Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(very important chapter in the rewrite!)
❁
it'd been a week since ross and rachel had broken up. the two still couldn't be in the same room without breaking out into a yelling match and it was really starting to strain on the group. ella, chandler, joey, phoebe, and monica actually started getting closer because it had become them, and then ross and rachel. "is he here?" rachel greeted chandler at his apartment door while the rest of the friends, excluding ross of course, sat around eating their chinese takeout. "no." "oh. here's your moisturiser. hi!" rachel greeted the rest of the friends. "hey!" chandler nearly snapped from embarrassment before making his way back to his dining chair next to ella. "you guys are gonna love me! okay, check it out, thursday night, six tickets, calvin klein lingerie show, and you guys are coming with me," rachel smugly smiled inviting everyone and received silence as a response. "okay, i said that out loud right?" "yes, yes, it's just that we ah-we kinda already, made plans with ross," chandler awkwardly broke the news. "even you el?" rachel looked to chandler's side where ella was on her fourth vegetable dumpling. "oh god no! ill be there thursday," ella giggled gratefully. "we're sorry honey," monica apologized for everyone. "oh, it's okay." "rach, it's, it's ah, it's not that we don't want to, really. are we talking models in their underwear?" "and heels..." rachel convincingly trailed off. "ross, did ask us first, and we set that night aside," joey said aloud, mostly for himself. "no, hey, come on, if he asked you first, that's only fair..." rachel gave a fake pout before walking back to her apartment. as soon as the door closed, the group collectively let out sighs and sounds of uncomfortability. "oh boy, do i feel bad." "very bad...and hey, uh, why does ella gets to use the sibling card?" monica spoke up with a sarcastic tone before she took a bite of her rice. "well–besides me–you're the closest to rachel and...now that i think about it, i don't think i've ever talked to ross one-on-one," ella pushed her hair out of her face, her and chandler now turned to face the rest of the friends in the living room. "and monica i think you're forgetting, ross is your brother," joey scrunched his eyebrows at the geller. she rolled her eyes at him before the room was interrupted by the smell of cigarettes. "chandler what are you doing?!" "chandler!" "oh my god!" chandler faked a gasp before going back and forth with everyone about why he'd ever do it again but, is halted when rachel rushes back to the apartment. "hi! uh, do you guys have plans for the weekend? because i have amy on hold, and she said that we could use her cabin for the weekend and go skiing. huh? i'm asking you first, right? i mean i'm playing by the rules," rachel giggly announced. the friends immediately agreed to the plans and rachel soon noticed chandler smoking. "chandler! you're smoking? what are you doing?!" "hey, shut up! you're not my real mom!"
❁
after the friends had broken the news to ross, they found themselves shoved in phoebe's cab on their way to amy's cabin. phoebe drove as rachel sat shotgun and joey, monica, ella, and chandler sat in the back in that order. "hey, does anybody else feel bad about ross?" joey turned to the rest of the back row. "why? do you think he's still mad at us?" "well he's probably mad after you called him this morning to borrow his goggles," chandler turned back to him matter-of-factly. "what? mine aren't tinted!" joey yelped before the stench of cigarette began to fill the taxi. "chandler!" "does this seem like a good time to be lighting up?!" ella sternly turned to the now smoking bing as she gestured to the cramped trio just inches away him. "chandler!" phoebe yelled out again. "what?" "what does the sign say?" "beam me up jesus," chandler looked up with the still lit cigarette in his mouth. "no, the 'no smoking' sign. there's no smoking in my grandmother's cab." "okay, well, then, i-i have to go to the bathroom," chandler clearly made up and was met with everyone calling him out. "oh, come on, there's a rest stop right up there! come on, i really have to gooooo..." chandler intentionally held out knowing what it'd do to joey. "oh, now i have to go!" joey helplessly yelped out as chandler happily nodded. then, phoebe decided turning up the radio station playing fleetwood mac's 'only over you', was the only way to tune out the chaotic quartet. "what is going on with you?" ella took the opportunity to talk to just chandler about his recent behavior. she couldn't help but feel ross and rachel weren't the only reason he'd picked up smoking again. "nothing for you to worry about," chandler gave her a genuine smile before she just accepted his answer knowing he would probably never open up about how he actually feels anyways.
