A/N: Aren't you proud? It's up, it's up! ;) Thank you all for my last chapter's reviews, I'm surprised you guys didn't forget about lil 'ol me. Either way, the feedback was all very much appreciated, I thank each and every one of you. I'm glad you guys are liking it so far, it's you guys that keeps me going. And I'd like to dedicate this chapter (yes, another dedication…) to Becca, cause I really miss her. It's probably my fault we haven't talked in a while… maybe this dedication will make it up? ;) Keep reading, guys! And let me know what you think!
Chapter Six
They tightly gripped each other's hands, their backpacks strapped over their shoulders. They slowly walked to school, only about two blocks left before they had to step onto its grounds. As they took each step, their grips tightened, and the knot in Monica's chest twisted with worry.
"Chandler…" she started off nervously, glancing towards him.
"Just stick together, and we'll be fine," he told her reassuringly. He lifted her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "We're Monica and Chandler, remember?"
Monica smiled. "We sure are. The best, the very best there is. Our love is stronger, that's right. You're not going to…" Monica suddenly stopped and faced Chandler, who stopped with her. She looked up at him as tears began to form. "Chandler, what if you're dragged down into the pit I fell into? They- they can do that. They have this odd power, they can turn your life into hell. I don't want you to…"
Chandler quickly put his finger to her lips. He looked at her and noticed her face was completely pale, all of the color drained from her face, and saw she was trembling. He quickly took her into his arms, hugging her body protectively. "Shh," he murmured, "Calm down, Mon, it'll be okay. They can't drag me down. I won't let them." He kissed the top of her head. "As long as you're with me, I'm A-okay."
Monica looked up at Chandler, tears still falling. "You don't know what it's like, Chandler. You- you don't know."
Chandler shook his head. "No, you're right, I don't. But I know… well I can imagine how hard everything is on you. We're going to go through everything together, whether they drag me down or not." He took his finger and dried her tears. "We're a pair, remember? We don't match any other way."
Monica's lips curved into a small smile. "Promise we won't get miss-matched in any way?"
"Promise." They let go of each other and Chandler took her hand. "Now, come on, we'd better go before we're late to school. We don't want a lecture from the principle."
They began walking once more. Monica glanced at Chandler and smiled. "I love you, Chandler. So much."
Chandler looked at Monica, his smile mirroring hers. "Ditto."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, their shield strong, their love tremendous, their hopes high.
No one could get past Chandler and Monica. That's what they thought, what their hearts had engraved on their minds.
If the world weren't so harsh, maybe they would be able to go on throughout life fine, with no troubles, because of these beliefs.
But the world was harsh, from the rocky crust right down to the burning core.
* * *
"Okay, stop reading for a moment. It's time for our discussion."
The majority of the class groaned, setting down their books, preparing themselves for the "discussion" they were about to have. Ms. Unger walked around the room, making sure each book was closed, then walked up to the front of the room. "I know you don't like these," she continued, "but I'm in charge, and I say, let's discuss!" She scanned the room. "So, who would like to tell me what they think of how Romeo and Juliet are reacting?" There were no volunteers, so she pointed to Phoebe. "Phoebe Buffay, what are your insights?"
Phoebe paused and looked across the room at Monica, then at Chandler. She smiled when she caught Monica's eye. "I think they're being brave. Heroic."
"Yeah? Well I say they're idiots," Joey interjected, scoffing at Phoebe's response. "They're the world's worst couple." He looked over at Monica and glared. "Juliet doesn't deserve anything, much less love. She should burn alive. And Romeo is wasting his time on someone who isn't worth it. He's the idiot for being with her. He should keep who he had."
"Some people can't choose who they fall in love with," Monica whispered softly. All eyes turned on her, and Joey snorted.
"They're not in love. They're screwing, is all. They're just wasting their time, ruining their own lives. You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Mon?"
"They're not. They're… they're in love, so deep they can't get out." Her voice was soft, vulnerable.
"They're blind."
Tears were about to form in her eyes. "No. No. Love overcomes all obstacles." Monica shook her head, not knowing one more thing to say that wouldn't make her burst into tears.
"Is that true, is it really? Well everyone knows how the story ends. If love overcomes all obstacles, Monica, then why is it that love kills them?"
"They still end up together…"
"Come on, don't be stupid, Monica. You're just way too hopeful, you expect too much from life. Juliet killed them both, didn't she? Cause she was so half-witted, expecting too much. Don't-"
"Joey, shut up, you're the one being the idiot here!" Chandler suddenly burst out, slamming his hand on his desk. He turned around to face Joey in the back of the room, his eyes raging. "Leave Monica the hell alone, she never did anything to you. You're just too pathetic to realize that she's a good person. So you could just shut up and leave Monica's life alone, cause we all know you're not talking about Romeo and Juliet. You worry about you, we'll worry about us."
For a moment, the room was quiet, in shock. The students gaped at Chandler, who officially "confirmed" the rumor, shocked he would fall for the town's "imbecile," or even stand up for her. Ms. Unger stood in front of the room in silence for a while, not fully comprehending what the students were saying.
"Go to hell, Bing," Joey hissed, breaking the silence. Suddenly, the teacher pointed to both Chandler and Joey.
