as far as friends go

chapter 2

Rachel really didn't know what she was thinking, being in love with her best friend and all. She'd known for ages that she was nuts for having these types of feelings towards him, but at some point she'd already accepted it.

They used to not be as bad, the feelings of love and lust. But, as time's went on, those feelings grew stronger. Now, the only time she didn't think of him or her feelings were when she was working.

Seeing as though she was a pediatric surgeon she never really had time to zone out, so she would completely ignore the thought of him. She really did thank her crazy working schedule, it kept her from thinking more crazily and doing and saying things that she would regret. The only free time she did get was usually on days when she wasn't needed or the days that she was on call but didn't have to be at the hospital until or if the did call her back into the hospital for an emergency procedure or if they needed an extra person to make rounds and stuff like that. In those times of freedom, he would be scanned back into her brain until she would be preoccupied with something else.

It wasn't always like this for her. Hell, Rachel could remember the times she would scoff when people told her how cute she would be with Finn. Finn was always like the extremely annoying older brother to her. Yes, they always had their good times, but she never really saw him as boyfriend material. He was her best friend. That's all she thought of him.. Until about a few years ago.

It all started when Rachel was in her junior year of high school and Finn was in his senior year. Rachel remembered that it was sometime around January. She remembered because it was a few weeks after her and Finn celebrated New Years Eve together.

They would do this yearly thing where they would sneak up to the roof of the local grocery store. They would steal liquor and wine from their parent's cabinets and they would buy a bunch of food before the got up to the roof. Then, they would get really drunk and spend the night on the roof, watching fireworks and waiting to bring in the new year with each other. Once their phone clocks would hit 12:00 am, they would watch the big show in the sky and share predictions with each other for the new year. Rachel really did miss it. Now, Finn would just take her to the ball drop in Time Square if she didn't have to work, and after they would both get a drink at the local club, which was usually packed. The thing that would really amuse Rachel was that Finn would get wasted with Puck before 10:00, and at 12:00, she would painfully watch as Finn would grab a random chick and kiss her before getting her number. Things were different now. New Year's Eve used to be the funnest holiday besides Christmas to her And now, the only she got out of New Year's Eve was when she would help deliver a baby into the New Year when she would be working. Things weren't the same, and they both knew it.

Anyways, she was sitting alone at a table in the courtyard, studying for her geometry test. Before she knew it, she wasn't alone. Looking up from her book, she was faced with four football players sitting with her at her table. Rachel recognized all of them from her classes, but she still felt uncomfortable, as she wasn't the most popular girl in school, and they weren't known to be the nicest guys in the school.

Closing her book, she placed it in her book bag and began to get up, before Mark Parker, the football player on the side of her, pushed her shoulder down, forcing her to sit back down.

"Can I help you?" she asked nervously, facing him.

"Chill, Berry. We just wanted to say hello." Mark laughed.

"Great. Hello. Can I go now?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Not just yet. Guys?"

Before she knew it, she was hit by a massive wall of cold, icy slush. Wiping her eyes, she looked up and noticed that everyone was laughing at her. Getting her book bag, Rachel jumped up and ran towards the bathroom with tears in her eyes. Once she got to the mirror, she cried even more realizing how much of a freak she looked like with different colored slushy all over her clothes.