Joey suddenly looked at Chandler, saw his expression, then added "okay, tomorrow night, I promise."
****
Chandler decided to walk home alone, leaving Joey in the bar with some waitress. Wow, I can't believe Joey, I don't think he even noticed I left, Chandler realized. He went through the backdoor, which leads into their kitchen, got an apple from the fruit basket and called his parents. "Mom, Dad I'm home!"
Nobody answered. Well, Chandler thought, what's new?
Ever since as a child, Chandler hardly get to see his parents at home. His mother, popular romance novelist, and his father, a stockbroker, usually are too busy to go home and tend to his needs. Oh well, Chandler thought, I'm the Chan-Chan Man! I don't need the 'rents to take care of me!
He went directly to his room while biting on his apple and threw his bag on the bed. He then stooped down and put his hand under his mattress, and pulled out a key that opened a locked drawer on his nightstand. He then pulled out a black and white spotted notebook, and opened it. The pages have turned yellow, and at the bottom right hand corner of the page it was written:
"PROPERTY OF MONICA E. GELLER – ROSS KEEP OUT!!"
Everyday for three years, it has been Chandler's habit to look at Monica's notebook. He meant to return it three years ago when he realized that he had it, but it seems to have a magnetic pull on him. Even though nothing is written after the first page, it seems that this is the nearest connection he has with Monica, and he doesn't have the willpower to return it. Whenever his parents fight over something in the middle of the night, Monica's notebook is the only thing that calms his spirits. Or whenever they lose a big game, this is the only thing that makes him feel better.
"Could I be any more weirder?" Chandler mused to himself.
And as he looked at Monica's notebook for the 1096th time, everything that happened on the day they met flashed before his eyes…
To be continued…