Joey kicked the last of the cardboard boxes aside in part of the frustration he’d been feeling for weeks now. Building box fortresses just wasn’t fun anymore. He could feel himself growing up, and now he wanted… more. He was tired of having to clown around for everyone all the time, and wanted to finally give up on his childhood and become an adult. Not that he didn’t enjoy being silly from time to time – it was part of his character now – but he could feel time starting to grab him and change him, not just mentally but physically too.
Over the past few weeks he had broken up with two different girls on the same night, tried it on with one of his co-workers and seduced a girl in the laundrette – they’d done it in the coatroom. It’d been hot, but he was starting to feel that something was missing from his life still. If this was all that life had to offer him, then Joey wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted it anymore.
“Hey, buddy!” cried Ross hysterically, walking out of the bathroom, having washed off most of the red facepaint that his Indian had been wearing. “What are you doing to our fortress?”
“Ah, I’m sorry Ross, I just don’t feel like playing cowboys and Indians right now, y’know? I think I just want some time to myself for a while.”
“But I was winning!” Ross squealed, in that girlish voice he rose into whenever he was defending himself. Joey looked across at his friend, still wearing the feathered headdress, and smiled. Ross had always been there for him, over all the years, no matter what had happened. Although Chandler was his best friend, and always would be, there were certain things he trusted Ross with more, and as he sat down on one of the remaining cardboard boxes he decided to ask Ross the question he’d been holding back for weeks.
“Ross, do you ever feel lonely?”
“Why sure I do, Joe. I think everyone does. What’s up?”
Ross walked over and sat down next to him, put a hand on his knee. Joey looked down, but didn’t brush him away. “It’s just, I-I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, man, you know what I mean? I feel like don’t know what I’m doing with my life!”
“Ah come on now, you’re an actor! You go out there and do the thing you love day in day out! The way I see it, Joey – you’re living the dream.”
Joey looked into Ross’ eyes and saw something he’d never seen in them before. A burning fire, passion, ambition, all rolled into one. He sat there transfixed by those eyes, until Ross moved forwards, towards him, Normally Joey would push away from being so close to another dude, but this felt right. Ross brushed the hair out of his face, and Joey could see his friend wanted this to happen too. He started to move forwards as well, but just then the door opened and Chandler walked in.
“Hey guys, I was just wondering, if a girl tells you to drop dead and die, just how much does she dig yo-” He stopped as the box collapsed under the weight of Ross and Joey, and they fell to the floor in a heap.
Chandler ached his eyebrow. “Could my timing BE any more appropriate?”
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