"Party, what kind of party?"
Rachel Green's ears perked up as the word party slipped out of the strangers lips. His hand fumbled around in his trouser pocket for a few seconds until he produced a business card sized slip of paper, which he then handed to her.
"Its nothing much really, just a few guys getting together and having fun but it's going to be blast!"
Rachel studied the piece of paper as she listened to the handsome stranger -- it was simple piece of paper which just an address written on one side.
"Your friends can come too, if they want" the stranger added giving her a wink of his eye for added emphasis.
Rachel looked across at Monica and Phoebe who were seated on the couch in the Central Perk coffee shop where she worked as a waitress. She had on a very short skirt, her long legs were clad in black stockings and she wore a tight fitting top -- the only thing that made her look a waitress was a small apron which was she had tied around her waist.
"Count me in!" Phoebe exclaimed with a smile plastered across her face which quickly disappeared when Monica gave her a dirty look.
"I really hope you can all make it -- it's going to be a great party, all the in crowd is going to be there."
Rachel looked at the the address on the paper again before turning to face him. "Maybe we will, Maybe we won't" she replied with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Well I hope you all can make it." He glanced at each one of them before turning on the spot and walking towards the door. His hand had grasped the door handle when he stopped and turned back to face them.
"Oh by the way them that Jeff invited you!" and with that he opened the door and left.
Rachel sat down next to Monica, her hand waving the slip of paper the handsome stranger had given her.
"See if you wait they come to you -- did you see how cute her was?"
"Don't tell you are actually thinking of attending this party?" Monica asked.
"Yes, why can't I go?"
"Don't you think its strange that a man you have never seen or met before, not matter how handsome or cute he is walks up to you out of the blue and invites you to party?"
"No it's happened to me lots of times."
"Lots of times?," Monica crossed her arms, giving Rachel a questioning look. "When has it happened to you?"
"Well there was the time....," Rachel slightly raised one eyebrow as her mind raced trying to recall an occasion but she always knew there was none -- in the end she tried to hurriedly make up a story in her mind. "and there was the time.."
She was silent for a moment, stalling for time before defeated she exclaimed "Ok ok there has never been a time but it was bound to happen sooner than later!"
"See!, " Monica brought her hands together and sat back on the couch, with a satisfied expression on her face. "I thought as much, I just think this party might be a scam or something."
"Well I'm still going and so is Pheebs -- isn't that right Phoebe?" Rachel turned her head to face Phoebe who was sitting in the armchair adjacent to the couch.
Phoebe uncrossed her legs and sat forward in the armchair. "Yep I'm coming for sure.," She nodded her head as she spoke. "You should come with us Monica."
"I don't know."
Rachel put her hand on Monica's arm before giving it a gentle shake. "Come on Mon, come with us you need a good night out, it will get your mind off Richard."
"I'm over Richard thank you!" Monica replied curtly.
"Yeah sure you are!," Phoebe interjected. "That's why you stayed in your room for a whole day and night crying and eating a whole tub of ice cream!"
Monica's eyes widened as she turned to face Phoebe with her mouth open in shock. "How did you know that?"
Phoebe sheepishly turned away before she replied "I have my sources!"
"Rachel how could you tell!" She gave Rachel a slap on her legs as she spoke before folding her arms in disgust.
"Yeah yeah you know I can't keep a secret to save my life, who else was I going to tell!" She shook Monica gently with one hand "Now are you coming or not?"
"Oh all right I'll come with you, but it better be a great party!"
"Great!.," Rachel replied standing up looking around. "Now I think I'll better get back to work."
AT MONICA'S APARTMENT......
"Wow you look fantastic!"
A smiling Phoebe Buffay stood in the open doorway of Monica's apartment. She wore a short yellow dress, her legs were clad in white stockings and on her feet she wore a pair of yellow high heels. Monica noticed that her blonde hair was done up in a ponytail as she strode confidently past her into the apartment.
"Why thank you," Phoebe replied as she sat down on the couch, before Monica closed the door with a bang. "Oh sorry you look great too!" she added almost as a afterthought.
"Thank you!" Monica replied as she sat down next to her -- she wore a black dress that ended just above her knees and on her feet a pair of black heels.
"Where's Rach?"
"She is still in her room getting ready," Monica replied looking at her watch. "If she wants to get to this party she'd better hurry up!" The last few words were shouted in the direction of her room.
"Ok ok!" Rachel shouted out from her bedroom.
"I'm glad you're coming Mon it wouldn't be as much fun without you!"
"Thanks Pheebs," Monica replied as her eyes nervously glanced at her watch again "But nobody will be going anywhere if Rachel does not hurry up!"
"Ta da!"
Monica and Phoebe both turned their heads at the same time as Rachel announced her presence when she finally stepped out of her room. She had on a lime green dress that had a long split up one side revealing her long legs were clad in black stockings -- to top off her outfit she wore a pair of black high heels.
"Well how do I look?" Rachel asked as she performed a three hundred and sixty degree spin as if she was a model on a catwalk.
"Wonderful, wonderful!," Monica rose from the couch and picked up her purse. "We better get going to this party of yours, we are already half an hour late!"
"You look great Rachel!" Phoebe said as she stood, picking up her purse from the coffee table.
"Thanks Pheebs!" Rachel exclaimed. "At least I'll know I'll get compliments from one of you!"
Monica strode past them to the front door before turning the handle and holding it open. "Come on we better hurry!" she said looking at her watch again.
She watched as they both scampered past her out of the apartment, before she walked out shutting the door behind her.
LATER......
They exited from the cab after a twenty minute ride to the outlying suburbs of New York, an area of the city that none of them had visited or had heard of before. The address turned out to be a well maintained two storey house, with a small front garden.
Monica eyes scanned the house as they all stopped just before the short concrete path that led to the front door. It looked like to her that there was no sign of life inside the house as all the windows had either blinds or curtains drawn, letting no light escape to the outside. She pricked up ears in an attempt to hear any signs of a party but she could only hear the normal nocturnal sounds of the neighbourhood.
"Are you sure this is the right address?" Monica asked.
Rachel searched in her purse for the slip of paper that Jeff had given earlier in the day at the coffee shop.
"Here it is," She looked briefly at the address on the paper before looking up again at the street sign nearby and then at the house number. "Yes it's the right address, see -" Rachel showed Monica and Phoebe the address on the slip of paper.
"It's definitely the right address." she added.
"The house looks deserted and is strangely very quiet for a place that is supposed to be having a party!" Monica replied.
"Well we won't know for sure unless we go inside!," Phoebe remarked and she began to walk down the pathway towards the front door. "Come on." She gestured with her hand for them to follow her.
Rachel followed leaving Monica waiting at the start of the path -- she watched as they walked slowly down the path and it was not until they were almost halfway towards the front door that Monica decided to join them. She hurried as quickly as she could to join them as they made their towards the front door.
"Glad you decided to join us!" Rachel exclaimed when she caught up with them.
"It better be a bloody good party!" Monica replied.