Hello! First, this was the chapter that I most wanted to write since me and my friend had the idea for this story. Second, I know I went full nerd stereotype on Ellie, but tbh, in my mind, she's kinda cute. Besides, I kinda used to look like her when I was in middle school XD And, in case you didn't get it, she's supposed to have a Janice-like personality Ahah.
"Hey, Chandler! Guess who I'm seeing coming down the hallway!"
Chandler winced at Ross's mischievous question, knowing the answer that was to come.
"She's not my girlfriend," he stated, slightly annoyed. Why? Why did he have to tell Ross about his stupid, impulsive actions? Was he trying to get mocked? Apparently, yes.
"Chandler!" A familiar blonde-haired girl waved to him from around 10 feet away.
Chandler stuffed his head inside his locker, trying to seem busy finding something. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? For god's sake, he was ignoring her for a week; didn't that girl know how to take a hint? Once Ellie had passed them, successfully ignored, Chandler turned back to Ross, who had a more serious expression on his face.
"Why don't you tell her you're not interested? You would avoid all this trouble," Ross stated.
Chandler pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I already tried! I talked to her the next day, but she didn't believe me! She keeps saying that she is the love of my life and that one day I will realize how perfect we are for each other," He explained.
"Well, that's what you get for kissing girls on Valentine's day, lover boy," Ross mocked him again.
"Oh, shut up. I still ask myself every second why I did that," Chandler said, picking up his geometry book and walking to the classroom.
"Because you're in denial about your huge crush on her?" Ross said with a laugh, mimicking Ellie's words.
"No way! Not that I'm interested in her, but she's really not my type," Chandler answered.
"What's so wrong about her?" Ross asked. "Is it the pigtails? The big purple glasses?"
"More like her personality," Chandler explained. "The annoying way she calls my name when she sees me, and, oh god, have you heard her laugh?"
"What about it?" Ross asked, confused.
"Could it be more weird and annoying?"
"Right, but you won't get rid of us calling her "your girlfriend" so soon."
Lunchtime finally came, and Chandler sat at his usual seat at the table he was now used to sharing with the same group as always. Everything was perfect until Ellie spotted him from across the room. She knew he had seen her too, so Chandler had no choice but to wave back at her awkwardly.
"So, when will that relationship become official?" Rachel teased him. He was starting to get seriously annoyed at his friends' constant reminders of his poor life choices.
"It won't," Was his simple answer.
"Oh, why not? She's cute; you could make a nice couple," Rachel said, as always eager for some romance.
"She's right. You said you're not good at talking with girls, and she likes you. This might be your only chance. It's not like she's a girl totally out of your league," Monica added.
"Geez, thank you for the ego boost," Chandler responded to Monica's comment. "But I'm still not interested,"
"Keep being like that, and you won't ever have a girlfriend," Rachel said.
Suddenly, Rachel's words seemed to enter much deep into him than it was supposed. Chandler looked around at his three friends, noticing how they were just a group of sad alone people.
"When did this happen to us?" He asked no one in particular. "When did we become a group of sad, alone renegades?"
"Speak for yourself; Rachel is popular," Ross interrupted.
"Yeah, I am," Rachel said matter-of-factly.
"Fine. But what about the rest of us?"
Silence fell within their group for a moment.
"Well..., Ross is a nerd, and he kissed the librarian, so everyone knows him not for the best reasons," Monica suggested.
"You what?!" Chandler exclaimed to Ross.
"Oh, yeah, it was before you came in," Monica explained.
"I didn't know she was fifty!" Ross exclaimed defensively, turning clearly embarrassed.
"Did she look our age?" Chandler said back. Then, he suddenly realized what a great manipulation tool he had.
"Oh man, you're going to hear about that for the rest of your life," He started with a mischievous grin. "Unless you stop bugging me about Ellie," He added, enjoying the expression his words brought to Ross's face.
