Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
❁
the day began with monica making breakfast smoothies and ella in her usual spot on the loveseat reading cosmopolitan. "hey," monica greeted rachel with a huge smile as she walked out of her room, it was the morning after what was supposed to be her anniversary with ross. "hey." "how was the big anniversary dinner?" monica kept her huge grin. "oh my god yes! were there candles? a good mixtape? oh it already sounds magical," ella clasped her hands in awe as she made her way to join them in the kitchen. "well, we actually never got to dinner," rachel readjusted the towel wrapped in her hair a bit. an amused 'ooo' came from both ella and monica after hearing the vague detail. "no, we kind of broke up instead..." "what?!" both monica and ella yelled out, monica accidentally turning on the blender without its cap, resulting in fruit getting everywhere. "god, monica it's on the ceiling," rachel looked up at the blended fruit above them. "that's okay-this is more important than fruit on my ceiling! you broke up?!" monica tried her hardest to not freak out about the mess. "yeah, but it's okay, because when ross left, mark came over," rachel tried to calm down the girls. "oh no!" "rachel, you and mark?!" "no, no-no, it's okay, calm down. mark and i talked, and i realized how much i love your stupid brother. and, yeah, we got our problems, but i really want to make it work," rachel explained to the two before leaving to get ready to make things right with ross.
❁
"hey!" phoebe brightly walked into the kitchen greeting ella and monica. "hey!" "hi!" "hey, why are you mopping your ceiling?" phoebe raised an eyebrow at monica. "oh, there's banana on it," monica gave her a fake smile. "don't forget there's strawberry up there too," ella kept her eyes fixed on the magazine she was reading as she turned the page. "wow, i have the spirit of an old indian woman living in my ceiling!" "so then you know," monica paused her mopping to respond. "the mailman was downstairs, so i brought up your mail," phoebe dropped the letters onto the kitchen table. "oh good, thanks." "now what is fabutec?" phoebe sparked up the question. "okay, all right don't judge me too much. okay? uhm, but i saw this infomercial, and uhm, i swear to you i have never-ever bought anything on tv before, except for this mop. but there was this stuff on leg waxing, it just, it looked so amazing...." "waxine!" both ella and phoebe excitedly cut off monica. "yes, have you guys seen it?" monica matched their excitement. "oh it's incredible. i so want to be a waxine girl!" phoebe cheered as monica began opening the package. "i know!" "god. do you think it really doesn't hurt? 'cause how can they do that?" phoebe took it upon herself to grab the instruction pamphlet. "hello! organic substances recently discovered in the depths of the rain forest!" monica kept up the cheery mood. "they have the best stuff in there!" ✧ "ow!" monica yelled as she peeled the wax strip off her leg. "oh!" "oh my god!" ella kicked her legs to ease the pain after peeling off her strips as well. "ow ow ow!" all three girls squealed as they ripped off the remaining strips. after hearing all the screaming, both joey and chandler ran into monica's room—of course a pan and tea kettle in hand. "we're alright," phoebe reassured the boys. "no need to get all worked up shaggy and scoob," ella teased still wincing a little from the final rip. "we were just waxing our legs," monica tried to calmly explain. "off?!" "for your information, this happens to be a pain like no man will ever experience," phoebe explained to the boys matter-of-factly. "yeah, well i don't think you can make that statement, unless you've been hit in an area that god only meant to be treated nicely. ella would know," chandler alluded to a past incident, him and the rest of the friends looking over at her. "hey, we both know that was by accident!" ella raised her hands in defense. "i don't even wanna know," monica shook her head in disgust. "anyways—i just think that women just have a lower threshold of pain than men, that's all. i mean, come on, it's just a little wax," joey quickly changed the uncomfortable subject. "oh yeah, come here," phoebe grabbed joey's arm, applied some wax, and placed a wax strip over it. "oh, that's mature," chandler scoffed at the trap. "okay, fine, so now what, i just pull it off?" joey smugly looked over to the girls. "uh huh." "that's right." joey confidently ripped off the strip causing a stinging sensation leading him to immediately wimp. the group's banter was soon halted by the sounds of an angry rachel and a regretful ross. "i can't talk to you. i can't even look at you right now!" the five friends heard rachel yell out as chandler and joey, who already knew what was about to happen, smoothly closed the door behind the girls. "what?!" "what the hell happened?!" ella began making her way over to the door. "nothing, nothing," chandler awkwardly scratched his neck still trying to convince the girls everything was fine, and unintentionally stepping closer to ella. "rachel said everything was okay," monica quickly followed behind ella to the door. "what, what are they talking about?" phoebe asked as all of the friends were now pressed up against the door eavesdropping on the couple. "a mistake?! what were you trying to put it in? her purse?!" rachel yelled at ross, even the friends hearing her voice break. "whe-where did he put it?!" "ross, you had sex with another woman!" rachel finally announced and the entire apartment fell silent. "oh my god," monica covered her mouth in shock before the house went silent again. "see! this is what happens when you date ross," ella whisper-yelled breaking the final silence. "oh, i knew something had to be wrong, because my fingernails did not grow at all yesterday," phoebe obliviously pointed out. "yeah, well, i guess they had a fight, and he got drunk..." ella immediately backed away from chandler before monica got to hit him and joey on the head. "you guys knew about this and you didn't tell us?!" monica gritted her teeth at the guilty boys. "he has sex, and we get hit in our heads!"
