Hello! I'm back. Thank you to everyone who is reading and enjoying this story. Tbh, I thought more people would like it, but I'm happy knowing that at least some people, although not many as I expected. Hope you all like this chapter! :D

Before they knew it, it was already October, and the big football game of the first half of the year was getting close. Rachel felt a bit nervous, as it would be her first cheerleading event, and she wanted to do her best performance. It had to be because it would be her chance to catch Liam's attention since he would be one of the players in the game.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Monica exclaimed after watching Rachel's cheerleading number for the tenth time.

Rachel sat on Monica's bed and dropped her red pompons.

"Do you think Liam will be impressed?" Rachel asked.

"I really hope he asks you out; you are soo good at flirting!" Monica said excitedly.

"Oh, I'm not. Besides, you are too!"

"Ah, Rach, you don't have to be nice. In the only time I tried to flirt, the guy thought I wanted to steal his cookies."

Remembering the situation, both girls started to laugh, and the remaining of the afternoon consisted of recalling old embarrassing stories.

Finally, the big day arrived. The game would start in a few minutes, and a crowd was already forming at the field benches. Slightly nervous, Rachel grabbed her pompons to rehearse her number for the last time when she heard Katie squeal behind her: "Oh my god! Rach!"

Rachel turned around to see what her friend was so excited about when she spotted Liam walking in the opposite direction from his teammates towards the cheerleaders' bench.

She felt the usual butterflies in her stomach that grew stronger as he walked closer.

"I'll leave you two alone!" Katie said with a wink before leaving Rachel alone at the bench. Suddenly, Liam was right in front of Rachel, who started to feel more nervous than she usually felt when she tried to flirt with him.

"Hey!" She said, "What are you doing here? Trying to get some cheerleader luck before the game?" She asked, regaining some of her courage to flirt. He seemed to receive well her flirt because he smiled at her with the perfect smile she spent her classes daydreaming about.

"Well… Actually, I was trying to get a good-luck wish from one specific cheerleader," He winked back at her. Rachel could feel the blush rising in her cheeks, and before she lost her courage, she kissed Liam's cheek.

"Oh… Good luck then," Rachel added.

The game went great, as normal as a school football game could go, and Rachel did like to think her good-luck kiss and, of course, her cheerleading performance did bring some luck because their team won the game. After changing back from their sports outfits, Rachel met her friends outside the changing rooms.

"You were so great, Rach!" Monica jumped at her, squishing her in her arms. When Monica let go of her, Rachel also saw Ross standing next to her best friend, with an excited look on his face.

"Yes. You did great, Rachel… I mean… all the cheerleaders and all…," Ross said with his awkward laugh. Rachel didn't want to lead Ross in with false hopes, but she knew he was trying to be kind, so she shot him a genuine smile.

"Thanks!"

However, as much as she loved Monica, there was only one person she wanted to talk to at that moment. And her heart skipped a beat when she saw him walking towards her. She shot Monica a look, and her best friend understood what she wanted to say, dragging Ross away with her.

Liam stood in front of Rachel, and something about his kind of nervousness made her know what would come next.

"So, my good luck kiss did work, hun? You were fantastic!"

"Thanks. You were not so bad either," Liam said. He paused for a second before continuing: "So, maybe you would like to go out with me sometime?" Liam finally asked.

"Oh my god! YES!" Rachel screamed, unable to control her reaction. She wanted to add, "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to ask", but she managed to get enough self-control to keep it to herself.

"Okay, what about next Wednesday?" Liam suggested.

"Sound perfect."

"Okay, see you around then," - Liam said before walking away to the changing rooms.

The week after, Monica stood in Rachel's bedroom, trying to find a spot to sit on her bed that wasn't covered in clothes. She felt excited about her best friend. She knew her date would go well. The cheerleader and the football player. It was so cliché that it had no way to go wrong. However, she felt a little jealous, although she wouldn't let Rachel know. Rachel was popular, pretty, and now had a slightly popular boyfriend too, and she was just her fat best friend that followed her around like a puppy. She needed to try and be more like her friend.

"Where are all my good clothes? I don't have anything to wear tomorrow!" Rachel whined, throwing another dress into the pile of clothes on her bed.

"Relax, Rach. It will go fine," Monica tried to comfort Rachel.

"Ah! This is perfect!" Rachel exclaimed as she proudly showed her a pink sweater that she finally found at the back of her drawer.

"Now, What shoes go with it?" Rachel added with a pensive look on her face. She then started to throw all her shoes out of the closet.

"I knew I didn't bring enough butterfingers!" Monica exclaimed. She loved Rachel and felt excited about her friend, but she was not like Rachel, always trying to look perfect. And although they were hanging out like usual, there were much more fun things they could be doing.

After a week, things were going great between Rachel and Liam, both unaware of how not great their happiness was for two other people: Ross and Monica. Ross found out about Rachel's date one evening when accidentally he heard her talk with his sister on the phone. He had been sad immediately after hearing the conversation, but as the days passed, he felt even worst. Ross couldn't believe that his chance was lost. And to make it even worst, he had to see them together every day, holding hands and kissing. Guess Rachel would never look at him as more than Monica's older brother.

At first, Monica had been super happy and excited about her friend. But now, sitting alone at the cafeteria table eating her lunch, she didn't feel that happy. During the week that passed, Rachel had barely spent any time with Monica because she was always with Liam. Monica felt abandoned by her friend. She wanted to tell her about it, she was her best friend after all, but she didn't want to ruin her friend's happiness. She looked ahead, spotting the couple at another table with other football players, and sighed to herself. Maybe it was all new, and things would be back to normal after another week.

"Hi, Mon. You're not with Rachel?" Monica lifted her head at the familiar sound of her brother's voice. She didn't try to hide the sadness in her own voice when she talked.

"No. Rachel is with Liam. I guess I will be eating alone a lot for the next few days."

He looked in front, the same direction Monica had been looking, also seeing Rachel and Liam together. For the first time, Monica felt compassion for her brother. It must be hard to see someone you like being with someone else.

Then, he pulled a chair and sat next to her at the table.

"What are you doing?" She asked

"Wel, I'm not going to let you eat alone. I'm still your big brother," He answered while unpacking his lunch.

Monica smiled at her brother. As normal siblings do, they always had fights, but she knew they cared about each other. And Ross would always be her big brother, the friend she could rely on for anything she needed.

"Thanks," Monica said, hugging Ross.

Ross smiled at her too, and silently, both acknowledged that they could count on each other. More than siblings, they were friends and would be there for each other through thick and thin.