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Stuck Chronicle (Part 29 - Showdown!!)
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The air was filled with the roars of Joel and Mick's engines, as their two trucks pushed away at each other at full force, slinging wet mud behind them. Lyle looked on from the stands, as his boyfriend and best friend stared each other down in the standoff.
"This is getting me nowhere..." Mick admitted. It took everything he had to keep Joel from forcing him back. "Time for Plan B!"
Mick turned his wheel during their next clash, veering to the left and evading Joel's truck. Joel careened into a pre-existing rut, which made his rear tires spin as he struggled to turn and face his opponent.
"Catch me if you can!" Mick yelled as he hit the gas, slinging mud in Joel's direction during takeoff
"You asked for it!" Joel growled. He broke free from the rut and chased after Mick.
"Whoa! This is NUTS!" Lyle remarked, as the drivers played cat and mouse throughout the muddy field. Every turn caused them to skid wildly--it took everything they had to not lose control of their trucks. Joel gave his truck full throttle, and bumped into Mick from behind.
"Hey, watch it!" Mick hollered. But Joel charged toward him again, once again making contact. Mick lost control of his Jeep, and it spun around in circles before screeching to a halt.
"Whoa!" Joel gasped.
"You okay, buddy?!" Lyle shouted.
Mick was in a daze from having spun out so many times. But after about a minute or so he'd regained his composure and begun to laugh out loud. He revved his engine, and gave a thumbs up to Lyle. Lyle was relieved, and gave a thumbs up back.
Mick turned to Joel and shouted out. "DAMN, you play rough! But now it's MY turn!!" He drove circles around Joel's truck, spraying mud at Joel as well a large portion of the field. "On to Round 2!!" With that, he drove toward the far end of the field.
"Crazy guy..." Joel muttered to himself. He drove off to the nearest end of the field, now facing Mick.
Lyle looked on with anticipation, excitement, and a little fear as Joel and Mick revved at each other from opposite ends of the field. At about the same time, they took off toward each other again. But this time, Mick veered to the left while Joel veered to the right. Joel ended up driving into the deep ruts Mick made earlier, while Mick skidded into the goal post.
Lyle looked over at Joel, as he tried to escape the muddy rut. ZZZZZZZzZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz!!!
"Dammit! 🤬” Joel exclaimed. VVVrrrrrrRRRRRRRRrrrrr!!! zzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz!!!! No matter how hard Joel tried, he couldn't break free. His front tire and both back tires were caught in ruts and completely caked with mud. When he realized there was no way out, he let off the gas and shouted.
"Wow..." Lyle remarked. He had a feeling Joel would get stuck, but was still surprised when it happened.
"HAHAHAAAAAA!!!" Mick gloated at full volume. "Looks like you're finished, Muscles! Can't say I'm--"
Mick's Jeep shut off after he hit the goalpost. He tried to restart it as he gloated, but the engine wouldn't turn over.
"...surprised?"
Lyle and Joel both looked over at Mick, who frantically tried to start his jeep.
"Come on, baby! Come on come on come on come o-ha-ha-honnnnn!!!" Mick yelled. But he couldn't get it to start. "No, no, NOOOO! WHAT THE HELL!!
”Joel rubbed the hood of Mick's red-hot Jeep. "What were you sayin' Mickey? Somethin' about me being finished?"
Mick got out of his SUV and scoffed. "Oh shut up, Jock Boy! You're buried, remember?"
"At least MY truck's still runnin'...", Joel stated with a smirk
"You...you shut your trap!" Mick snapped. He ran over to Lyle. "Hey L, who do YOU think won?!"
Lyle looked at Mick, then at Joel...then at Joel's buried truck, at Mick's smoking Jeep...then back at Mick.
"Looks like a tie to me, Mickey", Lyle said. "You're stuck, he's stuck...total stalemate
️”"I can take this L", Joel stated. "I had the time of my life, and showed my favorite guy over here what I could do!
️” He walked over to Lyle, and slung his arm around him. "What about YOU, Mickey? Can you be the bigger man alongside me and fight another day? 
”Mick looked over at Joel's smug face, and growled. Then he looked at Lyle, who smiled gently. He then threw his hands in the air, and sighed.
"Yeah, okay? I admit to our mutual defeat
” he said dryly.Lyle and Joel laughed. Mick ran over and tackled both of them. They wrestled in the less muddy patch of ground until Lyle ended up sandwiched between Mick beneath him, and Joel facing him on top. They shared a long kiss, before an annoyed Mick pushed them off of him. Afterward, they all got up and laughed together.
"Sooooo", Lyle said, "what're we gonna do about getting home?"
"First we'll free my truck", Joel replied, "and then I'll tow Mick's Jeep outta here"
"And THEN", Mick said, "we'll head to my place for the night! I can fix my truck up there, then we can gather round a fire and trade stories like the old days"
"Sounds like a plan!" Lyle said happily. Joel agreed.
So they tried out Joel's plan, and then Mick drove them to his house, trying his best not to get stuck again on the way. As Mick worked on his Jeep, Lyle and Joel waited inside for their clothes to dry. As they did, they reminisced over the awesome clash that took place...