I've given up with using lyrics from the Queen song-there aren't enough, to be honest, but it is still based on the point that I think the song is trying to get across- under pressure, people under pressure, simply. Thank you for all the reviews. Sorry I've left the updating a little late, but I've been very busy recently. Lilian xXx
"Monica!" Judy exclaimed as her two children came through the front door. "Are you alright sweetie?"
Monica shrugged and dragged herself upstairs. Judy followed her a little way, and then called up "We're having dinner with the Greens at 7. Rachel will be there, so you two will have a lot to talk about."
Monica nodded to herself. Ross had already informed her of the proposed meal out tonight, and she wasn't really looking forward to it. She hadn't seen Rachel for a couple of weeks-when she had been severely depressed. Rachel had got fed up with her being so dismal all the time. She was one of those people who just didn't understand what she was going through. She wished Ross had never found her and Chandler. They were getting on so well, starting to open up to each other... then he came along and ruined it all.
Leaning over the bannister, she heard Ross telling her mom about Chandler. She sighed heavily, before going into her bedroom and slamming the door shut.
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Judy passed Ross a dishcloth, and pointed to some dishes. Ross groaned, but then decided to help anyway. Whenever he was helpful, his mom was nice to him. Not that she wasn't anyway, but he always managed to get little favours out of her when he had been helpful.
"Where was she then?" Judy asked in an undertone. Ross grinned to himself. His mom wasn't going to like the answer.
"I looked ...uh... in the park, where she often goes... by the, uh, swings," he said, wiping a china plate. "But she wasn't there, so I wandered round a bit and then I saw her sitting on the bench by the pond... but she was with someone." Ross decided to make it very dramatic. "I wondered who it could be... at first I thought she might have been in trouble of some sort... she was with a man, or so it looked to me."
Ross happily saw his mothers eyes widen, and she sat down at the kitchen table. "Who was it?" she asked.
"Well," he continued, putting down the dish that he had just dried and sitting with her. "I walked over, ready to help her out... I was worried about her, you see... and I found out it was Chandler! Chandler Bing? They were deep in conversation... god knows what about... and I personally think that's where she's been all this time," he finished triumphantly.
His mother's reaction was not one he expected. "Ah. Well. At least she's made a friend," Judy said, standing up and stretching a little.
"No... mom, it was Chandler. He's the one who...."
"...whose parents are getting divorced," Judy said quietly.
Ross looked startled. "Hang on, what?" he said, not quite sure he'd heard right.
Judy nodded. "Nora phoned me this morning and asked if he was here. I said no, and asked why, not because I was being nosy... just to start conversation I suppose. Anyway, when she told me what happened I was as shocked as you appear to be. They were a really lovely couple. She didn't tell me why they are spliting up though," Judy mused. "I wonder if she had an affair... she's a very pretty woman..."
"Mom, get back on track," Ross said hurriedly. "What else happened?"
"Well, when she said that Chandler had left the house that morning, I kind of guessed he might have gone to the park, to be honest," Judy admitted. "It seems to be the place to go. And I thought it might do Monica some good if they both talked. Both of them have problems, Ross. You just don't seem to realise how much your sister needs us right now," she finished.
"But... you were really worried about where she was," Ross said, confused.
"I know. She'd been out over three hours. Whether Chandler and her were getting on or not, I needed her back home. I... miss her," Judy said, tears starting to fall down her face. "She doesn't tell me anything anymore Ross. I need her to open up to me. Am I really a bad mother? Am I so terrible that she won't tell me what's wrong? I want to help her... I need to help her..." She gulped, more tears falling, and Ross went and hugged his mother. For the first time he began to actually worry about Monica. What was wrong with her? She had always been such a happy, funny child. In the past year, it had all suddenly changed. Much as he hated to admit it, he loved her... and he wanted to help her too.
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"Where have you been?" Nora cried, running to hug her soaking wet son. "Chandler, I've been so worried about you... I even rang the Gellars but they didn't know where you were either."
Chandler shrugged. "I was out... the park. I met up with a... friend," he said. It wasn't a lie. In the past few hours he seemed to have met the perfect person-someone who didn't pretend she knew how he felt, someone with her own problems. Someone who perhaps he could help in return.
"A friend?" Nora asked, pulling back a little. "In the park? Chandler... which friend was this? You don't have any friends who live round here... except Ross..."
"Right. It was Ross," Chandler said, trying to escape from his mothers grasp.
Nora looked at him disbelievingly but didn't say anything. She wondered why Judy hadn't told her that Chandler had met with Ross-surely she would have known? She felt hurt that her son would lie to her, but let him go and he climbed the stairs to his bedroom.
"Your dad's moving out tomorrow," she called up the stairs sadly. "Maybe you should spend the last few hours with..."
