– Monica’s Apartment (Early Evening)
The apartment is in chaos. Ross is pacing in a tux, losing his mind. Ronnie is sitting calmly on the couch, legs crossed, sketchbook open. Jake stands near the window, distant.
"We need to leave in twenty-seven minutes! Can we please act like human adults?" Ross asked
(in Chandler’s chair):
"I am acting like an adult. This is adult sitting." Joey said
"This is war. I want my throne." Said Chandler
Monica is frantically checking her phone. Phoebe comes in wearing a giant Christmas ribbon on her dress.
"I’m ready! I dressed festive-formal. I’m both the present and the party." Phoebe said
---
– Ronnie Notices Something’s Off
Ronnie glances up from her sketchbook and watches Jake, who hasn’t moved in ten minutes. He’s staring out the window, hands in his pockets.
(quietly)
"Hey. You’re not okay." She said worried
"I’m fine." He told her
"Don’t lie to me. That’s my job." She tells him
He doesn’t answer. She sets her sketchbook down and walks over to him.
"Tell me." She said gently
---
Jake’s Past (Brief Cut-In Visual)
He’s sitting on a front porch alone as a kid. There’s shouting inside the house. His hands are balled into fists. He’s maybe 9. Just staring ahead.
---
– Back in Monica’s Apartment (Corner Conversation)
(finally)
"When I was 10, I got invited to a wedding. I didn’t go. My mom was in the hospital again, and my dad was drunk. I remember standing in the kitchen thinking, “I’ll never get out of this house unless I become invisible.”
So I did. I got really good at disappearing." He turned to her as he said
(softly)
"You never told me that."she said
"You weren’t ready. And honestly… I wasn’t either." He told her
"We keep trying to protect each other by not talking. But maybe the protection is in the talking."she told him
He nods. They hold hands — just steady, no drama.
---
– Group Chaos Resumes
Monica finally confesses she listened to an old voicemail from Richard. Chandler is wearing one of Joey’s shoes. Rachel still isn’t dressed. Ross is on the verge of a full emotional collapse.
"We are going to miss the WHOLE benefit! My team of paleontologists is going to think I died!" Ross said
(to Jake)
"Your trauma might not be the loudest in the room… but I hear it." She said
"So do I. Finally."
---
– Later That Night
They never go to the benefit. Everyone ends up eating leftover pizza in tuxes and half-dresses. Ronnie curls up next to Jake on the couch. It’s quiet.
"Hey Ronnie. You good?" Joey asked her
"Yeah. And so is he." She said smiling
Jake smiles at her. The camera lingers on their hands, intertwined — not dramatic, just sure.
---
> “He told me something he’s never said out loud.”
“I’m not the only one who learned to hide in plain sight.”
“We don’t fix each other. We just stay.”
YOU ARE READING
After The Silence
Fanfiction(season 1-10) --- Ronnie Bing was never supposed to be noticed. But after a breakdown, an overdose, and a silent goodbye, she's learning what it means to stay alive. This is her story - the quiet kind of survival. Mature contact s6-7-8-9-10
