A/N: Hey all, thanks for your reviews! Sorry this chapter took a long time to write. You're the first to know on Fan Fiction: I'm working on a novel that's going to hopefully be published within the next year, so I've been spending a lot of my writing time working on that. This means updates might be few and far between, but I am not quitting Riley's story. Thank you all, and look for my name one day, for I shall soon be an author (I hope).

Chapter Fourteen

Riley was helping Monica clean up after dinner, while Rachel worked on some sketches for an upcoming fashion show she was hosting. Riley was surprised with how cool everyone was acting about her random disappearance from school. They even ordered a pizza for dinner. She once pulled the whole skipping school thing once with her own mother. Even though her mother hardly ever cared about what she did or said, that was one afternoon she dreaded repeating. She heard swear words she didn't even know existed.

Monica was different.

The phone rang after dinner and Monica headed to answer it while Riley finished drying the last of the dishes.

"Hello?...oh yeah, just one sec." Monica held the phone out to Riley. "Riley, it's for you." Riley paled.

"It's not my mother, is it?" she asked, wide-eyed. Monica laughed, a little awkwardly.

"No, I think it's a friend of yours."

Riley dryed her hands quickly and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, it's me!" Erin's voice was loud on the other end. Riley pulled the phone away from her ear. "What's up with you? I mean, I figured you'd come back after Brett shrugged you off, but you never came back. But skipping the whole day? You must have gotten it!"

"No, it was no big deal, really. Monica didn't get mad. She's cool like that," Riley replied.

Monica smiled to herself, hearing bits and pieces of Riley's conversation. She strolled over to where Rachel was working in the living room. Monica leaned over the sofa, sighing happily.

"Hear that?" she asked, jabbing Rachel's shoulder. "I'm cool."

Rachel turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah okay," she said with sarcasm.

"No, seriously. I'm as young as I ever was. I'm up with these kids today," Monica added proudly.

"Uh, you mean down. You're down with these kids, which, by the way, you're not." Rachel laughed to herself, and Monica pouted.

Meanwhile, Riley had hung up the phone and had scurried over to where Monica and Rachel were talking.

"Um, hey, is it okay if I go out with Erin?" she asked.

"Oh. Now?" Monica asked.

Riley nodded.

"Uh, sure, I guess. Yeah, it's alright."

"My homework's done."

"What?"

Riley smiled.

"Usually, you're not supposed to go out until you're homework's done," she explained. Monica laughed.

"Oh, right. Well, glad you've got it all under control." She smiled. "I'm a little rusty at this whole thing, you know. Not to mention...it's been a while since I was a teenager."

"Who you?" Rachel asked, sarcasm lining her voice. "Nah! You're up with the kids, remember?"

Monica glared at her.

"Okay anyway, uh, curfew?" Riley asked, grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair.

Monica bit her lip and shared a glance with Rachel. How late was she allowed out as a teenager?

"Uh," she tried to think. "Well, what kind of curfew did your mother set?"

Riley laughed a little.

"She didn't," she admitted.

"Well, what makes you think I'll set one?"

Riley shrugged.

"Well, my mom sent me here to 'learn rules' or whatever."

Monica and Rachel laughed, and Riley joined them. It all seemed so ridiculous. Riley was such a good kid. Why in the world did she need rules?

"Okay," Monica considered her options. "Is ten fair?"

Riley smirked.

"10:30?"

"Why even ask? Okay fine, 10:30. Just know that next time, I won't falter under pressure." Monica smiled.

"You call that pressure?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow. Monica hit her.

Riley said bye and left the girls alone, promising she had her key before she took off. Monica took a breath and lowered herself on the sofa beside Rachel, smiling.

"Can you believe that kid?" she asked.

"Well, she's nothing like I expected," Rachel replied.

"I know! Here we are expecting this child of the corn and we get Riley instead. I don't get how Jodi saw her as this rebellious brat. What has she done that's been rebellious?"

"Well, she did skip school..."

