Heyy! I did not forget this story, I just didn't have my computer with me this weekend. Later than usual, but here it is the new chapter :D

The first trimester of school was finally over, and now it was time to enjoy the holidays. The streets were covered in white snow, and every house on the street displayed colourful lights and Christmas decorations. Monica loved Christmas. First of all, there was great food, but she also loved the spirit of that time of the year.

But this year, it was different. Usually, Monica would spend the school break with Rachel, but this year, Rachel wasn't around so much. She would spend her time with Liam and her other cheerleader friends. Monica had Will, her new friend, but it was not the same.

It was a regular break day. Being December, it was too cold to be outside, so Monica was inside, in her bedroom, sitting on her bed while she wrote in her diary. Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Monica said, already running down the stairs to answer the door. Her parents were not home, and Ross was locked in his room, doing school work, with the stereo on a high volume. She was so surprised to see Rachel when she opened the door that it took Monica a couple of seconds to realize that her friend was crying.

"Oh my god, Rach; what happened?" Monica asked while she helped her friend enter the house.

Rachel launched herself against Monica and started to sob onto her shoulders. Dumbfounded, Monica held her friend in her arms until she sensed Rachel had calmed down enough to talk.

"Let's go to my bedroom; you can tell me what happened there," Monica suggested. Rachel agreed with a nod.

A few minutes after, both girls were sitting in Monica's bed with freshly made hot cocoa that Monica had offered to do.

"So, what happened, Rach?" Monica asked once again.

Rachel took a gulp of her hot drink, gathering the courage to talk.

"Liam broke up with me," She stated with a sob.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Monica said, not expecting the news.

"I really liked him, you know? I thought we would date much longer."

Monica hugged her friend, being as careful as possible to avoid spilling the chocolate drink over her bed.

"It's okay, honey." She tried to comfort Rachel.

A tear ran down Rachel's cheek, and Monica grabbed a tissue from her nightstand drawer. She offered the tissue to Rachel, who gave her a grateful look before continuing to talk.

"I just… I thought Liam was 'the one', you know? I thought that we would be like those high school sweethearts that end up married," Rachel sighed sadly, looking down at her mug.

Monica felt sad for her best friend. She longed for some romance in her life, but Rachel was a hopeless romantic, suffering from a broken heart.

"I'm sure it will happen for you, Rach. Maybe Liam is not that guy, but I'm sure that any guy in our school would be the luckiest to be the one for you," Monica said, hoping her word would cheer Rachel up.

Rachel looked up at Monica's face.

"Who wouldn't want to be with you? You are amazing, Rach. You're pretty, you're popular, and you're super fun to hang out with." Monica continued, speaking from her heart. She loved Rachel like a sister, and even though their friendship had seen better days, she wanted her friend to know how great she was.

Hearing Monica's words, Rachel felt a sting of guilt in her chest. She knew that she had been a terrible best friend during the past months. Rachel was with Liam or Sarah constantly and would barely spend time with Monica. And yet, Monica was still here comforting her when she needed it. Rachel knew she owed Monica an apology. Rachel placed her blue mug on the coaster on Monica's bedside table and took Monica's hands in hers.

"I'm sorry, Mon," She whispered to her best friend.

Monica looked at her with a confused look on her face.

"For being a terrible best friend to you," Rachel clarified.

Monica frowned but didn't say anything. However, by Monica's body language, Rachel could tell it was a sensitive topic for her.

"It's okay; I know it's true," Rachel said, hoping her friend would share her thoughts. "I got so caught up by popularity and having a boyfriend that I completely ignored you. I am so sorry, Mon," She continued.

Monica looked Rachel in the eyes and saw how genuinely remorseful she was.

"I thought you were not my friend anymore, that we were no longer best friends," Monica said, not holding in the tears that started to form in her eyes. "I've never felt so alone, but I was already expecting it to happen."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, not understanding what her friend had meant.

"Before the first day of classes, I knew you would become popular, have new cheerleader friends, and a new boyfriend. And it would only be a matter of time until you realized how lame it was to be with me," Monica said honestly.

Rachel's guilt feeling grew even more. She had realized that they were becoming less close, although she didn't want it to happen, but she hadn't realized how Monica truly felt. Rachel felt terrible for making Monica feel so miserable.

"I had no idea, honey," She started. "I don't think you're lame. I love to hang out with you; You're like my sister. It was nice to be with Liam, and Sarah and Katie are great to gossip with, but I don't have as much fun with anyone as I do with you."

Monica was now fully crying, just like Rachel had been minutes before. Without her expecting, Monica threw her arms around Rachel, hugging her tight.

"I love you. Don't ever leave me, please," Monica begged.

Rachel sunk into the embrace, happy to be holding her best friend close again.

"I love you too. And I won't, I promise." Rachel assured Monica.

They stayed like that without saying anything, just enjoying being close. Both girls knew how deeply they loved each other and that, no matter what, their friendship would stay solid.

"So, are we okay?" Monica asked, letting go of the embrace.

"We look like two pathetic losers, crying in each other's arms, so I would say we're fine," Rachel joked, noticing their red and puffy eyes.

Monica let a small chuckle, just like in the old times, before changing to a more earnest expression.

"You know what I mean," She said.

"Yeah, I know. We're fine," Rachel assured her. "Say what; Let's make a pact: we won't let boys meddle in our relationship ever again."

"I don't have that problem, for now, but yeah, it sounds like a good idea," Monica agreed.

Then, both girls smiled at each other while they laced their pinky fingers, promising that their friendship would remain strong and no one could take it down.

"So, Rach, why did Liam break up with you?" Monica asked.

"I don't know, Mon. He said he didn't want to get too serious with me, but he didn't say why."

"I never liked him anyway," Monica stated.

"Why do you think he said that, Mon? Am I not pretty enough? Maybe he doesn't like my nose! I kinda have always hated it too."

"It doesn't matter, Rach. If he doesn't want to be with you, it doesn't matter what he thinks because he doesn't deserve you."

"Maybe you're right. But I still hate my nose; I think I'm gonna need to change it," Rachel declared. "I can't believe I thought about getting to third base with Liam…" she added with an eye roll.

"You wanted to give him your flower?!" Monica exclaimed, surprised by her friend's confession. Since they had been drifting apart, they hadn't talked much about those more intimate issues.

Rachel rolled her eyes at Monica.

"Sex, Mon. Just say it. If you keep saying that flower crap, no one will want to do it with you."

"Oh, shut up! Besides, no one wants to do it with me now anyway, so…," Monica said.

After that, both girls started to laugh again, just like they used to, their worries and broken hearts long forgotten.