Disclaimer: whines Do I gotta?
A/N: It might be a while til another update, a day or two (like, longer than 24 hours lol). Since this fic, except the ending, is already complete, I've been cutting/combining my original short chapters. With the next few, I cant decide how to edit it, so it could take awhile. I might have to write a whole new part even. So I dunno lol (BTW, everyone's reviews have been really sweet! Thanks!)
A few months went by. Monica's diet continued, and she lost a ton of weight. Rachel got her nose fixed. Ross and Chandler got new haircuts. While the only two who communicated were Monica and Ross, everyone wondered about each other and the upcoming summer...
Should I invite Chandler to my graduation party, or would that be obvious? . . .
Will Rachel have a new boyfriend? . . .
So I guess Monica doesn't hate me, but could I be wrong?. . .
Why can't I stop thinking about Ross? It was just a kiss on the cheek! DINOSAURS!
Rachel sat in her room, writing a list of who to invite to her graduation party. Monica and her had decided to have a joint party, and had told each other it would just be so it would be bigger than individual ones. Rachel only agreed because, secretly, it gave an excuse to invite Ross. Because ever since that visit, he was all she could think about. But it was Ross, just normal, geeky, Monica's-older-brother Ross. He hadn't changed . . .but something in that visit changed her. And she had to find out for sure.
The phone rang, and Rachel's sister Amy picked it up downstairs.
"RACHEL? PHONE FOR YOU, I THINK ITS THAT FAT ONE," she yelled up the stairs.
"Is the phone for me?", Rachel heard her other sister Jill ask Amy.
"Yes, Jill, I just yelled about Rachel's fat friend, only to give the phone to you."
Rachel picked up the phone in her room. "Hello?"
"Hey, Rach. Its Monica Geller."
"I only know one Monica, hon."
"Well, I just wanted to be sure. Anyway, I've composed a list of decorations, food, and music for the party. You're on the decorations committee, okay? I'm on the food committee. Do you have any idea for the music committee? My mom said Ross, but he still won't show me his 'Sound' on his keyboard, so that scares me." Monica was talking a mile a minute.
"I'll do the music, Mon. Slow down a take a breath!"
"You can't be on two committees! That throws everything off balance!" Monica worriedly jotted down some notes on her paper pad. "Ok, how about I'm on food, you're on decorations, and we both do music?"
"Fine, fine. What about guests?"
"Ahhh, invitations! Guests! I completely forgot!" She began launching into a rant over what to do about the forgotton branch.
"Mon? . . .Mon! . . .MONICA!" yelled Rachel, trying to get her attention.
"What?"
"I have a guest list, its all good." Before Monica could worry about the imbalance in the responsibilities, Rachel added, "And then you can do music."
"Okay, okay, I like that! Who are we inviting, then?"
Rachel began reading off a list of classmates, friends, and the like. And the end of the list, she asked, "Do you want Chandler to come?"
"Why do you ask?", shot Monica, getting definsive.
"So Ross has someone to hang out with."
"We're inviting Ross?"
"Duh- he's your brother." Please be okay with him coming.
"Fine, yeah. Ask Chandler to come." Inside, that had just made Monica happier than balancing out the party committees.
"Okay, I'll start these invitations."
"Meaning you'll get your dad to pay for them to be printed?"
"That, too. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Don't forget about decorations. This party's gonna be the best!"
The two hung up. Rachel sat back on her bed, happy that Ross would be coming, while Monica got busy with the food and music preparations.
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Chandler checked the mail, and found an envelope adressed to both himself and Ross. He curiously looked at it while walking back to the dorm room.
"Hey, man, I think people are getting the wrong idea," he said jokingly as he showed his roommate the envelope. "I mean, I don't know about you, but I only see you as a friend."
"Har har." He took the letter and looked at the envelope. "Oh my God, the return address is the Green's!"
"Not the broccoli and peas! I hate them, I'm so much more of a tomato guy." Ross flashed him a look, and Chandler got serious. "Why do you think Rachel would want us?"
"I don't know." He sat there staring at the letter.
Chandler stared at his buddy for a moment. "Open it?"
"Right, right!" Ross ripped the envelope open, took out the card and began reading. " 'You are invited to Rachel Green and Monica Geller's High School Graduation Party.' Oh, its just their party."
"I'm invited?", asked Chandler. "Monica invited me?"
"Or Rachel. But yeah. I'm not doing anything this night," he indicated the date on the invitation. "And since I'm not, you're definatly not. So you wanna go? I'm bound by family, unfortunatly, but you might be able to weasel your way out of this."
Secretly, Ross just wanted to be able to talk to Rachel without his sister or Chandler hanging around, making fun of everyone and cracking jokes. Since they parted, Ross had a new feeling of accomplishment. He had kissed her cheek- he didn't know how he got himself to, but he did. And he had hope that maybe, just maybe, he could get the strength to ask her out.
"No, no, man. I'll go. Don't want to let down the girls, now, do we?" Monica invited me, Monica invited me, I just know it!, he thought to himself.
"Well, whatever . . .OH MY GOD!", he yelled, as one thought crept into his mind. "What do I get Rachel?"
"What do I get Monica?"
Ross stared at Chandler. "You're getting Mon something?"
"Well, you're getting Rachel something. Why don't we just both chip in for a present for each of them?" Chandler mostly liked this arrangement because he was low on cash, and all the pressure of Monica's present wouldn't soley be on him.
"No, I want to get Rach something just from me. Something special . . .I just don't know what."
"Fine, we'll get seperate presents." He got an idea. "Hey, how about since Monica's your sister, and you've always gotten gifts for her, I'll get Monica something? And then you can handle Rachel."
"Yeah . . .that sounds good. I'll get Rachel something, you'll get Monica something . . .yeah."
"Hey, so can I borrow 20 bucks?"
Ross gave Chandler a blank stare, and went to sit down at his desk. He pulled out a notebook, opened up to a blank page, and grabbed a pen. He wrote at the top "Present Ideas For Rachel".
Hmm. What do I get her that means something? Meaningful gifts . . .yes, because I am so talented in this area.
He crossed his arms on the desk and laid his head on them, at a complete loss as to what to buy Rachel.
Meanwhile, Chandler was sitting on his bed, trying to figure out the same dilemma, only with Monica.
"Hey, Ross," he yelled. "What does your sister like?"
"McDonalds giftcards?", he suggested, without raising his head.
"No, man, she's on a diet . . .slim fast? No, that's obvious. I am so bad at this!" He laid back and closed his eyes, deep in thought, until something dawned on him. "I have the perfect idea!" He jumped up, threw on a hat, and ran into the hallway, eager to get to a store.
"Wanna lend me one?", Ross called after him. He still had no clue. Why was this so hard?
Because its Rachel. Everything with Rachel is hard.
He banged his head on the desk, over and over again.
What do I get her?
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