Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Friends characters. I do own Sarah though. Sarah is my own little creation. This story takes place at the beginning of the fourth season, simply because I wanted there to be chicks and ducks in the story. It is right before everyone finds out about the jellyfish sting. Enjoy.
She looked across the bridge at the bright lights of Manhattan. It was where she was going to start over, to find something she never had, to be loved.
Her dark brown eyes moved up to the front seat, where the child service people were driving. The man, who she called Greasy because his hair was greasy and gross but whose real name was Robert, and the woman, who she called Bitch for obvious reasons but whose real name was Helen, were talking about her future.
"Stupid woman, thinking she could live with such a disease without help. What was she thinking?" Helen said. Robert said nothing; just continued to drive across the bridge.
Sarah turned back to the window and looked out at the night sky. She had heard the conversation before. Her mother made several mistakes in her life and now Sarah was paying for it.
They reached the office where both Robert and Helen went to talk to the boss. Sarah was instructed to sit on the bench and not move. The sixteen-year-old girl glared at their backs with anger flashing in her eyes.
She was tired of being treated like a child, tired of being told what to do. Sarah sighed and looked at the door longingly.
If only some long lost relative would come in through that door. If only her Aunt Karen wasn't in Russia working on her thesis. Why couldn't they just send her to Russia?
She knew why, but hated to admit it. She had another place to be, another person to stay with. Several thoughts flew through her head as she sat on the hard bench waiting for her future to be sorted.
Her past was always filled with sad times and happy times, although there were more sad than happy. Her mother had a child out of wedlock, causing her to be shunned from Sarah's grandparents. She moved to New Jersey after the falling out and brought Sarah into the world. Her grandmother died three years later in a car accident, followed by her grandfather two weeks later from his injuries. Aunt Karen came and stayed with them for another ten years before she was old enough to go to college. Sarah's mother helped her out.
Her mother had several boyfriends starting after Sarah's thirteenth birthday, each more rotten than the next. One had even slapped her once thinking she was stupid enough to steal his weed. He actually left it in his truck. That smack left a small scar on Sarah's left cheek, slightly under her eye. It was noticeable and caused the students at school to run away from her. If they didn't run, they taunted and tortured.
Sarah's black hair was often covered in grass and dirt, even mud if it was available. Sarah learned quickly to not give them the satisfaction of yelling or letting them know how much it hurt her.
Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Sarah turned fifteen. They couldn't afford the hospital bills, even without paying for Aunt Karen's college education since she had taken a job to help pay for it.
Before she died, Sarah's mother told her the truth about her past and about her father. He was the reason she was here now, the reason Aunt Karen wasn't.
Helen came up to Sarah and started to tap her foot. "Time to go," she said in an icy voice. Sarah nodded and stood, picking up her only bag with her few personal items in it. She followed Helen out and got into a taxi. Helen gave the directions and they were off.
Sarah shut her eyes and waited. Soon it would all be over; soon the world would be back to normal. Once Aunt Karen returned from Russia she would come and save Sarah from the horrible nightmare of a father she was sure to meet.
She took a deep breath as the car stopped in front of a large apartment building. Sarah looked up into the night sky as a few snowflakes began to fall on the ground. Sarah smiled her first smile since her mother's death almost a month ago.
"The first snow of winter," she thought.
Helen lead the way into the building, after she flashed her badge at the super waiting for them by the door. They began the grueling climb up the stairs.
The super was first, followed by Helen, and then by Sarah. She was determined not to let this affect her at all.
They reached the desired floor and walked up to the first door on the right. The super nodded towards the door.
"This is the place," he said. Helen nodded and said her thanks before waving the man away. The large man walked passed Sarah, looking down on her with sorry eyes. Sarah took a breath as Helen raised her hand to knock on the door.
Sarah closed her eyes, afraid for the first time in a long time. On the other side of this door was her past, present, and future. On the other side of this door was her father.
Helen knocked on the door. There was a pause before the knob jingled and the door flew open. Sarah eyes popped open to see what she was about to embark on.