Chapter 15
Someone like you
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with friends.
~*~
Phoebe looked at the letter that she had not been able to yet pick up and read the address that sent blood rushing to her head and her heart beating like a drum.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was her fate finally changing? Was it real? It had to be. She reached her hand over and carefully and delicately slid it between her fingers to lift it towards herself; almost terrified it would crumble away in her hands if she were rough with it.
Nothing good ever happened for her, and she was certain that at any minute it would be snatched away from her cruelly, just like everything else in her life of late.
Mr Chandler Bing,
Vanderbilt Building,
40 Washington Square North,
NY
She re-read it for the 2nd time in minutes, determined to memorise it lest something did happen to it. Here she had in her hand her perfect get away clause, but something was holding her back from just taking off. Would he want to see her? What if he didn't help her and she was left to come back here and face the music, and whatever Tony would have planned for her. Death was more than likely what he would inflict upon her.
Before she had time to think it over any more the front door slammed shut and she knew just who it was that was home.
"PHOEBE!" She snapped around to see him glaring at her like she was the most repulsive thing he had ever seen. She could feel the anger rising in him and she knew what was coming. He removed his well-concealed hand from his pocket and drew it right across her face, leaving an instant red mark on her pale left cheek.
Although she had seen it coming this time it didn't stop the shock from sending waves of terror shooting through her battered body.
"You left work and no one told you to! Can't you see what time it is? Or have you lost the ability to tell time in the last 24 hours? You left Tina all on her own!"
His hand was still free to strike at anytime, but her mouth got the better of her as she tried to recover from the blow that was inflicted upon her.
"Tina works alone all the time without me, I don't think she's in any danger, do you!" Once she had said it she recoiled, but she suddenly realised she wasn't scared any more. She didn't know if it was because she knew Chandler was now within her reach, or if it was because she realised no matter what pain Tony put upon her she still had someone out there that had shown her love and with that she could conquer anything. But from now on she was standing up for herself, bruises or no bruises.
"What did you just say to me?" Tony looked more shocked than angry.
"I said, Tina works alone, she doesn't need me to be her guardian. Didn't you hear me? Or have you lost the ability to listen in the last 24 hours?" She was on a roll and she was loving every minute of it. There was still a little bit of fear tucked away in her, but she was sure it was that fear that was driving her on.
"You disrespectful little bitch!" Now he looked irate as his temples flared with rage. He grabbed her arm and marched her towards the front door, where he opened it and flung her outside onto the damp concrete.
"You can stay out there until your ready to apologise!" He slammed the door back over, obviously fuming at the monster he had created and her sudden feistiness.
She took in a deep breath of air and told herself how silly, but lucky she had been. He could have seriously hurt her in there, but again she wasn't really caring, at least now that she was away from him.
She stood for a moment thinking about her new situation and what she was going to do now. Should she go back to working the streets? Or lose every last bit of dignity she clung onto and go in to Tony and say sorry?
No she smiled to herself. She would never apologise as long as she lived. Why should I, she asked herself? In her eyes she had done no wrong. Standing up for yourself was the right thing to do, wasn't it?
She started to walk away from the house of horror that she despised, but stopped quickly as she felt something rub on her belly.
She ran her hand down to the waist band of her little black skirt and the texture of paper could be felt on the palm of her hand and the tips of her fingers.
She lifted the letter from its hiding place and took one last long hard look at the address. For that was where she was heading. Her mind was made up, not that she needed much persuasion. All she needed now was some courage, and a lot of luck.
She was finally going to find the man of her dreams to see if he could possibly forgive her.
~*~
"Oh come on Monica, that's the 5th dress you've had on in the last minute. You got to like at least one of them surely?" Joey sat on the edge of Monica's bed, watching and waiting patiently while she tried on numerous different outfits.
"Joey, it needs to be perfect, this is the party of the year and I have to look just right. And anyway, I know Rachel will be immaculate, so I need to make sure I wear something half decent, otherwise I may as well have not lost all my weight. Ill just be like her fat friend all over again, getting sympathy looks from strangers."
Joey rolled his eyes. He couldn't quite understand the mentality of women and their need to constantly impress all around them with their looks. Although he did appreciate it when a woman made an effort. It was what had attracted him to Mon in the first place, that and her sparkling blue eyes that looked like the bottom of the ocean.
"Ok, how does this one look?" He lifted his eyes to see Monica dressed in a red backless gown that accentuated her curves, which to him were in all the right places.