Chandler's bedroom door slammed resoundingly, cutting out her words. Silently, she turned and walked slowly to the kitchen. Not only had she lost her husband, but she appeared to be losing her son too.
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Monica sighed into her salad. The adults were trying to make conversation, but having not seen each other for a few months, it seemed too awkward. She snuck a look at Rachel, who looked as miserable she she felt. Ross, who was sitting opposite her, was picking at some lettuce and did not look amused.
"So Monica, how are you finding school?" Mrs Green asked briskly. "Still top of the class at everything?"
Monica shrugged. Her grades had been slipping recently, but not noticably, and she knew she was top in most subjects. But it wasn't good enough, in her parents eyes. If she hadn't beaten Ross, it wasn't worth it.
"School's okay, thank you," she said monotonously. She didn't offer any more information, and decided she really wanted to talk to Rachel privately. She stood up, looked at Rachel for a few seconds, and announced she was going to the toilets.
Rachel got the hint, and also excused herself. As they both walked towards the room, Rachel whispered in her ear "Thank you. I had to get away."
A small smile appeared on Monica's face, as she thought how boring the dinner was. They went and sat on the sinks in the toilets and looked at each other.
"Look...Mon..."
"Rache... I..."
They both stopped, looked at each other, and laughed. Monica began. "Rachel, I'm sorry for not being chatty, or being around much, these days. I've had... problems."
Rachel looked at her sympathetically. "I know, hun," she said, sounding quite grown up. "I have too. I guess I wanted to talk to you about them... but it doesn't matter."
"No, it does," Monica said earnestly. "I want to help, Rache, if I can."
"Well, I want to help you too," Rachel said, grabbing her friend's hand. "I'm really worried about you Mon."
Monica looked at the floor sadly. "You can't help me Rache. Not now. No one can. Just, please accept that," Monica begged.
Rachel wouldn't. "Is it to do with your brother? Sibling rivalry?" she asked.
Monica laughed. "I wish it was that simple, Rache," she said, shaking her head. "Of course, there is a lot of sibling rivalry, I always think that people think he's better than me. But a lot of siblings believe that about each other. No, my problem... is nothing whatsoever to do with that. Just... look, one day, I'll explain. But not now, Rache."
Rachel shrugged. "I don't want it to be like I'm telling you everything and not helping at all. You need a friend, someone to confide in. And that can be me. I'm a good listener," she informed her friend.
The dark haired girl hesitated. She did want someone to confide in. And Rachel was her friend. Supposedly her best friend, although things had changed over the years.
But then she thought of Chandler. For some reason, she felt happier about confiding in him, although she hadn't yet. She put a smile on her face, and turned to Rachel.
"You know what? It doesn't matter. It's just school stuff. I'm ok, seriously. You can't help cos... I need to talk to a teacher about it."
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, I was worried there," she said, not realising that Monica was an incredible actress.
"So?" Monica asked curiously. "What's your problem?"
"Well, it's not a massive thing, really," Rachel said, hesitating slightly. "It's Chip."
"Ah," Monica said, not surprised. "I thought as much. What's he done?"
"He seems to be under the impression that we're an item. Which we're not. I dated him once, and now he thinks he owns me. He keeps..." Rachel dropped her voice here, and bent her head. "...asking me "private" stuff."
Monica looked shocked. "Just tell him where to go," she said simply. "Tell him to leave you alone. As you said, you've been out with him once. Who does he think he is?"
Rachel went a little red. "Well... the thing is, most of me wants to tell him to go away. But a tiny little part of me is thinking "Hey, I like this. Someone seems to be infatuated with me. Do I really want to tell him to go away?" And that part of me fights so hard with the other part of me...and I can't be too mean to him."
Monica looked confused. She had never even thought of "boys" in that way before. She might have started to, but in the past year she had had enough to think about. She couldn't imagine why Rachel enjoyed being followed, and hassled, by a male. It would irritate her.
"Rachel... you know you feel pressurised by him," she said wisely. "You feel immature maybe, cos he seems so much cooler. He's older than you, he's more experienced than you. That excites you." She didn't know where all this was coming from, yet from Rachel's face she could tell she was right.
"I guess it does," Rachel said, and sighed heavily. " I told you it wasn't a major thing. Your advice was so simple."
Monica shrugged. "I'm good with advice," she said. Rachel nodded, smiling, and kissed her friend on the cheek before leaving her to go and sit back down to dinner. Monica stared at herself in the mirror, and threw some water on her face. Before she knew what was happening, she had started crying. She had had the chance to tell someone what was wrong with her... and she'd thrown it away.
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Sorry that took longer than usual-been very busy! Hope you liked it though. Please read and review. xXx
