The One Where Phoebe Drives Away
Phoebe stuffed the cards back into her pocket and continued to search around. She found a crumpled five dollar bill, a matchbook for the Quicksands Casino, a $100 gambling chip, and a Queen of Diamonds card. Remembering that her phone was nearly dead, she took a pad of paper and a pen from the drawer and scribbled down as many names and numbers from the recent history as she could. Monica, Monica's husband, Ross G, Diana F., Wayne K., Regina, and Mike Hannigan. Mike had left her 4 months ago; she had moved on and changed her number. The phone flashed a battery meter and promptly turned dark.
"Damn it." She tore the paper from the pad and stuffed it into her pocket. Deciding it was time to move out, Phoebe searched around for her shoes. A pair of flats lay in the bathroom next to the door. On the counter were a set of car keys—they looked like rentals—and an unopened pregnancy test. She pulled on the shoes and took the keys, clenching them tightly, but opted to leave the test where it was.
A glance at the mirror revealed a woman who had seen better days. She washed her face quickly and wiped of all the blood. Her hair was a mess, but when she tussled it right, the bruise on her cheek was barely noticeable. The fresh towel on the rack was the only thing in the place that smelled clean. She patted her face dry, no longer wincing from the pain.
She came back to the main room and looked over to the cold body in the corner. "I'd ask you, 'How you doin'?' but...I guess we know the answer to that one," she whispered. "I love you, Joey Tribbiani."
She let the weight of her friend's death sink in one last time, breathing in deeply and letting it go, as she had done in the past. The keys jingled as she twirled the ring in her finger, heading for the door. She reached for the doorknob and a flash hit her.
"You can't do that," Joey said.
Phoebe stood at the door, reaching to turn the handle. "Yeah? And you can't tell me what I can't do." Clutching the cold metal in her hand felt right, but the moment was short-lived.
"Phoebe, no!" Joey screamed.
She snapped her head back at Joey's body, grabbed the knob, and slammed the door behind her.
The keys twirled around her finger as she walked onto the asphalt. A black sedan was waiting on the other side of the parking lot. Phoebe recognized it as the car she and Joey had ridden in on their way out of New York City. She pressed the unlock button on the alarm remote, but a car behind her beeped. She turned around and pressed the lock button—a honk and a flash of the lights greeted her. A silver car was begging for attention. A superior sleek Lexus to the quaint overused Honda.
She walked up to the car and unlocked it again. The door gave way to a fresh smelling interior. The front seats were empty, but she decided there wasn't enough time at the moment to examine it any further. The door clipped close easily, the engine started smoothly, and she was off.
The road was alien, yet familiar. She wasn't sure where she was, but she knew the curves. The GPS in the car wasn't much help—all the streets in the area were arboreal-themed: Pine Street, Needles Drive, Ashwood Lane. She kept one eye on the road while entering information into the GPS screen. The only Quicksands Casino the system found was in New Jersey. Had she looked carefully at the address from the pad of paper in the motel, she would see that she was already in the state. 18 miles away, three-quarters' tank of gas, and the sun was beginning to set on the fall evening.