Impractical Jokers, Practically

Chapter Sixteen

The room is filled with silence. Uncomfortable silence. Q's looking at us with spite and smugness. He likes this, I realize. He said what he said because wanted to upset us. Just because Sal and I are quitting the show and moving out, Q decides to hurt us one last time. 

"Yeah, that's right. Alexa told me that she likes me too. Not so special anymore are you, bud?" 

I need to say something before this got out of hand. "Brian, cut the shit. You know that's not--" 

Q cuts me off. "Don't be so shy. The truth is out. Sal needs to know."

Sal is looking between Q and me like he doesn't know who to believe. I see two main emotions cross over his face. He looks confused and defeated. Defeated. Like he has no idea who to believe anymore and, after all this shit, he's tired of this. He's probably tired of me. I bring too much drama into his life. 

I try one more time. "Q, you know you're lying. Come on. You're trying one more time to twist the knife. Tell him the truth, yeah?" 

Q crosses his arms over his chest, "How would you know, Alexa? How would you know when, come on let's face it, you forget half the things you say when you drink? You get drunk and, the next morning, there's a 50/50 chance you don't remember anything. Does that ring a bell?"

I'm shocked into silence trying to think. The scary thing is: that's true. I do sometimes forget the morning after drinking. I remember when it happened to Sal and me recently. How pissed he was when I forgot. 

"You really told Q that you like him? But I thought you like Sal...?" I almost forgot that Joe and Murray were in the room with us; there was so much tension between Sal, Q, and me. Murray was waiting for me to respond, but before I could...

"She doesn't owe me an explanation. She doesn't owe me anything." Sal looks like he made up his mind about something. Which terrifies me. Because it looks like he's done. 

"Come on, Sal. You see what's going on? All of a sudden Q is bringing this up? He's obviously trying to get back at us for leaving. He's trying to break us apart." My hands were shaking.

"It's possible that you said something to Q and you don't remember. Because the same thing happened to me, right? And it wouldn't be that far-fetched if you had feelings for Q. You said it yourself: you have feelings for me, but you can't tell me that you love me. Now, it makes sense as to why you can't." Sal's eyes were hooded. 

"But--but Sal, I--"

Sal doesn't even look at me as he walks towards the door. "Forget it. I'm...Just forget everything. Since you also like Brian, you can be with him. Heck, even be with James for all I care. Since he kissed you and all. It's all...it's all fine by me." His voice is trembling, but he tries to keep it under control by being firm. He has his hand on the doorknob and doesn't wait for a reply. He abruptly leaves. One second he's there, the next he's gone. 

My whole body is trembling and I'm a mix of terror and rage. "You!" I make a move towards Q--I desperately have to take out my frustration on the person who caused most of this--before Murr and Joe held me back. "Let go of me! Let go. How could you do this? Why would you tell him that? Why?" I'm crying now, tears streaking down my face. 

I don't even let the three remaining boys say anything. I grab my backpack that was at my feet and race towards the door. I have to get out. I have to try to catch up to Sal. I need to at least take a moment to breathe. 

"Alexa--"

"No!" I cut off whoever said my name, swinging around and giving them all dirty looks. "I think TruTv got it somewhat right when the show started. By naming you guys Impractical Jokers. Because, really, you are all just that. Jokers. A joke."