"Chandler and Joey, principle's office, now," she ordered, her voice hard. "I've heard enough! It's only first period, and you two are already are at each other's throats! Show respect to your peers!" Both guys stood from their seat, gathering their books, heading out the door without a word. Monica shook her head.
"Ms. Unger, Chandler didn't-"
"Quiet, Monica."
So, she fell silent as Chandler slowly walked out of the room, giving her a small smile as their eyes met as if telling her it was okay. Monica smiled back, then looked down.
Yeah, the world could be cruel at times.
* * *
They met at the vacant auditorium at their shared free period, wrapping each other's arms tightly around each other the minute they entered. Tears fell from both of their faces as they tightened their embrace, trying to find comfort in each other.
"I guess this is harder than I thought," Chandler whispered into Monica's ear, his grasp still around Monica. "But it's not impossible, not yet."
"Chandler, they're – they're doing so much," Monica managed to say in between sobs. "So cruel. And this is just the first day. It's barely begun."
Chandler kissed the top of Monica's head and began to rock them back and forth, as they did the night before. It seemed to calm both of them a bit, but still didn't take their worries away. "I know, babe, I know. But we have a shield, remember?"
"Sure we do… but they have a master sword so sharp, it could split right between us and separate us." She paused. "Together, they have the power, Chandler." She shook her head against his chest. "They have the power to do anything. Hate is always worse than love… so much more bitter, which leads it to be harder, too. Hardness overcomes softness. We're in love, Chandler, we're vulnerable. They're hateful and strong. They have the advantage." More tears fell faster and harder from her bright blue eyes, which were now clouded with hurt. "Chandler, what do we do?"
"Keep the love, Mon. It's all we can do." He sighed and let go of Monica, who soon followed the lead. "Mon, like I said before, we can get through this. We're strong enough, I know we are. The love I feel for you… it's amazing. I'm never letting go of it, not matter what the consequences." He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. They parted, and Monica smiled somewhat sadly.
"You're right. I-I'm sorry for being so pessimistic. It's just… I mean, sure it's hard when I have to go through it. I just don't want you to have to go through the pain, too," Monica murmured quietly. "You don't deserve pain. Especially not for my sake."
"Hey, it's for my sake, too," he reassured her. "And I'd die for you, so it really doesn't matter whose sake it's for. Right now, I'm just glad I have you."
Monica smiled. "And I sure am very grateful to have you." She stood up on her tiptoes and gently kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you more than you can imagine, Chandler. And I'm sure now that a little pain is worth everything you're giving me." Both of their smiles deepened, and Monica kissed Chandler's lips lovingly. They both instantly melted into the kiss, for a moment forgetting where they were, why they were upset. For a moment, pain wasn't real to them.
Then the kiss ended, and they were all too aware of where they were, what was happening… and worst of all, what they were feeling.
Fear.
* * *
It's been days. Days of torture, days of ignoring glares and rude comments, days of tears, days of pain. Tough days for Monica and Chandler.
People said that what others thought didn't matter. And it was true. But it was what others said, what others did… that's what made it so hard for them. They were branded as nobody's, yet everyone seemed to want to make their lives just a little bit worse.
* * *
When Chandler approached Monica's locker, cold glares were shot at them, and the couple did their best to ignore it. Chandler wrapped his arms around Monica from behind, as if to protect her, and kissed her cheek softly.
"Finally time to go home," he whispered for only her to hear. She nodded her head, gathering her books with one hand as her other hand held Chandler's arm. When her books were finally set neatly in her backpack and locker, she closed her locker and twisted the lock. She strapped the bag over her shoulders and took Chandler's hand, gripping it tightly.
"Finally."
They began to walk through the hallway, and it seemed as if people cleared the path to let them get through. It was like they wanted to get as far away from the couple as possible, as if they had some contagious disease. Their grips tightened as they walked on, stares following them all the way. Everyone seemed to stop just to look at them, to sneer at them, to cuss at them, to yell at them. Both Monica and Chandler acted as if they were unaffected by the scene, but inside both of them were having difficulty to merely stand. They walked closer to each other, faster, trying to get away from the sinister peers that surrounded them.
Finally, they reached outside the building and bounded their way off school grounds, away from every teen that snarled at them or yelled at them or hated them. When the school was out of sight, both abruptly stopped and began to slowly walk once more. A single tear fell from Monica's face.
"Why us?" she suddenly inquired, her voice low and hurt. "What makes us so different from every other couple?"
Chandler stopped walking, as did Monica. He looked at her for a moment, then took his thumb and dried the tear that fell. "We love each other truly, that's what's different."
There was a pause. "I'm sorry I'm ruining your life, Chandler," she whispered, looking down. Chandler looked at Monica, surprised. He quickly shook his head.
"Oh, no, Mon, no!" he quickly replied. "Mon, you're not ruining my life. There's no way you could."
"Chandler… it's because of me. I'm what's making us different from every other couple." A few stray tears fell from her face yet again.
"Monica… how could you be ruining my life, if you are my life?" Monica merely stared at the ground without a word, so Chandler pulled her into a hug. "You are my life, Mon," he whispered, holding her closer.
And somehow, that seemed like enough to pull both of them through.
To Be Continued…
I know, such a quick update! I'm quite proud of myself ;) I'm sorry if this chapter was anything bad… I'm trying, really. Please tell me if you liked it or not… review! And thanks for the other reviews… once again, they mean a whole lot to me. Good day :)
