FRIENDS Til The End

Chapter 7 - The One With The Strength of Their Friendship

                I don’t know how long I’ve been crying when Jill comes in my room. We’ve know each other for over a week now and I can tell by her face that she isn’t sure whether to approach me or just let me be. She also knows me enough to know that she has to choose the former.

                “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

                “Nothing.” I try to smile. “I’m just watching an old video.”

                She looks at the video and recognizes the people in it through the photo she saw when we first met. “Your parents?”

                I just nod.

                “Come here.” She hugs me. “I don’t know what you’re going through, but I can see that you’re not okay. You’re pretty transparent.” She chuckles, trying to make the moment lighter. “But whatever it is, you just have to remember that everything happens for a reason. You may not know what it is right now, but eventually, when you’ve moved on, or you’ve healed, or you’ve accepted whatever it was that happened, you’ll come to understand the reason for it. Right now, I can see that it’s still sad but you know what that means? It ain’t over yet. We always have happy endings, Em. It’s the only things besides change that’s constant in this world.”

Chandler and Monica’s

                Monica was in total disbelief. What Chandler just told her could not be true. It was too impossible to believe. “That’s not true.” It took Monica a long time before being able to say something. “You’re just telling me that so that I won’t get mad at them.”

                “It’s true, Monica. I’m sorry.” Chandler couldn’t look at Monica after saying his sorry. He didn’t know whether it was because he couldn’t bear to look at the pain in her eyes or if she didn’t want her to see the pain in his.

                “No. That’s... That can’t... That’s impossible.” Monica believed that it was. There was no way Rachel was sick. She was one of the strongest people she knew. Strong people didn’t get sick. Rachel didn’t. She couldn’t. “I swear, Chandler. I won’t get mad at them anymore... just... just take that back... Tell me it’s not true... Please...”

                Monica slowly sat down, crying. Phoebe, who had been trying everything she could to control her emotions, couldn’t hold it in anymore so she, too, started crying. Chandler felt like he had to do something. But it was too much to handle so everything he could do was stand where he was, hating himself for not being able to ease his wife and one of his best friends’ pain.

                “Monica, I wish I could. But there’s nothing else we can do now. I’m sorry.”

                “Does Rachel know that you already know?” asked Phoebe. She wiped her tears away. But they still kept flowing from her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she cried this hard. Maybe it was because she’d never cried this hard.

                “Joey asked me not to tell her yet. It might make her feel bad and that’s not good for her.”

                “I have to see her,” said Monica. She wasn’t listening to anything Chandler said. Maybe she was and she just didn’t care. Either way, she knew that the right thing to do right now was to see her best friend. “Where is she?”

                “Monica...”

                “I have to, Chandler. She needs me right now. Please...”