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Stuck Chronicle (Part 26 - Catching Up)
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A few days had passed since Joel and Mick’s challenge. For Lyle, the week had gone by slowly; he and Joel didn’t have any classes together, and with no other friends to hang with, it got pretty dull.
After his classes ended, Lyle rode home on his bike; Joel was still at the school, and wouldn’t be back for a while.
Without the sound of Joel’s engine, the area was pretty quiet. Lyle sat in his outside chair, and looked up at the sky. After a half hour, he drifted off to sleep.
The sound of a distant engine woke Lyle up. At first he thought it was Joel, but it was still too early for him to return. The roaring motor grew louder, and suddenly Mick’s Jeep was in sight.
He pulled into Lyle’s driveway, hopped out, and waved at him.
“Hey, L!” He shouted. “Long time no see!”
“Mickey”, Lyle said with surprise in his voice, “it’s good to see you again :)”
He walked crisply over to Lyle, and eyed him thoroughly. “Damn! You’ve changed a bit since I last saw you!” Mick remarked. “You’ve got the whole ruffian look down, and—“ his attention turned to Lyle’s motorcycle, “WHOA! You finally got a bike! 🤩”
“Yup”, Lyle replied with a smirk, as he straddled the bike. “He’s a beaut
️““Niiiiiiice!!” Mick said, giving two thumbs up.
His excitement toned down a bit. “Hey...can we talk inside? There’s something I wanna tell you”.
Lyle knew what he wanted to tell him. “Sure, Mickey”.
They headed into the living room, sitting in comfy chairs that faced each other. There was a brief moment of tense silence before Lyle broke the ice.
“So...”, Lyle asked, “what brought you back into town, Mickey?”
Mick leaned back in his chair, crossing his leg before answering:
“Two things, really. First of all, I wanted to see my best friend. Sorry I took so long to come back...”
“There’s no need to apologize”, Lyle replied. “I know how much your goal means to you.
“Mick smiled. “Thanks
️“. His smile soon disappeared, as he continued.“The second reason I came back, was because I heard there was a trucker in this town who was exploring our spots—“
“Joel”, Lyle cut in.
Mick paused. “What?”
“The trucker’s name is Joel.”
“I know. He’s a buff, younger guy with a grey Dodge Ram...”. A grin stretched across Mick’s face. “I was gonna challenge this guy, but he beat me to it! So last weekend, we tore up the Shortcut. He was pretty damn skilled with that truck...but I emerged victorious in the end!” He pounded on his chest, before taking a sip of water.
Lyle rolled his eyes. “You only won because Joel got caught in one of your stupid trenches
”Mick choked briefly. “I swear, I didn’t think they’d still be so effective after two years!
”Lyle shrugged. “Whatevs”, he scoffed.
Mick turned his attention to Lyle. “Sooooooo”, he said, “before Joel and I parted ways, we each mentioned that we’d bring a guest as a witness and a spectator”.
Lyle tensed up. He could see where this was going.
“Naturally, I was gonna bring you”, Mick said, “then Joel said he’d bring his boyfriend. And when he described him to me...”—Mick got up from his seat, and stared directly into Lyle’s eyes from a few inches away—“...I couldn’t help but think that he was referring to you
.”Lyle sighed. “Well, that’s because he was”, he pointed out. “We’d met at the college last fall.”
Mick got out of Lyle’s face, but still wouldn’t take his eyes off of him. “I see....” he said slowly. As his boots paced the floor, Lyle suddenly became worried about what Mick would say or do next...
He stopped in front of Lyle, studied his nervous face, and suddenly his rough, serious expression changed into a wide-eyed grin as he burst into laughter.
“My GOD, you’re on edge!” Mick yelled as his laughs echoed through the living room.
Lyle frowned. “You really scared me, you jerk...”
“I’m sorry, I’m SORRY!!” Mick exclaimed, as his laughter died down and he sat back in his chair. “Look...I’m glad you found a guy who makes you happy, AND shares your hobby.”
“....Really?” Lyle asked.
“Yeah, I am”, Mick assured him. “But all the same, he's goin’ down this weekend!
”Lyle smiled. “Don’t count Joel out. He’s dead set on getting you—if you’re your usual arrogant self, he’ll have your tires spinning before you know it
”“I’ll keep that in mind
”, Mick replied dryly. He got up from his chair, and motioned towards the door. “So, you wanna head out?”Lyle got confused. “Wait, what? 🧐”
“I didn’t come over here JUST to chat. I also want to take you mudding before it gets dark.”
Lyle shrugged. “Sure, as long as we get back before sundown.”
“No prob!
““I assume we’re going to one of your spots?”
Mick nodded. “It’s gonna blow your mind!”
Before long, Lyle and Mick were headed to one of Mick’s favorite spots: the dried lakebed!