Chapter Four

A few days had passed, and Monica was scrambling around the small apartment in a cleaning frenzy. Her cousin would be coming in a few days, and she wanted to make sure the apartment was clean for her arrival.

Ross had tried to convince her that cleaning the apartment would only be done in vain - didn't she remember how messy he was as a teenager? Monica cringed at the thought. If Jodi's daughter was anything like Ross, Monica wasn't sure she could handle it.

Although, she was beginning to wonder if she could at all! She had made her decision so impulsively, unable to think anything through until later. The idea was mind-numbing, now. In only three days, there would be three living in this apartment, instead of two, and one of them would be under the age of 20.

Monica tried to imagine what Jodi could possibly mean by 'rebellious.' According to Mr. Gheller, Jodi wasn't exactly the best person in the world. Was her daughter really rebellious, or was she simply misunderstood? Really, Monica had no way of knowing the truth. She wouldn't have the chance to talk to Jodi, not before her daughter showed up. Besides, would talking to Jodi really help? After all, she was the one shipping her kid of to essentially a stranger's apartment. She hadn't seen Monica since she was a child, after all.

Sighing, Monica busied herself with cleaning out the refridgerator. What did this kid even like to eat? She couldn't believe how many questions were racing through her mind, things she had no way of knowing. Was she even doing the right thing? She couldn't imagine what life would have been like if her parents had shipped her off to an all-girls boarding school. That just wasn't right. The poor girl would never learn how to flirt, or date, and what would senior prom look like for her? No, if Monica could stop that fate, she would.

Still, it didn't make the reality any easier to deal with. She scrubbed the fridge harder.

Phoebe walked in the door, yelling a quick hello as she dropped her purse to the floor.

"Oh hey Phoebe, what's up?" Monica asked, wringing out her cloth in the sink.

"Nothing much, I just thought I'd stop by before I go out on my date." Phoebe replied.

"Oh you mean that guy who asked you out at the coffee shop the other day?" Monica asked.

"Uh-huh! His name is Len. Isn't that awesome? I've never dated anyone who's name began with 'L' before!" Phoebe exclaimed excitedly. Monica nodded.

"Wow, that is exciting." She said sarcastically, obviously unimpressed. Phoebe sat down.

"So what are you doing? It smells like death in here!" She pointed out. Monica rolled her eyes.

"It's not death, Phoebe, it's cleaning fluid. We go through this everytime. They're chemicals, they aren't supposed to smell great." She said defensively. Phoebe looked away.

"Alright, alright, don't get yourself all worked up." She paused. "Why are you cleaning anyway? Didn't you just clean this place a few days ago?"

"This place will never be clean enough, Phoebe." Monica breathed out. "Besides, I'm trying to get the place ready for when she comes."

"Oh! You mean the mystery cousin! I gotta say, Monica, I'm excited to meet her. I want to read her aura, predict her future, see what she was in a past life. You don't have an article of her clothing, do you? I mean, then I could figure out some stuff about her before she even gets here!" Phoebe cried out.

"No, I don't have an article of her clothing, Phoebe, I don't even know her name!"

"Oh, that's too bad. A name says a lot about a person."

"Really?" Monica wasn't overly convinced. Phoebe grew excited.

"Oh yeah! Look my name, for example. It means 'shiny.' Am I not the shiniest person you've ever met?" She flashed a smile. Monica sighed, smiling.

"Well I wish I did know her name, Phoebe. I wish I knew something about her. I mean this whole thing is just a big mystery. I don't know anything about this kid. I don't know what Jodi means by 'rebellious.' I really don't know how I got myself into this. I mean, I didn't really have a choice now, did I? Her own mother doesn't want her, my parents don't want her and if I don't let her stay here, she gets shipped off to some forsaken all-girl's boarding school." She paused, allowing Phoebe to visibly shudder. "Maybe this was a mistake, but I mean, ugh, I just don't know."

"Do you want her?" Phoebe asked suddenly. Monica turned back, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" She asked, swallowing.

"Do you want her to come here?"

Monica breathed out. She didn't know. It wasn't like she absolutely didn't want her here, she just wasn't 100% sure she did, either.

"I don't know, Phoebe. I mean, how could I know? I've never met the girl, heck, I've barely met Jodi. But there's something inside of me that says I need to at least give her a chance." She sighed. "Nobody else will." Phoebe nodded.

"You're doing a good thing, Monica. You may not realize it now because the idea of a teenager invading your space is just weird, but she probably appreciates it. Think about it. If I had been a teenager faced with the possibility of going to an all-girls boarding school but then rescued at the last minute by some long-lost cousin, I'd be flying high." Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "Face it, Monica, that makes you a hero."

Monica smiled, liking the sounds of that as Phoebe gathered her bags together.

