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CHAPTER 6

Three more weeks and summer will be over. God! Where did these past two months go? I guess when you are having fun time simply slips through your fingers. Summer camp was superb, I'm so glad Monica and I decided to go there this year. The people we met there were beyond wonderful and nothing judgemental, plus being away from everything was a huge relief. However, returning home brought back the hell I went through the last two weeks before vacations. I barely left my room, I couldn't; Going to High School became a nightmare I couldn't wake up from, whispers and sniggers would follow me everywhere I went. Against my expectations, the rumor never ceased and it even expanded to other high schools; the whole situation was horrible and nerve-wracking. Nonetheless, that was not the worst part; my fight with Ross would haunt me every single night, reminding me the stupid mistake I made by not telling him the truth from the very beginning. If I had known this would cause me so much pain I would have never initiated the teasing game. Actually…I wish I hadn't played that stupid "truth or dare" game in the first place, none of these problems would have exited if that day had never happened.

I ended up confessing all the truth to Monica the day after my fight with Ross; I had to in order to explain why her brother had done such a thing to hurt me. She was shocked and mad at me for a few days, very reasonable, but in the end she was glad I had revealed the truth she suspected all along. For a while she kept encouraging me to speak with Ross and clarify the situation, but I didn't have the guts, not after all the shitty things we said to one another…plus he would never believe me…

I miss him, I never let Monica know but I do, I miss him so damn much it's becoming unbearable. Thank god he is not in town, otherwise I would have done something stupid just to see him, I know myself, and that would have gotten me into trouble and even more pain.

I put the last things on my backpack and before I leave my room my eyes catch a glimpse of the small silver heart lying on my desk. As much as I wanted to throw it away I couldn't, I wanted to keep it for some strange reason.

I close my bedroom door and after saying goodbye to my parents I leave for Monica's.

"Mon thank you so much for letting me stay with you this weekend" I say as I unpack the clothes I brought "who would have thought my parents would wait for me to arrive from my vacation to paint the whole house" I say rolling my eyes, I think they just want me off the house and that's their own personal way to let me know.

"no problem honey, I love having you here" she says with a big smile.

"awww, I love being with you too" I say giving her a sweet hug. "we have to make plans for the weekend, do you want to do something tonight?" I ask as I hang some of my clothes in her closet.

"we could go to the movies…" she suggests.

"sounds fine to me, and we could go shopping tomorrow! I need to buy a new cocktail dress and I'd love it if you could help me choose it"

"of course I'll help you, what do you need it for?"

"you know Stephanie?"

"the head cheerleader of Crossroads High School? Yeah"

"well, she is having a summer farewell party in two weeks and she invited me, and it looks like it's going to be a very fancy one"

"that's nice"

"yeah…oh! by the way, how was your reencounter with your dear boyfriend, did he miss you?" I ask while grabbing her hand and bringing her to her bed to have a chat. Unpacking can wait.

"it was…nice" she said, unable to hide the huge grin in her face.

"what's that grin about?" I ask when I notice her blushed cheeks and her timid look "Oh my god, did something happen?" her smile grows wider and I take that for a yes.

"did you guys do it?" I say, my eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"uh-huh" she says nodding, her eyes shining with happiness.

"oh my god Monica! When? How? Where was it? I want details!"

"It…was at his house, the same day we arrived"

"really? Oh my god! So it wasn't planned?"

"not at all, it just…happened"

"aww, but tell me more Mon! how was it? did you like it?"

"It….it was amazing Rach" she says, not able to keep her lips together "it hurt a little and it didn't last for long but…it was so romantic…and he was so caring and thoughtful…I was on cloud 9"

"awww, look at you! You're so in love" I say grabbing her hand and rubbing it with affection.

"I know" she says smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm so, SO happy for you honey" I say as I wrap her in a tight hug.

"thanks, what about you? How did Chip welcome you?"

"ugh, don't even mention him"

"what? Why?"

"well, first of all he showed no emotion when seeing me, and then…we spent the afternoon playing those damn games of him…again. I haven't even seen him since then"

"let me ask you something…why are you still with him?"

"honestly…I have no idea. I-I think…I-I just don't want to break up and give people more reasons to trash about me, imagine the things they'll make up to jeopardize my image again"

"Rachel you should stop worrying about what people think about it, you'll never be happy that way"

"Easier said than done, you aren't the center of everybody's attention at school"

"well, sorry if I'm not as popular as you are"

"Mon I didn't mean it that way, I'm just saying…It's hard not to care when every single person around you judges your every movement…"

"but a lot of people admire you as well Rach, not everything is bad"

"since the rumor came out? I don't think so"

"the rumor again? Rach I told you to forget about it, if you let your insecurities show people will remember it and this situation will never end. Just act like you don't care and the rumor will disappear like that" she says snapping her fingers. "if you don't let it go nor will the rest"

"I hope you are rig-" a loud sound coming from outside distracts me. "Is that a horn?" I say, unconsciously looking towards the window.

"it sounds like it" Monica says raising her eyebrow in confusion.

"didn't you say your parents were away for the weekend?"

"that was the plan" she says as she stands from her bed and walking towards the window. "oh my god!" she exclaims as she quickly turns to me, her face completely pale.

"what? What happened?"

"they are back"

"who is back?"

"my parents and my…brother" she says biting her lip.

"WHAT? Monica you better be kidding me!"

"I'm sorry…I thought he had moved to his college already"

"oh my god Monica! How could you do this to me? You perfectly know how things are between your brother and me!"

"Rach I swear I didn't know he was coming!"

