That Summer-Chapter 7
[Hey guys, it's Erin. I'm so sorry for the delay...again!! Like I said, I'm trying to work on that. But...(writer's block no more YES!!)....I was at work today and all the sudden, I just started thinking about this story, ideas broke out like water breaking out of the Hoover Dam...I wrote this whole chapter during my hour-long lunch break....seriously!!!! Well, NEway, this chapter should delight many, and even surprise a few.......just read, and hopefully ENJOY!!!]
Rachel sat on the Green's front porch Saturday night, gazing down the street. She had been waiting for her best friend's arrival for over a half an hour, and was getting a little impatient. She had watched many cars arrive to and depart from Elm Point, but the Geller's familiar blue Chevy Suburban had yet to come. That was another thing Rachel didn't get. Why the umpteen million cars driving thru on busy County S (residents or visitors) decided to turn on Elm Point Road when it was clearly marked: DEAD END. It wasn't like there was anything special to see anyway.
Rachel jumped excitedly at the sound of a car coming down the road and turned to see who it was. She disappointedly watched as a beige Oldsmobile Silhouette drove down the street, only to turn around and exit the neighborhood as soon as they came. 'Oh, well' she sighed dejectedly. 'OK, Rach, don't just sit here looking down the street. It's like a watched pot. If you stare down the road, they'll never come.' She thought to herself, and picked up a basketball.
She dribbled it out to the middle of the driveway and lined herself up with the hoop. "OK, if I don't make this shot, Carol's coming up with Ross, again." Rachel thought aloud, rolling her eyes. "But if I do make it, I get lucky." Rachel took a deep breath, shot the ball, and swooshed it. 'Nothin' but net!' Rach thought happily, mentally congratulating herself. She just stood stock still in position as the ball bounced away. Then she heard a car down the street and, once more, turned around to see who it was. She watched in glee as a blue Chevy Suburban pulled in the last driveway down the street.
Rachel smiled and giggled a little. They were finally here. "About time!" she said to no one in particular. She then turned around, picked up the basketball and continued shooting.
"RACHEL!!" came the voice of her best friend as she ran down the street. Rachel turned back around and laughed at Monica. She was so weird. "Hey Rach." Mon said as she came to stand in front of her, panting. "Mon, hey! What's up? Why are you in such a hurry?" Rachel greeted her friend. "Oh, no reason. I just wanted to stretch my legs. Long car ride." Rach smiled. "So did Carol come up with you guys?" Rachel asked casually, hoping the answer was no. Monica's face contorted itself into a frown. "About that, we should talk. Let's go over across to the pier." Rachel walked across the street with her friend, preparing herself for the bad news, whatever it was. She didn't know Mon was bluffing.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Rachel initiated as the two girls walked out onto their neighbor's pier. The Hanson's weren't up that weekend, and when they weren't Rachel loved to come over here and just sit by the water. It was such a peaceful place.
"Well..." Mon trailed, stalling for time until they both stood out at the end of the dock. Then she totally changed faces and a big toothy grin spread across her face.
"Ross and Carol broke up!!" she exclaimed and almost giggled. Rachel didn't know what to say. "Oh my god." Was all that came out of her mouth. Monica just stood there staring at her friend. She had just told Rachel the guy she was in love with was available again, and Rach was acting kinda weird. "Rach...Rachel, you there?" Monica waved her hand in front of Rachel's face, breaking her blank stare. "That bitch!" Rachel exclaimed. "How could she do that to him? I always knew that Carol Willick was up to no good." She crossed her arms across her chest. Monica was kind of worried about Rachel's reaction. Was she even interested in him anymore? 'Of course she is!' Mon thought to herself, then got proven right when Rachel's eyes started to sparkle.
"Oh my GOD!!" Rachel exclaimed as Monica's news sunk in. "I KNOW!!" Mon exclaimed as well, matching her friend's sudden excitement. "Wow, this is so big!" Rachel said, trying to calm herself down. "I know Rach, now you finally get to make your move on my brother!" Mon paused for a moment, frowned a little, then added, "Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd say to anyone." She smiled again, however, and then added, "But you two would make each other so happy and be so cute and in love it wouldn't matter!" She finished, calming herself down as well.
"When, how?" Rach asked, sitting down. Monica followed suit, sitting down beside Rachel. "A few days ago, I don't know. All I know is Carol's a lesbian now." Mon looked into the water as she dipped her bare feet in. "A wh...WHAT?!" Rachel asked in shock. Mon continued. "Well, like three weeks ago, Carol started at this popular gym in Rockford. I guess what happened is she met this Susan girl and found out she liked girls instead of guys, cause what she told Ross was there was someone else and she felt an 'instant attraction'. Needless to say he wasn't too thrilled when he found out who her 'someone else' was." Rachel kept her eyes fixated on her feet, which she splashed around in the water now and then. "Uh-huh." She mumbled, still comprehending the news.
"So there's basically two ways you can look at the breakup. Either it was her fault or it was a mutual thing. Anyway, I am so happy for you, Rach!" She exclaimed, making Rachel look up at her and genuinely smile. "I am too. So much." Rachel turned her head to look down the shoreline at the Geller's. "I love him so much." She sighed happily. Rachel stared at Ross's house for a while, then turned back around to face Monica.
