𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧' ━ F.R.I.E.N.D.S. [Joey Tribbiani]

18; The One Where They Wouldn't Let The Girls Play Poker

Rachel was truly ready to stop working at the group's everyday hangout, Central Perk. The gang was hanging out there, helping Rachel mail out resumes while whistling the theme from The Bridge on the River Kwai. Ross, who stopped whistling, looked at Rachel. "Uh, Rach, we're running low on resumes over here."

Monica was reading one of the resumes, and she scrunched up her dark brows. "Do you really want a job with Popular Mechanics?"

Chandler tapped the paper. "Well, if you're gonna work for mechanics, those are the ones to work for," his tone was evidently sarcastic, and Lisa chuckled at that.

Rachel sighed. "Hey, look, you guys, I'm going for anything here, okay? I cannot be a waitress anymore, I mean it. I'm sick of the lousy tips, I'm sick of being called 'Excuse me...'"

George, who read through one of them, pursed his lips. "Rach, did you proofread these?"

"Uh...yeah, why?"

He waved a hand. "Uh, nothing, I'm sure they'll be impressed with your excellent compuper skills."

Rachel frowned, stomping her foot lightly on the wooden flooring of the coffee shop. "Oh, my God! Oh, do you think it's on all of them?"

"Oh, no, I'm sure the Xerox machine caught a few," Joey spoke, sarcastic, earning a sound of frustration from Rachel.

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Back at the coffee shop, Lisa had her head resting on George's shoulder, the taller man dozing off every now and then since his coffee hadn't arrived. The couple had spent the entire night watching movies since George bought many packets of popcorn and a pack of beers that they drank two of, the rest in the fridge. Lisa was somewhat tired, but not as much as George was. He actually had a busy day before they pulled an all nighter and Lisa felt slightly guilty of bringing him here rather than telling him to sleep.

Ross and Chandler were at the window seat, talking while Rachel was working, waiting for Monica and Phoebe to arrive with the mail. And as the two girls entered, they greeted everyone before taking a seat beside George and Lisa.

Rachel slid over to them, holding her notepad. "Hey...hi, ladies...uh, can I get you anything?" She looked at Monica and quietly asked, "did you bring the mail?"

Monica nodded. "Lots of responses."

"Really?" Rachel whispered before speaking in a louder voice, "sure, we have scones left!" She turned her voice to a whisper. "Okay, read them to me."

"Dear Ms. Green, thank you for your inquiry, however..." Phoebe sighed, crumpling the paper.

"We have apple cinnamon..." Rcahel loudly told them as a cover up so Gunther would think that she's still working.

Lisa picked up a letter. "Okay...Dear Ms. Green...yeah...yeah...yeah...no." The brunette crumpled up the letter.

"Wow!" Phoebe exclaimed as she picked up another letter.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Your Visa bill is huge!"

Rachel snatched the bill away from her, folding it. "Give me that!" 

As the group went silent for a minute, Joey entered and startling the rest of them, Chandler and Ross bursted in laughter and Joey's face turned to one of annoyance as he took his seat next to Lisa and George. "Shut up!"

Chandler pursed his lips. "We're not—we're not saying anything."

The rest of them were confused. "What?" Lisa questioned, the ghost of a smile on her face.

Ross smirked. "Uh...Joey cried last night."

"Thank you," Joey told him, sarcastic.

"Okay, so?" Lisa asked, not seeing what was so funny in Joey crying. She remained unamused.

Chandler scoffed. "We were playing poker, alright..."

"There was chocolate on the three. It looked like an eight, alright?" Joey defended himself.

Ross snorted. "Oh, guys, you should've seen him. 'Read 'em and weep.'"

Chandler laughed. "And then he did."

"Well, now, how come you guys have never played poker with us?" Rachel asked.

Phoebe agreed. "Yeah, what is that? Like, some kind of guy thing? Like, some kind of sexist guy thing? Like it's poker, so only guys can play?"

Ross looked confused as he shook his head. "No, women are welcome to play."

"Oh, okay, so then what is it? Some kind of...you know, like, like...some kind of, y'know, like..." 

"Pheebs," George interrupted.

"Alright, what is it?"

Chandler shrugged. "There just don't happen to be any women in our games."

"Yeah, we just don't happen to know any women that know how to play poker," Joey told them.

The girls scoffed. "Oh, yeah, right."

"Excuse me, do any of you know how to play?" Ross asked challengingly.

"A little bit," Lisa shrugged, remembering her roommates in Italy. "You can't live with bachelors and not learn it."

Ross turned to the other girls. "Well, do you?"

"No," they all collectively answered.

Rachel cocked her hip out slightly. "But you could teach us."

"No," the trio replied, copying the girls.

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