FALLEN | CHANDLER BING

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

also known as

THANKSGIVING (SORTA)

ATHENA FOUGHT BACK TEARS as she walked to Central Perk. She had just been fired. Apparently Steph's needed to cut some people for money and apparently her two years of devotion to that job weren't good enough.

As she walked inside the coffee shop, and the smell of coffee hit her, she tried to calm down.

"Hey sweetheart!" Joey greeted happily, his face covered in makeup. Normally, she would laugh at her Italian friend but instead she did the opposite and couldn't hold it in anymore. She burst into tears, covering her face, trying to hide it.

"Oh god?! It's that bad?!" Joey exclaimed, sitting down.

The rest of the group looked at her extremely concerned. "Honey what's wrong?" Monica asked, leading the girl to sit in between her and Chandler on the orange couch. Athena began to hyperventilate and sob as she rocked back and forth.

"Hey, hey. You're okay. Come here." Chandler opened his arms and Athena immediately leeched onto him, crying into his chest. Chandler rubbed her back and whispered assurances in her ear, while the rest of the group looked at him curiously. He shrugged, not really knowing what to do.

Athena finally composed herself, still clinging to Chandler, "I-I got fired." She said. The group looked at her confused, "What?" Ross asked.

Athena nodded, "They told me at the end of my shift. They needed to cut some people." She wiped her wet cheeks, sitting up, "I just don't understand! I've always done my job, I do everything right!"

"That's bullshit." Joey said, "You were there for how long?"

"Two years." Chandler said, remembering her stories. Athena's shaky hands rested on her legs, Chandler resisted the urge to hold them.

"So...what're you gonna do?" Rachel asked, handing her a cup of coffee. Athena shrugged, "I don't know what I can do. I mean I was barely making rent as it is. I guess I'll have to move back with my dad." She said sadly, taking a sip of her warm drink.

Chandler shook his head, he couldn't take that, he couldn't lose her this early, "No." He said, making the group look at him, "You can stay with me and Joey...at least until you get back on your feet."

Athena looked at him and smiled, "Thanks Chan, but I can't do that." She hated the idea of burdening her friend's like that.

"Why can't you? We love you and want you here. You can make us pie, and I wouldn't mind looking at a girl around the home front every now and then." Joey smirked, he was kidding of course. He knew Athena was off limits, Chandler made that very clear.

"Yeah." Chandler said, putting his hand on her knee, "Please let us help? This way all of our laundry can be washed at one time and won't be mixed up." He said, smiling when she laughed.

"Promise you guys don't care?" Athena asked. She hated the idea of freeloading off of her best friends. The two nodded. "Okay then. I guess I'll be moving in then." She said with a smile.

The group cheered, they couldn't bear the idea of their newest friend leaving.

"So on a lighter note...are you doing anything the day before Thanksgiving?" Monica asked.