"On a different subject, Mon, I got a guy for you as well." "You do?!" Mon asked excitedly, her eyes shining. Rachel felt glad that she was able to get her best friend all excited like this. Mon hadn't had a boyfriend in almost three years, and was pretty bummed out about it. "Yeah. His name's Chandler, and he lives behind Sandy Beach. Monica, he's really interested in meeting you." Rachel smiled. "Man, Rach, now you got me all tingly and nervous!" Monica exclaimed, her voice all high and squeaky.
"So, Mon, you know what this means, don't you?" Rachel's eyes sparkled with anxiety. "What?" Monica squeaked, obviously still giddy about Chandler. "Ross is available again, and Chandler is a new possibility! We both might get lucky this weekend!!" The two girls hugged each other and giggled together.
Later that night, the girls were down at the Geller's house, hanging out in Mon's huge side yard that ran up against Elm Point boat landing. Rachel had called the Bing's after the conversation earlier that afternoon, with the help of Monica's persistence. She was so excited to meet him that she didn't want to wait until the next afternoon, which was when Rach had planned to take her over.
Suddenly, a familiar (to Rach) red and purple jet ski pulled up alongside the Geller's pier (they had lakefront property). The familiar brown-haired, blue-eyed boy tied up the wave-runner and walked off the pier toward the two girls. Chandler recognized the green-eyed blonde from yesterday, but looked at the blue-eyed girl with jet black hair in complete amazement. 'Is that Monica?' he thought to himself. 'She's...beautiful.' "Hey, Chandler." Rachel spoke up. "Hey, Rachel. Monica...wow." For Monica, time just completely stopped when the very cute, very attractive guy in front of her gazed into her eyes. She was in complete awe. "Hey, Chandler." Mon managed to murmur. Rach looked at her two friends. Chandler and Monica seemed to have had an instant connection, and Rachel was more than happy at her success in matchmaking. 'Well done, Rach. Mon looks so happy.' Rachel mentally congratulated herself again, and walked away to give the two some privacy.
As she was walking away from the house and toward the lake, she felt someone tap her shoulder. Rachel spun around to face her dreams, which were only two feet in front of her. "Hey, Rachel." He cooed in that deep, sexy voice that made her heart melt. "Hi Ross, what's up?" Rachel responded, a smile creeping upon her face.
"So, I'm guessing Monica told you about my lesbian of an ex-girlfriend." Ross shoved his hands in his back pockets and looked down a little. "Yeah, she did. I'm so sorry about that." Rachel's palms started to sweat and she looked at the ground as she realized this may be her moment. She was so nervous, and she was actually feeling butterflies in her stomach. "Yeah, well, don't be sorry Rach. You didn't do anything, I'm the one who went out with a lesbian. I'm just glad she realized her sexual preferences before we, you know, did anything." Ross paused for a moment, mentally kicking himself for his last sentence. He started to become aware of his own nervousness building up. Lately he'd been developing a crush on the blonde beauty in his midst. He had no idea, however, that she was in love with him. "I'm just so glad you're here." He added, taking Rachel by surprise as he enveloped her in a hug. She melted into his arms and thanked the stars above that she was in this moment.
"Rachel?" Ross asked. He pulled away from the warm embrace just long enough to gaze in her enchanting green eyes. "Yeah Ross?" she replied, returning the gaze to his warm chocolate brown ones. "OK, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to start talking." Rachel gazed at him intently, nervous about what he was going to tell her. "Lately, I've begun to realize just how beautiful you are, and I've started this crush on you. I don't know if you feel the same way. You probably don't. I'm probably just a stupid..." "Ross?" Rachel interrupted him, not taking her eyes off his. "Yeah?" "Shut up." Ross gave her a weird look, but Rachel ignored it. "I do" she murmured softly. "I do." Their lips met just as a firework went off in the distance.
[So, there's Chapter 7. Good, bad, like, dislike; I'd like to see what you thought of this chapter. My mind is now going somewhere completely different with this story than I had originally planned way back in chapters 2 and 3, but I think it's a good turn. I have ideas out the yang now, and I should be updating soon and more frequently.
And I'd also like to know if Chandler's a good fit in this story. Like I said, way back in Chapter 2, I had a totally different perspective of this story, and including Chandler in it was not in my plans. But I was writing Chapter 6, and Chandler just popped up, and he helped me through my writer's block. I personally like the way he wound himself in, but there's plenty more opinions out there than mine. And just so you know, I'm still thinking about Joey and Pheebs, but I don't think they're gonna wind themselves in. I think this is it. So now the story is basically a Ross/Rachel and Chandler/Monica romance.
Well, now that the couples are established, I hope you don't stop reading this. I like your feedback. This is NOT the end, although in some respects it may seem like it is.
So, in your review, I'd appreciate if you could answer my few questions. If you just want to leave me good thoughts, you're not the long review person I am, that's fine also. But either way, please review!!! I love your thoughts!!!
Well, thanks for reading my LONG A/N!!! I hope you didn't fall asleep!!!! (LOL that made me think of Ross in TOW the Jellyfish hehe) Well, I AM OFF!!!!]
As always, Erin Geller :)