Work Text:
~1988~
“I can’t believe I let you drag me here!” Ross complained. “I have a 9 am physics exam tomorrow!”
“Dude, relax! You’ll be back in plenty of time to study,” his roommate assured him, “And besides, what better demonstration of physics than watching a bunch of pretty girls in short shorts hit balls with those, uh, net things!”
Ross laughed at Chandler’s obvious lack of sports knowledge, but he did have a point. Not necessarily about the lacrosse match being a good demonstration of physics, but about Ross needing to relax and focus on something other than his upcoming exam.
Ross glanced around the field at all of the girls in revealing tank tops and shorts, each of them with their hair pulled back in a sweaty bun. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t turn him on a little. As if he ever had a shot with any one of them. These girls were way out of his league. They would probably take one look at his afro and mustache and turn the other cheek.
Even though it was difficult to distinguish the players from one another from the bleachers, Ross couldn’t help but notice one particular standout. Like the rest of the team, her hair was tied back, but a few stray golden ringlets framed her face. He watched her glide gracefully across the field, her legs long and slender, unlike anything he’d seen outside of Playboy. And her smile was...
“You okay, man?” asked Chandler.
Ross shook himself out of his daydream and nodded quickly. “Yeah! Yeah, I was just -- “ he trailed off, unable to take his eyes off of her.
Chandler followed Ross’s gaze to the leggy blonde and chuckled. “Like she would ever give you the time of day!”
“I know, right?!” Ross nodded.
When the match finally ended, Ross started to head back to the dorm, but Chandler put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Dude, look!”
Ross turned to see where Chandler was pointing and saw that while the rest of the team was celebrating their victory, a certain member was scanning the crowd and when their eyes met, she smiled shyly and waved directly at him.
Stunned, Ross waved back.
She abandoned her teammates and came jogging up to him, her blonde ringlets bouncing with the evening breeze.
“Hi! I’m Carol Willick!” She announced cheerfully, extending her hand to shake his. “Aren’t you in Dr. Kaplan’s biology seminar?”
“Why, yes I am!” Ross confirmed. “I’m Ross Geller. Nice to meet you, Carol.”
Carol giggled nervously. “I loved how you called him out last week on the pronunciation of octopodes!”
Ross snorted. “I mean, come on, the man has a Ph.D. in marine biology! You’d think he would know!”
Chandler looked on awkwardly as the two nerds laughed at a joke that he was sure was funny to the right crowd. After they chatted a few more minutes Ross was about to excuse himself to study for his physics exam when Chandler elbowed him in the rib.
“Get her number!” He coughed.
“What?”
“Get. Her. Number!” Chandler coughed again. “Sorry. Had something caught in my throat,” He explained to Carol.
Finally, Ross took the hint, “Uh, Carol, would it be alright if I called you sometime?”
Carol smiled sweetly. “Sure!”
Ross handed her a pen from his shirt pocket and she wrote her number on his wrist. They parted ways after agreeing to keep an eye out for each other in the lecture hall the following week so they could sit together and mock more of Dr. Kaplan’s mispronunciations.
“Thanks for the help back there,” Ross said as they left. “I never would have had the guts to ask her out on my own!”
“Are you kidding? She’s hot and nerdy. She’s perfect for you!” Chandler exclaimed.
Ross smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But who knows if she even gave me her real number!”
“Well, I’ll guess you’ll have to find out.”
Ross nodded in agreement as they left.
Behind them, Carol Willick was smiling gleefully to herself, both for having won her first lacrosse match and for having met a cute and funny guy that, knowing his major and career ambitions, her parents might actually approve of. Still, she couldn’t help but admire the perfectly sculpted bodies of her fellow athletes on the opposing team.