Roxie Bing | she's the one

(1.6) The One With The Butt

"Look, Joey's picture!" Rachel jumped up and down slightly in her seat at the theatre our group was seated at.
"Yeah, this is exciting." I agreed with her.
I watched my brother roll his eyes. "You can always tell the people who've never been to one of his plays before. No fear, no sense of impending doom."
Once Chandler had finished, the lights went dim and Joey appeared on the stage.

We sat for what felt like an eternity watching Joey speaking with an abysmal German accent and singing wildly ridiculous songs and I'd completely zoned out for my own sanity once the play ended.

We all clapped and watched Joey walked off the stage, but once he'd disappeared out of sight, everyone slated the play.
"I feel violated." Rachel said.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad." I insisted, and everyone stared at me in disbelief.

At that moment, Chandler pointed out a woman he'd spotted on the other side of the theatre.
"She's amazing. She makes the women I dream about look like short, fat, bald men."
"Well, go over to her." Monica suggested.
I laughed. "You'd have no chance."
"No, you know, you always see these really beautiful women with these really nothing guys. You could be one of them guys!" Phoebe supported him and I laughed again.
"I guess you could be a nothing guy." I shrugged.
Chandler stood up nervously and hovered for a second before saying "here goes" and heading over to the woman I was sure he didn't stand a chance with.

We all stood up from our seats and huddled in the corner by the exit, observing Chandler's awkward interaction with the woman.
"Christ, he really has no girl skills, does he?" I muttered and we all chuckled.

As Chandler was still attempting to talk to the woman, Joey came out.
Joey asked how it was and everyone mumbled some inaudible and unenthusiastic compliments.
"Come on guys, it wasn't that bad." Joey insisted.

"She said 'yes'! She said 'yes'!" Chandler rushes back over with an uncontrolled excitement in his tone.
"Great!" Everyone echoed.
With his new found confidence and lack of ability to think of anything else but the woman who'd just agreed to see him, he turned to Joey and said, "awful play, man."
Joey rolled his eyes.
Chandler went on to explain how the woman's name was Aurora and she was Italian and then after not being asked, demonstrated how she pronounced his name in her accent.
"Oh, hey, the usher gave me this to give to you." He said to Joey once he'd finished rambling.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Estelle Leonard Talent Agency." Joey read. "Wow, an agency left me their card, maybe they want to sign me!" Joey beamed.
"Based on this play?" Phoebe questioned, and when she saw Joey's unimpressed face, changed her tone to a happy, "based on this play!"

"Hey." Joey said as I went to sit down beside him on the couch. He twisted his body so he was facing me.
"Hey. Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know. I'm just sick of being in crappy plays that everyone makes fun of, you know?" He confided in me.
"Joey, you've got to work your way up from there to get to the top, that's how it works. And today an agency left you their card! You're getting somewhere, I promise." I placed my hand on his in support.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. And the play wasn't that bad. I kind of liked it." I smiled.
Joey gave me an appreciative smile back.

We were all huddled in the coffee shop and Chandler had just finished his lengthy story about the woman he'd met at Joey's play who had revealed on their date that she already had a husband and a boyfriend. She'd envisioned Chandler being a purely 'sexual relationship'.
"I'm sorry it didn't work out." Monica consoled him.
"Didn't work out?" Chandler questioned, confused. "I'm seeing her again on Tuesday. Didn't you listen to the story?"
"Didn't you listen to the story? This is twisted!" I piped up and everyone raised their eyebrows at the volume of my voice.
"You know, I had some trouble with it at first as well. But the way I see it, this is every guys fantasy!" Chandler explained his side.
"It is not! Ross, is this your fantasy?" Phoebe asked him for a second opinion.
"No." Ross said, before very quickly admitted, "yes. Yes it is."
I rolled my eyes. "So you guys don't mind going out with someone who's going out with someone else?"
"I couldn't do it." Joey said.
"Good for you, Joey." I smiled.
"When I'm going out with a woman, I have to know I'm going out with more people than she is." He continued.
I glared at him. "I judge you more and more every day, Joey."

Joey entered Monica's apartment speaking excitedly on the phone.
"That was my agent!" He filled us in once he'd put the phone down. "My agent has just got me a job in the new Al Pacino movie!"
We all broke out into cheers and joined in his excitement.
"What's the part?" I asked, but Joey completely dodged the question and continued to rave about the movie.
After another few questions dodged, he finally answered with an inaudible mumble.
"You're a what?" I asked.
Joey stopped and sighed. "I'm his butt double, okay?"
Everyone struggled to contain their laughter.
"He goes into the shower... and I'm his butt."
Monica was the first to not be able to contain her laughter for any longer.
Joey tried to convince us that this was his big break, that this role was serious and this was big for his career, but everyone laughed and came up with multiple jokes until Joey eventually left the room.

"Look at it this way, you dumped her." Ross tried to reassure Chandler who's little fling with a polyamorous woman had ended, but it didn't seem to reassure Chandler that he hadn't made a mistake by ending it with the sexy, foreign woman.

Joey walked in with an even more disappointed expression than Chandler.
Joey told us how he'd got fired because he 'over-acted' his part, which confused everyone.
"I've done nothing but crappy plays for six years. I finally get my shot, and I blow it!" Joey complains with a look that made me feel genuinely sympathetic for him.
"I don't think this was your shot. I don't think you just get one shot. I think big things will happen for you, Joey." I smiled and he smiled as well.
"Really?" He looked at me for reassurance.
"Yes, really."
"Thank you, Roxie." He smiled and launched in for a tight hug.
"Anytime."

A/N: I am enjoying this and sooo ready to see what will happen with these two!!!