Loyalty

Chapter 52: End?

Jessica's POV

After leaving the punishment with my dad, I felt extremely vengeful and hot-headed at first. I started thinking about all these ideas about how to get back at the other guys, especially Joe. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided to back off. I was starting to feel like I was becoming too involved in the show. This was Brian's thing, not mine. As his wife, I should be there to support him and his endeavors, and not completely take over by inserting myself into everything. So ultimately, I put my revenge aside and decided not to be involved in another punishment, especially if it was going to cause my husband any more pain. I was even weary of every showing up to set again because I was afraid they would find a way to rope me into the show again.

But, that doesn't mean that I didn't help Brian come up with ideas. I still tried to help him think of ways to get back at the guys, but this time I left myself out of it. And I also made sure I didn't involve any of the other guys, or even the crewmembers, with any of my ideas. Now I knew that they could've been used against me, and my husband. I couldn't trust anybody, except Brian. If that show taught me anything, it's that even if the whole world is plotting against us, at least Brian and I still have each other. And that bond is something that can never be broken, no matter how hard anyone else tries.

Even though I still considered myself a fan of the show, I was happy just sitting back and being the supportive wife at home. I didn't need to be involved with the show as much. I guess I got all the excitement of being on TV out of my system. But no matter what, I would still be there to help Brian, whether it's helping him with ideas or just being there to listen when he has a tough day at work. Being there to support my husband was way more important to me than being on the show.

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On top of filming Impractical Jokers, Brian was busier than ever. It seems that the guys' career just continues to grow even more every year. They were working on their first movie, which would be filming in Atlanta for a month. They were also developing and filming another TV show, called Misery Index. Brian also had his own solo projects. On top of recording Tell 'Em Steve Dave, he had also recently finished writing a graphic novel, called Metro. Brian got to work on this project with one of his favorite comic writers, Cullen Bunn, as well as his good friend Walt Flanagan. Writing a graphic novel is something that Brian has always wanted to do, and he really enjoyed the process.

Brian didn't really want to say it, but I think he enjoyed working on his solo projects more than he enjoyed filming the TV shows. Filming the TV shows started feeling like a chore to him, whereas writing was more of a passion project for him. If it was all up to him, Brian would prefer podcasting and writing comic books rather than being on TV. Some days he would even prefer being a fireman than being on TV. Being a TV star is not something Brian had ever envisioned for himself. Brian still considers himself a regular guy, and sometimes all this life can be overwhelming for him. But it wasn't just Brian's life and career that were affected by his decisions. He had his three best friends, who he considers brothers, that count on him to make the show work. I truly believe that the show would only work with all four guys. If you took any of them out, the dynamic just wouldn't be the same. But there were also directors, producers, writers, and so many other people behind the scenes that had a job because of this show. For those people, this show is their livelihood, their source of paying their bills and feeding their families.

This became a source of guilt that often weighed heavily on Brian. It was a constant battle for him. While Brian wanted to do projects that made him happy, like writing his graphic novel, he also felt like his first obligation is to the show. I often felt that Brian sacrificed his own happiness just to satisfy others. Maybe it's that fireman that's still in him. He's always thinking about saving and protecting other people before worrying about himself. But with all these projects coming along, Brian was becoming even more stressed out. I know my husband, and I could tell that he was beginning to crack.