"WOW!" Joey's jaw nearly hit the floor as he gawped at his girlfriend.
"I think you look amazing Mon. You have definitely been worth the wait."
"Awww, I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long tonight, I know how annoying it must be,"
"I didn't mean just tonight. I've waited all my life to find someone like you and I mean it when I say you were worth waiting for."
She looked into his eyes for a second, and when she saw the genuineness emanating from them she couldn't help but throw herself into his muscular body for an embrace that was to last for what seemed like a lifetime.
No man had ever said something as nice to her and meant it as much as she believed Joey had. All her life she had been the fat girl. The girl everyone mocked, or took pity on. Even her own Mother had told her from an early age that she would never have a man love her, not as long as she looked like the Pillsbury doughboy. But now none of her Mothers cruel words mattered, for she had Joey, the love of her life, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She was going to walk into this party with her head held high, like she was the luckiest woman alive, instead of feeling like a second rate citizen next to her best friend. This time she had Joey on her arm, and she couldn't have been more proud.
She kissed him until her lips were sore and swollen, but still she couldn't find the will power to pull herself away. Not for all the money in the world would she have broken that kiss. She ran her hands through his well-gelled hair while he used his hands to explore her bare back.
"Hey you two, can you put each other down for a moment? We have a party to get to!" Rachel stood in their doorway with Jason's arms wrapped around her waist, where they always seemed to be these days, and Ross stood beside them, trying to avert his eyes from all the showing of affection that was being displayed all around him. Little pangs of jealousy made him tut in disgust, when deep down the love that his friends had readily embraced was all he craved for.
The woman of his dreams was just a few feet away, but she may as well have been at the other end of the world for all she noticed him. To her Ross was just a dork, a science geek, who she only seemed to tolerate for the sake of her best friend and the fact he was her brother. The only men she was interested in were the ones who would end up hurting her in the long run.
"We're ready," Monica coyly brushed her tousled hair down with her hand and straightened out her dress. She turned off the lights and took one last lingering look in the mirror with a smile. She didn't look her dress; instead she looked at the smudged lipstick on her face, a reminder of her recent of kiss with the man of her dreams.
~*~
Music blared out around the dorm rooms, whose doors were all open, as a free for all. Kegs of beer on tap and bottles of various spirits and wines were scattered around for people to help themselves to, as was part of the normal dorm party policy. The more alcohol the better the party was everyone's motto, and it was a statement that usually rang true. But with more alcohol came more drunken exploits, one-night stands, and the occasional fight out on campus as the revellers descended home for the night. And tonight would be different.
"Wow, this is better than I imagined!" Rachel gawped at the vast amount of bodies, all with glasses in their hands, wandering around enjoying themselves. It looked like the whole university were here with friends.
"Yeah," Monica followed her friend's gaze and nodded in agreement.
"I've never seen this many people in the one room at the one time!" Ross looked equally in awe, if not a little scared. He liked peace and quiet, not loud rabbles. But he hated missing out on anything and he didn't want to be the only one in the dark in the morning when the gossip was circulating. He was too used to feeling like an outsider when stories were being shared. This time he was adamant that whatever happened he would be in the thick of it. A decision he would live to thank.
"HEY GUYS OVER HERE!" Chandler waved his hands in the air to attract the attention of his friends, knowing the music was far too loud for them to hear his shouts.
"Look, there's Chandler," Joey let go of Monica and was the first one to rush over to his new best friend, an innocent act that only seemed to add to Ross' growing jealous tendencies.
Ever since their swapping of secrets the two had been inseparable when together. A strong bond growing between them as they realised how much they had in common, despite their earlier misconceptions of on another.
"How you hanging in there man?" Joey whispered before the others approached, still overly concerned for his friends well being.
"Not bad Joe, not bad at all. But I think its got something to do with the over consumption of lager." Both gave a laugh, but each knew it was just Chandler's normal jovial coping mechanism of cracking a joke to cover the hurt that lay underneath his thick skin.
A tall, dark haired, tanned female at the other end of the room flicked her hair, and threw a flirtatious look over to where the group was standing, but only one person noticed.
"Rach, I have to go do something, I'll be right back," Jason removed his arms from around his girlfriends waist and licked his lips as he made the approach to what would be his latest conquest.
"Ok hun, but don't be too long ok?!" He ignored her, his mind too busy on his seduction techniques to be caring what she had stated.
