Needing Someone
Chapter 1
"Hey, Ross. How about goin' for a..."
Chandler Bing let his words trail off when he entered his dorm room and saw a young, dark-haired overweight girl standing near the end of his bed, looking miserable.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I...I'm waiting for my brother Ross."
"You must be Monica," Chandler said, recalling Ross' sister name.
"Yes. Are you...are you Ross' roommate Chandler?"
Chandler smiled. "That's me."
"Nice to meet you," Monica said, extending her hand, which Chandler shook.
"Same here."
"Do you know where my brother is? I really need to talk to him."
"He's probably at a lecture about dinosaurs."
"Yeah," Monica said ruefully. "You're probably right."
Chandler moved closer to the teen-ager who shifted her weight uncomfortably and noticed her red-rimmed eyes.
"Have you been crying? Did something happen? If there's some kind of an emergency, I can find Ross for you."
"No, it's okay. No emergency. I don't mind waiting."
"Have a seat," he said, pointing to the bed.
He pulled out the chair from the desk he and Ross shared and straddled it.
"You're still in high school, right?"
Monica nodded. She fidgeted with the hem of her dark blue sweater.
"Did you come here by yourself?"
"Yeah. I had to. I have to talk to my brother. It's important, to me, but it's not life-threatening."
"Can I get you something while you're waiting? A soda, chips, candy bar, whatever."
Monica blushed and looked away. "A Diet Coke would be fine."
"O-kay," Chandler said, rising from the chair and gathering a few coins from the desk for the vending machine. "One Diet Coke coming up."
Chandler left the room and Monica stood from the bed. Ross' roommate was a cutie, she thought, and appeared nice. At least he didn't seem to freak out about her weight like the boys at her school did, although she did notice the slight smirk that crossed his face when she said she'd like a Diet Coke. Hey, at least she was trying.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. She applied a bit more red lipstick and ran a brush through her hair. She willed the puffiness around her eyes to disappear. Seeing the door open wider in the mirror, she quickly turned around and smiled. But the smile left when she saw her brother enter the room instead of Chandler.
"Monica! What are you doing here? Are you all right? Is everything okay at home?"
"Hi, Ross," she said tentatively. Now that her brother stood in front of her, she wasn't sure she'd done the right thing by showing up unexpectedly. "Mom and Dad are fine, if that's what you mean by asking if everything is okay at home."
"Then why...why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"We don't have classes until Monday. Ross, I'm miserable at home," she blurted out. "I had to get away from Mom. She's driving me crazy. You said I could visit some time. I saw the motel next to the campus. I'll stay there. Just for the next couple of days. Please?"
"Do Mom and Dad know you're here?"
Monica looked down at the floor. "No. They think I'm staying with Rachel. She said she would cover for me."
Hearing the name Rachel conjured up all sorts of memories for Ross, some good, some not so good.
"Rachel is willing to cover for you? I don't know about this, Mon."
"Please, Ross. You don't know what it's like at home. Mom snaps at me for every little thing. It's gotten so much worse since you left. You've never understood what I go through with her. You're her favorite, okay? I'm not. She's always harping on me about something. I need some time away from Mom. If you won't let me stay here, I'll leave and you won't know where I am. No one will know. I'll run away and never come back. I swear!"
"Monica, calm down. It's not that bad."
"Yes, it is. Damnit, I wish you could see things from my point of view, just once!"
Chandler, who had been standing outside holding the soda can, coughed and made his presence known. He stepped closer and then remained in the doorway.
"I think your sister should stay here," he said. "I'll find somewhere else to bunk for the next few days."
"Chandler, Monica can't stay here. She should've called me. She can't just show up like this and disrupt our schedules."
"I'm so sorry I'm such a big, fat burden!" she cried.
She grabbed her purse and her overnight bag from the bed and stormed toward the door. Chandler blocked her from leaving.
"Ross, look at Monica. Can't you see she's upset?"
Ross ran a hand through his dark hair. "Yeah. Okay. You can stay, but I'm telling our parents you're here."
"No, please, don't do that, Ross. If they know I'm here, they'll come get me and drag me back home. Rachel will cover for me. She will."