❁
after ross and rachel had been going back and forth for a few hours, the rest of the friends found themselves having to eat the waxine for dinner. the friends sat on monica's bed—ella and chandler sitting up, monica and phoebe with their feet up in between the pair, and joey laying horizontally at the foot of the bed. "they're gonna get through this, aren't they?" phoebe licked wax off a wooden stick. "yeah, come on, it's ross and rachel, they've got too," chandler reassured the buffay as he licked his own wax. "what if they don't?" monica breathed out, the room falling silent as the group processed the idea. "you think i need a new walk?" joey broke the long silence. "what?" "well you know, i've been walking the same way since high school. you know, how some guys they walk into a room and everybody takes notice. i think i need a 'take notice' walk," joey continued eating his wax as well. "are you actually saying these words?" chandler gestured in disbelief. "el, you've been really quiet—are you alright?" monica quickly positioned herself to be sitting next to the green. "yeah, just thinking..." ella trailed off as she stared at the posters across the room from her. "...about?" chandler spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "well, mostly about what i'm even gonna say to rachel when all of this over." "...and leastly?" phoebe flipped herself around to be sitting upright with everyone else. "its a lot—so i'll hold on sharing before i also process everything else i'm feeling right now," ella softly explained avoiding eye contact with any of the friends. "well that was ominous," joey finished the conversation before the friends sat in silence once again. ✧ "no. i can't, you're a totally different person to me now. i used to think of you as somebody that would never, ever hurt me, ever. god, and now i just can't stop picturing with her, i can't, it doesn't matter what you say, or what you do, ross. it's just changed, everything. forever," the friends heard rachel breaking down. "yeah, but this can't be it, i mean–" ross was left almost speechless. "then how come it is," rachel finalized their breakup as she continued to tear up. the rest of the friends cried along with rachel from monica's room as they listened to ross and rachel's final words to each other as a couple. ✧ "they've been quiet for a long time," phoebe pointed out after about 30 minutes of silence throughout the apartment. "maybe she killed him?" "let's go," chandler lead the group out of monica's room. chandler opened the door to reveal rachel who'd visibly cried herself to sleep. ella swiftly made her way over to cover rachel with their couch's blanket. everyone sadly walked past to let themselves out—well most of them, joey was very creepily walking towards the kitchen. "is that your new walk?" chandler quickly commented in a whisper. "no, i really have to pee," joey whispered back. "what time are you going over tomorrow?" phoebe asked ella once they'd made it to the hallway. "maybe like 10, i don't think she plans on going to work tomorrow." "okay then i'll be here at 12, goodnight guys," phoebe quickly nodded before heading off to her apartment. "okay i'm not that late to everything," ella turned back to chandler. "i'd give my opinion, but today has been devastating enough," chandler joked resulting in ella cracking the smallest smile. "i cant believe that really happened," ella let out in almost a whisper as the pair stood in the hallway. "i know, i know." "maybe its too soon but, could i sleepover tonight?—i can even sleep on the couch. i can lie and say its only so i can be closer to rach tomorrow morning but-" ella softly asked as the two faced each other, now alone in the hall. "yeah of course," chandler turned to open his apartment door, ella shortly following behind.
❁ ⇔ 1764 words a/n: thank god im rewriting this book, this was illegible before i rewrote it. ALSO this is technically a (shameful) plug but if you follow me i do post whenever a new rewritten chapter is published! i think saying this just makes it easier for everyone to find what the new chapters are inbetween the non-rewritten chapters. also lookout for a new character coming next chapter that i'll be adding to the prologue soon! stay hydrated!