"What about you?" Monica asked, turning to Chandler. "How come you came to a new school and chose to hang out with us? And why don't you want to have a girlfriend?"
Chandler sighed, thinking if he should really show his darkest secrets to the group around him. However, he didn't have to think about it too much. They were the closest thing to friends he'd ever had. No. He actually considered them to be his friends, his only friends. And for some weird reason, Chandler knew he could trust them, even if they had only known each other for a little while. With his mind made up, he took a deep breath.
"I don't really know how to act around girls because until coming here, I went to an all-boys boarding school," He started. "I only act normal around you two because... Well, because I was forced to spend time with you when I was with Ross." Chandler finished, directing his words at the girls.
"Oh," Rachel said. "Why did you go to that school?"
Chandler took a quick pause. He knew that the next information would be entering dangerous territory.
"My parents are divorced, and my mother didn't have much time to be with me. She was constantly on book's digressions."
"Oh, you must have felt terrible," Monica said. Chandler looked up at her to see a comprehensive expression. Almost as if she could really understand his feelings because she had gone through the same.
"Wait a second!" Rachel interrupted the moment. "Your mother is Nora Tyler Bing?! Oh My God!"
Chandler winced at Rachel's words, sensing the utter humiliation that was to come.
"Please scream it louder so the entire school can hear."
"Oh, c'mon! I love your mother's books! My mother doesn't let me read them, but I sneak them from my sister. What's so wrong about it?"
"It's embarrassing," Chandler murmured. "Besides, you enjoy them because you read them now because you want to. You weren't forced to know about the contents when you were nine."
"Wait. So you do know how to act around girls. Why don't you even try? Oh god, are you gay?"
"No, I'm not gay! I just think that the way these books show how love works is not realistic."
"Fine, whatever you say," Rachel answered. Chandler was not sure to which of his previous statements.
"But why didn't you make any more friends in here?" Ross asked, clearly trying to move on from the ongoing conversation. "Not that I'm complaining about you hanging out with me."
"Yeah, I tried, but I'm also not good at making friends. I actually was mocked by the other boys at school..." Chandler stopped mid-sentence, pondering whether he wanted to go through that road.
"Why?" Ross asked, just as he had expected.
Well... he had already shared most of the secrets he had sworn to never tell anyone while he was alive. What harm could another one do?
"Because somehow they found out what my father does for a living..." Chandler looked at the curious faces of his friends. "He's a drag queen in a burlesque show in Las Vegas."
"I know I've always been left out because I'm fat and awkward, but that is a whole new level!" Monica said with a laugh.
"Yeah, so funny. Guess you now know the real Chandler Bing. The whole package comes with an extra childhood trauma caused by a dysfunctional family."
"You're sure you're not gay?" Rachel asked again, also laughing at his revelation.
"You're the only one missing out, Rachel. Why do you hang out with us losers if you are so popular?" Chandler asked, trying to end the conversation about his family before he embarrassed himself further.
Rachel didn't hesitate for a second:
"Monica's been my best friend ever since I can remember; I would never leave her alone. And yeah, I'm popular and hang with other popular girls, but it's not the same as with you guys. This conversation would never have happened with them, but oh god, I still can't believe you told us that. You might not be the most popular bunch, but for sure are the funniest in a weird but wonderful way."
"That was so sweet, Rachel!"
Chandler observed as Ross looked at Rachel, and she allowed him to pull her into an awkward hug. Monica was also smiling at her best friend's words. They were all together, smiling and laughing. He had told them his deepest secrets, and yet no one judged him.
At that moment, Chandler realized that he didn't need anything else. In the eyes of everyone else, they might look like a group of sad, alone renegades. But what mattered was that they were great together; they had fun with each others. And he knew at that moment that they would always be there for the others when someone needed them.
He might have had some hard times in the past, but everything was starting to fall into place. And for the first time, Chandler had hope for a better future for himself: one that included his friends.