Studying medicine is incredibly busy.
And busy days always seem to pass by quickly.
**Central Park.**
"Whoo..."
Chandler was drenched in sweat, panting heavily.
Adam and Monica walked side by side. When they turned around, they saw Chandler standing there, waving his hand to signal that he was done.
"Let's take a break," Monica suggested.
She wiped her sweat and looked at Adam, whose expression remained unchanged. She couldn't help but exclaim, "You're a monster."
"That's what a lot of people say," Adam teased.
"Did Heather say that too?" Monica asked curiously. "By the way, I haven't seen her lately. Where is she?"
"She went to Texas," Adam replied with a smile. "Her grandmother passed away and left her an inheritance, so she went back."
"That's terrible," Monica said, expressing sympathy as expected. Then, her tone shifted. "Wait, an inheritance? Was her grandmother wealthy?"
"I'm not sure," Adam shrugged. "I heard there's an estate and a large farm."
"Wow!" Monica exclaimed enviously. "Another estate? First Caroline, now Heather. Adam, is owning an estate your minimum requirement for dating?"
Adam twitched at her comment. "That's purely a coincidence."
She made it sound like he was some kind of gold digger. Estates weren't a big deal—if he wanted one, he could buy one himself.
Of course, estates varied in size and value. He wasn't sure about Heather's inheritance, but Caroline's estate had been relatively cheap—just a few million dollars.
Those ultra-luxurious estates worth hundreds of millions, though? Adam wasn't at that level yet.
Even if he had that kind of money, he probably wouldn't spend it on an estate.
Adam was already a millionaire, and his assets were growing rapidly. But he had no plans to buy property.
There was no need.
Property taxes in the U.S. were a nightmare—paid annually. Owning a mansion meant paying an enormous amount in taxes every year. That money would be better invested in stocks with the potential to multiply exponentially.
Besides, what was the point of living in such a place? It would just be lonely.
A home didn't need to be huge or luxurious—just comfortable.
And what made a place truly comfortable?
Having loved ones nearby. Friends right across the hall.
If Adam bought a mansion, he'd have to move away. The distance would make it harder to meet up, and over time, those friendships would fade.
Even if he bought a place nearby and stayed in touch, the moment Monica and the others saw his mansion, it would create a psychological gap between them.
A million dollars on paper and a million dollars in physical assets were two very different things.
Adam would be placed firmly in the "rich people" category.
And could rich people still be close friends with regular folks?
That was just a nice thought.
Among their six-person group, the real core was Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Chandler. Phoebe and Joey were more on the periphery, easily replaceable.
Why?
Because Monica and Chandler were the ones renting the two apartments across the hall.
Ross was Monica's brother and Chandler's college roommate and best friend.
Rachel was Monica's high school best friend and Ross's longtime crush.
Their relationships were tightly interwoven.
But Phoebe and Joey?
Aside from being Monica and Chandler's roommates at different points, what real connection did they have to the group?
None.
In fact, if it weren't for the eccentric old man downstairs, Joey wouldn't have even become Chandler's roommate. And after Phoebe moved out, she became what Rachel once called "someone who could disappear at any time."
Among the six of them, Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Chandler were clearly the closest.
Phoebe often had a "tragic" angle to her stories.
Joey, on the other hand, had a subtly deferential attitude toward Ross.
Even though Rachel and Ross had been broken up for years, Joey had strong feelings for her, yet he always prioritized Ross's feelings, even suppressing his own emotions for the sake of their friendship.
Meanwhile, Ross had no such reservations when it came to Joey's girlfriends.
The devil is in the details. Why did these small tensions exist?
Because of class differences.
Monica and Ross came from a family that could afford a Porsche. She was a chef, and he was a PhD—both firmly in the middle class.
Chandler's mother was a bestselling author, and he grew up with a butler. His own income was high enough that he had substantial savings, enough to shock Monica and Rachel. He was also middle class.
Rachel didn't have a job at first, but her father was a high-income professional. She owned 4,000 pairs of shoes, had a boat, and even horses—clearly upper-middle-class.
And Joey and Phoebe?
One had an unstable income and often needed financial help. The other grew up on the streets, bouncing between odd jobs, once so broke that she drank leftover coffee from customers.
They didn't fit in with the rest of the group.
If this were real life, they would belong to completely different social circles and wouldn't have been so close—if they even met at all.
Even if they had met, their friendships would have faded over time.
It's like in *The Big Bang Theory*. The moment everyone found out Rajesh's family was as rich as Bruce Wayne's, their attitudes shifted.
Leonard suddenly wanted to date Rajesh's sister because he was "madly in love with her."
Penny immediately found Rajesh more attractive and regretted not going further with him before.
Howard accused Rajesh of mooching off him, considering how rich he was.
After eating at the Cheesecake Factory, Leonard, Howard, and Sheldon just walked out, saying, "Rajesh is loaded. He can cover it."
Penny even insisted on giving the server an extra-large tip—because that's what suited Rajesh's status.
It was funny, but in reality, would they still have remained friends after that?
"When is she coming back?" Monica asked.
"Not sure," Adam shook his head. "I wanted to go with her, but the timing didn't work out. I still have classes."
"Speaking of which, how's med school?" Monica asked, curious.
"It's great—really fulfilling," Adam said after a moment of thought. Then, with a grin, he added, "Also pretty interesting. The first time we went into the cadaver lab, one guy threw up immediately."
"Ugh!" Monica scrunched her nose. "That sounds disgusting."
"It's not that bad," Adam said playfully. "He just had a weak stomach. You get used to it. Eventually, you can even eat lunch while standing next to a cadaver."
"Ugh!" Monica covered her mouth, gagging. After a moment, she looked at him in shock. "You're serious?"
"Just kidding," Adam laughed. "Food isn't allowed in the lab."
"Good," Monica exhaled in relief—then paused. "Wait. *If* food were allowed...?"
Adam just chuckled.
It's like watching zombie movies—gross at first, but eventually, you can eat while watching them.
Besides, after three years as a hunter and butcher, this was nothing.
If you couldn't handle it, you had no business being a doctor.
---
**P.S.**: I'm not a medical professional, and I don't have a medical consultant. Unlike some authors, I don't have the time, energy, or resources to gather extensive medical research. So, medical details in this book will be surface-level and not deeply explored. Fortunately, this book is about everyday life in American TV dramas, not about being a doctor—so I'm not exactly misleading anyone.
*(End of Chapter)*