𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐬 | 𝐜. 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠

act one

family is a word with two meanings. it's the people given to you- parents, siblings. the people who give you food and the clothes on your back. but it's also two girls from high school who call you while drunk and reminiscing.

"briar?! oh my god, it's rachel! listen, uhm, i just bailed from my wedding a few weeks ago and i'm staying with monica- anyway, we were just sitting and talking, and we think that maybe you should come to visit! y'know, i mean, a reunion!"

"please, please, pretty please?!" another voice shouted.

"more friends?" a male chimed in. "goodie!"

"shut up! just think about it, hon! okay, love you. buh-bye." rachel concluded.

~

that was enough for briar wilton to conquer the callback, the scheduling, and the pit of anxiety that swallowed her stomach as she knocked on the green apartment door. her hair laid against her back, which was rather revealed as a consequence of her grey tank top. she paired the shirt with blue bell-bottom jeans. decorating her arms was an arrangement of crystal bracelets and golden rings on her fingers. all things thrifted, of course. she couldn't care for the shiny items.

there was a slight tumble across the apartment before a line of people greeted her at the door. holding the doorknob was her high school best friend, rachel. she had layered, blonde hair and a small build. she wore a long-sleeved brown shirt and matching skirt.

"rachel!" briar exclaimed. her friend pulled her into a hug, one she quickly accepted. "oh my god, you haven't changed a day-" her gaze shifted to a familiar face screwed onto a barbie's body. "no way!"

"my turn, my turn!" monica geller laughed. briar squeezed rachel before wrapping her arms around her friend. she and monica were once very close, intertwined even. monica was larger than most teenagers, but that was mostly due to her reliance on food to cope. briar never teased her about the extra pounds, nor did she encourage it. she just turned monica towards other things that made her amused. they were once like sisters.

but that was a long time ago, a lifetime ago, and they hadn't seen each other in years.

the girls pulled away to look at one another. they grew up. they had different responsibilities, different career paths, and different ideals. and they still looked good "not that you weren't pretty before, but damn, mon!" briar exclaimed.

"what about you, all sexy on a weekday? you lost the hip dips!" monica gasped.

"hello?! introduce the single guys to the pretty girl!" a male exclaimed.

"oh, and me!" a blonde girl chimed, standing with her hand on the back of a chair. "i'm not a guy, but i can make it work for her."

a gentle blush burned onto her olive cheeks. she looked at the line of men, unsure of how to feel about their posture. each leaned against one another and wore a smug smirk. they all shared the same dark hair, though the scrawniest had lighter highlights. one was taller, the other was bulkier, and the other was someone briar was rather familiar too. monica's older brother, ross geller.

"ross...!" she greeted. he enthusiastically wrapped his arms around her and hesitantly returned the gesture. they had barely spoken when they were kids. "how've you been?"

one of his friends threw his arms to his side. his hair was the longest out of the three. it was pushed to the left side of his face and complimented his brown eyes. "oh come on! his ex-wife is a lesbian!" the man stepped closer, readjusting his stance. the group let out sniffles of giggles while ross backed away. "joey tribbiani. how you doin'?"