Impractical Jokers Requests Book Two

New Rules (Sal x Reader)

Reader's POV

Talkin' in my sleep at night
Makin' myself crazy

I lay there in my bed at night, staring mindlessly at the ceiling, my thoughts revolving around the one man who I was trying to forget about. My boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend, Sal. We had broken up for what felt like the hundredth time just hours earlier, and already I was wanting to go running back to him. I loved him, but I also hated who he was. My heart and mind were conflicting; one leading me to forgive and forget, the other guiding me to not let myself fall for his looks yet again.

The truth is, Sal and I have been on and off for a year now, and in all honesty, it wasn't good for my sanity. I loved him so much that it was beginning to hurt me, both mentally and physically. I could feel my heart break into pieces whenever things between us fell apart.

"He's toxic and no good for you, [Y/N]." I told myself repeatedly. "He doesn't love you, he's only in it for the sex."

Within the next breath, I was lost under his charm, as I pictured Sal, his smile, his eyes, the little snicker that I adored. "But, he does have this way about him...so enticing."

I groaned out in frustration, as I rolled over, smashing the pillow that he used to sleep on with my fist, grumbling to myself. The whole situation was so difficult.

Wrote it down and read it out
Hopin' it would save me

At this point, I knew that I wasn't going to be getting any sleep that night if I didn't do something about this whole ordeal. It may have been one in the morning, but I needed to distract myself from him. Sal always had this control over me, and it was about time that I set some rules. New rules.

I grabbed some scrap paper from my desk and a pencil, and began scribbling down the most important rules that I must follow in order to not let myself fall for the man all over again. I was done, and it needed to be made clear to Sal that I was not going to be used anymore.

My love, he makes me feel like nobody else
Nobody else

My mind started to wonder, as I thought about all of the good that Sal had brought into my life. He made me smile when times were tough, he made me feel beautiful – even on my ugliest days. The smirk that played on his lips made my heart flutter in my chest, causing me to swoon over him. The worst part of all of this was the fact that Sal knew how weak he made me. He knew that just by shooting me a smile that I'd be like putty in his hands. It was an unfair battle from start to finish with him.

Sal played on the fact that I couldn't stay mad at him for long, and would always go running back into his arms with just a simple apology – whether he genuinely meant it or not is another story altogether.

But my love, he doesn't love me, so I tell myself
I tell myself

I know it's true. I see it when I look into his eyes. What once held a look full of love, has whittled its way down to nothing. I no longer see the admiration in Sal's eyes for me, I'm just another girl to fuck and move on from. But the cunning trick that he thinks works, is that the only way to get what it is that he really wants is to pretend to love me, to trick me into thinking that I'm his. Not anymore. I am standing my ground.

After writing out everything that my mind wanted to shout out, I looked down to the piece of paper, seeing three strict rules that I was going to follow from now on...or at least try to follow. Not for his sake, but for my own sanity. I was done with being that man's toy.