"With good reason. You heard what that stupid prep boy did to her. If I ever meet him, I'll-"

"I get what you're saying. It's like her mom only sees the behaviour, but not the reasons for the behaviour."

"Well." Monica paused. "Maybe it's best that Jodi sent her away, then. Riley deserves to be understood, not misunderstood."

"You're right, Mon." Rachel smiled. "And you're doing a terrific job so far."

Riley met Erin down in Central Perk, where they decided to meet. Erin only lived a few blocks away, so it was a perfect meeting spot, especially since Riley hardly knew her way around the city anyway.

After both ordering mocha lattes, they settled themselves on the long couch.

Riley ended up telling Erin all about the semi-sleepover with her cousin and the girls, and their ideas for flirting, which was exactly what drove Riley to talk to Brett in the first place. Erin laughed the whole time.

"Yeah, but they're old!" Erin said with a giggle. "Besides, the heck with boys! I've already decided I'm waiting for college. The pickings are slim in high school. Well, at least they are at this high school."

Riley smiled.

"Yeah, and guys mature slower than girls, so technically, if we date now, we have to worry about dating fourth-graders." She replied.

The two friends laughed until tears streamed down their faces.

Once their mochas cooled, they sipped their drinks and discussed all the cool skateboard tricks, sharing with each other tricks of the trade they'd learned over the years.

Riley heard the door open and she turned to see Phoebe coming into the coffee shop, obviously disgruntled. Her face was all squished up, and she was muttering to herself. Riley had to laugh. Phoebe was definitely one of a kind.

Phoebe looked up and saw Riley, and her expression completely changed. She grinned from ear to ear.

"Oh hey Riley!" she exclaimed gleefully.

"Hi Phoebe." Riley turned to Erin. "This is my friend Erin, from school. Erin, this is Phoebe, a friend of Monica's."

"And your friend too, thanks a lot!" Phoebe exclaimed with a laugh.

"Sorry," Riley replied. "So what's wrong, Phoebe? You looked a little out of sorts."

"Oh, that, yeah. Well, that guy Len? You know, random guy I told you about who asked me out? The guy who turned out to be a dud? Yeah, well, it just sucks because now I'm dateless, again!" Phoebe sighed melodramatically. "I mean, Ross and Rachel are out tonight, Monica's probably going to have Richard over, and Joey, well, it's Joey! It's not fair!" Phoebe crossed her arms and plopped down on the couch next to Riley, pouting for good measure.

Riley shrugged.

"Don't worry, uh, now you can concentrate more on your music." She smiled. "Hey! You could even write a song about it!"

Erin leaned over.

"You're a musician?" she asked Phoebe.

Well, that was enough incentive for Phoebe to cheer up. With a wide grin, she immediately began to brag about her musical achievements, her muses, her top ten favorite songs she'd written, when she'd started playing guitar, and soon, the three were giggling away and talking about music.

"I'm so jealous," Riley said suddenly. "I always wanted to play the guitar, but my mom made me learn violin instead. I mean, come on, what famous rock star plays the violin! But no guitar! My mom said guitars were for hooligans!"

Phoebe's mouth went wide, and Riley knew she just got an idea. She had that spark in her eyes she'd come to recognize.

"Hooligan! Well, I'll show her!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Because this hooligan is going to teach you how to play the guitar!"

Riley's eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Phoebe replied with a squeal. "It'll be so much fun! I can't wait, you'll be the perfect student!"

Too excited to sit still, Phoebe left, determined to tell everybody about her news. Riley was just glad to see her smiling again.

"Man, you're so lucky!" Erin exclaimed, finishing off her mocha and setting down her cup.

"Why?" Riley asked.

"Because, you get to hang out with all these cool people who aren't old enough to be parents who are uncool, but still old enough to have, you know, experienced life! It's super cool, man!" Erin explained.

Riley smiled to herself, realizing what Erin was saying. It was true. Monica was hardly strict at all, and it wasn't like having the embarrassing parent around, it was like having a group of friends, who looked out for you. Erin was right, it was cool. Riley couldn't be happier.