"LETS GET DRINKS!" Rachel, now free, and looking slightly lost without her man stuck to her, screamed, throwing her arms in the air, joining in the whoops with her friends.
The group dispersed around the room, leaving Chandler and Ross alone in the middle of the room, next to a huge black speaker that was literally about to burst with noise.
Each of them had things on there mind, and their faces gave the game away, but neither questioned each other, feeling things were probably better left unsaid, this was a party after all, not a wake.
Chandler held up his empty glass to signify he was going for a top up and wandered into the room that held the lager he was becoming quite partial to as the night drew on.
He held his glass beneath the beer keg's tap and waited on it filling to the top. A multitude of thoughts ran through his mind as he watched the brown liquid trickle slowly to the rim.
This was going to be a long night, and a very eventful one that, and it was probably for the best that he didn't know what was ahead.
Things were about to get messy, and it would change all his friends' lives forever.
~*~
Phoebe had been sauntering around the city for 3 hours, freezing cold on the winters night, that sent icy chills down the length of her spine. Her attire, which left very little to the imagination, was also no good for retaining heat.
Occasionally she stopped a stranger to ask for directions, but with the high amount of tourists in Manhattan she was having very little luck in finding someone who could show her the way to NYU.
She was almost on the verge of giving up, when she stuck he right hand into the tiny pocket of her skirt that could barely hold a quarter never mind her fingers. But a familiar feeling of a texture that certainly wasn't the material of her skirt brushed the tips of her fingers. Paper? But the letter was tucked into her waistband? Then it dawned on her like a light bulb had suddenly gone on in her head. It was the $50 that Jack had given her this morning. She had put the bill there to hide it from Tony and had forgotten all about it.
Little tears glistened in her eyes under the bright lights of Times Square. The lace where her life, only weeks before had gone downhill. Now things were looking up for her.
She stuck out her hand and hailed a bright yellow taxi, which stopped beside her on the sidewalk. She got in and removed the letter from its safe haven, and handed it to the driver.
"Take me to that address please,"
As the car sped off in pursuit of its destination she sat back and watched the world fly by her. This was it; there was no turning back.
~*~
Next Chapter: Will Phoebe get to Chandler? Will Jason get found out? What happens at the party.
Lots of excitement to come lol :o)
Please leave a review guys.
Mwah.
Someone like you
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with friends.
~*~
Phoebe looked at the letter that she had not been able to yet pick up and read the address that sent blood rushing to her head and her heart beating like a drum.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was her fate finally changing? Was it real? It had to be. She reached her hand over and carefully and delicately slid it between her fingers to lift it towards herself; almost terrified it would crumble away in her hands if she were rough with it.
Nothing good ever happened for her, and she was certain that at any minute it would be snatched away from her cruelly, just like everything else in her life of late.
Mr Chandler Bing,
Vanderbilt Building,
40 Washington Square North,
NY
She re-read it for the 2nd time in minutes, determined to memorise it lest something did happen to it. Here she had in her hand her perfect get away clause, but something was holding her back from just taking off. Would he want to see her? What if he didn't help her and she was left to come back here and face the music, and whatever Tony would have planned for her. Death was more than likely what he would inflict upon her.
Before she had time to think it over any more the front door slammed shut and she knew just who it was that was home.
"PHOEBE!" She snapped around to see him glaring at her like she was the most repulsive thing he had ever seen. She could feel the anger rising in him and she knew what was coming. He removed his well-concealed hand from his pocket and drew it right across her face, leaving an instant red mark on her pale left cheek.
Although she had seen it coming this time it didn't stop the shock from sending waves of terror shooting through her battered body.
"You left work and no one told you to! Can't you see what time it is? Or have you lost the ability to tell time in the last 24 hours? You left Tina all on her own!"
His hand was still free to strike at anytime, but her mouth got the better of her as she tried to recover from the blow that was inflicted upon her.
"Tina works alone all the time without me, I don't think she's in any danger, do you!" Once she had said it she recoiled, but she suddenly realised she wasn't scared any more. She didn't know if it was because she knew Chandler was now within her reach, or if it was because she realised no matter what pain Tony put upon her she still had someone out there that had shown her love and with that she could conquer anything. But from now on she was standing up for herself, bruises or no bruises.
"What did you just say to me?" Tony looked more shocked than angry.
"I said, Tina works alone, she doesn't need me to be her guardian. Didn't you hear me? Or have you lost the ability to listen in the last 24 hours?" She was on a roll and she was loving every minute of it. There was still a little bit of fear tucked away in her, but she was sure it was that fear that was driving her on.
