Friends • Effervescent

Season 1, Episode 1

Maeve sat on the floor, against the couch, in the coffee shop she had grown to love. She was sitting with her herbal tea in hand, against her sister's legs, while all of the friends sat around talking amongst themselves. The current subject was Monica's new boyfriend.

"There's nothing to tell! He's just some guy I work with!", Monica exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Come on you're going out with the guy, there's gotta be something wrong with him.", Chandler and Joey laughed.

"Alright Joey be nice, so does he have a hump? A hump and a hairpiece?", Chandler grinned, earning a glare from the brunette.

"Wait does he eat chalk?", The oldest Buffay questioned, concerned for her friend.

"Just because I don't want her to go through what I went through with Carl!"

Everyone except Maeve looked at her with a mixture of confusion and empathy.

"Don't worry Pheebs, I'm sure he doesn't.", Maeve tried to console her.

"Okay everybody relax. This is not even a date. It's just two people going out to dinner and not having sex.", Monica tried to hush the group's joking.

"Sounds like a date to me.", Chandler shrugged, and Maeve couldn't help but laugh.
———
The group of friends had all changed positions in the coffee house now, having been there for a few hours. Chandler was telling the story of a recent... disturbing dream he had dreamt.

"So I'm back in high school, I'm standing in the middle of the cafeteria only to realize I'm totally naked.", he exclaims.

"Oh I've had that dream before.", all the friends state.

"What? I've never had that dream.", Maeve shudders in disgust.

"Really? It's very common.", Joey says to her and she just shrugs.

"Anyways, I look down and there's a phone.. down there."

"Instead of..", Joey tries to ask.

Chandler nods and all of the friends shake their head in disagreement.

"Nope never had that dream."

"All of the sudden, the phone starts to ring! And it's my mother. Which is very weird because... she never calls."
———
Ross had just walked into Central Perk to join the others, but his greeting was solemn.

"Hi."

"This guy says hello, I wanna kill myself.", Joey sighs and Maeve stifles a laugh, knowing she shouldn't.

"Cookie?"

"Carol moved her stuff out today.", Monica explained to the others why her brother was in such a dull mood.

Maeve frowned, she had always liked Carol, and she was sad when things didn't work out.
Monica went to get Ross some coffee as the others made room for him to sit down.
Phoebe started cleansing Ross's aura and he was not happy with that at all.

"No, stop! Stop cleansing my aura!"

"Hey! She's just trying to help!", Maeve quickly defended her sister.

He ignored her comment and continued his sulking.

"It's alright! Really everyone I hope she's very happy."

"No you don't.", Monica corrected him as she passes him his coffee and sat on the arm of Chandler's chair.

"No I don't, to hell with her, she left me!"

"And you never knew she was a lesbian..", Joey murmurs in disbelief.

Ross starts to yell his disagreement.
"No!! Okay!"