"Well I'm off to meet Len." She sang his name. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck." Monica called as Phoebe ran out the door with a squeal. Monica shook her head and reflected on what Phoebe had said. Was this kid out there somewhere, excited about coming here? Was she already thinking about Monica as a hero of sorts? She wasn't sure, but it made her feel better just thinking about it.

A few minutes later, Ross and Rachel came through the door holding hands.

"Hey sis." Ross called as he dropped his coat on the floor.

"Pick that up! Can't you see I'm cleaning?" Monica snapped and Ross grabbed that jacket so fast, it was ridiculous.

"Sorry! Geez, you don't have to get so worked up." Ross defended. Monica opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself. It wasn't worth it, she just went back to cleaning.

"You know Phoebe's got that date today, with that random guy from the coffee shop." Monica said. Rachel was suddenly interested, as Monica knew she would be. Rachel had an ear for gossip.

"Oh yeah! Did you get any details?" She asked.

"Not many, just that his name is Len." Monica replied.

"What kind of a name is Len?" Ross asked.

"What kind of a name is Ross?" Monica replied in a snotty voice, scrunching her face up like a little kid and mimicking Ross. Rachel laughed.

"Did she say where they were going?" She asked, getting back to Phoebe.

"No, I guess we'll find out later." Monica replied.

Suddenly, there was a buzz at the door. Ross wandered over to answer it.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey, I have a delivery here for a Monica Gheller." The voice on the other end of the intercom announced.

"Oh sure, come on up." Ross pressed the unlock button and went back to the girls, who seemed excited.

"A delivery. I wonder what it is." Monica said, clasping her hands together. "It feels like Christmas!"

The three of them waited by the front door until a knock finally pierced the silence. Ross opened the door to reveal a tall, burly deliveryman, holding a mattress!

Monica's stomach sank.

"Um, I think you might have the wrong apartment." Ross said, looking to Rachel and Monica for confirmation. The deliveryman raised an eyebrow, and checked his clipboard.

"I don't think so. Nope, this is the right apartment. A delivery for Monica Gheller. A single bed. It was ordered by Jodi Gheller."

Now it all made sense. The bed was no doubt for Jodi's daughter. Mr. Gheller had said everything would be taken care of financially for Jodi's daughter. Monica sighed, feeling the reality of the situation setting in strongly.

"It's for our cousin, Ross. Jodi's daughter." Monica explained, taking the clipboard from the deliveryman and signing it. Ross understood.

"Cool. Where do you want me to set it up?" The deliveryman asked.

Monica's stomach dropped, as she looked sideways at Rachel. Her eyes were wide as well. They hadn't thought about this. Where was the kid going to sleep? The apartment only had two bedrooms. One of the two roommates would have to bunk with a teenager.

"Can you give us a sec?" Monica asked the deliveryman, leaving him to talk with Ross while she herself took a hold of Rachel's arm and led her out of earshot.

"What are we going to do?" Monica asked. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"What are we going to do? No, no, no. There is no decision to be made here. She's sleeping in your room." She replied. Monica raised an eyebrow.

"Hold on a minute! This is both our apartment! We should decide this fair and square."

"Be realistic, Monica! I can't have a teenage girl sleeping in my room. What about when Ross comes over?"

"What about when Richard comes over?"

"Well, I've lived here a shorter amount of time! Okay, that means you've had your own room longer, so it's time for you to share the wealth!"

"That's a stupid reason!"

"You got anything better?"

"Yes! Well, uh, oh! A teenage girl wouldn't be able to stand sleeping in my room. You know, the rules! I'm strict when it comes to my room! It would need to stay clean all the time. She'd fit in better with you!"

"Are you claiming my room is a disaster?"

"Have you seen it lately?"

"You know what Monica? She's your cousin. You're the one who agreed to let her stay here without consulting me, your roommate! Shouldn't that be reason enough to at least share a room?" Rachel crossed her arms, satisfied with her argument.

Monica opened her mouth to argue back, but she couldn't find anything logical. Rachel was right, as much as she hated to admit it. Monica had to be responsible. She agreed to take this kid in, she couldn't just pawn her off. Sighing, she reluctantly turned back to the deliveryman, who was watching the two girls with an annoyed glance.

"You can set it up in that room." She said monotonously, pointing to her bedroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Rachel grinning. Monica wanted to throw something at her.

As the deliveryman dragged the mattress toward Monica's room, Ross joined them again, shaking his head. Monica raised an eyebrow.

"What?" She asked, visibly annoyed.

"Nothing, it's just-" he breathed out with a small smile. "It just seems this kid isn't wanted anywhere."

Monica felt a stab of guilt inside, and as she glanced sideways at Rachel, she could see her roommate was feeling it too. How selfish were they? Fighting over where this girl was going to sleep when she was out there somewhere, probably feeling unwanted and unloved because her mother was kicking her out, in a sense. Monica breathed out.

"That's not true, Ross. She is wanted here, it's just a new experience." She sighed, looking over at Rachel, who smiled a little, nodding her agreement. "It'll be fun."