"You disrespectful little bitch!" Now he looked irate as his temples flared with rage. He grabbed her arm and marched her towards the front door, where he opened it and flung her outside onto the damp concrete.
"You can stay out there until your ready to apologise!" He slammed the door back over, obviously fuming at the monster he had created and her sudden feistiness.
She took in a deep breath of air and told herself how silly, but lucky she had been. He could have seriously hurt her in there, but again she wasn't really caring, at least now that she was away from him.
She stood for a moment thinking about her new situation and what she was going to do now. Should she go back to working the streets? Or lose every last bit of dignity she clung onto and go in to Tony and say sorry?
No she smiled to herself. She would never apologise as long as she lived. Why should I, she asked herself? In her eyes she had done no wrong. Standing up for yourself was the right thing to do, wasn't it?
She started to walk away from the house of horror that she despised, but stopped quickly as she felt something rub on her belly.
She ran her hand down to the waist band of her little black skirt and the texture of paper could be felt on the palm of her hand and the tips of her fingers.
She lifted the letter from its hiding place and took one last long hard look at the address. For that was where she was heading. Her mind was made up, not that she needed much persuasion. All she needed now was some courage, and a lot of luck.
She was finally going to find the man of her dreams to see if he could possibly forgive her.
~*~
"Oh come on Monica, that's the 5th dress you've had on in the last minute. You got to like at least one of them surely?" Joey sat on the edge of Monica's bed, watching and waiting patiently while she tried on numerous different outfits.
"Joey, it needs to be perfect, this is the party of the year and I have to look just right. And anyway, I know Rachel will be immaculate, so I need to make sure I wear something half decent, otherwise I may as well have not lost all my weight. Ill just be like her fat friend all over again, getting sympathy looks from strangers."
Joey rolled his eyes. He couldn't quite understand the mentality of women and their need to constantly impress all around them with their looks. Although he did appreciate it when a woman made an effort. It was what had attracted him to Mon in the first place, that and her sparkling blue eyes that looked like the bottom of the ocean.
"Ok, how does this one look?" He lifted his eyes to see Monica dressed in a red backless gown that accentuated her curves, which to him were in all the right places.
"WOW!" Joey's jaw nearly hit the floor as he gawped at his girlfriend.
"I think you look amazing Mon. You have definitely been worth the wait."
"Awww, I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long tonight, I know how annoying it must be,"
"I didn't mean just tonight. I've waited all my life to find someone like you and I mean it when I say you were worth waiting for."
She looked into his eyes for a second, and when she saw the genuineness emanating from them she couldn't help but throw herself into his muscular body for an embrace that was to last for what seemed like a lifetime.
No man had ever said something as nice to her and meant it as much as she believed Joey had. All her life she had been the fat girl. The girl everyone mocked, or took pity on. Even her own Mother had told her from an early age that she would never have a man love her, not as long as she looked like the Pillsbury doughboy. But now none of her Mothers cruel words mattered, for she had Joey, the love of her life, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She was going to walk into this party with her head held high, like she was the luckiest woman alive, instead of feeling like a second rate citizen next to her best friend. This time she had Joey on her arm, and she couldn't have been more proud.
She kissed him until her lips were sore and swollen, but still she couldn't find the will power to pull herself away. Not for all the money in the world would she have broken that kiss. She ran her hands through his well-gelled hair while he used his hands to explore her bare back.
"Hey you two, can you put each other down for a moment? We have a party to get to!" Rachel stood in their doorway with Jason's arms wrapped around her waist, where they always seemed to be these days, and Ross stood beside them, trying to avert his eyes from all the showing of affection that was being displayed all around him. Little pangs of jealousy made him tut in disgust, when deep down the love that his friends had readily embraced was all he craved for.
The woman of his dreams was just a few feet away, but she may as well have been at the other end of the world for all she noticed him. To her Ross was just a dork, a science geek, who she only seemed to tolerate for the sake of her best friend and the fact he was her brother. The only men she was interested in were the ones who would end up hurting her in the long run.
"We're ready," Monica coyly brushed her tousled hair down with her hand and straightened out her dress. She turned off the lights and took one last lingering look in the mirror with a smile. She didn't look her dress; instead she looked at the smudged lipstick on her face, a reminder of her recent of kiss with the man of her dreams.
