Meeting the Jokers

Part 23

"Oh my god," I gasp, shutting off my phone immediately.

Sals eyes bulged as he shot round to my direction, "What?!" He yelled, peeking through the blinds at the dark car park below. It had to be at least 9 o'clock by now.

"My friend knows. Meaning... lots of other people know."

"You told your f****** friend?" He snapped, glaring into my eyes. His bright green eyes were like smashed glass.

"No!" I defend myself, why would he turn on me like that? "Someone else has!"

Nonchalantly, the Impractical Jokers crew slid into the room, desperately searching the corridors for fans. "I think we're safe," Casey said, nodding at me in a greet. "Can you believe word got out?"

Sal snapped at Casey too, "Yeah it's so god damn believable. You know why? Because of trackers and word of the god damn mouth. It's that simple. You guys weren't careful enough." And then he turned back to the window, watching the fans make their way through to the reception like this was some kind of party.

"Sal, there's no one to blame for this!" I manage to say calmly. He flinched at my touch, and huffed loudly.

Casey and 3 other producers were here now, texting on their phones, on twitter or on the phone trying to sort things out.

"We had a hotel booked," a producer with dreadlocks told us, "but it would be difficult to get out of here and also leave Q. The fans don't know if this rumour is true- so under no circumstances can they see you or Joe or Murr and definitely not Q." He ignored me like a fan, glaring at me several times as if blaming me for this all. No way would I do something like this.

"This is great," Sal sulked and fell to his seat, "what are we gonna do?"

"Well we gotta get Murr and Joe I'm here, make sure no one sees them. I'll give them all a call." The producer called Murr, he declined. "That's weird," he paused, then tried Joe.

It rang.

Joe sounded angry, "What?"

"Dude, can you come inside? We can't let the fans know we're here."

"I have to tell you guys something." He paused, panting for breath, "I'll be up in a second."

"What about Murr?" The producer yelled, but Joe already hung up. Something was wrong.

After a full minute of silence, Joe crashed in, his face red from anger, lines forming on his forehead from furrowing his eyebrows.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I know who leaked that information."

We all stopped dead in our tracks, Sal headed straight for the window- looking out for the press- and we could even hear Q's heart rate beating faster.

It's true that your hearing is the last sense to go, but Q won't leave us.

Sal sensed me watching Q, and his eyes became calmer, sadder.

"It's Murr."

Murr had leaked that information. The certainty in Joes words stuck like icicles and related around the room for seconds which felt like it lasted hours.

"No way," Sal said; but the unknown was still clear in his voice. "He wouldn't..."

"Oh, he did," Joe panted, "there's something called hiding your phone that he didn't do."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, texts to friends, to the Staten Island newspaper... everyone."

I couldn't believe it.

Why would Murr turn like that? Is he angry? Sad? Worried about Q?

"I never liked him," Sal muttered, then some words which I swore never to repeat. I wouldn't describe Murr in that way.

"Do you want me to go find him?" I ask, because I, surely, wouldn't give away that they're here.

"If you want," Joe shrugged, "just try and carefully get him in. I need to kill him, or maybe just fire him."

I step out with the same nervousness I had felt all day, and tried all the public places I believed Murr could be.

I knew he shouldn't be anywhere public; but all this must be one big publicity stunt for him.

Carrying on from the cafeteria, I enter the ward full of teenagers- glued to their phone. Until I noticed one of their T-Shirts I didn't know what they were here for:

I ❤ Q

They were here for Q. At least 50 of them. All been taken to this small room until they finally left.

Will they leave?

"You can't stand there, lady," one girl yelled out to me. She was in her middle teenager years, maybe 15, with ripped jeans and a matching denim jacket.

Denim on denim.

That's more dangerous than showing up at the hospital to see someone you've never met.

"What?" I reply. I'm free to do what I like.

"The Impractical Jokers are going to come out any second. Get out my way," she barges past me, getting front row. Knocking me several paces back.

They're definitely not coming out here.

This stunt may have been started by Murr, so if I could work out where he'd be...

Just wait.
Wait.

Wait.
Murr came.

He ripped open our disuse and threw it away. Trash.

All he was worried on was popularity.

I texted Sal:
'He's started a meet and greet. What do I do?'

He replied instantly:
'Get his attention. We need him. We need to leave.'

Murr never met my eye. He posed for 5 pictures before I pushed him aside.

"What?" He said, shrugging me away.

"You think this is ok? You think giving away where we are and what's going on without the guys' permission is ok?" I yell, livid with rage.

"I just want to..."

"No! You listen here, we need you upstairs, we need to leave now because of what you've made of this. We are here for Q; but you managed to make this all about yourself." I say sternly.

He deserved it. His finely kept eyebrows were knitted together in the most angry stare I have ever witnessed from him.

His ugly side.

"I'm not going back up."

A text:

'I'm coming down.'

It was Sal.

Our cover was blown.

What were we going to do about Q? Will Murr stay in the group?

——
I am worried that my reads have gone down so far that I'm not going to feel motivated to reach the end of this book.

So please, tell you friends to read it- everything is greatly appreciated.

I am nearly at 2,000 reads so thank you!