Zara Ellison never planned on causing so much trouble. First, there's her tragic one-night stand living next door, who Zara loves to taunt. Then, there's his roommate, where the two catch feelings during a series of flings.
In other words: Zara was...
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THE ONE WHERE ZARA DUMPS DEREK. EPISODE FIVE. [trigger warning: themes of abuse]
♡
Zara was truly devastated as she had no choice but to quit her job because her writing career had suddenly blossomed. Of course, she had always known that it was always a possability, but it had been a lot sooner than Zara had been ready for.
"Hey," said Chandler, hand reaching out to nudge her slightly. "You know, this doesn't mean the end, you can always return to teaching in the future."
"I know," Zara said. "I just wasn't prepared to let it go like this."
"You finished the school year," Monica pointed out.
"Yeah, that makes it easier," Zara realised.
Zara had planned the new year, though. They had all started back without Zara and it didn't feel right. But, it wasn't just the job, it was Zara's classroom with the memories she had made and the staff too. Seeing her reaction still, Monica put an arm around her friend as she offered her a sideways hug. Zara smiled sadly, resting her head on Monica's shoulder.
"Does this mean no more flowers or bright colours?" Chandler questioned.
"Oh," Rachel said from the side table she was at. "I liked the different scrunchies you had every day."
"I liked the dinosaur one," Ross admitted.
"I don't know," said Zara. "That's not really me."
Though Zara would miss the way she dressed for work, she wouldn't ever be caught in flowers outside of her classroom.
"It's still you," Chandler reassured her, still sitting on the edge of the sofa arm next to Zara. "Just like you not teaching is still you. This is good, Zara, you've made it, so now you gotta enjoy it. Once you've finished your series, you could still go back."
"Chandler's right," Monica told her as Gunther came over to speak to Rachel. "This isn't forever."
Zara knew that, plus she was living her dream at the moment, so she shouldn't be feeling so down over her job. This was good. Even though it came with a little heartbreak to give up her classroom, Zara already felt the relief of having that time to focus on her book series. Then, when the time came for the sequel being published, she had the full time to invest in a tour.
"Oh, she's pretty," Chandler suddenly said as Zara looked up at him, seeing his eyes on someone different at the counter. "Pretty, uh, pretty girl. The pretty. She's pretty."
Turning, Zara's eyes briefly fell on a red-head girl before she faced the front again, trying not to act so bitter about Chandler finding someone else attractive. Of course, she was still with Derek, so Chandler was free to do whatever he wanted.
