Impractical Jokers, Practically

Chapter Twenty-Three

The crowd is abuzz with excitement. Fans are gasping, talking loudly, the press kept on snapping picture after picture, trying to capture everything that went down in the last five minutes. 

I mean, it's not everyday where someone from TV goes and beats up an audience member after lewd comments were made about his best friend's wife. 

Then, come to find out, the so-called wife is actually not entirely actually with the best friend. 

The fans and interviewers are trying to keep up. Hence the questions and camera flashes being thrown our way.

"It's true! Alexa and I are legally married, yes, but we're not--we're not in love. We did it for the show. You'll find out in about a month anyways. So tune in..." Q trails off, smiling sheepishly at the crowd. 

Murr grabs Q's shoulder, jerking him back, and whispering so only the guys and I could hear. "What are you doing?! We're not supposed to tell anyone about the punishment yet, you know that!"

"Yeah, well..." Q gestures to Sal and me, "...keeping it a secret is only making things worse. I had to let it out, so that the fans can stop hating on all of us and we can get back to normal." 

"But we could get into serious trouble. We were told not to breathe a word of it." Murr responds.

Q snaps back, "And what was the alternate, Murray? Letting Alexa get blamed for pretty much nothing? Letting Sal defend her by getting into fights every other day? Letting rumors swirl around that Sal and I don't respect each other? Letting people think that Alexa is a whore who keeps going back and forth?" 

Sal growls at that last comment. 

"Q's right." I say quietly. "We can't have the Impractical Jokers fans start bad-mouthing us. The fans are what drives the show. We need them more than they need us. And they need to be on our side. So what Q said? It was the only way for people to understand."

Joe nods his head, agreeing, while Murr is shaking his head, but in a I-can't-believe-they're-right kind of way. 

We focus back on the crowd as they're shouting questions at us.

"Can you be more specific?"

"What does that mean? I don't understand, the marriage was because of the show?"

"So, you're not really in love with Alexa?"

"And Alexa isn't in love with you?"

"We should have known it was for Impractical Jokers."

"Why didn't we see that coming?"

"Is it a punishment?"

"Oh, that makes more sense."

Q waits for everyone to quiet down then speaks up, "The marriage was for the show. We're getting it annulled in a few weeks. And you'll see the episode in a few weeks too."

When the crowd starts up talking rapidly again, Q holds his hand up and says, "That's all we can say for now." 

With cameras flashing and fans chirping, the guys and I follow Q out of the room.

~~~

"Can you believe that?" 

"Oh my goodness, that explains a lot."

"So, is Alexa really with Sal?"

"She wasn't really cheating on Q after all. Not really."

"They're getting their marriage annulled soon."