Hey, please review!! This fic is set a few years after season 10. Ross and rachel are married and live near Monica and Chandler. While Phoebe and Mike are still in the city and Joey is in LA...don't worry, Phoebe and Joey will be in it still! :D
Also, I'm sorry if there are mistakes about ages, I was not sure how old you were when you start High School in America as I'm from England, so if its wrong, please let me know :D thanks!
Enjoy
Overshadowed
Ben Geller walked through the door and looked around the room, trying to work out what to make of Lincoln High. He was starting there next year and all new students and their parents were invited to look around the school and meet some of the teachers.
His father had convinced his Moms to let Ben go to this school because it was where; he, his step-mom and his Aunt went. They were reluctant at first, living far away from the school but once Ross had shown them around a few months back they finally agreed.
Ben now was going to move in with his Dad, Rachel and sisters, Emma and Lucy because it was closer. He had to admit he was glad, not that he didn't love both of his Mom's very much it was just that he was worried what the other kids would say when they found out he was living with his Mom and her lesbian-life partner.
"So, what do you think?" Ross asked, placing his arm around his son's shoulders as he walked in behind him.
"Looks, okay…" Ben nodded.
"Oh my god!" Rachel exclaimed, pointing to elderly man across the room. "Is that Mr Fresiby?"
"Wow…he's still here?" Monica asked, shocked. His Step-Mom and Aunt had offered to come, claiming they cared about Ben's education. He didn't doubt they cared, he just knew they were there to check out what had changed at their high school.
"Come on, Ben…let go talk to the teachers…" Ross suggested, walking over the area that was labelled science.
"I think, I'll just have a wonder around first…" Ben told him.
Ben walked around, glancing around but not really paying attention to what was going on. He was scared about starting High School and he knew most kids his age were but he was different. Not only about his Mom's sexuality but also about what he was expected of.
He knew his Dad would be really disappointed if he didn't do well in science and because of that he worked really hard at the subject. He had never admitted to anyone in his family that he hated it and found it really hard because he didn't know what his Dad's reaction would be.
He sighed deeply as he leant a wall, his scanning over the room again. He rolled his eyes when he saw his Mom and Monica talking to the teacher that Rachel pointed out earlier. While a crowd of people in surrounded Rachel and Susan, which looked like the Drama, section.
"Hey, you look just as excited to be here as me…" A sarcastic voice said.
He quickly turned around to face a boy who looked the same age as him.
"Hi, I'm Matt…" The boy offered a grin.
"Ben.." He replied, returning a small smile.
"So, are you starting next year?" Matt leant against the wall next to him.
"Yep…" Ben took a deep breath, "You?"
"Yeah, my older brother and sister go here…" Matt shrugged, "My parents didn't want to send me anywhere else…"
"Oh right….well, I'm only coming here because my Dad, Aunt and Step-Mom did," Ben explained. "Don't really see what's special about the place."
"Me either!" Matt agreed. "It's just like every other school!"
They both silent and Ben continued to look for where his family had all disappeared to. Suddenly his Dad appeared from nowhere.
"Ben, here you are…" He rushed over, quickly. "I've told the science teacher all about you!"
"You have?" Ben flinched. He had predicted that his Dad would have told teachers that he took after him and was an excellent scientist who enjoyed the subject.
"Yeah, he's look forward to teaching you!" Ross grinned proudly.
"Great!" Ben replied less then enthusiastic.
"Come on, we'll go to the math department quickly before we go and search for the others…."
"No, you go…" Ben told him, "I'll stay here and talk to Matt."
"Oh, alright then…" Ross said slowly, glancing at the boy standing next to his son. He was disappoint that Ben didn't to look around with him but understood that it might have been the coolest thing to do and he was glad that he had already made a friend.
"So, that's your Dad…" Matt said once Ross had walked off again.
"Yeah, he's a weird when it comes to school and stuff…" Ben shrugged, trying to explain his Dad's behaviour. "He's a professor at NYU…"
"Oh right, that's cool…I guess." Matt added.
They continued to talk, mostly about their old schools when Ben noticed Monica and Rachel wondering over to him.
"Hey, Ben…where's your Dad?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, we gotta get back and rescue Chandler from the kids," Monica added, they had left him looking after the twins, who were now 3, Emma who was nearly 5 and 1 year old Lucy.
Ben smiled slightly; he knew that his Uncle Chandler wouldn't have a problem with the kids. They always had so much fun with him and loved it when he looked after them.
"He said he wanted to look at the Math department before we left…" Ben told them but then spotted him making his way through the crowed. "He's just coming now."
"Hey, you ready to go?" Monica asked when he reached them.
"Yeah, sure…" He nodded looking around, "Where's Carol and Susan?"
"Oh, they already left…" Rachel said, starting to walk away.
"I guess I'll see you at school then.." Ben turned to Matt.