"Monica?" we hear Judy's voice coming from downstairs.

"I'm out of here, I cannot sleep here if he'll be around" I say standing up and grabbing my things but Monica quickly takes them away from my hands.

"hey!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you go anywhere."

"you cannot be serious Mon, what do you want, us fighting 24 hours a day?"

"don't be silly! He'll probably spend the days in his bedroom, you know him; you won't have to deal with him much, only during lunch and dinner"

"well that's enough for me to want to leave"

"stop acting like a little girl, Don't you think it's time to fix things up?"

"There is nothing to be fixed Mon, he hates me I hate him that's end of the story"

"well you didn't tell me that two months ago" I shot her a cold stare.

"I don't love him anymore okay?" I say in a murmur "that was all before our fight"

"yeah right"

"whatever, I don't have time for this" I say stealing my backpack from her hands. "how can I leave without being seen?"

"turning invisible?"

"ha-ha, funny, now help me before they come up here!"

"Monica come down! Your brother is here" her father calls for her this time. I start to really freak out, I don't think I have time to escape unnoticeably now.

"come with me" she says grabbing my hand but I quickly release it.

"no way, Are you crazy? I made it pretty clear I didn't want to see him ever again, he'll call me hypocrite if he sees me here"

"god Rach! you two need to get over this, plus how are you supposed to not see him ever again if you're my best friend, you would see him sooner or later"

"well I'd rather it be later"

"I'm afraid that's not your choice, now c'mon down" she grabs my hand again, with more strength so that I cannot escape and I have to give up, it's useless to keep on protesting, sometimes Monica can be even more stubborn than I am.

She pulls of me and we leave her room, my body shaking severely; I've never felt more scared in my life. What is he gonna say when he sees me there? Better yet, What am I gonna tell him to explain my presence in his house? Oy!

When we reach the top of the stairs and look down I release a sigh of relief; I don't see Ross anywhere, only Judy and Jack and some random guy are there, phew! maybe Monica confused him with her brother.

"good lord what did you put in here son?" I hear Jack say. Son? What son? I become nervous again, expecting to see Ross eventually appearing through the door.

"just some stuff dad" the random guy replies. What the hell? I observe him more carefully now and my heart starts beating fast inside my chest. No way…

"Mon? Is…is that your…brother?" I manage to ask, not able to believe what I had before my own eyes.

"I…think so" she says, with the same astonished expression I'm wearing. "Hey brother!" she shouts as she runs down the stairs, leaving me up there all alone. Oh my god! What do I do now? What do I do! My eyes uncontrollably move from one side to another, looking at nowhere and everywhere, I just don't want to be caught staring at him. But it's so damn hard, I'm curious, that guy cannot be Ross! Where the hell is his long curly hair? Where is his facial hair? And his geeky clothes?

I observe him wrapping his arms around Monica and giving her a tight hug while my head cannot stop picturing that scene with me between his arms. His eyes suddenly meet mine and I instantly freeze; now he knows I'm there, oh god! Can I just crawl into a hole and disappear?

I look away and back again several times, but his eyes remain fixed on me the whole time and I cannot help but blush under his intense gaze. His lips smile briefly, was that for me? Even if it wasn't my body fills with happiness without my permission…

…And the butterflies are back. Damn it!

"oh Hello Rachel dear, I hadn't seen you up there" Judy's voice brings me back to reality. His eyes finally moved away from me and I can breathe at last.

"Hi Judy, Hi Jack" I say smiling as I slowly walk down the steps; although inside I'm terrified to get closer to him, but I have to pretend I'm fine with his presence.

"Mom, Rachel will be staying here the next three days, is that okay?"

"of course, she can sleep over whenever she wants." She replies, rubbing my arm up and down.

"thank you so much Judy"

"no problem, how are your parents by the way? Haven't seen them in a long time" she asks me, but it takes me a while to process the question since my mind is focused on him being next to me, just some inches away. I avoid looking at him but I feel the weight of his stare in my skin, he must be calling me all names noiselessly.

"they are alright, in the process of painting the whole house"

"send them regards from us, will you?"

"sure"

"I'm hungry" Jack interferes; all of us turn our gazes to him and he shrugs his shoulders.

"Monica, go cook something for your father"

"but Mom Rachel is here, I don't want to leave her alone"

"oh that's alright Mon, I'll unpack the rest of my stuff while you're in there" I politely say but I'm dead scared to be left alone with Ross.

"thanks honey, now excuse me, I need to make some important calls" Judy says as she heads to the living room.

"you sure?" Monica asks me, I can read in her eyes she is truly worried about me.

"yeah, go. I'll wait for you upstairs"

"okay…" she says not very convinced "so what do you feel like eating, dad?" I hear Monica's voice fading as she and Jack walk away form the hallway we are in.

oh god. What do I do now? I know he is right there; he hasn't moved or pronounced a word for several minutes. As much as I try I can't seem to find the strength to face him right now, but this uncomfortable situation is killing me and I have to do something. I think of the rumor and all the pain he caused me and that finally gives me enough courage to turn around and face him.

I cannot describe all the feelings that suddenly overtake my body when my eyes meet his. Now that I'm face to face with him I can see how different he looks, it's like he is not the same guy I last saw two months ago, he just looks so…hot! So damn hot I feel like crying. He wants to torture me, doesn't he? The silence goes on for what feels like an eternity. Why doesn't he say something? isn't he surprised I'm there or what?

Not able to bear this stillness anymore I turn around, ready to go to Monica's room. But then his voice sounds.

"Rachel wait"

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