"How could you put Rachel into such an awkward position?"
"So now you care more about Rachel than the way I'm feeling?! Thanks a lot, Ross!"
"No, but this isn't right, Mon. Mom and Dad should know you're here."
"If you tell them, I'll never forgive you. I mean it. Can't you do this one thing for me without making a federal case out of it?!"
"All right, all right. I'll ask Carol, the girl I'm dating, if you can stay with her and her roommate."
"Thank you," Monica said and offered him a small smile. "This means a lot to me."
"Yeah, whatever. I'll be right back."
"Thank you, too," Monica said to Chandler, after Ross had left. "If it weren't for you, I know Ross wouldn't have let me stay."
Chandler shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "I know what it's like to have parent trouble. I can empathize with needing to get away."
"Really? You look like a pretty together guy."
"That's because you don't know me," Chandler said and laughed.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"You'll like Carol. She's cool. She won't give you a hard time about staying with her."
"I hope not. I hope Ross hasn't poisoned her against me."
"Ross doesn't talk badly about you," Chandler assured her.
"He's told you about me?" Monica asked, surprised.
"Well, just that he has a sister who's a year younger than him and a senior in high school. He also talks about your baking and cooking skills."
"Which, according to my mother, stink."
"According to Ross, they don't."
"Really?" Monica said, perking up. "He said I'm a good cook?"
Chandler liked that he could make Monica feel better. "Yeah, he did."
"Okay," Ross said, returning to the room. "Monica, you can stay with Carol. I'll take you to her room."
"Thank you, Ross," she said, her blue eyes reflecting her appreciation.
"You're welcome. Carol and I need to go to the library to study, so you're on your own tonight."
"That's all right. I'll just read or something."
"I'm not doing anything," Chandler spoke up, suddenly realizing he'd like to spend more time with Ross' sister. "How about having dinner with me?"
"Okay," Monica said, without hesitation.
Ross looked from his roommate to his sister and saw they were smiling at each other. Monica and Chandler hitting it off, he mused. This cannot be good.
Chapter 1
"Hey, Ross. How about goin' for a..."
Chandler Bing let his words trail off when he entered his dorm room and saw a young, dark-haired overweight girl standing near the end of his bed, looking miserable.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I...I'm waiting for my brother Ross."
"You must be Monica," Chandler said, recalling Ross' sister name.
"Yes. Are you...are you Ross' roommate Chandler?"
Chandler smiled. "That's me."
"Nice to meet you," Monica said, extending her hand, which Chandler shook.
"Same here."
"Do you know where my brother is? I really need to talk to him."
"He's probably at a lecture about dinosaurs."
"Yeah," Monica said ruefully. "You're probably right."
Chandler moved closer to the teen-ager who shifted her weight uncomfortably and noticed her red-rimmed eyes.
"Have you been crying? Did something happen? If there's some kind of an emergency, I can find Ross for you."
"No, it's okay. No emergency. I don't mind waiting."
"Have a seat," he said, pointing to the bed.
He pulled out the chair from the desk he and Ross shared and straddled it.
"You're still in high school, right?"
Monica nodded. She fidgeted with the hem of her dark blue sweater.
"Did you come here by yourself?"
"Yeah. I had to. I have to talk to my brother. It's important, to me, but it's not life-threatening."
"Can I get you something while you're waiting? A soda, chips, candy bar, whatever."
Monica blushed and looked away. "A Diet Coke would be fine."
"O-kay," Chandler said, rising from the chair and gathering a few coins from the desk for the vending machine. "One Diet Coke coming up."
Chandler left the room and Monica stood from the bed. Ross' roommate was a cutie, she thought, and appeared nice. At least he didn't seem to freak out about her weight like the boys at her school did, although she did notice the slight smirk that crossed his face when she said she'd like a Diet Coke. Hey, at least she was trying.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. She applied a bit more red lipstick and ran a brush through her hair. She willed the puffiness around her eyes to disappear. Seeing the door open wider in the mirror, she quickly turned around and smiled. But the smile left when she saw her brother enter the room instead of Chandler.