"Yeah, cya soon…" Matt smile before walking off in the opposite direction to them.
XxXxX
"Honey? Where're home…" Monica called as they all entered her's and Chandler's house.
"Hey…" Chandler called from the living room. "How'd it go?"
"Oh it was great!" Ross exclaimed. "All the teachers seem nice!"
"Yeah…" Rachel agreed, grinning. "I told the Drama teacher about knowing Joey and says he can't wait to teach Ben to see if any talent had rubbed off on him…"
Ben rolled his eyes, another subject to add to the list where he would have excelled in.
"So, did you have fun?" Rachel asked, noticing Emma asleep on his lap and none of the other children were in the room, "Where's the twins and Lucy."
"Oh, I think I gave them to much chocolate and candy cos they were all hyper…" He said, feign seriousness, "So, I looked the twins in the cupboard under the stairs and I don't know about Lucy, she was crawling around…she's getting really fast at that!"
Ben couldn't help but smile, they all knew he was joking but it still didn't stop the others glaring at him.
"Geez, I was only joking…" Chandler stated once he noticed the looks, "the other three are upstairs taking their nap…Emma insisted didn't want to take one but was fast asleep after 5 minutes…"
"Right, okay then…I'll just go check on them." Monica said standing up.
"So, what did you think Ben?" Chandler looked over at him.
"It was okay…" He replied after a few seconds, realising that was the first time someone asked his opinion.
"You're going to love it!" Rachel told him, "You're going to be the most popular kid in school!"
"Oh yeah, just tell them about the time Joey on the bus!" Chandler quipped and grinned, "That will do his reputation good…leaving a baby on a bus…"
"If I remember correctly you both were there!" Ross glared at him.
"Yeah but I'm not a famous actor," Chandler replied, "Either do I have a reputation of any kind!"
"Good point…" Ross nodded, just as Monica walked back in.
"So, you guys staying for dinner?" She asked.
"I don't know…" Rachel said, "I think my kids have suffered enough today…"
"Hey!" Chandler head shot up to look at her.
"That's what you get for leaving my step-son on a bus…" He mocked her.
"Please, stay…we've got something we'd like to talk to you about…" Monica told them, slapping his arm lightly.
"Oh… what's going on?" Rachel asked, eagerly. "You're not moving again are you?"
"No, we're not…" She smiled at her.
"Then what?" Rachel asked again.
"We'll talk about it later…" Chandler told her, glancing at the 2 children in the room, indicating they wanted to talk about it in private."I'll take Emma upstairs if you like…" Ben offered, knowing Rachel wouldn't be able to resist not knowing the gossip.
"Oh, yeah that would be great…" Monica smiled at him, "Thanks Ben."
"No problem…" He said, picking Emma up off Chandler's lap, being careful not to wake her.
"So, what's going on?" Ross asked, as Monica sat next to Chandler.
"Well, we wanted you to be the first to know…" Monica started, sharing a smile with Chandler.
"Know what?"
"Y'know that thing the doctors said couldn't happen?" Chandler said, "Well, it has…"
Ross and Rachel looked at each other, confused for a minute before it suddenly hit them.
"Oh my God!" Rachel screamed, "You're pregnant!?"
"No!" Chandler told them, seriously. Rachel glanced at Ross again. "JOKE!"
"What?" They both asked at the same time, even more confused.
"He was joking!" Monica rolled her eyes but had smile firmly fixed to her face, "in about 8 months I'm going to have a baby!"
"Oh my god!!" Rachel repeated.
"You've said that already…" Chandler quipped.
"Okay, stop with the jokes!" Rachel glared at him.
"Sorry, I'm just nervous…" He held his hands up in defence, "I mean I've just knocked up my best friend's little sister!"
He backed away, slightly scared when they all glared at him.
"Okay, stopping with the jokes…" He smiled shyly at them before wrapping his arms around his wife.
XxXxX
3 Months later
Ben walked into his bedroom, throwing his school bag on his desk and pulling out his books to start his homework.
He sighed, it was Friday night and he had only been home 10 minutes and he was already working again.
It was his second week at Lincoln High and he hadn't work harder in life. Not only did his Dad expect him to do well in science but also so did all the teachers after Ross had talked to them at the open day. It wasn't just science, there was Maths, English and French too; apparently Ross, his Moms and Aunt had sung his praises to those lesson too.
He knew he should tell someone that it was all too much but he didn't want to let anyone down, at less his Dad. Plus, he didn't get much time to see his parents at the moment either. Once the school heard that Joey Tribbiani was a close friend to the family, they insisted that Ben tried out for the school play. He wasn't going to do it but Rachel had told Joey before he chance to tell anyone his decision and his uncle Joey was so proud, he even arranged to come and watch it. So with all the rehearsals and him working hard at night just to keep with his work, he hardly saw anyone.
He didn't know how long he could go on like this.
TBC
Please review and let me know if this is worth continuing.