AN: Hey! I'm back with a new story! Yay! Anyway, my last story (TOW the girlsnotsogood vacation) is almost finished and I have had this idea for a while. As promised, Ross and Rachel will be together in this story, but please be patient. It will take a good couple of chapters for them to show up.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. None of the characters are mine.
AN as of 2006: So, its been a while, but I always intended to finish this story, so I'm going to update each chapter as I reread them and then I'll add the last few chapters.
Eighteen-year-old Monica Gellar pulled into the driveway and parked the car. She jumped out and carefully balanced the bags of groceries she pulled out of the backseat. Monica was having a good day; she had graduated from high school the week before and had just passed her driver's license. It made her happy that her mother trusted her with the car, and even felt safe enough to send her on errands. She and her mother had never had a strong relationship as her mother had always been hard on her, heavily favoring her older brother, Ross, who was in Egypt with their father, on a trip. However, Monica had made a lot of changes in the past year: she had lost a lot of weight and had worked hard all semester to get herself on the honor roll to graduate, all in the hopes that her mother would finally be able to be proud of her. She felt a change in her relationship already. Her mother had seemed much more accepting of her presence in the last few weeks, and Monica had high hopes for the future.
Monica entered the house and took the groceries to the kitchen, putting them all away in their respective places. She then went in search of her mother, who she found in the living room, sitting stiffly on the couch.
"Hi mom, I'm back," Monica said cheerfully. "I got everything on the list and everything is away."
"Monica." Judy said, more like a statement than anything else.
"What's wrong?" Monica asked, noting the look on her mother's face. She appeared very stern, like she had prepared herself for something bad. Had she done something wrong?
"Nothing will be wrong soon," Judy replied, no emotion in her voice.
"I'm sorry?" Monica asked, confused by her mother's words. It was almost like she was in a trance.
Judy finally looked up at her daughter, looked her right in the eye. "You have one hour to pack and get out of this house."
Monica laughed nervously. Was this some kind of joke?
Judy noticed her hesitation. "The clock is ticking."
"Are you being serious?" Monica asked, stunned. Her mother had always been a little mean to her, but she had never attempted anything like this.
Judy nodded.
"Where am I supposed to go?" Monica asked, still believing this to be a joke.
Judy shrugged. "Wherever you want, just not here."
"But," Monica began. "The only other place I could go would be Rachel's, but she and her family are on a trip."
"That's not my problem."
"Mom!" Monica said. "Why are you doing this?"
"Don't call me that." Judy said. "You are no longer my daughter."
"Why?" Monica repeated. "What have I done to deserve this? I've worked so hard to make you proud of me."
Judy looked up at this, and met her daughter's eyes coldly. "You've always been a disappointment, Monica. I never wanted a second child, you were an accident. When I found out I was pregnant I wanted to get an abortion, but your father wouldn't let me."
"You're mad at me for being born!" Monica was astounded by her mother's behavior.
Judy ignored her question. "I did as your father requested. I had you and I allowed you to finish high school. Do you have any idea how inconvenient you have been to me over the years? I spent so much money on clothes and food, and whatever else you needed. Do you know what we could have done with that money? Ross and your father and I could have had such a better life if it weren't for you. We could have had more family trips and done all sorts of things." Judy shook her head disdainfully.
"I-I'm sorry." Monica tried, her voice beginning to waver as the realization that her mother was dead serious began to sink in. "I'll pay you back what you spent on me, if you just give me a chance. I'll get a job and…"
"No, I don't want to hear it. The only way you can pay us back is to leave. I never want to here from you or see you ever again."
"But, what will dad and Ross think when they get home."
Judy shrugged. "They won't care. They know what's happening."
"They know about this?" Monica said meekly, knowing she was quickly running out of options.
"Why do you think they left so soon after graduation?"
"They didn't even want to say goodbye?"
"Why would they, Monica, you have to understand, no one cares about you. You're just an inconvenience that's being taken care of."
Monica had no fight left in her. She simply nodded and looked down. She felt tears rushing to her eyes, but didn't want her mother to see her cry. "I'll go pack then," she said dejectedly.
As soon as Monica was in her room and had closed the door she broke down. She collapsed on the floor in tears. How had this happened? Why did no one care about her? Her whole life had been a joke so far, the whole times she had been on a time clock. After about ten minutes, Monica forced herself up. She had to pack before she lost the chance.
She pulled a duffel bag and a back pack out form under her bed and stuffed what she could into them: A couple pairs of pants, shirts, sweaters, extra shoes, socks and underwear, her favorite childhood stuffed animal and some small keepsakes. She then layered on some clothing, putting on as much as she could, and emptied her piggy bank. She grabbed her purse and her banking card. She had some money in the bank that she had saved for school, but not much. She would need to get a job and find a place to stay. If she stayed in a hotel, even a cheap one, her money would run out before long. Monica sighed and grabbed the sleeping bag from her closet, and strapped it to her backpack. This would have to do for a while.
Monica exited her room for the last time and went to the bathroom. Here she packed her toothbrush, toothpaste, a couple bars of soap, shampoo, her hairbrush, and a towel and facecloth. She knew she couldn't take much.
Before she left she went the kitchen, packing whatever she could into her very full bags, water bottles, fruit, bread, granola bars, juice boxes, a bag of carrots, crackers. Whatever she could fit.
She didn't bother saying goodbye to her mother: she wasn't up for it. Monica walked to the front hall and opened the closet door, trying to decide what coat to wear. Her choices were and heavy winter coat, or a lighter jacket. It wasn't all that cold out at the time, but she knew it got colder at night and the winter was approaching. After a moment's hesitation, Monica pulled on the jacket followed by the coat.
Monica took a deep breath, praying she had everything she needed. She did not want to come back, ever. Monica released the breath and stepped out the door, closing it gently behind her. She did not want her mother to think she was upset, it would only make her happier. She's not your mother anymore, she reminded herself. Monica sighed and began walking down the street, trying to decide where to go. She stopped when she got to the corner.
She didn't know how long she stood there, unable to pick a direction. Her feet felt heavy in her shoes, as if they were glued to the ground. She spotted a bus in the distance but it was heading in her direction. She sighed to herself and walked over to the stop. As it pulled up and stopped she got on without caring to ask where it was headed. She found an empty seat near the back and settled herself down for a long ride. She had no plan to get off until she had a plan, or at least an idea of where to go. She didn't have a lot of money, so staying in a hotel was out. She was terrified at the thought of sleeping on the street. What would people do to her? She shuddered at the thought. Maybe she could find a shelter. Monica shook her head as she felt tears come to her eyes once again. And to think, things had been looking up this morning.
AN: I am well aware that Judy was harsh way beyond the normal scope of her character, but it is necessary for the story.