~*~
Music blared out around the dorm rooms, whose doors were all open, as a free for all. Kegs of beer on tap and bottles of various spirits and wines were scattered around for people to help themselves to, as was part of the normal dorm party policy. The more alcohol the better the party was everyone's motto, and it was a statement that usually rang true. But with more alcohol came more drunken exploits, one-night stands, and the occasional fight out on campus as the revellers descended home for the night. And tonight would be different.
"Wow, this is better than I imagined!" Rachel gawped at the vast amount of bodies, all with glasses in their hands, wandering around enjoying themselves. It looked like the whole university were here with friends.
"Yeah," Monica followed her friend's gaze and nodded in agreement.
"I've never seen this many people in the one room at the one time!" Ross looked equally in awe, if not a little scared. He liked peace and quiet, not loud rabbles. But he hated missing out on anything and he didn't want to be the only one in the dark in the morning when the gossip was circulating. He was too used to feeling like an outsider when stories were being shared. This time he was adamant that whatever happened he would be in the thick of it. A decision he would live to thank.
"HEY GUYS OVER HERE!" Chandler waved his hands in the air to attract the attention of his friends, knowing the music was far too loud for them to hear his shouts.
"Look, there's Chandler," Joey let go of Monica and was the first one to rush over to his new best friend, an innocent act that only seemed to add to Ross' growing jealous tendencies.
Ever since their swapping of secrets the two had been inseparable when together. A strong bond growing between them as they realised how much they had in common, despite their earlier misconceptions of on another.
"How you hanging in there man?" Joey whispered before the others approached, still overly concerned for his friends well being.
"Not bad Joe, not bad at all. But I think its got something to do with the over consumption of lager." Both gave a laugh, but each knew it was just Chandler's normal jovial coping mechanism of cracking a joke to cover the hurt that lay underneath his thick skin.
A tall, dark haired, tanned female at the other end of the room flicked her hair, and threw a flirtatious look over to where the group was standing, but only one person noticed.
"Rach, I have to go do something, I'll be right back," Jason removed his arms from around his girlfriends waist and licked his lips as he made the approach to what would be his latest conquest.
"Ok hun, but don't be too long ok?!" He ignored her, his mind too busy on his seduction techniques to be caring what she had stated.
"LETS GET DRINKS!" Rachel, now free, and looking slightly lost without her man stuck to her, screamed, throwing her arms in the air, joining in the whoops with her friends.
The group dispersed around the room, leaving Chandler and Ross alone in the middle of the room, next to a huge black speaker that was literally about to burst with noise.
Each of them had things on there mind, and their faces gave the game away, but neither questioned each other, feeling things were probably better left unsaid, this was a party after all, not a wake.
Chandler held up his empty glass to signify he was going for a top up and wandered into the room that held the lager he was becoming quite partial to as the night drew on.
He held his glass beneath the beer keg's tap and waited on it filling to the top. A multitude of thoughts ran through his mind as he watched the brown liquid trickle slowly to the rim.
This was going to be a long night, and a very eventful one that, and it was probably for the best that he didn't know what was ahead.
Things were about to get messy, and it would change all his friends' lives forever.
~*~
Phoebe had been sauntering around the city for 3 hours, freezing cold on the winters night, that sent icy chills down the length of her spine. Her attire, which left very little to the imagination, was also no good for retaining heat.
Occasionally she stopped a stranger to ask for directions, but with the high amount of tourists in Manhattan she was having very little luck in finding someone who could show her the way to NYU.
She was almost on the verge of giving up, when she stuck he right hand into the tiny pocket of her skirt that could barely hold a quarter never mind her fingers. But a familiar feeling of a texture that certainly wasn't the material of her skirt brushed the tips of her fingers. Paper? But the letter was tucked into her waistband? Then it dawned on her like a light bulb had suddenly gone on in her head. It was the $50 that Jack had given her this morning. She had put the bill there to hide it from Tony and had forgotten all about it.
Little tears glistened in her eyes under the bright lights of Times Square. The lace where her life, only weeks before had gone downhill. Now things were looking up for her.
She stuck out her hand and hailed a bright yellow taxi, which stopped beside her on the sidewalk. She got in and removed the letter from its safe haven, and handed it to the driver.
"Take me to that address please,"
As the car sped off in pursuit of its destination she sat back and watched the world fly by her. This was it; there was no turning back.
~*~
Next Chapter: Will Phoebe get to Chandler? Will Jason get found out? What happens at the party.
Lots of excitement to come lol :o)
Please leave a review guys.
Mwah.