"Monica! What are you doing here? Are you all right? Is everything okay at home?"
"Hi, Ross," she said tentatively. Now that her brother stood in front of her, she wasn't sure she'd done the right thing by showing up unexpectedly. "Mom and Dad are fine, if that's what you mean by asking if everything is okay at home."
"Then why...why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"We don't have classes until Monday. Ross, I'm miserable at home," she blurted out. "I had to get away from Mom. She's driving me crazy. You said I could visit some time. I saw the motel next to the campus. I'll stay there. Just for the next couple of days. Please?"
"Do Mom and Dad know you're here?"
Monica looked down at the floor. "No. They think I'm staying with Rachel. She said she would cover for me."
Hearing the name Rachel conjured up all sorts of memories for Ross, some good, some not so good.
"Rachel is willing to cover for you? I don't know about this, Mon."
"Please, Ross. You don't know what it's like at home. Mom snaps at me for every little thing. It's gotten so much worse since you left. You've never understood what I go through with her. You're her favorite, okay? I'm not. She's always harping on me about something. I need some time away from Mom. If you won't let me stay here, I'll leave and you won't know where I am. No one will know. I'll run away and never come back. I swear!"
"Monica, calm down. It's not that bad."
"Yes, it is. Damnit, I wish you could see things from my point of view, just once!"
Chandler, who had been standing outside holding the soda can, coughed and made his presence known. He stepped closer and then remained in the doorway.
"I think your sister should stay here," he said. "I'll find somewhere else to bunk for the next few days."
"Chandler, Monica can't stay here. She should've called me. She can't just show up like this and disrupt our schedules."
"I'm so sorry I'm such a big, fat burden!" she cried.
She grabbed her purse and her overnight bag from the bed and stormed toward the door. Chandler blocked her from leaving.
"Ross, look at Monica. Can't you see she's upset?"
Ross ran a hand through his dark hair. "Yeah. Okay. You can stay, but I'm telling our parents you're here."
"No, please, don't do that, Ross. If they know I'm here, they'll come get me and drag me back home. Rachel will cover for me. She will."
"How could you put Rachel into such an awkward position?"
"So now you care more about Rachel than the way I'm feeling?! Thanks a lot, Ross!"
"No, but this isn't right, Mon. Mom and Dad should know you're here."
"If you tell them, I'll never forgive you. I mean it. Can't you do this one thing for me without making a federal case out of it?!"
"All right, all right. I'll ask Carol, the girl I'm dating, if you can stay with her and her roommate."
"Thank you," Monica said and offered him a small smile. "This means a lot to me."
"Yeah, whatever. I'll be right back."
"Thank you, too," Monica said to Chandler, after Ross had left. "If it weren't for you, I know Ross wouldn't have let me stay."
Chandler shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "I know what it's like to have parent trouble. I can empathize with needing to get away."
"Really? You look like a pretty together guy."
"That's because you don't know me," Chandler said and laughed.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"You'll like Carol. She's cool. She won't give you a hard time about staying with her."
"I hope not. I hope Ross hasn't poisoned her against me."
"Ross doesn't talk badly about you," Chandler assured her.
"He's told you about me?" Monica asked, surprised.
"Well, just that he has a sister who's a year younger than him and a senior in high school. He also talks about your baking and cooking skills."
"Which, according to my mother, stink."
"According to Ross, they don't."
"Really?" Monica said, perking up. "He said I'm a good cook?"
Chandler liked that he could make Monica feel better. "Yeah, he did."
"Okay," Ross said, returning to the room. "Monica, you can stay with Carol. I'll take you to her room."
"Thank you, Ross," she said, her blue eyes reflecting her appreciation.
"You're welcome. Carol and I need to go to the library to study, so you're on your own tonight."
"That's all right. I'll just read or something."
"I'm not doing anything," Chandler spoke up, suddenly realizing he'd like to spend more time with Ross' sister. "How about having dinner with me?"
"Okay," Monica said, without hesitation.
Ross looked from his roommate to his sister and saw they were smiling at each other. Monica and Chandler hitting it off, he mused. This cannot be good.